Is Mullens Tired of US?

[DRU2012]

OK. He made his point: “We’re all in this together: Come on out to the Swamp and support your team!”
Despite the refusal on the part of regents to give in to emotion-based mob-rule (and likely a desire on their part to protect the young students whose parents have entrusted them with their protection), our Coach for SOME reason doubled-DOWN on his “Pack the Swamp!” diatribe.
It is enough of an outrageous “grandstand play” (one, by the way, somewhat out-of-character for our usually relaxed and level-headed Head Coach) that it occurs to me:
More than just a way to deflect some blame for a particularly bad loss OR the generally EXTREMELY disappointing performance by our defense thus far, is this a move, conscious or not, to possibly force his own suspension? Because if he insists on continuing in such “rabble-rousing” fashion in the face of his employers’ determined (and I think somewhat surprised need to find it necessary in the first place) insistence that “it ain’t gonna happen—so back off!”, well, we might all quickly find ourselves at a publicly embarrassing impasse. And Coach Mullens, of all people, KNOWS that. Just as he knows that even “background mutterings” to that effect now could affect recruiting AND team chemistry and well-being at a crucial time.
We need to be hunkering down together AS A TEAM (“against the WORLD!”), rededicating ourselves and our work TOGETHER “right here, right NOW”—NOT getting bogged down in bickering with those inside OR outside the program about things that are not and SHOULD not be our focus, or for that matter our decision, in the first place.

 

[Escambia94]

No. This is silly. Mullen was a) emotional and b) jealous. After losing a winnable game, he was saying exactly what he was thinking. After seeing Kyle Field packed with maybe 50,000 people out of 17,000 advertised, he was jealous. Note that the number of COVID cases has not gone up despite the 50,000 fans in the stands. I think the UF regents should allow more fans to price their own risk. Even if they opened it up for 89,000 fans, I would guess that no more than 40,000 would show up--and that is fine. I am not saying the coronavirus is not dangerous or that the threat is gone, but I am saying that fans know enough about the virus to weigh the risk for themselves.

The crowd at Kyle Field did make a difference. Those 50,000 fans were the 12th Man on Saturday. No, they did not force Malik Davis to fumble the ball or force the defense to miss 12 tackles, but they did energize the Aggies into their best performance on offense in 2 years.

 

[DRU2012]

No. This is silly. Mullen was a) emotional and b) jealous. After losing a winnable game, he was saying exactly what he was thinking. After seeing Kyle Field packed with maybe 50,000 people out of 17,000 advertised, he was jealous. Note that the number of COVID cases has not gone up despite the 50,000 fans in the stands. I think the UF regents should allow more fans to price their own risk. Even if they opened it up for 89,000 fans, I would guess that no more than 40,000 would show up--and that is fine. I am not saying the coronavirus is not dangerous or that the threat is gone, but I am saying that fans know enough about the virus to weigh the risk for themselves.

The crowd at Kyle Field did make a difference. Those 50,000 fans were the 12th Man on Saturday. No, they did not force Malik Davis to fumble the ball or force the defense to miss 12 tackles, but they did energize the Aggies into their best performance on offense in 2 years.

Granted—But we SHOULD have had enough talent (even on defense) to WIN that game. I understand and agree with everything you say here—but it is still unlike Dan Mullen to take such a didactic position with UF regents who have other priorities—like TRYING to keep post-adolescents safe in a time of pandemic AND a political climate whose anti-science themed “leaders” have ignored good sense and done so much to prolong and INTENSIFY that crisis.
Believe me, I agree: I’d LOVE to see us “pack the swamp”, and see it lead directly to a big win that helps to drive this terrible taste from our collective “mouths”!
And yes, I get that it was an “emotional”, maybe even a “JEALOUS” response, as you observe...Maybe MY reaction to it is my OWN “jealous and emotional” one.
Because I don’t KNOW the right answer here: On first hearing, I was all for it.
But with the subsequent “awkward debate” and with that larger public political context, well, I just cannot ignore that there are LARGER issues on the table here.
Maybe I will RE-respond AFTER the election, once that and accompanying events have come to fruition.
For now, color me confused, and both supportive AND somehow concerned at BOTH positions.

 

[Escambia94]

Note that asking the regents to allow UF to pack the Swamp will not pack the Swamp. Texas A&M created an online system that increased ticket allotments as the state allowed. UF put a hard cap on ticket allotments at 2,000 with another 10,000 left to a lottery system and the remaining 5,000+ to the visiting team. Even if the UF regents opened up attendance to 90,000 people, there will not be 90,000 fans willing to risk exposure to the coronavirus! It does not matter what you think of the coronavirus--what matters is what *they* think of the coronavirus, with "they" being the fans willing to take that risk. I would be willing to bet that number is going to be similar to the Aggie fanbase numbers, or slightly less. Whatever that number is, they do make a difference. I think Mullen was right about that. The Gator offense is geared around pre-snap communication, and in 2020 they only practiced that communication with COVID-level noise--because that is what the NCAA and the SEC promised. Little did they know that Aggie fans' COVID-level noise would be that problematic. Watch the offense and defense communicate before the snap in the previous games. They struggled without noise. Now throw in the noise. Yes, it makes a big fucking difference. This is not an opinion on COVID-19; this is just a statement of facts: the noise does impact the defense, the crowd does impact offense and defense, and "packing the Swamp" means 30k to 40k fans willing to risk exposure (and that number of fans DOES make a difference).

 

[Leakfan12]

I think it's reckless on Mullen's part. If anything he needs to work on the team especially that defense and let his bosses worry about how many to let in. Plus crowd factor wasn't an issue the first two games and it really shouldn't be. If Malik Davis held on to the damn ball, Mullen wouldn't have said anything about the crowd. Not to mention in a state with over 700K people infected and 15K Deaths, they shouldn't be opening in full capacity. Especially now that there's an outbreak on the football team and the LSU game is in doubt.

 

[Leakfan12]

Also, he shouldn't go against his bosses on this especially since they more than likely don't want to be responsible for a major breakout on their hands. Plus going against his bosses didn't end well for another Gator coach.

 

[DRU2012]

At this point, with the latest news about covid and OUR team, and the very real pending possibility that this coming Saturday’s LSU game may well be postponed because of it, the whole “tempest in a teapot” is (or at least OUGHT to be) rendered moot:
Coach Mullens has already dropped the issue (too late for a whole bunch of folks—inside Gator Nation and OUT—and their predictably over-heated over-reactions...)
PLEASE do not include me among them. By now, I am likely as sorry to have weighed in on the subject as our Head Coach well may be!
Yikes—ALL our worst fears are now blowing up in our faces.
Let us now just survive this season intact and in good health, ultimately; hold our own upon return to the field and whatever (hopefully all, or at least MOST of) portion of the current season we are able to salvage—and regather ourselves, chastened, heartened, braced and reloaded/recharged for a proper run at things in 2021.
I have the distinct feeling that’s the best we can hope for from here.
As for frustrations and missteps, hey:
We’re all human.

 

[Leakfan12]

The game is postponed.

 

[DRU2012]

The game is postponed.

Yes—talk about “worst fears realized”...
In fact, NO! I should know better: Rationalist though I CLAIM to be, truth is I am strangely superstitious—and for good reason, given experience.
So I am determined to stop DOING that, ELIMINATE statements that include ANY ideas about having already FACED ANYTHING in the way of “worst case scenarios” or the like. We haven’t—and they ARE “out there”...
I don’t WANT to know, have NO inclination to further “tempt fate”.
Let’s just take what comes in stride; I for one will endeavor to FINALLY find a balanced way to look for the BEST in what’s possible here and now—search for and be thankful for the POSITIVES we can discern and do everything possible to work towards, AND ULTIMATELY SEIZE WITH BOTH HANDS!
Difficult with the ongoing, seemingly endless stream of bad news. The trend has definitely been in the opposite direction.
OK OK. Not exactly fundamental to my nature. I said I’d TRY!