Mullen on Gators quarterbacks: it takes time
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Dan Mullen's message was clear on Monday. The Gators staff has high expectations from the team and the team is very much a work in progress.
"Our guys need to learn the level of our expectations that we need them to work at, " said the Florida head coach on Monday. "They are trying but they are learning the level of the effort we need to play at."
It is no secret the Gators need better play from the men under center this season. Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask are under the microscope and at this time they both have been found wanting by Mullen.
"I'm seeing flashes here and there but it really is about consistency and performance," said Mullen. "I watch each guy and I'm like 'thats really good' and then I go "that looks really bad.'"
During his speaking tour, Mullen reiterated several times how important the period between spring and fall will be for the quarterbacks. The head coach was brutally honest about where things stand after the first four practices of fall camp, and the Florida quarterbacks are not there.
"To be a big time quarterback, I don't think they know how hard it is. They should understand it hopefully by next summer," Mullen explained. "I was hoping with one of them it really clicked.I didn't see that happen. But that doesn't shock me."
Mullen admits this epiphany could very well be two years away.
"For some guys I've seen take two or three years of really working," he said. "They work one summer and realize it wasn't close. Then they work the next summer and they think they really go it and they come out and go, 'I worked a lot harder and I thought I should be further ahead than this.' A lot of times as they get older it really clicks. You see them coming off and they know exactly what they are doing with their summer and what they are trying to work on with every aspect in their game - that takes years to develop. Thats a program evaluation right there.
"This year we will get them right," added Mullen. "We will keep putting them into situation and finding out what they are most comfortable with right now as we go through installation. See what each guys is comfortable with and have that package ready for them."
According to Mullen, the quarterbacks need to work on the details - from fundamentals to reads to learning the plays to plotting several outcomes and possibilities. This is not an overnight transformation.
"I think one thing is how much work you have to put in at the QB position to be successful," explained Mullen. "I think they are young guys and they are still learning that. It takes time. There are so many intricacies to it and you can't coach everything in one time. They got to put in the extra work."
Mullen expects his quarterbacks not only to understand their role in the offense but to understand everyone's role and how that plays into the offense.
"They need to understand why we are doing what we are doing so in the big picture of things they can manage the offense. Thats the one thing that I see from them that I'm harping on," said Mullen. "Not just understand their position but understand the offense.
"Their attitude is all really good. They just have a lot of work to do," he said.