OK: ONLY reason to go this route is for the sake of the TEAM and its future--Coach really IS "sending a message", and more than anything it is meant NOT for us, CERTAINLY NOT for "the rest of the world" (media pundits, Gator-Haters, etc.), but for his players and "the team-to-be".
All you Gators who in your well-warranted anger and fed-up frustration CALLED for this kind of drastic move, just understand, accept and remember: There went whatever shot we had at a 9-10 win season in 2011. With Brantley, this O-line and the learning curve on Weis' shift to a pro-style, non-spread system (after 6 years and personnel long recruited for that now former style-of-play), only health, good fortune and a stout "D" gave us any chance at topping last year's record. Jenkins was to be the senior leader, a 1st-team All American that COULD have been a first-rounder to lock down HIS position while he lead everyone else by his example and work ethic. Yes, HE blew that responsibility, but the fact remains: one of our few solid strengths just became a question mark, a possible weakness and source of more chaos and confusion.
So now more than ever, I call on you especially, the folks who have been on the various "usual sites" calling for just this kind of "final judgment" by Coach Will in this matter (so many were so extreme, rivaling those of openly hostile trolls from other schools, I couldn't help wondering if they were all really FROM actual Gators, no matter their claims and/or their user names!):
You're going to have to be patient this coming season. This is a tough schedule by ANY standard, and now we'll be a team building towards what it will become through it all. I reserve the right to voice my unhappiness with certain things--for eg. sticking with a not-very-effective Brantley for too long, if that's how things develop. Now more than ever, this will be a season to find our new stars and leaders, get them in to learn and grow as the NEXT great Gator TEAM begins to develop and emerge by late in the year.
I just think this was the final break in what was a hard one to build and hold together in the first place--and the Coach must have known that. He bit the bullet and made the move he felt was necessary for the future, and we have to live with the consequences (as we'll hopefully share the ultimate rewards) right along with him.