not about spurrier anymore
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:24 am
It's time to put it to rest. Sure it will always be there, because no one involved will act like it never happened, but it is certainly time to move on. It's time to glide past Steve Spurrier and his legacy at Florida, and what it means every year at this juncture, every time that Florida and South Carolina hook up.
This is hardly an attempt to diminish what Spurrier accomplished in his dozen years at Florida. It's doubtful we will see a run like that again – while the current Gator head coach is certainly assembling a program that can contend for championships on an annual basis, the current state of the SEC will make it tough for any program to win four league championships in a row, or five out of six, like Spurrier did from 1991 to 1996.
Just about every program was weaker 10-15 years ago than they are now, maybe with the exception of Tennessee and at times Alabama, and some of the programs are noticeably stronger these days, like LSU, Georgia and Auburn, not to mention (at least this year) Kentucky. Again, Spurrier revolutionized the SEC and no one is going to deny his influence.
But it's way past time to put it in the rear view mirror. The man has been gone from Florida for six years. There's not a single player on the team with even the remotest link to Spurrier. Other than Charlie Strong, who coached under just about every UF head man since Bear Wolf, no coach on the team has any tangible association with Spurrier.
Some writers were even asking current Florida players this week about Spurrier, and what they felt or remembered about him. Are they kidding? These guys were 12 or 13 years old when Spurrier departed Gainesville, and were 7 or 8 when Florida reached the zenith and won the national championship in 1996.
C'mon, this is not a relevant story any more. The only segment of folks who still have a tangible connection with Spurrier are the Florida fans. The fans are the ones who tend to keep the Spurrier flame alive, and that is fine. It's well within the doctrine of fandom for Gator followers to hold on to the feelings, to still feel weird about seeing him on the opposing sidelines, to look back wistfully on the program's halcyon days.
But in terms of this being another Florida vs. Spurrier deal, isn't it time that idea is put to bed? Again, it's been a half-dozen years since Spurrier was at UF, and he is in the climax of a third mediocre season in Columbia. He will not be forgotten, but he is gone and all that's left are the memories.
Urban Meyer handled the obvious query from the media boys in absolutely the right fashion. Some coaches would try and run from Spurrier's shadow or work so hard to create their own they never get a grasp of the situation. They would just deny the relevance of the past on anything in the immediate future.
Meyer has always chosen to embrace Florida's past, even the reign headlined by South Carolina's current head coach. Those years made the Gator program what it is and there is no sense acting as if Spurrier's tenure didn't exist or isn't relevant anymore. Of course it is.
But while acknowledging the significance of The Visor, Meyer also deftly tossed the meaning back to Saturday, as Florida tries to close out its SEC regular season with a huge victory that will keep it clearly in the East title hunt. Winning the game Saturday night is way more important than claiming some victory over the coach on the other sidelines.
Many in the Florida camp still feel great pride over what Spurrier accomplished at Florida – some of us even made a decent living off the success. But in terms of 2007 and beyond, it's high time to dissolve the specter of the Ole Ball Coach. He's got more to worry about anyway, like a lousy 21-14 record since taking over at South Carolina (funny how Charlie Weis has basically the same record, 20-14, and is getting roasted – the difference between a place like Notre Dame and South Carolina).
Saturday night will be meaningful for the Gators because they still harbor championship aspirations. Maybe Spurrier roaming the other sidelines made it more appealing for ESPN, who knows? And certainly Gator fans still fear what sort of tricks Spurrier may have up his sleeve. All that is fine – it sure makes playing South Carolina more interesting than at any time before 2005.
But let's face it, this is no longer about the line between Florida and Spurrier. It's time to move past that tired storyline, don't ya think?
AROUND THE SEC
Began to do the weekly Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler plus the Stock Up and Stock Down stuff from the previous Florida game, and realized we were essentially talking about the same cast of characters every week. So for now, the GHEMR and assorted categories are taking a temporary sabbatical.
Instead, let's focus on what's happening around the SEC. After Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and the Arkansas boys rushed for five thousand yards last week against South Carolina, there's been a hue and cry from some UF fans that the Gators should follow suit and just ram the ball down South Carolina's throat, with some suggesting the Gators employ that direct snap Wildhog deal to Percy Harvin or whomever a lot on Saturday night in Columbia.
How silly. C'mon folks, that was Arkansas, not Florida. The Razorbacks have a completely different offense than Florida, and their running game has been the best in the SEC for years. Florida does not have a McFadden or Jones and to suggest in a week the Gators can revamp the offense to have the kind of success Arkansas experienced against the South Carolina defense is ludicrous.
Can the Gators take a few cues from the Razorbacks and maybe try and exploit some defensive weaknesses of the Gamecocks? Sure. That's why folks watch tape. But to suggest that Florida starts running formations and plays it hasn't all season makes no sense.
What makes more sense is the fact that Florida can wear down South Carolina on Saturday night. This is the Gamecocks' 11th consecutive game (their open date comes next week before Clemson) and they have shown signs of being a weary football team.
It's amazing to me that coaches and administrators, or whoever is in charge of setting up schedules, choose to have their team play 11 games in a row without a break. This is crazy. The idea is to give your program the best chance to win a championship, and playing 11 consecutive games does not accomplish that objective.
Of course, all the Big Ten teams play 12 straight games without an open date, which is beyond insane. Wonder what they'll do next season when there are two open dates built into the schedule since the season starts in August not September (Florida's open dates are before Tennessee and Kentucky).
From this vantage point, Florida has the upper hand on South Carolina and should prevail Saturday night. But the Gators have been an unimpressive road team under Meyer and will have to turn in a solid performance to keep the home side out of the fray.
Of course, before the Gators and Gamecocks kick off, the Tennessee-Arkansas and Georgia-Auburn tilts will be complete. As we all know, the Gators need some help and I think the trifecta comes in this week. The Vols' defense is so wretched that the Razorbacks can, and will, have another field day on the ground. Although Auburn has been an inconsistent club, the Tigers are stronger overall and have had great success on the road, particularly in Athens.
If that double-dip does come in, and the Gators take care of their own business, they move into a first-place tie but have not clinched anything in the East, contrary to a headline in the local paper a few days ago. The Gators would need either Kentucky to knock off Georgia next weekend, or the Vols to win their last two against Vandy at home and Kentucky on the road. I still think it's coming down to the Kentucky-Tennessee contest on the last weekend of the regular season, with Florida needing Tennessee to win and Georgia needing Kentucky to win to claim the East. How ironic is that scenario?
The West is boring. All LSU has to do is beat Ole Miss next week – like that won't happen – and the Tigers, the most fortunate team in college football, are headed to Atlanta. Every team needs breaks and a stroke of good fortune to win a championship (Florida certainly got its share last year), but LSU is a whisker away from having three or four losses. Sure they carry the SEC banner in the national title race and we'll see what happens in the next few weeks, but a case can certainly be made that folks like Oregon and Oklahoma are just as worthy, if not more so, of getting to New Orleans than LSU.
MARTY LIKES
Ah the frustrations of misguided handicapper. All week I had been proclaiming Tennessee minus-30 over Louisiana-Lafayette as one of the picks of the week, but in the end, I shy off the game for some reason that still eludes me. Anyway, we went 2-1-1 last week, salvaging a push with Michigan beating Michigan State by four, easily converting Boise State over San Jose State and UConn over Rutgers while falling with Cal not covering against Washington State. The year ledger still stands at an ugly 14-19-1 (a .426 winning percentage). On to this week's picks:
1) Boise State minus-24 at Utah State: Sure the Boise boys are much better at home than on the road but they are on a roll and Utah State, at 0-9, is one of two winless teams in Division I-A (FIU is the other). Utah State has only lost one game by more than 16 points this season, and that was to Oklahoma, so we're bucking a trend here.
2) Iowa minus 14 over Minnesota: Believe me, we're not getting on the Iowa bandwagon here – the Hawkeyes are one of the dullest teams in the country. But they have won three of their last four and are looking to get bowl eligible against a Minnesota team that is dead last in the nation, by a wide margin, in total defense, giving up 548.5 yards per game and seven yards per play.
3) Oklahoma minus 37.5 over Baylor: We're picking on the dregs of college football this week. Baylor, whose only wins are over Texas State, Buffalo and Rice, have lost six in a row, by an average of 30 points. With games left at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and then the Big 12 title game, this is the Sooners' last chance for a laugher and to put a big number up for the BCS voters.
4) Navy minus 15 at North Texas: Our favorite whipping boys, the Lean Green, are easily among the worst in the nation, yielding 45 or more points in five of seven losses this season. Scoring has not been Navy's problem – just ask the folks in South Bend.
Also under consideration were Penn State minus-23.5 at Temple and Georgia Tech minus-13.5 at Duke.
This is hardly an attempt to diminish what Spurrier accomplished in his dozen years at Florida. It's doubtful we will see a run like that again – while the current Gator head coach is certainly assembling a program that can contend for championships on an annual basis, the current state of the SEC will make it tough for any program to win four league championships in a row, or five out of six, like Spurrier did from 1991 to 1996.
Just about every program was weaker 10-15 years ago than they are now, maybe with the exception of Tennessee and at times Alabama, and some of the programs are noticeably stronger these days, like LSU, Georgia and Auburn, not to mention (at least this year) Kentucky. Again, Spurrier revolutionized the SEC and no one is going to deny his influence.
But it's way past time to put it in the rear view mirror. The man has been gone from Florida for six years. There's not a single player on the team with even the remotest link to Spurrier. Other than Charlie Strong, who coached under just about every UF head man since Bear Wolf, no coach on the team has any tangible association with Spurrier.
Some writers were even asking current Florida players this week about Spurrier, and what they felt or remembered about him. Are they kidding? These guys were 12 or 13 years old when Spurrier departed Gainesville, and were 7 or 8 when Florida reached the zenith and won the national championship in 1996.
C'mon, this is not a relevant story any more. The only segment of folks who still have a tangible connection with Spurrier are the Florida fans. The fans are the ones who tend to keep the Spurrier flame alive, and that is fine. It's well within the doctrine of fandom for Gator followers to hold on to the feelings, to still feel weird about seeing him on the opposing sidelines, to look back wistfully on the program's halcyon days.
But in terms of this being another Florida vs. Spurrier deal, isn't it time that idea is put to bed? Again, it's been a half-dozen years since Spurrier was at UF, and he is in the climax of a third mediocre season in Columbia. He will not be forgotten, but he is gone and all that's left are the memories.
Urban Meyer handled the obvious query from the media boys in absolutely the right fashion. Some coaches would try and run from Spurrier's shadow or work so hard to create their own they never get a grasp of the situation. They would just deny the relevance of the past on anything in the immediate future.
Meyer has always chosen to embrace Florida's past, even the reign headlined by South Carolina's current head coach. Those years made the Gator program what it is and there is no sense acting as if Spurrier's tenure didn't exist or isn't relevant anymore. Of course it is.
But while acknowledging the significance of The Visor, Meyer also deftly tossed the meaning back to Saturday, as Florida tries to close out its SEC regular season with a huge victory that will keep it clearly in the East title hunt. Winning the game Saturday night is way more important than claiming some victory over the coach on the other sidelines.
Many in the Florida camp still feel great pride over what Spurrier accomplished at Florida – some of us even made a decent living off the success. But in terms of 2007 and beyond, it's high time to dissolve the specter of the Ole Ball Coach. He's got more to worry about anyway, like a lousy 21-14 record since taking over at South Carolina (funny how Charlie Weis has basically the same record, 20-14, and is getting roasted – the difference between a place like Notre Dame and South Carolina).
Saturday night will be meaningful for the Gators because they still harbor championship aspirations. Maybe Spurrier roaming the other sidelines made it more appealing for ESPN, who knows? And certainly Gator fans still fear what sort of tricks Spurrier may have up his sleeve. All that is fine – it sure makes playing South Carolina more interesting than at any time before 2005.
But let's face it, this is no longer about the line between Florida and Spurrier. It's time to move past that tired storyline, don't ya think?
AROUND THE SEC
Began to do the weekly Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler plus the Stock Up and Stock Down stuff from the previous Florida game, and realized we were essentially talking about the same cast of characters every week. So for now, the GHEMR and assorted categories are taking a temporary sabbatical.
Instead, let's focus on what's happening around the SEC. After Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and the Arkansas boys rushed for five thousand yards last week against South Carolina, there's been a hue and cry from some UF fans that the Gators should follow suit and just ram the ball down South Carolina's throat, with some suggesting the Gators employ that direct snap Wildhog deal to Percy Harvin or whomever a lot on Saturday night in Columbia.
How silly. C'mon folks, that was Arkansas, not Florida. The Razorbacks have a completely different offense than Florida, and their running game has been the best in the SEC for years. Florida does not have a McFadden or Jones and to suggest in a week the Gators can revamp the offense to have the kind of success Arkansas experienced against the South Carolina defense is ludicrous.
Can the Gators take a few cues from the Razorbacks and maybe try and exploit some defensive weaknesses of the Gamecocks? Sure. That's why folks watch tape. But to suggest that Florida starts running formations and plays it hasn't all season makes no sense.
What makes more sense is the fact that Florida can wear down South Carolina on Saturday night. This is the Gamecocks' 11th consecutive game (their open date comes next week before Clemson) and they have shown signs of being a weary football team.
It's amazing to me that coaches and administrators, or whoever is in charge of setting up schedules, choose to have their team play 11 games in a row without a break. This is crazy. The idea is to give your program the best chance to win a championship, and playing 11 consecutive games does not accomplish that objective.
Of course, all the Big Ten teams play 12 straight games without an open date, which is beyond insane. Wonder what they'll do next season when there are two open dates built into the schedule since the season starts in August not September (Florida's open dates are before Tennessee and Kentucky).
From this vantage point, Florida has the upper hand on South Carolina and should prevail Saturday night. But the Gators have been an unimpressive road team under Meyer and will have to turn in a solid performance to keep the home side out of the fray.
Of course, before the Gators and Gamecocks kick off, the Tennessee-Arkansas and Georgia-Auburn tilts will be complete. As we all know, the Gators need some help and I think the trifecta comes in this week. The Vols' defense is so wretched that the Razorbacks can, and will, have another field day on the ground. Although Auburn has been an inconsistent club, the Tigers are stronger overall and have had great success on the road, particularly in Athens.
If that double-dip does come in, and the Gators take care of their own business, they move into a first-place tie but have not clinched anything in the East, contrary to a headline in the local paper a few days ago. The Gators would need either Kentucky to knock off Georgia next weekend, or the Vols to win their last two against Vandy at home and Kentucky on the road. I still think it's coming down to the Kentucky-Tennessee contest on the last weekend of the regular season, with Florida needing Tennessee to win and Georgia needing Kentucky to win to claim the East. How ironic is that scenario?
The West is boring. All LSU has to do is beat Ole Miss next week – like that won't happen – and the Tigers, the most fortunate team in college football, are headed to Atlanta. Every team needs breaks and a stroke of good fortune to win a championship (Florida certainly got its share last year), but LSU is a whisker away from having three or four losses. Sure they carry the SEC banner in the national title race and we'll see what happens in the next few weeks, but a case can certainly be made that folks like Oregon and Oklahoma are just as worthy, if not more so, of getting to New Orleans than LSU.
MARTY LIKES
Ah the frustrations of misguided handicapper. All week I had been proclaiming Tennessee minus-30 over Louisiana-Lafayette as one of the picks of the week, but in the end, I shy off the game for some reason that still eludes me. Anyway, we went 2-1-1 last week, salvaging a push with Michigan beating Michigan State by four, easily converting Boise State over San Jose State and UConn over Rutgers while falling with Cal not covering against Washington State. The year ledger still stands at an ugly 14-19-1 (a .426 winning percentage). On to this week's picks:
1) Boise State minus-24 at Utah State: Sure the Boise boys are much better at home than on the road but they are on a roll and Utah State, at 0-9, is one of two winless teams in Division I-A (FIU is the other). Utah State has only lost one game by more than 16 points this season, and that was to Oklahoma, so we're bucking a trend here.
2) Iowa minus 14 over Minnesota: Believe me, we're not getting on the Iowa bandwagon here – the Hawkeyes are one of the dullest teams in the country. But they have won three of their last four and are looking to get bowl eligible against a Minnesota team that is dead last in the nation, by a wide margin, in total defense, giving up 548.5 yards per game and seven yards per play.
3) Oklahoma minus 37.5 over Baylor: We're picking on the dregs of college football this week. Baylor, whose only wins are over Texas State, Buffalo and Rice, have lost six in a row, by an average of 30 points. With games left at Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and then the Big 12 title game, this is the Sooners' last chance for a laugher and to put a big number up for the BCS voters.
4) Navy minus 15 at North Texas: Our favorite whipping boys, the Lean Green, are easily among the worst in the nation, yielding 45 or more points in five of seven losses this season. Scoring has not been Navy's problem – just ask the folks in South Bend.
Also under consideration were Penn State minus-23.5 at Temple and Georgia Tech minus-13.5 at Duke.