Un.be.com.ing (adj) – Not according with the standards appropriate to one’s position or condition of life.
After the 2018 Orange and Blue Debut, Dan Mullen said that he just wanted to bring fun back to Florida football.
Maybe I’m old. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations. But what I watched on Saturday afternoon wasn’t much fun. It was barely football.
I was expecting a fireworks show with QBs throwing deep to all of the wide receiver weapons we’ve heard so much about all offseason. Instead, I saw QBs who didn’t look much different than they did a year or two ago. I saw offensive linemen consistently struggling in pass protection. I saw busted coverages by linebackers on tight ends that ended up in touchdowns.
The only players who caught anything deep were alums who last played for Florida before any of the current players were born.
With apologies to Lawrence Wright and Travis McGriff, I didn’t tune in to watch a legends game. I tuned in to see a preview of the explosive offense I was promised when Scott Stricklin whiffed on Chip Kelly and brought in Mullen to restore the Florida program.
Many – including me – have bought into that vision for the program. But for a program that has struggled so much offensively, the entire vibe on offense was just tone deaf.
I want games in The Swamp to be spectacles. But this was a circus.
While the deep throws to former players were puzzling, I think the events of the day were best exemplified by QB Feleipe Franks “60 yard” run for a TD. Defensive back Quincy Lenton clearly had Franks in his sights about 10 yards downfield and slowed down. Then DBs McArthur Burnett and Trey Dean* caught up to Franks at the 15 yard line (enough to grab his jersey) but he was given the TD anyway.
Then Franks kicked the ball up into the stands and celebrated like he had just scored the game winner against LSU.
Some may try to say this was just having fun. They may tell you that the environment under the previous regime was so bad that Mullen had to do something to lighten the mood. They may tell you that this was about the fans, former players and recruits having a good time. They may be right.
But I think it was embarrassing. It was Butch Jones trash-can level bad. I half expected Mullen to come out in his postgame press conference and proclaim that it was part of building the program “brick by brick.”
Mullen has repeatedly spoken about the “Gator standard” way of doing things. One of the reasons I thought he understood that standard was that the SEC East championship signs came down almost immediately after he was hired. It indicated that the days of participation trophies were over.
But maybe we need to define what the Gator standard is a little bit clearer. It’s pretty simple: winning.
From 1990-2010, Florida won 78 percent of its games and finished the year unranked 3 times. Those teams averaged 35.2 points per game and an offensive ranking of 19.5. From 2011-2017, Florida has won 59 percent of its games and has finished the year unranked 4 times. Those teams have averaged 24.0 points per game and an offensive ranking of 92.9.
I saw nothing on Saturday that was building towards the former kind of offense or level of winning. It was a waste of a practice and a waste of time.
I spoke with multiple people that I know who were there. They showed up expecting to be excited about the direction the program was headed. Instead, they left wondering whether the staff felt the only way to generate excitement was to do so artificially.
When UCF claimed a National Championship after defeating Auburn this past season, my reaction was that it was ridiculous. But I understood what they were doing and even appreciated how their marketing efforts kept the school in the news and the national consciousness.
But that kind of behavior is beneath Florida. It’s why I’ve settled on the word unbecoming to describe the spring game. This is an elite, blue-blood program.
It shouldn’t require gimmicks to make the game fun.
*An earlier version of this article identified Joseph Putu instead of Trey Dean as one of the defensive backs who had an opportunity to tackle Franks. I apologize for the mistake.
Pc
Agreed. Even if u excuse the side shows. They showed me nothing to think they are better. LB’s looked really bad. Maybe they were held back. I sure hope so. Emory jones looked like he needs a redhirt yr and Phellipe was very mediocre
Nate W
Agree. But to be fair, I dont think it really went according to Mullens plan. The preplanned ‘fun’ alumni plays would have been a lot better received if the qbs had been lighting up the field before that instead of missing reads and stalling… It turned into a low budget circus atmosphere because the qbs struggled early…the lion tamer couldnt get the dang cat through the hoop… Instead, Gator fans wanted to see a work of art in progress… Gridiron prodigies honing their craft… Bet you Mullen works even harder to not feel that kind of pie in the face again. On a brighter note… REALLY EXCITED ABOUT EMORY JONES! His poise and live arm really stood out for basically a highschooler. Especially when you consider his running ability that they werent showcasing. I really hope he works hard this summer to put himself in the best position to compete for the starting job… GO GATORS!
Ryan Olsen
Great article as always Will. I get that Mullen was trying to instill fun in this game, but, as you mention, the gimmicks should not be a substitute for putting a quality offense on display (particularly having counted the yards/TDs from the Gator greats to pad the QBs’ stats). Having gone to Florida from 2006-2010 and having experienced quality, no-nonsense football from Urban Meyer, I felt like this spring game was equivalent to “jumping the shark.” After the previous regime’s coach, that’s not an idiom I particularly want to associate with the football program. I’m not saying I dislike Mullen – I think he has a real potential to be great at Florida. But red flags such as this spring game, coupled with a complete dearth of blue-chip recruits for our next recruiting class (and not gaining any commitments after the spring game unlike other elite programs), gives me pause in terms of adopting a super optimistic outlook. I guess it will be wait and see at this point.
Chris
Are you blind? You obviously didn’t see what happened Saturday at the spring game. The fun and excitement is back in Gainesville, which hadn’t been In years. So why don’t you take your delusional self to the Noles fan base. I’m tired of all the negativity from y’all sometime Gator fans
Charlotte
Chris you must be the blind one. I wanted to see what the gators had, and all I saw was old timers catching long “touchdown” passes with people in the stands closer than any “defensive players, and “players” sitting in a circle playing tag the goose or whatever they call it. The whole game was a joke. I bet the “fans” at the game were left scratching their heads. And speaking of the NOLES, I watched their game too, and they really played a game! Looked good at it too, and saw some good new and redshirt players coming on strong. That’s why you play a spring game, to see what you have! The gators still don’t know.Chgarlotte
Michael Burton
I just think the number of practice sessions is short of the need to build the offensive foundation. Fall will help as well as more strength and conditioning time. Patience.
Rod
I’m excited. Saturday was very vanilla. Still working. Maybe the intensity could have been higher but overall I like where we are headed. I promise things will work themselves out. Dan will make sure for the most of it!!!
IBDGATOR
I totally agree with Chris. It was good to see the fun and excitement. The guys had a lot of “team” spirit. I think it is all looking good. I think we will have a good summer of conditioning and good behavior. Go Gators.
Kristopher
Really surprised with this article. I’m typically impressed with your insight and thoughtfulness but you’ve totally missed the mark here. This game and the atmosphere it created was just what the program needed and I’m glad they did it.
Try considering what is more important; satisfying your need to see what you deemed to be important during a meaningless spring game or what is best for the long term of the program and the kids. Can you objectively say that anything you would have seen in the spring game would be an accurate depiction of next year’s results?
Considering the terrible state Captain Yellow Teeth left the program in don’t you think it’s more important to get rid of the toxic culture surrounding the program and start rebuilding in a positive atmosphere?
REALLY disappointed in the negativity and narrow mindedness of this article. I hope you’ll read this and consider this was good for the “long game”.
Will Miles
I did read your comment and thanks for reading! In my view, my opinion is considering the “long game”. Every season, you have 15 practices to spend time with the players and help them develop. Florida only had 14 this spring.
Kristopher
I would happily take losing 1 spring practice if it means completely overhauling the feel and positive vibe of the program not only to the past players but recruits and fans. That alone is well worth the cost of losing 1 spring practice for next year’s progression vs the overall progression in the program for many many years to come. You’ve said it yourself many times that if you see gradual improvement you’ll be “happy” (paraphrasing of course). I’m not that smart, but I wouldn’t guess 1 additional spring practice wouldn’t make the difference in the outcome of even 1 game next year.
Kristopher
Also did not mean that you are narrow minded. I just thought the premise of the article was. As stated, your typically pretty spot on. In my lowly opinion that is.
Trevor
5 stars will flow soon enough. They are waiting fir perfect time for momo sake.
Good article but the fun will turn into hard nosed Gator ball. We will be back soon!
Bob Loblaw
Nice article gramps
Preston
I fully understand your vision. I didn’t mind the additions of former players being involved for it did puzzle me on why they counted their TDs as actual points in the game. I also didn’t appreciate when the guys would be clearly downed by a Gator DB and we’d act as if all 53,000 didn’t just see him get downed 15 yards short; or how Emory Jones’ first TD in the Swamp was stopped at the 20 yard line rather than in the end zone with a downed knee. I did find the energy and actual improvement from this game for only having 15 practices. QB play looked as if we could actually have a guy play all 60 minutes. Also, the use and attempt to use TEs was obvious and successful. Along with also showing our great RB depth. O-line still a question and DE clearly being our biggest depth with Polite, Zuniga, CeCe, Clayton, Chatfield
Carey H Freeman
Because they don’t really care about this game. That much is obvious. They got what they needed in the 14 practices and my guess is Mullen is very happy with the buy in and S&C development. This was more about finding out what he has (and implementing basics of the offense) than anything.
Kevin Hoffman
I am positive that Dan Mullen knows a little more than all the naysayers about how to get a program where it belongs! Future performance is predicted by past performance and DM did a GREAT job in Stark Vegas.
Would you rather see the defense back off and let the QB’s look artificially good? That would make everyone say, “we look great and we are back!” Please, this is going to take time. DM inherited an eight year disaster of offense. He has commented on the lack of football acumen and S&C. You do not teach a team in this condition a deep understanding of their position in a few weeks. You DO NOT become a physically stronger team in a few months. Although, the lineman do not look as fat as they did last year.
DM knows what this program needs. I don’t know who you are, as a self appointed blogger, spouting this garbage. However, you are entitled to your opinion. The same crowd will be unhappy when we win and only score 25. Have fun participating in your self aggrandizing antics.
Will Miles
I wanted to see real competition. I understand others don’t mind it, but I tell people how I honestly feel whether it’s popular or not. Calling me a blogger in a derisive fashion doesn’t change the fact that you haven’t addressed my core concern: that the team didn’t use practice time (of which there’s a limited quantity) to get better.
BWB
Another self styled expert who expects Mullen to turn McElwain’s mules into unicorns in 13 or 14 practices. Changing to a new system and totally changing the culture regarding strength and conditioning has likely been a shock to some young minds. Your expectations are absolutely unreal.
Mullen has not had to rebuild just X’s and O’s, but try to rebuild the psychological state of mind of a team that quit under a coaching staff that quit before the end of the season last year.
Anyway, thanks for your comments. Not particularly impressed with your podcast/ blog, whatever.
Swampm
Wow! New coaches, new system and 15 practices for a pathetic 4-7 team. All of this happening within a 5 month period. Yeah, I too am disappointed that we didn’t perform on a par with an Alabama or Ohio State.. Right…..
Carey H Freeman
It’s called the Carrot AND the Stick for a reason. I think you probably explained it yourself on GB Saturday night. This was a reward for the players (the Carrot) after 14 days of taking the stick well. Further, Mullen doesn’t have the luxury of using this spring solely for the purpose of developing the team and installing the offense. Just as important in this first spring is evaluating the players so you can see what you have. Mullen has talked about this all spring. They’ve got their film and they will use this to develop their game plan moving forward. The kids have their marching orders and know what’s expected over the next 3 months. I get it, I wanted to see some “real football” too, but I’ll give them a pass. This was more of a pep rally, and in that respect it was just fine. Lastly, people who I fully expected to be complaining today (because they ALWAYS complain) are not, but you are. Perhaps it’s time to step back from the ledge on this one.
P.S. Keep the Burrow stuff coming. My biggest takeaway from Saturday was this. If by the grace of God, Van Jefferson and Grimes are eligible and we could land this guy then it would fast-forward this process immensely. If we strike out on all three, then this process will probably take a bit longer than most people would like.
Kristopher Fincher
Really surprised with this article. I’m typically impressed with your insight and thoughtfulness but you’ve totally missed the mark here. This game and the atmosphere it created was just what the program needed and I’m glad they did it.
Try considering what is more important; satisfying your need to see what you deemed to be important during a meaningless spring game or what is best for the long term of the program and the kids. Can you objectively say that anything you would have seen in the spring game would be an accurate depiction of next year’s results?
Considering the terrible state Captain Yellow Teeth left the program in don’t you think it’s more important to get rid of the toxic culture surrounding the program and start rebuilding in a positive atmosphere?
REALLY disappointed in the negativity and narrow mindedness of this article. There were far more positive aspects than negative about the game but the article only goes over the negative solely based on your disappointment over what you wanted to see. It wasn’t what I had expected either but I can appreciate the reason behind it. I hope you’ll consider this was good for the “long game”.
Marlon
This is exactly why Dan Mullens wife did not want to come back to Gainesville. If we win we didn’t win by enough if we lose , the coach is instantly on the hot seat. I do know he told the players to throw the balls or kick the balls into this crowd for the fans for souvenirs. I do agree that our players looked out of sync a lot . But he was trying to bring the fun back into a deflated fan base.
Ken Tillery
Ouch!
I love your articles but I can’t agree with this one. I think alot of people are missing what Mullen is doing. I think Mullen is trying to get the older crowd and our generation involved by bringing back the older players that hopefully will bring back the memories of when it was actually great to watch the Gators play ball, but he really has his focus on the younger crowd specifically the recruits.
This younger generation doesn’t like the same old tired traditions (I say this as someone who is traditional). They like to see new and different things, and they want to have fun in what they do. A good example would be the endzone celebrations that Mullen allowed. I believe Mullen’s priority in the Spring game was to appeal to the recruits, even if that means the overly critical older fans criticizing him for what he was doing. He knows the level of talent at UF, and he knows the life blood of the program will lie in the recruiting and developing he can do in the short amount of time he will have from the fanbase to get great results.
I think he knew he had absolutely nothing to gain from having a legit O&B game, because no matter any improvement that may have been shown, there would be nothing but criticism that would carry over all summer long tainting the upcoming recruiting class with negativity. Which I think is the biggest weakness of the Gators fanbase, the proverbial shooting ourselves in the foot.
Also included in a legit game, would be the risk of injuries to a team that was very injury prone last year and somewhat lacking in depth. Despite their great improvement in strength and conditioning so far, they still have a long way to go. I think Mullen’s biggest personal disappointment from the Spring game would be the injury to CeCe.
The only criticism he will receive now will be people talking about how they didn’t like the way he let the Spring game be played, which recruits will shrug off as old people not liking to have fun, instead of the recruits seeing the negativity from the fanbase as a red light to make their home at UF.
I believe the team worked harder this spring than they have ever worked in there lives, and Mullen rewarded them with the chance to have fun without all the pressure, because when they return it will be back to the grind. I have wanted Mullen back from the moment I saw Addazio calling offensive plays, and have had sparing moments of anything better since then.
A good example of Mullen’s mindset would be that he didn’t care for the green unis, which I didn’t hate, but I wasn’t much of a fan of either. Yet he recognized that a majority of the recruits loved them, so he accepted that as a trend that he needed to follow in the upcoming season by entertaining alternate unis.
I thought he did a much better job than anyone ever should have been able to do at MSU, and I love that he has the balls to do what he believes is right for the program despite the waiting criticism (ex. recruiting Dak P and this O&B game). I love that he is humble enough to follow trends (within reason) that will bring success even if it isn’t particularly the way he “likes” it to be on a personal level. I think the buzz around the program has been negative especially on offense, which has hendered the recruiting, and I think Mullen is trying to change that atmosphere to bring in the recruits we need to get us back where we want to be. It’s a very tough balance that I think he is handling beautifully. He knows he is not Jesus and can’t make that miracle happen in the blink of an eye, even though much of the fanbase loudly expects it. I think we should perhaps give him a full off-season and maybe even a full season of games with another recruiting class before we get too thick with the criticism. I too know the frustration of the last decade, but we shouldn’t expect him to overcome that decade over the course of one spring training or answer for all the deficiencies without some time to right the ship.
Again I love your articles, and appreciate the hard work you put into them, as well as the Gators Breakdown podcast. By far the best Gators podcast that I have heard hands down. I just wanted to offer a different perspective.
Brad Tester
I disagree completely . I was there as well, walked around talked to alot of fans. Seeing this team come out, truly humbled by the large turnout of fans showing their support and HAVING FUN for a change was pleasing to me. WHO cares about the gimmicks. Let the kids enjoy the day. Coach Mullen understands Florida football better than anyone and he knows that when its time to get serious, game on. We will see a better product, far more disciplined football team under Dan Mullen than we’ve seen in years. We will see a team that will play hard and compete in every game. How many times did a Jim McElwain team fail to do that? I lost count. So, let Saturdays spring game happen. Have fun, goof around a little, show some things on the field because i truly believe the real deal is ahead, and we are in for a great ride. Go Gators!
Justin
This was a fun read. Go Dawgs!