Biggest reason I think Napier succeeds

[deuce]

The hate is real and never ending......

 

[RiverRat]

Welcome Bob
Pretty good stuff keep it coming
What you got on recruiting? Any crystal ball names to throw around.
It’s the wild Wild West right now the biggest question to me is can Fl compete on the same level with the big boys. If not we’re back to middle of the pack.
I guess we will know the answer in the next couple months.

 

[Hollywood Bob]

First, glad to have you posting Bob. But, Florida has a culture problem and it’s in the media when these are not just your views but prevailing views in the Gators media:





These tales are bad in retrospect, but they were also bad at the time. Mullen proved to us what he was both as to his non-adaptive offense and his lack of recruiting well before he showed back up at UF.

While everyone is more positive now about the Gators, your basis for optimism is essentially the same thing you did for the last guy. Pick the most public thing he’s doing well (here the “army”) and highlight it.

We all hope you’re right, but the track record doesn’t suggest expertise as much as a buyer of party narrative. I wish our local media inquired more than re-sold the teams story.

Disagree about the non-adaptive offense.

Mullen took over an offense that was ranked No. 13 in the SEC 2017, the year before he arrived. In fact historically, the Florida offense from 2011-2017 that was completely abysmal. In 2011 they were ranked 10 (of 12), in 2012 the offense was 12 (of 14), in 2013 they were 14, in 2014 they were 12, in 2015 they were 12 with the guy that could coach his dog to quarterback, in 2016 the offense was 14.

So in the eight years before arriving the Florida offense never finished above 10th in the SEC in total offense. In Mullen's first year in 2018 the offense jumped to No. in the SEC, in 2019 they were No. 4, in 2020 they were No. 3, and last year the offense was No. 4 in the SEC. Historically he pulled the offense out of the gregs of the conference to amuch better position.

And to your point or the point I disagree with... The Gators had the No. 4 rated rushing game in the SEC in 2018 and the No. 6 passing offense. The next year with Franks not playing as well and Trask taking over, the passing game flipped and improved to No. 3 in the SEC with the running game not quite as good and down at No. 13. With Trask back in 2020 the passing game was No 1 in the SEC and running game was 11th. Last year, with Trask gone and Emory not able to do much through the air, Mullen ran the ball and the Florida rushing game was No. 4 in the SEC and the passing game was No. .

So, yes. I do believe he was very able and did adapt on offense. And God I hate you for making me defend this guy.

 

[Sec14Gator]

So, yes. I do believe he was very able and did adapt on offense

I really am not sure what you watched, but it was the same offense, different players. This guy had Dak on the bench and drafted well below his current NFL value running the same offense 10 years ago that he ran with Franks, Emory and Trask.

Even that season you rate as showing change had us regressing at the end of the season to the typical Dan plays.

To your initial point that he improved the offense, I don’t disagree and expected him to make us top half. The problem arises in years we could be elite and were still running read option calls with a stationary QB.

Again, other than final standings and some % moving between run/pass (in part Bc Trask on a RPO favored the P), the only time the offense changed or truly adapted was early 2020 when Brian Johnson was impacting the calls more — that lasted until it regressed back to standard Dan offense.

 

[Hollywood Bob]

I really am not sure what you watched, but it was the same offense, different players. This guy had Dak on the bench and drafted well below his current NFL value running the same offense 10 years ago that he ran with Franks, Emory and Trask.

Even that season you rate as showing change had us regressing at the end of the season to the typical Dan plays.

To your initial point that he improved the offense, I don’t disagree and expected him to make us top half. The problem arises in years we could be elite and were still running read option calls with a stationary QB.

Again, other than final standings and some % moving between run/pass (in part Bc Trask on a RPO favored the P), the only time the offense changed or truly adapted was early 2020 when Brian Johnson was impacting the calls more — that lasted until it regressed back to standard Dan offense.

You really think that Trask did the same things while throwing for a gazillion yards in a 10 game regular season? I'm not sure what to think here. OK I'm done defending the guy. As a head coach he sucked and drained the program in his time. I don't know if Chip Kelly would have been worse, but Kelly is likely an even worse recruiter.

 

[Sec14Gator]

You really think that Trask did the same things while throwing for a gazillion yards

Absolutely not re Trask doing the same things as Franks. I did see, however, Dan called the “same things” and don’t get how you saw it much different (especially after the first 5-6 games that season).

 

[ThreatMatrix]

You really think that Trask did the same things while throwing for a gazillion yards in a 10 game regular season? I'm not sure what to think here. OK I'm done defending the guy. As a head coach he sucked and drained the program in his time. I don't know if Chip Kelly would have been worse, but Kelly is likely an even worse recruiter.

FWIW Most of us don't bother to respond to SEC14. It only encourages him.

 

[Gator87]

Every one of our fired coaches has a defining game from which you knew they would never recover. For Zook it was ut 2004(um ‘03 to a lesser degree). McElwain was Mich 2017. WM was Gsu 2013(uga 2011 for me and others). Mullen had some highs and lows. But nothing compares to 2020 lsu. I said that night that it would be the game people would reference later when he was actually fired as a catalyst. I don’t know a single UF fan than doesn’t bring it up any time his dismissal is talked about. He was never coming back from that.

Especially when he made that shoe throwing a$$hat a captain for the following game. F Cousin Eddie, hope his sh*tter is full for the rest of time.

 

[deuce]

I don't know why we have to debate the good or bad of any previous coach. It's always facts vs. feelings and feeling always win.

 

[Homer J]

Was Bob an instructor at Ox's CBN Boot Camp?

I'm thinking Bob is a recycle. Donkey???

 

[NOLAGATOR]

Bob:

How could Mullen overlook Trask and then AR?
I am no football expert but it was clear to me Trask was our guy way back in his first O&B game.

 

[FireFoley]

Yes Chip Kelly would have been equally as bad. Two guys that I said NO NO NO NO to being HC at UF were Kelly and Cousin Eddie. Yet who were the only 2 guys that our incompetent admin could get to talk with? Kelly and Cousin Eddie. Think what you want about Sling Blade. Always hope for the best, but hope is not a strategy. Zooker, Muscrat, Butters and Cousin Eddie, it all starts at the top. The proof is in the pudding. Our AD's are totally incompetent. If not for Machen, who knows how much darker those other few years would have been? FuXXXX, Fooley and Strichnine. Guarantee Moe, Larry and Curly would have had much greater success.

 

[GatorJ]

Bob:

How could Mullen overlook Trask and then AR?
I am no football expert but it was clear to me Trask was our guy way back in his first O&B game.

that was Mac. Not Mullen. But I get it. Trask had almost no experience. Franks was no slouch. He threw for a ton of yards even when he left to Arkansas.

Nobody gets the AR over Emory thing. That was just his ego.

 

[oxrageous]

I'm thinking Bob is a recycle. Donkey???

Bob Redman has been a credited Gator beat writer since 2004. He went by "Hollywood Bob" when he wrote for GatorCountry many years ago.

 

[g8tr72]

I can understand some players frustrations over a few of the more lucrative NIL deals.

Starting to get the sense that Bob and Thomas arriving might signal they're getting more oxbucks compensation than those of us who have been toiling around here before them......

They should have to pay their dues in the Politics Forum for a while.

 

[MertzJay26]

Well, my fakes still put out better material than you, that's for sure.

 

[NOLAGATOR]

that was Mac. Not Mullen. But I get it. Trask had almost no experience. Franks was no slouch. He threw for a ton of yards even when he left to Arkansas.

Nobody gets the AR over Emory thing. That was just his ego.

Cousin Eddie was Trask's coach from 2018-2020...Not Butters. He played back-up to Franks until Franks got hurt.

 

[gatormandan]

Franks was no slouch.

 

[GatorJ]

Bob Redman has been a credited Gator beat writer since 2004. He went by "Hollywood Bob" when he wrote for GatorCountry many years ago.

He can obviously confirm or refute this, but I think he was also involved with the SID or something like that under Spurrier. He was somehow connected to the program.

 

[GatorJB]

that was Mac. Not Mullen. But I get it. Trask had almost no experience. Franks was no slouch. He threw for a ton of yards even when he left to Arkansas.

Nobody gets the AR over Emory thing. That was just his ego.

A ton of yards is 2,457? We must remember things very differently. Franks was a good athlete with a strong arm, but he struggled with accuracy and decision making, which made him an average SEC QB. Mullen chose him simply because he was a better fit for the offense he wanted to run, and he was perfectly content letting a superior passer ride the bench. If Franks had never broken his ankle, then Trask wouldn't have had the chance to be a record breaking Heisman candidate, at least at UF.

Hollywood Bob, I'm glad you're posting here and appreciate your insight. I'm going to slightly disagree with you on one thing. Yes, Mullen adapted the offense; however, the only reason why Mullen changed his offense was because he was forced to, and those changes really didn't happen until 2020. In 2019, it was the same offensive scheme. He just called more passing plays. 2020 is when schematically the offense was a little different thanks to Brian Johnson's help.

Agree completely on Napier. I love everything he's doing so far, and I feel good about the future of this program for the first time in 9 years.