Posts Tagged ‘Urban Meyer’

Mark Richt has Georgia in the SEC championship game for second straight year. (Brant Sanderlin/AJC)

(VIDEO ADDED BELOW)

This might stun starry-eyed middle-schoolers and high school players, who are otherwise oblivious to ancient history before 2006 in the SEC. But even the football Godzillas of this conference and, it follows, the globe, aren’t that far removed from humility (and Shreveport).

Before the last five seasons under Nick Saban, Alabama had an 11-year stretch (1997-2007) when it reached double digits in wins only three times, suffered through four losing seasons, four non-bowl years, lost to Auburn six straight years, went to the Music City Bowl twice and even was subjected to the Independence Bowl . . . three times! There’s your, “Roll Tide.”

Florida fans would like to forget the Ron Zook era of relative torment, sandwiched between Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer.

Auburn just fired a coach, Gene Chizik, who won a national championship two years ago.

LSU: You say …

Continue reading SEC title would mean Georgia’s return to elite status (video added) »

Will Muschamp is under some pressure after going 3-5 in SEC in first season. (AP photo)

(It’s Day 2 at SEC Media Days. Here’s a quick look at Will Muschamp and Florida.)

HOOVER, Ala. — Shortly after taking over as coach at Florida, Will Muschamp summoned Janoris Jenkins to his office and informed the talented but troubled cornerback that he would be suspended for five games because of multiple failed drug tests.

Jenkins’ response was not one of remorse but rather entitlement. He told Muschamp: “Do you know who you’re talking to?” And so ended Jenkins’ career at Florida.

We use that story partly to defend Muschamp, who has come under some heat, and illustrate the problems he has dealt with at Florida since replacing Urban Meyer. A dozen players have left or been run off in the past year. It’s now clear the talent base at Florida wasn’t what you would expect – and Meyer probably knew this, which is why he “retired” in the first place: He saw the problems …

Continue reading SEC Media Days: Muschamp deserves some time at Florida »

Before Florida fans complain, they should remember Urban Meyer won this thing for them — twice. (AP photo)

(Updated: 10:35 a.m.)

Urban Meyer just went from savior to Satan in Gainesville. Sorry, but did Florida fans really expect he was going to spend the rest of his life sitting in a climate-controlled studio and planting pansies?

Welcome to reality, Gator fans. You’re apparently the last one to figure out that Meyer is no less disingenuous than any other college coach, and he might be worse.

The former Florida coach reportedly has taken the head coaching job at Ohio State, confirming the worst kept secret in sports. Kudos to the blog sites ElevenWarriors and SportsByBrooks, which were way ahead of this story on Nov. 18.

(For what it’s worth: Meyer’s agent denied to cbssports.com’s Dennis Dodd that Meyer has accepted the job. But at this point, we’re probably talking semantics.)

Gator fans are upset. They believe Meyer betrayed them, and, well, maybe he did just a little. …

Continue reading Florida fans: Stop whining about Meyer going to Ohio State »

Hello and welcome to that special time of year, and I speak of course of when we overindulge on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, potatoes au gratin, Mr. Potato, potato chips and onion dip, creamed corn, that string-bean-mushroom soup-Styrofoam-onion-ring thing that nobody really eats but the dog loves it when you mix it in his kibble, probably something with cheese, rolls (three kinds), margarine (light) and three to seven desserts, after which we fall face down in our plate of Cool Whip remnants and lapse into a tryptophan coma … until we wake up at 3:45 a.m. and scream, “NOOO! I OVERSLEPT! Play-doh goes on sale at Toy Zoo for 39 cents in 15 minutes! Where are my keys!?!” And then you take one step and suddenly there’s a strange jingling sound coming from your stomach.

If you're in this picture, you really need to get a life.

By the way, if you go to Walmart on Black Friday, just don’t tell Paul Johnson, or he might punch you. (Actually, after Johnson …

Continue reading Stuffed Predictions: Dogs over Jackets; LSU and Bama roll »

What is going on with all of this violence lately? Coaches going after coaches. Coaches going after players who went after coaches. One player even punched another right in the soft part of his zone defense.

A man can’t even go hunting any more without the whole animal kingdom getting upset about it. True story: Some Alaskan moose hunter — and doesn’t every great story start that way? — went out the other day with his musket, hoping to blow off the head of one of nature’s, unarmed creatures, who were just sitting around playing gin-rummy.

Anyway, this guy gets attacked by a grizzly bear, because unbeknownst to the hunter, the Moose, the Grizzlies and the Deer (Wake Forest) have all formed some super alliance and soon plan to announce a conference championship game and a mega-TV deal with ESPN. (That part, I might’ve made up.).

Anyway, the hunter ends up escaping, and I think the grizzly’s head is now on somebody’s wall, and the moral of the story is that the guy with the …

Continue reading Fight predictions: Falcons win, Jackets fall, SEC cowers »

Jim Tressel, here with his protector, E. Gordon Gee, resigned under pressure Monday as Ohio State's coach. (AP photo)

(Originally posted: 11:15 a.m. Last update: 1:15 p.m.)

There is no shortage of problems with college athletics.

The NCAA too often seems overwhelmed. School presidents preach academics only when they’re not in meetings with network executives. Athletes make millions for universities but walk through campus bookstores, see replicas of their jerseys for sale and and know they won’t get a nickel for it.

But the biggest problem of all: Coaches who cheat and get away with it.

Jim Tressel has resigned as coach at Ohio State. Finally, somebody pays a price before fleeing for another job (see: Pete Carroll, Lou Holtz, etc.).

Tressel almost certainly beat Ohio State and the NCAA to the punch. He would’ve been fired and humiliated anyway. The NCAA is expected to hammer him and the football program for gross infractions, including knowingly playing illegal players …

Continue reading Liars, cheaters like Jim Tressel deserve to lose their job »

Hello, and welcome back to the world of football, or as Tucker Carlson likes to call it, “Nothing But A League of Thugs and Degenerates and Serial Killers Who Should All Should All Be Thrown Into a Vat Of Face-Melting Acid, Like When Jack Napier Turned Into The Joker On Batman. Except For The Short White Kickers, I Like Those Guys.”

If you missed it, Carlson — fighting for relevancy in the growing mutant world of psychotic political commentators — called for the execution of Michael Vick this week for crimes against past Labradors, never mind the 23 months he already spent in prison and the loss of 27 gazillion dollars. I think it pretty much confirms Vick is not on Carlson’s Fantasy League team.

Personally, I believe Carlson should be sentenced to one game of human “Frogger.” That’s the other unbelievably true story this week: a Clemson man (not Dabo Swinney) thought it would be

For final NFC South standings, start in upper-left and go clockwise.

fun to mimic the video game …

Continue reading Falcons win, Dogs win and Fox is playing human ‘Frogger’ »

It doesn't make sense for Kirby Smart to make lateral move from Alabama to Florida.

If we are to believe reports,  Kirby Smart is considering leaving as the highly paid defensive coordinator at Alabama to become the highly paid defensive coordinator at Florida, thereby forming “Team Bulldog” in Gainesville with Will Muschamp.

I’ll ask the same question now that I did a year ago at this time when Bulldogs coach Mark Richt tried to lure Smart back to Athens: Why would Smart do it?

Smart is a terrific coach. I know some believe he gets too much credit for Alabama’s defense because he works for Nick Saban. But if he wasn’t highly regarded, he wouldn’t be on Saban’s staff and Alabama wouldn’t have bumped up his contract to $750,000 a year to keep him when Richt phoned.

But Smart’s next move should be as a head coach. He’ll get offers, as soon as next season. We all know there will be some tenuous heading coaching situations going into next season.

If Saban, who has a reputation …

Continue reading Kirby Smart would be taking risk following Muschamp »

Former Bulldog Will Muschamp has been an SEC assistant at Auburn and LSU but now he's the top guy at Florida.

(Updated below with report about Kirby Smart possibly going to Florida with Muschamp)

First Derek Dooley, Vince’s son, goes to Tennessee.

Now Will Muschamp becomes the new Florida head coach.

What could possibly happen next to toy with the emotions of the average Georgia fan? Herschel Walker becomes a special adviser to Auburn?

Muschamp, a Georgia native and former Bulldogs’ safety, has been named the new head coach of the Gators, replacing Urban Meyer. This likely won’t go over well in Athens, where many fans had hoped as recently as a year ago that Muschamp would return to the Dogs as defensive coordinator (replacing Willie Martinez) and/or as an assistant head coach to Mark Richt. There also was the thought he could possibly replace Richt one day.

Well, that’s one less name in the candidate pool now.

It would’ve been so much easier to work up a hate if Bobby …

Continue reading Florida takes Dogs’ potential next coach: Will Muschamp (UPDATE: He may take Kirby Smart with him) »

Hello. I’m back.

I know, last week I said that I wouldn’t be back. Weekend Predictions usually closes at the end of the college football regular season.

But I wasn’t thinking clearly, possibly the result of esophageal spasms, which should clear up in about 12 months when I get 39 phone calls from athletic directors and NFL owners offering me head coaching jobs, by which time I will have seen enough of my daughter’s volleyball games, and will have memorized every aisle at Publix, and what time Judge Judy comes on TV, and I’ll say yes to all 39 jobs because I’m Urban Meyer and I’m going stir crazy!

No, you can't win this. But …

Thank you for making it the fourth paragraph. Here’s you reward: You can win an iPad.

No. I’m serious. You can win an iPad.

You don’t even have to send me your social security number and your bank routing and checking account numbers to my P.O. Box in Botswana, authorizing me to release 250 gold bullion bars to you. You can win an …

Continue reading Sack Me, Part Deux: Win an iPad! (Also, Falcons win) »