Will Muschamp on John Brantley, Chris Dunkley, and CEO Coaches
Florida head coach Will Muschamp is making the rounds from Lakeland, FL to Bristol, CT and has plenty to say about the Gators and his role as leader of the orange and blue. In Lakeland, Muschamp spoke with a local Gator club. And in Bristol, it was ESPN (were you expecting me to say someone else?). Here’s a recap of some of what he talked about (you can visit Alligator Army and Only Gators for more) and of course my thoughts:
• Muschamp supports John Brantley and reminds us that the quarterback position will always receive criticism. If things go well, you’re the one that made them so. If things go bad, it’s your fault and no one else’s. This is true for the most part, but what else do we honestly expect Muschamp to say? He’s not going to attack a kid who looked like he had confidence problems during his first season as a starter. Muschamp has to play the role of not just coach, but motivator and supporter for Brantley. #12 was in a tough position before last season and his performance throughout 2010 didn’t make anything easier for him. To be honest, no one has any idea what the Gators have at the quarterback position until we all see it with our own eyes during the first game. This is going to be the main topic of discussion for Florida fans and followers up until and even through the 2011 season. The “issue” (that’s a nice way of saying problem) isn’t going away and as many guesses as we throw at it, none of us can predict what will happen. We all just have to keep our fingers crossed for improvement of any kind.
• After the announcement was made that wide receiver Chris Dunkley would transfer, speculation regarding his destination immediately started. Muschamp has said Florida will not restrict where he can transfer to in any way. I’m a supporter of this. Sure, I don’t want to see Dunkley (or Javares McRoy) leave, but it happens. Losing such a small number during a coaching change might actually be a positive. Florida isn’t for everyone. Sometimes things just don’t work out. You can’t expect every kid to come in and love everything about the school they choose. For Dunkley, this is what happened. For whatever reason, it didn’t end up being the place for him. Things might have been different if he had been eligible for the spring, but he wasn’t and so he’s moving on. Good for Muschamp for allowing him to try to find the place that’s best for him with no restrictions.
• The big quote from Muschamp from today (which Andy Hutchins expands on here) was “I don’t want to be a CEO head coach.” Instead of taking it as a statement of what Muschamp is or isn’t, it was immediately seen as a shot at either his former boss at Texas, Mack Brown, or former Gator head man Urban Meyer. Every coach has a different style. No two are alike, but it sounds like Muschamp doesn’t want the business-like, running a corporation approach. You could read what he said as him wanting to just be a football coach. Not wanting to worry about interviews, etc., but wanting to coach his team. Muschamp loves being on the field, it doesn’t sound like he relishes some of the other stuff off of it. He just wants to be himself and he seems to be doing that just fine so far. It’s hard to question too much of what he’s done since being named a head coach for the first time and if you’re intent on hunting for jabs he might be throwing at others, keep searching. Methinks he meant exactly what he said and was merely pointing out what he is and what he isn’t. If it’s a shot at anyone in particular, so be it, but let’s not begin this sort of talk before he coaches his first game. This was far from a Lane Kiffin-like shot fired. As for what he said regarding Aubrey Hill and Miami, well…