During the fall, I probably watch somewhere between 10-15 hours of college and professional football every weekend.
I’ve seen every Florida football game since 2006. For the past two years, I’ve even covered the team, doing interviews about five times a week.
And yet, listening to some of the players and coaches talk on a near daily basis, I’ve come to realize that there are things I will never understand about the Gators.
Which is surprising because I’d put my football credentials up against anyone who takes the field wearing orange and blue every Saturday — player or coach.
In addition to all my football-watching (film session), I have completed multiple undefeated Madden and NCAA Football seasons (play-calling), quarterbacked an intramural flag football team on various playoff runs (execution) and currently manage four fantasy football teams (talent evaluation).
OK, so I’m no Bear Bryant.
But I should be able to understand why Mike Pouncey is a better fit at center than guard, and why running the option with John Brantley a handful of times every game is a good thing.
Mike Pouncey is what the kids would call a “baller.” He was an All-American guard a year ago, one of the funniest/most thoughtful guys on the team and an unquestioned leader.
What he isn’t, in my humble opinion, is good at snapping a football.
UF offensive coordinator Steve Addazio disagrees with me vehemently, saying there has been no talk of moving him back to guard.
“Absolutely not. Are you kidding me?” Addazio asked rhetorically, incredulous at the idea. “We’re talking about a first-round draft pick, the best offensive lineman in America and a phenomenal football player. And the leader on this football (team). Absolutely, unequivocally, never even entered the realm of possibility.”
I then asked Addazio if he feels Pouncey was better at guard than he is at center. Again, no amount of Madden or fantasy football could make me understand his response.
“He grades out a champion every week. Absolutely not,” Addazio said. “I guess if you want to start talking about: Is there a low snap? We’re not gonna go down the path of a good football player, now. Or playing great right now? You won’t want to play against him. We’ll leave it there.”
I can’t argue with one thing: I definitely would not want to play against Mike Pouncey. But the fact that Pouncey would absolutely manhandle me doesn’t exactly get at the core of this discussion.
As for the option, I was even more off the mark on that one.
Every time I watched an Alabama defender come from the backside of the play and run down John Brantley on an option, I thought it was a poor football decision to have a quarterback who is not a good runner (by his own admission) run the option. Not so.
“You need to have an element of option in your game so that you can keep the defense balanced and keep the defense honest,” Addazio said, noting that Brantley option plays have averaged five yards per carry according to his calculations. “And it’s a part of who we are. That wont change. How many calls? That’s going to be dictated by what we’re seeing and what’s happening.”
Urban Meyer said essentially the same thing Monday, and I agree with both of them. Keep some option in your offense. But don’t have John Brantley run it. Maybe even mix in one or two option plays for Brantley, just to keep the defense honest. But running him four to five times a game on the option isn’t something I would do in NCAA Football ‘10. Just sayin’.
From what I understand — not much these days, apparently — most of the people who watch Florida play every week, be they media or fans, see things more or less the same way I do.
But the vast majority of “us” never played the game. Not at this level.
And that will forever be the justification for why people like us can’t possible understand why an All-American lineman who struggles to snap the football is best used at center, and why a passing quarterback who struggles to run the football needs to be running the option a handful of times per game.
We just wouldn’t understand.
