Avoid the “poison.” Stay together. If you can’t play “great” defense, then play good enough to win. Beat Mississippi State for a homecoming victory to go 5-2. Get to the open date still unbeaten in the SEC East. Heal up. And be prepared to finish strong in the second half of the season. But most of all, do the next thing.
Tall orders, perhaps, but all do-able by these 2010 Gators.
Contrary to the naysayers, all is not lost and there are still plenty of good reasons to keep playing hard, but it must be done at a high level – higher than they’ve been playing in the last two weeks.
It’s not time to start throwing people under the bus, but it is time to start circling the wagons. And I mean that in a good way. In my opinion, it’s about time to close the locker room door and tell it like it is, even if somebody gets his feathers ruffled – provided that hasn’t already been done. Better to do that and clear the air than let doubts linger.
It’s not time to panic yet, but it is time for the players and coaches to put some actions to their words about “getting better.” Losing back-to-back games to elite teams in the SEC does not spell doom, but let’s just say there are warning signs which Urban and his coaches are addressing.
The Florida Gators are bruised and battered, but not broken. The danger is that, unless they pull themselves together, they might start leaking oil – and some of it could pollute the locker room. Finger pointing is lethal.
I’m not saying that will happen, because Urban is well aware of the tenuous nature of his team’s temperament as it goes into homecoming Saturday night. A couple of losses can cast doubt and doubt can lead to unrest in the locker room ad division among players if everybody is not “all in.”
Urban made it pretty plain after LSU: “We win championships together and we lose together.” However, he also somewhat called out those players who were not totally committed and said he would not tolerate it, so he plans to start evaluating performances even closer. I think that is the head coach’s way to putting players on notice.
From what I have seen this year, everybody on defense knows where to line up and what to do. This team is in great physical shape thanks to Strength & Conditioning Coach Mickey Marotti, who is also very much involved in the heart and soul of this team.
Every player has his own motor and it’s their job to get there as fast as they can with intensity and make a play. It’s happening most of the time, but not with a high enough percentage by everybody every time.
There can’t be anybody lollygagging or half-assing it to the football. Everybody’s motor has to be running full speed. And that’s just “want to,” the heart and soul of the players, who need to play harder, play faster and play smarter.
Now we are going to find out about this team’s personality and character because the heat is on and as they huddle around that campfire with the wagons circled, somebody is going to get called out – and should.
There were some costly mistakes made against LSU, but there were also some excellent plays made that the fans didn’t see and will only be discussed in the film room.
This kind of thing should never leave the locker room, but there are some underperformers on this squad who need to be confronted. Urban even said so in his weekly conference. I see nothing wrong with them closing the door and speaking the truth, as some of his teams have done in the past.
That’s what I mean by “circling the wagons.” Just make sure everything stays in that circle.
Since I’m dealing primarily with the defensive side of the ball, I will raise two issues, just as personal opinions and not criticisms.
The defense has played well enough to win, even last week, but on key plays – like the winning touchdown pass to Terrence Toliver – there was apparently a broken coverage. That happens.
What concerns me more is that these big 220-plus-running backs keep showing up every week to challenge the Gator defense. Stevan Ridley ran 28 times for 83 tough yards, some of them key downs. While the Gators did well against Alabama’s rushing game, these bigger runners are load. And it seems there is a trend in the SEC toward the big 225-pound backs like Ridley again. Those kinds of backs challenge some of Florida’s undersized linebackers, just as some of the bigger, stronger receivers (Toliver) challenge the defensive backs.
Also, I am almost reluctant to bring this up, because the game has changed a lot since I played, but sometimes the rotation of players can keep the best performers off the field too long. I always hated to come off, period. Even though depth does allow the front seven to stay a little fresher, you are also limiting playing time for some of your big playmakers.
In today’s football world, everybody seems to be shuttling players in and out to keep them fresh, but if you aren’t in shape by now, you aren’t going to be. And the coaches know which ones are the top performers, just as they do with the offensive side of the ball. It would be my personal preference to stay on the field longer – but that’s just me.
I know for sure this Mississippi team is going to be tough. And Dan Mullen has working knowledge of the system. Just like former Urban assistant Billy Gonzales, who last week keep pointing out to LSU’s defensive coordinators what to expect from the Gator offense, Mullen knows the innermost secrets about Florida. Of course, just knowing doesn’t always translate into success, because you’ve still to go execute.
The Bulldogs are talking a lot of smack these days. Running back Vick Ballard flatly said: “I think we’re going to upset them. I know we’re going to upset them.”
And Mullen echoed: “Our guys go in with the belief they’re gonna win the game.”
The gauntlet has been laid down. Now we will see what kind of team emerges from those circled wagons, and whether they were just talking words or can back it up with action. Urban is about to find out what kind of team he’s got.
(Scot Brantley was an All-SEC linebacker for the Florida Gators and a 10-year veteran of the NFL/Tampa Bay Bucs. He does commentary for the Gator Radio Network and is the defensive analyst for GatorCountry.com)