Browns Progress, Gators too "Cute" to Win

The Cleveland Browns loss to the Baltimore Ravens could have been a lot worse. Giving up only 16 points is still progress. Scoring 3 is disappointing but to be expected against the leagues best defenses; at least Charlie Frye didn’t get hurt. A 2 and 3 record now is still ahead of schedule. When your own offense only scores 3 points then only giving up 16 is like a shutout for your defense.

My wife said “Don’t write anything bad about the Gators. We have to live here, in (Gainesville, FL).” That is like saying don’t mention the elephant trapping around in the back yard.

The Gators whole game against LSU was summed up on the broken pass play in the last few minutes of the game when QB Chris Leak got chased out of the pocket started to run, then crossed the line of scrimmage, then went back across it and threw a pass. The play took forever to happen and it was really not smart and resulted in a penalty. The Coach Urban Meyers sideways run-in-place shovel pass offense is just too “cute” for me to appreciate. Leak can’t seem to run Coach Meyers options or even his drop back offense.

Leak and Meyers appear to have let the arrogance of the Cover Boy images and press clippings overcome their common sense. I thought Zook was bad, but I have never seen such a confused offense as the Gators have had since the second half of the Kentucky game till now. Chris Leak looks totally disoriented. Perhaps the psychology department can spare a Deer in the Headlights Coach. Mississippi State lost their QB in the first quarter and the Gator defense and special teams won that game.

It isn’t like the LSU game was lost on one bad crucial call by an official, leaving you knowing in your heart you should have won the game. This loss was an embarrassment. This was an offense so bad that it overcame an outstanding effort by the Gator defense and special teams, and 5 LSU turnovers, and 12 LSU penalties to lose the game.

Lee Corso, ESPN announcer and one time FSU QB and also FSU Head Coach said after the Gators lost the Alabama game 31-3 “Let Josh Portis play.”

Think about it. The opponents might think Portis is going to run the ball most of the time so they won’t be rushing the passer so hard and perhaps he could throw it downfield and surprise them a few times.

Going into the season the Florida sports media sure carried a lot of quotes by Coach Meyer and the offensive players about how great the new offense was going to be, damned if I didn’t believe them too. I fell into that trap again like everyone else even though I did mention to my readers that I generally don’t like offenses that operate sideways.

Makes me feel a bit foolish, How about you?

Now what? Coach Meyer and Chris Leak are still in the same place and Georgia is anxiously waiting for the Cocktail Party in Jacksonville. South Carolina, the Ole Ball Coach’s team might want a piece of Leak too, not to mention FSU who will still be angry about losing to Miami and Virginia. Vanderbilt won’t give up 5 turnovers nor will they get 12 penalties, and they will put a surprisingly good pass rush on Leak. The Gator’s defense and special teams can’t save the day every week. There are probably a few NFL teams reconsidering their Quarterback draft charts and player rankings as well. I sure hope Coach Meyer gets all this….stuff straightened out pretty soon.

As I have said before if I were defensing the Gators I would have the defensive end or linebacker on the side that Leak takes the first step to run an option, put a helmet to helmet lick on him whether he keeps the ball or not. Leak is fair game once he starts to run with the ball.

I heard someone watching the game at Outback say they should have sent Leak to Iraq to get rid of the Sadam. “Heck, Leak can overthrow anybody.”

As far back as I can remember, and I grew up in Gainesville, the Gators have always had an overrated star player usually from a geographic area where a lot of Bull Gator donors live, while walk on’s come in and eventually beat them out. It is an old familiar Gator tale.