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Post by wahhappen on Mar 7, 2024 11:24:14 GMT -5
His completion percentage dropped to 40% on passes of 20+ yards with Florida in 2023, compared to 63.2% between 10-19 yards, 84.7% between 0-9 yards and 89.8% behind the line of scrimmage, per PFF. UF limited Mertz to 40 deep passing attempts on the year, of his 358 total throws. Source: www.si.com/college/florida/football/florida-gators-2024-positional-outlook-quarterback-graham-mertz-dj-lagwayLook, he seems like a good guy (can't really call him a kid at this point) and he has a hot girlfriend. Cajun Willie is very ingenuous and has great hair. Starkville Scotty is an asshat of the first order, but they can't all be real deals with steady hair. All the usual qualifiers. You cannot win games playing offense like this in 2024, and I don't know what games Cajun Willie thinks proved the offenses explosiveness, but throwing underneath a prevent played by LSU, South Carolina, and Arkansas is not fucking impressive and there's no need to run it back. Wait, so are they defining a deep pass attempt as a throw of 20+ yards? And if so, he only attempted 40 all season? In 12 games - in most of which we were playing from behind? Attempts? Not completions? As in trying to throw the ball 20 yards down the field? This can be any pass - a post, deep in or out, deep hitch/curl, play action, fade, corner, go route? And we attempted just over 3 per game? My memory isn't that great, but maybe we spent most of 2023 running out the clock because we were blowing out our opponents with our amazing rushing attack and defensive touchdowns. Otherwise this is an absurd stat. And can we talk about how it is possible we limited Richardson to just 64 deep attempts in 2022? That is almost even more preposterous considering his skillset being the exact opposite of Mertz.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 7, 2024 11:07:18 GMT -5
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 5, 2024 9:16:44 GMT -5
Let’s calm down. This is all being evaluated. We have done a thorough job whereas the guys coming in, we have that are the right fit, high-character guys, not only in the field but as individuals themselves and also each other. We’re in the middle of the process, right? We are kind of in the middle of grooming some people to be explosive. We are still evaluating and figuring out exactly what that looks like in terms of who can throw, catch, and run. We went out and got a veteran Wisconsin receiver in the portal. Not only is Wisconsin known for explosive WR output, but he played with Graham Mertz back when they were tearing up BiG10 secondaries, so they have that - you know - connection of saying we’ve been there and done it before in the big moments. That experience will be more valuable than anything that happens in our players’ careers.
This is exactly where we wanted to be going into year three in this system. All part of the process, adjusting, and evolving to where we will ultimately end up. All will be revealed when it is revealed.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 4, 2024 22:46:16 GMT -5
Here's a question for the room: Could Cajun Willie bring home a Sunbelt Conference Title with this roster and staff? His staff is considerably worse than it was at Louisiana and the guys who are clearly SEC level stars that he inherited or recruited are all gone or have fallen off a cliff. Wilson could be a star but is anybody betting on that after seeing what Ricky Pearsall did with what turn out to be elite tools? Lagway is a slightly less physically gifted and more experienced Anthony Richardson, and we've got him firmly second string, he hired an independent NIL advisor, and the guy who he has said was "huge" in his recruitment just made a lateral move to a school that is 90% closer to his house and has unlimited NIL money. At least DJ is a good enough kid to congratulate him publicly. No red flags here. Alright let's get back on that down elevator, this rabbit hole ain't gonna dig itself. Go Gators. I think we would be in the lower top half of offenses and a bottom-tier defense in the Sun Belt. Our special teams would be just special enough to not win a Sum Belt Championship.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 3, 2024 22:45:01 GMT -5
The last sentence in the article that Spurrier said really sums it up Hidden (but not hidden) in that sentence is the phrase “our best running back”. They probably took that quote out of context while he was in the middle of praising Montrell and our loaded running back room.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 3, 2024 15:23:30 GMT -5
He left because he was no good at pass blocking and never would be. I'm shocked that Georgia even wanted him, like they haven't seen all the tape of him being terrible at pass blocking It seems they have an entire unit dedicated to blocking and in fact were looking for a running back that could do running back stuff. Like running and catching passes and scoring touchdowns etc.. Maybe, but they have an antiquated one-coach system, so will only be half as good.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 2, 2024 15:49:48 GMT -5
Spurrier has always had the ability to call someone a dumb, incompetent, mf’er without actually saying it.
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Post by wahhappen on Mar 2, 2024 15:43:44 GMT -5
I thought he left because of the money and NIL was killing college football? I am stunned by these quotes.
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Dan Enos
Mar 1, 2024 20:41:22 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by wahhappen on Mar 1, 2024 20:41:22 GMT -5
It’s almost as if the schedule gets tougher the worse you get. The loser’s mentality is running rampant among Gator nation.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 29, 2024 15:10:10 GMT -5
Oh, come on. I'm sure all of the other top QB prospects send out congratulatory tweets to their coaches when they leave for another job.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 29, 2024 14:03:55 GMT -5
I don't have an ESPN Insider subscription, so I'll just assume the article did not include current players. This is one more accolade Mertz could have received had he bolted for the NFL. Luckily for us, he is back for unfinished business and will certainly surpass Trask when the next list is published. Man, I would hate to be on the committee that decides which #15 gets retired down the road. On a serious note, imagine how much higher Grossman would have been had he not been subjected to Zook's prevent offense his junior year. In retrospect things must have been really bad behind the scenes for Spurrier to walk away from that team when he did. They lost Caldwell and Gaffney, but still had a ton of returning/incoming talent and Grossman throwing the ball.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 28, 2024 14:31:39 GMT -5
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 27, 2024 7:58:13 GMT -5
But more than qualified to become S&C coach. Look how much lifting he's had to do every day at the training table. Yes, and not to mention the amount of lifting he’s done at the dining hall table. ABWO - Always Be Working Out
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 26, 2024 22:36:23 GMT -5
Look for Desmond Watson to come be the Running Backs coach if for some reason his NFL career doesn't pan out. I’m afraid he will be over qualified considering he has multiple years experience in the SEC.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 26, 2024 21:30:33 GMT -5
www.gatorcountry.com/feature/what-russ-callaways-rise-to-co-offensive-coordinator-does-and-doesnt-mean/This article is informative and kind of funny. When GC starts questioning the rationale/motives behind a move in any way, shape, or form you know it's some bullshit. This is my favorite part: "Napier’s offense is very different from the Air Raid. Napier doesn’t like to use a lot of short passes in place of the run game, he likes to use the run game as the run game. He wants to pound the rock to then hit passes over the top. He wants the offense to help out the defense, but Air Raid teams often end up in interminably long contests that tax everyone’s stamina. Napier famously likes two-tight end sets more than most, but 2018 Samford had two listed tight ends on the entire roster." That's right, not only did we hire an offensive coach as a defensive intern, we then promoted said Defensive intern to Tight Ends coach. So, last year our TE coach was an analyst whose only offensive coaching experience beyond an analyst position was when he was the OC/QB Coach at Samford. At Samford they ran an Air Raid offense and had 2 TEs on the entire roster. Now he will be our co-Offensive Coordinator with "input" on play calling. That tracks. Essentially CWT just brings in guys who co-sign his bullshit and arbitrarily assigns titles. I can't believe it hasn't worked so far. This feels like the year. This is all a part of the grooming process. He is following in the footsteps of RDB, who also has experience on the defensive side of the ball. This is intentional in order to gain perspective from both offense and defense to improve offensive play calling, and it in no way is due to lack of experience needed to advance in his chosen career path. He is now ready to assume the role of assistant to the assistant play caller, which is not at all a completely fake and made up position. As we have seen with the defense, the coordinator still calls the plays and runs the meet- wait, maybe the head coach of offense is the bizarro world version of the defensive head coach, so he does the opposite. Yeah, that’s the ticket. Offensive coordinators coach the coaches, and the head coach of offense calls the plays. Just like every other football team in America. You know what? I don’t need to explain it… we have directors in place who get paid handsomely to figure these things out. All we need to know is that the off season has been well spent trying to determine what this looks like, and it is not a complete piece of shit. It looks like victory.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 26, 2024 20:18:57 GMT -5
I’ve never seen this kid play a down of football but, based on his decision-making off the field, I’m not sure he is cut out to be QB1. How he ended up in Gainesville under this train wreck of a coaching staff is beyond me. However, based on this news, I can only deduce he had no one looking out for his best interest during his recruitment process. Step one should have been to hire an NIL advisor.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 26, 2024 14:09:56 GMT -5
"Florida players advocated for Miles to assume Fitgerald's duties after he was named interim" is basically saying they couldn't find anyone else to take the job. I'm pretty sure the results he has produced over the past week or so speak for themselves. He didn't need an endorsement, so this is simply a reinforcement of what a great job he has done to earn the promotion.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 24, 2024 9:35:40 GMT -5
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 16, 2024 11:40:16 GMT -5
I consider the process just built to build drama. Kind of like the S&C hire. I love the line of thinking that Napier will go get an offensive coordinator now. All the very best OCs not only are available in mid-February, but chomping at the bit to come in for a guy who refuses to hand off play calling. Now that the SuperBowl is over, we can finally fully evaluate the available options. Fortunately the University of Florida is in the unique position of being in close proximity to Disney World, where the Chiefs will go to celebrate. Unless they go to Disneyland instead.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 15, 2024 14:55:55 GMT -5
I tried to Google why an offensive coordinator of 4 years would take a job as a defensive intern, but came up empty. I did, however, come across the Wikipedia definition of defensive coordinator:
"A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, with the head coach being the first level. The primary role of the defensive coordinator is managing the roster of defensive players, overseeing the assistant coaches, developing the defensive game plan, and calling plays for the defense during the game. The defensive coordinator typically manages multiple position coaches, each of whom are responsible for various defensive positions on the team (such as the defensive line, linebackers, or defensive backs).
While the job of defensive coordinator is largely similar at the collegiate and professional level, college coaches are more involved in the recruitment process. A successful defensive coordinator is often a stepping stone to the position of head coach."
I assume there were no contributors from the Sunbelt, as there is no mention of executive head coach, head coach of the defense, or any other stepping stones in between DC and Head Corch.
Anyway, I cannot WAIT to hear who will replace Stapleton on our gameday staff. I assume it will be another 4-6 weeks to find out, so there will likely be another position to fill at that point.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 14, 2024 21:26:36 GMT -5
So can we get rid of him after these renovations are complete? Because if that’s the case, I might be willing to make a donation.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 13, 2024 12:15:31 GMT -5
@ 5.5 I want the under “Big-picture wise, we’re taking the group of people that we have and we’re trying to develop some people, groom some people. We’ve done a ton of work in the offseason to kind of evaluate that in terms of what that looks like,” I am sorry, but THE University of Florida should not have a football staff with members that are being developed or groomed. Shouldn't happen. "Yeah, I mean the head coach for the defense, basically a guy who oversees that side of the ball to some degree. Austin’s obviously the coordinator, he calls the plays and runs the unit meetings, but we’re getting a guy who can coach the coaches and improve the installation and game plan, he’s the head coach of the defense to some degree." So basically our DC now has a high priced baby sitter. Agreed. Also, having reread the defensive head coach quote now several times, I am completely dumbfounded as to how this nonsense is not being completely mocked across the nation. "Austin’s obviously the coordinator, he calls the plays and runs the unit meetings, but we’re getting a guy who can coach the coaches and improve the installation and game plan" IS THAT NOT WTF A DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR DOES??? HE IS ADMITTING RIGHT TO THE FACES OF THE MEDIA THAT HE HIRED AN UNQUALIFIED DC, AND NO ONE EVEN BATS AN EYE?? I have been racking my brain trying to understand the leeway he gets, but I have figured it out and can now move on with my life. The only reason this stuff continues to go unchallenged is because we are irrelevant. The transition is complete. We are not a laughing stock because nobody knows we exist. You can't laugh publicly at something nobody pays attention to. At least when Mullen did and said stupid stuff people cared. When Zook blew a huge lead, he was questioned. When Muschamp threw a tantrum on the sideline, it made the highlights. And when McElwain got caught fucking a shark, it caused concern over his well-being. But nobody seems to give two shits about what RDB does because we are not even on the radar of existence.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 13, 2024 11:52:46 GMT -5
I just re-read that quote again, he has out together a great group of strength assistants AND sports science staff. So, we've got that going for us, which is nice. We're literally probably going to go at least 2-3 weeks without a S&C coach. Party time for big Des. At least we're not in the middle of the most important stretch for strength and conditioning development of the year. If there is a positive to take away from a non-bowl season, it is that you get an extra couple of months to get a head start on a new developmental plan to get in shape for the next season. Ideally, you have a strength and conditioning coach at the beginning of that plan and he/she stays on staff to see that plan through to the end. But hey, we are progressive in our approach, so I am sure we have tested the wait 5 weeks, go for 5 weeks, wait another 5 weeks evaluation plan.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 13, 2024 10:58:38 GMT -5
Yeah. Remember when you could jump on ESPN and check the score really quick? Now we must find the drop down to the "other scores" since we are not listed among the top 25.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 13, 2024 9:49:26 GMT -5
What could he have done for the program in that span of time? I’d really like to know whereas he was there for a cup of coffee. That line of the article literally triggered my fight or flight instinct. I think when you look at - there's a sense of we have been there now for 5 weeks and things are, now we to a degree feel like we have a handle on having a full cycle - and he's done it before. He's been around good coaching. He knows what it is like to compete and has high character, does it the right way, trully what we want to do here and it's phase 2, right? Phase 1 was a bit of in a way we were getting things in place to a degree. so now we can focus on what needs to happen in the process to evaluate further how this is going to function in a sense with the players and staff we feel good about the core group.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 12, 2024 7:58:29 GMT -5
This is just where we are as a program right now. He’ll regret leaving once he sees RDB’s plan come to fruition. We’ll replace him with a true Gator with higher character that wants to do things the right way, evaluate the process, and whereas. Beat it, nerd.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 10, 2024 23:54:19 GMT -5
This sets up nicely for 2025. After a disastrous 2024, Napier will fire one of his OL coaches, promote Callaway to OC, and proclaim himself as the head coach of offense. Then he will name a director of prime coaching (not to be confused with head coach) that is kind of responsible for managing the overall performance of the program to a degree. This person will also be kind of a mentor for Napier until he can get a full grasp of his role. This will buy him another year since the first two didn’t count due to not yet having his full process in place.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 10, 2024 9:22:55 GMT -5
Finally made it through most of this, and sounds like we are primed to blow the lid off of this thing — to borrow a phrase from the Zooker — in year three. Our walk on pool is larger than ever, so that should improve the roster. I guess, more than ever, the Mark Walhbergs out there feel they have a shot at making the team. Also, I am super pumped we have so many different coaches out there “sort of managing” certain things and also “in charge of to a certain degree” of stuff. Can’t wait.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 9, 2024 18:32:16 GMT -5
Oh yeah, there has not been an era that I've been alive where a coach at UF being considered the 14th best out of 16 SEC coaches would have even gotten him a 3rd year. I can't say that. I was at UF during the Doug Dickey years. Dickey brought in a lot of talent and did a terrific job of squandering most of it. In 1974, a year when we lost four games, we had a lead at halftime in all of them. In that respect he was a lot like Zook. Get a lead by the end of the second quarter, then try to run out the clock in the second half. Other teams adjust while you go into a shell, and it often bites you. To be fair, Dickey thought he was still coaching at Tennessee during his tenure. Brought in turf, orange uniforms, etc.
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Post by wahhappen on Feb 9, 2024 14:17:20 GMT -5
Seeing all of this play out has reminded me of where we were a year ago, and it has got me thinking about our recruiting success under Napier. It seems the narrative last year was that Napier was hitting the recruiting trail hard and trying to undo the damage Mullen did. The problem was that he was hamstrung by the lack of financial support -- he didn't have the money to go get the top recruits. Napier came in with a reputation of being a great recruiter, but why? What has he done to prove he is a great recruiter? Are there any results to back that up other than Stricklin trusts that he is?
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