Alright, here we go.
Finally gathered the necessary gumption to face the tail-end of what I knew would amount to "irritating commentary" in the stories featured on ESPN+ this past week. Had to go there to watch the Mullens post-UK presser anyway--and got my first look at the headlines. COULDN'T stomach any MORE than that, a "glance" at all the examples of them getting it wrong, as usual, or at the very least missing the larger context EVERY TIME. Anyway, actually skim-read some of them (those having to do with US in some way), and though it WAS "irritating" (and that's the LIGHTEST way I can put it!), there are some points worth noting.
First, yes, though guided by, SOAKED in shallow sensationalism, so that for the most part "end of the streak" is the main theme (in isolation from any larger insights), that in turn made acknowledgment and publicity of the wide range of "WEIRDNESS" along the way in the game itself, the "strange calls" along the way and outright "crazy way it ended", and so on, at least ultimately (however inadvertently) now makes the overall impression and conclusion taken from it seem mainly one that trivializes its importance, rather than symbolizing anything in the way of Kentucky ascendance (too bad for them) or Florida longterm descent. For OUR part, it all just further contributes to the idea that we take it, learn from it, then LEAVE IT BEHIND.
Put it all in a bag with the REST of that garbage that SHOULD have been collected long ago.
And speaking of "old news" and mistakes repeated that you'd THINK were "done and gone" but we KEEP having shoved in our faces, there is that Will Grier story and how, with each competent performance now, we have to keep seeing/hearing the Heisman drumbeat. ANOTHER QB that not just excells after leaving, but gets HIMSELF into trouble here, in his case CHOOSES to quit on us after doing so, then goes on to over-the-top "redemption" somewhere else. He's not quite the scumbag Cam & Co. (that daddy of HIS a real piece of work) turned out to be, but again: He screwed up stupidly here, then quit on US! Then again, once again, our Head Coach and staff thought they either had in hand or could simply go out and GET someone as good or better than a kid we already KNEW, had seen early all the talent, fit and potential Grier for sure HAD IN OUR SYSTEM: MacEllwaine's general lack of oversight, insight or guidance/control over what was going on "in the lockerroom" (just a continuation of what was by then damn near a TRADITION of such blind foolishness in our Coaches, since late-Meyer/Addazio, right through Muschamp and INTO the MacEllwaine regime). So we flounder somewhat now (even IF the pieces are already in place for good, promising growth now and a rising tide of eventual greatness later, and that might well be the case, as things stand for us right here, right now, it ISN'T the present where all that "promise" pays off, but rather our growth, the building progress towards what we can BE that is the story, and where we'll need to look to find and appreciate whatever success we have this season--and what we can take from it all, and enjoy), while Grier's very public success can't but be an undertone on a certain level can't but be a kind of disturbing undertone to what may feel, eventually like a SEASON of "might have beens"...WE need to focus on the UP-side of all that, on where we're headed and the various signs that THIS Head Coach us GETTING IT DONE.
OK. I'm done--with the (I sense NEEDED) "pep talk" AND the whole UK thing, in fact our whole "RECENT PAST"-thing.
Lets all really TRY to do ourselves what we need our whole TEAM to do, in a sense: START OVER FROM HERE.
Finally gathered the necessary gumption to face the tail-end of what I knew would amount to "irritating commentary" in the stories featured on ESPN+ this past week. Had to go there to watch the Mullens post-UK presser anyway--and got my first look at the headlines. COULDN'T stomach any MORE than that, a "glance" at all the examples of them getting it wrong, as usual, or at the very least missing the larger context EVERY TIME. Anyway, actually skim-read some of them (those having to do with US in some way), and though it WAS "irritating" (and that's the LIGHTEST way I can put it!), there are some points worth noting.
First, yes, though guided by, SOAKED in shallow sensationalism, so that for the most part "end of the streak" is the main theme (in isolation from any larger insights), that in turn made acknowledgment and publicity of the wide range of "WEIRDNESS" along the way in the game itself, the "strange calls" along the way and outright "crazy way it ended", and so on, at least ultimately (however inadvertently) now makes the overall impression and conclusion taken from it seem mainly one that trivializes its importance, rather than symbolizing anything in the way of Kentucky ascendance (too bad for them) or Florida longterm descent. For OUR part, it all just further contributes to the idea that we take it, learn from it, then LEAVE IT BEHIND.
Put it all in a bag with the REST of that garbage that SHOULD have been collected long ago.
And speaking of "old news" and mistakes repeated that you'd THINK were "done and gone" but we KEEP having shoved in our faces, there is that Will Grier story and how, with each competent performance now, we have to keep seeing/hearing the Heisman drumbeat. ANOTHER QB that not just excells after leaving, but gets HIMSELF into trouble here, in his case CHOOSES to quit on us after doing so, then goes on to over-the-top "redemption" somewhere else. He's not quite the scumbag Cam & Co. (that daddy of HIS a real piece of work) turned out to be, but again: He screwed up stupidly here, then quit on US! Then again, once again, our Head Coach and staff thought they either had in hand or could simply go out and GET someone as good or better than a kid we already KNEW, had seen early all the talent, fit and potential Grier for sure HAD IN OUR SYSTEM: MacEllwaine's general lack of oversight, insight or guidance/control over what was going on "in the lockerroom" (just a continuation of what was by then damn near a TRADITION of such blind foolishness in our Coaches, since late-Meyer/Addazio, right through Muschamp and INTO the MacEllwaine regime). So we flounder somewhat now (even IF the pieces are already in place for good, promising growth now and a rising tide of eventual greatness later, and that might well be the case, as things stand for us right here, right now, it ISN'T the present where all that "promise" pays off, but rather our growth, the building progress towards what we can BE that is the story, and where we'll need to look to find and appreciate whatever success we have this season--and what we can take from it all, and enjoy), while Grier's very public success can't but be an undertone on a certain level can't but be a kind of disturbing undertone to what may feel, eventually like a SEASON of "might have beens"...WE need to focus on the UP-side of all that, on where we're headed and the various signs that THIS Head Coach us GETTING IT DONE.
OK. I'm done--with the (I sense NEEDED) "pep talk" AND the whole UK thing, in fact our whole "RECENT PAST"-thing.
Lets all really TRY to do ourselves what we need our whole TEAM to do, in a sense: START OVER FROM HERE.
