Florida v. Georgia week!

[DRU2012]

Not much need be added to Escambia94's comments here.
I WOULD like to underline the first point, though (the one AFTER the JD-plug--already my 1st choice):
while some may lump us together with spoiled "Gator-come-lately" types, first to bolt, in the case of we longtime fans and alumni who were around for the bad years (Dickey), the false starts (Pell, Hall),the LONG road up through "recognition" and "challenger" to "Champion"(Spurrier), the (still shockingly, fearfully) fast freefall back towards mediocrity (Zook), and finally the just-in-time quick-change to Meyer, who did indeed take us to new heights:
WE FERVENTLY WISH TO AVOID A RETURN TO MEDIOCRITY AT ALL COSTS.
And "mediocrity" IS where we are RIGHT NOW--you can count on it taking at least twice as much time to climb OUT of it as it has taken/is taking/will take for us to roll down this ever-steepening hill. Soon it will be out-of-control--I can't say exactly when, but we've all seen it with other teams. Miami and FSU are STILL trying to climb out of the deep, muddy trough where THEY came to rest; it is DIFFICULT, as well as time consuming. We were lucky last time--Zook WAS a good recruiter, so when we got rid of the COACHING problem, HIM, and brought in "the right guy" just in time, the cupboard was hardly "bare".
Now, well, I believe the situation is not so different--once you clear away some confusion. We need a change once more to "the right guy": one possibility is that Urban Meyer is that person, IF he can "snap out of it" and reawaken the brilliant, passionate "coach inside" that we saw until last year (AND if he can finally cut his strangely Siamese-close bond/reliance with Addazio). I don't know haw that happens, what Foley has to do or say, OR at what point he can judge when that is not going to happen, and/or IF he (or ANYONE) is ready to make a change at the top. It's all still up to Urban Meyer. I am starting to really believe that the only hope for a semi-quick and smooth rebound for this program is for Urban Meyer to once again resign--and this time Foley will accept it, I assure you.

 

[Leakfan12]

Rankings don't mean too much. Thompson was rated a five star wide receiver and in college he is not that good. Has all the physical tools but couldn't catch a cold.

I think even when teams get 10 top in recruiting, it's no guarantee that the player will be good. The U signed Kyle Wright I think his name is and he was the top QB ahead of Chris Leak and couldn't win with him.

 

[Escambia94]

I'm not ready to ask Meyer to resign yet. Dazzler Addazio apparently is a good recruiter. Urban Meyer has some life we can squeeze out of him. As a head coach, little ol' me thinks he needs to look at his coaching staff and recruit the next Dan Mullen or some heir apparent that can take Jeff Driskel and kids like him and rebuild this dynasty. Starting a new dynasty takes a lot of time. Building off a current or one-year removed dynasty is a little easier, unless we all think the next Urban Meyer can jump in with all these recruits and immediately jump start us after a learning year.

 

[The Zooker]

We need Gus Malzahn.

 

[DRU2012]

I'm not ready to ask Meyer to resign yet. Dazzler Addazio apparently is a good recruiter. Urban Meyer has some life we can squeeze out of him. As a head coach, little ol' me thinks he needs to look at his coaching staff and recruit the next Dan Mullen or some heir apparent that can take Jeff Driskel and kids like him and rebuild this dynasty. Starting a new dynasty takes a lot of time. Building off a current or one-year removed dynasty is a little easier, unless we all think the next Urban Meyer can jump in with all these recruits and immediately jump start us after a learning year.

Yes--But WILL he? That's really my underlying point above. If he does get "the right guy" in there, things could turn out, but is that even in the cards? Hard to penetrate the wall of secrecy and denial (or even get a straight answer to a simple question!), let alone untangle the the complex forces and relationships at work there from afar. As I say, it all comes down to Urban Meyer--and even "cutting through all the BS and starting over", not only if it happens but exactly what form it would take, is in his hands.
I think you're right about "the easiest way back" (meaning "fastest", right?), but that STILL requires a starkly realistic assessment of our current plight AND a willingness to take some drastic steps--most importantly (and by all signs, least likely) that change at OC. Meanwhile, bland statements and promises to the contrary, I see no evidence of the kind of urgency that would lead up to any dramatic changes.

 

[DRU2012]

We need Gus Malzahn.

Fine. (He's one of a VERY short list.)
But, again, see above.

 

[DRU2012]

I think even when teams get 10 top in recruiting, it's no guarantee that the player will be good. The U signed Kyle Wright I think his name is and he was the top QB ahead of Chris Leak and couldn't win with him.

True, but those ratings are NOT "all wrong, all the time"--and we're starting to pile one top-or-near-top-rated class after another (right now our '11 recruiting class is rated 2nd only to Texas--who had their usual Mack-Brown-offering-while-kid-plays-flag-ball-class...we are coming on fast now, as usual, and much to ALL of our relief!).
Look, you never know for sure when a young athlete makes a substantial jump up in level-of-play--for eg. how could anyone know that this kid with "all the right moves", size and speed at receiver would turn out to well deserve the nickname "cockfingers"? But keep recruiting the speed, size, smarts and TALENT, things will tend to turn out well--PROVIDED YOU CAN COACH 'EM!

 

[Escambia94]

So, let's go back to previous conversations on what-if scenarios for head coaches. If you look at the picture of Urban Meyer hugging Foley after the win last week, it looks almost like he is whispering in Foley's ear, "See, boss? I still got it! You're not going to fire me this week, right?"

We don't get to see the back of the scene where Foley could be whispering, "Win the East or pack your bags." So, if that look in the picture is one of relief because Meyer got his first warning, how plausible would it be to get Gus Malzahn to leave his $500K OC job on the brink of a possible national championship for maybe a $2M HC job? Does Gus leave Cam Newton? Can he be swayed to leave Auburn? Has Jeremy Foley played golf with Gus to entice him to succeed Meyer should Urb' fail him?

 

[DRU2012]

Personally, I just don't see that happening--just a bit on the "messy" side all around--of course, if you believe that "it's always just about the $" (NOT an unsafe position, I'll grant you), then it COULD get done, obviously.
If it happened NEXT season, another down year for the Gators and Urban "gracefully resigning pending the end of the season", then maybe.
No, if we're talking that kind of regime-change by the end of THIS season, then I figure it'll be one of the guys from the "BCS-Busters". Everyone's got their favorite, mine's Wittingham: young, hot hand, similar offensive approach, etc. (I can't tell if the Utah-connection works for him or against--so I discount it here).
Actually, there are a couple of others that you could make just as good a case for; in the end, it's a gut feeling I guess. Which may very well go for Foley as well--and if he has someone in particular in mind already (would be surprised if he DIDN'T have a Plan A, B and C), of course THAT would play a part in who, how and when
(for eg. see "Malzahn", above).

Still like your captions, though...

 

[Escambia94]

I honestly think Foley gave Urban Meyer some kind of ultimatum. It could have been "Win this game or you're fired", or it could have been "Hey, I have been reading this forum and these dudes with the nicknames Escambia94, DRU2012, Zooker, Mr2Bits, etc all have some great ideas that you had better follow or else you're out." Maybe it was "Dude, stop making us look bad and go back to the old Urban Meyer that I gave a $75K payraise to."

Foley and Machen are just as tough to read as Meyer. We really don't know which of the coaches on the hot list the Gators would consider--Whittingham, Petersen, Malzahn--or which coaches on the "yeah right" list are actually realistic--Cowher, Gruden, Spurrier--or which coaches on the Foley/Machen good ol' boy network are avaialable--Shanahan, Stoops. Other names thrown out there are probably not good choices--Shane Mathews, Kerwin Bell.

Remember that even though Florida is a top-notch college with lots of money to pay a coach, we still got our #3 choice for defensive coordinator. The first choice left for a college job and our second choice left for an NFL job. Urban Meyer is probably the best coach on the market today, but we all know it takes a good head coach and a good OC or DC to guide a team to the top. It's not like our OC or DC are top-notch by any means. They are good enough to not lose four games in a row. That's all we know for now.

 

[DRU2012]

"...good enough not to lose four in a row..."
A ringing endorsement THERE, big guy; meanwhile, even THAT was a hashmark or a wind shift away from not being true--in other words, a crap shoot. Yeah, "a real gut check", "a well earned win for our players and coaches"; every damn one of them "graded out as champions", right?
As for that nightmare of grasping desperately for coaches on the heels of The Urban Drama/Fiasco after LAST season, I wondered about that at the time, but all the OTHER problems (all at the same time) kind of obscured the details. Now you have to wonder: "What did THEY know that we SHOULD have known, and need to know NOW?

 

[Leakfan12]

I don't think the Gators need a new coach yet. They need a new OC like one from Boise State, Utah, or someone who knows the spread offense to Urban's liking and doesn't coach a big time school.

 

[The Zooker]

I like the numbers that Oregon's offense is putting up. But I think their head coach has more to do with that than the offensive coordinator. I doubt we could pull Chip Kelly over here unless it was for the head spot. And we'd have to hope he makes a great hire for the defensive coordinator or convinces TA to stay. Chip Kelly is all offense with not much of a defensive mind.