Open Questions - Wasted Talent, Best QBs of the Decade

[DRU2012]

This is up here now JUST for us to pose certain BIG QUESTIONS as they happen to occur to each of us.
I'll start it off here with one OTHER folks out there, in particular certain loudmouth individuals on YouTube, Twitter and elsewhere, have more and more been posing...I more or less ignored/dismissed the idea until around halftime of this latest vs Mizzou. Now I ask it, put it out there for y'all:
"Is Anthony Richardson shying AWAY from running?" DOES HE NOT WANT TO RUN?
It may be he has some injuries, aches'n'pains that he is keeping to himself while trying to heal, overcome. Maybe he's been told NOT to run, or at least to "run less", try to stay back there and look downfield (I HOPE it isn't the latter--and frankly believe that Billy is too good a Coach to stifle AR's spontaneity and creativity, not to mention his innate outstanding TALENT, to interfere in that way).
We ALL have seen how Richardson's game improves, and the whole offense responds to it when he moves out of the pocket and improvises, makes spontaneous decisions on the fly from there-,whether it is with his arm or his legs!
So: Exactly what are we seeing out there in games like this latest?

 

[Escambia94]

Anthony Richardson is playing scared in Billy Napier’s “Scared Money Don’t Make Money” system, which means we are severely limited. I have a theory that nobody is brave enough to scream in his helmet ear hole that he is screwing things up. All the headlines focus on his potential and his gifts. AR needs to find some headlines that read “former gifted athlete lived in a van down by the river because he wasted his God-given talent”. Word on the street is that he is highly intelligent, and we are seeing for ourselves that he might be emotionally fragile. He is absolutely a nice, likable guy that everyone is rooting for, but just because he is Generation Z that does not mean he does not deserve the same butt chewing as the other guys on the team. The coaches need to get onto him and remind him that this is a collision sport. If he is physically and mentally fragile, perhaps he should stick to basketball. With his physical tools he could be an excellent NFL QB, but if he does not get rid of his fears he is going to be a nice young man stocking shelves at a Home Depot on Gainesville’s east side.

 

[DRU2012]

Anthony Richardson is playing scared in Billy Napier’s “Scared Money Don’t Make Money” system, which means we are severely limited. I have a theory that nobody is brave enough to scream in his helmet ear hole that he is screwing things up. All the headlines focus on his potential and his gifts. AR needs to find some headlines that read “former gifted athlete lived in a van down by the river because he wasted his God-given talent”. Word on the street is that he is highly intelligent, and we are seeing for ourselves that he might be emotionally fragile. He is absolutely a nice, likable guy that everyone is rooting for, but just because he is Generation Z that does not mean he does not deserve the same butt chewing as the other guys on the team. The coaches need to get onto him and remind him that this is a collision sport. If he is physically and mentally fragile, perhaps he should stick to basketball. With his physical tools he could be an excellent NFL QB, but if he does not get rid of his fears he is going to be a nice young man stocking shelves at a Home Depot on Gainesville’s east side.

I'm afraid you're right.
It's ALSO why I think that if there are NFL teams still willing to take a flyer purely on his "potential physical skills" at this point, he may well jump on it and bolt. It would be a mistake on that drafting team's PART, I think--but given all you say, perhaps the right move (as in, "a fortunate financial windfall that deep down he knows may be otherwise slipping away").
The surprising part here is the so far "light touch" Billy has kept to in facing and dealing with it...or maybe "NOT facing or dealing with it" is the right way of putting this now, in other words the "surprising part" here...?

 

[DRU2012]

(No matter what, it is a sad, disappointing and extremely frustrating situation.
I assume there are ongoing efforts behind the scenes to set it all aright; one thing I don't get the impression of is that Billy Napier and his staff are missing these same insights--even less that they are or will be IGNORING any chance to get it fixed...for ANTHONY'S sake, not just for that of the offense!
As long as we see the young man still having those "way UP" games where he displays his WHOLE AMAZING SKILL SET, there is still hope that he can be redeemed...But he MUST believe in HIMSELF--and THAT may well include him staying here one more year to fully "learn and grow", find the balance that wisdom and maturity can bring...and AR appears to be just the sort of "intelligent and reflective" young man to understand and act on such insight.
Here's hoping. He may be in need of a trusted "peer/mentor/friend" there to counsel and help insulate him from all the "static" of public "life in the fishbowl" right now. But things are the way they ARE...it appears he will have to walk this road (mostly) alone. There's his mom...But this is when maybe your TEAM closing ranks around you remains the best chance left for him to step back, take a deep breath, be happy and content with where you are and what you got:
Trust yourself, your Coach and teammates, and hang in there...TRUST THE PROCESS of "learning and growing" now:
Let time, experience and the force of NATURE take you where you want to go.
Let your body remember the FUN OF PLAYING THIS GAME.)

 

[Leakfan12]

I'm afraid you're right.
It's ALSO why I think that if there are NFL teams still willing to take a flyer purely on his "potential physical skills" at this point, he may well jump on it and bolt. It would be a mistake on that drafting team's PART, I think--but given all you say, perhaps the right move (as in, "a fortunate financial windfall that deep down he knows may be otherwise slipping away").
The surprising part here is the so far "light touch" Billy has kept to in facing and dealing with it...or maybe "NOT facing or dealing with it" is the right way of putting this now, in other words the "surprising part" here...?

Not to mention there are other pro leagues (USFL and XFL) that he could go to, so he could go to one of those leagues if he wanted to. I still have a problem where Napier (or was it the OC?) decided to throw the ball on 3rd and 13 instead of run the ball which led to an interception. Luckily, it didn't cost the team the victory unlike that other Florida school (seriously did no one see that Thursday night game?). I favor of the pass game but at times, RUN THE BALL, especially toward the end of the game and you need to kill the clock.

 

[DRU2012]

Not to mention there are no other pro leagues (USFL and XFL) that he could go to, so he could go to one of those leagues if he wanted to. I still have a problem where Napier (or was it the OC?) decided to throw the ball on 3rd and 13 instead of run the ball which led to an interception. Luckily, it didn't cost the team the victory unlike that other Florida school (seriously did no one see that Thursday night game?). I favor of the pass game but at times, RUN THE BALL, especially toward the end of the game and you need to kill the clock.

Yes, that was strange...but we just do not KNOW exactly who, what or how the "progreesion" went in that late 3rd down play--starting on the sidelines BEFORE that play was even called or run.
It is only "now" (or at least quite recently) that we are getting a "late developing" idea of how disfunctional AR's head (and his Coach, staff and teamates' lines of communication with him) really may BE at the moment.
Besides our interpreting "the evidence of our eyes", we really don't have much in the way of PROOF.
I sure hope we are wrong, that this is all really just the uneven learning curve of a young and inexperienced QB after all. But it is beginning to look otherwise--and oh so much more complicated, difficult to overcome.

 

[DRU2012]

Alright:
Since no one has thrown out a new question here, I will at least pose a "follow up" to the first:
"Have we had a ridiculously BAD STREAK of underachieving-if-talented young head-cases at quarterback over the last 10-plus years or WHAT??!"
YOU go through the list and consider them all before answering so quickly, OK?
(The ones that HAVE eventually turned out OK, even quite GOOD, have done so for SOMEONE ELSE, it seems...)

 

[DRU2012]

By the way...
I just made the mistake of reading comments responding to OTHER popular fan-chat sites.
Yikes! There are some troubled folks out there...
The ones from the many Gator-hators don't really surprise me--and thus are easy to shrug off, but it is some of the ensuing responses from actual GATORS that concern me in SPITE of myself.
This is more the kind of stuff that one finds oneself hoping our more "emotionally fragile" young stars (yes, I'm thinking of AR, for one) DON'T read.
I suppose it is to be expected: Frustrated losers who themselves have nothing to strive for or be particularly proud of in their own lives attacking someone under intense scrutiny in the public eye...
Of course, the most effective response (in every way) is to somehow ignore all that--If anything, to just work hard, find your balance and support in the mutual strength between yourself and your teammates. THAT is where solace, and any chance at redemption (if you somehow require it) lies--and you are FORTUNATE to have it available to start with...
"...Through all kinds of weather!"

 

[Escambia94]

@DRU2012 We have only had one head case at QB since 1990, and that is Anthony Richardson. The other QBs in the past decade just have not been very good. Richardson has all the skills to be a top QB, but right now the problem is between his ears. The last time we had a QB blow this much talent was when Cam Newton threw a laptop out of the window. Cam Newton did get better not only by leaving Florida, but also going through the grind at a JUCO. Jacoby Brissett was not good at Florida or NC State, and he has remained in the NFL longer than anyone else on this list.

AUBURN​	2010​	Cam​	Newton​	TRJR​	182.0​	Gus Malzahn​
FLORIDA​	2010​	John​	Brantley IV​	JR​	116.4​	Urban Meyer​
FLORIDA​	2011​	John​	Brantley IV​	SR​	140.8​	Will Muschamp​
FLORIDA​	2012​	Jacoby​	Brissett​	SO​	134.9​	Will Muschamp​
FLORIDA​	2012​	Jeff​	Driskel​	SO​	132.2​	Will Muschamp​
NC STATE​	2013​	Jacoby​	Brissett​	JR​	136.7​	Dave Doeren​
FLORIDA​	2014​	Treon​	Harris​	FR​	146.2​	Will Muschamp​
NC STATE​	2014​	Jacoby​	Brissett​	SR​	130.3​	Dave Doeren​
FLORIDA​	2014​	Jeff​	Driskel​	JR​	103.5​	Will Muschamp​
LA TECH​	2015​	Jeff​	Driskel​	GRSR​	154.1​	Skip Holtz​
FLORIDA​	2015​	Will​	Grier​	FR​	145.6​	Jim McElwain​
FLORIDA​	2015​	Treon​	Harris​	SO​	118.1​	Jim McElwain​
FLORIDA​	2016​	Austin​	Appleby​	TR-SR​	128.0​	Jim McElwain​
FLORIDA​	2016​	Luke​	Del Rio​	TR-SO​	118.6​	Jim McElwain​
FLORIDA​	2017​	Feleipe​	Franks​	RFR​	113.3​	Jim McElwain​
FLORIDA​	2018​	Feleipe​	Franks​	RSO​	144.1​	Dan Mullen​
FLORIDA​	2019​	Kyle​	Trask​	RJR​	156.1​	Dan Mullen​
FLORIDA​	2020​	Kyle​	Trask​	GRSR​	180.0​	Dan Mullen​
ARKANSAS​	2020​	Feleipe​	Franks​	TRGRSR​	150.9​	Sam Pittman​
FLORIDA​	2021​	Anthony​	Richardson​	RFR​	174.1​	Dan Mullen​
FLORIDA​	2021​	Emory​	Jones​	JR​	141.8​	Dan Mullen​

 

[Escambia94]

@DRU2012 The issue is not just at QB. The best recruits ever recruited to Florida were recruited over 10 years ago.

Ronald Powell Rancho Verde (Moreno Valley, CA) Class of 2010 6-4 / 230 0.9999​	2010​
Brock Berlin Evangel Christian Academy (Shreveport, LA) Class of 2000 6-2 / 190 0.9998​	2000​
Martez Ivey Apopka (Apopka, FL) Class of 2015 6-5.5 / 275 0.9991​	2015​
Percy Harvin Landstown (Virginia Beach, VA) Class of 2006 5-11 / 185 0.9990​	2006​
Vernon Hargreaves III Wharton (Tampa, FL) Class of 2013 5-11 / 185 0.9980​	2013​
D.J. Humphries Mallard Creek (Charlotte, NC) Class of 2012 6-5 / 275 0.9980​	2012​
Will Hill St. Peters Prep (Jersey City, NJ) Class of 2008 6-1 / 207 0.9979​	2008​
Dominique Easley Curtis (Staten Island, NY) Class of 2010 6-3 / 258 0.9978​	2010​
Jelani Jenkins Good Counsel (Olney, MD) Class of 2009 6-0 / 230 0.9971​	2009​
Sharrif Floyd George Washington (Philadelphia, PA) Class of 2010 6-3 / 310 0.9970​	2010​
Ciatrick Fason Duncan U. Fletcher (Neptune Beach, FL) Class of 2002 6-0 / 210 0.9970​	2002​
Andre Caldwell Jefferson (Tampa, FL) Class of 2003 6-2 / 180 0.9960​	2003​
Derrick Harvey Eleanor Roosevelt (Greenbelt, MD) Class of 2004 6-5 / 235 0.9956​	2004​
CeCe Jefferson Baker County Senior (Glen Saint Mary, FL) Class of 2015 6-2 / 275 0.9952​	2015​
Gervon Dexter Lake Wales (Lake Wales, FL) Class of 2020 6-6.5 / 286 0.9946​	2020​
Darrell Lee Kirkwood (Saint Louis, MO) Class of 2000 6-5 / 230 0.9940​	2000​
Chris Leak Independence (Charlotte, NC) Class of 2003 6-1 / 205 0.9940​	2003​
Gary Brown West Gadsden (Greenville, FL) Class of 2009 6-3 / 275 0.9935​	2009​
Carlos Dunlap Fort Dorchester (North Charleston, SC) Class of 2007 6-7 / 260 0.9935​	2007​
Jarvis Moss Ryan (Denton, TX) Class of 2003 6-7 / 220 0.9928​	2003​
Teez Tabor Friendship Academy (Washington, DC) Class of 2014 6-1 / 182 0.9925​	2014​
Matt Elam Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens, FL) Class of 2010 6-0 / 205 0.9924​	2010​
Jonathan Bullard Crest (Shelby, NC) Class of 2012 6-4 / 245 0.9924​	2012​
Tim Tebow Ponte Vedra (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) Class of 2006 6-3 / 215 0.9919​	2006​
Andre Debose Seminole (Sanford, FL) Class of 2009 5-11 / 188 0.9917​	2009​
Jeff Driskel Hagerty (Oviedo, FL) Class of 2011 6-4 / 235 0.9916​	2011​
Joe Cohen Palm Bay Senior (Melbourne, FL) Class of 2003 6-4 / 245 0.9916​	2003​
Dee Webb Ed White (Jacksonville, FL) Class of 2003 6-0 / 185 0.9912​	2003​
Omar Hunter Buford (Buford, GA) Class of 2008 6-1 / 300 0.9904​	2008​
Chad Jackson Hoover (Hoover, AL) Class of 2003 6-1 / 200 0.9904​	2003​
Kelvin Taylor Glades Day School (Belle Glade, FL) Class of 2013 5-10 / 216 0.9897​	2013​
James Wilson Nease (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) Class of 2007 6-4 / 325 0.9896​	2007​
Xavier Nixon Jack Britt (Fayetteville, NC) Class of 2009 6-5 / 295 0.9892​	2009​
Carl Johnson Southern (Durham, NC) Class of 2006 6-5 / 355 0.9887​	2006​
Cory Bailey American (Hialeah, FL) Class of 2000 5-10 / 175 0.9880​	2000​
Torrey Davis Armwood (Seffner, FL) Class of 2007 6-4 / 285 0.9878​	2007​
Deonte Thompson Glades Central (Belle Glade, FL) Class of 2007 5-11 / 200 0.9872​	2007​
Josh Shaw Palmdale (Palmdale, CA) Class of 2010 6-1 / 195 0.9867​	2010​
Brandon Siler Evans (Orlando, FL) Class of 2004 6-3 / 220 0.9867​	2004​
Jason Marshall Miami Palmetto (Miami, FL) Class of 2021 6-2 / 180 0.9855​	2021​
Cam Newton Westlake (Atlanta, GA) Class of 2007 6-5 / 235 0.9850​	2007​
Dante Fowler Lakewood (Saint Petersburg, FL) Class of 2012 6-3 / 258 0.9842​	2012​
John Brantley Trinity Catholic (Ocala, FL) Class of 2007 6-3 / 220 0.9842​	2007​
Gerald Willis Edna Karr (New Orleans, LA) Class of 2014 6-3 / 275 0.9831​	2014​
Brandon Spikes Crest (Shelby, NC) Class of 2006 6-3 / 235 0.9831​	2006​
Matt Patchan Armwood (Seffner, FL) Class of 2008 6-6 / 295 0.9826​	2008​
Antonneous Clayton Dooly County (Vienna, GA) Class of 2016 6-3 / 218 0.9823​	2016​
Gavin Dickey Lincoln (Tallahassee, FL) Class of 2002 6-0 / 190 0.9821​	2002​
Aaron Hernandez Bristol Central (Bristol, CT) Class of 2007 6-4 / 235 0.9814​	2007​
Carlos Perez Hoboken (Hoboken, NJ) Class of 2000 6-1 / 195 0.9811 49 7 2​	2000​

 

[DRU2012]

@Escambia94,
I was just making a "gross statememt" I suppose--one based on so many promising prep players brought in with great fanfare, amounting to little at UF before eventually moving on to either SOME success at other schools and/or at least a few years of at least back-up duty in the NFL.
Cam Newton was such an extreme example in every way that even I would set him aside as a "separate case".
I see your point, however...In light of your alternate definitions, I can indeed look at all this a little differently--above all the idea that maybe
Anthony Richardson is a unique such "case" unto himself.
Would you judge the situation "hopeless"?
Are we to begin considering jetisoning the whole "AR Experiment"...is that what he has become, and what all this has come to? Is he not still just a game or two from "turning it all around" after all? Or is that just delusional fan-speak and "Me-Too-ism" that has desperately attached itself to this clearly PHYSICALLY superior player at a position that we have lacked success at for so long?
If so, I suppose I too am guilty of this last...I LIKE the kid, admire his talent, attitude and yes, I TOO am hungry for what he might bring to our Offense--if only "time and patience" under this Coach, staff and offensive SCHEME could result in somehow inevitably providing the alchemical magic that might produce the desired result--more of exactly what we've already seen intermittent (and dazzling) glimpses of...
I gotta say, taken together and considering the implications in their totality, the whole theme is somewhat depressing, don't you agree?
Maybe even central to what Billy & Co. are here to change...
Do you think he was consciously aware of all that when he took the job? I guess he knew it was a BIG job--one where a whole lot of time and work CAME with such a huge opportunity.
If so, I commend him for rolling up his sleeves and taking it on--and ASSUME he understood and accepted the ups and downs inherent on what was bound to be a long, hard road.
If so, in his own way he may well be the FIRST ONE since Meyer who understood the time, patience, work and sacrifice that would be required...and perhaps the first since SPURRIER who was and is "in it for the long haul".
Here's HOPING, at any rate.
From that perspective, it is best maybe to view all this in similarly patient, long term, even EPIC proportions. It won't likely happen "overnight"; My HOPE then would be that at least the AD and powers-that-be who approved this hire accepted that truth upon doing so. Things are moving at right about the rate-of-"advance" one would expect of such a project--not one that pleases impatient young fans, necessarily, but one that shows just enough timely "upside" on its way to promise, and eventual JOY.

 

[Escambia94]

- Should we abandon the Anthony Richardson experiment? No. The rule of thumb is that quarterbacks get 500 pass attempts before an NFL scout can accurately assess their future viability in the pros--that is an average of 250 attempts per year for two years plus some mop-up time as a backup. AR is not even halfway there. Running backs only need 200 attempts, mainly save the wear and tear.
- Is lack of talent issue a problem at Florida? No. The issue is coaching. For the past 40 years, UF has maintained one of the top 20 scholarship rosters in football. If Florida were to use this same talent in the ACC or Pac-12, we could have won a conference championship or two by now. The problem is that Florida has to recruit against and play against the SEC. Billy Napier knew this coming in, which is why he took the job.

 

[DRU2012]

- Should we abandon the Anthony Richardson experiment? No. The rule of thumb is that quarterbacks get 500 pass attempts before an NFL scout can accurately assess their future viability in the pros--that is an average of 250 attempts per year for two years plus some mop-up time as a backup. AR is not even halfway there. Running backs only need 200 attempts, mainly save the wear and tear.
- Is the talent issue a problem at Florida? No. The issue is coaching. For the past 40 years, UF has maintained one of the top 20 scholarship rosters in football. If Florida were to use this same talent in the ACC or Pac-12, we could have won a conference championship or two by now. The problem is that Florida has to recruit against and play against the SEC. Billy Napier knew this coming in, which is why he took the job.

EXCELLENT POINTS.
I wish I'd read this one FIRST here, for it neatly and presciently answers the two central questions that are at the heart of concern and controversy regarding this team, program, its present and future.
So we "Trust Billy (as he trusts Anthony), and (at least for now) LET IT RIDE!!!"

 

[DRU2012]

@Escambia94,
...and Billy made sure the men hiring him understood all this TOO, before ever taking the job.

 

[Leakfan12]

- Should we abandon the Anthony Richardson experiment? No. The rule of thumb is that quarterbacks get 500 pass attempts before an NFL scout can accurately assess their future viability in the pros--that is an average of 250 attempts per year for two years plus some mop-up time as a backup. AR is not even halfway there. Running backs only need 200 attempts, mainly save the wear and tear.
- Is lack of talent issue a problem at Florida? No. The issue is coaching. For the past 40 years, UF has maintained one of the top 20 scholarship rosters in football. If Florida were to use this same talent in the ACC or Pac-12, we could have won a conference championship or two by now. The problem is that Florida has to recruit against and play against the SEC. Billy Napier knew this coming in, which is why he took the job.

No to both questions. Have the Gators had a good coach since Meyer? OK maybe you can make a case for Mullen who was three mistakes away from leading the Gators in the playoffs in 2020 but it went downhill after that.