Same as it ever was……again.

With images of David Byrne flopping around in my head, I was there in person to watch another spectacular fail from Rural Meyer in a disheartening 34-17 loss at College Station.  Despite a good start on offense for all of 1 quarter of play, some atrocious defense coupled with 3 quarters of Napier’s ineffective sloth attack led to the usual end result.

It’s plainly obvious at this point why Napier calls the Swamp Donkey, er, Jim McElwain, a ‘mentor’.  It seems all he and Russ Callaway can do is script 2 or 3 decent sets of plays for the offense, then the rest of the game turns to……well……you know.  Just like watching the Gators under Belk Boy and Noosmeier as his OC – what a role model.  I suppose watching a combination of effective running from Jaden Baugh along with deep throws to Dallas Wilson and using the intermediate zones with the TEs having actual success is too much for Billy to process.  His brain starts to hurt and he takes over, grinding the offense and any established tempo to a halt.  Always.  Once again, his incompetence in putting together a 2-minute offense was glaringly obvious.  Florida had the ball at it’s own 40-yard line with 2 minutes left in the first half, down by only one score.  Time for Napier to kneecap any chance at scoring, calling 2 running plays first, with each and every play requiring his beloved motion from receivers and running the play clock down close to zero.  Clueless.  He essentially capitulates to the defense and refuses to get out his own way and the way of his players.  After that, he watched his offensive tackles get roasted the entire second half until midway through the 4th quarter, when the game got out of reach.  FInally, somehow, some way, Florida was still only down by 7 points and had possession near midfield with 12 minutes to go.  TIme for us fans in the stands to call the plays we knew were coming – a 3rd down run into a stuffed box, then a forced throw by Lagway to a double-covered WR while getting punished – again – by the rush.  The supposed “best O-line Napier has had at Florida” was just another lie he espoused the entire offseason, along with his lies about Lagway getting some throws in over the summer and live reps from the start of fall practice, which he has walked back in press conferences this week.  Then, he has the nerve to – again – blame his own players for lack of execution.  This time it was Baugh of all people, who Napier says “wasn’t precise in reading the hole”.  All the while Baugh is evading defenders in the backfield and making chicken salad out chicken you-know-what.  Zero accountability.

Florida’s defense didn’t help the cause much, either  After the Gators took the opening kickoff and stunned the Aggies (and Gator fans) with a quick, efficient TD drive, they immediately allowed A&M to score a TD in just 2 plays – a bomb down to inside the 10-yard line followed by a simple QB draw through a gaping hole right up the middle.  Well done!  Then they imitated swiss cheese again on the Aggies’ next possession, getting pushed around and offering little resistance leading to a 14-7 deficit.  Even after the Gator offense rallied (one last time) to tie the score, the defense again looked lost and were easily gutted for a third TD drive and a 21-14 halftime deficit.  It would have been even more but A&M missed a short FG attempt.  The second half was somewhat better, as a combination of conservative playcalling by A&M (opponents never are too worried about the Gator offense in the second half) and some halftime defensive adjustments kept the score the same until early in the 4th quarter.  Then, the defense finally wore down under the weight of the stagnant offense and gave up 13 unanswered points and the game was over.  The safety play by the Gators was horrific – again.  It’s painfully obvious that Jordan Castell, Sharif Denson, and Bryce Thornton should not be SEC starters.  TIme to give the freshmen some snaps, so they can get some experience in the hope some of them stay at Florida next season to play for a new head coach.  The interior D-line started to show it’s youth, inexperience, and lack of depth, being gashed by inside runs and also applying little penetration into the backfield.  The Edge group has been a massive disappointment this season, again not getting consistent pressure on the QB nor disrupting plays.

There’s a LOT of noise about Napier’s job status – again, and more rumors than ever about his imminent demise.  It can’t come soon enough, but it’s already almost 2 years too late.  The damage is done.  The players and loyal fan base deserve MUCH better, starting with professionalism and accountability.  That includes the AD and UAA, but it’s unlikely to see any leadership from either.  The Gators better get off to a fast start Saturday, or the crowd could get ugly.  There should be a wonderful atmosphere at Homecoming next week……Yay!