When You Arrive You’ve Got To Arrive In Style ….
Well, the college football regular season has come to a close and needless to say there are those who’ve made their voices heard. While others,will bow out rather unceremoniously in silence. And now for the Florida Gators either history now awaits them or infamy. Urban Meyer, as coach of the Gators, knows that should he prevail in the SEC Championship Game, he then has the luxury of knowing that a berth awaits him the national championship game. As to who that opponent will be , it remains to be seen .
Yesterday, the Florida Gators faced their old and some might say their staunchest rival in the Florida State Seminoles. And for the ‘noles this has been a season of discontent and self evaluation. The turmoil within the Seminoles’ organization is one, which on the face of it has become absolutely idiotic and that has reached such heights comedic extravagance that it is hard to understand what direction the program should now take.Seminoles’ coach,Bobby Bowden, whilst having led the program, of late he’s become something of a weighty anchor that is now bringing down the vessel that is the Florida State football program. The game has passed Bowden by and in such a way that the play of the Seminoles has become barely recognizable . They’re no longer competitive and in terms of recruiting ’blue chip’ athletes. Well, that hasn’t been the case for the program in a number of years. Mind you, they’re the apologists out there,who’ll say this is but a cyclical situation for the program. But consider this, for the last decade the program has continually regressed under Bowden’s tenure. But ‘the grand old czar’ of Florida college football now sits and surveys a program that is now in complete disarray . Much of that has been of Bowden’s own making and that of the lax attitude of his coaching staff and idiocy of the Athletics Department of the once esteemed university.
In contrast , the program of University of Florida now stands on the threshold of placing itself amongst the elite programs in college football history. The program’s coach, Urban Meyer seeks to win the school’s fourth national title and his third with the program in his four years with the university. Alongside, Meyer, he’s had the distinct pleasure of having coached the program’s most storied and perhaps its best player in the team’s quarterback, Tim Tebow. And for the senior , he’s now seeking history himself, by looking to win his third national championship and with the added possibility of winning a second Heisman trophy. A feat that has not been done since Archie Griffin won two consecutive Heisman trophies. And for the young Tebow, not only does college glory await him but the chance to take his game to the next level and that is take center stage on the football fields of the NFL. But before that scenario materializes , Tebow and his teammates have some unfinished business that requires their urgent attention.
Yesterday , the Gators and the Seminoles faced off against one another at ‘The Swamp’, in Gainesville, Florida. Games of this magnitude meant so much to both programs but today it’s merely another just another ‘stop off point’ for the Gators. For Seminoles’ fans, this game was ‘the make or break’ for their season. A loss and they’re no longer Bowl eligible, a win and one could surmise that there’ll be some respite as to the speculation concerning the future of Bobby Bowden. But that’d be very much predicated upon which team turns up to face the Gators ? Inconsistency in terms of their play has very much epitomized the fall from grace of Bowden’s team and the program in general . And that hasn’t been merely because of what we’ve witnessed this season but essentially what has taken place within the program over the past few years. A program that has been sinking in its own ineptitude and asinine belief in it own self grandeur . Well, there’s nothing grand about a program that is now becoming the butt of jokes right across the college football panacea.
What we saw yesterday from both teams embodies what we’re now seeing as to the direction that programs are now taking. While one is moving forwards the other seems to be moving backwards and into an abyss mediocrity.
Bowden’s team has been anything but a complete anathema from one week to the next. They’ve at times, either been playing with a great deal of resolve but seemingly performing like a blind man in the midst of a minefield , the next. If it’s not been blowing itself up with its mediocre play, it has seen fit to let their opponents walk over them like a doormat. And for that to be happening at this juncture to a Bobby Bowden coached is very much akin to seeing Superman without his cape , enveloped in a vat of kryptonite. Now comes the hard part, what is Bowden now to do in terms of an encore ? Or will be in fact be around for an encore ? Such has been the speculation concerning Bowden’s immediate future and that of the program.
Well, the game itself proved to be an eventful one for Urban Meyer’s team as they completely outplayed Florida State in every facet of the game . The end result was a thoroughly deserving 37-10 defeat of the Seminoles at the hands of Florida, at ‘The Swamp’ , in what would be the senior , Tim Tebow’s last game as a Gator, in Gainesville. And Tebow’s play was exemplary and what we’ve now come to expect of the player. He’s not only a leader but he , himself , leads by example ,even when things are said to be going well , or not going well for the team.
And there are those out there who’d question whether or not he’s an NFL ready quarterback ? My question to them, are the likes of JaMarcus Russell,Brady Quinn, Matthew Stafford or Josh Freeman NFL ready quarterbacks ? Because the last time I checked none of these players have won anything of note, or actually led their teams with anything near distinction. But yet there are idiots out there who’d question the ability of this player. And with the asinine statements of former Miami Hurricanes and Dallas Cowboys’ coach, Jimmy Johnson make the asinine statement of stating that Tebow doesn’t have what it takes to make it in the NFL. When last I checked , Johnson had Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins on the wrong end of a 65-7 ass whupping at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars that’d bring about the end to his coaching career in the NFL. Never mind the fact that as a coach, Johnson was nothing more than a facilitator, as a coach in the NFL. He merely delegated and deferred to others , who would do his bidding. And even if he’s the coach of two Supebowl winning teams. Johnson upon his retirement, has done little to suggest that anything that he states really has any credence when it comes to the NFL. He’s merely a glorified and sartorially dressed glove puppet alongside the other idiots who provide analysis on Fox’s eponymous pre and post-game NFL show. In watching Johnson and his colleagues on the show, is akin to watching several drunks talk about their days of binge drinking and the fact that they actually could remember events from when they were at times in a drunken stupor.
As to what now awaits Florida , well that is now predicated upon how they will deal with the fate that they aspire to carve out for themselves . And as we all know, you create your own luck and not have it placed within your lap by others. It’s not only about how you arrive but the fact that you’ve arrived in style .
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Tophatal's Blog 
Tebow, doing his best Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, tells Bobby Bowden “You never knocked me down, Bobby. You never knocked me down.”
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Chris Humpherys
It’d certainly take a lot more than Bowden and his coaching staff to knock Tebow down . Now can we all agree that it’s most definitely time for him to quit ? He’s dragging the ‘noles’ program down faster than the sinking of the Titanic.
Alan Parkins
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It was a classic butt whopping. The so called experts said the same about Papa Joe. FSU has too many cooks running the show. ou can’t serve two masters. Bowden earned ti right to go on his terms.
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bobbygee
These are the things that the ‘noles’ fans ought to learn from. And as of now the faculty and AD should seriously think about calling time on Bobby Bowden. He’s now of no use to the program as he’s merely dragging it down further. Recruitment wise they’re no longer bringing in blue chip recruits. At best the talent is barely above marginal, if that !
And no way in hell has Bowden earned the right to go out on his own terms. Had he done so then he’d have quit with his head held high. Instead of now embarrassing himself and the program. They’re now in complete disarray , much like the Fightin’ Irish of Notre Dame are at present. Both Weis and Bowden ought to be shown the door , as of now . Before it’s all too late to undo the damage that has already been done.
Alan Parkins
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Hey Al,
As you know I am a long time Gators fan. My late father on the other hand was a Noles fan or to be more precise was a Booby Bowden fan. Bowden took a bad program and made it great.
The reason I bring this up is to express my hope that Coach Bowden steps down very soon. He is starting to exhibit the same signs I saw in my own father as he approached 80.
I hope he retires now to enjoy his family and memories of past glories. Dad gummit, you done good Bobby.
Take care.
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aero
My problem isn’t just with Bowden alone but the sheer stupidity shown by ‘noles President T K Wetherall and that of the AD , Randy Spetman. These two blithering idiots have let things get completely out of hand . And now no matter how they and try and address the situation they end up with egg on their face. They should’ve placed a strict timeline in place , that once Bowden named Jimbo Fisher as his pre-ordained successor then he’d step down within a year . Thereby initiating a smooth transition. Instead the whole thing looks like a script from a Keystone Cops silent comedy flick. Is it any wonder why people are making a complete joke of what’s now happening up there in Tallahassee ?
The whole Seminole Nation up there in Tallahassee are a bunch of blithering idiots. And by the way why is Charlie Crist interjecting himself in the midst of this all ? I don’t give a flying f_ck if he’s a graduate of the school. There are far more important issues that are happening within the state that he’s failed to address. And as governor he’s been a complete joke ! He’s been about as welcoming as a dose of gonorrhea . And now he wants to go up there to DC to represent the state of Florida ? Gimme’ a break I’d rather be represented by a deaf mute, for all of the good that Crist would do. This guy just doesn’t seem to have a damn clue about anything. He’s merely a political opportunist and not much else. He’s completely devoid of ideas and has been a completely useless legislator, governor and throughout his professional career he’s been a complete joke !
“Could you repeat that question again” ? “Governor how many times a day do you mast_rbate” ? “Well , I try not to do it too often as my new wife likes copious amounts of oral sex. As do I by the way ” !
Alan Parkins
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It will be strange not seeing Bowden on the sidelines for Florida State; he certainly had a phenomenal career and will be missed by the fans
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Samantha Laury
It oughtn’t to be strange at all. It’s not as if over the last decade the Noles’ program has achieved anything of distinction to begin with ! They’ve merely sat back, rested on their laurels and simply acted as if all is right with the world. And amongst that throng has been Bowden , himself, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he’s dragged the program down. And now he wants the chance to in some way redeem himself ?
Much like the rest of the Noles’ supporters out there , he too has been living cloud cuckoo land ! Simply put they’ve failed to change with the times and they’ve now been found out and wanting. They no longer are obtaining top blue chip recruits. They’re essentially getting cast offs. And all of this asinine recruitment rankings counts for nothing in the end. Especially when none of it simply ends up showing up as anything tangible on the field of play.
Those idiots who think up this stuff are merely doing so to engage the interest of the fan, nothing more nothing less. And you’ll hardly hear them come back to address the issue when a program such as FSU has a failing grade . Need I say any more on the matter ?
Alan Parkins
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