Will reply individually to all-of-the above when "aching anger" fades a bit (later today or tomorrow, I think--by now we've had all too MUCH practice at "adapting"), but for now wanna say that I agree on all counts--especially to the sad, frustrated, and surprised-that-it-has-come-so-SOON growing suspicion that Mac is the wrong guy for us.
The excuses, repeated screw-ups by our first-line players (a parade of arrogant, spoiled dumbass individuals), the lackadaisical, even blase attitude towards all of it on the Head Coach's part, and on and on (this could have been a much looonnnnger sentence)...
Winning a depressed, underachieving SEC East with practically ZERO offense, year after year, JUST ISN'T ENOUGH--And we hired this guy, a supposed "offense-guru" to FIX that in the FIRST place. He's been here long enough for us to expect changes, at least a TREND towards "improvement". Nope. Far as offense goes, NOTHING.
Might have to tear it down, start over and suffer thru, like 2 years of "BAD", then a couple more of the "long climb back" (as much a matter of reclaiming the MEDIA'S shallow short-sighted and short-memoried attention)--but with the RIGHT guy, we'd be back among the elite, the 4 or 5 teams that are "in the mix" for playoff positions going into every season from then on...We are now very close to dropping out of even "the background crowd"--at best once more a "Sleeping Giant" to only a few coaches and/or pundits with insight and "long" memories (nowadays that's anything more than a season or so back!).
Personally, I am more than ready to see it thru--if only we could identify an individual who might reasonably BE "THAT GUY"...
It'd be a risky venture in every way, for all, regardless. Easy for me to SAY, an enormous gamble for those who'd actually have to pull the trigger. Even if/when they were fairly confident they HAD the "hidden gem", that they were ahead on the "curve of growing awareness" in terms of elevating early the young coach who might start in the right direction on a certain road for our particular program--and all grow together.
When I lay it out like that, it seems so unlikely. But we've TRIED the conventional approach--REPEATEDLY, now. Do we really want to KEEP doing "the same ol' thing", with what are perhaps "what are they complaining about?"-level aims for a lotta coaching careers, but for US amount to "accepting mediocrity as a goal"???
In answering the above question, y'all must ask yourselves: "IS 'Pretty Good', 9'n'4 or 8'n'5 after an annual berth in one or another 'Irrelevancy Bowl' OK? Is that preferred to putting it all on the line?Accept, EXPECT a coupla poor years record-wise, with the hope, PLAN of it eventually paying off--in the delayed but eventual shot at, not just 'better', but 'BEST", and best for years to come???"
I choose the latter--and now believe that, in considering what we have here now with Mac as Coach, it is exactly what's on the line, what is at the heart of the question. Unless things turn around quickly and mightily next few weeks, that question, I think, will be asked more and more widely and loudly.
I don't WISH to hear it raised in some anger- and emotion-charged, mass-driven lynching-like way. That will at BEST only give us more-of-the-same (as Texas fans are just beginning to learn post-lynching of Charley Strong)--one MORE runaway bandwagon downward outta control and, eventually, this year or next, going after whichever media-dubbed "next-hot up'n'comer-of-the-moment" out there, when eventually forced to do SOMETHING.
No. No MORE. IF we're gonna do it, let's take the time, do it right: pay Mac off KNOWING who we want and knowing that next "right guy" WANTS US, wants, EXPECTS what WE want--To build towards National Championships, then "reload" and get BACK "in the mix", ASAP. Those are the basic goals, always. Most of us fans can accept losses along the way, long as we see the bigger-picture growth, team-building and gathering momentum, all at service to those goals.
Whomever we settle on, get it done: get him in here and then give him the time and room to do it.
Of course, I'm probably DREAMING if I think intelligence, wisdom and PATIENCE will somehow prevail in such hopeful fashion ANYWHERE in college football--let alone at a freaked out, frustrated and disappointed-beyond-inflated-expectations University of Florida.
