Gator coaching staff news
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 5:15 pm
With all of the recent changes in and around Gator Nation, there are many that have descended back into the “sky is falling” mode. For those and others, here is my perspective based upon some very solid information:
1. The sky is not falling and the Gator program is still the premier program in the country.
2. Gonzalez was NOT fired as has been circulated and alleged. While it is true that Meyer was very upset that Billy knew about the party ahead of time and miscalculated the seriousness of players partying the night before the most important practice of the most important game of the year, he was not fired for that. Meyer would never send an assistant on the road to recruit prime targets after he had decided to fire him.
3. Billy was still hurt from being “passed over” (His words, not mine) for the OC job last year. In addition, his influence on the play calling actually diminished after Mullen left. Under Mullen, Billy was relied upon heavily on the red zone calls. Under Addazio he was just another voice in the headset.
4. Billy believed that since the offense underachieved in 2009 (at least compared to 2008) that he would at least be made co-OC for next year with Addazio. However, when Meyer started exploring the possibility of going outside the staff for a new OC he realized that we were further than ever from a promotion. Add to that the tension created by the whole birthday party thing and the timing was right (in his mind) to accept Miles’ long-standing offer to come to LSU for more money.
5. Meyer was taken completely off guard by Billy’s decision to leave and quite frankly he was extremely pissed. You need to understand just how close Urban and Billy was. Billy was always the member of the staff that accompanied Urban to all coaching clinics and conventions and most every speaking engagement. They were almost like brothers, so this defection is very personal to Urban and will take time to heal. I can assure you he will not need any additional motivation when LSU invades the Swamp next year.
6. Since Meyer moved so quickly to hire Coach Azzani it has been assumed that the plan was to fire Billy and hire Azzani that was not the case. Meyer had been very impressed with Azzani and hoped to have him on his staff one day, that day just came quicker than anyone expected. Azzani is a great hire and ultimately should be an upgrade from Billy, although Billy is a very good coach in his own right.
7. While another change on offense is possible, it is not likely at this point. There is not an opening on the offensive staff and Meyer is pretty happy with everyone he has. In the event one of the other assistants leaves UF for a better title/opportunity, this could change.
8. In regards to the Defense, I am told that Nix was never actually offered the job although it was extremely close. When he visited and left to go back to Ole Miss to see what their response would be, it was generally believed he would get a formal offer, however, it appears there was a personality conflict of sorts between and at least one of the defensive staff. Meyer is very big on chemistry and realized that hiring Nix would be a major blow to team chemistry and did not pull the trigger.
9. At this point I am told the new DC will probably come from within the staff (Heater) and that Mac would gracefully step aside, as he is content to wait on the right HC opportunity to come along. The plan would be to hire a new LB coach from a list that includes former DCs from major schools. I am further told that a single person has not yet been targeted. However, you can rest assured that Meyer has several top-notch coaches to choose from. Considering that each of the past two years has seen a UF coordinator get a BCS conference head coaching job, the athletes he will get to coach and the high profile nature of the Gator program, why wouldn’t an assistant want to work here?
10. This “lull” in recruiting commitments would have happened regardless of the staff changes. The truth is there are precious few spots left and numerous great prospects to choose from. If we did not sign another recruit we are still top 5-10 (depending on which recruiting service you give credence to) However, I have long said we will end up with the consensus top class and I am sticking with that prediction. Regarding Martin, his mother has finally won out as moms usually do. She has wanted him to stay close to home and he is. That is what is really going on; forget what he or anyone else says about coaches leaving affecting his decision is simply not correct. That being said, he would have been a Gator if signing day had been last week. He would have been a bonus as he was not even on our radar earlier in the year, as he appeared to be solid to ND.
11. Our poor performance against Bama was more a result of overconfidence by the team and a lack of focus due to the distractions surrounding the birthday party and Dunlap's arrest. From sources within the team it seems that there was such a sense of relief after the SOW game that we had actually finished the regular season undefeated that some of the team was not able to get refocused for the Bama game. All week players were saying, “We beat them last year, we’ll beat them again”. This overconfidence was fueled by Bama’s poor performance against Auburn. I must confess that I was overconfident as well. I do not believe “reports” that certain juniors were playing not to get hurt so as to endanger their NFL draft position. However, if there is any truth to that expect some new starters in the Sugar Bowl.
12. I expect us to play well in the Sugar Bowl as Meyer has repeatedly shown he can get a team ready when given the extra time to do so. If I were making the decision I would have let Strong go on to Louisville and used the Sugar Bowl as an audition for Heater to prove he deserves and can handle the DC position. Also you would eliminate the concern that Strong would be too distracted to give the game plan the attention it needs and deserves.
13. Changes can and often are very beneficial. The interjection of new personnel and ideas can fight off complacency and stagnation. After all, the only irreplaceable coach is Meyer and he is still large and in charge.
14. Even through times of turmoil and stress, it is still Great to be a Florida Gator.
1. The sky is not falling and the Gator program is still the premier program in the country.
2. Gonzalez was NOT fired as has been circulated and alleged. While it is true that Meyer was very upset that Billy knew about the party ahead of time and miscalculated the seriousness of players partying the night before the most important practice of the most important game of the year, he was not fired for that. Meyer would never send an assistant on the road to recruit prime targets after he had decided to fire him.
3. Billy was still hurt from being “passed over” (His words, not mine) for the OC job last year. In addition, his influence on the play calling actually diminished after Mullen left. Under Mullen, Billy was relied upon heavily on the red zone calls. Under Addazio he was just another voice in the headset.
4. Billy believed that since the offense underachieved in 2009 (at least compared to 2008) that he would at least be made co-OC for next year with Addazio. However, when Meyer started exploring the possibility of going outside the staff for a new OC he realized that we were further than ever from a promotion. Add to that the tension created by the whole birthday party thing and the timing was right (in his mind) to accept Miles’ long-standing offer to come to LSU for more money.
5. Meyer was taken completely off guard by Billy’s decision to leave and quite frankly he was extremely pissed. You need to understand just how close Urban and Billy was. Billy was always the member of the staff that accompanied Urban to all coaching clinics and conventions and most every speaking engagement. They were almost like brothers, so this defection is very personal to Urban and will take time to heal. I can assure you he will not need any additional motivation when LSU invades the Swamp next year.
6. Since Meyer moved so quickly to hire Coach Azzani it has been assumed that the plan was to fire Billy and hire Azzani that was not the case. Meyer had been very impressed with Azzani and hoped to have him on his staff one day, that day just came quicker than anyone expected. Azzani is a great hire and ultimately should be an upgrade from Billy, although Billy is a very good coach in his own right.
7. While another change on offense is possible, it is not likely at this point. There is not an opening on the offensive staff and Meyer is pretty happy with everyone he has. In the event one of the other assistants leaves UF for a better title/opportunity, this could change.
8. In regards to the Defense, I am told that Nix was never actually offered the job although it was extremely close. When he visited and left to go back to Ole Miss to see what their response would be, it was generally believed he would get a formal offer, however, it appears there was a personality conflict of sorts between and at least one of the defensive staff. Meyer is very big on chemistry and realized that hiring Nix would be a major blow to team chemistry and did not pull the trigger.
9. At this point I am told the new DC will probably come from within the staff (Heater) and that Mac would gracefully step aside, as he is content to wait on the right HC opportunity to come along. The plan would be to hire a new LB coach from a list that includes former DCs from major schools. I am further told that a single person has not yet been targeted. However, you can rest assured that Meyer has several top-notch coaches to choose from. Considering that each of the past two years has seen a UF coordinator get a BCS conference head coaching job, the athletes he will get to coach and the high profile nature of the Gator program, why wouldn’t an assistant want to work here?
10. This “lull” in recruiting commitments would have happened regardless of the staff changes. The truth is there are precious few spots left and numerous great prospects to choose from. If we did not sign another recruit we are still top 5-10 (depending on which recruiting service you give credence to) However, I have long said we will end up with the consensus top class and I am sticking with that prediction. Regarding Martin, his mother has finally won out as moms usually do. She has wanted him to stay close to home and he is. That is what is really going on; forget what he or anyone else says about coaches leaving affecting his decision is simply not correct. That being said, he would have been a Gator if signing day had been last week. He would have been a bonus as he was not even on our radar earlier in the year, as he appeared to be solid to ND.
11. Our poor performance against Bama was more a result of overconfidence by the team and a lack of focus due to the distractions surrounding the birthday party and Dunlap's arrest. From sources within the team it seems that there was such a sense of relief after the SOW game that we had actually finished the regular season undefeated that some of the team was not able to get refocused for the Bama game. All week players were saying, “We beat them last year, we’ll beat them again”. This overconfidence was fueled by Bama’s poor performance against Auburn. I must confess that I was overconfident as well. I do not believe “reports” that certain juniors were playing not to get hurt so as to endanger their NFL draft position. However, if there is any truth to that expect some new starters in the Sugar Bowl.
12. I expect us to play well in the Sugar Bowl as Meyer has repeatedly shown he can get a team ready when given the extra time to do so. If I were making the decision I would have let Strong go on to Louisville and used the Sugar Bowl as an audition for Heater to prove he deserves and can handle the DC position. Also you would eliminate the concern that Strong would be too distracted to give the game plan the attention it needs and deserves.
13. Changes can and often are very beneficial. The interjection of new personnel and ideas can fight off complacency and stagnation. After all, the only irreplaceable coach is Meyer and he is still large and in charge.
14. Even through times of turmoil and stress, it is still Great to be a Florida Gator.
