Fine. Let's move on from here--that's what it appears is the attitude and philosophy over at Gator Central:
The rest is more a mix of image, damage control and semantics...Muschamp's gone at the "last final gun" of the season, whenever that turns out to be, there WILL be a "search committee" this time, and J. Foley will be the man out front, coming and going and inviting and discussing etc etc and that's nothing but a positive for us--he is enormously respected and able. He'll have all the resources of the University at his disposal, and I am fairly hopeful he'll go out and get whomever they end up deciding IS our best "fit". I'm confident that'll be someone who brings definite vision and a growing rep himself, along with a talented young support group, loyal and hungry, when he arrives.
There's bound to be risk--hell, there's just a handful of already-proven-fabulously-successful-RIGHT-NOW guys, none of whom have the slightest reason to break THEIR contracts and move to Gainesville far as I know, so that leaves ANY choice left a risk. So it's a gamble, as always--no way to "play it safe", even if that's what we wanted them to do.
In retrospect, btw, my only real problem with the Muschamp-gamble was the raise-and-extension before the first contract was up (too late to second guess that now--just maybe learn from it). This time, we either go with the "all-but-fully-proven hot commodity" that we HAVE to give top dollar/long term to get at all, or the young done-it-all-somewhere-they-said-you-couldn't-win who's gonna get a shot with SOMEONE pretty big soon--only he gets a short first-contract and has to show what he (and the guys with him) have got fast, as other guys WILL become available over the next couple/few years.
OK--nothing brilliantly insightful or earth-shattering there--just reviewing our situation and likely options as far as what we're after. I've read and heard the lists of supposed candidates and/or possibilities here and elsewhere, and while none of 'em are in any way comprehensive, that's about how to describe the (VERY) rough general profile(s). As I've mentioned before, there are some that appear on more than one list that I am pretty damn sure just aren't gonna happen, each for different definite and specific reasons, but I'll address that as each comes up here in the weeks ahead, if/when they do. Personally, I'm not well-enough versed in all this, the people themselves already-named OR the others who may fit or who'd be worth considering but haven't been yet (at least we hear no word of it--YET) to feel I can pick one out and even say, "Yes--HE could be the guy". I certainly LIKE a number of the men who are being talked about, my impressions of what they've done AND the "team" they'd likely bring with them were they to get the job. But I wanna know more, HEAR more, take a closer look at each, let the process itself go to work, hopefully do what it's supposed to do.
(Meanwhile, though, I wanted to put a Q out there: From a contractual standpoint, was Muschamp "asked to step down" but "allowed to finish out the season coaching his team", whereby in agreeing to do so, he gets that "buyout" clause AND continues to collect his salary until either the end of his contract or he accepts another job? Or did he truly "resign", as is sometimes stated? I had understood that it was the former, "asked to step down" being of course a nice way of putting "fired"--sort of "canned, with dignity". Doesn't really change much of anything, especially regarding where we go from here, but I want to make sure I have it right for the sake of anything I say about all this being right, fair, and accurate.)
