Are coaches going to become even MORE boring?
You guys (and ladies) need to help me here because there is something that I don’t quite understand.
When did coach’s comments at booster clubs and radio interviews in MAY become MAJOR, MAJOR stories?
Two examples:
Florida coach Urban Meyer was recently speaking to a Gator Club in Orlando and said the following words: “If you want to be critical of a player on our team or a coach on our team, you can buy a ticket in seat 37F. You’re not welcome back in the football office. You’re either a Gator or you’re not a Gator.”
It was assumed in the media that Meyer was talking about former quarterback Shane Matthews, who co-hosts a radio show in Gainesville. As a radio host he has been analytical, and sometimes critical, of Florida’s offense, particularly the passing end of it. That’s his job. Besides, it is fair to say that Matthews know a little bit about the passing game.
Meyer’s job is to win games and protect his program from all enemies, foreign and domestic. He’s a coach and coaches are control freaks. It’s in their DNA. They can’t help it. Yeah, the remarks seem a little strident but in the context of a booster club it was like a politician throwing red meat to his base. It’s harmless.
But after those comments Meyer was being portrayed in some circles as a guy with a god complex that has only grown because of two national championships in three years. Suddenly, after four years in Gainesville, Meyer is trying to throw down the gauntlet to former players: You’re either in or you’re out.
The story was picked up on ESPN.com. The Worldwide Leader had Matthews on its daily TV show and he said that the story was overblown. Matthews talked to Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun, who is as dialed in to Florida as any reporter in the business. Dooley reported that Matthews and Meyer have talked and cleared the air. But for a week it was a really big deal down there. My question is: Did it have to be?
South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier went on Paul Finebaum’s radio show and said that he, too, had heard the rumors that Meyer might someday head ride off into the sunset to Notre Dame. If you know Spurrier, it is the kind of throwaway line that makes talking to him fun.
Remember “Free Shoes U?” I’m sorry Florida State fans, but THAT was funny. “Can’t spell Citrus without a UT?” Even if you wear Orange you have to laugh at that.
Now everybody has heard those rumors about Meyer and as long as Florida’s good and Notre Dame’s not, those rumors are not going away. But one trip around the blogosphere and Spurrier is suddenly talking smack about Meyer and using it for his recruiting advantage. That’s was not the context of the remarks. Spurrier was just having fun. You remember fun, don’t you? This is sports. This is supposed to be fun.
What was supposed to be a harmless, good natured jab at an opponent became this thing with legs that would not die.
So what’s the big deal, you ask? Those guys said what they said and they have to live with the consequences. It’s the age in which we live. Deal with it.
And you might be right. It could be that the cyber genie is out of the bottle and that the mega interest in college football, plus the money these guys are making make every word fair game.
But here is the concern. Since last week both Meyer and Spurrier have both become very cautious in public interviews.
“What happens is you can’t speak anymore,” Meyer told the Gainesville Sun. “You can’t have fun. You can’t talk. You know, it’s a shame, but that’s the way it is.”
Spurrier was in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday and even he has decided to back off.
“I haven’t won enough games to banter with anybody right now,” he told The Myrtle Beach newspaper. “So when you’re 7-5 and 7-6, which is about what we’ve averaged, you just try to worry about your team.”
College football coaches are boring enough during the season. But it used to be that we could get them to take off the blinders and loosen up for a few weeks in May and June. Is college football going to become like the NFL (No Fun League) because the coaches just get tired of every word being dissected and, in some cases, being blown way out of proportion? I hate that phrase because “proportion” is in the eye of the beholder but it seems to apply here.
I guess I have to remember that in the blogosphere little nuggets grow into big boulders if enough people chatter about them. But those of us in the business learned a long time ago that the stuff said at booster meetings has to be taken with a grain of salt. What coaches say in front of reporters is one thing. What they say in front of the booster clubs is another. In my opinion, you just can’t take it that seriously.
Apparently people do.
Am I missing something here?
Happy Birthday, Archie: I talked to the Ole Miss legend last night as he was celebrating his 60th birthday. The father of Peyton, Eli, and Cooper was born on May 19, 1949. It just doesn’t seem that long ago that I was watching him play against Georgia in Athens. “I sure don’t feel 60. I feel great,” he said. He looks like he could still play.
For those of you who never saw Archie Manning play in college, let me share this. Imagine a quarterback with the arm of Peyton or Eli. Now add speed. Archie Manning could flat run.
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159 comments Add your comment
Dink
May 20th, 2009
8:35 am
Can’t believe Archie is 60, Happy Birthday Papa Manning! One of the three best collegae players I ever saw. Shame he broke his arm his senior year, probably cost him the Heisman.
KR
May 20th, 2009
8:52 am
I have disliked Meyer since long before he took over at Florida, so I’ll refrain from commenting on him in particular. However, my personal opinion is that coaches, in general, have become prima donnas.
It probably has a lot to do with the outrageous sums of money they make these days and the expectations that go along with the money. It gives the coaches a sense of both entitlement (I’m rich, I deserve this…)and fear (What happens if I don’t have this any more?). Shula was one season removed from a 10-win season when he got canned and has not been able to get anywhere near that salary since. Price never coached a single down for Alabama before getting fired for his off the field transgressions. He also has been mired in lower levels ever since.
I’ve often said that if Bryant or Jordan had to start out in today’s college football environment, they probably wouldn’t have lasted nearly as long as they did. The expectations from the fans and the constant barrage from the media is far greater than it used to be.
Tony, I think it would make for interesting reading for you to do a comparison of the salaries that were paid to guys like Bryant, Dooley, Jordan, Neyland, etc… and their counterparts today. A comparison using today’s dollars would be good to help put things into perspective.
I do remember Archie Manning’s playing days, both in college and the pros. He was a much more exciting college player than either of his sons, but I think Payton’s a much better pro player.
Kid Ray
May 20th, 2009
8:52 am
Another great article TB; modern coaches all seemed too polished for my liking. No more “off the cuff” remarks, every statement seems like it was written by a PR guru and all the fun (and possibly controversial) elements washed out of it.
college football is becoming way too sanitized. Too many robots, not enough personalities.
Kid Ray
May 20th, 2009
8:53 am
and if you think robotic is good…go to youtube and watch a bill belichick presser. if you want to sleep that is.
SimpleDawg
May 20th, 2009
8:59 am
Archie was a great college QB….he was big, fast and had a strong arm. I remember that game in Athens….Ole Miss won. Archie should have won the Heisman Trophy at least once….maybe the year Steve Owens from OU won. He suffered a broken wrist one year and still played…with a cast, taking snaps under center.
You never heard any of these abrasive comments coming from the Old Masters of college football…Bear, Shug, Vince, Bud, Darryl, Vaught, Broyles…they all knew that the croaking frog usually got gigged. Spurrier was the first to really rely on the needle to openly agitate his opponents, but then he seemed to always have the fastest horse in the race. Urban has the same luxury. Kiffin, on the other hand, just seems to be a loose cannon…all powder, no ball. Tech’s PJ will prove to be another one of the new breed who tends to run his mouth rather recklessly.
Kid Ray
May 20th, 2009
9:05 am
speaking of frogs…sorry is the frog that doesn’t croak in his own pond. I think, as TB said, these remarks are generally harmless, smoe teasing if you will.
It makes the long offseason go by faster.
Coaches To Become More Boring? | MrSEC.com
May 20th, 2009
9:19 am
[...] Last week I wrote that I believe coaches will eventually become more bland… they’ll become more careful in what they say due to increased media scrutiny. They’ll especially start to watch what they say to booster groups, where comments are no longer “off the record.”Now Tony Barnhart of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that he fears coaches will become more boring, too. And he places the blame with folks in the internet world who write about these things.“I guess (I) have to remember that (in) the blogosphere little nuggets grow into big boulders if enough people chatter about them. But those of us in the business learned a long time ago that the stuff said at booster meetings has to be taken with a grain of salt. What coaches say in front of reporters is one thing. What they say in front of the booster clubs is another. In my opinion, you just can’t take it that seriously. Apparently people do.”I agree that these booster club barbs have been tossed around for years. “You can’t spell Citrus without U-T.” “Free Shoes University.” “Nothing matters more than beating that cow college on the other side of the state.”I also know that with everyone having access to a cell phone camera and the internet, the days of these comments NOT being blown up are long gone.But while Mr. Barnhart might be right that it’s the “blogosphere” crowd who builds this stuff up (personally, I’d have gone with messageboard folks), it’s the folks in the honest-to-goodness REAL media who are now getting involved in it for the first time.I don’t consider this site a blog. MrSEC.com is designed to be a news site where you can come and find out what’s going on all around the league. It’s not usually a series of “I just ate a taco” personal posts.And being that we link to REAL media sources (television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines) 99.9% of the time and that I am in the actual media and have been since 1991, I feel that I can comment on this:The line between REAL media and the blogosphere is disappearing. Quickly. For example, if you’ve read anything on this site about jokes and digs made by Steve Spurrier, Lane Kiffin, Dan Mullen or Urban Meyer (and you have), it’s been because I’ve linked to a tv, radio, newspaper or magazine story covering those comments. Not because I’ve linked to a blog or a messageboard.Again, perhaps the mainstream media has to step in and cover the furor because fans have gotten the ball rolling on their own sites, but it’s still being covered by the REAL media.So while I agree with Mr. Barnhart that coaches are likely to become more guarded in what they say and that these booster club comments shouldn’t bring down the wrath of God upon a coach’s head, I also know that it’s not just bloggers and fans who are pushing these stories.It’s the REAL media, too. Yes, even “those of us in the business” who “learned a long time ago that the stuff said at booster meetings has to be taken with a grain of salt.”As always, a thought-provoking piece from Mr. Barnhart. [...]
Pop Warner
May 20th, 2009
9:25 am
There used to be respect & comraderie among Dooley, Shug, Charlie Mac, Bryant, Majors, etc. Now it is all dislike & disrespect. Publicly calling a fellow coach a “cheater” (without even knowing the facts) would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. Now it’s considered “energizing the fan base”.
Huh?
May 20th, 2009
9:27 am
My favorite Spurrier moment: “Ray Goof.” And I’m a Georgia fan.
MrSEC.com give it a rest!
May 20th, 2009
9:32 am
MrSEC.com
Enough of the interminable solicitations! Give us a break
mightyKC
May 20th, 2009
9:35 am
tony,
your “brethren” are to blame…especially the sensationalist d-bags like mike bianchi. finebaum is to blame, too.
and yes, you are correct, the coaches will now clam up…that is, all of them except for Wonder Boy Lane. He’ll keep racking up quote as fast as he does secondary violations. And for any Vol fan that doesn’t think those secondary violations are a gateway drug to major ones, you’re kidding yourselves. he’ll be shooting up the heroin infractions in no time…especially w/ orgeron on his staff.
Otto
May 20th, 2009
9:35 am
The Big 12 coaches have been fun lately. Hawkins with his D1 speach, Stoops is always in the media promoting his Sooners, Gundy at Okie Lite defending his players and attacking the press and Leach is always good for something.
CharlotteGator
May 20th, 2009
9:35 am
What’s sad is that there are many more examples. While it’s fun to want to latch on and kill them for it, the stuff Kiffin said at his booster meeting and that Richt said at his were somewhat blown up as well. In my opinion, they’re booster meetings…reckless things will be said. As a Florida fan it’s really easy pickings to stick it to Lane for calling Urban out or to make fun of Richt and fellow Dawgs for crying about the JAX location, but at the end of the day, these guys were just talking to their fanbases. Can you imagine what else is being said that’s not getting reported. I personally, had no problem w/ Richt, Lane, or anyone else’s comments.
Ideally, I’d like to hear more of these coaches speaking off the cuff, because it’s precisely the lack of it that makes them seem like prima donna’s and not real people. Guarantee if we saw more of the ‘normal’ side, it would make things more interesting. Reality, however, is that it’s not gonna happen. The media needs something to talk about during the offseason so this is just extra fodder. And fans, who usually unfairly dislike other coaches because they’re the enemy, are gonna latch onto anything one of them says that furthers their argument.
Urban, Saban, Miles, SOS, Richt, etc. will always get labled as egotists, pansies, arrogant SOB’s, idiots, cheaters, etc. as long as there are opposing fans. The truth is though, that every fanbase loves their guy and wants to disparage the others that are just as good and compete with them. If your guy isn’t hated and/or talked about, it’s probably because your team isn’t envied or viewed as a threat.
It’s D-1 SEC life/athletics folks, no matter what is said, we all know the same things have to happen to be successful in the environment and while there are different styles and circumstances, everyone of the great coaches in the league deals with the same issues and has to do the same sorts of things to succeed.
NEXT#13
May 20th, 2009
9:35 am
KR,coach price’s adolesent behavior got him canned. The last thing bama needed at the time! Shula was let go for what i believe will be the samething coach richt will be canned for…blind loyalty to his staff!!!
buckblue
May 20th, 2009
9:37 am
Do you want them all to become self-promoting, arrogant, overpaid, self centered, pompus a%% clowns like nick saban and lame kiffen??????????????????????????
Otto
May 20th, 2009
9:38 am
ESPN says Kiffen is self reporting another violation. He is reporting these faster than Fulmer could order Krispy Kremes.
SimpleDawg
May 20th, 2009
9:40 am
Poor ol’ Ray….a good guy, but he was Spurrier’s whipping boy for years. I’m sure Ray would have liked to whip Superior’s a$$, but he had a lttle too much class to do so.
A little good-natured ribbing is fine, but these new genuises come off as arrogant and haughty, sometimes even spiteful.
Urbane and his God complex should really be at Notre Dame…he’d probably want his face put on Touchdown Jesus.
Roswell Ed
May 20th, 2009
9:44 am
I changed my blog to libertarianhumor.com to help in SEO popularity. Please come visit!!
You mean Urban Crier? He’s overrated. You really have to have things break your way inorder to win the mythical NC and he’s had that happen to him twice. Don’t get me wrong he’s a very good coach but he’s no Bear.
Roswell Ed
May 20th, 2009
9:45 am
Free Shoes U is probably my all time fav coach quote.
whitx2
May 20th, 2009
9:49 am
Tony, does the media show up at these booster meetings or is it the cell phones with video that are catching these nuggets?
JB
May 20th, 2009
9:51 am
I’m sorry, Richt and ego don’t go together. I have been around him many times, and he’s the most humble guy in the room. He’s a class act who would have fit in nicely with the old guard mentioned above.
AU
May 20th, 2009
9:59 am
I love how all sportswriters make “issues” out of things said by coaches and then try to blame the fans for drumming up criticism or turmoil. It’s writers like YOU Mr. Barnhart that take what coaches say to heart and write about it. 90% of fans like myself hear what Meyer or Tiffin say and just laugh. It’s the writers or the fool radio hosts like Finebaum that try to make an issue out of nothing. Even in a recent Finebaum article he states that coaches like Meyer and Saban have God complexes because they don’t converse with reporters or fans. Gee, wonder why when it’s the WRITERS that are delivering every bit of what they say and trying to make an issue out of it to make a name for themselves.
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
10:09 am
“I haven’t won enough games to banter with anybody right now,” [Spurrier] told The Myrtle Beach newspaper. “So when you’re 7-5 and 7-6, which is about what we’ve averaged, you just try to worry about your team.”
I look forward to Spurrier winning more games, so he can be released from self-imposed media exile.
All kidding aside, let’s get some perspective here. There is a world of difference between Steve Spurrier’s off-the-cuff observation about Urban Meyer’s “dream job,” and Lane Kiffin’s seemingly serious accusations of recruiting violations against Meyer. The first was a good-natured tweak, the second could have landed Kiffin in court for slander. No small thing, and there’s a reason why Kiffin quickly (if not so willingly) apologized—-no doubt under orders from UT’s office of general counsel.
As for the so-called “god complex,” it’s only a difference in degree, not in kind, between Mark Richt telling UGA fans that he will make all personnel decisions regarding defensive Willie Martinez, and Meyer rallying the troops against what he thought was misplaced and unfair talk-show criticism from Shane Matthews. Sometimes, how we say things DOES matter.
As for this Gator, Spurrier, Meyer and Matthews all remain in my personal pantheon of Gator Greats. Now play nice, boys.
Gen Neyland
May 20th, 2009
10:10 am
My two favorite Spurious moments: When Tennessee travelled to the Swamp at the end of 2001 (early SEP game cx’ed due to 9/11). The ol’ball coach had this to say after the game, “Tennessee – they were a little stronger I think around the line of scrimmage, and that was the difference in the game up front. One team ran it, the other one didn’t.”
The other was when he told his PK’er after a botched FG, (paraphrase) “Son, it’s not your fault for missing it. It’s my fault for believing you could make it.”…For what it’s worth, Coach Steve is a funny guy…
Archie Manning : Class act. Nuff said.
The Urban Cowboy : Lucky as all. IF Tebow and Spikes had decided to go Alabama, the Red Elephants would have been SEC Champs. It was just that close.
CharlotteGator
May 20th, 2009
10:11 am
Very well put AU.
Not trying to needle anyone in particular, just some funny Spurrier quotes. I imagine these came from booster meetings. It’s sad if this is the type of stuff we’ll no longer get.
- When asked if his Florida team would beat Georgia one year, he responded with the question, “is Ray Goff still the head coach there?”
- “I know why Peyton came back for his senior year: he wanted to be a three-time Citrus Bowl MVP”
- In response to the Auburn dorm fire that burned 20 books: “But the real tragedy was that fifteen hadn’t been colored yet!”
- “In 12 years at Florida, I don’t think we ever signed a kid from the state of Alabama. Of course, we found out later that the scholarships they were giving out at Alabama were worth a whole lot more than ours.”
- While at USCe, “How did we beat Tennessee this year?”….”The same way Vanderbilt did.”
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
10:14 am
Roswell Ed—-In order, quotable Spurrier in his hey day: (1) “Free Shoes University,” (2) “Can’t spell Citrus without ‘UT,’” (3) “Ray Goof,” and (4) “God smiled on the Florida Gators.”
Gen Neyland
May 20th, 2009
10:16 am
Footnote : DEC 2001, UT beat UF in Spurious’ last game coaching UF at The Bog. Final was 34-32. Casey Clausen was the QB for UT, Rex Grossman for UF.
Hoopie
May 20th, 2009
10:16 am
AU…..I can’t stand PF and his manipulative opinions, I do agree with his article the giving those coaches absolute power will ultimately cause problems. I also think that his article was written to serve his own motives rather than for the love of the game. I also agree with Tony that some of the press and fans make too much out of every comment thus causing boring caution.
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
10:19 am
Roswell Ed—-How many unshared, undisputed Division I football championships do you have to win to equal the Bear? Four? Urban Meyer is half way there in four seasons . . . .
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
10:23 am
“equal the Bear? Four? Urban Meyer is half way there in four seasons . . . .”
LMAO!
CharlotteGator
May 20th, 2009
10:23 am
Neyland – I was at that game, absolute heartbreaker. Probably the most disheartening game I’ve attended the way UT ran the ball down our throats. We were all psyched about a potential trip to the Rose Bowl with a win in that game, but honestly, it probably didn’t matter w/ the Miami juggernaut (I hate typing that) that ran through that season.
mark
May 20th, 2009
10:26 am
Tony- what are the chances that Spurrie returns to Fla. when Meyer goes to Notre Dame?? Promote Charlie Strong to HC??
m
May 20th, 2009
10:29 am
The funniest joke of all was ugag being 2008 preseason #1….that may have been the funniest joke in all of history.
The second funniest is these idiotic ugag fans not realizing that chan gomer gailey is gone from Tech. If they had watched closely last November, that was a new sheriff in town that was kicking their sorry preseason #1 arses.
Thank God and Greyhound that chan gomer gailey is gone forever. And Thank God that Paul Johnson’s forte is kicking ugag’s arse. He is going to make a habit of it…..mark it down.
reservoirDAWG
May 20th, 2009
10:30 am
m, the biggest loser ever.
» SEC links: UT will report Lane Kiffin’s Twitter violation John Clay’s Sidelines
May 20th, 2009
10:31 am
[...] Tony Barnhart of the AJC wonders if Spurrier will turn boring to stay out of the headlines. [...]
KR
May 20th, 2009
10:46 am
NEXT#13: Agreed on both accounts.
My point is, if it had happened in the 1970s, would anyone outside of a small group of people have even known about Price’s behavior?
As far as loyalty to staff costing them a job, you can most likely add Tommy Tuberville to the list.
Gen Neyland
May 20th, 2009
10:49 am
CharlotteGator : My football heart has been broken more often than yours when we play each other. From simply a SEC matchup perspective, it was a good game played by both. I think your PK got alot of tv time, too…
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
10:51 am
Faux “Atlanta Gator”—-I think I was pretty clear: I wrote “UNSHARED, UNDISPUTED Division I football championships.” Let’s look at the actual record, shall we?
Actually, Bear Bryant’s Tide teams received national championship honors in six seasons during his 25-year-tenure as head coach: 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978 and 1979.
Four of those championships were split or shared: 1964 (with Arkansas), 1965 (with Michigan State), 1973 (with Notre Dame) and 1978 (with USC).
Please feel free to laugh all you want, but those are the facts.
murfdawg
May 20th, 2009
10:57 am
I am really glad we don’t have to hear anything from SOS. How great do you have to be to beat Goff and Donnan? Spurrier’s arrival at UF coincided with the tremendous population explosion in Florida, and the improvement of high school coaching. And to ease 60years of frustration, he became a stand up comedian. He is a mediocre coach who has not won as many games as Holtz. Or Goff and Donnan in their first five years. I just wish we had shut him up in the 90s.
DawginLex
May 20th, 2009
11:04 am
Which mode of transportation will m use to send Johnson packing in a few years?
Spurrier is done. KARMA rules. You can’t treat people the way he has and not eventually pay for it.
Opening day:
NC State 42
SC 10
http://www.firestevespurrier.com explodes from all the hits.
Georgia Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:07 am
CharlotteGator:
I think I’m in love!
Are you married?
gatorman770
May 20th, 2009
11:08 am
Roswell ED – No coach can ever be the Bear because of the 1966 NCAA Bear Bryant Rule limiting the Bear giving mens&girls basketball, track, pocketpool and etc. scholarships to football players so he could have more players.
The old guard of coaches were just as vocal, but we did not have the mass media we have today, plus the quality of the newspaper writers, radio, and TV sportscasters are far different because they knew what to write or report and what not to write or report.
I know it’s not anything goes Friday, but you can see the change in news coverage since the WWII which we would have lost (like we did in Vietnam) with the liberal media coverage we have today!
My favorite Steve: UGA gets a lot of great high schoolplayers – I don’t know what happens to them when they get to Athens!
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:11 am
Sorry Texas, Our National Championship last year is undisputed & beyond question.
Now I gotta go watch Animal Planet, they’re showing a couple of gators in the lovin’ mood!
N
May 20th, 2009
11:11 am
Please don’t associate me with m.
SEC links: UT will report Lane Kiffin’s Twitter violation | MrSEC.com
May 20th, 2009
11:20 am
[...] Tony Barnhart of the AJC wonders if Spurrier will turn boring to stay out of the headlines. [...]
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:23 am
Faux “Atlanta Gator”—-I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them. And, no, Texas did not share national title honors with Florida at the end of the 2008 season. The Gators won the BCS championship game and were the consensus national champions in the AP poll, ESPN/Coaches poll and the vast majority of the other final media polls.
You can argue whether Texas was more deserving than Oklahoma, but the Big XII anointed Oklahoma as its conference champion, not Texas, and the Sooners’ selection for the Big game flowed from that.
BTW, I’m more of a History Channel guy than an Animal Planet guy. Enjoy the stats.
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
11:25 am
Great SOS quotes, CharlotteGator.
I’d forgotten half of them.
Aaron
May 20th, 2009
11:29 am
Gonna miss out on alot of good stuff if the coaches quit talking….my favorite Spurrier quote was in relation to a fire at Auburn several years ago that burned 20 textbooks said Spurrier “…the shame of it was 15 of them hadn’t been colored in yet!” come on, even if you’re from AU that’s funny
Anonymous
May 20th, 2009
11:30 am
Atlanta Gator = Alligator Dundee!
CharlotteGator
May 20th, 2009
11:39 am
SOS is definitely the quote gift that keeps on giving.
Thanks for the kind words Georgia Gator. Recently moved with the wife from Atlanta to Charlotte and I’ve been a big fan of these blogs and posts from Neyland, Ros. Ed, Atl Gator, G8R Grad, and the rest of the classy posters. Now that I’m in the land of college bball where they think ACC football is the real deal, I have to get some exposure to real football fans.
The biggest stories here right now are Dale Jr.’s sock drawer, what the student manager at NC State thinks about Coach K, and some event going on at a racetrack named after a stupid home improvement store.
Man do I miss the SEC…
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:42 am
I enforce the rules. Deal with it.
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
11:45 am
Hey Atlanta Gator:
Do you number Herpetology among your many degrees?
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
11:48 am
CharlotteGator:
Back at ya.
BTW:
Not being a fan of NASCAR, please pardon my ignorance, but what about Dale Jr.’s sock drawer?
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:49 am
Faux “Atlanta Gator” @ 11:42 am—-I was being facetious, of course. Please don’t post harsh words in my name. Not my blog style. Thanks.
Atlanta Gator
May 20th, 2009
11:52 am
G8R GRAD—-Missed that degree. Why would I want to study viral infections?
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
11:57 am
Herpetology (from Greek: ἑρπετόν, herpeton, “creeping animal” and -λογία, -logia) is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including the frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophionae) and of reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras).
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
11:59 am
Not to get too far off subject, but doesn’t the SEC baseball tourney get underway today in Birmingham?
Spike
May 20th, 2009
12:05 pm
I’ll believe Spurrier will keep his big mouth shut when I see it. It is in his DNA to shoot off at the mouth.
Yoda
May 20th, 2009
12:05 pm
SimpleDawg:
PJ and new breed don’t go together in a sentence.He’s about as old school as they come. He’s been coaching a long time and even learned a thing or two from one of UGA’s old coaches…..ERK. PJ won’t mouth off at anything unless he knows he can back it up.
PTC Jacket
May 20th, 2009
12:06 pm
Charlotte Gator: You’ve got to admit that the basketball is insane in North Carolina. I would know, because my dad’s side of the family live there. Football doesn’t really exist in NC, except now UNC and NC State think they’re “rising powerhouses”, so I’m sorry that you have to deal with that.
Everyone else: Who is SOS? I’m assuming that’s Saban….
Urban Meyer
May 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
My favorite Spurrier joke was the one about me going to Notre Dame! Now THAT was funny!!!
PTC Jacket
May 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
SimpleDawg:
CPJ will have his sarcastic remarks and sometimes jabs at the other opponents, but he’s not the type to go up to the media and blab about the critics. If anything, all he’s done is blast at the refs for not knowing what a “chop block” is. I highly doubt he’ll become a “new breed” of coaches. I mean, heck, look at the offense that he runs.
Anonymous
May 20th, 2009
12:10 pm
SOS = Steven Orr Spurrier
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
12:11 pm
PTC Jacket:
SOS are Coach Steve Spurrier’s (Univ. of SC) initials.
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
12:19 pm
Sorry, Atlanta Gator.
I didn’t mean to be obtuse.
PTC Jacket
May 20th, 2009
12:20 pm
Okay thanks guys. My first guess was that the UGA fans would call Saban “SOS” for Son of Satan or something.
Shamus Thacker
May 20th, 2009
12:23 pm
Anything that will shut these two idiots up, is a blessing IMO!
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
12:24 pm
Not bad, PTC.
Maybe you’re on to something!
Otto
May 20th, 2009
12:33 pm
PTC that would be the LSU fans.
Willie H
May 20th, 2009
12:44 pm
First Kiffin gets bashed for saying too much. Meyer and Dan Mullen have been bashed for comments on the recruiting practices at AU. Saban gets bashed for calling out the UAT fans. Chizik and Richt get accused of being too boring. Make up your mind. You cant have it both ways. it sounds like to me they are “damned if they dont damned if they do”.
dan
May 20th, 2009
12:56 pm
Spurrier is right about not talking trash when your team is 7-5 and 7-6. That’s one thing I’ll say about the ole’ Ball Coach, when he talked trash he backed it up and you got to admire that even if you don’t like him personally.
As for Archie Manning, let me say that he WAS NOT bettet than Peyton! Peyton is a fanstatic player in college and the NFL! Archie was very unorthodox and a fun player to watch, but he was no where near the athlete or the complete QB that Peyton is.
follow the money trail
May 20th, 2009
1:13 pm
m- winning by 3 is hardly getting one’s a$$ kicked. wow.
Tide rising
May 20th, 2009
1:21 pm
Just chiming in this afternoon after a heavy evening of drinking and celebrating National Gene Chizik day yesterday 5-19.
Don’t know why Tony thinks the SEC is now so boring in regards to its coaches. Lane Kiffin has been a lot of fun and I think we can all be assured that he is going to have a lot of funny comments for awhile to come.
Can’t speak for the other coaches but as for Saban you can just continue to expect him to be BORING. Part of the reason is that he’s just one of those no nonsense, all business type of folks. Its just the way the man is. The other reason is that he has been so vilified and pilloried by the media that he now just disdains and hates the media. Its a mutual relationship and it was the media that openly dubs him Satan according to Mark Bradley because of the mutual dislike. Sorry but we just can’t help you out in the coaching humor area. Its all up to Kiffin now and SOS if he can get Carolina on a more winning track.
Kendawg
May 20th, 2009
1:24 pm
Considering Spurrier’s record at South Carolina, it makes you wonder if it isn’t the number of high-quality football players in the state that counts rather than coaching ability. Spurrier probably isn’t less of a coach now than when he was at Florida, but his record at SC seems to indicate that he is less of a coach. I wonder if he regrets his move to the pros.
L
May 20th, 2009
1:24 pm
I see that the idiot immediately following me spoke his usual rant of the day about the dawgs. Can you just imagine his letter if they won more than once every 8 years.
Gatorzone
May 20th, 2009
1:48 pm
Charlotte, I feel your pain. I spent 5 years in SEC exile in Raleigh. Great city, but football around there sucks. Now I live in God’s Country (Southwest Florida) and am loving the constant flow of SEC info. By the way, I used to live in Atl too, and the blogs on the AJC beat anything around Tampa.
Gatorzone
May 20th, 2009
1:51 pm
Kendawg, I think SOS kind of lost some of his fire when he went to Washington. Just watching him on the sideline seems like his heart is not in it as much as it used to be. Perhaps it is location, or age, but the intensity and fire are definitely not there.
Thoughts?
Pierson Brave
May 20th, 2009
1:56 pm
Payton was a great college player….although he never beat the Gators!
Huh?
May 20th, 2009
2:01 pm
Spurrier benefited from a relatively weak SEC in the 90’s. He only had to worry about Tennessee and Alabama. That was it. The rest of the SEC was mediocre at best. If you were one of the big 3, all you had to do was beat the other two and you won the SEC. It was that simple. Its not that simple anymore. Florida is still great. Georgia is now a power. LSU is now a power. Auburn has its powerful moments. Same with Tennessee. The league is much more competitive now. Even the mid to lower tier teams are more competitive. So no, Spurrier isn’t any less of a coach now than he was then. The rest of the league has just gotten better.
Another Lane Violation!
May 20th, 2009
2:04 pm
Oops he’s done it again! Was just listening to Jim Rome (not my first choice) and he was laughing at how Tennessee is now reporting ANOTHER “secondary” violation by Lane Kiffin, or what they are now saying was a staff employee on his first day on the job (right!). I guess it was on his “twitter” account that there was some bragging about picking up some Georgia recruits commitment (that sounds like Kiffin!) and as everyone knows, that’s a no no to talk about a recruit before he actually signs up. Didn’t Kiffin do that on a radio show about Bryce Brown?? Anyway, so now the Administration there is blaming it all on this poor flunkie sap on his first day on the job. Clever! I guess we’re all supposed to believe that, but does anybody else notice a pattern here??? Don’t these guys have a clue about the rules??
Gator Growl
May 20th, 2009
2:12 pm
First day on the job?? What was he doing with Kiffins Twitter account?!?!
Ryno
May 20th, 2009
2:14 pm
Sometimes ALV, the news is what it actually says it is, not what you want it to be. It was a new employee that “twittered” that about the new commit, not the coach. You’re too biased to believe anything except what you want to believe.
Nothing to see there. Move along.
Dean
May 20th, 2009
2:15 pm
These wouldn’t be big stories if hte journalist didn’t talk about them incessatnly. How often is the AJC following up on stories about Kiffin?
Gator Growl
May 20th, 2009
2:21 pm
Ryno, you need to change your name to Ostrich because like so many of you Tennessee fans, you have your head in the sand. That is your head, isn’t it???
Urban Warfare
May 20th, 2009
2:25 pm
Hey, he’s the Lane Train Wreck and everyone in Tennessee is on board. And just like a real train wreck, it’s hard to keep your eyes off it.
Tide rising
May 20th, 2009
2:28 pm
Huh,
That is a valid point. In the 90s it was pretty much a 3 horse race with UT and Fla in the east and Bama in the west. All SOS had to do was beat UT and then beat Bama in the seccg and he had an sec title team. No offense to anyone else but LSU was terrible in those years, Auburn had some good years here and there but certainly wasn’t a power until Tubbs got there in the late 90s, UGA had a couple of good years but was never much of a threat to UT or UF. The conference is much deeper now in both divisions. Auburn and UT are a little bit down right now but they will be back and even then some of the lower level teams like Ole Miss have risen quite a bit. Every team in the sec in the 2000s has gone bowling and even several of the lower tier teams have gone bowling multiple times. For the most part in the 2000s you really can’t take any game for granted in the sec. This year you can’t even count Vandy as a win. They will have 19 starters back on a team that went bowling and beat ACC runnerup BC.
I wouldn’t worry too much about Kiffin’s most recent NCAA violation. Its secondary meaning it was inadvertent, no big deal and practically every sec school reports secondary violations every year. As long as they report it and correct the problem they’ll be fine.
It does make you wonder though about the competence of Kiffin and his guys. That is a much more alarming thought if you’re a UT fan.
Jim Rome. I hate the guy with a passion. What a self-righteous, condescending, arrogant, pompous, know it all punk of an azzclown, jocksniffer of a jerk. Yes. That’s how I really feel about this fraud of a sports show host.
G8R GRAD
May 20th, 2009
2:32 pm
This just in:
#2 seeded Gators 5
#7 seeded Arkansas 8
We now must beat the loser of the #6 Georgia/#3 Ole Miss game (just underway) to stay in the SEC baseball tournament.
exNFLplayer
May 20th, 2009
2:37 pm
As it is, always has been, and always will be, in the mind of Urban Meyer, it’s all about Urban. That’s ‘Urban’s Way’.
Ryno
May 20th, 2009
2:38 pm
Oh Growl, you have wounded me so. Just so you know, that same mistake wasn’t made on CLK’s Facebook page yesterday, so yeah, the Twitter mistake was on someone else. You should probably run crying to Foley about the whole ordeal. He’ll go outside where Slive is washing his car, and get Kiffin to apologize to Meyer, to Pahokee, to you personally, and to the person who actually made the entry in question.
Heck, I’m surprised Slive hasn’t made Kiffin apologize for waterboarding Meyer and the rest of the Gator Nation by now.
Dave
May 20th, 2009
2:39 pm
Agreed Tide rising about the secondary violations but isn’t that like his 4th or 5th in as many months?? I recall the Meyer thing as well as the Brown incident and maybe something about the use of a fog machine, maybe one or two I can’t recall. Seems to me that they really don’t know the rules over there in Knoxville or don’t care. Makes you wonder what else is going on there…
Dave
May 20th, 2009
2:39 pm
Also agreed on Jim Rome…
Tide rising
May 20th, 2009
2:42 pm
Dave, as we like to say at Bama “IF YA AINT CHEATIN YA AINT TRYIN!”
Gator Growl
May 20th, 2009
2:43 pm
Kiffin has a Facebook page? I thought with his maturity level, he would be on My Space.
Sam
May 20th, 2009
2:43 pm
PTC Jacket
May 20th, 2009
12:08 pm
SimpleDawg:
CPJ will have his sarcastic remarks and sometimes jabs at the other opponents, but he’s not the type to go up to the media and blab about the critics. If anything, all he’s done is blast at the refs for not knowing what a “chop block” is. I highly doubt he’ll become a “new breed” of coaches. I mean, heck, look at the offense that he runs.
Right PTC Jacket! CPJ reserves his public barbs and verbal combat for 18 year old former recruts. Class act, that guy.
Dave
May 20th, 2009
2:45 pm
Tide rising…with the NCAA sniffing around Bama lately, I wouldn’t be saying that too loud!
dan
May 20th, 2009
2:47 pm
Huh?
I agree in part that the SEC has gotten better this decade. But you can’t take away what Florida accomplished in the 1990’s. Those teams had a swagger and those Spurrier coached teams would still beat many of those teams in the SEC today. I was at UGA for Spurrier’s last season in Florida in 2001, and even though that team didn’t make it to the SEC Championship, they were VERY dominant and blewout a good Maryland team in the Orange Bowl. Spurrier probably wouldn’t win by 30 points like he did in the mid-90’s, but his teams would still be VERY good if he were at Florida now.
With that being said, I think Spurrier has ” topped out” at South Carolina. He just doesn’t have the QB to run his offense, and his ego will not allow him to delegate to his assistants. And the South Carolina defense is very bi-polar. His defense’s at Florida were the key to his success in the 90’s: he had some great players come out of there( Lito Sheppard, Alex Brown, Jevon Kearse). Spurrier just doesn’t have the talent at South Carolina and he’s just a weird fit there. It’s too bad in a way, it’s not as much fun watching his teams lose like it used to be.
Gator Growl
May 20th, 2009
2:53 pm
Hey Ostrich…err, I mean Ryno, I tried to get ahold of Slive personally but I understand he is busy shining Foleys’ Florsheims! HAHAHA
Anonymous
May 20th, 2009
2:57 pm
“In 12 years at Florida, I don’t think we ever signed a kid from the state of Alabama. Of course, we found out later that the scholarships they were giving out at Alabama were worth a whole lot more than ours.”
and
“I know why Peyton came back for his senior year: he wanted to be a three-time Citrus Bowl MVP.”
Priceless.
Tide rising
May 20th, 2009
2:58 pm
Dave,
I am kidding of course although any day now we are going to get hit all over again all because of the textbook disbursement. We’ll probably lose 2-4 schollies over 2 years which isn’t that big a deal. Its going to be very light because we discovered it, self reported it, dole out immediate suspensions, we basically handled it the right way but even then it puts us right back in the 5 year window. All this because a handful of idiots figured out there was a loophole in the textbook disbursement and were able to get some free textbooks for their friends, girlfriends.
Bo Williams
May 20th, 2009
3:01 pm
I don’t know about coaches becoming boring, but sports writers are often boorish.