Turns out Urban Meyer also is ranked No. 1 in excuses
If only Urban Meyer had shook hands and kept his mouth shut, he woudn't look like a tool.
Let me be the first to congratulate Florida coach Urban Meyer. He’s already won two national championships and two SEC titles in Gainesville, but he just pulled off something that I never imagined was possible: He turned Lane Kiffin into a sympathetic figure.
Most of us who watched the Florida-Tennessee game were amazed how the Gators were relatively held in check by the Tennessee defense. It made anybody who screamed, “They’ll cover the 29 points!” look like a complete idiot, and I should know, because my throat still hurts. Florida won only, 23-13.
Why did this happen? Three reasons: 1) The Vols were able to run the ball early and used a conservative game plan to limit Florida’s offensive snaps; 2) Monte Kiffin, Lane’s father, proved again he’s one of the greatest defensive coordinators ever; 3) Florida, which lost Percy Harvin to the NFL, was exposed as not having nearly as much downfield speed as we thought, shortening their passing attack.
We all know about the buildup to the game. We all know what Kiffin said and what Meyer thought of it. We all know how Meyer can hold a grudge and how he will rub his opponent’s face in it if given a chance (see: timeouts vs. Georgia).
But what did Meyer say Monday when he met with the media? Here’s excerpts on the subject of his own conservative play-calling: “When I saw [Tennessee] start handing the ball off, I didn’t feel like they were going after the win. The way we lose a game there is throw an interception. Why put yourself in that position? We’re not trying to impress the pollsters. We’re trying to win the game.”
So, basically Meyer: 1) Ripped Tennessee’s game plan, which actually gave Tennessee the best chance to win; 2) Claimed he’s not trying to impress pollsters, this from someone whose team since 2007 has had point totals of 62, 56, 56, 51, 63, 49, 56, 70, 49, 59, 59,49, 51 and 59.
Meyer looks like a tool. How about just say, “The other team played great and it turns out the other coach is not a moron.” Instead, he alibied that several of his players had the flu.
To Kiffin’s credit, he didn’t fire back much, at least not beyond this crack: “I guess we’ll wait, and after [the next game], if we’re not excited about a performance, we’ll tell you everybody was sick.”
♦ ♦ ♦
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
This is Mike Bell and those are his evil eyes.
OK, slight exaggeration. But I’ll be back on 790 The Zone again today with the somewhat chemically imbalanced but otherwise nice guy Mike Bell. Show-time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., assuming I can wade to the studios in time. Bell insists I get there no later than 3:58, so as to give us a solid two minutes of show prep. I once again will be substituting for former Georgia All-American David Pollack, just as I did a few ago. I can only assume Pollack no longer has the conditioning to work five days a week. Maybe all that Twittering has worn him down. Anyway, even if you’ve Twittered, emailed, Facebooked and column-commented me before, you now have another opportunity to actually SPEAK to me. Actual conversation. What a concept.
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172 comments Add your comment
Racing Dawg
September 22nd, 2009
9:18 pm
I’m hoping that Weis loses 3-4 games this year, gets fired, and ND offers Meyer $6 mil to take over the program, which he would accept. That’s the best hope for Georgia and the SEC in the next few years.
Clarification
September 22nd, 2009
9:20 pm
If you call someone a “tool” is that good or bad??? What does it mean?
DOGGIE IN NC
September 22nd, 2009
10:08 pm
Enter your comments here
Just love all the naysayers on here writing off the DAWGS – how about beating us first this year before spouting off. If Cox keeps putting up 40-50 points and the defense comes around, your ash will be puckering up by the time you have to play us! GO DOGGIES!
Show me
September 22nd, 2009
10:15 pm
Ok, I just read pretty much every post up to this point and I don’t believe that I saw any UT fan claim a “moral victory” The only people that seem to call this LOSS a moral victory are the opposing fans and the MEDIA. In the post game interview Kiffen repeatedly stated that there was nothing to feel happy about with the game, we lost. UT fans DO like the fact that Urban Meyer did not get to run the score up on us, but name any fan in country that does. Either Florida is overrated, or UT is underrated, possibly a little of both, or neither. We won’t know till the end of the season.
GatorWho?
September 22nd, 2009
10:40 pm
Although UF has arrived just recently, they have no legacy. Neither does any other team in the SEC, except for Alabama. The media views each SEC team as part of a whole, but there is no team that can stand above their conference like Alabama (SEC), Miami (Big East/ACC), Penn State (Big10), Florida State (ACC), Michigan (Big10), Ohio State (Big10), and USC (PAC-10). Each school has a contributed to college football in their own unique way that has been umatched by any johnny-come-lately school. When you talk college football on a national level, those are the teams people want to know about and talk about. So what UF or what Urban Liar has done lately isn’t something that will be logged in the college football annals, but just be noted as a footnote to a particular decade.
scott
September 22nd, 2009
10:42 pm
Hey Hill Bille Goat, “We’ll enjoy winning titles” What position do you play?……..D-bag!
BE#3
September 22nd, 2009
11:16 pm
If I was Urban, I’d be worried about that team to the south who nearly beat his mighty Gators at home last year. Yes, The U. Randy Shannon is the real deal and before long, will have The U back to being the top team in the state of Florida.
sam loomis
September 23rd, 2009
1:27 am
Enter your comments herejeff schultz you are a moron who has no class. Urban showed his class after the game by congradulating the vol players,while Lame kiffen ran to the locker room! Jeff you are an clueless writer who should retire!
CheqSixx
September 23rd, 2009
9:07 am
Nobody in Georgia has room to chime in on this. The Bulldogs need to worry about taking care of their own business before stirring someone else’s pot. Hate all you want, rednecks. Just remember who’s won 2 of the last 3 Nat’l Championships, and who stomped the smile of Richt’s face last season in Jacksonville. Oh, and who’s #1 in the country right now…. whether any of you like it or not.
Its GREAT to BE a FLORIDA GATOR!
Miami=Thug-U
September 23rd, 2009
9:18 am
AND, whoever the IDIOT is that suggested thug-u is a historically relevant football program really needs to have his head examined. You talk about a “legacy” in the BigLeast/ACC? Your “legacy” in the Big Least started right AFTER UF started thumping opponents almost 20 years ago. Before that, um was an independent. UF has been playing football longer than thug-u as well. Dont start making up history about the miami tropical depressions. Before the 80’s, what did um have to show for itself? N-O-T-H-I-N-G… legacy?… ROFLMFAO. Idgit.
EverGator
September 23rd, 2009
10:00 am
Just win, baby….and the Gators do just that….eat your heart out, jealous fans….
EverGator
September 23rd, 2009
10:04 am
“GatorWho”: Your whole legacy approach is absurd.Legacy doesn’t win games, but great players and coaches do(Legacy hasn’t helped Bama much, has it?)…Tebow and Meyer have accomplished great things, with more to come.So, just sit there green with envy and enjoy the rest of the season as the Gators accomplish an undefeated season, ok?
EverGator
September 23rd, 2009
10:20 am
Jeff:No excuses made, just the facts, but you have to make more out of it than there is to make people read this crud…sorry you have to result to weiting this drek, but Meyer and the Gators will prove you quite wrong…..
umm...ok
September 23rd, 2009
10:55 am
Is Meyer kind of a prick? yeah, but so what…sure I would have liked to see him take the high road, just like I would’ve liked to see him not call those timeout against UGA last year, but the bottom line is that he wins. The reason this game is even a story is the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding it. Spreads are for gambling, not playing the game. If you had asked any Florida fan, at any point in the programs history if they would be upset with a 10 pt win over UT, they would have never told you yes. Florida is over hyped, but don;t let that fool you into thinking they’re not the best team in the conference because they are…Florida had plenty of reasons for playing the game they did, like almost 40% of the starting offense being either injured or sick, but who cares either way? They got the W, and we’ll see how good they really are in a few weeks in Baton Rouge…
A.J.
September 23rd, 2009
11:18 am
Anonymous-Miami fans aren’t in this chat so keep the U’s name out your mouth.
A.J.
September 23rd, 2009
11:27 am
And really the thug U comments are getting lazy. Say all you want about Florida disciplining the program properly but i these past few years Miami has had no bad apples to discipline. As for the legacy comment how is it more credible that Florida has been playing football longer but took more time to get their first national championship. Yeah the U became relevant in the 80’s and I would say 5 NC’s the lead in the series history would make Miami VERY relevant remember who kicked this decade of with a nice sugar bowl victory and National Championship
Yours Truly
September 23rd, 2009
12:02 pm
I agree with Me!
UTJ
September 23rd, 2009
2:53 pm
Apparently Meyer ,nor alot of people here, realize that in the UT-Fla series of the last decade, the team who ran the ball the most successfully won the game except ONCE. Obviously, UT’s passing game is inept this year. Obviously, Kiffin tried to exploit our greatest assets and hide our greatest bane and he succeeded. We were two dropped passes from taking that game, imo… besides, i’m pretty sure several NFL teams won Super Bowls doing the same thing.. Giants and Tampa Bay come to mind… not saying UT will win any NCs this year or the next, just saying that the gameplan the Vols had to WIN the game was no different than alot of teams in alot of different sports do quite often and sometimes come out the victor…
robt
September 23rd, 2009
6:11 pm
Hey Jeff Schultz – I just read your article on Cox retiring in 2010 and I thought that was the most ignorant piece of sports journalism I had ever read . I now stand corrected. This whine fest masqurading as “I know more than the coasch of the winningest the GA teams could was the gators jock straps but try to hide the massive jealousy and fear you pukes have of the team. BTW – Is that goatee for your pleasure or that “special” friend. Can you say “GAAAAAAAAY!!!!
jimbillybob
September 24th, 2009
6:28 am
Whether Florida wins big or ekes one out like they did Saturday, you have to realize, they play 8 SEC games in a row. Even Vandy traditionally gives Florida a hardtime so why not Tennessee every now and then? The Vols always play hard against Florida and before Saturday’s game the series was tied at 19-19. The bottom line is Tennessee is always overrated (even when they are rated) and they are little more than a bunch of LOSERS. HA!
Joe G
September 24th, 2009
5:08 pm
D-bag? Myers record speaks for itself. Everyone has a opinion, obviously the recent ones here are pro Vols. After living in Tampa for more than 40 years and watching the Bucs for almost 20 years, my opinion is this; Monte Kiffen is a “Class Act” and one the best defensive minds ever in the game (pro or otherwise). His son however shares very few of his Fathers qualities and repeatedly flaps his gums for media attention. I never have liked trash talkers, especially when they don’t deliver on the field. A loss is a loss period! 1-2, he talks like he’s 3-0. I’ll bet Monte is embarrassed with his sons unprofessional behavior.
Dawg
October 4th, 2009
5:50 pm
George… gotta have fans that care about their team in order to have fans that complain–moron.
I agree with Schultz that the Nerds could steal the spotlight from the Dawgs… pretty hard to lose a game when you play the pathetic teams they play each year.. they have three decent teams to play–Miami, Va Tech, and Georgia. Wow. It’s a little tougher to win against #9, #4, and #1… not to mention other SEC teams. There is NO comparison in an SEC schedule and an ACC one, and if you can’t admit that, you are a total idiot.