Don't take too much from openers
Published: Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 6:39 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, September 4, 2010 at 6:39 p.m.
I have a few rules in my life. They're not really rules, more like guidelines. Don't drink anything that has to be explained to you. Always say yes when asked if you want to donate your change to a charity. Don't respond to e-mails claiming to be from deposed African princes offering to wire you money.
And here's another one — don't take too much from opening games.
If I did, I would think Florida is in trouble and South Carolina is now the favorite to win the SEC East.
I would think Florida's offense might be the worst it has been since the days of Lynn Amedee.
I would think Florida has few intermediate passing plays in the playbook.
I would think the UF players lathered up with Crisco before taking the field.
I would think Mike Pouncey can't play center.
I would think Carl Johnson might be the MVP of this team.
I would think Florida might set an NCAA record this season for interceptions.
I would think the Gators have a real problem at place-kicker.
I would think that those alleged practices Florida has had are rumors only.
And I would think the impossible happened Saturday in The Swamp — Tim Tebow's legacy actually grew.
But luckily, I have this rule.
Don't take too much from openers.
Better not.
"I didn't imagine the offensive incompetence we displayed," Urban Meyer said.
Me neither.
You neither.
Meyer said he saw that his team might struggle with so many replacement parts. But 13 first-half yards? Eight fumbles, four of them on botched snaps?
"My job is to make sure we put this behind us," said offensive coordinator Steve Addazio. "There's one guy who is in charge of this thing and that's me, not Mike Pouncey.
"Today was not a very good day."
It wasn't a disaster, but certainly those are waiting down the road if this Gator team doesn't show a drastic improvement. That, you definitely could take away from a steamy opener.
"It would be tough to win with this performance against an SEC team," John Brantley said.
It would be nearly impossible.
But there is good news.
The offensive line was brutal Saturday but will be better with the suspended Johnson and injured Xavier Nixon and Matt Patchan back. The reshuffled offensive line was not very good.
"You start playing the shuffle game and you're running against the clock to get this chemistry'd out," Addazio said.
You could almost see Addazio rolling up the blue sleeves of his dress shirt to go to work.
"If we take 100 (shotgun snaps) in the course of the day we'll take 200 (today)," he said.
The snaps cost Florida yardage and rhythm but they were hardly the only offensive problems. A dropped pitch on fourth down, a dropped pass in the end zone on the best pass Brantley threw all day. Not a whole lot went right for UF on the offensive side except for Jeff Demps and a fluky touchdown pass late in the game.
On a day when you truly did need a scorecard to tell who was on the field, even Meyer caught himself doing double takes.
"I had to check the roster to see who was out there," he said.
The best thing about Saturday is that Brantley has it behind him. He confessed to struggling to get breakfast down and admitted relief that he has now replaced Tebow officially, even if it means he'll be the target of observers across the nation.
"I've answered a lot of questions about replacing Tim," he said. "I'm happy to get that first game out of the way."
And that's what it was.
A first game.
It's out of the way.
Don't take too much from it.
Hopefully.
Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at dooleyp@gvillesun.com. You can listen to The Pat Dooley Show weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 104.9 FM. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.
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