FLORIDA FOOTBALL: FOOD FOR A MAN'S SOUL
Not Looking Ahead to Georgia. Not Even Looking Forward to LSU.
People who have read my work have noted that I have been very generous toward Dan Mullen lately - for clarification, the “offensive coordinator” Dan Mullen, not the QB coach Dan Mullen. After all, he had already done so much with Meyer’s offenses before; four or five games hardly seemed like just cause for a firing. Adjustments, though, were called for.
Now, even I am left questioning BOTH sides of Dan Mullen. Consider a number of concerning snippets.
First off, the kid gloves are coming off for the Gators. Tennessee is 0-3 in conference games. Ole Miss did not have a conference win all last season. Arkansas might have the same problems, conference or no conference.
And now, undefeated LSU comes to town. And a coordinator getting flak for predictable play calling will face Les Miles, one of the most unpredictable coaches in college football. I felt that this was going to be one of the most dangerous games for the Gators heading into this season, and I still maintain that perspective now.
Win, and Tim Tebow and Co. get a confidence booster heading to Georgia in two weeks. Lose, and the national title hunt, maybe even the SEC, is out of reach.
Need I mention that the Bayou Bengals are ranked 3rd?
Yes, Florida scored 38 points in the Arkansas game, but only 17 after three quarters. By comparison, Alabama had 42, and Texas had 45. Those are not typos; they really did have 42 and 45 points, respectively. I’m not saying that our group should post up 50-60, but they should at least come CLOSE to these numbers. Maybe I’m delusional, but wouldn’t this be, as they say in psychology, nonbizarre?
And for Mullen to try and make Tim Tebow a pocket passer not only fails to utilize Tebow’s talent, but it violates basic principles of the spread offense itself. If you want a pocket passer, install a West Coast offense so that the quarterback can throw at a nice, rhymic pace. In the spread, you need the quarterback to be able to run the football.
Besides, if it worked for Utah in 2004 and it worked for Florida last year, why fix what’s broken? At least put Cam Newton in there for some draw plays.
And if this is some sort of attempt to impress NFL scouts, it isn’t working. First off, Tebow would have been the 2nd quarterback taken, not because he’s not good enough as a player, but because Stafford runs an offense with skills that translate easier to the NFL. Let Matt Stafford run his pro-style offense. Don’t run that race.
Second, if Mullen is only calling six to eight plays, it does not impress the pros. In the NFL, the playbooks are even thicker than they are than in college. News flash, it’s quite an adjustment going from learning six plays to an NFL playbook.
The good news is, LSU doesn’t exactly have a shut-down defense, allowing 21 points to an unexplosive Auburn offense and 24 points to 1-4 (0-4) Mississippi State. The game is at home this year.
The bad news is, there need to be adjustments made, and quickly. Otherwise, Mullen’s legacy will become even more in doubt.
All this in spite of coaching a former first overall draft pick and the Heisman Trophy’s first sophomore winner.
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19 Comments so far
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Let’s hope and pray that they have a great game plan this week and not keep trying to figure out if the cute plays will work. How long can we try to razzle dazzle with this bunch. For god sake please do not be fooled into thinking just because Demps and Rainey can run against Arkansas and Hawaii that they can run against LSU. Maybe on the outside, but not up the gut.
What about when they used Brandon James as a blocker for Tebow when he ran off tackle?
Does Mullen not know that none of this is working? Does Mizzou and Oklahoma have more talent that we do? Did you watch those games as they marched up and down the field with less firepower?
Please help!!
By Aligator on 10.05.08 2:04 pm
Amen, Amen, Amen!!!
By Deb on 10.05.08 3:09 pm
We can win this game. But we can’t afford many mistakes. Mullen needs to flip the playbook past the introduction page If we’re gonna win this one. Otherwise, we may be in trouble. LSU is not the LSU of last season. They are beatable, they remind me of us last season — Star out good, but fall flat later on. I think they are in for 2 or 3 losses.
Please Urban Meyer — Let Tebow, be Tebow. Run the speedy guys on the outside. Be smart.
P.S. RUN TEBOW OUT OF THE POCKET.
2007 FSU comes to mind…
By BlameMullen on 10.05.08 3:20 pm
Gators are now ranked #45…
…objectively-speaking, that is.
For proof, see http://ripbcs.com
Good luck next week!
By R.I.P. BCS on 10.05.08 3:29 pm
Meh…
I’ll honestly be surprised if we pull out the win this weekend…
All I ask is we play well…
By gatorhippy on 10.05.08 4:14 pm
I hate dan mullen
By ihatedanmullen on 10.05.08 6:59 pm
WTF GH? Surprised with a win????????
By Gator Boys on 10.05.08 8:13 pm
LMAO…
Yes…
By gatorhippy on 10.06.08 8:08 am
Dan Mullen was predestined for mediocrity since birth. His last name just pisses me off, let alone his determination to call the plays that least utilize our skill. “Mullen” implies he’s just some sap mull’n around, some slow witted idiot not made out for such a high-paying profile position. I hate dan mullen
By ihatedanmullen on 10.06.08 11:28 am
All you ask is they play well?!?
Noooooooooo! WIN! WIN! WIN!
By The Bull Gator on 10.06.08 1:34 pm
Put it this way, boys…
I easily stomached the LSU loss last season because we put up a good fight and played well for the most part…
But the other three were downright dismal affairs along with the los to Missy this season…
However, none of those four losses were a surprise to me…
If they were to you then you haven’t been a Gator very long or else you would no better…
By gatorhippy on 10.06.08 2:39 pm
Oops…
The K & W didn’t make it into “know” in that last line…
Gotta slow down…
By gatorhippy on 10.06.08 2:39 pm
UF will win this one.
31-24
I’ve been pretty spot on this season so lets hope this holds.
By Mr2bits on 10.06.08 3:12 pm
I really couldn’t say who will win. I think we should be favored simply because it’s a home game and the Swamp should be rockin’. But if their new quarterback, Jarrett Lee, has a good night, we’re in for a tough outing. We’ve been typically scoring on 4-5 possessions per game, usually at least on or two of those are field goals. Not sure if we can get enough points. I will be cheering for a win!
By GatorPilot on 10.06.08 3:15 pm
Make no mistaKE…
I WANT a win…
I’ll just be pleasantly surprised if we play well enough to come out with it…
Even if it is at home…
By gatorhippy on 10.06.08 3:20 pm
They weren’t a surprise to me either, I just never want to merely play well. It’s the big time…I want a win. Sure I’d be happy if they played their best game of the season, but it would all be for naught (sp?) if UF didn’t come away with the W.
By The Bull Gator on 10.06.08 4:07 pm
To clarify, I don’t think a school of Florida’s caliber is in the “a good game to build on even if we did lose” situation. One already got away that shouldn’t have. LSU got lucky having 2 losses and winning it all last year. We can’t expect the same.
By The Bull Gator on 10.06.08 4:09 pm
Okay, here is what Meyer and Mullen were saying today. Basically they feel good about things because of Saturdays performance. We played Arkansas, nor LSU, Georgia or Texas. With this everything is okay attitude we are in trouble for this weekend.
http://www.gatorsports.com/article/20081006/NEWS/810060238/1090?Title=Offense_on_second_thought
By Aligator on 10.06.08 5:56 pm
Come on guys, you have a good football team. How hard do you think it was to get up for Arkansas a week after losing to Ole Miss and a week from LSU, probably as hard as getting aroused for Whoopi Goldberg. Sorry that was mean. Your football team is solid, you are starting to sound like us UK basketball fans again. The play calling does seem a little weird sometimes, I will give you that.
By Daniel on 10.06.08 7:34 pm
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