- Oct 5, 2017
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The thread title is 100% based on a tweet by Thomas Goldkamp of 24/7 sports during the first half of the Bama game that Gators fans "should feel pretty good going into the offseason if people are still watching tonight's game going into the fourth quarter."
I'm not going to say much about the abortion that was the Cotton Bowl. It was embarrassing, and yes, I will say more embarrassing than the Fiesta Bowl. At least the Fiesta Bowl had an all-time college quarterback and was a National Championship team.
Cotton Bowl Thoughts
I think the entire mindset of the bowl game by the coaching staff was disgraceful. I understand looking to the future, getting guys reps, etc. However, You are also looking at your seniors, many of whom did not transfer upon the coaching change and stuck with you and telling them their years of hard work and sacrifice meant nothing to you and you do not care about sending them out as winners. Of course I'm not talking about a Donovan Stiner, but the Forsythe's, Heggie's, Slaton's, and Trask's of the world. The result doesn't make me anywhere near as mad as this mindset does.
Since Dan Mullen even said the last 2020 game was the SEC Championship game, which I think was an abhorrent comment, I'll take the Goldkamp route and discuss what we see at this time looking ahead.
Offense
Remember, since people were still watching in the fourth quarter against Bama, you need to feel pretty good going into the offseason.
You need to feel pretty good that we are going to build on this record breaking offense at UF. You need to feel pretty good because this offense will only be losing 9 starters, returning only the RB from the most dominant running game in UF history and one offensive lineman who blocked for said dominant running game.
Really surprised we have to begin the Jones vs. AR2 debate already on Twitter. How about we let them compete in the Spring and make a decision from there? Yes, I know Emory has been anointed by some for years, but let's give the other guy a shot and let the best guy win.
Will that even matter? Losing 4 starters on the line will hurt. Before I get blasted about how anyone is an upgrade from DePantsed, how much do I hear that talent means less than "experience"...or does that only work when it supports certain findings, but not others. Really, as I've said before I'll take talent over "experience" depending on the "experience". Such as, if you have a starter at QB, let's say his name is Kelly Bryant and he leads you to the CFP, plenty of great experience there, but you have a much more talented, but less experienced guy, I'll name him Trevor Lawrence, I'll take that talented guy over the experienced guy and maybe instead of just CFP, you win the Natty that year. However, that is just a hypothetical and no way would ever happen in real life because "experience" is the "god" of college football.
At least we have all these electric receivers we saw last night returning. Boy, if we didn't drop 10 balls or more I would be surprised. But you have to be feeling pretty good right?
Defense
UF has given up 600 yards of offense 5 times in 114 seasons of football. 3 of those times was this season. There are still people defending Grantham after that. Again, unless the highest boosters want him gone, he isn't going anywhere.
On defense, we are losing quite a bit, but that experience word is back. Does experience really matter if you put a 5 year old in Donovan Stiner's place? That's not rhetorical, I don't know if there could be a difference. Losing the DT's will hurt massively. We have Dexter, but that's about it at DT that I feel really good about. But maybe some of the young guys will step it up. At DB, Jaydon Hill outplayed Marco Wilson every time we saw him on the field this year, which wasn't much, but it was something. Wilcoxson was alright when we saw him, but the guy should be a high school senior. Those two, could grow with experience along with Torrence. The LB's are what they are. Maybe a year of not being injured will bring Little Reese and Wingo into the fold. JK James Houston will continue to start and run his mouth.
But since people were still watching the Bama game going into the 4th, you have to be feeling pretty good about this defense going into the off-season.
Yes, this is not my normal style, tact, or whatever, but I am putting in the same efforts our coaching staff did for the Cotton Bowl. Am I take a writer's stupid tweet and using it to make fun of how dumb it is (yes, it still exists)? Yes. Are there plenty of people that read tweet's like that or Dan saying the trajectory is right and parroting it? Yes.
Here's my peace for now on where we are as a program. Offensively, Dan Mullen has earned a 5-year timeframe barring a losing season in 2021. However, that is predicated on Grantham and English not being here next year. If that doesn't happen, it's SEC or bust in my mind. 8-4, losing 3 straight to end the year is hauntingly similar to 2015. We fired that coach who made Atlanta twice and was 2-0 against UGA before being fired (yes, he coached the third one, but told his player's about thinking he was being fired before the game), so I guess if we count that game 2-1. We can argue strength of UGA teams, but I'll turn around and argue strength of FSU teams. Or that Mac upset an Ole Miss team in year one where I don't think Mullen has pulled an upset like that yet. This defense is ranked about where Nuss' Offense ranked. It is only consistent that I believe a head coach should make changes to save themselves or suffer the consequences for refusing to change. The ball is in Mullen's court. It was him after all that said The Gator Standard is championships. Just wish a reporter had the balls to ask him when we will meet The Gator Standard he goes on about.
Go Gators!
I'm not going to say much about the abortion that was the Cotton Bowl. It was embarrassing, and yes, I will say more embarrassing than the Fiesta Bowl. At least the Fiesta Bowl had an all-time college quarterback and was a National Championship team.
Cotton Bowl Thoughts
- Opt outs hurt the offense.
- WAY too many drops that killed drives and lead to at least one of the interceptions
- Saw the "iT is HaRD tO thRoW On dROp 8" bs on Twitter, the question to be asked is why not be able to run more to end that nonsense, but that asks questions of Hevesy we all know will never be answered.
- Not sure how I feel about either quarterback heading into 2021, both did some good things.
- Donovan Stiner is the worst Gators safety of all-time and you can't convince me otherwise.
- Defense was atrocious; offense not much better.
- At least we scored, the way the game started I thought we weren't getting to it.
I think the entire mindset of the bowl game by the coaching staff was disgraceful. I understand looking to the future, getting guys reps, etc. However, You are also looking at your seniors, many of whom did not transfer upon the coaching change and stuck with you and telling them their years of hard work and sacrifice meant nothing to you and you do not care about sending them out as winners. Of course I'm not talking about a Donovan Stiner, but the Forsythe's, Heggie's, Slaton's, and Trask's of the world. The result doesn't make me anywhere near as mad as this mindset does.
Since Dan Mullen even said the last 2020 game was the SEC Championship game, which I think was an abhorrent comment, I'll take the Goldkamp route and discuss what we see at this time looking ahead.
Offense
Remember, since people were still watching in the fourth quarter against Bama, you need to feel pretty good going into the offseason.
You need to feel pretty good that we are going to build on this record breaking offense at UF. You need to feel pretty good because this offense will only be losing 9 starters, returning only the RB from the most dominant running game in UF history and one offensive lineman who blocked for said dominant running game.
Really surprised we have to begin the Jones vs. AR2 debate already on Twitter. How about we let them compete in the Spring and make a decision from there? Yes, I know Emory has been anointed by some for years, but let's give the other guy a shot and let the best guy win.
Will that even matter? Losing 4 starters on the line will hurt. Before I get blasted about how anyone is an upgrade from DePantsed, how much do I hear that talent means less than "experience"...or does that only work when it supports certain findings, but not others. Really, as I've said before I'll take talent over "experience" depending on the "experience". Such as, if you have a starter at QB, let's say his name is Kelly Bryant and he leads you to the CFP, plenty of great experience there, but you have a much more talented, but less experienced guy, I'll name him Trevor Lawrence, I'll take that talented guy over the experienced guy and maybe instead of just CFP, you win the Natty that year. However, that is just a hypothetical and no way would ever happen in real life because "experience" is the "god" of college football.
At least we have all these electric receivers we saw last night returning. Boy, if we didn't drop 10 balls or more I would be surprised. But you have to be feeling pretty good right?
Defense
UF has given up 600 yards of offense 5 times in 114 seasons of football. 3 of those times was this season. There are still people defending Grantham after that. Again, unless the highest boosters want him gone, he isn't going anywhere.
On defense, we are losing quite a bit, but that experience word is back. Does experience really matter if you put a 5 year old in Donovan Stiner's place? That's not rhetorical, I don't know if there could be a difference. Losing the DT's will hurt massively. We have Dexter, but that's about it at DT that I feel really good about. But maybe some of the young guys will step it up. At DB, Jaydon Hill outplayed Marco Wilson every time we saw him on the field this year, which wasn't much, but it was something. Wilcoxson was alright when we saw him, but the guy should be a high school senior. Those two, could grow with experience along with Torrence. The LB's are what they are. Maybe a year of not being injured will bring Little Reese and Wingo into the fold. JK James Houston will continue to start and run his mouth.
But since people were still watching the Bama game going into the 4th, you have to be feeling pretty good about this defense going into the off-season.
Yes, this is not my normal style, tact, or whatever, but I am putting in the same efforts our coaching staff did for the Cotton Bowl. Am I take a writer's stupid tweet and using it to make fun of how dumb it is (yes, it still exists)? Yes. Are there plenty of people that read tweet's like that or Dan saying the trajectory is right and parroting it? Yes.
Here's my peace for now on where we are as a program. Offensively, Dan Mullen has earned a 5-year timeframe barring a losing season in 2021. However, that is predicated on Grantham and English not being here next year. If that doesn't happen, it's SEC or bust in my mind. 8-4, losing 3 straight to end the year is hauntingly similar to 2015. We fired that coach who made Atlanta twice and was 2-0 against UGA before being fired (yes, he coached the third one, but told his player's about thinking he was being fired before the game), so I guess if we count that game 2-1. We can argue strength of UGA teams, but I'll turn around and argue strength of FSU teams. Or that Mac upset an Ole Miss team in year one where I don't think Mullen has pulled an upset like that yet. This defense is ranked about where Nuss' Offense ranked. It is only consistent that I believe a head coach should make changes to save themselves or suffer the consequences for refusing to change. The ball is in Mullen's court. It was him after all that said The Gator Standard is championships. Just wish a reporter had the balls to ask him when we will meet The Gator Standard he goes on about.
Go Gators!