Among the litany of issues during the Billy Napier Era was the recurring mess on special teams. The constant inability to field 11 players was emblematic of the amateur-hour show Gator fans were forced to endure over the past four years.
So it is a bit of fresh air that Jon Sumrall went out and hired a member of his staff who not only can get 11 players on the field, but who was also part of one of the most iconic special teams plays in Super Bowl history.
Florida set to hire Greg McMahon as a special teams analyst
CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz has reported that Florida is going to hire Greg McMahon as a special teams analyst. Now, unless you are a football savant, the name itself probably doesn’t stick out, but the 66-year-old had previous stops at Tulane (with Jon Sumrall), the XFL, LSU, and the New Orleans Saints.
It’s his time with the Saints that is the most notable, as McMahon was listed as the special teams coordinator for the 2009 season, the year the Saints won the Super Bowl.
And if you haven’t put two and two together yet, McMahon was on staff and had a role for the iconic onside kick the Saints recovered to open the second half of Super Bowl 44. To give an idea about the attention to detail that was required for that moment, this is what McMahon had to say about the play and what inspired the Saints even to try it in the first place:
"The Colts were probably the most conservative team we played all year as far as their punt return. Same with their field goal. They were playing fakes the whole time. Then all of a sudden, we look at the film of their kickoff team. 'Man, their left tackle's bailing, bailing, bailing (dropping back early). It's as good of a look as we can get.' Then I show it to Mike and Mike's like, 'Wow.'"
Now, as an analyst, McMahon will have more of a behind-the-scenes role, as Florida’s listed special teams coordinator is Johnathan Galante. But again, considering we just went from whatever the past four years were to having a guy like McMahon on staff at all, it really is brighter days ahead in Gainesville, and if we start to see some trick plays and fakes from Florida’s special teams, there is a good chance McMahon will have had a role in the play.
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