Hey everyone. Good morning. I am on my way out of town, headed south (then east, then south again) toward Tampa. Before I leave, though, please take a second to read this fine story from the New York Times:
Meyer says he's quitting as coach of Florida
Good quotes and information and insight.
Talk with you again tonight.
First and foremost.
ReplyDeleteStill shocking.
ReplyDeleteHave a good safe trip Jay. WE will be right behind you in a few days.
ReplyDeleteIf it is the best job in college football, why isn't Saban's name being mentioned in the press?
ReplyDeleteSafe travels JGT and all the other lucky Hotties heading to Tampa. Bring home a W.
ReplyDeleteIV ...UF would never give $aban absolute power like Bammer did.
ReplyDeleteWill Muschamp has no buyout.
ReplyDeleteWill Muschamp has no buyout
"There is no buyout clause in the contract if another school wants to hire Muschamp away before Brown retires. Texas athletics director DeLoss Dodds has said that he has never put a buyout clause in any coach’s contract."
And according to footballcoachscoop.com
"FootballCoachScoop sources tell us that Athletic Director Jeremy Foley is interested in talking with Texas Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp.
According to our sources, Foley and the Gators are expected to replace Meyer within a week."
Hmm...
Happy Birthday Jet!
ReplyDeleteUF won't go with someone who has only been HC in waiting, not The Man himself.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Hotties!
ReplyDeleteTHT, thanks for the ebay info and enjoy your French toast.
Kathy, sounds like you had a lovely day yesterday. Any good deals?
Norm, hope you enjoy your new church, we are headed to church soon.
IV, I am so excited for all of you who are going to the game. I'll be looking for you on TV.
Jay, be safe on your trip to Tampa and have a blast!
And, Jet, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, and all the rest. Hope it is your best year ever!!
War Eagle everyone!!
56-10 as uf head coach. not too shabby. i find it amazing that 70% of his losses at uf came against the SEC west. AU(2), UA(2), LSU(2), ole miss(1). the only other teams to beat an urban coached uf team were UGA, USCe & michigan.
ReplyDeletei hope urban gets better, but i won't miss him one bit. let's go get some of his recruits. from the nyt article, i don't think his family will miss him being the uf coach either.
i had been wondering for a while how he was going to deal with the loss of tebow. uf had only one way to go and that was down. the loss in the SECCG may have begun that process. you can't deny that 10-11 wins would be a major disappointment at uf for the rest of his tenure. $aban will now face that same pressure to sustain. 10-11 wins a year will not cut it if they finish off their run and beat texas. we all know what will be expected every year. they don't have to worry about winning 12 games anymore anyway. they play AU every year and we are gonna be administering the beatings repeatedly over the next few years.
tubs may be on to something about the 5 year window before coaches burn out. that seems to be about right for both the coach and university. AU's "problem" was tubs peaked late and and AU ended up with him for another four years. needless to say, the state of the program deteriorated over the last 2-3 years of his tenure since 2004. it was obvious by the difference in energy between tubs and chizik now. tubs had that same energy for recruiting and building the program when he first started as well. i hope chiz is stepping down in about 5-6 years with a few SEC championships and a national championship or two in the trophy case.
ReplyDeleteIV...
ReplyDeleteMaybe because Saban has the best situation in college football?
Absolute power...all the money he could want...great facilities....
And he gets to be admired by FSJ....What more could any coach ask for..
*Yes..FSJ is joking*
Then Faker, what you are saying is the NYT article is wrong when it said that the UF coaching job was the best job in college football. That is my point exactly. If the press continues to say that Fla. is the best job in college football, then why is not the guy who has things just like he wants them at UAT not being talked about in the press as being a possible candidate for that job?
ReplyDeleteI think Florida is a top five or top seven job in college football...
ReplyDeleteI also think Alabama is right now. No reason for Saban to be a candidate.
Sorta like the Forbes richest people list... Once you get into the top ten...is there really that much difference? IMO, no.
For the record...I think what Urban Meyer did is admirable. It takes a lot of "something" to walk away from your profession when you are at or near the top of it when still possessing all of your considerable talents.
ReplyDeleteJordan almost was able to do it. Ali wasn't.
Sanders and Jim Brown did do it.
I don't think any coach in his right mind wants to end up doing what Bryant did...and that is coaching yourself to death. Bryant knew he was hastening his death by continuing, yet he did. I don't think Meyer wanted to do that. The money is such today that you don't have to.
I think that the statement made in the NYT article is made by someone that is not qualified to determine which job is the best in college football. You could make an argument that Pete Carroll has the best job in CF. After all, he had a bad year and no one is trying to hang him YET. The best jobs in any profession are those that when you have an off or down production year, no one is screaming for your head.
ReplyDeleteI've lived in Tuscaloosa, AL. In terms of just location, Gainesville is definitely better. Not to mention the recruiting hotbed that is the state of Florida.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the first part of your statement.
ReplyDeleteNobody, is qualified to judge the best coaching job...IMO some jobs are a better fit for some than others. What Florida has historically proven is that with excellent coaches (Pell, Spurrier, & Meyer) they do well. When they have mediocre coaches (Zook...almost any other UF coach besides the three above) they struggle.
For instance, I think that Saban is a perfect fit at UA. Same for Carroll and USC. Price was a terrible fit at UA.
Additionally, I think that Dye was a perfect fit at AU. Chizik seems to be a good fit too.
Faker,
ReplyDeleteFlorida was almost a door mat of the SEC until Spurrier came along. They would have a good year or two now and then under Pell, but I don't think their program was ever considered one of the top programs until Spurrier got things going for them.
And you watch, When Saban has a down year, and he will sooner or later, he will be in the same boat that Meyer is in. Pressure, pressure, pressure just like or more so than Meyer is experiencing.
Pell had a pretty good record from 80-83. He was fired three games into the 84 season.
ReplyDeleteHis biggest positive impact though was in drastically improving the fortunes of the athletic department finances and facility improvements (Flordia Field improvements, skyboxes, & construction of the training center). that laid the infrastructure groundwork for what Spurrier was able to accomplish.
Holy Crap!!!!
ReplyDeleteI Am Stunned!!!
Can't even begin to think who will replace him.....
LT
We're about to head out to Michael's to gather supplies for the Hotties' placards for the Outback Bowl.
ReplyDeleteWe're planning on 10 placards, one side with HABOTN.COM and the other side with
HOTTIE HO!
we'll use clear contact paper to waterproof them.
Happy Birthday Jet
ReplyDeleteIn my humble opinion Urban Meyer did the right thing. It was hard to do so I admire him for putting health and family first.
JGT good article and have a safe trip to Tampa. I will be heading that way early Thursday morning.
Meyer rethinking decision per ESPN.
ReplyDeleteLink..
ReplyDeleteMeyer
I guess we will find out this afternoon at his presser.
ReplyDeletePress conference in about two hours per ESPN News
ReplyDeleteI was prepared to give him a pass and kudos in fact because of the health issues and because he wanted to spend more time with his family and so on...
ReplyDeleteESPN is reporting that his sabbatical could be as short as two months and as long as two years.
To me he's coming across now as looking like he is wanting to avoid the rebuilding job next year.
Maybe that is me being cynical.
I'll be interested to get Jay's take when he arrives in Tampa.
FSJ - if you're cynical, then I'm right there with you. If he does not announce that he's retiring from head coaching period, then he's equivocating and should never be trusted by any administration.
ReplyDeleteSo says Norm
Well they put out this story in the NYT yesterday talking about how his daughter was glad she was going to have her daddy around now...That lasted all of 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteIt's strange.
Big money is talking to him...... I wish he would step away ....not for AU's sake but for his own health,,,
ReplyDeleteSomeone on Tiderinsider said it best...
ReplyDeleteIt is very Fran-like.
FSJ ...There are only a very few opinions that would have any semblance of validity in the UM situation. Only a very few folks will know his actual physical/mental condition and that would be necessary to know in order to offer anything other than wild speculation.
ReplyDeleteA 2 year haitus granted by UF woulbe be hailed as a great humanitarian gester and riduculed at the same time....that also would wreck recruiting.
The "absolute power" thing is total bunk. No head coach has absolute power. He may be given the illusion of it as long as they're winning, but the second the people above him decides they want to pull the reigns in, that illusion quickly fades...Well, Derek Dooley might, but even he has to answer to someone.
ReplyDeleteMeyer is a shady character...something fishy is going on here
ReplyDeleteI think they are just trying to save their recruiting class this way
ReplyDeletejhag...
ReplyDeleteI think they will hurt their recruiting with this stunt over the long haul.
I agree...it's very weird.
Jhag ...please email all of their recruits and 'splain the shadiness to them. At the same time invite some of the better recruits to comeo on over to a better shade of Orange and Blue.
ReplyDeleteThis story is getting stranger by the minute.
ReplyDeletePF ...surely you realize that the absolute power phrase is representative of worship and authority given to $aban before he even did anything at Bama.
ReplyDeleteThe Forbes article seemed to think that phrase has relevance ...regardless, according to some insiders he pretty much has the keys(control) over anything he desires.
3 UGA fans toasted Meyer's retirement last night at our holiday gathering last night.
ReplyDeletewhat are they going to toast tonight, Hoopie?
ReplyDeleteThey are going to toast the fact that get to opportunity to lose to yet another UF coach.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone had a great Christmas.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Why not bring Darth Visor back for a 2 year stint? The prodigal son returns to keep the program running and then graciously steps aside when Meyer is "healthy" again. Spurrier doesn't have that many coaching years left and he'd probably like to retire a gator anyway.
This may be just a power struggle between Meyer and Foley which will be interesting to watch.
I can NOT wait to hear what Lane Kiffin has to say about this..
ReplyDeleteDon't know how those UGA guys will feel. I reminded them that last night that AU never lost to UM, so his retirement doesn't affect us.
ReplyDeleteJust watched his interview. It was ......touching. They really lost me when I realized that the 2 senior players were at the interview. My daughter couldn't stand it and changed the channel once the emo-loaded questions and gushing started. She was raised "rite".
Good point FSJ, this may be too good for ol Kiffy to pass up. The guys is gonna be in Atl doing pressers everyday and he can't help himself.
ReplyDeleteyeah, Hoops. He has the power now. They gave it to him the moment they hired him, sure. think the word absolute is ridiculous, though. He can be fired (if/when bad things start happening). He answers to boosters and and AD. His power isn't absolute....Forbes is dumb for even ranking such a thing. I'm not thinking that's a credible source. For the most powerful CEO, or best company, sure, but not for football.
ReplyDeletethere has GOT to be more to this story...how bizzare... whenever asked about his conditions "id rather not get into that" yeah okay Urban
ReplyDeleteStrange, Very strange.
ReplyDeleteFootball programs are big businesses to be sure.
ReplyDeleteThe Head Coach is the CEO.
The AD/University President/Trustees would be like the Board of Directors.
A parallel in the business world would be Steve Jobs at Apple. His power is pretty much unlimited within his company so long as laws are obeyed.
CNS has more power than any other CFB coach and it was enthusiastically given to him. If he starts losing sooner than later, Bammer will turn on him and he will lose that power. If he wins long enough before losing, he will get leeway to correct a losing trend.
ReplyDelete...."and that's the way it is on December 27, 2009."
His vagueness and tidbits offered seem to insinuate that it could possibly be a spiritual/family issue causing a medical issues.
ReplyDeleteOf course jhag's suspicions may be dead on.
It'll be interesting to see how this gets spun after the Sugar Bowl and recruiting starts again.
Ummm, HUGE change of subject here, but is anyone staying at or near the Intercontinental Tampa next weekend? And are we all getting together anywhere New Years Eve?
ReplyDeleteSo, I'm in the middle of doing my flexibility exercises for my IT Band Syndrome and my friend yells from downstairs, "Hey! Mrtommyd is staying at the Intercontential!"
ReplyDeletemrtommyd, we are staying there! We arrive early afternoon on New Year's Eve.
Hey guys, I've been missing the quality time with my hotties this past week. Anything else news worthy happen while I've been gone?
ReplyDeleteDoes this whole Meyer situation remind anybody else of the Deal with the Magic and Donovon a couple years ago?
Saban may not have 'absolute' power, but it will cost Bama a ton of money if they decide to get rid of him. Unless his recent contract extension changed the terms dramatically in UA's favor (and why would it?), they would owe him the entire balance of his full salary (not just the 'official' UA portion, but the whole $4 million plus) for every year remaining on his contract at his date of termination.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, if he were to win only 2 games in the next 2 seasons and they decided to dump him after the 2011 Iron Bowl, UA would have to cut him a check for roughly $28 million, before they can even begin to hire someone else.
Of course if he walks away the day after the BCSCG in 10 days, he doesn't owe UA a crimson cent.
If that's not 'absolute power', you can probably see it from where he's standing.
BTW, Meyer's backtrack today was pretty embarrassing. I'm starting to believe my initial, very cynical reaction to the news yesterday - that his 'health issue' might have something to do with his wife having reason to kill him. . .
When he was hospitalized after the SECCG, could it have possibly involved a run-in with a fire hydrant?
OK, I give up.
ReplyDeleteI'd almost rather see the UAT book banner ad.
"DecreasedSexualDesire.com"
LOL..
ReplyDeleteFreep said it best...It might not be absolute power but you can see it from where he's standing.
Something tells me nothing will ever be the same in Gainesville.
ReplyDeleteThe powers that be have assured me that I have absolute power at HABOTN.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the new shoes some of the players were wearing at practice today. Picture is at the bottom of the Gold Mine article:
ReplyDeletehttp://blog.al.com/goldmine/2009/12/auburn_notebook_a_first_practi.html
"Imma let you hire someone for a year or so, Jeremy, but then I'll be back 'cuz I'm best coach evah!"
ReplyDeletewell, finally back in Atlanta, a bit further away from the Bammer epicenter...I swear it's like a bad staff infection the way these people multiplied.
ReplyDeleteTo anyone watching Kentucky and Cousin Clem (THT, you should understand that) ...
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sean McDonough and Matt Millen drink beer often, but I am convinced they are way deep into the Dos Equis tonight.
I like the new shoes, but I know a lot of (especially older) fans will react badly to the thought of a uniform change, even if it is back to something we used to wear.
ReplyDeleteOf course we can wear the same look for 20 years and call it "Tradition". I tell my wife that my lime green leisure suit is a tradition, but she still doesn't think it's hot.
Why are they going to Ybor? That place just breeds trouble.
ReplyDeleteWatching the clip from Urban's news conference on the halftime show, did anyone else notice his suit jacket vibrating because he was clearly shaking his leg violently?
ReplyDeleteYou don't think maybe that there might be an offer that he can't refuse involved do you?
ReplyDeleteFSJ-channel fliiping and just watched 'Steak paradise'on the travel channel. Obviouvly Peter Luger Steakhouse is pretty good for steaks. Here is the mail order for 4:
ReplyDelete4 USDA PRIME Dry aged Strip Steaks
(averaging 24-26oz. each). $219.95
Jet-I used my grill yesterday. totally awesome. Half gas, half charcoal. Cooked about 18 steaks from Fresh Market.
ReplyDeleteYou cooked 18 steaks and I wasn't invited? Am I reading that right?
ReplyDeleteNew thread UPZ.
ReplyDeleteWTC can cook 18 steaks at a time? I say we're watching the Outback at his place!!!!
ReplyDelete