His lips moved: Meyer probably leaving Gators job after season
Posted by [URL="http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/about.html"]Paul Finebaum, Sports Columnist[/URL] July 07, 2009 1:00 AM
Categories: Football, SEC
AP Photo/Mark HumphreyGators head coach Urban Meyer talks to Florida players in this Nov. 8, 2008, photo. Paul Finebaum believes Meyer is probably leaving Florida after the upcoming season to go to Notre Dame.
Is it too early for President Obama to place FEMA on red alert for Gainesville? A big storm is brewing and could possibly leave many in Florida brokenhearted.
Urban Meyer is probably leaving Florida after the season to go to Notre Dame. Meyer says he's not going. He insists he loves it in Gainesville and has no intention of taking a position he once described as "my dream job."
So how do I know Meyer is not telling the truth? Easy. Meyer's lips moved when he denied the story.
Perhaps there was a time when Meyer was about what's right in college football. They say he was just a normal guy out in Utah. Maybe he was even a decent cat for about 24 hours in Gainesville. Since then, Meyer has become obsessed with success and power (see the blatant strong arming of quarterback turned talk show host Shane Matthews). The lure of being "the man" at South Bend might be too intoxicating for him to turn down.
Besides, Meyer knows better than anyone that Superman (Tim Tebow) is gone after the season and Florida's reign of terror in the SEC will be over. Don't think Meyer isn't just a tad concerned about Nick Saban stockpiling warehouses loaded with blue-chip talent in Tuscaloosa. Meyer knows he dodged a bullet in the fourth quarter of the SEC title game last year. However, that wasn't enough for the self-absorbed coach. Beating Saban once wasn't enough. He needed to beat him a second time.
Why else do you think that leading up to the Sugar Bowl Meyer was burning up the Salt Lake City telephone towers to his one-time assistant Kyle Whittingham, helping construct the game plan that beat the Tide 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl?
Instead of a Senate hearing this week on (Utah senator) Orrin Hatch's spurious attack on the BCS, wouldn't it be interesting to ask Whittingham and Meyer to show up with phone records intact?
Here's a guess that Meyer enjoyed the beating of his rival Saban as much as his own second national title.
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive just cracked down on league coaches accusing each other of cheating. Luckily for Meyer, he didn't mention league coaches aiding and abetting out of league opponents in showcase BCS games.
Had Meyer spent even a fraction of that time employing some sort of discipline program on his own campus, Florida wouldn't be teetering on being completely out of control right now. In case you don't own a police blotter -- or have the DVD collection of the television series "COPS" -- the Gators recently celebrated their 24th arrest since Meyer's arrival.
Apparently, that doesn't seem to bother school President Bernie Machen, who just brazenly promoted the idea of Meyer getting a raise. Meyer has four years left on a contract that pays him well north of $3 million a year. He works at a school that recently cut $40 million from its general budget.
However, the megalomaniacal Machen knows all about the Notre Dame threat and wants to be on the record, just in case Florida wins another national title, three in four years, making Meyer a legend in all parts of the universe and perhaps opening the door for him to finally take his "dream job" that he supposedly doesn't want. What's the old line from "Hamlet" about protesting too much?
You can call Meyer lot of things. He's arrogant. He's cold blooded. He recruits like a serial killer. But he's not stupid.
Meyer doesn't have to study history to understand that staying in Gainesville would be the wrong move. All he has to do is walk across the street from his office and ask Billy Donovan.
Billy Who? Following an exhaustive search, I discovered he's still the head basketball coach at Florida. Remember, he's the one who won back-to-back national titles, accepted and rejected a job with the Orlando Magic (who just lost in the NBA Finals), and hasn't been seen since.
It is unlikely Meyer has to worry about falling as far as Donovan (who is no longer even considered the best coach in his division). However, for all of the beatings Meyer has put on and will likely continue to put on schools this fall, he will become the hunted next year. His arrogance (see Ole Miss debacle last year) won't be able to handle that.
In one of the most anticipated battles of the upcoming season, USA Today's sports analyst Danny Sheridan says Florida could be favored by as many as "25 to 27 points" for the Sept. 19 game between Lane Kiffin and Meyer at the Swamp. Florida could win by 50, that is if Meyer can get all of his starters out on parole by then.
Posted by [URL="http://blog.al.com/press-register-sports/about.html"]Paul Finebaum, Sports Columnist[/URL] July 07, 2009 1:00 AM
Categories: Football, SEC
Is it too early for President Obama to place FEMA on red alert for Gainesville? A big storm is brewing and could possibly leave many in Florida brokenhearted.
Urban Meyer is probably leaving Florida after the season to go to Notre Dame. Meyer says he's not going. He insists he loves it in Gainesville and has no intention of taking a position he once described as "my dream job."
So how do I know Meyer is not telling the truth? Easy. Meyer's lips moved when he denied the story.
Perhaps there was a time when Meyer was about what's right in college football. They say he was just a normal guy out in Utah. Maybe he was even a decent cat for about 24 hours in Gainesville. Since then, Meyer has become obsessed with success and power (see the blatant strong arming of quarterback turned talk show host Shane Matthews). The lure of being "the man" at South Bend might be too intoxicating for him to turn down.
Besides, Meyer knows better than anyone that Superman (Tim Tebow) is gone after the season and Florida's reign of terror in the SEC will be over. Don't think Meyer isn't just a tad concerned about Nick Saban stockpiling warehouses loaded with blue-chip talent in Tuscaloosa. Meyer knows he dodged a bullet in the fourth quarter of the SEC title game last year. However, that wasn't enough for the self-absorbed coach. Beating Saban once wasn't enough. He needed to beat him a second time.
Why else do you think that leading up to the Sugar Bowl Meyer was burning up the Salt Lake City telephone towers to his one-time assistant Kyle Whittingham, helping construct the game plan that beat the Tide 31-17 in the Sugar Bowl?
Instead of a Senate hearing this week on (Utah senator) Orrin Hatch's spurious attack on the BCS, wouldn't it be interesting to ask Whittingham and Meyer to show up with phone records intact?
Here's a guess that Meyer enjoyed the beating of his rival Saban as much as his own second national title.
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive just cracked down on league coaches accusing each other of cheating. Luckily for Meyer, he didn't mention league coaches aiding and abetting out of league opponents in showcase BCS games.
Had Meyer spent even a fraction of that time employing some sort of discipline program on his own campus, Florida wouldn't be teetering on being completely out of control right now. In case you don't own a police blotter -- or have the DVD collection of the television series "COPS" -- the Gators recently celebrated their 24th arrest since Meyer's arrival.
Apparently, that doesn't seem to bother school President Bernie Machen, who just brazenly promoted the idea of Meyer getting a raise. Meyer has four years left on a contract that pays him well north of $3 million a year. He works at a school that recently cut $40 million from its general budget.
However, the megalomaniacal Machen knows all about the Notre Dame threat and wants to be on the record, just in case Florida wins another national title, three in four years, making Meyer a legend in all parts of the universe and perhaps opening the door for him to finally take his "dream job" that he supposedly doesn't want. What's the old line from "Hamlet" about protesting too much?
You can call Meyer lot of things. He's arrogant. He's cold blooded. He recruits like a serial killer. But he's not stupid.
Meyer doesn't have to study history to understand that staying in Gainesville would be the wrong move. All he has to do is walk across the street from his office and ask Billy Donovan.
Billy Who? Following an exhaustive search, I discovered he's still the head basketball coach at Florida. Remember, he's the one who won back-to-back national titles, accepted and rejected a job with the Orlando Magic (who just lost in the NBA Finals), and hasn't been seen since.
It is unlikely Meyer has to worry about falling as far as Donovan (who is no longer even considered the best coach in his division). However, for all of the beatings Meyer has put on and will likely continue to put on schools this fall, he will become the hunted next year. His arrogance (see Ole Miss debacle last year) won't be able to handle that.
In one of the most anticipated battles of the upcoming season, USA Today's sports analyst Danny Sheridan says Florida could be favored by as many as "25 to 27 points" for the Sept. 19 game between Lane Kiffin and Meyer at the Swamp. Florida could win by 50, that is if Meyer can get all of his starters out on parole by then.
LT
