Welcome home, fellow Gator.

The Gator Nation's oldest and most active insider community
Join today!

Billy Napier explains what it means to him to stay on schedule in Florida rebuild

Discussion in 'RayGator's Swamp Gas' started by Gatorrick22, Jul 20, 2024.

  1. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    Some of his comments about this year's team as he reflects on where we are as a program.

    Since taking over the program, and despite Florida’s win-loss record under Napier, he’s still been able to recruit at a high level. His first full recruiting class finished No. 13 in the country, and his incoming 2024 class featuring five-star quarterback DJ Lagway is ranked No. 10. Now, there’s quite a bit of excitement regarding the personnel Napier has acquired in Gainesville heading into the new year.


    “I think you’ve got to get consumed with the process, not the outcome, to some degree, and the thing that I would say with conviction is we have been very close,” Napier continued.

    “We’ve played in a lot of close games. We’ve got to learn how to close those games out, and I think that’s where the leadership and experience of this team — we have to leverage that experience, the lessons that we’ve learned, get in position in the fourth quarter and close those games out consistently.”


    Billy Napier explains what it means to him to stay on schedule in Florida rebuild
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2024
    • Fistbump/Thanks! Fistbump/Thanks! x 4
  2. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    8 wins is very doable, IMHO.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 2
  3. DieAGator

    DieAGator GC Hall of Fame

    Apr 3, 2007
    7 RS then a bowl win would be a marked improvement. If he can do 8 RS, all the better.

    Going to ruffle some feathers but the outcome is what matters. We have the players- QB, RBs, WRs, hopefully OL and I believe a much better Defense.

    Sounds good Coach but you and your staff have to be ready to close games out.
     
    • Agree Agree x 8
    • Like Like x 1
    • Fistbump/Thanks! Fistbump/Thanks! x 1
    • Winner Winner x 1
  4. kryptonite

    kryptonite GC Hall of Fame

    3,026
    1,168
    2,018
    Dec 12, 2008
    We can do it. With our team playing the most minutes to freshmen in the country we were an injured QB and 2 defensive stops from 8 RS wins last year. Also, we have advantages over last year:

    Massive number of 1st year in system qb opponents.

    LSU won't have a Heisman qb.

    Tennessee's defense is likely to take a step back if not their offense also.

    We play Kentucky later, so we get an idea what their offense will be.

    FSU relies mostly on the players that were destroyed by Georgia, except portals, the best of whom are in positions they already had good players such as LB and Edge (needed Richie Leonard, really?)

    We get KJ Jefferson this year on a team that has a much, much worse run defense, so we can run up the score against him if the defense can tackle.

    S&C has improved under Miles on this team that led in the 4th quarter in 5 close games of which we lost 4.

    Mertz is experienced in the system, so early year offensive problems are less likely.

    We have depth at OT, so we won't have to play 2nd team OT who arent fully recovered, as in Mizz and FSU losses.

    We don't need to wait 4 weeks to know who our go to receivers and place kicker are.

    Special teams analysts will be on the field to avoid gaffes.

    Defense will be much more experienced and has depth at every position and key personnel healthy: Boone and Moore. Tackling has been the primary focus over learning the system.
     
    • Like Like x 8
    • Informative Informative x 2
  5. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007

    All very good points... And I love the fact that UGA vaporized FSU in their bowl game. FSU is not the same team without Travis, not even close to the same team.
     
    • Agree Agree x 5
  6. gatordavisl

    gatordavisl VIP Member

    31,518
    54,854
    3,753
    Apr 8, 2007
    northern MN
    It'd be nice to crush some opponents and not have to worry about hanging on to close out games. It'd also be nice to be dreaming about double digit wins and not hoping/praying for a miraculous 7 or 8 win season. Big year for Billy & staff.
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
    • Winner Winner x 3
    • Like Like x 1
    • Best Post Ever Best Post Ever x 1
  7. DieAGator

    DieAGator GC Hall of Fame

    Apr 3, 2007
    Destroyed them with their backups. Not much was mentioned about that after the slaughter.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  8. scooterp

    scooterp GC Hall of Fame

    2,113
    1,194
    2,703
    Feb 15, 2012
    Fair. But I think most would agree they would have been blown out anyway. UGA played to prove something, FSU didn’t. I think it still would have been a 50-something to a 20-something score regardless, if the opt outs would’ve played.
     
    • Agree Agree x 5
  9. kryptonite

    kryptonite GC Hall of Fame

    3,026
    1,168
    2,018
    Dec 12, 2008
    I don't really get it that Georgia would have anything to prove more than FSU. You would think these FSU opt outs would want to prove themselves against their best competition that year to improve their draft status. But after Travis went down, they showed what mercenaries they really were. No love for FSU at all. Just a stepping stone. Norvel is back to square one but with better record to recruit with.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Funny Funny x 1
  10. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    The ones the skipped the game are gone, so those guys that got vaporized are the ones left... with some new additions.
     
  11. gatordavisl

    gatordavisl VIP Member

    31,518
    54,854
    3,753
    Apr 8, 2007
    northern MN
    Just checked the fpi, which is interesting. Good news: It rates Florida 20th. Bad news: Eight of our opponents are ranked higher. EIGHT! I wonder if there's a team with more than five higher ranked opponents.
     
  12. Wanne15

    Wanne15 GC Hall of Fame

    15,684
    4,042
    3,088
    Jan 18, 2015
    Vandy
     
    • Funny Funny x 2
    • Winner Winner x 1
  13. Crusher

    Crusher GC Hall of Fame

    5,776
    1,323
    2,143
    Apr 19, 2007
    This is where Napier loses me on his philosophy. It is the antithesis of the Spurrier game plan. What happened to get a big lead until the other team is totally demoralized and then lean on your running game after they've been pulverized on the scoreboard?

    The win a 4th Qtr game philosophy speaks to me as a plan for under-talented teams vs. the competition. Is this what we the fans are subtly being told to expect in the near future? Sure there are going to be some 4th Qtr games that are going to have to be won in a league as good as the SEC, but it would be a much better plan to score as fast and often as possible and get your younger back-ups some valuable game experience when the game is no longer in doubt.
     
    Last edited: Jul 21, 2024
    • Agree Agree x 5
    • Like Like x 1
  14. robertgator

    robertgator VIP Member

    991
    239
    1,808
    Apr 3, 2007
    Playing to keep it close is not a winning mentality. Maybe when he has more trust in the team (o-line, Mertz downfield, or defense at all) he won’t be so conservative? Otherwise that’s just not a way to win in the current game.
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
  15. Wanne15

    Wanne15 GC Hall of Fame

    15,684
    4,042
    3,088
    Jan 18, 2015
    That would be great but we just need to be in the game at this point with our schedule. There won’t be many double digit leads much less blowout.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
    • Fistbump/Thanks! Fistbump/Thanks! x 1
    • Wish I would have said that Wish I would have said that x 1
  16. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    I get what you mean... you play to win, not play to not lose. But I have a feeling that decision-making might be more pragmatism than philosophy. He needs to trust the players he has, and in Mertz's first year, with a less than proven consistent play by the Gators' football team... he seemed to err on the side of caution versus rushing into an unknown. I hope he gets to the place where he trusts his team on offense to make the plays so that he can call plays to win it... to put games away when we need to put games away.
     
    • Like Like x 4
    • Agree Agree x 1
  17. kryptonite

    kryptonite GC Hall of Fame

    3,026
    1,168
    2,018
    Dec 12, 2008
    I really had no problem with Mertz doing that. He was chosen by Napier among various options, all of which ended up not being as reliable as Mertz last year. But his one problem was a high number of turnovers at UW. Mertz reined that in while nearly getting us 30 points per game in his first year. He was more successful than an overwhelming majority of fans thought he would be thanks to CBN and Mertz.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. WC53

    WC53 GC Hall of Fame

    4,556
    971
    2,088
    Oct 17, 2015
    Old City
    As I said at the time, process guys scare me. Most are unable to break free and see the forest for the trees. Keeping hope alive
     
    • Agree Agree x 6
  19. gbranton

    gbranton GC Legend

    “Okay guys for this last quarter and a half I want to do something besides what has been working great so far.”
     
    • Wish I would have said that Wish I would have said that x 1
  20. Gatorrick22

    Gatorrick22 GC Hall of Fame

    87,248
    26,123
    4,613
    Apr 3, 2007
    I just hope Napier let's Mertz toss the long ball more often than he did last year. But I also hope we play to win on the defensive side of the ball. Case in point was the fourth and 17 in the Missouri game. We should never go into a failed prevent-defense, and yet what did we do... There is a better way to prevent those long completions from happening, with different/better defensive schemes and assignments.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3