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Post by g8rfan on Apr 19, 2024 9:47:52 GMT -5
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Post by Mojave Gator on Apr 23, 2024 14:51:45 GMT -5
“Like I mentioned before, I don’t think the place is under construction, I think it’s built, and I think this is going to allow me an opportunity to focus a little bit more on the things that matter, and play-calling’s a part of that.”
So it has taken him until his third season to focus on play calling?
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Post by g8rfan on Apr 23, 2024 15:02:13 GMT -5
“Like I mentioned before, I don’t think the place is under construction, I think it’s built, and I think this is going to allow me an opportunity to focus a little bit more on the things that matter, and play-calling’s a part of that.”So it has taken him until his third season to focus on play calling? I mean, play calling is a pretty big deal for the play caller last time I looked into that. My favorite part of the article.. |
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Post by wahhappen on Apr 23, 2024 15:25:14 GMT -5
Here is my favorite part: "I think giving Russ Callaway the co-coordinator title, giving him a little bit more ownership throughout the offseason and some of the things that we do in-house."
WTF does that even mean - "some of the things we do in-house"?? Is he mopping the floors and doing dishes? Or are we outsourcing some of the OC responsibilities? What, EXACTLY, is he doing? Why does the title change matter? I feel like we are all getting dumber in this process and I don't see how it all comes together for a magical transformation. CWT seems to believe it will, and he has firmly planted his flag in the "Mertz is our savior" camp. He must genuinely believe this is the year we skyrocket up to 11, I mean, 7 wins (new expectations in play). Otherwise, why talk up Graham? You would think he would be positioning for a year 4 plea deal using the "Lagway is here. Pieces are in place for the future" mantra. But, no, he is hell bent on his system and his players are ready to go this year. It will be fun seeing this all unfold. I was hopeful last year. Now I am just dumbfounded.
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Post by SoTxCaiman on Apr 23, 2024 15:34:38 GMT -5
With CWT's constant dribble and babbling in his ear the whole game Mertz may take a step back in his performance this year.
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Post by Mojave Gator on Apr 23, 2024 16:00:28 GMT -5
Here is my favorite part: "I think giving Russ Callaway the co-coordinator title, giving him a little bit more ownership throughout the offseason and some of the things that we do in-house." WTF does that even mean - "some of the things we do in-house"?? Is he mopping the floors and doing dishes? Or are we outsourcing some of the OC responsibilities? What, EXACTLY, is he doing? Why does the title change matter? I feel like we are all getting dumber in this process and I don't see how it all comes together for a magical transformation. CWT seems to believe it will, and he has firmly planted his flag in the "Mertz is our savior" camp. He must genuinely believe this is the year we skyrocket up to 11, I mean, 7 wins (new expectations in play). Otherwise, why talk up Graham? You would think he would be positioning for a year 4 plea deal using the "Lagway is here. Pieces are in place for the future" mantra. But, no, he is hell bent on his system and his players are ready to go this year. It will be fun seeing this all unfold. I was hopeful last year. Now I am just dumbfounded. If things proceed the way that I expect, this season will totally implode, and the folly of Napier's organizational approach will be exposed. |
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Post by tapsgator on Apr 24, 2024 13:20:06 GMT -5
“Like I mentioned before, I don’t think the place is under construction, I think it’s built, and I think this is going to allow me an opportunity to focus a little bit more on the things that matter, and play-calling’s a part of that.”So it has taken him until his third season to focus on play calling? I'm pretty sure that at this point he (or more accurately a department of analysts) just reads the canned excuses that the local honks keep spewing and repeats them in random order. So, "he told us he needed time to build his infrastructure" turns into "I've built the infrastructure so now the clock can start," it's either completely delusional, an exercise in mind control, or both. Here is my favorite part: "I think giving Russ Callaway the co-coordinator title, giving him a little bit more ownership throughout the offseason and some of the things that we do in-house." WTF does that even mean - "some of the things we do in-house"?? Is he mopping the floors and doing dishes? Or are we outsourcing some of the OC responsibilities? What, EXACTLY, is he doing? Why does the title change matter? I feel like we are all getting dumber in this process and I don't see how it all comes together for a magical transformation. CWT seems to believe it will, and he has firmly planted his flag in the "Mertz is our savior" camp. He must genuinely believe this is the year we skyrocket up to 11, I mean, 7 wins (new expectations in play). Otherwise, why talk up Graham? You would think he would be positioning for a year 4 plea deal using the "Lagway is here. Pieces are in place for the future" mantra. But, no, he is hell bent on his system and his players are ready to go this year. It will be fun seeing this all unfold. I was hopeful last year. Now I am just dumbfounded. Russ Callaway reminds him of himself. There's a quote out there somewhere about it and all. "We both played QB and then worked some on Defense" type shit. Maybe since Saban and Smart kept him as far away from actual game planning as possible he feels like that's how you train your prized pupils? I seriously think that may be it. It's amazing to me. With CWT's constant dribble and babbling in his ear the whole game Mertz may take a step back in his performance this year. For certain. I think not having Etienne or Pearsall won't help. The line may (somehow) be even worse, and there's less cupcakes on the schedule to pad stats. The only thing that could save him is garbage time. Again. If things proceed the way that I expect, this season will totally implode, and the folly of Napier's organizational approach will be exposed. Agreed, but it's been exposed to anybody paying attention and remotely objective, he's even saying the same shit he said 2.5 years ago when he was hired and sheeple are lapping it up. The company line is/has become "he's a super duper nice guy and I think he can get it done, he's just gotta figure out a way to get to 7-5." So, if 3 years in we are 0-4 in top 10 classes (our top recruit for next year recently decommitted) and Napier has a losing record, that's an accomplishment because evidently he's a nice guy. I feel like I'm going through a divorce with the majority of the fanbase. We just want different things. No judgment, but I'm not okay with 7-5 and the talent level continuing to drop. Even if Gutsy Graham is extra gutsy and finishes all the business. |
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Post by Mojave Gator on Apr 25, 2024 23:34:21 GMT -5
Perhaps I should have clarified - it will be exposed to those who truly believe that there is a discernible structure to this clown show.
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Post by tapsgator on Apr 29, 2024 9:50:12 GMT -5
Perhaps I should have clarified - it will be exposed to those who truly believe that there is a discernible structure to this clown show. I get it. I've just lost faith and really hope in the administration and fanbase. It seems like there's just no bar to clear. It seems very en vogue to be "rooting for him because he's such a good guy." I'm not rooting for him, I'm rooting for the Gators, it would be nice if he made a complete turnaround, but nothing in his actions (or really even words) indicates that's a realistic possibility. So, I'm not so sure that rooting for the team/program and Napier aren't mutually exclusive. I'll buy that he's a good guy behind closed doors, but I find his public persona weaselly and somewhat infuriating/hilarious depending on my headspace. He's like a hybrid of McGoober and Mullen. The misplaced confidence, the pushing back on obvious facts/statements, the delusional revisionist history, the scapegoating, the whiny excuses, the evasiveness, the victim/martyr stances, all of it. He reminds me of guys I sponsor (usually for a short time) that in their mind are talking a good game and really "get it," and then go back out because change is hard no matter what, but when you don't want to change it's impossible. At least in my experience. I think he's happy with who he is. That's great for him, I like seeing people happy and comfortable in their own skin. Who/what he is is a Sunbelt coach. Evidently a fairly good one. He should go back there. |
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Post by Mojave Gator on May 2, 2024 13:45:53 GMT -5
At least publicly, Napier seems confident that his incompetence is working, and that we're all about to see the brilliance of his plan. In that respect he reminds me of Zook, who kept doing things that didn't work and was fully convinced that they would if he just stuck to his original plan. Whatever year that you fired him, the next season was when the big turnaround would have happened.
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Post by wahhappen on May 2, 2024 16:15:34 GMT -5
I'm almost at the point where I hope we go ahead and give him 5 years. Let's just see how it goes. That allows him, what, 6 full recruiting cycles to get rid of all of the Mullen recruits? And then 4 full seasons plus the lost "really difficult schedule" season of 2024 to get things back on track. Is that enough time? I legitimately want CWT to get a fair shake and have every opportunity to be successful. If on the off chance he still sucks at that point, then we can just chalk up the additional two years as market research and maybe people will start to wake up in the future.
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Post by Mojave Gator on May 2, 2024 20:46:01 GMT -5
I'm almost at the point where I hope we go ahead and give him 5 years. Let's just see how it goes. That allows him, what, 6 full recruiting cycles to get rid of all of the Mullen recruits? And then 4 full seasons plus the lost "really difficult schedule" season of 2024 to get things back on track. Is that enough time? I legitimately want CWT to get a fair shake and have every opportunity to be successful. If on the off chance he still sucks at that point, then we can just chalk up the additional two years as market research and maybe people will start to wake up in the future. I follow your logic - to a point. How far do we allow the program to fall before we cut bait? Normally when a coach is going to be successful, you see tangible signs of progress no later than year two. Year two for Napier was worse than year one. We failed to qualify for a bowl game at a time when more than half of FBS goes to one. The gap between us and even the mediocre teams in the SEC appears to be widening. Both current players and recruits are bailing. Napier seems to have no intention of fixing the obvious deficiencies in his "system" (I hesitate to call it that). I do have to give him one thing: He is doing it his own way, and if he is going down, it isn't going to be while doing what someone else suggested or mandated. |
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Post by g8rfan on May 3, 2024 9:44:57 GMT -5
I'm almost at the point where I hope we go ahead and give him 5 years. Let's just see how it goes. That allows him, what, 6 full recruiting cycles to get rid of all of the Mullen recruits? And then 4 full seasons plus the lost "really difficult schedule" season of 2024 to get things back on track. Is that enough time? I legitimately want CWT to get a fair shake and have every opportunity to be successful. If on the off chance he still sucks at that point, then we can just chalk up the additional two years as market research and maybe people will start to wake up in the future. I follow your logic - to a point. How far do we allow the program to fall before we cut bait? Normally when a coach is going to be successful, you see tangible signs of progress no later than year two. Year two for Napier was worse than year one. We failed to qualify for a bowl game at a time when more than half of FBS goes to one. The gap between us and even the mediocre teams in the SEC appears to be widening. Both current players and recruits are bailing. Napier seems to have no intention of fixing the obvious deficiencies in his "system" (I hesitate to call it that). I do have to give him one thing: He is doing it his own way, and if he is going down, it isn't going to be while doing what someone else suggested or mandated. Yeah it needs to be fixed asap. Look what happened to Nebraska. Right now we are still in the “F around ‘phase. This needs to be corrected before we enter “find out” territory. |
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Post by tapsgator on May 3, 2024 9:58:22 GMT -5
I'm almost at the point where I hope we go ahead and give him 5 years. Let's just see how it goes. That allows him, what, 6 full recruiting cycles to get rid of all of the Mullen recruits? And then 4 full seasons plus the lost "really difficult schedule" season of 2024 to get things back on track. Is that enough time? I legitimately want CWT to get a fair shake and have every opportunity to be successful. If on the off chance he still sucks at that point, then we can just chalk up the additional two years as market research and maybe people will start to wake up in the future. That seems like a spoiled view. His contract is for 7 years. Fully guaranteed along with his crack band of assistants because scared money don't make money and Scott Stricklin is never scared. He said we wouldn't like him at first, so that covers the last 2 years, he's been very transparent about the fact that it has been hard to figure out NIL and how to practice but I hear he's turned the corner and now not only is idifferent than the last 2 years, it's like an NFL practice. He also has had to deal with kids that he didn't really want but he had to take to see how much they wanted to be here and once he figured out that they took plays off and couldn't block he showed them the door. Plus that schedule! WHOO, the schedule. Fortunately it gets much easier next year when we play the exact same SEC schedule but flip home and away games. I also think we need to give it at least 5 more years to see how the new GM position and the inventor of defense Ron Roberts develop. Plus, the buyout. Man the buyout. at this point it would cost, get ready for it, almost 3.5% of the cost of the renovation project at the Swamp to buy him out. UF simply cannot find that kind of money in their budget. It's not fair to even ask. I can't believe we're even talking about this. I envision us going 7-6 at some point, we will probably need to give him an extension in that case. 5 years seems about right. If we manage to beat FSU at any point in time? 10. The guy is ingenuous, a real deal Billy with a steady style as consistent as his hairstyle, and anybody who knows him well enough will tell you he can really coach the football. At some point in the far off future I could see him turning the reins over to Russ Callaway but I don't even want to think about life without Billy. The Hot Seat is not a real thing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Post by wahhappen on May 3, 2024 16:17:48 GMT -5
I follow your logic - to a point. How far do we allow the program to fall before we cut bait? Normally when a coach is going to be successful, you see tangible signs of progress no later than year two. Year two for Napier was worse than year one. We failed to qualify for a bowl game at a time when more than half of FBS goes to one. The gap between us and even the mediocre teams in the SEC appears to be widening. Both current players and recruits are bailing. Napier seems to have no intention of fixing the obvious deficiencies in his "system" (I hesitate to call it that). I do have to give him one thing: He is doing it his own way, and if he is going down, it isn't going to be while doing what someone else suggested or mandated. Yeah it needs to be fixed asap. Look what happened to Nebraska. Right now we are still in the “F around ‘phase. This needs to be corrected before we enter “find out” territory. This is my (albeit, sarcastic) point. Why are we (by "we" I mean the majority of the fanbase, media, and University) so reluctant to acknowledge that something has to change soon in order to keep this experiment alive. I get trying to stay positive for potential recruiting and future coaching searches, but come on. We aren't in a mid-tier conference where people don't pay attention. We play in the SEC - a conference that we helped build up to its current legacy - where people follow Spring football, recruiting, and media days. To say that things are going exactly to plan, that Napier needs time to build it the right way, and that expectations are too high, all while we have regressed in recruiting, winning percentage, and all around results... that is just plain insulting to anyone who cares about Florida football and, in my opinion, is more damaging to the future of the program than maintaining this so called "spoiled fan" attitude that has been floating around. Someone needs to remind CWT, the media, and the fans that he didn't inherit a lifetime losing record Sunbelt team that made its first bowl appearance in 2011. He was brought in to return the program to its status of perennial championship contender, so what evidence do we have that shows promise of sustainable success? Is it 6-7, 5-7, top recruiting classes? To me, rainbows and promises should not get you a year 4. Honestly, if you can't get to 10 wins at the University of Florida within three years, what are the odds you will end up being a contender? |
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