Gator Nation Is Shrinking

Will Muschamp made his annual Gator Gathering stop in Jacksonville last week and spoke joyously about how Gator Nation has stayed positive in light of back-to-back mediocre seasons.

I didn’t attend the Gathering but based on what I’ve heard and read, Muschamp seemed not only surprised but pleased with the response of the fans following his first season (7-6) as head football coach.

What I find noteworthy and a bit worrisome for Gator Nation is that the crowd was estimated to be “roughly 350 fans.” Indeed, the UF faithful do remain as avid as ever, but Gator Nation is shrinking. Past Jacksonville Gator Gatherings have attracted nearly four times as many fans as showed up this week.

It’s no surprise that losing has hurt enthusiasm and shrunk the fan base. But are there other reasons?

Once, Gator football was the undisputed biggest star in Jacksonville’s sport’s galaxy. Many newcomers to our growing city jumped on the Gator bandwagon. The Gators were THE sport’s team. Becoming a Gator was the cool thing to do. It was the smart thing to do from a business standpoint. Now many of those newcomers adopt the Jaguars.

That’s even truer among young fans. They are turning to the Jaguars and the NFL – as well as other sports. (Think X Games if you have any idea what X Games are.) I know it has only been two years since the Gators won a national championship but two years is a long, long time for a kid. Meanwhile, members of Gator Nation are growing older and literally dying.

The football Gators, once the unquestioned most popular sports topic in our town, have fallen below the Jaguars. And while the Gators remain a clear No. 2, they are losing ground.

Last season saw empty seats at Florida Field. The school’s ticket box office was actually open on some game days. Obviously TV has hurt attendance, particularly for some older Gator fans. Still, I remember 1979 when Florida went 0-10-1 and still packed Florida Field for nearly every game. Simply put, the Gators aren’t growing as many new fans as they once did.

I’m not suggesting Gator football is in danger of becoming an afterthought in the foreseeable future. I can’t imagine the Gators not being one of the biggest sport’s stories in our city. Certainly the fan base will enjoy a growth spurt if Muschamp is successful in returning the Gators to elite status. But concerns remain.

Am I making too much of one night? That’s possible. But other storied college programs have suffered in the wake losing and the popularity of NFL. Every decline has a start. Losing and the NFL simple accelerate the trend.

 

Gator Fans: Panic? Nah…Nervous? You Bet

Now that the 2011 college football season has ended, it’s time to look ahead. I’ll start with the Florida Gators.

Will Muschamp makes me nervous.

One of his catchphrases these days is, “We’re building a program, not a team.” The Gators’ football coach leaves you with the impression he’s at Vanderbilt, not Florida. He makes it sound as if he inherited jalopy instead of a Rolls-Royce when he was hired 13 months ago.

Florida’s football program doesn’t need to be built. It is one of the top 10 programs in the nation and has been for a couple of decades. Clearly it needs tweaking. A 15-11 record over the last two seasons is, as Muschamp says, “unacceptable”.

The Gators’ main problem for the last two years has been coaching and a lack of stability. The whole Urban Meyer fiasco – resigning, then a change of heart and then resigning again in a matter 11 months – created a 15-11 record, not a broken program.

Getting the Gators back among the elite is not a daunting task. Top recruits still regard Florida as a one of the top destinations. Playing in the SEC is more attractive than ever.

The biggest question about the Florida program is whether or not Muschamp was the right hire. His credentials as a defensive coordinator and recruiter are outstanding, but his one year as a head coach raises concerns.

What concerns me the most is how the Gator team that won the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl, beating Ohio State 24-17, looked like the same Gator team I saw throughout the 6-6 regular season. The offense was anemic with rotating quarterbacks (again), inconsistent running and invisible receivers. The defense was solid. The special teams were outstanding.

A sign of good coaching is teams improve as the season progresses. Weaknesses are identified and changes are made. Muschamp complained about the team’s lack of toughness. Doesn’t that problem rest at the feet of the coaches?

My advice to Muschamp is not to worry about the program, but to do some serious self evaluation of his performance and the performance of his staff. The departure of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis necessitates changes in the staff. That can only be a good thing considering how poorly the Gators played offense.

There’s no reason for panic in Gator Nation, but being a bit nervous is certainly understandable.

 

Gators’ Risky Business…Going Bad

Gator fans, yeah it’s time be to be worried.

I’m not just talking about Saturday’s loss to Georgia. I’m not just taking about this season.

I’m talking about the direction of your football program, and that means I’m talking about your young rookie head coach, Will Muschamp. Obviously it is much too early to pass judgment on Muschamp as a head coach, but it is impossible to ignore the bad vibes he’s created.

The Gators have now lost four straight. In doing so they’ve looked more like Vanderbilt than Florida. Losses to Alabama and LSU can be explained. They may be the two best teams in the country. But it’s how they lost, not being competitive, that jumps out. Losing at Auburn is acceptable but worrisome. Losing to Georgia is cause for alarm.

What all the losses have in common is how the Gators have lacked discipline, lacked composure and looked ill prepared. For the record, the Gators are not THAT void of talent.

The Gators were flagged for 14 penalties against Georgia to increase their lead as the nation’s most penalized team. There was apparent miscommunication numerous times. Receivers went one way, the ball went the other. Blocking assignments were missed. There were delay of game penalties. Players lined up incorrectly. The use of timeouts was laughable – if you were wearing red and black. Best example: Gators lined up as if they’re going for it on 4th down. Then they called timeout. Then they lined up and tried to draw the Bulldogs offside to no avail. Then they punted, which is obviously what they intended to do all along. It looked liked Larry, Curly, Moe and Will.

To those problems you can throw in a handful of physical errors. Chris Rainey had two throws go right through his hands. Quarterback John Brantley, clearly not fully recovered from a lower leg injury, repeatedly misfired, particularly in the second half.

The head coach has to be held accountable for many of the problems.

The hiring of Muschamp was a risky move by Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. Although he’d earned a stellar reputation as a defensive coach and was the Texas head-coach-in-waiting, he’d never been a head coach. Certainly the Florida program “isn’t too big to fail” — to put a different spin on a Wall Street slogan – but it does seem big enough where it doesn’t have to allow on-the-job training for its CEO.

Foley was following the current trend with the hiring of Muschamp. Schools are going more than ever for the young, ultra intense coaches who can better relate to the athletes and have the energy to recruit 24-7/365.

Muschamp was in demand. He reportedly said no to Tennessee. Texas wanted to keep him so badly it gave him a huge raise and the coach-in-waiting title. Reportedly, his alma mater, Georgia, let him know if he was patient he’d be in line to replace Mark Richt, who’ll likely be gone after this season.

The Florida offer, understandably, was too good to turn down. So a risky move was made by Florida. The risk looks greater now, and more than just this season is at stake. If Muschamp turns out to be a bad hire, the Gators will be paying the price for another two or three years, maybe longer.

Yeah, Gator fans, you should be worried.

‘SUCK’ is the Word

I’ve racked my brain looking for right word. I’ve thumbed through the most current edition of Webster’s Dictionary hoping to find that one word that best describes what I’m trying to say.

With my apologies to English teachers everywhere and all of you classy people, the best I can come up with is the word “suck”. Can anyone better describe the weekend for the First Coast’s two most popular football teams, the Jaguars and the Gators?

For Gator fans, the ’08 national championship must have seemed eons ago as they watched their beloved Gators being dominated – even embarrassed – by Alabama. Forget the final score, 38-10, because that doesn’t tell the real story. The Gators were bullied by a stronger, faster and more talented team. I came away with the feeling if Alabama and Florida played each other 1,000 times, the Crimson Tide would be 1,000-0.

Suck.

Even more depressing for Gator Nation, this wasn’t a one-time thrashing. In the last three games between the two schools, going back to the ’09 SEC Championship Game, the Tide has outscored Florida 101-26. The “rivalry” has become a joke. It sounds more like the Florida-Kentucky “rivalry” than it does a rivalry between two national powers.

Suck.

To add insult to injury, Florida lost its starting quarterback John Brantley to injury – maybe for the season. Camp Muschamp isn’t revealing any information about the injury and that reveals how naïve Willy is. You can bet the bookmakers and future opponents have moles/sources inside the Gator lockerroom. What big-time program – including Florida — doesn’t have such resources?

Suck.

It doesn’t get easier for the Gators. They travel to Baton Rogue to play top-ranked LSU this Saturday.

Double-suck.

As for the Jaguars fans, they got what they’ve been clambering for, a passing offense, and what they’ve been dreading, another bad offensive performance. Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw it all over the field and the Jaguars still managed a meager 10 points in losing to New Orleans 23-10. After a respectable first half, Gabbert misfired 12 straight times at one point. One of his four second-half completions went for minus 1 yard.

Suck.

Gabbert still has much to learn and he doesn’t have much help. The wide receivers are as mediocre as advertised. And there are communications problems. No one is willing to say who’s at fault – Gabbert or the receivers – but on several occasions when Gabbert threw left the receiver went right and vice versa.

Suck.

And then there was one of the most disturbing plays of the season. Late in the second quarter, linebacker Daryl Smith intercepted a Drew Brees pass at the Saints’ 38 and headed down the right sideline. The only person standing between Smith and the goal line (and a 14-14 tie) was Brees. Smith is considered one of the Jaguars’ best, smartest and toughest players. Rather than physically challenge Brees, Smith stepped out of bounds at the 13. Three incompleted passes later, the Jags settled for a field goal.

Suck.

What was Smith thinking? Smith admitted his mistake after the game, but he offered no explanation. Coach Jack Del Rio said he didn’t see the play. Del Rio also said he was confident the Jaguars would turn things around. When they do, there’s a good chance JDR won’t be around to enjoy it.

Suck?

 

Behold…the Juggernaut

This is what Gator followers have been waiting for since the 2011 schedule was announced. The so-called “October Juggernaut” has dominated discussions about the Gators’ first season under Coach Will Muschamp.

It starts Saturday night at The Swamp with Alabama. Then there’s a trip to Baton Rogue for a 3:30 kickoff against LSU. Next up a trip to Auburn and, finally, the annual game against arch-rival Georgia at Everbank Field.

Thus far, the Gators have done exactly what was expected of them. They overwhelmed two patsies; had little trouble with rebuilding Tennessee; routed SEC weakling Kentucky. The defense has dominated with basic schemes, which means little blitzing. Backs Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps have produced one big play after another. Quarterback John Brantley has looked comfortable in an offensive scheme suited to his skills.

The concerns entering the season remain concerns. No wide receivers have stepped up. The power running game has been non-existent. They too often have to settle for field goals once they reach the red zone.

Has Muschamp been holding anything back? How much more is there in offensive coordinator’s Charlie Weis’ playbook? Obviously, the Gators are done with hiding anything.

It is reasonable to think the Gator will not be physically pushed around by Alabama this year as they were a year ago. But the Crimson Tide still has a talent advantage and better depth. It also has the coaching edge with Nick Saban and his veteran staff matching wits with Muschamp and crew. Muschamp learned much of what he knows from Saban in this teacher vs. student confrontation.

Can this be a case of Saban having taught Muschamp everything Muschamp knows but not everything Saban knows?

Some things seem obvious. Brantley will see more pressure than he’s seen all season. Alabama will not allow Rainey and Demps to repeatedly get open in the flats for dump off passes from Brantley. The Gators will have to make some plays down field to loosen up the Tide defense.

The Tide’s biggest question mark is first-year starting quarterback Scott McCarron. If the Gators’ defense continues to shut down the opposition’s running game, can McCarron’s arm carry the offense? Can he keep his poise with nearly 90,000 Gator fanatics screaming nonstop?

This game can’t ruin the Gators season, but it could make it . . . at least until next week when top-ranked LSU awaits.

Quik pix: There’s still too much we don’t know about the Gators, but that’s isn’t the case with Alabama, which wins 28-21; the new pass-happy Wisconsin Badgers give visiting Nebraska a rude welcome to the Big Ten, 35-17; Dabo-mania crashes to earth as Virginia Tech beats visiting Clemson, 17-14; South Carolina has never been 5-0 and it stays that way as visiting Auburn pulls the upset, 21-14; The Fighting Zooks of Illinois beating neighboring rival Northwestern, 40-35. Last week: 4-1 (9-6 overall).

How Good ARE the Gators?

The Florida Gators could win the SEC East.

Of course, they could finish 5th in the six-team division.

The Gators could win the SEC championship and play in a BCS bowl game. Perhaps even the BCS Championship Game.

The Gators might not qualify for any bowl game or sneak into the Music City Bowl.

Not since the start of the 1990 season – Coach Steve Spurrier’s first in Gainesville – have there been so many questions about the Gators.

Personally, the unknowns make me more interested in the Gators at this point than I’ve been since Spurrier’s head coaching debut in Orange and Blue. I realize the vast majority of Gators think they prefer the seasons when the Gators are talking national championship, but, really, isn’t this year’s anticipation of the upcoming season exciting? At least, intriguing?

New coach Will Muschamp has added to the intrigue by keeping Gator practices more secure than a Chiefs of Staff meeting at the Pentagon. “Maybe we’ll run the wildcat,” he joked last week. At least I think he was joking. I don’t know which was more shocking: Muschamp joking or hinting about how the Gators might line up on offense.

Indeed, most people who follow college football think the Gators will be pretty solid on defense. Even with the loss of star cornerback Jarnoris “Pothead” Jenkins, the Gators are loaded with size, speed and a bunch of blue chip recruits. Defense, of course, also is Muschamp’s strength.

Offensively, who knows what to expect? Last season the Gators were horrible, alternating three quarterbacks and being as predictable as summer showers in Florida. It appears certain that Gator fans will see something brand new on offense even if the same players suit up. Muschamp hired offensive whiz Charlie Weis to completely overhaul the offense. It’s assumed he’ll install a pro-style attack, featuring a power running game and down field passes.

But not even Weis can make chicken salad out of chicken poop and therein lays the mystery to the 2011 season. Can quarterback John Brantley resurrect his once promising career? Can a gang of good athletes become effective wide receivers? Can Trey Burton be true power runner?

Florida Atlantic, the Gators’ season opening opponent, offers little resistance. Indeed, if the Gators struggle against FAU, then the Music City Bowl might be a reach.

Most Gators I know are worried. I’m excited.

I wouldn’t be shocked if Florida goes 11-1. Yeah, I can see Florida winning at either LSU or South Carolina. Alabama and Florida State games are at the Swamp.

A 5-7 record wouldn’t surprise me either. The Gators have three “gimmes” and they’ve got to be more talented than Vanderbilt. Winning at Kentucky can be expected, but the Gators could lose the rest.

Interesting. . . intriguing . . . the unknown factors . . . I’m loving it and actually excited about Saturday’s opener.

 

How Time Flies…and Coaches Change

It wasn’t that long ago when Georgia hired Mark Richt away from FSU, was it? Richt was a clean-cut, God-fearing offensive coordinator and Jim Donnan had worn out his welcome in Athens. It was only 10 years ago.

Remember how shocked you were when Steve Spurrier decided to end a one-year retirement and let it be known he’d consider returning to Florida, but UF’s relatively new president told him to submit a resume? And then an angry Spurrier took the head coaching job at, of all places, South Carolina! South Carolina? Barely a blip on the college football radar. An SEC rival. Hell, an SEC East rival. How could Florida turn its back on the ol’ ball coach? Why didn’t LSU hire him? Seems like yesterday, doesn’t it? It was 2004.

Speaking of LSU, the Tigers were scorned that same year by Nick Saban, who bolted for the NFL and millions of the Miami Dolphins’ dollars. LSU settled for an SEC unknown, a guy named Les Miles who spent four years at Oklahoma State.

And speaking of Saban, the memories still seem so fresh of him screaming at reporters in South Florida who kept asking him about rumors he was leaving the Dolphins to take the Alabama job. “No!” Saban bellowed time after time. “How many times do I have to say no?” he repeatedly asked. Saban took the Alabama job shortly thereafter. The year was 2007.

What’s the point of this trip down memory lane? The SEC Media Days are in full swing this week in Hoover, Ala., and, to steal from an old joke, you might need a program to know who the coaches are.

The proud SEC, the king of college football, was once a conference of coaching legends; a conference where coaches became more popular and better known than U.S. presidents. There was Bear Bryant, Gen. Neyland, Johnny Vaught, Shug Jordan, Wally Butts, Charlie McClendon, Vince Dooley, Pat Dye, Spurrier, Johnny Majors, and Phil Fulmer. These coaches were around for more than a decade; sometimes for a life time.

I realize times have changed in nearly every facet of our lives. It’s a microwave world, a world of what-have-you-done-for-me-lately, emails, iPods, Google. Nothing seems to last very long before something new comes along.

UGA’s Richt entering his 11th season is the longest tenured SEC head coach. That may not be the case next year because Richt is very much on the hot seat, which gets more crowded each year. Gators fans still have to feel shocked/ betrayed/angry/disappointed because Spurrier is at South Carolina, but he and Miles are now second in seniority among current SEC coaches. They’re entering their seventh seasons at their respective schools. Saban is next in seniority, heading into his fifth season. Hell, he’s lasted as long as one recruiting class.

Arkansas’ Bob “Suitcase” Petrino is in danger of ruining his reputation. He’s going into his fourth season with the Razorbacks. That matches Houston Nutt’s tenure at Ole Miss. Nutt, if you recall, was run out of Fayetteville so the Hogs could hire Petrino, who almost completed an entire season coaching the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

Auburn’s Gene Chizik is now a hero on the Plains, but it was only two years when the War Eagle following was in shock because their school hired an Iowa State coach with a 5-19 record. It was just two years ago when Gators fans happily said good bye to their beleaguered young offensive coordinator, Dan Mullen, and would have helped him move to Mississippi State. Joker Phillips is preparing for his second season at Kentucky. Ditto for Tennessee’s Derek Dooley, who was the school’s third or fourth choice after Lane Kiffin departed Knoxville after only 11 months. Some SEC die-hards joke Tennessee hired Derek because the Volunteers got him confused with his daddy Vince.

Florida, of course, has a new head coach in Will Muschamp, who’s never been a head coach before. Vanderbilt also has a new coach. His name is . . . mmmm, what the hell is his name? I’m kidding. The name is James Franklin, and he’d better wear a nametag at media days or few will recognize him.

In case you’ve lost track, nine of the SEC head coaches have not been at their schools long enough for an entire recruiting class to go through. (I’m being old fashion here, thinking about the player who redshirts as a freshman and then plays four seasons.) Those nine coaches have a combined 16 years on their current jobs.

Whatever happened to continuity? To building a program? To loyalty by either the school or the coach?

Today, coaches jump from job to job or get fired quicker than you can say Sullivan-to-Beasley or Reaves-to-Alvarez or Wuerffel-to-Hilliard or Cam Newton-to-the-highest-bidder.

There’s a lesson here for all of those 4- and 5-star recruits. Pick your school carefully, the emphasis being on the word school. So, you’re a hotshot quarterback who can throw the football 90 yards on a string and you can’t wait to play in Petrino’s pro-style offense. Understand by the time you’re ready to play that Petrino might be coaching the new Los Angeles Bills of the NFL and Urban Meyer’s kids will be grown and he’s back coaching, this time in Fayetteville with his beloved spread offense.

The SEC isn’t the only conference that shuffles coaches like a dealer in a poker game. It’s the way things are now and that, I guess, balances out things, but that doesn’t mean I like it or that it’s good for college football. Only one thing is certain: It isn’t going to change.

Just imagine a year from now and ponder some possible changes that will create a domino effect. By December it’s very possible BCS conference schools Georgia, Ohio State, North Carolina, Oregon, Arizona State, UCLA, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech, Clemson and, no doubt, others will be looking for new head coaches. And then the schools that lose their coaches to those schools will be looking for new head coaches. And then . . . well, obviously this trend isn’t going to change any time soon.

 

Ultimate Gator Q n A

The preseason college football magazines are out. That’s good news for college football fanatics, many of whom consider the Florida Gators as the center of their universe.

Now for the bad news: For the first time in it what seems eons — well at least since Ron Zook roamed the sidelines — the Gators aren’t favored to win the SEC East and factor in the national championship conversation. Now no one is predicting a total collapse in Gainesville, but 9-3 and no SEC Championship Game is viewed in Gator Nation as getting stuck with Rosie O’Donnell on a blind date.

This clearly calls for another Q&A column with myself because, as you necessarily saw in my last post, I’m convinced I not only ask the best questions but have the most insightful and candid answers.  So, without further ado…

Q. How bad will it be for the Gators in 2011?

A. Bad is such a subjective word. Vandy fans would kill for 6-6. The way things are going in Knoxville, Volunteers probably would be thrilled with 7-5. But, as I said, in Gator Nation fans are spoiled and any loss is reason enough to start talk about firing the coach and changing quarterbacks. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I can’t imagine fewer than eight victories. I can see double digit victories. And because the SEC East isn’t exactly loaded, I can see an early December trip to Atlanta and – dare I say it? – an SEC title.

Q. What about the hiring of Will Muschamp who is a rookie head coach?

A. Certainly it was a surprise hiring. You wouldn’t think Florida’s would be a place for on-the-job training. But every great coach has to start somewhere. Of course, so does every lousy coach. Athletic Director Jeremy Foley says Muschamp was his first and only choice. He denies reports he looked elsewhere before settling on Muschamp, then the head -coach- in- waiting and defensive coordinator at Texas. Muschamp has been involved with elite football programs most of his adult life. He was a classic overachiever as a player at Georgia. He was the defensive coordinator at Auburn. And he helped Texas win a national championship.

But the list is long on top assistants who failed as head coaches and vice versa. Steve Spurrier was a horrible assistant coach at Florida, but his college head coaching record sparkles. Muschamp will have to make some changes in his personality. As an assistant he was the wacko who head butted with players and went psycho on the sidelines during games. He doesn’t have to become as stoic as the late Tom Landry, but he’ll probably have tone it down some to be an effective leader of the entire team. It isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Q. What about the hiring of Charlie Weis, the ex-Notre Dame head coach and longtime NFL offensive quiz, as the offensive coordinator?

A. It really depends on Weis. So far Weis has said all of the right things. He’s content to be a coordinator . . . he’s at Florida to help Muschamp, not use the Gators as a stepping stone to another head coaching gig . . . he’s excited to be back coaching in college . . . he won’t have a problem relating to college players . . . he understands the limitations put on by the NCAA (20-hour “work week”) and won’t overload his quarterbacks and wide receivers . . . yada, yada, yada. The biggest question is whether or not Weis has the pieces to make his pro-style attack work.

Q. Ah, speaking of the pieces, what about quarterback John Brantley?

A. It’s well documented how badly Brantley failed as Tim Tebow’s replacement. The pressure was enormous. And then there was the whole thing about how Brantley didn’t fit in with Coach Urban Meyer’s spread offense. Brantley’s physical and mental skills as a passing quarterbacks were not debated coming out of high school. Former Gator QB great Shane Matthews called Brantley’s skills better than any Gator QB ever. Another former Gator QB great, Kerwin Bell, coached Brantley in high school and labeled him as a future star. Bell does worry about if Brantley’s skills have eroded and/or whether or not he developed too many bad habits trying to fit in with the spread. Brantley, too, has said all of the right things: his confidence is high in spite of his miserable spring game performance . . . he loves working with Weis, etc. I think Brantley do well if . . .

Q. If what?

A. First, if his wide receivers can be coached to excel in a precision pro-style attack. Meyer recruited athletes first, wide receivers second. Deonte Thompson, Frank Hammonds Jr., Andre DeBose, Quinton Dunbar and Omarius Hines can run and jump. Can they run good routes? Can they catch a football? We haven’t seen them do those things yet. Second, the Gators need a tailback who can pick up the tough third-and-2 yards. Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps can score on any play. Mike Gillisee has shown promise. Mack Brown, though, has seldom been on the field. The Gators’ only tailback recruit, Mike Blakely, already has left school. Don’t be surprised if Trey Burton turns out to be the guy asked to get the tough yards. As a freshman last season he played quarterback, tailback, fullback, tight end and slot receiver. He’s now listed as a fullback, but he won’t be the conventional blocking fullback. Bet on it. Third, the Gators must replace most of its offensive line. They’ve only signed four offensive linemen in the last two classes. Injuries at this position could be crippling.

Q. You have any good news?

A. Absolutely. The defense is loaded with super athletes, particularly on the defensive line. The Gators only had 20 sacks last season. They’ll hit that number by midseason this fall. Sharrif Floyd and Dominique Easley have been so impressive that veterans Jaye Howard and Omar Hunter are listed as second teamers. Ronald Powell could be a dominating force off the edge. He’ll put his hand on the ground in some situations. William Green can help the rush as well.

The Gators aren’t deep at linebacker, but both Jon Bostic and Jelani Jenkins can be stars. Watch out for Gerald Christian. Jenkins lacks great football instincts but he can run like a wide receiver. The secondary lost Jarnoris Jenkins because he couldn’t leave alone the wacky weed, but Muschamp’s decision to kick him off the team may turn out to be a good move. You have the think the coach got the attention of his players when he kicked the team’s best defender off the team. Let’s hope that leads to fewer players getting their names on police dockets.

Q. What’s your biggest worry about the defense?

A. It’s another Muschamp hire. Dan Quinn is the new defensive coordinator. His last college job was running the defense at Hofstra in 2000. Trust me on this: pro football and college football are different games. We see examples all the time of coaches not making the proper adjustments going from one to the other. Quinn knows what defensive linemen need to do to play in the NFL. We’ll find out if he knows how to coordinate a defense to win college games against the likes of Alabama. Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida State.

Q. Any other major concerns?

A. College football titles often come down to the schedules, and the Gators face a juggernaut, particularly in October with games against Alabama, at LSU, at Auburn and Georgia in Jacksonville. No one has a tougher October schedule. The Gators could play well and lose all four.

Q. Any hidden pluses?

A. The Gators lost All-America punter Chaz Henry but may not miss a beat. Freshman Kyle Christie may be better than Henry. I can’t believe I’m talking about a punter when hyping the Gators. Punters being key players happen at Vandy and Duke, not Florida.

Q. Okay, cut to the chase. What will be the Gators’ record and where we they going bowling?

A. I see 9-3 and a trip to Atlanta (for the Chick-Fil-A bowl).

A Happy Johnny-on-the-Spot…Again

Johnny Brantley is smiling more these days than he has in months. He feels like a college quarterback again. There’ll no doubt be butterflies before tomorrow’s Orange and Blue spring game.

The last seven months have been a bit of a nightmare for Johnny. He waited a lifetime — three of those years up close and personal — to become The Starting Quarterback of Gators. Sure, he expected a bump or two because he was replacing the Greatest Gator Ever, Tim Tebow. Comparisons to Tebow were inevitable. But he was ready last August to take on the challenge. He had been Tebow’s understudy for two years, his teammate for three. He handled the situation like a pro, always saying the right thing, acting the right way. It wasn’t easy, particularly that Saturday morning in Baton Rogue when he found out he wasn’t starting against LSU. Because of a recent concussion, Tebow wasn’t expected to play against LSU. Brantley had prepared all week to be the starter. He’d been told he was the starter. Then, boom! A few hours before the game Johnny was told Tebow would play. His close friends and family members were beside themselves. Johnny sucked it up, smiled and, as usual, said and did the right things.

But then came spring and Johnny was the man. Preseason practice started and Johnny was the man. Then the season started and everything in Johnny’s world went to hell.

Speculation — and, yes, common sense — was that Coach Urban Meyer would put his Spread Offense on the shelf. The Spread was perfect for Tebow. Johnny was seen as the ideal pro-style quarterback. He’d drop back, make his reads and throw the football down the field. Gator fans were excited. Who doesn’t like watching a bombs-away attack?

Urban Meyer, that’s who. Call it arrogance. Call it confidence. Call it ignorance. Meyer was convinced his Spread would work with Brantley. Mix in a few more passes, Meyer thought, but keep the Spread. Johnny had the speed and athletic ability to make it work.

Problem was Brantley didn’t have the instincts of a Spread quarterback. He’d beeen taught, forever it seems, by his dad, former Gator quarterback John Brantley, and Kerwin Bell, his coach at Ocala Trinity Catholic who is a former Gator great and 12-year NFL quarterback, to take his drop, go through his reads and throw the ball. Running, Johnny was taught, was always the last option; something you did when everything about the play broke down.

He’d been the most coveted passing quarterback in the country by college recruiters from coast to coast. He even gave a verbal commitment to Texas despite the fact he grew up a Gator, idolizing his dad and his Uncle Scott, an all-American linebacker at Florida who went on to have a fine NFL career. Texas Coach Mack Brown told Johnny he would throw a lot of passes for the Longhorns.

Besides, Florida ran the Spread.

But in the end, Johnny’s love for the Gators and the outcries of Gator-loving Ocala citizens won out. Johnny signed with the Gators. He knew he’d have to wait at least two years, maybe three, barring injuries, to get his chance, but that seemed like a small price to pay to become The Starting Quarterback of the Gators.

His confidence soared. Former Gator quarterback Shane Matthews, two-time SEC player of the year and a 14-year pro, publicly said Johnny had better physical tools as a quarterback than any Gator quarterback ever. EVER. That list includes two Heisman winners, Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel, not to mention Matthews himself,Kerwin Bell, Rex Grossman, John Reaves and other Gator QBs who went on to play in the NFL.

Then the 2010 season started. Florida Field was packed. Miami (Oh.) was an outmanned opponent. The nightmare began.

First, center Mike Pouncey couldn’t get the snap right in the shotgun formation. Balls were snapped at Johnny’s feet, over his head, too far left, too far right. The protection wasn’t very good. Protection in the Spread differs greatly from blocking schemes in a pro-style attack.

Then there was the problem at wide receiver. In the Spread, often only two receivers go out. Routes are less defined: Go to an area, be athletic enough to beat your man and look for the ball. The quarterback takes a quick look. If no one is open, take off runing. This fitted Tebow perfectly. In the pro-style attack, three or more receivers run diagrammed routes. The simple philosophy is to get two receivers against one defender; get three receivers against two defenders. The quarterback needs time to go through his reads.

Most people, including SEC coaches, expected the Gators to make offensive adjustments once it was obvious Brantley wasn’t effective in the modified Spread. That didn’t happen. Freshman Trey Burton, a superb athlete with limited passing skills, began sharing time with Brantley. It became obvious, even to the hacks in the pressbox like me, that when Burton was on the field the Gators would run and when Brantley was playing the Gators would pass. Meyer’s solution to that problem? Add a third quarterback, Jordan Reed, who’d been the starting tight end. Reed had difficulty learning the offense. Often Burton or Brantley or both, playing wide receiver and/or running back, would be on the field with Reed. They’d call the plays, including what audibles were allowed.

The result was a mess. Few teams had worse offensive production than the Gators. No team with as much talent as the Gators were as inept.

Why didn’t Meyer make changes in the offense? The most popular theory is neither him nor anyone on his staff understood the pro-style attack well enough to install it. And Burton and Reed lacked the experience and talent to run the Spread.

And now we have come to the Gators spring game, 2011 edition. Meyer has retired because (choose one or more): 1. spend more time with his family; 2. health concerns; 3. a secret desire to become a TV star; 4. to be available if the Notre Dame or Ohio State job opens up. His offensive staff has moved on.

Enter Will Muschamp, the Gators 39-year-old rookie head coach who built an impressive resume as a defensive coach. In his first news conference, Muschamp made it clear the Gators would switch to a pro-style offense. He backed that up when he hired Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator. While Weis fell on his face in his one head coaching job, at Notre Dame, he has an impressive track record as an offensive coordinator in the NFL. First in New England where he mentored Tom Brady and earned Super Bowl rings for each hand and last year in Kansas City when the Chiefs’ offense excelled.

Talk of Brantley transferring died with the hiring of Weis. As always, Johnny has continued to say and do are the right things throughout all of this, but those close to him will tell you that haven’t seen him this happy in months.

This, of course, isn’t the end of this story. In fact, no one knows if there will be a happy or sad ending because no one knows if Brantley is as talented as recruiters rated him coming out of Ocala Trinity Catholic. Or if this experience has damaged him beyond repair? One coach told me Johnny’s mechanics are worse now than they were when he was in high school.

There are other questions as well. Do the Gators have the receivers to make the pro-style attack? Can they provide the needed protection? And, of course, there is a brutal schedule, especially in October.

But the No. 1 question remains: Is Brantley a big-time college quarterback? Has he been the victim of a bad offensive scheme or has he simply been overrated, another can’t-miss prospect who missed?

We’ll get a glimspe at the answers to those questions starting tomorrow.