The Ephesians Bartley Report: Support the players

I support the Gator nation and WHOMEVER its current football coach may be. As evidenced in past reports, it’s neither a blind faith nor support without analysis of the situation. Perfect example:

Midline:  Pronunciation: \ik-ˈskyüz

Etymology: Coach Speak

Example: “I’m going to double team your better athlete to get movement, leaving a guy totally unblocked while gaining 429 yards because your defense is to poorly coached and undisciplined to play assignment football.”

As I digress, all this talk about terminations and things kind of brings flashbacks of the bad ole 80’s. I’m not a fan of change just for change. Change has to be done with a purpose and a clearly defined view of what the outcome is to look like. All we have been given so far is, “It will be fixed.” What about it’s going to be fixed? How can you solve a problem if you can’t define it?  What’s the problem man? Ineptness? That’s an adjective describing the state not the cause. It’s like saying “I’m sick momma!” Well what the hell’s wrong with you? Come on Coach just say it. That frog in your throat you can’t let out will set you free.

Let me help you: Your entire premise of offense is as bad as your statement calling this offensive staff fine and a game away from the MNC. What the mob wants if they can’t have an execution is an allocution. Just say it damn it! Oh, that’s right.  Too busy backing over Pease in your new truck. What is it? That new brand called Midline? They make those in a two seater?

Pease reminds me of the story of Abraham. Not the part when God almost made him offer up his kid. No, the actual lamb he slaughtered as an afterthought offering. Abraham allocuted to being a vain jackass then he and Isaac had lamb chops . There is no doubt Pease was working off a limited script and when asked to expand had no tools/healthy players to expand. It was all fine when you had a healthy team and a defense with faith in the running game.

But let’s get back to talking change (jumps to next paragraph kicking at the prior). Change to a player can be a godsend to those languishing on the bench and those in need of a different communication style or basically a different relationship. People seldom stay in bad relationships but some football players are forced to for 3-5 years. Your education and pro aspirations depend on you getting along with a guy you probably would strangle if you could get away with it. Did I like every coach I played for? Hell no! One I would love to see in a dark alley and another if he ever comes up missing I was home reading Champ’s book “How I learned Time of Possession Is Secondary to Both Efficiency and More Importantly Points Offensively.”  Others like Charlie Strong, Jim Collins, Ty Smith, Joe Reynolds and Kevin Brown I owe a lot to and are very appreciative of.

Coaching changes can also be extremely disruptive to current players producing at high levels. Somebody go ask Emmitt Smith would he like that year back from Lynn Amedee? Or ask Tate Casey how he fit in Urban Meyer’s scheme. Tate Casey would be an All-American and a big missing piece in this years offense, yet he was never fully developed or utilized in Meyer’s. Was it a bad scheme? Nope, just bad fit, timing and different design.

Can we get better as a team with some big changes? No doubt. We get immediately better due to time healing all wounds. However, do we get better adding the same type people doing the same type stuff in a different year and calling it change? Hell no! The change that has to come needs to be big, paradigm and stubborn breaking.

As much as we bitch and moan we need and should always to support the TEAM. Yes yell scream at the head coach as he gets paid nearly $3 million a year to take it. However, the guys in the helmet deserve our undying support. Sometimes that means requesting that the administration make some hard and uncomfortable changes to the program. We leave those decisions in the capable hands of Mr. Foley but not supporting the guys is not an option, in my opinion.

Synopsis:

Losing to FCS Georgia Southern is wholly unacceptable just as losing to Vanderbilt is completely unacceptable. Unfortunately, I was a part of a team that lost to Vanderbilt and Memphis. Changes came and two years later we won the SEC.

Thank you for your time,

Ephesians A. Bartley II