Is There Any Hope for Florida in 2015?

[GatorJ]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/florida-gators-football-sec-2015-preview/

My favorite part:

This season could be rough on the emotions of the Gators faithful, and on a program that brought home two national championships within the past decade and now finds itself reduced to divisional also-ran. But while Florida spins its wheels in the Swamp for this next little bit, it wouldn’t behoove any of its opponents to forget that however low to the ground this team is traveling, whatever level of solace it must find in being the best dang ankle biter it can be, those jaws remain powerful enough to snap legs clean off. Did you know that gators can climb trees? Scares the hell out of me every time I think about it.

 

[LongTooth]

it all comes down to the play of the offensive line and whether or not we stay relatively healthy on both sides of the ball.

 

[TN G8tr]

If the line can hold, not get injured, make some lanes, and give the QB's just enough time it could be a decent year. But....that's a tall order to ask for. Hoping for the best.

 

[CaribGator]

Hope springs eternal.. or in football fans case it should be hope 'falls' eternal..

Of course there is hope, The team is already better than last year by dumping the dawg. Losing a stud like Fowler hurts any team, but other than LB's our D overall will just as good, maybe even better than last year. Our offense, we have an upgrade at the QB no matter who starts from last years starter, we have although unproven, more talent at the WR position, The Oline can't be any worse than last year.

So I hope to whoop jawja, the clowns, and everybody else that steps foot in the swamp.

Go Gators

 

[Swamp Donkey]

The season opens with New Mexico State at home, a game that is at least mercifully scheduled to kick off at night. Next comes a visit from an East Carolina squad that’s reloading on offense but is markedly more stable in the sixth year of Ruffin McNeill’s leadership.[SUP]6[/SUP] SEC play begins in Week 3, with a trip to what’s going to be a very, very angry Kentucky team, and continues back in Gainesville in Week 4 versus Tennessee. (If you thought last season’s 10-9 atrocity was a crime against the game of football itself, just wait until this year, in this early slot, when probably neither team will have patched together a cohesive offensive line yet!) Florida could be 4-0 at the end of this first month, or 1-3, and neither would be all that surprising.

 

[MJMGator]

I think we will be 4-0 to start the season...then the losses will start to mount. We'll go 3-5 down the stretch.

 

[LagoonGator68]

I think we will be 4-0 to start the season...then the losses will start to mount. We'll go 3-5 down the stretch.

I think you should bet the farm on that exact prediction.

 

[GatorInKnox]

The Oline can't be any worse than last year.

The O-line that had 4 players in the NFL draft?

 

[MJMGator]

I think you should bet the farm on that exact prediction.

I don't have the GatorFever, so I don't bet.;)

 

[soflagator]

I'm going to continue beating the same mantra that reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated. We're not winning any championships(other than possibly a watered down East "crown"). That said, this is the same team that went 7-6 last year, and lost 3 of the 5 contests that came down to the wire. One of those games was on the road against a loaded fsu team that featured 2 Top 10 picks in this year's draft. I'll agree that we are not at a level of talent needed to be a title contender. But the idea that somehow we are wildly less talented/experienced than we were in 2014 just doesn't make much sense to me.

Position by position, outside of Rush End and KR/PR, we are the same or better.

Even the much maligned OL has been restocked with bodies(albeit young ones) so our numbers are comparable. While it won't be a strength, it really hasn't been one since 2009.


I'd put the DBs, Safety's, WR's, DT's and QB's in the improved category along with TE assuming McGee can remain healthy.

LB's should be comparable, with Davis rebounding from an admitted and common Sophomore slump. Morrison would make it a definite upgrade, but I think Anzalone's emergence offsets his potential absence fairly well. In all, a wash in my opinion, with the possibility of being better.

The bottom line is you don't make a coaching change just for the sake of making a change. There should be a better overall performance from that side of things, if in fact we've upgraded. I'm not conceding this season, nor am I building in any excuses. We are still UF, still have some areas that showcase that talent level, and have one of the best home field advantages in cfb when we have reason for optimism. I think that returns this season and we surprise many. Again not championship caliber, but better than expected.

 

[78]

It could get worse before it gets better, but there's no doubt in my mind we've got a vastly better coaching staff. Give it some time.

 

[maheo30]

Looking at the schedule, I can see us winning 9-10 games if healthy. I can also see us at 6-6. It depends on the QB and o-line. I'll put it this way, if we had the offense last year that we will have this year we would have won all 3 of those games and instead of 7-6 we finish 10-3. We don't need our offense to be good. We just need it to be average and put up a few points. After the last few years un Chump, our D is gonna go nuts if they see our O putting up some points.

 

[NCOGator]

I think it will be a lot like last year. We were a couple of plays and a rain out from having a 10 win season. IMHO I believe that those plays will go our way this year because we have a coach that knows how to well coach.

 

[SavannahGator]

It also depends on how well the offensive players learn Mac and Nussmeier's playbook, and how well they execute it. As for the defense, picking up how Collins runs a D is probably easier on them than the offense, but overall learning, execution, and especially "buy-in" is just as important evaluating the team on a position-by-position basis. I personally think we'll be either 7-5 or 8-4, with at least one unexpected upset of a favored opponent somewhere during the season.

 

[GatorTAG]

The season opens with New Mexico State at home, a game that is at least mercifully scheduled to kick off at night. Next comes a visit from an East Carolina squad that’s reloading on offense but is markedly more stable in the sixth year of Ruffin McNeill’s leadership.[SUP]6[/SUP] SEC play begins in Week 3, with a trip to what’s going to be avery, very angry Kentucky team, and continues back in Gainesville in Week 4 versus Tennessee. (If you thought last season’s 10-9 atrocity was a crime against the game of football itself, just wait until this year, in this early slot, when probably neither team will have patched together a cohesive offensive line yet!) Florida could be 4-0 at the end of this first month, or 1-3, and neither would be all that surprising.

Muschamp beat 3 of those 4 teams last year. And I could coach them to a win over new Mexico State. I've been told we got rid of Muschamp for a better coach, so....

 

[GatorGurl22]

Here's a video for all those Gator Haters! Lawyer Mike "Gator Haters- Hear This!"

 

[Ray Finkle]

Here's a video for all those Gator Haters! Lawyer Mike "Gator Haters- Hear This!"

I'm sure our rivals will love this

 

[joeblow]

One thing I'd agree with is the Tennessee game this year. The last two games between UF and Tennessee have been about the worst displays of football that can be imagined. There's no assurance that this year's version will be any better. I think UF will be worse this year than last year. Coaching won't matter if you can't block. UF's skill players, with the lone exception of Demarcus Robinson, are either unproven or less than stellar. That assessment is based on what they have actually done on the field, not "potential." There are very very few games UF is assured of winning. There's only three I can think of, New Mexico State, Florida Atlantic, and Vanderbilt, and even Vandy whipped UF the last time they were scheduled for Homecoming. The rest? UF is an underdog in seven of them. Even East Carolina put up 536 yards on the Gators vaunted defense last year, and an advantage they have this year is that they have coaching continuity. It wasn't the play calling last year that sunk UF. Until after the Missouri game, when the coaches finally figured out the only chance to win was not beat yourself by doing something you didn't have the talent to do, UF tried to be wide open and throw the ball vertically and every other which way. It starts at quarterback, but it's hard to see a player with no experience, or some, being able to thrive if they are running for their life. Think about it, Trip Thurman is the bell cow of the line. Have you watched Thurman play?

 

[TN G8tr]

:noles:

 

[Gator Fever]

One thing I'd agree with is the Tennessee game this year. The last two games between UF and Tennessee have been about the worst displays of football that can be imagined. There's no assurance that this year's version will be any better. I think UF will be worse this year than last year. Coaching won't matter if you can't block. UF's skill players, with the lone exception of Demarcus Robinson, are either unproven or less than stellar. That assessment is based on what they have actually done on the field, not "potential." There are very very few games UF is assured of winning. There's only three I can think of, New Mexico State, Florida Atlantic, and Vanderbilt, and even Vandy whipped UF the last time they were scheduled for Homecoming. The rest? UF is an underdog in seven of them. Even East Carolina put up 536 yards on the Gators vaunted defense last year, and an advantage they have this year is that they have coaching continuity. It wasn't the play calling last year that sunk UF. Until after the Missouri game, when the coaches finally figured out the only chance to win was not beat yourself by doing something you didn't have the talent to do, UF tried to be wide open and throw the ball vertically and every other which way. It starts at quarterback, but it's hard to see a player with no experience, or some, being able to thrive if they are running for their life. Think about it, Trip Thurman is the bell cow of the line. Have you watched Thurman play?

A lot of sunshine there...