We don't worry about what "they" think "out there", and never have...we can't afford to. When the world outside Gator Nation was tearing down Urban Meyer for his sudden resignation, then return, decrying his "flip/flop", being a "drama queen", when one too many players got himself in trouble, did something selfish and foolish and he was attacked from all sides for running a "dirty program", and on and on, like so many others I not only continued to support our head coach, I stepped forward to defend him every time and everywhere I could. ...
Okay, I'll bite. I think I posted this somewhere else, but I will throw out whom I think could fix our problems:
- Kyle Whittingham, Utah HC. He was Urban Meyer's DC. He knows how to beat Alabama's offense. Kyle would have the choice of bringing in his own OC, or promoting Loeffler.
- Will Muschamp, Texas DC. He knows how to build defenses in SEC. His Auburn Tigers of the early 2000s sure seemed to beat us up a lot. If he gets tired of waiting for Mack Brown of Texas to keel over or get fired, he could come to Florida.
- Dan Mullen, Mississippi State HC. Doubt it. The Gator Nation and Urban Meyer pretty much pushed him away, and now I think they only miss him because he is gone. He did help recruit some of these guys, especially Trey Burton (although one could argue that Trey wanted to come here since he was in grade school).
- Bob Stoops, Oklahoma HC. This is probably my favorite, but one of the least likely. He could bring his OC with him and build a great defense here. He has connections to UF, is friends with Foley, and a home in Florida.
- Mike Leach, former Texas Tech HC. Screw defense. This guy knows offense. He has more NFL QBs under him than Urban Meyer, and we would not need those extraneous running backs.
- Chris Peterson, Boise State HC. He already looks good in orange and blue. Maybe he will paint the Swamp blue. If he wants to be considered a legitimate coach in a legitimate conference, and not wait for Ohio State or Oklahoma to falter and give him a shot, then come to Florida.
- Urban Meyer, lost in the Swamp. A year ago I would have followed him over a cliff. Then he almost led us all to that cliff when he resigned. Now he just is not the same person. There is hope that he will find himself and right the ship himself. The Gator Nation thinks it has the answer--fire Addazio as OC. That might resolve a few issues, but how do we explain our anemic defense as well? If the lost HC and OC are indirectly poisoning our swagger on defense, then maybe it is time to let UM go. Right now, I am not ready to make that claim.
Are any of these guys better than Urban Meyer? Depends. None are better than the old Urban, as someone put it. I think all of them are better than the new Urban, but I will reserve final judgement.