Looking Ahead

[DRU2012]

Well, actually doin' a bit of looking "BACK" here, first. Am watching the "1hour replay" on SEC Network here Sun aft, and no doubt about it: Even minus a buncha guys and still early-season sloppy, overall we indeed looked GOOD out there--especially Phillipe Franks, gotta say. That comes with cautionary "Don't get cocky, kid..." warnings, ofcourse, with tougher tests and the whole steadily building difficulty of our SEC schedule, and so on, but all in all I am somehow a lot less concerned about either the opponent OR our players' state of mind and emotions, at least against the next opponent, UK. In fact, I was more worried about this one LAST year: I thought that one, at their place with Stoops in there and the improved talent level and all, that THAT one was their best chance to break the streak. As I said then, it WILL happen sooner or later one day (and my only real worry is that when it does it'll probably "come outta nowhere")--but I doubt it'll be THIS time. I just see a Gator team coming together with something to prove THEMSELVES.
If The Swamp is ANYTHING like the rockin' place it was last night, too, well, that "home advantage" is another thing we GOTTA get back. Once upon a time, it was a given, especially at night: "No one beats the Gators in the Swamp!" But it is the quality of poise, attitude and performance, across the board, along WITH that potential home advantage, that has me pretty confident, for a change. I think our Coach will have them "ready", too.
How are Y'ALL feeling about this next one?

 

[Leakfan12]

The last two years UK came close. I'm hoping it won't happen Saturday but too soon to said.

 

[Escambia94]

I am cautiously optimistic about Feleipe Franks, the offensive line, the linebackers, and depth in the secondary. I still think the Gators win 10 games.

 

[DRU2012]

The last two years UK came close. I'm hoping it won't happen Saturday but too soon to said.

I'm with ya...Still, no denying we had that "Swamp Spark" back Saturday: Crowd felt it too, and the "feedback loop" kicked in as the evening wore on, dontcha think?
I really did feel like LAST year's game at THEIR place, with their apparent upgrades at Coach AND on the field gave the Wildcats their best chance to beat us in a long time. Not so much now, though.
But sure, I could be wrong. As you say, too early to be all that confident.

 

[DRU2012]

I am cautiously optimistic about Feleipe Franks, the offensive line, the linebackers, and depth in the secondary. I still think the Gators win 10 games.

You know, E-, I am actually starting to catch up with your "cautious optimism":
Along with everyone else, I saw a lot of "positive intangibles" in the first one. Watched the replay and was sure of it:
DESPITE the immediate return of pregame "red flag announcements" leading up to kickoff (resulting in our being down 7 MORE players, for "team violations", in addition to half a doz already out with injuries), they came out "firing on all cylinders"...and then steadily improved, TIGHTENED UP as the 1st half went on. Yes, "only" Chareston Southern", but you can only play the opponent scheduled, the actual guys in front of you, and though they weren't equipped to hang with us, ANY moderately well-coached-but-overmatched squad stepping onto a "larger stage" can "catch lightening" and at least smack you in the face, back you up a step and make you at least LOOK bad for a while.
Didn't happen. Not even close. Never mind WHO the opponent, we had the FIRE.
NOW I find myself thinking that even the game-suspensions were PART of that, part of a wholesale change in this team, on and OFF the field...Lets face it: Mullens came in here needing to address the mess OFF the field every bit as much, or MORE, than any onfield issues; THAT may well be as important as his FOOTBALL sense and truly, finally bode well for our timely "return to prominence"...
The fact is that the two, onfield/OFFfield, were/are entwined, completely interrelated. After Meyer, then the failure of the with the 2 subsequent coaches to properly address the complicated, total mess he left here (that's what he DOES, Meyer: As Finebaum says, he gets "short-to-midterm results", then when the inevitable problems arise and the pressure eventually gets to be too much, he "finds an excuse to quit"), I do believe we finally have the guy who gets it--who can do/is doing ALL the things that need to be done, and as a result we are also now seeing it in action...Hopefully ALONG with near-immediate results in game-performance and ultimate record.
Here's HOPING, anyway.

(PS Looking forward to the Mullins Presser later this morning, for a change; KNOW pretty well the "usual bs" he is likely to hand out, as always and like any other new coach in the aftermath of his team's opening day win against a "warm up patsy"... But I like Mullens' style in general, he appears to have made/is making all the right moves so far, and I actually have the feeling there's always a chance he'll surprise us, say something meaningful, revealing.)

 

[Escambia94]

You know, E-, I am actually starting to catch up with your "cautious optimism":
Along with everyone else, I saw a lot of "positive intangibles" in the first one. Watched the replay and was sure of it:
DESPITE the immediate return of pregame "red flag announcements" leading up to kickoff (resulting in our being down 7 MORE players, for "team violations", in addition to half a doz already out with injuries), they came out "firing on all cylinders"...and then steadily improved, TIGHTENED UP as the 1st half went on. Yes, "only" Chareston Southern", but you can only play the opponent scheduled, the actual guys in front of you, and though they weren't equipped to hang with us, ANY moderately well-coached-but-overmatched squad stepping onto a "larger stage" can "catch lightening" and at least smack you in the face, back you up a step and make you at least LOOK bad for a while.
Didn't happen. Not even close. Never mind WHO the opponent, we had the FIRE.
NOW I find myself thinking that even the game-suspensions were PART of that, part of a wholesale change in this team, on and OFF the field...Lets face it: Mullens came in here needing to address the mess OFF the field every bit as much, or MORE, than any onfield issues; THAT may well be as important as his FOOTBALL sense and truly, finally bode well for our timely "return to prominence"...
The fact is that the two, onfield/OFFfield, were/are entwined, completely interrelated. After Meyer, then the failure of the with the 2 subsequent coaches to properly address the complicated, total mess he left here (that's what he DOES, Meyer: As Finebaum says, he gets "short-to-midterm results", then when the inevitable problems arise and the pressure eventually gets to be too much, he "finds an excuse to quit"), I do believe we finally have the guy who gets it--who can do/is doing ALL the things that need to be done, and as a result we are also now seeing it in action...Hopefully ALONG with near-immediate results in game-performance and ultimate record.
Here's HOPING, anyway.

(PS Looking forward to the Mullins Presser later this morning, for a change; KNOW pretty well the "usual bs" he is likely to hand out, as always and like any other new coach in the aftermath of his team's opening day win against a "warm up patsy"... But I like Mullens' style in general, he appears to have made/is making all the right moves so far, and I actually have the feeling there's always a chance he'll surprise us, say something meaningful, revealing.)

Of the 7 suspended players, I believe all of them were McElwain recruits. The one badly behaving recruit we had from Mullen is no longer on the team. One player, CeCe Jefferson, was recruited under Muschamp! Jefferson's issues were related to grades, not behavior.

Some more positive signs: 30 different players made their 2018 debut, including all available freshmen drafted by Mullen. Only Jacob Copeland (from Escambia High School) did not play (due to injury).

 

[DRU2012]

All E- notes above is important and valid in considering how much we can take from the first one, how "optimistic" we should indeed be, in response.
As a "splash of cold water"/ "dose of reality" as for what's behind AND ahead, I recommend y'all check out SBNation's article, "On paper, Dan Mullens' was a perfect hire at Florida...":
Though on balance a pretty optimistic look ahead, it pulls no punches on everything leading up to the current season, and warns at all the "unknowns" coming into 2018.
THEY don't sugarcoat ANYTHING. With all the crap we have endured, the mistakes we are still paying for and unknowns still out there as a result, they frankly admit it is hard to rate/rank us: "...could be 2nd in the East, or could end up 5th or 6th if it DOES turn out to be a 'Year 0' situation for Mullens, his staff and players, after all..."
Even after seeing the opener, even acknowledging all those "positive intangibles" I note above in coming out of that opener, all the rest of the baggage we were carrying entering the season is still theoretically there. Again, it's a matter of growth and progress on every level, every facet of the game, for the whole program, players AND coaches, and how it all manifests leading up to and INTO each game. Game BY game.
Watching this Presser, it's clear that at least MULLENS gets it, understands and will do everything necessary to get them ready, put them in the best position to win. "Cautiously optimistic" is, at this point, about the best any of us deserves, imho.

 

[Escambia94]

Also keep in mind that both neither Chip Kelly nor Scott Frost have a win this weekend, and neither of them have a top 20 recruiting class. Dan Mullen was the perfect hire for too many reasons to rehash.

 

[DRU2012]

Also keep in mind that both neither Chip Kelly nor Scott Frost have a win this weekend, and neither of them have a top 20 recruiting class. Dan Mullen was the perfect hire for too many reasons to rehash.

Yes. And you know, as this FSU game winds down and another favored team (in this case another favored FLORIDA team hyped as "back" coming into season, and ranked accordingly--more I see, gladder I am we've been ignored) goes down, having watched a LOT of games and watched replays of as many of the rest (especially SEC teams) as I could, I have to say (albeit grudgingly) that NONE of them save the one out of Tuscaloosa has uniformly impressed me. Not sure how good WE are yet, but this is a year where, aside from ensuing Alabama games it seems, ANYONE could emerge a winner in any matchup.
The proverbial "transitional year" for a whole LOTTA programs, it's a good time for "a team with talent" and a pile of unkowns to find itself where apparently WE are--even if it IS in the conference that has CLEARLY begun to reassert itself as the dominant one nationally. Nothing new that meaning having to play (at least "on paper") one of the toughest schedules in the country. Once again, maybe more than ever, "If you can make it here, you can make it ANYWHERE".
Win the SEC, you are top seed into the Playoffs--and favored to win it all.
I don't know that it'll be THIS season, but I am more and more convinced we now finally have the Coach who WILL make that happen, eventually.

 

[Escambia94]

Yes. And you know, as this FSU game winds down and another favored team (in this case another favored FLORIDA team hyped as "back" coming into season, and ranked accordingly--more I see, gladder I am we've been ignored) goes down, having watched a LOT of games and watched replays of as many of the rest (especially SEC teams) as I could, I have to say (albeit grudgingly) that NONE of them save the one out of Tuscaloosa has uniformly impressed me. Not sure how good WE are yet, but this is a year where, aside from ensuing Alabama games it seems, ANYONE could emerge a winner in any matchup.
The proverbial "transitional year" for a whole LOTTA programs, it's a good time for "a team with talent" and a pile of unkowns to find itself where apparently WE are--even if it IS in the conference that has CLEARLY begun to reassert itself as the dominant one nationally. Nothing new that meaning having to play (at least "on paper") one of the toughest schedules in the country. Once again, maybe more than ever, "If you can make it here, you can make it ANYWHERE".
Win the SEC, you are top seed into the Playoffs--and favored to win it all.
I don't know that it'll be THIS season, but I am more and more convinced we now finally have the Coach who WILL make that happen, eventually.

Right now I am not concerned about looking like Alabama. I am concerned about looking like Florida. Florida has not looked like Florida since 2009. With some revisionist history one could argue that Florida has not looked like Florida since Dan Mullen left in 2008!

 

[DRU2012]

Right now I am not concerned about looking like Alabama. I am concerned about looking like Florida. Florida has not looked like Florida since 2009. With some revisionist history one could argue that Florida has not looked like Florida since Dan Mullen left in 2008!

Absolutely. Completely agree with the qualifier, too: We STOPPED "looking like Florida" in 2009, after Mullens left.
(And I don't give a dump if we "look like Alabama" either--and overall, though there'll likely be some obvious echoes of "the old Florida", Mullens takes every opportunity to say and show he too is mainly concerned with building a NEW "tradition" here. But I gotta admit it (as I said, "grudgingly"): That Tide team does appear to be the one that seems "complete", looks like it will tend to dominate each week.)