Saturday, November 27, 2010
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Dear Coach Meyer...
I have seen a brain-damaged dog in its old age take less time than Steve Addazio to figure out that a certain approach to things simply does not work.
That dog also did a much better job of marking his territory.
3 losses in a row at the Swamp is something that has not happened since before the Swamp was given its name (ironically, by the very coach who handed you that third loss). The losses themselves are bad enough, and are made all the more unacceptable by the fact that the two most recent losses were against teams that are vastly inferior in terms of talent. But to only manage two offensive scores total in the losses against those two teams while fielding an offensive two deep full of players that were heavily recruited by other perennial national championship contenders is so beyond the pale that I cannot begin to describe the level of disgust I am feeling at the sheer ineptitude of this offense.
Coach Meyer, you have built up a lot of good will with the Gator Nation because of everything you've done. And no one is going to go 13-1 and compete for a national title every single year. We get that.
But college football is constantly changing. Defenders get faster, stronger, and nastier with each passing year, and defensive coordinators find new and innovative ways to use that speed, strength, and nastiness to make life miserable for opposing offenses. That means offensive players have to get faster, stronger, and nastier as well, and the coaches must constantly adapt game plans to allow them to remain competitive. More importantly, coaches must adapt a plan of attack that caters to the strengths of the available offensive personnel!!!
That simply did not happen this year (truth be told, it didn't happen last year either, but having the greatest player in college history for a quarterback went a long way towards masking that). And if Steve Addazio remains offensive coordinator next year, no one in Gator Nation who has been paying attention will believe that commitment to maintaining a competitive edge (and the winning that goes along with it) is your number one priority going forward. And once people stop believing that, you will find that the good will you have built up will evaporate very quickly.
Don't let your friendship with Steve Addazio destroy what you have built here. Please, do not allow him to be a part of the offensive game plan ever again.
And if you have time, maybe you can replace D.J. Durkin as well. There is no excuse for a linebacking corps with such obvious talent to under-perform so grossly.
Addazio first, though. We're not going to let you get away with retaining him. Please accept that. We look forward to many more years of Gator dominance with you at the helm. Really, we mean that. Please don't let us down.
Sincerely,
The Gator Nation
That dog also did a much better job of marking his territory.
3 losses in a row at the Swamp is something that has not happened since before the Swamp was given its name (ironically, by the very coach who handed you that third loss). The losses themselves are bad enough, and are made all the more unacceptable by the fact that the two most recent losses were against teams that are vastly inferior in terms of talent. But to only manage two offensive scores total in the losses against those two teams while fielding an offensive two deep full of players that were heavily recruited by other perennial national championship contenders is so beyond the pale that I cannot begin to describe the level of disgust I am feeling at the sheer ineptitude of this offense.
Coach Meyer, you have built up a lot of good will with the Gator Nation because of everything you've done. And no one is going to go 13-1 and compete for a national title every single year. We get that.
But college football is constantly changing. Defenders get faster, stronger, and nastier with each passing year, and defensive coordinators find new and innovative ways to use that speed, strength, and nastiness to make life miserable for opposing offenses. That means offensive players have to get faster, stronger, and nastier as well, and the coaches must constantly adapt game plans to allow them to remain competitive. More importantly, coaches must adapt a plan of attack that caters to the strengths of the available offensive personnel!!!
That simply did not happen this year (truth be told, it didn't happen last year either, but having the greatest player in college history for a quarterback went a long way towards masking that). And if Steve Addazio remains offensive coordinator next year, no one in Gator Nation who has been paying attention will believe that commitment to maintaining a competitive edge (and the winning that goes along with it) is your number one priority going forward. And once people stop believing that, you will find that the good will you have built up will evaporate very quickly.
Don't let your friendship with Steve Addazio destroy what you have built here. Please, do not allow him to be a part of the offensive game plan ever again.
And if you have time, maybe you can replace D.J. Durkin as well. There is no excuse for a linebacking corps with such obvious talent to under-perform so grossly.
Addazio first, though. We're not going to let you get away with retaining him. Please accept that. We look forward to many more years of Gator dominance with you at the helm. Really, we mean that. Please don't let us down.
Sincerely,
The Gator Nation
Monday, November 1, 2010
Week 9 nominations
Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Two days after regaining control over their own fate and coming off back-to-back wins where the Tigers looked good, Clemson mailed it in against one of if not the worst team in the ACC, losing 16-10 to BC and were not even able to manage a single TD on offense. Their lone scores, both in the first quarter, came on a pick-6 and a FG. BC scored 13 in the second quarter and no one scored the rest of the game.
Randy Shannon, Miami
Speaking of losses to ACC bottom dwellers, BC was not the only team to get its first conference win Saturday as UVA held on for a 24-19 win over Miami. The 'canes scored 19 in the 4th quarter but couldn't erase a 24-0 deficit. Jacory Harris or no Jacory Harris, going down 24-0 to UVA is inexcusable.
Mack Brown, Texas
After calling out his assistant coaches and players for a sense of entitlement and a lack of effort in practice, I'm sure Mack Brown expected the team to come together and try to salvage the season with a win over upstart Baylor. Alas for the 'horns, it is now time to hit the panic button and start retooling for next year.
Butch Jones, Cincinnati
A year ago, Cincy was in a BCS bowl game and a top 10 team. Now they're getting blown out by Syracuse and at 3-5 likely won't be in any bowl game.
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Speaking of Cincy... the Brian Kelly era seems to be going as bad as the Charlie Weis era did. First there's the loss to Tulsa but much more important than that is the tragedy that occurred under Kelly's watch at practice last week. How does he allow a videographer to be filming practice on a tower in 50mph winds? That shows no common sense or forethought and it is just a horrible situation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Declan Sullivan and we just hope that this tragedy will prevent a similar situation from ever happening again.
Danny Hope, Purdue
Automatic under the Out-Zooked clause.
Steve Sarkisian, Washington
The Huskies and Jake Locker have hit rock bottom with a 41-0 blowout loss to Stanford. Surefire #1 pick my ass -- 7/14 for 64 yards and 2 INT. That's why Mel Kiper and Todd McShay should never be listened to.
Two days after regaining control over their own fate and coming off back-to-back wins where the Tigers looked good, Clemson mailed it in against one of if not the worst team in the ACC, losing 16-10 to BC and were not even able to manage a single TD on offense. Their lone scores, both in the first quarter, came on a pick-6 and a FG. BC scored 13 in the second quarter and no one scored the rest of the game.
Randy Shannon, Miami
Speaking of losses to ACC bottom dwellers, BC was not the only team to get its first conference win Saturday as UVA held on for a 24-19 win over Miami. The 'canes scored 19 in the 4th quarter but couldn't erase a 24-0 deficit. Jacory Harris or no Jacory Harris, going down 24-0 to UVA is inexcusable.
Mack Brown, Texas
After calling out his assistant coaches and players for a sense of entitlement and a lack of effort in practice, I'm sure Mack Brown expected the team to come together and try to salvage the season with a win over upstart Baylor. Alas for the 'horns, it is now time to hit the panic button and start retooling for next year.
Butch Jones, Cincinnati
A year ago, Cincy was in a BCS bowl game and a top 10 team. Now they're getting blown out by Syracuse and at 3-5 likely won't be in any bowl game.
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame
Speaking of Cincy... the Brian Kelly era seems to be going as bad as the Charlie Weis era did. First there's the loss to Tulsa but much more important than that is the tragedy that occurred under Kelly's watch at practice last week. How does he allow a videographer to be filming practice on a tower in 50mph winds? That shows no common sense or forethought and it is just a horrible situation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Declan Sullivan and we just hope that this tragedy will prevent a similar situation from ever happening again.
Danny Hope, Purdue
Automatic under the Out-Zooked clause.
Steve Sarkisian, Washington
The Huskies and Jake Locker have hit rock bottom with a 41-0 blowout loss to Stanford. Surefire #1 pick my ass -- 7/14 for 64 yards and 2 INT. That's why Mel Kiper and Todd McShay should never be listened to.
Week 8 winners
Co-winners:
Bill Stewart, West Virginia: 8 points, automatic under the Jeff Bowden clause
Bill Lynch, Indiana: 8 points, automatic under the Out-Zooked clause
Runner-up:
Mack Brown, Texas: 4 points
Honorable Mention (1 point each):
Butch Davis, UNC
Dan Hawkins, Colorado
Randy Edsall, Connecticut
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Bill Stewart, West Virginia: 8 points, automatic under the Jeff Bowden clause
Bill Lynch, Indiana: 8 points, automatic under the Out-Zooked clause
Runner-up:
Mack Brown, Texas: 4 points
Honorable Mention (1 point each):
Butch Davis, UNC
Dan Hawkins, Colorado
Randy Edsall, Connecticut
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Creativity
I found this gem on Facebook. Yes, we had a brand new 'up-tempo' offense for Georgia to try to defend (which they did). I am sure all of you remembered how we all easily predicted each play call and misuse of players' talents. This was a repeat of Vandy 2005, and I am not sure this team deserved to win this game. They did everything possible to give the win to UGa.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Midseason Zook Awards
We have reached the midpoint in the regular season and so without further ado, its time to check the Zook Awards standings and season-to-date summary and hand out some awards and bonus points! Note that these do not include the yet-to-be-released week 8 awards.
Overall Midseason Point Standings
Total number of nominations in parenthesis
Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio, Florida, 39 points (5)
Houston Nutt, Ole Miss, 20 points (3)
Tim Brewster, Minnesota, 19 points (3)
Turner Gill, Kansas, 18 points (4)
Les Miles, LSU, 13 points (3)
Frank Beamer, VA Tech, 11 points (1)
Butch Davis, UNC, 10 points (1)
Joe Paterno, Penn State, 10 points (1)
Rich Rodriguez, Michigan, 10 points (1)
Mike Locksley, New Mexico, 9 points (3)
Danny Hope, Purdue, 8 points (1)
Derek Dooley, Tennessee, 7 points (4)
Lane Kiffin, USC, 6 points (3)
Paul Hewitt, GA Tech, 4 points (1)
Doc Holliday, Marshall, 4 points (1)
Mack Brown, Texas, 3 points (1)
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA, 2 points (2)
Mark Richt, Georgia, 2 points (2)
Ron Zook, Illinois, 2 points (2)
Jimbo Fisher, FSU, 1 point (1)
Dan Hawkins, Colorado, 1 point (1)
Randy Shannon, Miami, 1 point (1)
Jeff Tedford, Cal, 1 point (1)
Midseason Awards
As you can see, Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio are way out in front of the pack thanks to 3 straight wins in weeks 5, 6, and 7. However we feel that there are some coaches who also deserve an extra bit of recognition:
First coach fired award: Tim Brewster, Minnesota. Brewster earned a well-deserved and overdue pink slip, the first coaching casualty of the season. Not only was he fired but he was sent packing immediately a la Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Jeff Horton will take over for the rest of the season. 10 bonus points.
Next on the chopping block award: Mike Locksley, New Mexico. The former Zook protege has somehow escaped an actual win so far this season, probably due in large part to the fact that no one pays any attention to New Mexico football. The Lobos are 117th of 120 with 13.6 points per game for and dead last with 44.1 points per game against. Locksley's career highlights include 1 win in 19 tries, a 1 game suspension for punching out an assistant, and 1 sexual harrassment lawsuit. 10 bonus points.
We're going to bolt for a new conference and leave our coach behind award: Dan Hawkins, Colorado, who no one expects to ever coach a game in the Big XII. If Locksley is next on the chopping block, Hawkins will follow soon after. 5 bonus points.
We forgot you were still there award: Paul Wulff, Washington State, proud owner of a 4-28 (1-21 PAC 10) record in his 2 1/2 seasons in Pullman. Wazzu is 1-6 this season with a 1 point win over Montana State. 10 bonus points.
Mad Hatter clock management award: We decided the award itself needed to be named after Les Miles. Lucky for him he has that Satanic contract so we only award 5 bonus points.
Worst analogy ever award: Derek Dooley, Tennessee, for comparing his team to the German army in World War II, awaiting the allied D-Day invasion. I'm sure Tennessee fans greatly appreciated being compared to Nazis. 5 bonus points.
These midseason awards will be tacked onto the season standings. Now onto the week-by-week summary.
Week by week
Preseason: Butch Davis (10); Rich Rodriguez (10); Lane Kiffin (4); Houston Nutt, Les Miles, Derek Dooley (1)
Week 1: Houston Nutt (11); Turner Gill (10); Mike Locksley (4); Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio, Ron Zook (1)
Week 2: Frank Beamer (11); Paul Hewitt (4); Doc Holliday (4); Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin, Dan Hawkins, Tim Brewster, Rick Neuheisel (1)
Week 3: Houston Nutt (8); Turner Gill (3); Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (3); Jeff Tedford (1)
Week 4: Danny Hope (8); Tim Brewster (8); Mack Brown (3); Mike Locksley, Derek Dooley, Mark Richt (1)
Week 5: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (12); Les Miles (11); Derek Dooley (4); Mark Richt, Turner Gill, Lane Kiffin, Ron Zook (1)
Week 6: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (11); Joe Paterno (10); Mike Locksley (4); Les Miles, Randy Shannon, Rick Neuheisel, Derek Dooley (1)
Week 7: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (12); Tim Brewster (10); Turner Gill, Kansas (4)
Overall Midseason Point Standings
Total number of nominations in parenthesis
Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio, Florida, 39 points (5)
Houston Nutt, Ole Miss, 20 points (3)
Tim Brewster, Minnesota, 19 points (3)
Turner Gill, Kansas, 18 points (4)
Les Miles, LSU, 13 points (3)
Frank Beamer, VA Tech, 11 points (1)
Butch Davis, UNC, 10 points (1)
Joe Paterno, Penn State, 10 points (1)
Rich Rodriguez, Michigan, 10 points (1)
Mike Locksley, New Mexico, 9 points (3)
Danny Hope, Purdue, 8 points (1)
Derek Dooley, Tennessee, 7 points (4)
Lane Kiffin, USC, 6 points (3)
Paul Hewitt, GA Tech, 4 points (1)
Doc Holliday, Marshall, 4 points (1)
Mack Brown, Texas, 3 points (1)
Rick Neuheisel, UCLA, 2 points (2)
Mark Richt, Georgia, 2 points (2)
Ron Zook, Illinois, 2 points (2)
Jimbo Fisher, FSU, 1 point (1)
Dan Hawkins, Colorado, 1 point (1)
Randy Shannon, Miami, 1 point (1)
Jeff Tedford, Cal, 1 point (1)
Midseason Awards
As you can see, Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio are way out in front of the pack thanks to 3 straight wins in weeks 5, 6, and 7. However we feel that there are some coaches who also deserve an extra bit of recognition:
First coach fired award: Tim Brewster, Minnesota. Brewster earned a well-deserved and overdue pink slip, the first coaching casualty of the season. Not only was he fired but he was sent packing immediately a la Tommy Bowden and offensive coordinator Jeff Horton will take over for the rest of the season. 10 bonus points.
Next on the chopping block award: Mike Locksley, New Mexico. The former Zook protege has somehow escaped an actual win so far this season, probably due in large part to the fact that no one pays any attention to New Mexico football. The Lobos are 117th of 120 with 13.6 points per game for and dead last with 44.1 points per game against. Locksley's career highlights include 1 win in 19 tries, a 1 game suspension for punching out an assistant, and 1 sexual harrassment lawsuit. 10 bonus points.
We're going to bolt for a new conference and leave our coach behind award: Dan Hawkins, Colorado, who no one expects to ever coach a game in the Big XII. If Locksley is next on the chopping block, Hawkins will follow soon after. 5 bonus points.
We forgot you were still there award: Paul Wulff, Washington State, proud owner of a 4-28 (1-21 PAC 10) record in his 2 1/2 seasons in Pullman. Wazzu is 1-6 this season with a 1 point win over Montana State. 10 bonus points.
Mad Hatter clock management award: We decided the award itself needed to be named after Les Miles. Lucky for him he has that Satanic contract so we only award 5 bonus points.
Worst analogy ever award: Derek Dooley, Tennessee, for comparing his team to the German army in World War II, awaiting the allied D-Day invasion. I'm sure Tennessee fans greatly appreciated being compared to Nazis. 5 bonus points.
These midseason awards will be tacked onto the season standings. Now onto the week-by-week summary.
Week by week
Preseason: Butch Davis (10); Rich Rodriguez (10); Lane Kiffin (4); Houston Nutt, Les Miles, Derek Dooley (1)
Week 1: Houston Nutt (11); Turner Gill (10); Mike Locksley (4); Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio, Ron Zook (1)
Week 2: Frank Beamer (11); Paul Hewitt (4); Doc Holliday (4); Jimbo Fisher, Lane Kiffin, Dan Hawkins, Tim Brewster, Rick Neuheisel (1)
Week 3: Houston Nutt (8); Turner Gill (3); Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (3); Jeff Tedford (1)
Week 4: Danny Hope (8); Tim Brewster (8); Mack Brown (3); Mike Locksley, Derek Dooley, Mark Richt (1)
Week 5: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (12); Les Miles (11); Derek Dooley (4); Mark Richt, Turner Gill, Lane Kiffin, Ron Zook (1)
Week 6: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (11); Joe Paterno (10); Mike Locksley (4); Les Miles, Randy Shannon, Rick Neuheisel, Derek Dooley (1)
Week 7: Urban Meyer & Steve Addazio (12); Tim Brewster (10); Turner Gill, Kansas (4)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week 8 nominations
Butch Davis, UNC - Allowed Miami to reel off 30 straight points in a 33-10 win. Maybe he excused his players from the game early to attend a party in South Beach?
Mack Brown, Texas - Iowa State? Really? The same team OU just beat 52-0 a week ago? Looks like a very impressive 9 year streak of 10+ wins a year is coming to an end. This marks the first back-to-back home losses for Texas since 1997. At least they don't have Steve Addazio as their OC though.
Dan Hawkins, Colorado - Blew a 10 point second half lead against Texas Tech. Plus we haven't given him quite the attention he deserves in this, presumably his last season.
Bill Stewart, West Virginia - Automatic under the Jeff Bowden clause. Losing to Syracuse is embarrassing. Losing to Syracuse at home when you score 14 points in the first quarter and hold Syracuse scoreless in the 2nd half? The only word I can think of to describe that is Zookworthy.
Randy Edsall, Connecticut - Weren't the Huskies a popular preseason pick to win the Big Easy? Instead they're 3-4 (0-2) having just gotten shut out 26-0 by Louisville. On the other hand, congratulations to Coach Strong who is doing a great job in his first season!
Bill Lynch, Indiana - Automatic under the Out-Zooked clause. How do you get blown out by Illinois? Pathetic!
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa - He must have read "How to Manage the Game Clock" by L. Miles and U. Meyer before the game.
Mack Brown, Texas - Iowa State? Really? The same team OU just beat 52-0 a week ago? Looks like a very impressive 9 year streak of 10+ wins a year is coming to an end. This marks the first back-to-back home losses for Texas since 1997. At least they don't have Steve Addazio as their OC though.
Dan Hawkins, Colorado - Blew a 10 point second half lead against Texas Tech. Plus we haven't given him quite the attention he deserves in this, presumably his last season.
Bill Stewart, West Virginia - Automatic under the Jeff Bowden clause. Losing to Syracuse is embarrassing. Losing to Syracuse at home when you score 14 points in the first quarter and hold Syracuse scoreless in the 2nd half? The only word I can think of to describe that is Zookworthy.
Randy Edsall, Connecticut - Weren't the Huskies a popular preseason pick to win the Big Easy? Instead they're 3-4 (0-2) having just gotten shut out 26-0 by Louisville. On the other hand, congratulations to Coach Strong who is doing a great job in his first season!
Bill Lynch, Indiana - Automatic under the Out-Zooked clause. How do you get blown out by Illinois? Pathetic!
Kirk Ferentz, Iowa - He must have read "How to Manage the Game Clock" by L. Miles and U. Meyer before the game.
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