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Here are a few things bouncing around in my head after Gator Nation met its new head coach last night:
- “I suffered some temporary insanity.” I’m sure that won’t sit well with plenty of Georgia fans, but really, who cares? It’s in the nature of coaching introductions to toss out some red meat for the faithful and that’s all Will did. What’s more interesting to me is how enthused the reception was. Meyer certainly wasn’t as wired as Muschamp appeared to be, but it sounds like they’ve lapped it up in Gainesville. Perhaps a sign that a wee bit of Meyer fatigue might have begun to set in?
- Corch Meyers, here’s your new office. Maybe there’s no fatigue with Jeremy Foley, who wants Meyer to stick around and perform unspecified duties for the athletic department. Gregg Doyel is freaking out over this and while I don’t share his concerns (duh), I can’t say that he doesn’t make a few good points about the potential for this to create some friction down the road if Muschamp doesn’t knock ’em as dead on the field as he did at yesterday’s presser.
- Are we really sure Jeremy Foley is a genius? Aside from Doyel’s points about whether Foley is perhaps being too clever by half keeping Meyer around, there’s this quote about the hire – Foley called Muschamp a “perfect fit.” He was just what Foley was looking for in a “relentless recruiter.” – that sounded eerily similar to what I would have thought was rattling around Foley’s brain when he hired the Zooker. Maybe I’m reading too much into that, but, boy, wouldn’t it be great to find out that the real brains of the operation departed for Athens a few months ago?
- Say goodbye to the Gang of Six. When I think of what’s made Florida football excel over the past two decades, what comes to mind are cutting edge offenses. Spurrier singlehandedly dragged SEC offenses and defenses into a new era with the Fun ‘n’ Gun and Meyer’s success with his version of the spread option has had a dramatic effect on the conference, particularly in the last two seasons. Muschamp is saying farewell to all of that and intends to run a pro-style offense with a coordinator who has some NFL experience. To me, it sounds like he’s ditching the finesse approach that’s marked Florida football to adopt a more Saban-like philosophy. Given his access to talent, I can’t question the move, but it’s a little strange to see the Gators abandon something that’s been in the program’s DNA for so long.
- John Brantley. So much for the player formerly known as the second-best quarterback in the SEC, folks. Although his uncertainty about his future at Florida does raise the question of how smooth the transition on offense is going to be next season. Georgia fans can tell you something about learning curves and personnel mismatches which stem from a radical change of scheme, Coach.
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UPDATE: It’s never a good sign when you come out of the gate referring to yourself in the third person.
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