<<However, it's the price the top-ranked Gators must pay. The offense's red zone struggles and the lack of consistent big plays are the forefront of conversation. The goals of wide scoring margins and perfect football weren't on the list of expectations for the Gators, but it was for those outside the program.
"They want us to beat everyone by 102 (points) and give up no yards and score every time we touch the ball," Black said.
That certainly hasn't happened, but a 10-0 record, a SEC Eastern Division title and 20 wins in a row has. Still, it's not enough for some.
"They are going to set it way, way above the achievable goal," sophomore safety Will Hill said. "Whatever we do is never good enough.
"Everybody's going to be after us because we're Florida and who we are and what we've accomplished. Everybody wants to see us go down.">>
I disagree. I don't think that the team and coach understand what people are concerned about.
It's about potential.
Nobody is complaining about the UF defense. Watching the UF Defense - you come away impressed. The UF defense is playing at or above their potential. You can easily make the case that the UF defense is one of the top defenses in the country.
But you can't make the case that the UF offense is one of the best offenses in the country. The UF offense is not impressive. The UF offense is not winning games for us. We have a Heisman QB but our passing offense is ranked #85 in the country. Our defense and special teams does a lot to help our offense - but our offense does not usually take advantage.
We were expecting a top fuel dragster - but feel that we have a pinto.
Yes, we are thrilled at being 10-0 and are grateful for that.
Our concern is - can we win out with a pinto? If we look like pinto, practice like a pinto, and play like a pinto - can we just flip a switch whenever we need to - and turn it into a top fuel dragster - when we need it?
---------- Original Message --------
Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Gators tune out media [Aschoff]
From: Shane Ford <go.ufgator...@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, November 18, 2009 2:13 pm
To: gatorn...@googlegroups.com
Gators tune out media
By Edward Aschoff
Gainesville SUN CorrespondentPublished: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 1:04 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 at 1:04 p.m.Florida coach Urban Meyer will have to apologize for his lack of Tweets.Florida head coach Urban Meyer and South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier meet at mid-field following the Gators 24-14 win over the University of South Carolina in Columbia Saturday, November 14, 2009.
Doug Finger/The Gainesville Sun
Or his outdated Facebook status.Meyer's Internet privileges have been revoked since the Gators' 23-13 win over Tennessee. He turned his computer off and only checks it to see if it still runs.Meyer put a halt to his online use because he let the media corrupt him. He let what others were saying and expecting affect him and his coaching. His focus was directed toward impressing rather than winning."Players feed off the guy that stands in front at meeting time and if I'm worried about that then our focus isn't on getting better in certain aspects of our game," Meyer said. "I actually feel great ever since then because we just go."He feels good because his team is undefeated and still No. 1 in the country. While the criticism continues, Meyer said not paying attention to it is almost as good as it not existing.Meyer's players have taken a similar stance.Junior safety Ahmad Black said he doesn't pay much attention to what is said and that his days of continuously watching ESPN ended. With all the negativity flying at his team, Black said he's grown tired of the analysts."A lot of guys on ESPN and all those shows probably haven't even ever played," Black said. "They're out there, they're not in our team meetings. They're not around. I just watch (ESPN) if I have nothing to do."However, it's the price the top-ranked Gators must pay. The offense's red zone struggles and the lack of consistent big plays are the forefront of conversation. The goals of wide scoring margins and perfect football weren't on the list of expectations for the Gators, but it was for those outside the program."They want us to beat everyone by 102 (points) and give up no yards and score every time we touch the ball," Black said.That certainly hasn't happened, but a 10-0 record, a SEC Eastern Division title and 20 wins in a row has. Still, it's not enough for some."They are going to set it way, way above the achievable goal," sophomore safety Will Hill said. "Whatever we do is never good enough."Everybody's going to be after us because we're Florida and who we are and what we've accomplished. Everybody wants to see us go down."Hill's words hinted at a sense of frustration, but he said he's blocking out the negatives as best he can. He's going for a "If I don't listen to it, it can't bother me" attitude by replacing ESPN with more Cartoon Network time."I don't do the ESPN thing because you have critics that (say) Florida's this, Florida's that," he said. "You're not a Florida player. You're not a Florida coach. You're not a part of the staff, so you don't know what's going on."To keep team frustrations down, wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales said the emphasis has been on coming together and realizing the importance of the accomplishments not talked about."The bottom line is we're 10-0, we've won 20 straight and our guys know that," Gonzales said. "They've done a heck of a job. It's a tough deal to go through the SEC and win every game. A lot of people sometimes take it for granted."As the season winds down, the stat of zero losses grows more important.Quarterback Tim Tebow hears the complaints about the offense. He hears his Heisman Trophy candidacy question. He hears how his team has disappointed.It means nothing to him. He just wants that zero to maintain position.To Tebow, the talk is what's overrated, not his team."I try not to listen to the hype and listen to what people are saying because that's really all it is are opinions and there are a lot of different ones out there," he said. "I don't really care to hear them all."--
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions
2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions
2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996),
Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us
