Post by Andrew - Resident Gator on Sept 8, 2008 12:58:24 GMT -5
Link: blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2008/09/quit-whining-mi.html
Quit whining, Miami: Urban Meyer SHOULD be trying to run up the score
posted by Mike Bianchi on Sep 8, 2008 6:03:20 AM
How far has the Miami program fallen when coach Randy Shannon and the Hurricanes are whining about Florida scoring late in the Gators' 26-3 victory over the 'Canes?
"Sometimes when you do things and people see what kind of person you really are, you turn a lot of people off," Shannon said Sunday. "Take from that what you want. It (UF's decision to kick a field goal in the final seconds against UM) helped us more than you will ever know."
Stop it, Randy. You are giving the once-proud 'Canes a bad name. Yes, the same 'Canes who made a national name for themselves in the 1980s by running their mouths and running up the score. And, by the way, wasn't Shannon a member of the UM team that ran up the score and beat Notre Dame 58-7 in 1985?
Hey, Coach, welcome to big-boy BCS football, where style points and point spreads DO matter. As much as you might think Meyer is smug and self-important (which he is), it's not his job to worry about UM's feelings. It's his job to win national championships.
And if it gets down to the end of the season and there are three undefeated teams vying for two spots in the national title game, every victory, every point spread, every touchdown and, yes, every field goal might be the difference in being ranked No. 2 or No. 3. Even though the Gators actually struggled to beat a young Miami team that was 5-7 last year, the computers and the pollsters won't even consider those struggles at the end of the year. All they'll consider is that Florida recorded an "impressive" 26-3 victory over Miami.
Take it from someone who has been an Associated Press poll voter: Point spreads do matter.
Let me explain to you how the process works: Pollsters don't watch all the games; they get up Sunday morning and pick up the paper to see how much the Gators won by ... "Hmmm, 26-3. Not bad. I think I'll move them up a spot."
Not only that, but Meyer's job is to get his team ready for tougher games later in the season. He has a new starting place kicker this year who needs to know what it feels like to boot a field goal at the end of the game. Now he knows.
The only problem I have with Meyer trying to score late in the game is what if quarterback Tim Tebow had been injured while dropping back to pass? What then?
Then everything changes.
Then Urban Meyer goes from being a national championship coach to being a national championship dummy.
But that didn't happen.
His team his undefeated with two "impressive" victories under its belt.
Right now, that's much more important than the hurt feelings of an arch-rival.
Quit whining, Miami: Urban Meyer SHOULD be trying to run up the score
posted by Mike Bianchi on Sep 8, 2008 6:03:20 AM
How far has the Miami program fallen when coach Randy Shannon and the Hurricanes are whining about Florida scoring late in the Gators' 26-3 victory over the 'Canes?
"Sometimes when you do things and people see what kind of person you really are, you turn a lot of people off," Shannon said Sunday. "Take from that what you want. It (UF's decision to kick a field goal in the final seconds against UM) helped us more than you will ever know."
Stop it, Randy. You are giving the once-proud 'Canes a bad name. Yes, the same 'Canes who made a national name for themselves in the 1980s by running their mouths and running up the score. And, by the way, wasn't Shannon a member of the UM team that ran up the score and beat Notre Dame 58-7 in 1985?
Hey, Coach, welcome to big-boy BCS football, where style points and point spreads DO matter. As much as you might think Meyer is smug and self-important (which he is), it's not his job to worry about UM's feelings. It's his job to win national championships.
And if it gets down to the end of the season and there are three undefeated teams vying for two spots in the national title game, every victory, every point spread, every touchdown and, yes, every field goal might be the difference in being ranked No. 2 or No. 3. Even though the Gators actually struggled to beat a young Miami team that was 5-7 last year, the computers and the pollsters won't even consider those struggles at the end of the year. All they'll consider is that Florida recorded an "impressive" 26-3 victory over Miami.
Take it from someone who has been an Associated Press poll voter: Point spreads do matter.
Let me explain to you how the process works: Pollsters don't watch all the games; they get up Sunday morning and pick up the paper to see how much the Gators won by ... "Hmmm, 26-3. Not bad. I think I'll move them up a spot."
Not only that, but Meyer's job is to get his team ready for tougher games later in the season. He has a new starting place kicker this year who needs to know what it feels like to boot a field goal at the end of the game. Now he knows.
The only problem I have with Meyer trying to score late in the game is what if quarterback Tim Tebow had been injured while dropping back to pass? What then?
Then everything changes.
Then Urban Meyer goes from being a national championship coach to being a national championship dummy.
But that didn't happen.
His team his undefeated with two "impressive" victories under its belt.
Right now, that's much more important than the hurt feelings of an arch-rival.
