Gator Offense: Fixed, Patched, or Lucky?

[Escambia94]

Yay! Steve Addazio fixed the offense! We are on a roll, ready to right the ship and take the SEC! Right? Not so fast. This was Georgia, a rival team. Anything can happen in a rivalry. Besides, we had to go to OT and depend on our kicker/punter in order to win the thing. The following week we handily defeated the mighty Vanderbilt Commodores, the number 100 ranked team in a nine-team division.

Escambia94, how about that three-headed QB monster (3HQBM)? That's a good thing, right?

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. (Addazio Should Pay Me a Consulting Fee | Fire Steve Addazio)

I agree with that sentiment. Besides, when did the three-headed monster start to click against #100-out-of-9 Vanderbilt?

The disconcerting thing about those plays was that they came on trick plays. I still think Addazio has it stuck in his head that he has to do something tricky to throw the ball vertically. (Addazio Should Pay Me a Consulting Fee | Fire Steve Addazio)

But, but, but...the Banzai works wonders when coupled with the 3HQBM! Shut your face and just enjoy the offensive explosion! I agree with whomever the firesteveaddazio-dot-com author is:

Do I expect Addazio to exploit (the weak SC secondary) week? No. He hasn’t shown an ability to exploit a defense’s weakness in the past, and his stubborn attitude doesn’t leave me with any reason to believe he will ever learn to adapt. Without the trick plays, and with Addazio looking at this game as an important one, I’m predicting Addazio will curl back up into his conservative ball and we’ll all be yelling about South Carolina’s weak secondary as Addazio tries to beat them two yards at a time.

Quit yer yapping, Escambia! With the three-headed rotation, we are three times less predictable than before Georgia! And stop quoting firesteveaddazio-dot-com. Okay, new source, similar message:

``It's hard (to be predictable even with three 'effing QBs). That's something we spend a lot of time on,'' Meyer said. ``We're not coming up with new plays, we're just coming up with ways to (disguise the offense). I think our tempo is one way. But that question is what we're spending an inordinate amount of hours working on.''

Read more: Florida Gators try not to be predictable - Sports - MiamiHerald.com

Okay, jerk. What about that thing where you promised to be more optimistic? Hey, I'm trying. I really am.

Steve Spurrier has never won in The Swamp -- as a visiting coach. South Carolina has never won in Gainesville. The Gamecocks have never won an SEC East title in football.

Read more: Gamecocks seek firsts against resurgent Florida Gators - UF - MiamiHerald.com

The newly-wrinkled Gator offense looks great half the game. Half. What about the other half? And it's not even a solid half that we look good--it's 2nd and 4th quarter. Okay, it's a team sport. The offense wakes up after a great special teams play (Rainey blocked punt), but maybe not after a great defensive play (Jenkins interception). It likes to sleep in the first quarter, or warm up in the tundra of Nashville, Tennessee. We are playing against an injured Lattimore and a weak secondary. True. What is our greatest weakness? We can debate that all day long, but I think it's the offensive line. What? THE offensive line that graded out a CHAMPION the past few weeks? That one? Yes. That one. SC has a vicious defensive line that eats quarterbacks. Johnny Brantley looks delicious to the SC sack monsters. Yeah, try exploiting the SC secondary when you are curled up like an armadillo.

How will SC beat Florida, despite the six-point underdog status? Sack Brantley with the #3 NCAA QB-eating defensive line. Stuff the run with the #1 SEC run-defense. How did SC beat Bama? Six sacks in one game. Stop the two-headed rushing attack.

How can Florida win? I get it, UF is a six-point favorite. It's not the 3HQBM that will win. Nor will it be the Banzai. It will be the playmakers. Put the playmakers in a position to make plays, and they will win it for the Gators. We cannot fix the offensive line overnight. We have shown the world the extent of our innovation in play calling already (short of more trick plays, or *gasp* letting Burton throw the ball downfield). The offense still sputters in the first quarter. It can lull you to sleep in the third or fourth quarter once the defense has mapped our playbook. Is this offense fixed? I don't think so. What say ye?

 

[The Zooker]

Florida beats USC, Appalachia, FSU, and Auburn. But the offense isn't fixed. The athletic personnel are just put in a slightly better position to win the games.

 

[DRU2012]

Funny (strange-funny, not haha-funny) thing is, before reading your piece I voted #4 above (just to climb on the wise-ass bandwagon) but FELT #3--though of course we all HOPE that Addazio had/is having less control and that the scheme is PART of the reason, at least.
I suspect otherwise, however. Like you, I have that edgy, about-to-flinch feeling that for whole portions of the game we'll see a return to the same old Brantley "led" (if you can call what he does out there "leading"), Addazio-"designed" no-brain offense. Someone needs to tell these guys: DON'T DINK AND DIVE! (Sorry. Cheap, lame, but couldn't resist.)
By the way, that was an entertaining debate you had with yourself above, E-94. Closely matched, as I know (from personal experienced) they always are--after all, you'll seldom find a more worthy opponent.
One eternal (rhetorical) question: Is it frustrating to never triumph, or satisfying to never lose?
Anyway, we find out a LOT this weekend about where we're at and where we're going--the answers to the very questions you pose above. Most of all, I want to see if (1) fundamental changes ARE being enacted in our (supposedly) "evolving offense", WHOMEVER is in charge of it, and (2) that "the Coach" and coaches are dedicated to seeing those changes through AND giving time, reps and opportunities to the younger guys who must and WILL be the future of this team.

 

[The Zooker]

Imagine if several months ago an oracle told you that the Gators would be begging for a win against South Carolina at home in order to get to Atlanta to play as an extreme underdog to the West champ.

 

[Escambia94]

Funny (strange-funny, not haha-funny) thing is, before reading your piece I voted #4 above (just to climb on the wise-ass bandwagon) but FELT #3--though of course we all HOPE that Addazio had/is having less control and that the scheme is PART of the reason, at least.
I suspect otherwise, however. Like you, I have that edgy, about-to-flinch feeling that for whole portions of the game we'll see a return to the same old Brantley "led" (if you can call what he does out there "leading"), Addazio-"designed" no-brain offense. Someone needs to tell these guys: DON'T DINK AND DIVE! (Sorry. Cheap, lame, but couldn't resist.)
By the way, that was an entertaining debate you had with yourself above, E-94. Closely matched, as I know (from personal experienced) they always are--after all, you'll seldom find a more worthy opponent.
One eternal (rhetorical) question: Is it frustrating to never triumph, or satisfying to never lose?
Anyway, we find out a LOT this weekend about where we're at and where we're going--the answers to the very questions you pose above. Most of all, I want to see if (1) fundamental changes ARE being enacted in our (supposedly) "evolving offense", WHOMEVER is in charge of it, and (2) that "the Coach" and coaches are dedicated to seeing those changes through AND giving time, reps and opportunities to the younger guys who must and WILL be the future of this team.

Actually, you can read through my posts throughout the year and see that I have conflicted my own posts, changed opinions, and countered my own arguments. It's been one of those years, right?

Don't dink and dive! Nice. If we had to come up with a motto to avoid a repeat of 2010, that would be it.

 

[ShortBus]

I think Addazio has watched Dodgeball too many times and getting the 5 d's of dodgeball confused with football. dodge dip duck DIVE dodge.

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

def not fixed enough to be getting cocky about SC or FSU just cuz we did good against UGA and vandy's terrible D

that hurry could be ugly against a D that can stop us all we'll be doing is punting fast and losing the time of posession battle

 

[DRU2012]

...and wearing out our defense.
Gotta believe SS is counting on HIS "D" doing just that, and if his offense plays like it did against us as it did against 'Bama, as opposed to how they've looked the last 2 games, we'll have trouble no matter what.

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

def not fixed enough to be getting cocky about SC or FSU just cuz we did good against UGA and vandy's terrible D

that hurry could be ugly against a D that can stop us all we'll be doing is punting fast and losing the time of posession battle

and thats exactly what happened

and yes the defense got worn out

me>>>addazio