Questions Answered?

[Theologator]

After 4 games, I see the following key preseason questions starting to be answered:

1. Playmakers
The Gators have a number of big time playmakers emerging: Callaway, Powell, Goolsby, McGee and Robinson in particular. Fulwood can catch.

2. O-Line
Gary Danielson noted on the CBS broadcast that Ivey and Johnson were in the game together - and during some critical moments on the final drives. They were playing extremely well. This bodes well for the line's development as the season progresses. I don't think they've been great yet, but good enough to win these games. They are getting progressively better as the opponents have been getting better week to week.

3. QB
I'm still not giving up on Treon or the prospect of him contributing or being needed at some point this season, but Grier is the guy. When was the last time we felt hope trailing AT ALL with 5 minutes or less in a game? Grier makes plays in the toughest moments. He seems bent on developing as a QB.

The defense needs really just one thing: finish tackles. Well, that and don't disqualify yourself with stupid decisions. They are in position and getting to the right spots. If they can tighten up - and they must with the gauntlet coming up - they will be as good as the last 3-4 years or better. The DL rotation is excellent. The LB corps are thin but productive. Maye is flat making plays all over the field - he has really grown up.

Soecial teams are not as special as I'd hoped. The punting game is excellent. The place kicking game is suspect. The kick return game is not very good - Powell doesn't seem able to break away, comes out of the end zone when he shouldn't and we get penalties half the time when he does. I think I'd let Callaway return punts even when VH3 is 100%.

Overall, the team is progressing week to week. The real tests come as always in October. I look forward to watching how they develop, deal with adversity and compete with elite teams. So far so good.

And, by the way, I think Ut is actually very good. Dobbs is a great athlete but not a great QB. Kentucky really is better and beat Missouri. ECU beat Va Tech last night.

 

[Jbossgator8]

Our defense has got to play better. We allowed over 200 yards rushing and couldn't tackle worth a flip. Fournette and Chubb are licking their chops and will look to have huge games against us again. We have to shore up our run defense. We did get stops when we really had to though so that was good. Our O-line has to play better too. Grier was very close to being knocked out of the game. He was hurt a few times but refused to come out cause there was no one else to come in. Go Gators!!

 

[Gatordiddy]

Will Grier's testicles descended in the fourth quarter - what a show he put on. Bet his girlfriend feels like a new woman now.

 

[NVGator]

We have got to start tackling. This throwing your body in the way and thinking everyone is going to go down isn't going to work. We had way too many missed tackles.

Our running game is terrible. We just don't have the ability to run between the tackles. Maybe need to toss out for outside runs.

Agreed, Powell just needs to take a knee. I can't think of a run out of the end zone that's made it further than the 25. Makes no sense.

Clearly Grier and Calloway are on the same page. Love that matchup.

 

[MJMGator]

I'm kinda surprised by the OL. They seem to be doing a better job pass blocking than run blocking. Typically, it's the exact opposite for a young group like this. Don't know exactly what we need to do to be able to run the ball better, but if we can't then we will become one dimensional and that's not a good thing with the gauntlet we're facing.

 

[FireFoley]

After 4 games, I see the following key preseason questions starting to be answered:

1. Playmakers
The Gators have a number of big time playmakers emerging: Callaway, Powell, Goolsby, McGee and Robinson in particular. Fulwood can catch.

2. O-Line
Gary Danielson noted on the CBS broadcast that Ivey and Johnson were in the game together - and during some critical moments on the final drives. They were playing extremely well. This bodes well for the line's development as the season progresses. I don't think they've been great yet, but good enough to win these games. They are getting progressively better as the opponents have been getting better week to week.

3. QB
I'm still not giving up on Treon or the prospect of him contributing or being needed at some point this season, but Grier is the guy. When was the last time we felt hope trailing AT ALL with 5 minutes or less in a game? Grier makes plays in the toughest moments. He seems bent on developing as a QB.

The defense needs really just one thing: finish tackles. Well, that and don't disqualify yourself with stupid decisions. They are in position and getting to the right spots. If they can tighten up - and they must with the gauntlet coming up - they will be as good as the last 3-4 years or better. The DL rotation is excellent. The LB corps are thin but productive. Maye is flat making plays all over the field - he has really grown up.

Soecial teams are not as special as I'd hoped. The punting game is excellent. The place kicking game is suspect. The kick return game is not very good - Powell doesn't seem able to break away, comes out of the end zone when he shouldn't and we get penalties half the time when he does. I think I'd let Callaway return punts even when VH3 is 100%.

Overall, the team is progressing week to week. The real tests come as always in October. I look forward to watching how they develop, deal with adversity and compete with elite teams. So far so good.

And, by the way, I think Ut is actually very good. Dobbs is a great athlete but not a great QB. Kentucky really is better and beat Missouri. ECU beat Va Tech last night.

Not a terrible assessment and you have the right to your views, but if I may,

1. We have zero big time playmakers on offense. We have some very good players, but none of them are game changers on a regular basis at this point. And that is ok, having a bunch of good players is a good thing.

2. The O-line for the most part is awful. But there are many reasons for that. Very very young combined with going up against top notch D_lines in college football will make you look bad. But they are trying and learning and the positive is it bodes well for the future.

3. Grier is tough, athletic, etc., but being a first year player he makes many poor decisions. Not uncommon, but he is also not always getting any help from the play calling, so the staff needs to do a better job. When Grier's mental acumen grows (such as throwing ball away when outside pocket, which no UF QB can seem to do the last 8 years and learning to slide to protect himself when running), he will be an excellent QB.

4. Tackling on defense blows. The second level (LB's and S's when in box) are out of position way too often. Do your job and be in your gap (see Morrison often and Neal) and understand down, distance and situation (see Davis). D line is good and can be excellent. CB's get a little nosy sometimes and safeties are playing poorly overall (but Maye has gotten better).

5. Special teams for the most part are bad. A few bright spots here and there, but needs to be consistent in all phases.

Was not meant to sound negative as I thought it was possible for this team to win 7 or so games. They are bruttaly young in some areas, but seem to have the ability to improve over time. That is a big positive. I just want to see the quality of play continue to improve and the game management and understanding the flow of game improve and the results will take care of themselves.

 

[T REX]

I'm still enjoying the win...

 

[Shortcast]

The biggest problem we had with our tackling was probably caused by our aggressiveness. We overran Dobbs several times in pursuit, when we could have had him down for a loss.
Also...I saw Grier mature alot ...he looked very steady in the pocket on those two drives when we needed him most. Was scary when Riles went down...we can't afford to lose what little experience we have on the offensive line, so was good to see him back in later. The OLine just needs time....I think we will see steady improvement over the course of the season.

 

[soflagator]

Good assessment.

On your point about emerging playmakers, probably the biggest indictment of the previous staff is the fact that it's our first and second year guys making clutch plays, and just being dependable, while our veterans tend to be the ones making the mistakes. Case in point--Robinson's dropping a pass on a random 2nd down play while Calloway not only makes the catch on our most critical play of the year, but turns it up field and scores the game winner. No really knocking the older guys. It's common knowledge that it's much easier to program a new kid than to have to unwind the bad habits of an established player and then reprogram them. It's just the reality of the situation. WG to AC could be our next great duo.

The OL will be great probably as soon as next year, imo. That group has a lot of promise, and I think Summers is doing pretty well given the circumstances. If/when Mac is successful here, I honestly believe his biggest accomplishment that allowed it all to happen will be his addressing the OL situation in the offseason.

Grier is going to be great. Tremendous heart, very determined, very player oriented, handles himself very well, and just is a winner.

Too many missed tackles. I noticed some really sloppy play by Washington and Wilson(out of character for him). AMac took a terrible angle on the pass-back to Dobbs and seemed really slow. It's possible they were just a bit gassed, but that will obviously hurt us in the coming weeks.

Agree on taking a knee. Now that it's 25, it's a no brainer in most cases. And yeah VH3 has no business returning punts. Couldn't even shake Towles last week in space. Amazing DB, just not one of those guys that's electric with the ball.

The timeout because of 12 men shows the attention to detail of Mac. As I said throughout the season, you don't turn around a program like CSU that fast without being a winner. And that includes the tiny details that decent or even good coaches often overlook. Perfect contrast with Jones having to blow his timeout because they couldn't get their substitutions correct. He's going to be very good here and is exactly what we needed. As much as we need to improve in recruiting--which will come with winning--last night was a perfect example of a head coach leading a team to victory while a salesman watched it slip right though his fingers, and then gave a dozen interviews laden with cliches, coach speak, and empty talk of the future. Bottom line, winners win and losers lose. We have a winner.

 

[gatorfan81]

What I like about the LSU and Georgia games is until they play us their both going to be focused on there running games, cause its their bread and butter. All we have to do is wrap up gang tackle and no one can run on us. We will make them one dimensional. Then our offense will be rolling with players who are comfortable and confident in their roles. GO GATORS!!!

 

[Theologator]

Not a terrible assessment and you have the right to your views, but if I may,

1. We have zero big time playmakers on offense. We have some very good players, but none of them are game changers on a regular basis at this point. And that is ok, having a bunch of good players is a good thing.

2. The O-line for the most part is awful. But there are many reasons for that. Very very young combined with going up against top notch D_lines in college football will make you look bad. But they are trying and learning and the positive is it bodes well for the future.

3. Grier is tough, athletic, etc., but being a first year player he makes many poor decisions. Not uncommon, but he is also not always getting any help from the play calling, so the staff needs to do a better job. When Grier's mental acumen grows (such as throwing ball away when outside pocket, which no UF QB can seem to do the last 8 years and learning to slide to protect himself when running), he will be an excellent QB.

4. Tackling on defense blows. The second level (LB's and S's when in box) are out of position way too often. Do your job and be in your gap (see Morrison often and Neal) and understand down, distance and situation (see Davis). D line is good and can be excellent. CB's get a little nosy sometimes and safeties are playing poorly overall (but Maye has gotten better).

5. Special teams for the most part are bad. A few bright spots here and there, but needs to be consistent in all phases.

Was not meant to sound negative as I thought it was possible for this team to win 7 or so games. They are bruttaly young in some areas, but seem to have the ability to improve over time. That is a big positive. I just want to see the quality of play continue to improve and the game management and understanding the flow of game improve and the results will take care of themselves.

Not a bad assessment. ;-)

I do disagree with you on playmakers. Powell made several huge plays this game, including the 3rd TD and a heady and legal block that sprung Calkaway just enough to make his final TD. Callaway is clearly a playmaker (he does in fact make plays) and had the first 100yd game of any freshman receiver since Reidel. McGee is that Witten type outlet we'd hoped for and Goolsby is very athletic and a mismatch for LBs. That's how I see it. Happy to bounce opinions back and forth with you.

So so given the season to date - both UF and opponents - what do you see as a likely record now? I think they should win SC, Mizzou, Vandy, FAU. I really like their chances vs. F$U. I see UGA, LSU and Ole Miss as very daunting - a cut above. At this point 8-4 looks very possible, 9-3 a nice surprise and include a memorable upset or two. Being a young team, they could easily drop one they ought to win.

 

[TheBigClaw]

Not a bad assessment. ;-)

I do disagree with you on playmakers. Powell made several huge plays this game, including the 3rd TD and a heady and legal block that sprung Calkaway just enough to make his final TD. Callaway is clearly a playmaker (he does in fact make plays) and had the first 100yd game of any freshman receiver since Reidel. McGee is that Witten type outlet we'd hoped for and Goolsby is very athletic and a mismatch for LBs. That's how I see it. Happy to bounce opinions back and forth with you.

So so given the season to date - both UF and opponents - what do you see as a likely record now? I think they should win SC, Mizzou, Vandy, FAU. I really like their chances vs. F$U. I see UGA, LSU and Ole Miss as very daunting - a cut above. At this point 8-4 looks very possible, 9-3 a nice surprise and include a memorable upset or two. Being a young team, they could easily drop one they ought to win.

Powell and Callaway are definitely playmakers we saw this yesterday. McGee made some great catches too. I'm thinking 9-3 likely, possibly 10-2. Yes, I'm drinking the Orange & Blue cool aid but I think we will win against Mizzou, SCAR, Vandy, FAU and FSU. 1 out of 3 against Ole Miss, LSU, and UGA. Hell, we have a shot in all of our games.






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