It's Sunday morn, I'm sipping my freshly-brewed and letting the various "POST postgame" highlights shows washover me--for us nowadays a lot of waiting out/wading THRU endless (uniformly faulty) analysis of ranked-teams' games and outcomes just to catch the passing gloss-overs of our win and missing insights into SEC-outcomes in general, and it hits me: I really AM just TIRED of it all. I am waiting in vain to hear SOMEONE acknowledge for the rest of "College Football America" what seems patently obvious to US:
(1) Whether they are "back" or (in truth) never "left" the scene, as a "league" the SEC is currently unmatched--the very best from "the rest" of the accepted "main conferences" are, individually at BEST MAYBE worthy of meeting the contenders at the top of our conference.
(2) NO one is, or looks to be approaching anytime soon, Alabama's level of play, or standard they continue to raise and strive for.
(3) Not that anyone particularly CARES bout li'l ol' US down in Gainesville, Fla, but btw: As our Head Coach promised coming in, and as he stresses each week, coming off field after win or loss, at Pressers and every time a microphone is shoved in his face, THIS TEAM IS PROGRESSING--learning, growing, improving play in SOME area at least.
That much is true--in fact, the truth of it is inherently both our problem and our HOPE: WHILE we clearly ARE "getting better" in SOME way or ways each week, from one game to the next noticeably (and NOTABLY) improving in SOME important area, we have neither uniformly held ONTO that improvement nor consistently yet "put it all together", whole areas of the individual PARTS our "improvements" have so far comprised.
Yes, we still have holes in our available talent (starters AND back-ups--GOTTA be able to rotate in comparable UNITS on defense, for example, in order to consistently field and finish a defensive effort like yesterday's, for eg), whole areas of talent that must be upgraded thru recruiting and conditioning. But the promised "progress and improvement" IS happening--and Mullens' continued focus on "CONSISTENCY" applies (I believe from his point-of-view) refers specifically not just to those PARTS of our overall game that SHOW improvement, but even more so to the aim and idea of "putting it all together", BEING consistently better AS A TEAM to PUT TOGETHER WHOLE GAMES, and doing so "consistently".
I don't normally care about, let alone ask anyone else to pay the slightest attention to, any other Coach's claims or comments to the media after games, let alone compare us in any way--but Look at/Listen TO Saban's attitude, by now pretty damn consistent, gruff pleas for the media he faces postgame to, if anything, talk about the FLAWS, the DIFFICULTIES his squad has faced and shown in the game just passed. His whole THING is to face flaws, get better, never get complacent.
In his own, albeit (towards the media, at least) more "relaxed and friendly" way, Mullens is trying to instill, in all of Gator Nation but ESPECIALLY his own team (and the greater "program" beyond) a similar dedication to, accept-nothing-less-THAN "committment to excellence".
So we're starting to SEE the (early, limited-by-lack in depth and talent) fruits of that approach--actual, tangible and observable improvement in PARTS of the whole out there from one gameday to the next--it's just that so far it is JUST "parts", while other parts (and PLAYERS--most noticeable of course at QB) seem to backslide, disappoint at the same time. But even there, I see net improvement overall: PARTS of his game continue to improve, at least "recover" as we continue to grow as a TEAM.
With a couple of at least "decent" recruiting classes we should be more and more on the fasttrack, "onward and upwards".
We appear to be heading in the right DIRECTION right NOW; With this "right ATTITUDE", our Coach I think is setting the RIGHT COURSE for the only acceptable standard for this program: Eventually, to be THE BEST--Nothing less. And still, ALWAYS trying to get BETTER, even then, no matter what.
(1) Whether they are "back" or (in truth) never "left" the scene, as a "league" the SEC is currently unmatched--the very best from "the rest" of the accepted "main conferences" are, individually at BEST MAYBE worthy of meeting the contenders at the top of our conference.
(2) NO one is, or looks to be approaching anytime soon, Alabama's level of play, or standard they continue to raise and strive for.
(3) Not that anyone particularly CARES bout li'l ol' US down in Gainesville, Fla, but btw: As our Head Coach promised coming in, and as he stresses each week, coming off field after win or loss, at Pressers and every time a microphone is shoved in his face, THIS TEAM IS PROGRESSING--learning, growing, improving play in SOME area at least.
That much is true--in fact, the truth of it is inherently both our problem and our HOPE: WHILE we clearly ARE "getting better" in SOME way or ways each week, from one game to the next noticeably (and NOTABLY) improving in SOME important area, we have neither uniformly held ONTO that improvement nor consistently yet "put it all together", whole areas of the individual PARTS our "improvements" have so far comprised.
Yes, we still have holes in our available talent (starters AND back-ups--GOTTA be able to rotate in comparable UNITS on defense, for example, in order to consistently field and finish a defensive effort like yesterday's, for eg), whole areas of talent that must be upgraded thru recruiting and conditioning. But the promised "progress and improvement" IS happening--and Mullens' continued focus on "CONSISTENCY" applies (I believe from his point-of-view) refers specifically not just to those PARTS of our overall game that SHOW improvement, but even more so to the aim and idea of "putting it all together", BEING consistently better AS A TEAM to PUT TOGETHER WHOLE GAMES, and doing so "consistently".
I don't normally care about, let alone ask anyone else to pay the slightest attention to, any other Coach's claims or comments to the media after games, let alone compare us in any way--but Look at/Listen TO Saban's attitude, by now pretty damn consistent, gruff pleas for the media he faces postgame to, if anything, talk about the FLAWS, the DIFFICULTIES his squad has faced and shown in the game just passed. His whole THING is to face flaws, get better, never get complacent.
In his own, albeit (towards the media, at least) more "relaxed and friendly" way, Mullens is trying to instill, in all of Gator Nation but ESPECIALLY his own team (and the greater "program" beyond) a similar dedication to, accept-nothing-less-THAN "committment to excellence".
So we're starting to SEE the (early, limited-by-lack in depth and talent) fruits of that approach--actual, tangible and observable improvement in PARTS of the whole out there from one gameday to the next--it's just that so far it is JUST "parts", while other parts (and PLAYERS--most noticeable of course at QB) seem to backslide, disappoint at the same time. But even there, I see net improvement overall: PARTS of his game continue to improve, at least "recover" as we continue to grow as a TEAM.
With a couple of at least "decent" recruiting classes we should be more and more on the fasttrack, "onward and upwards".
We appear to be heading in the right DIRECTION right NOW; With this "right ATTITUDE", our Coach I think is setting the RIGHT COURSE for the only acceptable standard for this program: Eventually, to be THE BEST--Nothing less. And still, ALWAYS trying to get BETTER, even then, no matter what.