Official Game Day Thread: Florida @ Auburn - 10/15: LOSS 17 - 6

[DRU2012]

Here's what I'll be talking about (besides the QB-debate I know is coming--but isn't a debate to ME) when I AM up to coming back and talking about ANYTHING Gator-related:
Muscamp and Weis were left a worse hand to play than the "recruiting experts" projected for this team (Reed drops the possible TD pass on 2nd last play of game). This will be a more serious transformation than we might have hoped and first thought. While it probably puts off our next BCS Championship run until the FOLLOWING year, I think we could STILL be on our way back NEXT season, and supporting a team we can be proud of rather than embarrassed by, IF we make wise use of the rest of THIS year.
This next recruiting class has become more important than ever. We've got a lot of openings, we're going to NEED MORE: this is going to take a cold and ruthless approach to the ones who aren't getting it done, too. Y'all may want to start a list of guys you "figure we could well do without"--with no regard for reputation or hype, either.
I am really hoping this coaching staff "walks their own road" when it comes to their recruiting decisions, too: look what all these guys OTHER FOLKS THOUGHT WERE GOOD did for us. SFA, right? It's NOT just "youth", either--it's character and commitment, too.
I don't think I can actually "root" for THIS team anymore; I'm going to wait for the "next one". Until then, I'll have to concentrate on supporting the hard choices and resulting tough times these coaches will be suffering through with all of us, provided they have the guts to go that route and see it through. I believe that they do--and if so they'll NEED our support, with all the casual fans and blustering bandwagon-jumper-offers howling for their scalps, you just wait and see.

 

[DRU2012]

Whatever happened to us being THE Florida Gators . . . no rebuilding year after year, just reloading the next year?

I, for one, don't blindly praise Urban Meyer like so many elsewhere for "leaving the cupboard full" after watching these last few games.

And, BTW, I really appreciate a Board that allows us to speak our minds without having anything not sugar-coated with orange-and-blue-glasses automatically deleted. Thanks!

That was painful to watch.

Ditto on ALL that you said here.
I think a LOT of us are waking up to the realization that this supposed "full cupboard" was anything but--or more like "cupboard full of over-hyped, self-centered 5-star LOSERS". Read my last post above--that's where I'M at about all of this.
We'll all get back together and talk about this later in the week, I imagine--when the pain and frustration dulls a bit.

 

[DRU2012]

That's exactly what people said during last season.

Yeah--but we didn't have Coach Boom yet, and while we blamed the "nameless one" at OC for a lot of our troubles, Meyer was still "infallible, UNTOUCHABLE"--I got REAMED, even by some folks here (we're all more-than-cool now), just for voicing my concern that Meyer wasn't really into it anymore, wasn't paying enough attention to the details of running the program and should probably step aside. Even I didn't realize the degree of rot at the center that had already taken hold, the compromises of honor, commitment and integrity that had been made in the name of "bringing in big time talent".
I really thought Meyer knew better than that. I'd been defending him and our program against the haters for so long, I didn't notice when he and the players he brought in crossed a certain line--that the cumulative effect of those compromises was yielding a team more and more dominated by selfish, short-sited prima donnas and guys who thought they were above the rules, entitled to special treatment, were bigger than the team. By the last couple of seasons Meyer's loyalty and bias towards his seniors was blind and destructive to team unity and cohesion.--and he was bringing more and MORE guys like that in. Those are the young fools with great highlight reels you see now going for the big hits and bouncing off, not making the crucial possession-catch, missing the key block, jumping on third-and-short, taking the stupid personal foul away from the play to ruin the stop and extend their drive, and so on.
We've got a lot of work to do to get this program back on track--to make it a TEAM we can all be proud of again. Actually, the QB-debate isn't settled yet, jamest84, I know that. While I have MY view and believe that Driskel will start NEXT game, that question at least can be settled cleanly and clearly, on the field. With the rest of this mess, I mean, we've all seen enough, but it's not like we can just give 'em all the heave-ho and start over. No, it's going to be a long, difficult and at times delicate process: they'll have to "break some eggs", there'll be some shocked and angry individual former 5-stars, and the coaches will have to do it all without getting a bad name in recruiting circles for "not honoring their promises" (only these young "highly sought after" recruits are allowed to do THAT), but somewhere down the road, on the other side of a lot of tough choices, wild accusations and loudly critical fans, is the hardened, well-oiled machine of a team we can all support and be proud of. That's the idea, anyway.
Sorry: I just vented all the stuff I meant to think over and maybe cut down and TONE down before coming back in a couple of days...I will probably regret hitting the "Post Reply" button, but whatthehell, it's the truth as I see it.

 

[Swamp Person]

WooHoo DRU sorry to of left you tonight but other duties called.Looks like were a wreck again. Did the QB position suck? Did the D get most the field time? Wheres the kicker? Did they not use a RB? I'm lost.....

 

[Swamp Person]

Serious Questions I went threw the posts but trying to find out things while others are still on here.....Were we as bad as it looks on here?It looks like we sucked.....

 

[DRU2012]

WooHoo DRU sorry to of left you tonight but other duties called.Looks like were a wreck again. Did the QB position suck? Did the D get most the field time? Wheres the kicker? Did they not use a RB? I'm lost.....

Man, I am just worn out by the whole thing...for now, if/when you have time go through the Game Day Thread here, especially from late in the 3rd qrtr on--you'll get a pretty fair idea of what happened and where things are at--a better one than on ESPN, I'll tell you that.
Here's a short answer to your big question: YES. We were THAT bad. This is worse than "We're not up to the level of the best teams in the nation right now"; this is "rotten to the core" type of situation, "long road back", "get rid of a lot of guys who were SUPPOSED to be good" kind of territory. It was hard to believe...as I said at one point near the end, we got beat by a team that had less talent, but a whole lot more heart than us. Once we lost our FG-kicker (and we still don't know how, at least I don't--he kicked our only 2 scores in the 1st half, kicked off the 2nd half, then we hear later he's out...I'm not listening to the post game blah blah, so if you hear some explanation let me know), but once he was lost, we had no chance--and our team PLAYED that way, at the time just 1 point behind (on a TD that was handed to them by the officials in the first place early in the game--but the whole fiasco with our special teams and the punt receivers is ANOTHER sick tale-of-woe). Even after all of that, we had chances to pull this out, but our team just went belly up--they LOOKED for all the world, in their half-hearted effort during and body-language after plays, tired and already beaten. It was a done deal by the end of the 3rd qrtr, 8 points behind and it was ALL IN THEIR HEADS AND HEARTS.
Read over it all, man. Bottom line: lotta hard work and tough times ahead--and the coaches are gonna need our support and patience to see it through, done properly, especially with the howls for their heads from certain GATOR quarters when they start cutting guys loose and putting in the guys here they figure will be the future, even if it means losing some games the rest of the way. I'm not saying that we WILL lose most of them, only that finding "our guys" is likely to be a more important concern now than who came in with the most hype.
Talk to ya soon, bra.

 

[Leakfan12]

The Refs and the Gators Special Teams (and the offense by not doing crap) gave the game away. That's was a BS non call that set up the first touchdown Coach Boom said it himself. Rainey was clearly interefere with. I wish Coach Boom would have got Bobby Knight on one of the officials' necks (I would help paid for bail). Auburn boosters paid off the refs like they did in 2006. Speaking of 2006, was anyone calling for Chris Leak's head? Compare Moe, Larry, and Curly, he's Danny Wuerffel. However how does the Gators offense not do anything against team who was rated in the bottom of the SEC in Defense? Better fix these things on the bye week.

 

[Swamp Person]

Please tell me our COACHES are not on the chopping block. I know defenses win games But the offenses got to hold their own. I listened to the 1st interception we threw but turned it off to try to keep my mind focused on the project at hand. It sounded like a completed pass to their defense on the radio. I guess I'm the last one on here. Thanks to EVERY ONE ON GE for this thread, sorry for so many questions I just got in not long ago and I'm trying to get the feel for the game. Thanks for SUPPORTING our Gators. I'm sucked out on the loss but even if it's rebuild time I got to rebuild with them. In one of my very first post on GE I predicted I would be happy with a .500 team being this is New coaching in place. I will welcome it I guess not that I LIKE it but things got to work them selves out for a new system to work. Don't jump ship on our Gator family but as UP here in GA. there are so many bandwagoner YOU JUST NEVER KNOW TILL TESTED.

Gator head with Gators written under it is inked into my arm Along with my wife and sons name on other parts. Which to me means for life.... Win or lose I'm Gator, UF Gator to be exact I'm not here for just the glory. I'm here for LIFE. This is the GUTS.........

Go Gators. Lets Huddle up....

 

[Swamp Person]

Thanks DRU a LF#12 for your insights. You dudes have a good night. Don't worry Gator Nation will still be here I'm sure. Go to the locker room get dressed go home.Ice the pains, take this bottle of whiskey hit it a few times. Were going to live to fight another day. Were the GATOR NATION...

 

[Escambia94]

I had to miss this one for my daughter's sweet 16 surprise party. Glad I missed this crap. Crap, crap, crap. Crap tastic crapola! Crappity crap ****!

 

[Swamp Person]

I had to miss this one for my daughter's sweet 16 surprise party. Glad I missed this crap. Crap, crap, crap. Crap tastic crapola! Crappity crap ****!

Tell her HBD from us ole Gators. I hope you all enjoyed it.(Daddy get your gun.) lol..... Yes it sounds like it stunk like DUNG lol....