Even if you’re a Gator hater, there is no joy in Meyer’s departure
It’s a tough business. I get that. And over the course of six seasons a head football coach in the SEC can rub a lot of people the wrong way, especially the people he beats.
But if you’re a Bulldog or a Volunteer for a Gamecock or a member of the Crimson Tide Nation, you really shouldn’t be celebrating today over the news that Urban Meyer is leaving as the head coach at Florida.
I’ve had my own issues Meyer.
He was flat wrong when he suspended linebacker Brandon Spikes for only one-half game after Spikes clearly tried to hurt Georgia’s Washaun Ealey (sticking his fingers in the facemask). Only after the public outcry did Spikes “suddenly” decide that his suspension should be for one game.
He was wrong when he dressed down a reporter in practice in front of cell phone cameras. If he had an issue with the reporter, then there is a right way–a professional way–to address the concern. He chose the wrong way. I don’t know if Meyer was trying to put on a show for his players but it was unprofessional behavior. You don’t use people as props because you want to win football games.
He was flat wrong when he allowed Chris Rainey to return to the team and I said so. There are certain lines in life that you do not cross and threats against women is one of those lines. The rationalizations about who Rainey was and his background, etc., may have all been true. But all that pales in comparison to a text message that said “Time to die, ——-.”
The more success Meyer and the Florida program had, the more withdrawn and insular it became. They became like rock stars who once basked in the attention that brought them fame and fortune but ultimately found it suffocating and just tried to block it all out.
But instead of managing the media and managing the very high expectations, which successful people do every day, Meyer chose to throw up walls and pull in the ranks and adopt this silly “us agains the world” mentality. Coaches do that because it’s easy and the players will easily buy into it. It’s much easier for a coach to tell a player “they are all out to get us” instead of “dealing with the media–good and bad–is part of growing up. If you want to play at the next level you need to learn how to deal with these people and be smart about it. We will teach you how to do that.” But that takes work and, in some coaches’ narrow view of the world, it has nothing to do with winning and losing and so it should simply be eliminated as a factor. It is short sighted but if you win enough games, being short sighted eventually becomes a virtue.
Having said all that, Meyer is/was a helluva coach and the record certainly proves that. He won two national championships in three seasons (2006, 2008) and was certainly good enough in 2009 to win a third but for Alabama. For five years at Florida his star burned as brightly as any I’ve ever seen. But on Wednesday he announced, in so many words, that he was burned out.
I know you love your school but most of you I hear from also love your conference and college football as a whole. And so there is no reason to celebrate when the sport burns out a talented coach. You would rather he stay so that when you finally beat him it is all the more sweet.
Florida will find another talented coach. Frankly, I’m going to be surprised if its not Dan Mullen. Whoever it is will be very successful. Steve Spurrier forever changed Florida’s football program in his 12 years (1990-2001) at the school. Before Spurrier arrived Florida had never won 10 games in a season and had never won an SEC championship. Spurrier raised the bar and so Florida will never go back for more than a year or two.
And for Urban Meyer? I predict that he will be out of coaching for only one year and will surface again. This year he got caught in the perfect storm of talent losses and coaching losses and the inability to summon up the fire in the belly that had burned white hot for five seasons. We were all guilty of thinking that Florida could just reload after four years of Tim Tebow. The Florida program took a dip as all programs do (see Texas). The Gators will be back sooner rather than later but Urban Meyer will no longer be their coach.
If you love the game, there is no reason to celebrate that.
And one last thing: If Urban Meyer goes to the Denver Broncos in the next two months, I take it all back.
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621 comments Add your comment
Dawglifer
December 9th, 2010
8:49 am
TB, your argument for why we shouldnt celebrate for him leaving is very weak. I think what happened is, when the going got tough, Meyer quit. Why should I think it is sad that he couldnt hack it???? So he loses Tebow, then retires, comes back, goes 7-5 then retires again?!?! Maybe he wants to go spend time with his family, and figured now is a good time to do it? I dont think he burned out, necessarily. And, finally, dont tell ME what I should or shouldnt want! As a Dawg fan, I dont care about beating Meyer, I JUST WANT TO BEAT FLORIDA! AND WITH HIM GONE, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE EASIER.
GOOD RIDDANCE, URBAN. YOU ARE DISGRACE TO THE SEC.
SEC fan
December 9th, 2010
8:49 am
Way to stay classy Tony. Spend most of your column defending your past criticisms of Meyer. What a self-absorbed blowhard you’ve become!
Now that he’s gone, you have one less figure on which to focus your hate and sense of insecurity.
Unfortunately for UGA, UF will end up better for this in the long run.
RxDawg
December 9th, 2010
8:50 am
There is no joy… because UF is going to hire Dan Mullen and I’m pretty sure he’s a better coach than Meyer. He just hasn’t racked up the accomplishments yet.
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
8:51 am
SOGADOG,
With me out of the way, Richt might get to the Georgia Dome, but he will then proceed to get a whuppin put on him by Les Miles, Nick Saban or Gene Chizik.
3rdN8
December 9th, 2010
8:51 am
Don’t think it will be Dan Mullen. Mullen is a pretty smart guy.
Following Meyer can create the “Zook” effect (or the Perkins effect at Bama) for coaches. Pat Dye is rumored to have turned Bryant down for that very reason.
Brandon Spikes
December 9th, 2010
8:52 am
I bee sawry to sees corch myuhs leev da flawda programm. he wuz a goot corch an him wuz a goot rowl moduhl fo me.
Douglas
December 9th, 2010
8:53 am
Sympathy because he is burned out? Come on now — he, like anyone else in the real world made that choice to burn himself out. No one forced him — he knew what he was getting into when he came into this profession. And he was paid very well. That’s like saying: well, beer, wine, and liquor caused someone to be an alcoholic.
SimpleDawg
December 9th, 2010
8:53 am
The Urbane Crier will surface again, somewhere……maybe in a couple of years, but if he waits too long, he may as well stay gone, because he will be old news.
If what he says is true, good for him. Unless he’s a NBA player, he should have more than enough money to live very well for the rest of his life.
Mullen may just stay at Mississippi State and make his own mark in the SEC. Charlie Strong….too much of a gamble – he’s only been the head coach at Louisville for one year.
Randy Shannon is available.
Rep. Corinne Brown
December 9th, 2010
8:55 am
Corch Irvin Meyers lead da Gata to 2 nasha chamships, led by kwottabak Tim Tivo. Percy Harvey touchdown catch help the Gata take the forf kwotta lead. Go Gata!
ct
December 9th, 2010
8:56 am
this gator is rejoicing!!! take Addazzio with you scumbag…give me Mullins or Stoops or Strong..time to get back to where the Gators belong
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
8:56 am
When Dan steps in to take my place, Mark will have a shot at the Miami job, but he has to beat out Gruden and Leach. He’ll probably stay in Athens.
gene
December 9th, 2010
8:57 am
Perhaps,maybe just perhaps,he talked with his daughter and she asked “If he had sent that message to me would you have let him back on the team ever ?”The concept of a moral compass is not unknown in Catholic theology and Urban ( named for a Pope by the way) may have realized that he had lost his way with the Rainey decision.
SECWasteManagement
December 9th, 2010
8:57 am
@ Douglas,
That sounds right on the money
Calhoundawg
December 9th, 2010
8:57 am
I used to “hate” Steve Spurrier — then Urban Meyer came along. It was only then that I realized that I actually loved Steve Spurrier. Spurrier has SEC caliber class AND wins football games. Urban Meyer is a disgrace to the league and to college football. His departure is the next best thing to happen to the SEC since Lane Kiffin crawled out of town. Good riddance and Go Dawgs !!!!
dawggirl
December 9th, 2010
8:58 am
“We were all guilty of thinking that Florida could just reload after four years of Tim Tebow.”
Speak for yourself, Tony. Some of us knew better. It should be a lesson to Auburn fans.
Meyer was no doubt an unbelievable coach, but as a person, he kind of sucked. I’ve never really liked him since he referred to himself in the third person – he’s completely narcissistic. I would hate to be his daughter and know that my dad willingly gave up going to my sporting events for six years. Hope it was worth it, Urbie.
Jim
December 9th, 2010
8:58 am
Tony…you mean for 4 years his star shined as brightly as any you have ever seen. The year before Tebow he got throttled by Mike Shula in Tuscaloosa….the year after Tebow he got throttled by Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Meyer is a good coach….but he had no Plan B for when Tebow left. Yeah, I like Meyer…I think he and Richt are the worst disciplinarian coaches in the country…but that’s another issue….but the guy was good with Tebow…he was average (at best) without him.
The Beast of the Least
December 9th, 2010
8:58 am
I DON’T KNOW WHAT WE’RE YELLING ABOUT!
IlliniDawg
December 9th, 2010
8:58 am
What cracks me up most is the reaction of Gator fans:
They rabidly defended the coach at almost all costs as long as he was still their coach – and now they unseemly cast him aside or toss him in the trash bin as he decides he no longer will be at UF.
As some have said here, there is a huge difference between UF and UGA – loyalty! Coaches are loyal and fans are loyal – perhaps sometimes to a fault. But gosh, we aren’t schizophrenic in our relationships!
Ryno
December 9th, 2010
8:59 am
Boo-hoo. So he got burned out. Maybe if he hadn’t spent the last six years talking down to us and throwing out the “top one percent” crap, we’d care a little bit.
Strong and Mullen and Tebow were UF the last few years, not Urbie. He wasn’t even a good parole officer for all those arrested gators. Maybe his wife will make him go back to coaching once she realizes what a tool he is when he’s around all day every day.
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
8:59 am
gene,
My “Catholic Moral Compass”?
Really?
That right there’s funny — I don’t care who you are!
Bama "Dude" Is Clueless
December 9th, 2010
9:00 am
My how quickly the mullets forget….
Forget Southern Cal, Alabama is NCAA’s most consistent cheater
— posted by mike bianchi on July, 21 2010 6:36 AM
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — If you were the NCAA, at which football program would you have the most investigators?
As I prepared to cover the annual Southeastern Conference Football Media Days, which begins today here in Birmingham, that was the question asked of me by one of bosses.
Even with Southern Cal still dealing with the massive fallout from the Reggie Bush mess and Florida currently embroiled in a potential agent scandal involving Maurkice Pouncey, Alabama still gets my vote as college football’s most consistently dirty program.
If I were king of the NCAA, I would not only saturate Alabama with investigators, I would set up a branch office in Tuscaloosa.
In Alabama, cheating is as much a part of the football lore as the houndstooth hat worn by Bear Bryant and that purty dress worn by Mike DuBose’s secretary.
Alabama has seen it all over the last 20 years. Shady loans. Athletes illicitly accepting cash payments from agents and boosters. Multiple probations. Postseason bans. Scholarship reductions. Lack of institutional control. You name it, the Crimson Tide has done it.
Welcome to Alabama, where the NCAA probations are nearly as prevalent as national championships. Actually, in the last decade, Alabama has recorded more NCAA probations (three) than it has national titles (one).
It should also be noted that the iconic Bear Bryant may not have ever been caught cheating himself, but he tutored some of college football’s biggest outlaws.. Charley Pell, Pat Dye, Danny Ford and Jackie Sherrill all were Bear disciples who went on to provide some of the most unique interpretations of the NCAA rulebook in the history of college football.
Roll Tide?
Alabama’s rallying cry should be, “We Lied!”
And maybe, too, Alabama should get rid of its elephant mascot and replace it with a pig.
What better animal to symbolize the dirtiest, stinkiest program in recent NCAA history.
SECWasteManagement
December 9th, 2010
9:00 am
Calhoundawg,
The Ol’ Ball Coach was far from class at UF.
ClinchPanther
December 9th, 2010
9:02 am
I don’t think he was a great coach at all. Great players make great coaches. He saw the light and could not handle getting taken down by his in state rival to the degree in which he did. Timmy is gone and he knows it would be impossible to ever repeat that run again. He got out because he can’t take losing. Simple but true.
Bama "Dude" Is Clueless
December 9th, 2010
9:02 am
Remember The Past Mullets, Before You point the finger in our direction….
Cheating is as much a part of the football lore as the houndstooth hat worn by Bear Bryant and that purty dress worn by Mike DuBose’s secretary.
Alabama has seen it all over the last 20 years. Shady loans. Athletes illicitly accepting cash payments from agents and boosters. Multiple probations. Postseason bans. Scholarship reductions. Lack of institutional control. You name it, the Crimson Tide has done it.
Welcome to Alabama, where the NCAA probations are nearly as prevalent as national championships. Actually, in the last decade, Alabama has recorded more NCAA probations (three) than it has national titles (one).
It should also be noted that the iconic Bear Bryant may not have ever been caught cheating himself, but he tutored some of college football’s biggest outlaws..
IlliniDawg
December 9th, 2010
9:02 am
@ Rep Corrine Brown – damn that’s funny!
@gene – as a father of a daughter, that is very very true
@Calhounddawg – funny how “The Ole Ballcoach” has kinda grown on me too over the years!
Dixie Redcoat Band
December 9th, 2010
9:02 am
I think we all pretty much agree the guy from uf has no class. But, still scared to death next year in JAX!
BAMA dude
December 9th, 2010
9:03 am
And so there is no reason to celebrate when the sport burns out a talented coach. You would rather he stay so that when you finally beat him it is all the more sweet.… TB
I don’t think a sport burns out a coach unless all the other coaches are getting burned out. I just think Meyer couldn’t handle the pressure of big time football.
some things are more important than Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
9:03 am
The unranked 7-5 Gators need help.
Shane
December 9th, 2010
9:03 am
I’m always stunned that someone has to bring Bama up regardless of the topic. Incredible.
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
9:04 am
Bama “Dude” Is Clueless,
If the best I could do is copy and paste a rant from some other jealous doofus, I’d just quit.
Wait… I did!
RxDawg
December 9th, 2010
9:04 am
“Meyer was no doubt an unbelievable coach, but as a person, he kind of sucked.”
That’s about the best summation I’ve seen to date.
JB
December 9th, 2010
9:04 am
I think Meyer is a good coach, but not a great one. He hit a perfect storm with Tebow and mix in some speed from all that great State of Florida Talent….. My Dawgs couldn’t beat him regularly……But Dan Mullen in Florida Scares me with Diaz………That scares me.
3rdN8
December 9th, 2010
9:05 am
Speaking of Spurrier.
I didn’t like Steve Spurrier for several years after he became HC at Florida. I thought he was an arrogant prick. But all I ever heard was the sound bites; “you can’t spell Citrus without UT” kind of stuff.
After moving to south Forida in the late nineties, I had the opportunity to listen to the entire context of what Spurrier was actually saying. I changed my mind about the guy. He’s just brutally honest, and answered questions accordingly. Whether the topic was another team or coach, or his own team, he just let it fly.
Kind of unique in our PC culture.
Bama "Dude" Is Clueless
December 9th, 2010
9:06 am
Remember Albert Means & Logan Young???
Alabama Booster Convicted
Guilty Verdict Sets Precedent in Wake of $150K in Improper Payments
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 3, 2005; Page D01
MEMPHIS, Feb. 2 — Mere hours after high school seniors across the country made formal commitments to the colleges where they will play football in the fall, Logan Young became the first booster to be convicted of a crime for providing improper inducements to a recruit.
In a case that drew the attention of the NCAA and colleges across the country, Young was found guilty of conspiracy to commit racketeering (by breaking state bribery laws), crossing state lines to commit racketeering and arranging bank withdrawals to cover up a crime after he paid a Memphis high school coach $150,000 to ensure that the coach’s star player would attend the University of Alabama in 2000.
Testimony in the trial from college coaches and former Trezevant High School coach Lynn Lang shed new light on what cynics suspect is business as usual in football recruiting. Lang testified that representatives of at least three other schools offered him cash, law school tuition for his wife or coaching jobs in exchange for helping them get the recruit, all-American defensive lineman Albert Means.
“There are no heroes in this case,” U.S. assistant district attorney Fred Godwin said. “Even the victims are flawed.”
Federal prosecutors said Young gave Lang $150,000 in cash payments during a 15-month period in 1999 and 2000. In return, Lang steered Means toward the Crimson Tide. The case has already resulted in Alabama’s football team being placed on five years’ probation by the NCAA, and Lang and one of his assistant coaches pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy.
“Some things are self-evident, and one of those things is that a high school teacher can’t sell one of his children, and somebody like Logan Young can’t buy him for the sole purpose of football,” Godwin told the jury during his closing argument Tuesday. “It’s signing day, ladies and gentlemen, and you know who paid Lynn Lang.”
Bama "Dude" Is Clueless
December 9th, 2010
9:08 am
The truth Hurts……facts don’t lie “Urban Meyer” LoL
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
9:04 am
Bama “Dude” Is Clueless,
If the best I could do is copy and paste a rant from some other jealous doofus, I’d just quit.
Wait… I did!
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
9:09 am
Bama “Dude” Is Clueless,
How “clueless” would someone have to be to figure out that you’re just another Auburn fan with Premature Asterisks Paranoia? Have you guys EVER had an undefeated season that didn’t come with an asterisk?
Could This Be Why Urban Crier Resigned??
December 9th, 2010
9:10 am
Is Urban Meyer Behind Newton Story?
by Jay Coulter on Nov 5, 2010 5:29 PM CDT in Football
Auburn Undercover.com senior editor Phillip Marshall is reporting this afternoon that Florida coach Urban Meyer is the person responsible for the Cam Newton pay-for-play story being leaked to the press over the past few days.
In the story, Marshall talks of a three-way phone conversation between Meyer, Miss State coach Dan Mullen and former Bulldog quarterback John Bond, who made news yesterday in a story for ESPN.com.
According to Marshall, Bond is quoted as saying that he and Mullen agreed that the Newton matter was closed after submitting all of their documentation to SEC Headquarters.
Meyer disagreed and told the two that he thought it needed to be reported to The New York Times and he was going to make the call. Pete Thamel, who wrote the Times piece is close friends with Meyer.
The story goes on to say that Bond agreed to be interviewed by ESPN.com only after it became apparent the story was going to break. Marshall writes that Bond “is distressed about the reaction, particularly the attacks on Newton’s character.”
Bond is quoted as saying, “(Meyer) is behind the whole thing.”
robodawg
December 9th, 2010
9:10 am
He’s young, I expect him to be back somewhere. And look for Dan Mullen to replace him. I think I’d rather go up against Meyer-without-Mullen-or-Strong than against a Dan Mullen coached team.
Joey
December 9th, 2010
9:11 am
I hope they don’t hire Dan Mullen. I’m still hoping we get him when Richt retires.
Paul N Destin
December 9th, 2010
9:11 am
The Gators didn’t have a program before the Ole Ball Coach much like FSU didn’t have a program before Bobby yet you would think both programs invented football…just saying…
BAMA dude
December 9th, 2010
9:11 am
Shane
December 9th, 2010
9:03 am
I’m always stunned that someone has to bring Bama up regardless of the topic. Incredible.
You know it’s a Barner. It’s actually funny that he quoted Bianchi. Poor little fella probably doesn’t know he’s the one who just wrote a piece explaining why he didn’t vote for Cammy. Barn consensus is that Bianchi has no credibility.
This Enough For You???
December 9th, 2010
9:12 am
1910 6–1 team Loren Maxwell
1913 undefeated 8–0 team Billingsley, James Howell, 1st-N-Goal
1914 undefeated 8–0–1 team James Howell
1957 undefeated 10–0 team Associated Press, Billingsley, Fleming, Football Research, Helms, James Howell, Massey Ratings, National Championship Foundation, Nutshell Sports, Poling, Sagarin, Sorensen, Williamson, David Wilson
1958 undefeated 9–0–1 team Montgomery Full Season Championship
1983 11–1 team ARGH, Billingsley, DKC, Eck, FACT, Fleming, Football Research, James Howell, Massey Ratings, New York Times, Nutshell Sports, Sorensen, Sparks Achievement, David Wilson, 1st-N-Goal
1993 undefeated 11–0 team Harry Frye, National Championship Foundation, Nutshell Sports, Sparks Achievement, David Wilson
2004 undefeated 13–0 team
Blue
December 9th, 2010
9:12 am
BigDawg
December 9th, 2010
8:34 am
Urban Crier needs to reconnect the umbilical cord with Tim Crybow! Good to have another classless coach gone who plays known thugs
Yeah, the Dawgs have been way more selective about which thugs they allow to play. Don’t forget that you guys had more arrests then probably the rest of the conference combined? OHHHHH…that’s right…they were only little crimes. MY bad…that makes you guys way more moral.
We Lied!!!!!
December 9th, 2010
9:13 am
Roll Tide?
Alabama’s rallying cry should be, “We Lied!”
And maybe, too, Alabama should get rid of its elephant mascot and replace it with a pig.
What better animal to symbolize the dirtiest, stinkiest program in recent NCAA history.
Urban Meyer
December 9th, 2010
9:13 am
Joey,
Why should Richt retire?
He’s been spending all the time he wants with his family. If I’d had that kind of gig, I wouldn’t have retired either. You have to win ballgames at Florida.
Chan Gailey
December 9th, 2010
9:13 am
Watch out Yellow Buzzers, before you know it Florida will come courting your genius football coach (according to the AJC) to take their program to the next level………………the cellar!
Dr. Love
December 9th, 2010
9:14 am
Never cared much for Meyer but he seems to be leaving for the right reasons.
Read This "Urban Meyer"
December 9th, 2010
9:15 am
Straight off Wikipedia Clown Do your homework before you open that yap
Eight Auburn teams have been awarded some form of “National Champions” title, though Auburn officially claims only the one awarded in 1957 by the Associated Press. The NCAA’s website states that “the NCAA does not conduct a national championship in Division I-A football and is not involved in the selection process”, but goes on to state that “a number of polling organizations provide a final ranking of Division I-A football teams at the end of each season”. The NCAA website lists four Auburn squads that have been named National Champions by at least one organization.[14] The following is the complete list of Auburn teams ranked No. 1 and some of the organizations that recognized them as National Champion:[15]
Another possible national championship team for the Auburn Tigers is the 1932 football team that finished 9-0-1
The AP Poll did not begin selecting a champion until 1936 nor the AFCA Coaches Poll until 1950, so many national champion titles previous to those date were awarded retroactively. However during the 1910s, it is difficult to dispute the legitimacy of the Auburn titles. The undefeated 1913 and 1914 teams coached by Mike Donahue were some of the best defenses in Auburn history. In fact, the 1914 squad allowed zero points all season, outscoring opponents 193-0. The 1983 team featuring Bo Jackson went 11–1 and finished the season by beating Michigan in the Sugar Bowl. Despite the team entering the game ranked third in the AP and both teams ranked ahead losing their bowl games, Auburn was jumped by fifth ranked Miami for the AP National Title. The 1993 team was ineligible to play in a postseason bowl game due to NCAA-imposed sanctions.[16] The undefeated 2004 squad (13–0) finished second in the AP and Coaches Top 25 polls, but the team was awarded the 2004 Fanspoll.com People’s National Champion title.[17] After USC was stripped of the FWAA title, the organization discussed awarding the Grantland Rice Award to Auburn but ultimately voted not to award a trophy for 2004.[18] Auburn University officially only claims the Associated Press (AP) National Championship of 1957[19] (although the school does acknowledge the 1913, 1983, 1993 and 2004 titles in their media guide).[20]
MURPHY
December 9th, 2010
9:16 am
JB,
Mullen and Diaz at UF will be scary.I think Mullen was the main reason UF was so good.Imagine what him and Diaz could do with all that talent.You are right: SCARY!!!
Read This "Urban Meyer"
December 9th, 2010
9:17 am
Bond “is distressed about the reaction, particularly the attacks on Newton’s character.”
Bond is quoted as saying, “(Meyer) is behind the whole thing.”