Meyer’s LOA

Florida’s Sugar Bowl game week has been one of the wilder ones in Gator history and none of it has to do with the game. By now everyone knows about Urban’s health and resignation, change of heart, leave of absence. His press conference offered little insight and made me feel that this was all an unfortunate airing of an issue that never needed to see the light. Now columnists all over the SEC are rejoicing and claiming the demise of the Gator dynasty. But, their doom and gloom predictions amount to nothing more than wishful thinking.

Urban Meyer proved something when he pushed the Florida program back to the top of college football in his first two years. Florida is more than Steve Spurrier and its more than Urban Meyer too. Still, Steve Spurrier is exactly who Meyer needs to look to if he wants to coach another five years. Spurrier was notoriously relaxed when it came to recruiting, sure he recruited but he knew that Florida sold itself. Meyer needs to learn to trust in his pipeline of talent, his scheme and in his own words the program he has built here. In the meantime he can step aside and let the program roll until he is ready to come back.

While I am less than excited with the prospects of Coach Addazio as the head man, or even the OC we should not fear a fall from our place atop the SEC east. If Meyer hangs up his whistle and blackberry from Jan 2 to the beginning of Fall practice we will be fine. Our staff is loaded with top notch recruiters and we should still lock up most of our committed recruits while adding a few more. The assistants can handle spring practice, there will be a lot of turnover on both sides of the ball but we are replacing Juniors and Seniors with guys who have been in the program for two or three years themselves. Summer is the domain of the Strength coach and we have a great one. That gives Meyer 8 months to get on the right meds and get his health straight.

If Meyer isn’t on the sidelines when we open the season I will be shocked. Still, the state of Florida football is in a much better place than the columnists in Tuscaloosa, Athens, Knoxville and Tallahassee would like you to believe. We are still more talented than the majority of our opponents. And when it comes to crunch time we will still be better prepared. So, don’t fall for all the negative opinions out there, the Gators will be fine.