Former Florida defensive end Johnie Church (1992-1995) shares 10 observations from the Gators' 30-3 win over Iowa.
1) WOW! What an amazing feeling to be in AT&T Stadium! Saturday's contest showed me that we have a lot of work to do in every facet of the game. Offense! Defense! Special Teams!
2) Let's start with offense: Again, I thought our play-calling was extremely vanilla and continues to lack creativity (or an identity) to get into any type of flow (this also helps players relax as well).
3) Supposedly, the two players we've been anxiously waiting to see with the ball in their hands barely touched a punt or kick return. And, I was really looking forward to whatever package we had for them to be displayed early in the game since there's no film to key on regarding Dre Massey and Kadaruis Toney. That was highly disappointing! It really won't matter as much this upcoming week against inferior competition to get a good unit of measurement.
4) I still would like to see how the game is called offensively from up in the booth as opposed to on the field. There's been way too many lackluster performances against lesser opponents when we were calling plays from the sidelines. Some people just see things better from a booth. Yeah, it removes you from the sideline action and enthusiasm that accompanies that; but, I think it might make a huge difference (just wishful thinking).
5) If you're going to lose and get a wake-up call, it might as well be early in the season. Although, I would have liked to see at least a bit of consistency and flashes of something spectacular; it really is just one game.
------
* Tuesday Practice Insider Notes
* McElwain Notebook: Franks to start
* Monday Press Conference Blog
* Recruit Reaction: We're going to get better
* Thamel: Florida is still the same old offensively inept team
* Sunday 3-2-1: Thoughts on Florida's loss
* Notebook: Offensive line disappoints
* One step forward, two steps back
* GET TWO MONTHS OF FREE ACCESS TO INSIDE THE GATORS
------
6) I LIKE FELEIPE FRANKS! The kid definitely had bouts of nervousness with a few stumbling over your feet issues, but I looked in his eyes often on the big screen and I didn't see bewilderment or panic. Most of his throws were extremely accurate (even the batted passes) & he throws a very catchable ball. I didn't like him getting pulled, because I felt he had definitely shown enough to let him go the whole game. Plus, the whole confidence thing! It can prove to be nightmarish to a young player not mature enough mentally to handle it, yet!
7) The defense played pretty much how I expected minus the numerous broken containment issues. Being very young in the secondary showed in instances, but their potential and talent definitely flashed in spots as well. Truth be told, I knew the defense would need half a season to ripen; but, I felt that the offense would carry that load starting out to offset it. There's still time! (fingers crossed!)
8) I know we don't have the twitchy, explosive defensive tackles like years past, but we need to get more of a push in the middle against the run and especially on pass plays. Later in the game, they actually started doubling our ends and singling the tackles to protect the pocket. I understand why we didn't blitz as much (that puts a very inexperienced secondary on lonely islands). I do think we should have dialed a few more up though. There might have been five noticeable blitzes I saw.
9) We're missing explosiveness in our return games. It's been gone since Andre Debose left. We have to find that one cut, get up-field guy who can flip a game and change field position in one play. I see the coaches trying numerous guys, but that already leads to a fact that no one has displayed that return-guy specialist trait. It might sound crazy, but we need to find a kid in the upcoming recruiting class who possess that trait. It is a special gift elusive to many skill guys.
10) We collectively played the worse overall game I've ever witnessed in Dallas. The coaches know that! The players know that! And the fans know that! But, sometimes you have to poke the bear to get a reaction. i still believe believe that we are a team full of playmakers and solid coaching up to this point. Do we need to be on the championship stage again very soon? YES!!! But, knowing what I know as a former player. You're never as good as the score indicates in a win, and you're never as bad as a score reflects in a loss. The seeds have been planted, we had a small drought that left us without water; but, the seeds are still intact and the soil is fertile (players & coaches). Let's try to shine some light on the situation and fertilize everyone from our players to the coaching staff until we realize that the crop is lost. #FeedTheSeeds
------
Thank you for reading this Inside the Gators article. To discuss it, please visit the Alligator Alley Forum.
