TALLAHASSEE — You think you’re heartbroken by Florida’s disappointing season? What you are feeling is nothing compared to one person’s attitude right now.
This season has definitely been tough on all parties involved.
First it was a blowout in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Then it was a heartbreaking loss to LSU. Following that, Mississippi State came and ruined homecoming. But it didn’t end there as South Carolina and FSU beat up an already bloody and woozy Gators team.
But I can’t think of a person this season has been harder on than Urban Meyer.
Think about it.
A little less than a year ago, he was not UF’s coach. After health issues and re-evaluating his priorities, Meyer decided to take a leave of absence. As short-lived as that was, it says something because at one point the stress and all the negatives that come along with coaching outweighed all of the benefits.
So, how do you think he feels after his worst season in his 10 years as a head coach and Florida’s first five-loss regular season since 1988?
I’m guessing he feels like he shouldn’t have come back for this.
And it’s only going to get tougher from here. If the first five years at UF burned Meyer out, he went a combined 57-10, then the next five seasons are going to kick Meyer right where it hurts.
This team isn’t getting any better next season, and 2010 was the start of a rebuilding process to return to prominence — a process he has never had to experience at Florida.
Now it’s time to fire assistant coaches, not watch them leave to other schools. Now is the time to start freshmen over juniors and seniors who have been waiting in the wings but aren’t cutting it. Now is the time to re-evaluate your coaching style and adjust to the personnel.
And judging by Meyer’s attitude that led him to take a leave of absence, this is not exactly the position he wanted to be in.
“I didn’t believe we’d be that far down, but we are,” Meyer said.
And the reality he bumped into when giving the statement won’t be as hard as the work ahead.
These next few years will be Meyer’s most difficult yet.
