Introducing InAllKindsOfWeather.com

I’ve enjoyed my time sharing my opinions with all of you on this site this year.  Really, it has kept me sane through this whole Addazio debacle.

Now that Addazio’s gone, I’d still like to keep things going.  For that, I’ve created inallkindsofweather.com.  I will continue blogging there, and since I know you all love to share your opinions as well I’m working to set it up to make that easy for you guys as well.

The site is up, and content is going up, but it will be continually updated over the next few weeks with new features and layout changes while I finish things up, so bear with me if a menu item changes on you or something like that, and let me know of any problems you’re having.

I’ve got my review of Addazio’s last game up there, and I’ll be giving my view on the Gators new coordinators tomorrow as well as my thoughts on our QB situation soon after that.

See you on the other side…

http://www.inallkindsofweather.com

Addazio’s Last Hurrah

Steve Addazio is finally gone.  Before he left, however, he called plays for Florida’s offense for one final time in the Outback Bowl.

The game was pretty much what we’ve come to expect out of Addazio.  Actually, it was exactly what we’ve come to expect…

To read the rest of this article, head on over to my new site http://www.inallkindsofweather.com, where I’ve posted the full article.  From here on out, that’s the place to go so adjust your bookmarks accordingly.

Here is the direct link: http://www.inallkindsofweather.com/blog/addazios-last-hurrah.html

It’s Finally Over!

After two slow, plodding years our salvation has finally, officially, arrived.  For days rumors swirled on Texas blogs that Addazio was inbound as their new O-line coach, but in the end he has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Temple, finally ridding of us of his inept offensive scheme once and for all.  The writing was pretty much on the wall for Addazio’s tenure as our OC, but the guy had already defied all odds to somehow hold onto his job as long as he did so it’s nice to finally have something official out there.  Normally, I would wish a Gator coach nothing but the best in moving on, but I have not even the smallest hint of love left for the selfish Addazio.

Addazio’s end in Gainesville may not have ended with the embarrassing firing or demotion that we all expected, but gone is gone.  Really though, it is quite the commentary on some of the people in high places that a guy THIS bad at his job actually ends up with what some may view as a promotion.  Who knows, maybe if Addazio hires someone else to run the offense at Temple he can end up being a good hire in the same way that Ron Zook was a decent hire for Illinois.  That is, he’s known as a great recruiter, so maybe an influx of some talent alone can carry the team to higher levels in spite of anything else.  Though if he plans on running the offense, which he couldn’t do adequately (or at all) even with Florida’s talent pool, then Temple fans may replace this website with their own in a very short time.  I guess his only saving grace could be that Mid-American defensive coordinators aren’t smart enough to know fundamental concepts like stacking the line and playing aggressively against a guy who never tries to gain more than 4 yards on a single play.  After all, Addazio has proven that knowing the basics or running a unit is not a requirement to get a coordinator gig.  And really, am I the only one out there that has started to think that maybe the guys making these decisions aren’t as smart as we all thought they were?

I’ve gotten quite a few emails from Temple fans asking what to expect out of Addazio.  If he’s planning on running the offense at Temple then all you Temple fans need to do is tune in at 11am on January 1st and imagine that Gator offense being run by Temple players and you’ll have your frightening answer.

Even though enjoying Gator football has been tough this year, I have enjoyed having the opportunity to share my opinions on it with all of you readers out there this year, and it’s something I’d like to continue to be able to do.  So, I have started up a more general Gators blog/website that will be launched with in the week, and hope that those of you that have enjoyed my views on Addazio and the Gators will continue reading there.  I’m planning on decking it out with all kinds of cool community features and stuff so you guys can easily argue with me, and each other, since I know how much everyone wants their chance to say their piece of mind as well.  I’ll have an announcement up here very shortly with a link to the new website.

And with that, I’ll leave this article with this.  For you Gator students out there, if Steve Addazio has taught us anything, it’s to never give up on your dreams.  Because if this guy can become the head football coach of a D1 football program, anyone can.

Muschamp’s First Impression

By now you’ve all undoubtedly seen Will Muschamp’s first presser as head coach of the Florida Gators.  If you haven’t, I’ve embed some clips from it, go watch.

Now that everyone reading this has seen it, I’ll skip describing it and keep this short and sweet today.

I was impressed.  I made it clear in my last couple articles that Muschamp was not my 1st choice, or even among my top 3 choices, but I like what I’ve seen so far.  Now, we all know that that doesn’t necessarily mean anything, as I’m sure if I could remember back that far I would have thought Steve Addazio was an in your face, aggressive go-getter the first time I saw him (mainly because he looks like Sgt. Slaughter), but it’s always good to start out on the right foot rather than the wrong one.

Other than the fact that this guy clearly has the best head of hair of any of our coaches in recent memory, you also have to respect how direct and to the point he was.  There has been no shortage of people getting upset with Gator nation for “driving away Urban Meyer and Steve Spurrier with unrealistic expectations”.  While I think that theory is bunk to begin with ($4 million per year will buy you a lot of patience with criticism), certainly no one can say the same about Muschamp if he leaves town in a few years.

[Jeremy Foley] wanted somebody that understood the expectations of Florida, and the expectations of Florida is winning championships, and believe me I understand that.  When he described that to me on the phone it got me more and more excited because I felt like he was describing me

Muschamp went on, all throughout the press conference, continually bringing up high expectations and how he was ready for the challenge.  Bookmark this, because a few years from now when people are clamoring over any minor criticism in fear that we’re going to drive off the coach, they’ll need to hear it again.

Perhaps the most exciting thing he said was that our offense would be a pro style attack, which was music to my ears as I’ve made my thoughts on the spread clear in the past.  Even better, he later told the Orlando Sentinel that he was after an OC that had experience with a pro style offense, which obviously Steve Addazio does not.  I know it’s unlikely he’ll keep the job now anyway, but anything else we hear to assure us of that even more can only help.  The most interesting thing about this is that it means that, if he decides not to transfer, John Brantley will likely be our starting quarterback in 2011.  I’m sure that will spark much debate over the course of the offseason.

His experience in the SEC is a nice bonus as well (I just wish that some of it weren’t with Georgia).  When asked about rivalries in the SEC his answer of “it’s hard to describe the SEC” is something that I think we’ve all said/thought before.  It’s just hard for the rest of the country to grasp how much football means here, and how intense the games and rivalries can get.  Over the last few years we’ve lucked out a bit with all of our major rivals being down, but when they get back up (and they will) it will take hatred and passion out of the team to beat them.

With all of that said, this was just a press conference, so let’s hope it actually translates to the field.  I’m just glad he wasn’t rambling and bumbling on while doing magic tricks with his hands like you know who.

Muschamp is a Good, Not Great Hire

As you all know by now, we have our new head coach.  Will Muschamp was a name that kind of surprised a lot of people (myself included), and seemed to come out of left field.  It really shouldn’t have though, and it’s kind of an interesting commentary.  If you recall, two years ago, Will Muschamp was the hot young assistant that everyone wanted as a head coach.  Had Urban left in 2008 rather than 2010, Muschamp probably would have been near the top of many of these lists that every sports site has been putting out about Urban’s replacement.  But Texas knew what they had in Muschamp and gave him a huge raise along with the promise that he would be Mack Brown’s eventual successor at Texas, and then Muschamp’s name seemed to just kind of disappear from all our minds.  I’m not sure if it was the idea that he was going to be the next coach of Texas, or just time separating us from the days where he was a hot commodity, but a lot of people seemed to kind of forget about him.  A lot of people, but not Jeremy Foley.

So, who is Will Muschamp?  I won’t get too heavy into the details, because that’s what wikipedia is for, but he’s a guy that has been fairly successful as a defensive coordinator at almost every step of the road he’s had.  In his second year as defensive coordinator at LSU in 2003, LSU led the SEC in every major defensive category.  In 2006 he took over an Auburn defense that already ranked in the top 10 in 2005 (and also ranked #1 in 2004), and maintained that top 10 ranking through both 2006 and 2007.  In 2008 he went to Texas, who had a defense that had ranked outside the top 30 in 2007.  In 2008, they moved up to just inside the top 20, before cracking the top 10 in 2009 prior to falling back out of the top 30 this past year in 2010.

He’s been one of the highest paid assistants in college football for years now.  In fact, at Texas, he was already the highest paid assistant coach in the Big12 (and was being paid more than any SEC assistant as well) and then had his salary more than doubled on top of that in 2008.  Clearly, people wanted to keep him around.

Unknown to many is that Muschamp also has some UF ties, which perhaps separated him from some of the other candidates in Foley’s mind.  Although he went to school at Georgia (gross), he grew up in Gainesville, spending the majority of the first 10 years of his life there.

Personally, I’m not disappointed that Will Muschamp is our next head coach.  However, I am a little disappointed that he was our first choice.  Foley said that Muschamp was the first and only coach he contacted about the job.  I would have preferred the guys from my list over him, and while I would have been fine with Muschamp had some of the other names that were floating around declined the position, I’m not sure I like him getting the offer before any of them did.  Even if we assume that Foley wanted an up and coming assistant (rather than an established coach from another program) that he could mold into a life-long Gator, I don’t see what Muschamp offers that a guy like Gus Mahlzan (who almost certainly would have taken the job) doesn’t, other than an endorsement from Texas (who cares what they think?) and a quicker hire.

That last part is what scares me a bit.  Did Foley prefer Muschamp to Mahlzan (or some of the other names that were out there) because Muschamp was available right now, and not a month from now?  I understand the importance that locking up our new coach has on recruiting, but it’s not worth rushing into a decision that’s going to effect the next five years to save one recruiting class.  We’ve been bringing top 5 recruiting classes in here for years, we can afford to lose a couple recruits one year if that’s what it takes to make sure we get our next head coach right.

Before I check out for the night, I also wanted to touch on our good friend Steve Addazio, and the rumors of his replacement.  It would seem that Major Applewhite is in line to replace him as OC, though I’m going to wait until we get something official before we fly the “mission accomplished” banners.

I thought Major Applewhite got a raw deal as a player, as he had to sit behind the “entitled” guy, Chris Simms, and watch him struggle in every important game only to come in in the 4th quarter and save the Longhorns, only to return to the bench for the next game.  I’m not sure about him as an OC though, as his coaching career thus far has certainly left a lot to be desired.  I would have preferred a guy like Dana Holgerson and Kerwin Bell, though I think I believe in Applewhite more than most Gator fans.  One thing is for sure though, he’d certainly be a major upgrade over Addazio.

By the way, the results of the poll question are  in and 92% of you said you’d read a Gators blog I started after this Steve Addazio nightmare is finally over, so I can continue reaching out to you guys.  I’m working on getting that set up now in the background, so stay tuned for more details.

All I Want for Xmas is a New Head Coach

In the days since Urban Meyer’s resignation announcement, a lot of names have been flying around in the search of his replacement.  I figured I’d go ahead and chime in with my two cents on who I’d like to see as the next Florida Gators head coach.  Below, I’ve ranked some of the potential candidates using a complex mathematical algorithm that intricately factors in the pros and cons of each coach, as well as the likelihood that they would actually take the job if they were offered it so you’ll finally have a solid mathematical backing to your choices when you’re debating them at the bar or on Party poker.  There’s not going to be any new names here, just my own personal ranking of them.

1. Chris Petersen

Pros: I was actually surprised how rarely Petersen’s name was mentioned early on in the hunt (some lists posted on the major Gator sites left his name off entirely), though his name seems to have picked up some steam today.  When Urban resigned and I started thinking about its effects on the program, the first thought that came to my mind was “well, at least Addazio will likely finally be gone.”  The second thing was “I hope Foley is making a phone call to Boise right now”.

I’ll be honest, I’m over the spread option.  I’ll take any offense that wins us games, don’t get me wrong, but I’m ready to see our receivers running real routes like corners and posts again.  Petersen’s offense is more traditional than Meyer’s, without being too cookie cutter for defenses to figure out easily.  Petersen creates big, physical teams that push people around.  Best of all, Petersen brings that same fire with him that Urban used to have, and that he was without this past year.  He’ll do what it takes to win, and he runs his program aggressively.

Cons: The biggest question surrounding Petersen is whether or not he has the ability to recruit in a major conference like the SEC.  Personally, I think he’ll be fine on that front.  Those questions are no different than they were for Urban Meyer coming out of Utah, and Petersen carries that same confident swagger that makes great recruiters.

Likelihood to Take the Job: If Chris Petersen were offered the University of Florida head coaching job, I think he would take it.  Some argue that Petersen would rather stick around in Boise where he’s living the good life than head to a big school where he would be surrounded by nothing but pressure.  We’ve heard that argument a million times about different coaches and it never holds up for long.  Petersen has finished undefeated 3 times and never played for a national title.  Had they held on against Nevada this year, they would have missed out again.  One of the reasons Urban Meyer cited wanting to go to a big school six years ago was because he had just finished undefeated with Utah and missed the big game.  I have a hard time believing that a guy like Chris Petersen doesn’t feel the same way.  He’s already proven he can build a program up for nothing.  Now it’s time for some rings.

Besides, look how well staying put at a smaller school did for Greg Schiano.  Once the team slips even a little, you disappear.

2. Gus Mahlzan

Pros: Like Urban, Mahlzan has been extremely successful at every level.  When he was at Arkansas, they had their best offense and most success in recent memory.  When he was at Tulsa, they had their best offense and most success in recent memory.  When he was at Auburn, they had their best offense and most success in recent memory.  You get the the point.  He was even wildly successful in high school.  In my opinion, Mahlzan is going to be the next hot shot young head coach when he gets a shot at the gig.  I just hope it’s not somewhere else.

He does run the spread, but he runs an exciting version of it, not the boring plod that Addazio brings us.  And as far as innovation goes, c’mon, this is the guy who really made the Wildcat take off and who has had an influence even on NFL coaches.

Cons: Mahlzan has never been a head coach at the college level, so he’s a bit more of a risk than the other, more established guys.  We don’t know how he would handle a whole program.  He also has no ties to Florida.  However, this being his first college coaching gig may actually give us a leg up on holding onto him for a long time if he is successful.

Likelihood to Take the Job: I think that if Mahlzan were offered the UF head coaching job after the NC game is over, he would accept it that day.  He doesn’t really have any ties to Auburn and Gene Chizik is not going anywhere for a while, so his ability to move up there is nil.  Every great offensive coordinator wants to be a head coach.  The pay is better, the fame is better, and the control is better.  Someone is going to give him a shot in the near future, and he’s going to take it.  Of all the names being tossed around, I believe he is the most likely to accept an offer from us.

3. Steve Spurrier

Pros: C’mon, it’s Steve Spurrier.  He’s a Gator through and through, and he runs an offense that can utilize the talent we bring in every year at wide receiver.  He took the Gators to greatness, and while he never achieved the same at South Carolina, he did bring a historically awful program to heights it never dreamed of.

Cons: One has to wonder if a large part of Spurrier’s success at Florida was due to his, at the time, innovative offense being something that defensive coordinators couldn’t figure out.  It’s been 20 years since they first saw it, and it would seem that defensive coordinators have figured out the fun and gun.  A pass first offense isn’t anything unusual anymore.  Defenses are ready for it.  Spurrier has tried to adapt at South Carolina, implementing pieces of the spread offense, and South Carolina seems to have plateaued.

Likelihood to Take the Job: To get Spurrier to even consider taking the job back at Florida, the situation would have to be handled very delicately.  No interviews or anything like that, just an offer and an admission that we want him.  Foley would need to be careful to feed his ego as much as possible.  If Foley were to handle it like that, I’d put the chances of Spurrier taking the job at about 40%.  You could kind of see it in his eyes after South Carolina shalacked us in the swamp this year.  He wasn’t quite as happy as he should have been after a big win like that.  You have to wonder how much more a big win would have meant to him if it happened on the other sideline.

The Other Guys (guys that didn’t make my top 3, but that I want to comment on)

Do Not Want: Jim Harbaugh

Let’s be honest here.  3-5 years from now, does anyone believe that Jim Harbaugh won’t be coaching in the NFL?  With Harbaugh, there are two scenarios that could possibly play out at Florida.   He could be successful, in which case he’d be gone for the NFL before long, or he could be unsuccessful, which means we’re losing.  Neither one is good for us long term.

Not Going to Take the Job: Bob Stoops, Chip Kelly, Jon Gruden

We’re going to have to be realistic about this.  Some of the guys we’re after are just not going to take the job.  Jon Gruden will be coaching in the NFL in two months.  Chip Kelly has no reason to leave Oregon, where everyone loves him and where he can use a wealthy and top end college program to coast through a much weaker conference than the SEC.  I think Stoops would be the most likely to leave of this group, even though he has turned us (and many other major college programs) down in the past as things have turned slightly sour in Norman lately, and people are starting to question him a little bit there.  Still though, I would say even Stoops is an extreme longshot.

The Favorite: Dan Mullen

Dan Mullen seems to be the leading candidate for the job right now.  I think if any of us had to lay down our life’s savings on predicting who the next Gators coach will be, we’d most likely bet on Mullen.

I’m not entirely against Mullen getting the job, but I’m not exactly in favor of it either.  I would probably rank him around 5th or 6th on my list.  The best thing that ever happened to Dan Mullen’s reputation was Steve Addazio replacing him.  Addazio is so bad that it makes us yearn for a guy that frankly had his fair share of troubles in the same spot.  To be fair, it was nowhere near on the level of Addazio, and he didn’t have trouble with the most basic fundamentals of offense like Addazio does, and he deserves a lot of credit for that 2007 offense which was one of our best ever.  Still, there were times where his conservative nature came out (which we saw again this year when he played against Florida) that were frustrating.

I want a cut throat, go-getter head coach.  While I wouldn’t be upset with the hiring of Mullen, I certainly wouldn’t be nearly as excited as I would with some of the other names being thrown around.

Urban Resigns…Again

In a somewhat shocking announcement, Urban Meyer is once again stepping down from his head coaching duties at UF.

On the one hand, it is surprising because we just went through this last year, and it would seem that making such a large decision (calling off a retirement) would involve a decision to be in it for the long haul, a la Billy Donovan reneging on his decision to leave for the NBA.

On the other hand, I don’t think any of us are too terribly surprised as it seemed pretty clear this year that Urban’s heart was no longer in it.  I thought that maybe if Addazio was removed and Urban no longer had to struggle between the decision of what is right for his friendship and what is right for UF, he would regain his fire, but it looks like we’ll never know.

Urban has done a lot for UF, and will be missed, but now begins the process of looking forward and step one of that is finding a replacement suitable for the lofty expectations of this program.  Meyer’s decision comes earlier this year than it did last year, so there is time to replace him with a full fledged head coach rather than an interim fix.  I can’t imagine that that new coach will have any interest in keeping Addazio around.  And in the name of all that is holy in this world if Steve Addazio somehow replaces Urban (unlikely) we will be wishing for a 7-5 season.

Meyer will stay on through the bowl game.  He notes his desire to focus on his family as the main reason for his resignation.

The Save 2011 Campaign: Week 1

I’ve received requests from several of this site’s readers to use my position here to try and organize a more united campaign towards our cause.  Everyone wants to know what they can do to help.

Honestly, after that 3-game stretch in the middle of the season, I didn’t think something like this would even be necessary.  It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Addazio was replaced.  It seemed it was imminent.  How could it not be?  At that point, Addazio’s faults, which may have been hidden to more casual fans early on, were too obvious for him to continue on for long.

Even if his friendship bond with Urban was strong enough to save his job, surely Addazio himself would recognize he was in over his head and step down, right?  Even Texas OC Greg Davis stepped down after Texas had similar struggles on offense this year, and he had put together many good Texas offenses in the past.  Yet Addazio, who has proven nothing as an OC other than the face that he can’t do it, refuses to do the same for the betterment of the players around him.

So here we are, several months and several embarrassing losses later, with the same guy running our laughable attempt at an offense, and the with the coach saying he’ll be doing it again next year.  It’s entirely possible that Urban is just saying the right thing and that Addazio will be removed or demoted after the Outback Bowl.  It’s entirely possible that all the Dana Holgorson rumors are true.

But it’s not worth the risk of doing nothing.  That’s why, starting now, we’re going to go ahead and start the “Save 2011” Campaign, with the simple notion that we can not go into next season with Steve Addazio as our offensive coordinator.

Each week or so (some of these things will last more than a week), we’ll do something different, as a group, to help further our cause.

We start this week with a very simple two-part task.  Sign a petition, and promote it.

I know, not very exciting.  But we’ll be using this next week, so we need to get some names on it first.  Please note that this is a NEW petition, so even if you signed the original one that went up, take the time to do it again here.  I put the original petition up on PetitionSpot, which requires people to sign up for a PS account or a facebook account to sign it.  In retrospect, that was a bad idea, as lazy folks just want to type their name in and be done with it.  So that’s what this new petition will allow you to do.  No creating an account or anything necessary, just sign away.

So here’s what I’m asking you all to do this week.

1. Sign the petition here (I’ve also updated the link at the top of the page for the new URL)

2. Spread the word about the petition.  Tweet it to people, mention it on facebook, do whatever viral stuff you can think of.  Throw up some flyers around campus if you can or mention it when your class gathers for your final.  People will sign the petition.  Most Gator fans agree with it, it’s just a matter of them knowing that it exists.

P.S. Thanks facebook user Jimmy for the image used in this week’s post.

The Worst is Not Over

I’d like to start this (lengthy) post by apologizing for my absence over the last two weeks.  As I mentioned in the post below, I’ve been traveling and have had more problem getting to a reliable internet connection than I thought I would.  I assure you, my motivation for helping to fix the Gators problems is as strong as ever, and will remain that way until they are actually fixed, including through the offseason (which at this point, it will clearly take).

So, let’s talk about the last few weeks.  The Florida Gators are abysmal, and the offense is worst of all.  The defense is not good, but neither is Auburn’s, and they are undefeated.  A major part of that is that Auburn has adapted their offense to work with their bad defense, while Steve Addazio continues to call ultra conservative plays on offense as if he’s playing with the nation’s best defense that will win the game for him.  Even last year, when we actually had that defense, it wasn’t a good philosophy (and it ended up costing us in the end).  Now, with the defense we have, it is inexplicable to think that someone in the world believes it is our best chance to win.  We ran the ball 46 times against FSU, compared to 16 passes, in a 31-7 loss.  That is just unheard of.  But then again, no one ever said that brains were Steve Addazio’s best attribute.  Clearly, his best attribute is his ability to exploit personal relationships.

And I’ll get to the other end of that personal relationship, Urban Meyer, later in this article.

But first, let’s continue to reflect on Addazio.  When Robert Clark caught that 20 yard touchdown pass early in the 1st quarter we were given a glimmer of hope.  But the real amazing thing about that, is that that single 20 yard catch alone would ultimately make Clark the Gators’ second leading receiver in the game, and account for almost a third of the Gators’ receiving yards for the game.  For anyone else, that may seem crazy,  but for this offense, it’s completely believable.

The Gators’ lone score of the game came on a drive that started at Florida State’s 32 yard line after yet another long return by Andre Debose.  Yeah, the same Andre Debose that Addazio doesn’t believe is “ready” to contribute on offense.  Maybe he’s right though, because at this point having a guy be fresh for special teams may be our best chance of scoring.

Just how bad are things?  Sadly, even our paltry 7-5 record makes us look better than we are.  Our best win is an overtime win against a 6-6 Georgia team.  Our next best win is Tennessee.  The same Tennessee team that went into double overtime with mighty UAB.  In our only games against competent defenses this year, our offense scored 6 points against Alabama, 21 points against LSU (of which 14 were set up by turnovers deep in LSU territory, so 7 points that can be legitimately attributed to the offense), 7 points against Mississippi State, 7 points (in garbage time) against South Carolina, and 7 points against FSU.  That is not bad, that is putrid.

At this point, we’re likely looking at a bowl game against the coach that we (deservedly) ran out of town a few years ago, despite Illinois not having a fourth as much recruiting prestige as UF.

At this point, Urban has said that the three QB system may be abandoned for the bowl game.  Wait, you mean that multi-QB systems are not a good thing, and always end poorly?  Hmmm, I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before.  After the Vanderbilt game, when every other Gators site (and major sports site) was saying that the 3-qb system had saved the Gators offense, and when Steve Addazio was being his usual smug self and acting like he had found a solution to throw back in all our “uneducated” faces, I said:

Rotating quarterbacks are always a sign of a struggling offense.  Typically, it teases people with sparks when it is first implemented, but always regresses back to the same struggling offense as before.

The idea of rotating quarterbacks is bad enough.  But when you put a guy like Trey Burton into the game and run the ball every time he lines up at QB, that just makes it even worse.  After the South Carolina shalacking a reporter asked Steve Addazio in his weekly smug hand waving interview if he thought that the defense knew that a run was coming every time Burton or Reed lined up at QB, since they ran every time they took the snap.  Addazio looked baffled.  “No.  No way”.  The thought never crossed his mind.  And apparently, that was not coach speak as we saw more of the same against FSU, with Burton running every time he got the ball and Reed running a huge percentage of the time.  But neither I nor the reporter should feel like we’re smart people because of these predictions or observations.  You all have been just as accurate with your predictions and observations in the comments sections of this site and in the forums of this site.  Don’t let that go to your head though, because that’s no major feat either.  And that’s the saddest part about this.  This stuff is obvious and easily predictable to everyone that knows a lick about football, yet somehow Steve Addazio still has a job as offensive coordinator.  It’s baffling.

The worst is not over.  If anything, Steve Addazio has somehow gotten more predictable as the year has progressed, and defensive coordinators have just had more time to see how easy it is to play defense against these ultra conservative, ultra predictable playcalls.  And according to Urban Meyer, Addazio will be “a part of the process” going forward.

So let’s move on to the even bigger picture.  I have rarely mentioned my stance on Urban Meyer here on this site, and I want to get it out in the open.

Let’s be honest here, Urban Meyer is not the genius we once thought he was. Urban Meyer is a great recruiter (both in players and in coaches), and generally makes good game decisions.  However, we know now that he requires good coaches around him.  The offense is not Meyer’s as much as it is the offense coordinators.  However, lots of coaches have been successful in this capacity, and Urban is one of them.  Should Urban be fired?  No.  He just needs to do his job.

There is one major difference between Urban Meyer and Steve Addazio.  That is that Urban has proven that he can do his job at a high level, Steve Addazio has not.  Let’s define their jobs.  Urban’s job is to recruit great players and get great assistant coaches.  He has done that in the past.  Meanwhile, Steve Addazio’s job is to run an offense, and he has never proven to be anything other than awful at that.  Don’t get me wrong, Urban has not done his job this year, but unlike Addazio, we know he’s capable of doing it.

So why has Urban failed so miserably this year?  The main failure Urban has had this year has been not getting rid of Steve Addazio.  So why is Addazio still our offensive coordinator when it is so obvious that he is not the man for the job?  The main theory is that it is because Meyer and Addazio are friends.  My theory, and it is not one that I thought up on my own, is that Urban feels that he “owes” Addazio after Addazio “had his back” and “held” the team together while Urban was in bad health.  It’s all metaphysical, intangible stuff that doesn’t translate to the football field in any way other than losses.

I understand that Urban is in a difficult position, but I don’t care. If Urban were a restaurant  manager making 40k a year that would be one thing, but he’s not.  He’s the head football coach of the Florida Gators, making 4+ million dollars per year.  Making tough decisions is part of the job description.  What person that makes multiple millions of dollars per year doesn’t have to make tough decisions?  There isn’t one.  Every rich business man, rich  investor, or rich anything has to sacrifice personal relationship with co-workers to do their job.  Urban, I beg of you, you are paid a lot of money to make the University of Florida football program as good as it can possibly be.  Clearly, Steve Addazio running the offense is not the best way to achieve that goal, so please do your job and remove that responsibility from him.

For what it’s worth, I believe that Urban’s scary quote after the South Carolina loss that said Steve Addazio would “continue to  be part of Florida’s plans going forward” was intentionally cryptic enough to allow him to demote Steve Addazio this offseason (rather than fire him), and I do believe that is exactly what will happen.  I can’t help but think this entire year has been a waste though, as clearly I and many of the readers of this site saw that was necessary a long time ago and our foresight could possibly have saved a season that people being paid absurd amounts of money could not.

Urban Meyer returned us to our status as a national power and I appreciate everything he has done for it.  I am not a spoiled fan who expects a national championship every year.  I simply expect our head coach to do what is best for our program, and not to do what is best for one guy who clearly believes that exploiting a friendship and exploiting young player’s careers is worth a large paycheck.  All I ask of Urban Meyer is that he do the job he is being paid to do, and there is no one in Gator Nation that believes that step 1A of that job isn’t firing or demoting Steve Addazio.

With that said, I’m going to sign off for the night.  Up next (later this week hopefully), will be the extremely difficult task (since there are so many to choose from) of ranking Steve Addazio’s faults, in order.  At the start of this year I ranked the 5 worst things about Steve Addazio.  So now with the regular season complete it will be interesting to see where those same faults lie on the list.

Updates Coming Very Soon

Whew, sorry about the lack of updates lately guys, I’m beginning to feel the heat in the comments section myself.

I had to travel out of the country last Monday and am still abroad at the moment.  I anticipated being able to snag some time connected to the internet to continue more updates more often then I’ve actually been able to.  I managed to set up a slingbox because I didn’t want to miss my first Gator game in two decades (thanks for making that $250 investment worthwhile with that great performance you put on in Tallahassee by the way, Mr Addazio), but other than logging on to stream the game I just haven’t been able to get online much.

I’ve got a few minutes here but I hopefully will have a full hour later tonight, so I’ll be trying to make another update then.  And then I return to the states this weekend.

Rest assured, my motivation towards our cause is as great as ever.