A Good Thing, or a Bad Thing?

[Swamp Donkey]

Complacency will kill a program.

The program has been dead for a while.

 

[t-gator]

It's encouraging that Mac is fighting for improvements, but at the same time it's discouraging that the administration is being resistant towards that.

Can you blame them? Why dont the athletic department demand he scores a touchdown against fsu?

 

[MJMGator]

So the question is, will Mac leave for another job soon when he doesn't get what he wants?

 

[revgator]

I am so on the fence about Mac. I personally like the guy, I feel like he's headed in the right direction but..... he makes some questionable decisions. Maybe if he had the resume to back up those decisions I would feel more comfortable or maybe I'm still jaded from watching muschamp learn on the job with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.

Could Mac genuinely believe that upgrades are the missing ingredient or is he throwing a smoke screen? That really makes all the difference.

On the other hand, while I loved UF, I hated almost every moment in gainesville. Can't think of anything that would ever make me return.

Apart from academics which is why I chose UF, what else is there in devil's millhoper or hogtown? A 40 year old mall that smells like asbestos, a prairie and a sinkhole? I'm a city boy so facilities are "the big sell."

 

[88drgator]

Even that could be a good thing. We have the chance at landing a championship coach AND put proper focus on the stupidity going on in the athletic department. If the AD doesn't clean out the swamp/septic tank, perhaps he is flushed also.

If we can't land a championship coach, at least we could land one who recruits well enough to build for the next guy.

I don't think we landed an AD with a "championship" mindset. It's more of the same Dollar General hiring. Where he came from, we're world champions already.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

Can you blame them? Why dont the athletic department demand he scores a touchdown against fsu?

 

[alcoholica]

I think Im going to put Vulcan on ignore.

If you do, make sure you mention how much you love the ignore feature every other post.

 

[oxking]

He is pushing HARD, to the point of really rubbing people the wrong way, for upgrades to the facilities, coaching, and support staff. They said Mac wants ALL the bells and whistles in the new facility and then said something else... They said he's IS NOT going to get EVERYTHING he wants Mac is gonna be pissed and give them holy hell.

Well, somebody needs to push those sluggards and if true, Mac deserves credit. It's obvious that the slug Fooley's sluggishness left a trail of slime that rubbed off on all the would be slugs and has turned the whole department into a Slugsville. All those slugs need a good dose of salt.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

On the other hand, while I loved UF, I hated almost every moment in gainesville. Can't think of anything that would ever make me return.

Apart from academics which is why I chose UF, what else is there in devil's millhoper or hogtown? A 40 year old mall that smells like asbestos, a prairie and a sinkhole? I'm a city boy so facilities are "the big sell."

Youre dead to me.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

I don't think we landed an AD with a "championship" mindset. It's more of the same Dollar General hiring. Where he came from, we're world champions already.

I hope youre wrong.

I suspect you may be right. In any event, I havent seen much that impresses me so far.

 

[revgator]

Youre dead to me.

Nooooooooo!!!! LOL

 

[playzwtrux]

... or is he throwing a smoke screen?

this. My major concern is that Mac knows the only way he can land the top talent is because of great facilities, not selling himself, his coaches, or his plan.


if Mac could recruit worth a crap he wouldn't need all the facilities to get kids here.

 

[ThreatMatrix]

I am so on the fence about Mac. I personally like the guy, I feel like he's headed in the right direction but..... he makes some questionable decisions. Maybe if he had the resume to back up those decisions I would feel more comfortable or maybe I'm still jaded from watching muschamp learn on the job with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.

Could Mac genuinely believe that upgrades are the missing ingredient or is he throwing a smoke screen? That really makes all the difference.

On the other hand, while I loved UF, I hated almost every moment in gainesville. Can't think of anything that would ever make me return.

Apart from academics which is why I chose UF, what else is there in devil's millhoper or hogtown? A 40 year old mall that smells like asbestos, a prairie and a sinkhole? I'm a city boy so facilities are "the big sell."

Co-eds.
What turned me on about visiting G'ville for the first time was that it was city that was 90% kids my age and half of them were women. Maybe you're just not in to that.

 

[ChiefGator]

this. My major concern is that Mac knows the only way he can land the top talent is because of great facilities, not selling himself, his coaches, or his plan.


if Mac could recruit worth a crap he wouldn't need all the facilities to get kids here.

Interesting point do you think that Saban would have trouble if his facilities were not at the top of the heap? Or do those many NC rings and the success of his players in making the NFL count for much more than a nicer than anybody else dorm room?

 

[revgator]

Co-eds.
What turned me on about visiting G'ville for the first time was that it was city that was 90% kids my age and half of them were women. Maybe you're just not in to that.

I never thought of it that way, ... maybe because it wasn't the first time I ever saw a girl.

 

[stephenPE]

I never thought of it that way, ... maybe because it wasn't the first time I ever saw a girl.

I can see if you are big city Gville sucks but if you like nature (SPrings Itchetucknee , beaches, seafood (CedarKey) rivers and lakes, bars, Hippodrome Theater, etc, the Gville aint so bad..............
Honestly Rev. I wish MORE former students thought like you and went back home. Gville has exploded cause so many Alumni liked Hogtown and stayed or came back.............used to be a nice laid back town

 

[Jenny On The Railroad]

They arent used to a HC making these kinds of demands. They need to listen if they want to keep up with the rest of the schools. He will leave this place better than he found it facility wise.

This. Whatever his coaching and recruiting flaws, he has been exposed to what it takes to have a winning program.

We need so much stuff now because Foley ( or someone) was too cheap to go get competitive edge , much less keep up with other schools. It is a good thing that Mac knows this handicaps his recruiting and vision for the program. Personally, I am more than OK with seeing Foley's old guard leave and people who might be more compatible with the progressive push inserted. IMO, unless Strickin is a cookie cutter copy of Foley, this might help the organization function better under him.

It is too bad a program that is behind may not even get what at this point it needs just to keep up. We all know by the time it is operational, today's plans will be behind the more cutting edge programs. If this mentality drives Mac away it certainly would not appeal to the kind of coaches we would prefer to follow him.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

Folks, it's not just facilities for the purpose of recruiting. It's facilities for film study, workout facilities (the kids only have short windows to work out, they do have classes, some times are busier than others and if there are lines, the kids might miss their chances), facilities for nutrition, facilities for therapy and recovery. The closer these things are together, the less time the kids miss and the more chance they complete everything the need to get done.

And it's not just facililties. Bammer has 30 guys watching film, half or so of them have been previous college coaches. These QC/coaches are why Bammer always knows what play we are likely to run just by formation and maybe player packages.

They have another bunch watching player practices and noting things on tape that the players need to improve. Hell the QC guys can meet with the kids almost without restrictions. They are basically the REAL coaches.

Then there is another large bunch of Bammer staff doing nothing but watching films of recruits and traveling to watch camps and games. Dozens. Wanna know why Bammer is scrambling for recruits in January, because they put enough resources to it. They aren't waiting until after the bowl game for the handful of QA coaches and the coaching staff to get past Bowl Game prep before they start watching film and making decisions about recruits.

Frankly, I think Bammer's back bench coaches are probably better coaches than our first 9. They certainly have better resumes.

It's not just gold toilets and fountains like some of you imply. We ARE not going to keep up with facilities and staff of a 1AA team. I am offended by the concept that some of you raise that we should abandon the thought of competing with them and the other big boys altogether.

Do I think facilities are the ONLY reason Butters can't recruit? Of course not. Great recruiters get promoted quickly and Butters spent most of his 35 years toiling as a journeyman with dawgshyt programs for a reason. One of them is that he can't recruit.

However, there is no doubt that his budget is hampering him from hiring a better staff. Saban was no magician recruiter either at MSU or Corndog. However, he hires guys that are pretty good and winning helps a ton, too. We didn't wait three months to hire an OL coach to get N Texas or the same time to get a RB coach from FIU to coach our WRs. We went fishing for the big boys and didn't have the enough bait.

It is ALL part of the problem.

This isnt 1982. We have to commit to winning (or clean out the Athletic Department) or we will become Nebraska, Notre Dame, Miami or Cal dreaming about the good ole days several decades ago.

 

[InstiGATOR1]

And it's not just facililties. Bammer has 30 guys watching film, half or so of them have been previous college coaches. These QC/coaches are why Bammer always knows what play we are likely to run just by formation and maybe player packages.

I have it on good authority from here and elsewhere that everyone knows what plays UF runs because of the offensive play calling. I have to admit when you start the majority of your games with a QB bootleg action pass to the TE on a short drag pattern in the first series, it become less and less effective as you keep running it.

As for the rest of your UAL envy, I think it is exaggerated but in part because I think their success has been exaggerated. Still you and Foley have the UAL thing you can not seem to get over, while many of the rest of us want to see UF striving to be UF.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

What is a UAL. A Russian car? I don't like them. No that's a URAL. I have no clue.