Sean

Thoughts on the Gators: * In addition to the fact it was another loss, that was a snooze fest. Whether it was UF’s bad offense or Oklahoma’s long slow drives, really hard to watch for the home team. Give OU credit, went into a sold out swamp at night and won easily. But the home team has problems. … * Can’t bury the lede - real struggles by the quarterback. This point is going to take a while. And man I’m pulling for Tramell Jones. Jacksonville kid, great kid, only 3rd start. But the reality is he never got the offense going. Which brings me to this: This QB situation is one of the strangest I’ve ever seen. You go get Philo and pay him well. He comes with his OC, center, tight end, wide receiver. Then wins the job. Then hangs 44 on Auburn and 52 on Ole Miss. They’re 4-0 ranked in the top 10. All is well. Then they lose two games because of bad defense. Mizzou had 580 yards and 45 points. S. Carolina got 4 TD passes from Sellers and scores 38. Meanwhile, Philo bangs up his shoulder. He can’t play against Texas, Tramell starts and beats Texas. And suddenly, it seems, Philo is written off by everyone. All the fans want Tramell. Philo starts against Georgia, makes one terrible play, throws a second pick not his fault. And that’s it. Got hooked after 12 plays - 12 plays - and hasn’t played since. And UF has scored 8 and 7 in the last two games. For the record, I’m not piling on after the fact - I said on my radio show last week Philo runs the offense better and should be the starter moving forward. They play with more tempo, out of the huddle faster, find a rhythm earlier. I couldn’t find anyone to agree, but that’s what I said. Still not sure, other than the awful Georgia play, what Philo did to lose the job. Why Sumrall had such a short leash last week and such a long one tonight. You score one touchdown each of the last two games. And the guy who hung 44 on Auburn and 52 on Ole Miss - who had the team scoring 41 points per game in his six games of record - is glued to the bench. Just feels weird. Assuming Philo has to start next week. But we’ll see. And I hope Tramell doesn’t lose his confidence, because, man, there is a lot to like. Dude is only 19. But I believe Philo should be, and should have been, the guy for now. * I still believe Jon Sumrall is built for this kind of a rebuild. He seems frustrated but not rattled. He relates to his guys. But after a 4-0 start, they are 5-4. And none of the losses have been nail-biters. Suddenly, for a team thinking playoffs earlier, 5-7 is on the table. Don’t think that will happen. They will bounce back some. But have to change some things. * I still like the fight of the defense. Kept the Gators in it early, but began to wear down late when offense was doing nothing. At some point, you gotta help them. * Watching wide receivers Naeshaun Montgomery (Mizzou) and Aiden Mizell (UCLA) have big games was painful. * Didn’t love the all blues. Felt weird, like watching Boise or Duke. I need the orange lids. * Crazy thing about the season - the offense was humming when defense wasn’t; defense finds itself when offense falls apart. So moving forward, I’d play Philo. That allows them to go back and play with tempo, like early in the year, go fast, attack, use some of Buster’s gimmicks. Like before. And on defense, I’d blitz and attack like crazy. That is what has changed the defense. So we’ll see. All is not lost. 8-4 is on the table too. Just hope they figure it out. Ok, this is way too long. Thanks for indulging. Cheers.