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| "Over the past three seasons, UF's average pass attempt was this long." - Jim McElwain |
Last year eViLG took the season off, to the point where 2010 Urban Meyer
and Jamarcus Russell questioned my work ethic.
Now I’m not
making any promises for 2015, but if I do take some time off again you won’t
hear me making bullshit health excuses like Urban did 5 years ago. Hey Urbs, anyone with their ear to the ground
in Gainesville knows what really went down (allegedly), who they went down on,
and why our wide receiver coach suddenly found greener pastures in Baton Rouge. Streets talk Urban, but I digress…
I’m in a strange place this season folks, turned the corner in life if
you will. This December my parents will
be married 51 years. The ring bearer in
their wedding, now in his mid-50s, has a 6-7, 300 pound beast of son who’ll
play left tackle at UNC Chapel Hill this fall.
My mother’s best friend, a close family friend who passed away many
years ago, her grandson is UF freshman wide receiver Kalif Jackson. Nearly 30 years ago I graduated from Bishop Kenny
High School…God’s alma mater…with the father of UF freshman center Tyler
Jordan.
So as the season wears on I’ll struggle with balancing the right amount
of smart assed commentary with the understanding that these kids are in fact kids.
Where was I...oh yeah, football season…
Have you ever been let down by the same person so many times, perhaps a
friend or family member who can’t get his/her shit together, to the point where
you celebrate when they do something so basic, so common, so ordinary relative
to other people? That’s the collective psyche
of Gator Nation right now. Ponder that
this weekend, when UF completes two consecutive forward passes in the same drive
and you lose your gotdamned mind.
Then you question why you’re celebrating this nonsense in the first place,
causing you to resent that person even more for compromising your standards. Shouldn’t we expect better? Is a 9-3 or 8-4 season really worth doing backflips?
Sadly Gator fans, the answer is yes.
Jeremy Foley hired a retarded caveman to run my alma mater’s football program,
and in less than four years Captain Cavemen damn near burned it to the ground. He invented ways to lose games never before
seen in the history of college football.
Hold an opponent to 95 yards of total offense and still lose? Check.
Get four takeaways in the first half and still
lose? Check.
Hold an FCS opponent to ZERO PASSING YARDS and still lose...at home? Check.
Continue to start Jeff Driskel when the
one-armed kid on UF's basketball team is clearly a more accurate passer? Check.
Even last year's Georgia win felt tainted, because it bought that ape
Muschimp more time. I never really had
legitimate reason to HATE Auburn, now I do.
Screw that guy.
Enter Jim McElwain and his folksy swagger, his goofy smoothness, his “that’s
what it’s all about” tagline…seems like he gets it. Coach Mac made Charlie Strong his bitch in
the 2009 SEC Championship Game. He convinced
Jeremy Foley to pry open his wallet for an indoor practice facility. He miraculously healed Antonio Morrison’s
knee. HE HAS HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE!!!
WAS THAT SO HARD JEREMY??? WAS
IT???
From all
accounts he’s saying the right things and our kids appear to be buying in. Time will tell if he’s the answer. Twenty-five years ago Gator football was in a
similar funk, mired in mediocrity, and we brought in an offensive-minded coach
who changed everything.
Hopefully
history repeats itself.
Be good.
eG