re: 2022 Football Discussion Thread General Thoughts & Comments

I think this guy used to give insider tidbits on Twitter (before his source told him to stop) wrote this about Week 1:

quote:

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I have changed my mind and am not going to talk about the "watered down less positive stuff." First of all, it's game week and there's no sense on planting that kind of tree; and secondly, well, you probably already know...

I will say this: We have been relatively injury free, but we have certain (imp't) people dinged up for sure. They are going to have to play through pain if we are going to beat Utah. Also, we have to keep AR healthy. We are a completely different team without him. Depth is a big concern at certain positions. Coaches have been very careful in practice protecting those areas from further injury. Finally, I know I sound like Captain Obvious but Utah is really, really good. Whittingham is a Meyer-like clone who will have his team ready. They are exceptionally deep. They have played big games before. Their offense is excellent. To me, the key is whether or not we can run the ball on the Utes. If we can control the line of scrimmage, pile up yards and add scores with the running attack, we will be ok. Definitely a tough game to start the season for our new head coach

Some good stuff:

This team has been hitting hard in practice. Very physical. The staff has implemented "safety" measures when it comes to players hitting the ground and that has definitely worked to reduce injuries. But this team has been subjected to physical, hard hitting. Focus has been on tackling. We are going to be "tougher" than last year.

As I have posted before, we are faster and in better shape right now than at any point last year.

Shemar James is going to see significant playing time. He has been really good and ahead of schedule. Our lack of depth will give him plenty of opportunity, and our coaches believe he is ready. Watch for him on Saturday.

Scooby Williams is playing inside LB and we are expecting big things from him. Coaches want him to be more vocal as the MIKE position requires elevated leadership. He is also the "heaviest" of the LB's.

Wingo is coming along and being "worked" to play multiple LB positions: Mike, Sam and Will. Coaches are really happy with his commitment and attitude.

Diwun is finally understanding the basics of the defense. Last year he was 100% lost (as were others). He is now in a position to simply "go" and use his raw talent to contribute. He is really happy with the coaches' investment into him. I think he is going to have a very good year.

On offense, we really have a large menu of running back options. If our O-line can open up space, I think we will run all day on the Utes. Napier has never had running back talent like he has right now, and he is thrilled with that. If we cannot run the ball with authority, then AR will have to win this game. I think we feel good about our starters on the O-line, but depth is certainly a concern. We all know that BN likes to run the ball and he wants to be able to pick up 3 yards anytime he needs to. Our OL vs. Utah's DL will be the key to the game IMO.

Napier does not get overly excited about anything. But the hush hush talk is that he cannot wait to run out of that tunnel with 90K+ crazy Gator fans losing their minds. This guy really wants to be here. I cannot think of a bigger environment for the first game of a first-year Gator coach.

I think we all need to have realistic expectations for the season. Just remember (or don't )last year's defense against Samford. That’s where BN was forced to start. BN had to blow this thing up and start from scratch. That is exactly what he has done. He needs way more depth on his roster. But he also needs to experience the depth of Gator Nation: the crowd, the noise, the support. That starts Saturday night.

Let the games begin.

KC

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