Preach on Brother.... 12-8-2003
Since fireronzook.com has been taken down I thought it would be appropriate to post as much material from that site here as possible. The posts are dated by original publication date.
-------
I know everyone is complaining about the officials. They were a joke! But you have to score some touchdowns in the first half. I mean our entire philosophy is to hang around until the last couple of drives and then make a play to win the game. So when that's your coaching philosophy, then why be surprised that a bad call ruins the game for you. Field goals don't beat FSU. You have to get touchdowns! Here is some advice Zook, you are now 3-6 when trailing at half time…3-6!!!…that means your philosophy is not working. Since when does getting a big lead in the first half become a bad idea? (I guess after the Miami game...) Let's please try to make some plays in the first half. Let's get a lead for the love of god. The ACC refs have always been bad. This was, of course, the worst I have ever seen, but that's part of the game. However, 17-6 at halftime is not "good shape" as you told Jill Arrington when you were leaving the field.
Charlie strong has to stick with the game plan for the love of god! Do not play passive zone, our players don't do it well at all, especially with a lead. But it was 3rd and 14 and Rix overthrew his man and 4th and 14 - man, that just can't happen.
But I thought we lost the game in the first half. I mean it was 8 minutes into the 1st quarter and we ran the same screen to the running back 4 times!!! How many wide receiver screens did we run? 80! How many times did FSU hit the running back in the backfield on those shotgun draws? If we called the plays we used in the second half in the first half I think we would have won. So we know they are in the playbook, but we just play 'not to lose' instead of playing to win!
Zook is not a great X and O's guy; he's a "survivor" to quote the media. Let's not forget his great clock management skills. We had used 2 timeouts with about 6 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. After one of the timeouts we ran a bubble screen for 4 yards on 3rd and 6. We needed a timeout to call that? What about our special teams? How long does it take him to teach special teams? They are still bad and that was the last game of year 2! I could blame the officials if we weren't offside on a kickoff or if we hadn't held the long snapper on a punt, settled for 26 field goals or let FSU get away with being completely one dimensional in the first half.
What drives me nuts is to look at the AD at Nebraska who fired Frank Solich. Why? Because Nebraska will not accept mediocrity! Or how about Mike Stoops' "We are going to win and win fast" speech. None of this, "its going to take time for them to learn our system" bull$hit.
For those of you who jumped on the "keep Zook" bandwagon, we now have 4 losses. We're going back to the lame-ass Outback Bowl!!! AGAIN! YES! We can't even make it to the Citrus Bowl!
Does this hurt you people like it hurts me? We are on pace for our 5th loss. God help me if we lose to another slow ass Big Ten team. I mean that can't happen...can it?
Next year our secondary is gone; so are our lineman Snell and Starks…I mean there were more seniors starting for UF than for FSU. Zook has his excuse for next year - I can hear it now "Our young secondary is improving, they are flying around out there blah blah blah"
I am so sick of this. We beat Florida A&M, Vandy and San Jose State at home. Could you possibly imagine that? Blew it against Miami. Almost blew it against Kentucky, Arkansas and South Carolina.
Nebraska does not accept mediocrity but Florida does so wait 'til next year!
At least we got Billy Ball!!!
I mean when an Arizona hire and a Nebraska firing depress you, you just know things are bad.
One more year.
Here is FRZ's version of the "serenity now" chant - "2 down 1 to go!, 2 down 1 to go!" repeat it over and over and maybe you can recover from the utter waste of talent that this season was.
Again I want to thank all the seniors - there were so many great ones…Gus Scott, Keiwan Ratliff, Snell, Starks…I thought you deserved better.
Hopefully Foley will follow the lead of Nebraska and act now! But I know he wants his friend to get one more year.
Happy Holidays,
Mike NYC
