Its Heisman winner gone, Florida has failed to find an offensive identity

[MahxFahn]

Time After Tim

After top-ranked Alabama's thrashing of No. 7 Florida last Saturday night in Tuscaloosa—a 31--6 beatdown that left little doubt that the Crimson Tide is the best team in the country—there was nothing left for the Gators to do but state the obvious. "Now we know," multipurpose freshman Trey Burton said in the bowels of Bryant-Denny Stadium, "that we're not perfect."
Far from it. This year's Gators bear little resemblance to the dynamic teams that went 48--7 and won two national championships from 2006 through '09. Facing an Alabama juggernaut that got only 47 yards on 12 carries from Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram, Florida was bullied on both sides of the ball: The Tide scored on its first four possessions and gashed Florida's run defense for 170 yards, while the Gators' backs gained a mere 3.1 yards a carry.
Most notably, the Florida offense looks as if it's going through a serious post-Tebow identity crisis. After underwhelming performances against inferior opponents in their first four games, the Gators mustered their lowest scoring output since October 2005. Tim Tebow's heir, junior John Brantley, is a classic pocket passer—"No one is going to mistake me for a runner," he says—and yet Florida ran plays against 'Bama as if the Heisman Trophy winner were still directing the attack. Brantley ran a spread option scheme and, not surprisingly, ran it with little success.
"When they run the option with him, you know he's not running the ball," Alabama safety Mark Barron says. "That's not who he is, and that makes them a lot easier to defend." The game's turning point came when Florida elected to go on fourth-and-goal from the two on its opening drive. Goal line stalwart Burton threw an interception while attempting one of Tebow's signature jump passes. Needless to say, it was a poor imitation.
Brantley's lackluster start to the season (the team's passing attack ranks 83rd in the country) may soon have the Gainesville faithful calling for the start of the Burton Era. But the Gator under the most heat should be offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, who replaced coach Urban Meyer's longtime assistant Dan Mullen last season. With Addazio calling plays, Florida's once breathtaking unit has looked unimaginative: The Gators' scoring average has dropped from 43.6 points in 2008 to 35.9 last year to 31.4 this season.

Meyer was already on the defensive last week when receiver Chris Rainey agreed to a plea stemming from an incident in which he was arrested for stalking his girlfriend. (The charge was lowered from aggravated stalking to a misdemeanor.) "It's not a dirty program," Meyer said after the 30th arrest of a player in six years at Gainesville. Following his worst loss since his first season, Meyer, who nearly resigned last December after suffering chest pains, looked and sounded dazed and defeated. Of his team's blunders in front of the raucous mob of 101,821, the coach said, "I don't know if we would've beaten them [with fewer mistakes] because they were pretty good today. But we just self-destructed."
A rematch between the rivals may well take place in December's SEC championship game, but given how unimpressive they have looked, the Gators aren't likely to waltz through the mediocre SEC East. "We can talk all we want about Atlanta," says Florida center Mike Pouncey, "but we've got a long SEC season ahead of us."
It will seem much longer if the Gators don't quickly get their act together.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1175410/index.htm#ixzz11bmJRL8u
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ORIGIN....

 

[Escambia94]

The only thing worse than losing us getting your @$$ kicked. Twice in a row by your main rival for the title of SEC alpha dog.

 

[ShortBus]

I think it's hilarious Alabama can figure out brantley isn't going to run the ball, the rest of the world can figure it out, but that fat ass OC can't tell his head from his ass. then he has the nerves to say our offense isn't predictable. the whole world just LOL'd from that statement

 

[Escambia94]

I go back to the ESPN shot of the Alabama DC jumping up and down yelling "jump pass". I think Alabama's DC had our "unpredictable" offense memorized so well that they they were a) calling our plays to the Bama defense using our own play names and b) tweeting it to the world to show how much they owned us that night. It's embarrassing. I don't mind losing to the top-ranked team, but not like this. Are they telling us that all they practiced since January was three plays, and they can't even get those right? What's going on here, Gators?

 

[Teebows Barber Shop]

I go back to the ESPN shot of the Alabama DC jumping up and down yelling "jump pass". I think Alabama's DC had our "unpredictable" offense memorized so well that they they were a) calling our plays to the Bama defense using our own play names and b) tweeting it to the world to show how much they owned us that night. It's embarrassing. I don't mind losing to the top-ranked team, but not like this. Are they telling us that all they practiced since January was three plays, and they can't even get those right? What's going on here, Gators?

Amen...it's like they were in the huddle with the Gators... kinda sad, and makes me really question, if we do get a shot at them again for the title, will the outcome be any different?

 

[DRU2012]

...And it all goes back to the same important QUESTION:
Where is our HEAD coach? Only he can end this frustrating madness, this sad, stubborn decline.
Coach: Do it however you have to, quietly, "with class", behind the scenes... make it a "lateral move to other duties", if you must (he's good at other things, most of us can see that), but STEVE ADDAZIO MUST STEP ASIDE AS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR. Otherwise this great house you have built will inevitably come down, all for lack of a necessary (of difficult) decision.

 

[The Zooker]

I think it's been mentioned before but does everyone remember what happened when Mark Richt left FSU and Bobby Bowden started putting in family/friends? The similarities are striking.

 

[gatorsare#1]

I think it's been mentioned before but does everyone remember what happened when Mark Richt left FSU and Bobby Bowden started putting in family/friends? The similarities are striking.

It's looking more and more like Addazio = Jeff Bowden.

I disagree with the thread premise. We had no offensive identity even last year with Tebow. We had several poor performances before we got pummeled in the SEC championship. It makes a lot of sense considering 2009 was Addazio's 1st year on the job after we lost a very capable offensive coordinator in Dan Mullen.

 

[The Zooker]

It just angers me that Meyer has spent so long recruiting the types of players he wants. But then he appoints an offensive coordinator who cannot use those players' talents. We have the FASTEST TEAM IN AMERICA. And what does Addazio do with them? He tries to turn them into smash mouth players. It baffles me. We hired a spread option head coach and then he hires an inept offensive coordinator who cannot properly use the players that have been recruited for years in a spread option. It truly pains me to say this after Meyer has given us so much to be proud of, but it appears Meyer has lost his ability to be a head coach and make difficult decisions. This isn't a spur of the moment decision. This is something that I've come to recognize over a season and half of Addazio's system. At the end of the day, ask yourself, would a decent coach win a title with the team we had last year? We had Tebow as a senior and plenty of supporting cast. One of the Bowden boys could have won the title with that. But Addazio failed. Just like he is failing now. The only hope UF football has is to name Scott Loeffler the Offensive Coordinator. Otherwise we will continue to be the 10-2 and 9-3 team that comes up second place in the SEC as the better coached Alabama Crimson Tide handles business the way a football team should be handled.

 

[Escambia94]

I'm no offensive coordinator, but I think you're on to something there, Zooker. We have the fastest team in the Galaxy, and we are trying to bully people around with an option attack? Even our biggest running back, Moody, is not even gaining a friggin' yard up the middle. We have a gunslinger QB and we make him pitch the ball? The one time he makes a good run he gets crushed.

I said earlier that these guys get paid to make these decisions, but I just do not see the logic. Back to the Jack Daniel.

 

[DRU2012]

Sorry about typing "DEfensive..." rather than "Offensive Coordinator" above (had to head out to work, didn't proof it); felt like a jerk when I read it later. Y'all get the point, tho': Zooker hit it right on above. This isn't the offense the Head Coach built towards (AND Addazio so valiantly recruited for him, strangely enough). Which brings us back to my central question:
At what point does our Head Coach step in and assert himself?

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

Sorry about typing "DEfensive..." rather than "Offensive Coordinator" above (had to head out to work, didn't proof it); felt like a jerk when I read it later. Y'all get the point, tho': Zooker hit it right on above. This isn't the offense the Head Coach built towards (AND Addazio so valiantly recruited for him, strangely enough). Which brings us back to my central question:
At what point does our Head Coach step in and assert himself?

should be after this yr. we tried it for 2 yrs and it wasnt near as good and we cant seem to make new playmakers like we used to, especially at WR

 

[MahxFahn]

I guess we'll know a lot more about the direction the offense is heading after tonight's game. One way or another we should have plenty to discuss.........

 

[Escambia94]

I guess we'll know a lot more about the direction the offense is heading after tonight's game. One way or another we should have plenty to discuss.........

Whatever happens, I think we will find out what's going on in Urban Meyer's head. LSU is not Alabama, but LSU is a good team (with lots of luck) to not overlook. This game could be the test for JB's injury, Burton's lack of snaps on passing plays, our offensive strategy, Addazzio's play calling, and Meyer's management of the team. We will probably be judged more harshly on how we rebound this week than how we lost last week.

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

well if you guys think its the wake up call game lets tank it lol

i cant stand us not utilizing the slow QB and throwing it downfield i mean seriously have we went deep once all yr? im so sick of the dummies running our offense i just want some new blood in there not scared to throw it next yr cuz we have to throw it with JB its not an option cuz he cant option at all lol

its like we're limited to under 20 yds every throw all freakin yr. thats why we get FG's while bama gets TD's when we play

 

[GainesvillebornNraised]

well if you guys think its the wake up call game lets tank it lol

i cant stand us not utilizing the slow QB and throwing it downfield i mean seriously have we went deep once all yr? im so sick of the dummies running our offense i just want some new blood in there not scared to throw it next yr cuz we have to throw it with JB its not an option cuz he cant option at all lol

its like we're limited to under 20 yds every throw all freakin yr. thats why we get FG's while bama gets TD's when we play

please read coaches

 

[Escambia94]

please read coaches

Addazzio can't read. I saw our playbook. It was written in crayon and spaghetti-os.