Here Early, Thanx to Urban

[DRU2012]

Well, figured it was getting CLOSE to reconnecting with y'all now that August was here... But this whole OSU mess with "The Lying Hypocrite" now at the center of College Football news sorta demands noting, at the very least.
Not that I feel the slightest need nor urge to wallow in the festering mud that deepens and thickens now daily around the man (and the OSU program that KNOWS what it has to do but is steadily falling behind the relentless drive and momentum of events and image in desperate search for ANOTHER WAY OUT...Don't think there IS one, and they are now putting themselves in position to move from the "Denial" to "Acceptance" stage in such processes).
For true Gators, we have seen this, know the score--once the specifics broke out in the open, the generalities come as no surprise. Without re-exposing ourselves to TOO much emotional memory, suffice it to say that SOMETHING along these lines, cover-ups and lies to keep a lid on everything, above all keep winning and preserving the myth of THE SAINTLY LEADER through it all, would go too far and would crack somehow in just this sort of scandal eventually always seemed inevitable to a lot of us.
I told a rabid Rotten Acorn supporter over coffee at my local morning hang this just a few months back, in comment after his long extolling of Meyers' many virtues and rock-steady future of himself and his program there "since Urban finally made it to the place he meant to eventually get to and finish a long, unequaled career all along !"...My response:
"At UF we know different. You won't believe me, but you will eventually find yourself shaking your head, making excuses and ultimately wondering 'WTF HAPPENED HERE???!!!' His flaws are deep and yet somehow inherent in much of the earlier moves that grab success... In the end, and one not so distant as you would think, he will get trapped between his underlying 'win at all costs' and 'completely narcisistic hypocrisy and self-righteousness' philosophical foundations."
Didn't know when, COULDN'T know then HOW soon--but here we are.
As for what this means, at this point, for UF, well, I'm tempted to say "not a whole LOT, anymore..."--except you look at what we've been through since his time here, and then the weird "double-clutch" ending to his tenure, and the continued problems since NOT unconnected to all that, and let's face it: We are STILL hoping "maybe THIS hire will be the one"--the right man to lead up, out and away from the festering mess that lurked in the underpinnings of WINNING under Meyer, and his flight when he sensed it might all be ready to catch up with him here.
Not that I would give away those great years--but let us all at least acknowledge all the more what we AND Urban owe TT ALL THE MORE!!! It is clear now that, along with everything else, #15's spirit, heart and just plain goodness probably inadvertently covered over a whole lotta potential flaws and questionable dealings and procedures that were going to catch up with us, "the house-of-cards that Urban built", eventually. Even more than Tim's amazing talent, leadership and physical skills PLUS depth and skill across the board elsewhere, maybe Urban KNEW he couldn't replace THAT, TT's "AURA"--and on some level KNEW he had to high-tail it OUTTA here once it was gone.
I have truly good and positive feelings of hope and fairly swift renewal with our latest "new coach"--but you won't find the Florida Gators on many "Experts' Top 25" for the coming season, and so far that isn't a surprise--NOR any kind of "short shrift". He's going about it the right way, I think, but it'll take time, at least a season or two, the continued "right moves" and some luck breaking our way before we'll likely, reliably find ourselves back in that "annual mix". So from where I'm standing, seems clear we've been paying the bill Meyers' "arrogance and self-righteous hypocrisy" ran up here in six years for another NINE years at least since--Altogether 15 years and counting, hoping this time maybe we're at a similar "starting point" on a new exciting path towards "greatness done right"...and can only continue to hope, wait and see if we are now finally about to begin the true and full climb OUT. And UP.

 

[Leakfan12]

Sad part the guy in the center of all this (besides Meyer) Zach Smith was a Grad Assistant with the Gators in 2007-09 and had the domestic violence incident in 2009. When Meyer was getting his coach staff together, he really should have thought twice before rehiring Smith. Meyer could have gotten anyone to be his WR coach even if Smith was his mentor's (Earle Bruce) grandson. That's could cost him. I know I said I doubt he would lose his job though I'm not so sure especially with Paterno, Briles, Jim Leavitt, Pitino in basketball, and of course Coach Mac. If Coach Mac didn't lie about those death threats, he's probably still coaching the Gators and Mullen is still at Miss State. Plus if that got Coach Mac fired, Meyer should be looking spending the rest of 2018 unemployed (unless some TV/Radio station hires him).

 

[Escambia94]

Unfortunately we have to suffer through some residual damage caused by Urban Meyer, at least for a little longer. The Gator Nation will get through this and long as Dan Mullen has not adopted all of the bad habits from his mentor. It might even be a good idea for Mullen to say something like, "I left Urban Meyer for a reason back in 2008. I am grateful for what he taught me on the field, but I have my own style thanks to my decade of experience at Mississippi State."

There are reasons that few of Meyer's coaches from UF followed him to The Ohio State, and most of them are going to stay quiet and avoid distractions this close to the start of training camp. It made sense for Meyer to bring Zack Smith to Ohio State, since he was from Ohio, and he was willing to overlook Meyer's flaws for a job.

 

[Leakfan12]

Unfortunately we have to suffer through some residual damage caused by Urban Meyer, at least for a little longer. The Gator Nation will get through this and long as Dan Mullen has not adopted all of the bad habits from his mentor. It might even be a good idea for Mullen to say something like, "I left Urban Meyer for a reason back in 2008. I am grateful for what he taught me on the field, but I have my own style thanks to my decade of experience at Mississippi State."

There are reasons that few of Meyer's coaches from UF followed him to The Ohio State, and most of them are going to stay quiet and avoid distractions this close to the start of training camp. It made sense for Meyer to bring Zack Smith to Ohio State, since he was from Ohio, and he was willing to overlook Meyer's flaws for a job.

I thought most of those who were coaches at UF under Meyer were head coaches or coaching elsewhere by that time.

 

[DRU2012]

Unfortunately we have to suffer through some residual damage caused by Urban Meyer, at least for a little longer. The Gator Nation will get through this and long as Dan Mullen has not adopted all of the bad habits from his mentor. It might even be a good idea for Mullen to say something like, "I left Urban Meyer for a reason back in 2008. I am grateful for what he taught me on the field, but I have my own style thanks to my decade of experience at Mississippi State."

There are reasons that few of Meyer's coaches from UF followed him to The Ohio State, and most of them are going to stay quiet and avoid distractions this close to the start of training camp. It made sense for Meyer to bring Zack Smith to Ohio State, since he was from Ohio, and he was willing to overlook Meyer's flaws for a job.

I thought most of those who were coaches at UF under Meyer were head coaches or coaching elsewhere by that time.

I swear, looking back and over the "what, who, when, how and why" story of Meyer's end at UF (LOTTA sleaze in that whole process, as we eventually learned after-the-fact), his move over and INTO OSU, and now the details of behind the scenes connections and ongoing buried lies--By now the whole DEAL with Meyer, his long connection with the Bruce family in general coming down to THIS mess, not to mention the general disparity between the supposed image and values ALL these folks loudly profess, and what seems expedient to them in the pursuit of winning and the wealth and stature it brings them, well, it all reads like some cross between "Hamlet" and "Goodfellows"!
Now we get to see just how deep, long and to what extent the fumblingly panicking "highest authorities" at Ohio State are willing to hold their breaths, noses, and sphincters, how deep they will wander into what depths in trying to hold this soggy, disintegrating mess together. I am sad to admit we ourselves know something about watching and cheering the Parade, and not wanting to poke at "the stinking mess out back".
The OSU people wouldn't have even GONE this "keep it in-house"/"clean our own laundry" route in the first place if there wasn't still some reflexive, kneejerk hope that they couldn't somehow stop the bleeding, limit the damage, keep the coach AND their reputations--because otherwise they'd have turned the whole investigation AND decision process over to a more external, NCAA-based body in the first place.
And with the latest journalistic revelations, the "best case scenario" for Urban now is that his wife claims an apparent whopper of a story ("I knew, I promised his wife, but I never told my close partner despite the dangers it all posed to him and the program and people's lives and reputations..."), he claims ignorance of a story that has pervaded the back channels of his program for MONTHS (at least), and the OSU insiders then get to go, "See? No real PROOF of any wrong-doing at the top...". Of course, there are the reputations (not to mention huge amounts of money) riding on the outcomes of these machinations, and it may well all look like a still-manageable story to those in Columbus.
But on the national level at which this is all playing out, at some point even these "locally fixated" OSU officials must realize that credulity is already stretched way too thin. It just won't take anymore in the way of "additional facts" or revelations before all explosively coming apart, no matter HOW deftly they are trying to manage a "best case scenario".

 

[Escambia94]

I thought most of those who were coaches at UF under Meyer were head coaches or coaching elsewhere by that time.

Yes, but you still have to convince your social media buddies of the truth .