Thursday, October 14, 2004

Preach on Brother.... 10-14-2004

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.

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It looks like we were wrong about one thing. THE DATE we predicted Ron Zook would be fired. If you have been reading the Orlando Sun Sentinel and the Gainesville Sun you know the end is near. That's right; the Zooker has really done it this time. What in the hell is going on in Gainesville? My friend Roy said it best, "Not only may Zook go down for this, but maybe Foley too. He's running a clown show up there."

Let me tell you this - nobody starts fights with offensive lineman, let alone some fraternity kid. The football team is out of control. It's time to clean things up once and for all. I can not see any reasonable way to defend Zook or his players for their actions. Screaming at students at their place of residence is a disgrace.

Zook was right about this blurb from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sun Sentinel:

"This whole thing has become a story because we lost Saturday," Zook said. "This is another opportunity for people to pile on and try to put another nail in the coffin. . . . I was trying to do the right thing at that frat house. There was no confrontation. I was trying to stop a confrontation from happening."

We were trying to pile it on but it looks like Zook did it for us. Great column and a must read. One comment for Mike Bianchi, most fraternity kids dads are not big boosters. You could say that some are, but most is a stretch. Bobby Knight once flipped out on a kid who was part of the movement to get him booted from IU in a hallway. Zook went to a fraternity house to prevent his thug players from going to jail! That's where these kids live. And I'm sorry but fraternities do not pick fights with football teams. They would get their asses handed to them. If they were provoking the fight why did they call the police? With only 10 to 15 guys there wouldn't they have a huge numbers advantage? What are these players doing out the Thursday before the Tennessee game? Why are these players always involved in some sort of fighting? What kind of leader is this?

From the Gainesville Sun Robbie Andreu:

"Some fraternity members tried to tell Zook what had happened the previous night, but he said he didn't care. "That's for the officials to figure out, not me," Zook said."

Umm, No Ronnie, you're the HEAD FOOTBALL COACH now. I know it's hard to believe, but somehow it's true. You're responsible for your team, granted only to an extent, but this was clearly a team event or partial team event. Ron Zook has no judgment. He is a desperate man, and desperate men do desperate things. Things like this lead to probation for what is called "lack of institutional control." Channing Crowder and Ron Zook are sounding more and more like Lawrence Phillips and Tom Osbourne. Don't you think? That scares me. When Osbourne got desperate after all those years of not winning the big game, he made some embarrassing choices at the University of Nebraska (See Peters and Phillips). Zook is looking more panicked and desperate every week. He made the analogy, "the nail in the coffin" line. He can see the writing on the wall.

I love Crowder as a football player, don't get me wrong. But the kid needs some anger management help. If the rumor that he wanted to stop or cancel practice to go over to Pi Kap is true, he should be fired today. What does a fraternity have to do with the Tennessee game? I have to think that this incident took some time away from his game planning or film study. It had to hurt the players' preparation. This is embarrassing. This is a clown show! How does this possibly happen? Who thinks this is a good idea?

How many years do you give a guy to learn how to coach? Or more importantly to become a leader? Who would send their kid to this guy after these stories?

If recruiting is your defense to keep this man, well prepare for that to see a significant turn down. He has no discipline whatsoever, nor does he want to discipline his team. If that quotes attributed to the Dean of Greek Affairs are correct, he will do whatever is in his power to protect his team no matter how shady their actions are.

What scares me is wondering what is the next incident going to be about? Another bar brawl, players at a sorority house? God forbid something as sick and deranged as what Lawrence Phillips did at Nebraska? I hope not.

But one thing we Gator alumni, fans and students have been stripped of by Ron Zook is hope, both on and off the field. The man is an atrocious decision maker. Yelling at students to protect his team. Threatening them. I don't think there is any other Division I coach who would do something so stupid. What a bafoon!!!

Jeremy, if you still have a job, fire him today. Let's say around 4 P.M. and then name Charlie Strong as interim coach, and start looking for a real coach today. Here is some advice on how to survive what's left of the sinking ship that is Ron Zook's coaching career at Florida.

Have no dreams of a national championship.

Have no desires of even being in an SEC championship game.

Have no hope of any team discipline.

And you will never be disappointed by Ron Zook!!!

We were so RIGHT ALL ALONG!!!

We will miss all the emails and funny message board posts. The supporters and the haters of the site alike have to give us credit for one thing. One day after he was hired we were here with the clock counting down. We flew a banner over the first Outback Bowl debacle. We told you "8 and 5" would happen again, and it did. We told you don't let a guy learn how to become a head coach at the University of Florida and we were right. We told you Letting JUCO�s on the team would only lead to off the field problems and guess what? We were right! We just didn't expect those off the field problems from the COACH!!!!

Mike NYC!!!

P.S. - We told you so sounds even better then we dreamed it could!!!

I can't wait to hear those words. I wonder if we could fly Trump down there to do it. We'll have a national broadcast and a party at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium renaming it the Swamp again. I am so excited. Thanks Ron for being so incompetent that we don't have to wait for the rest of the season for you to get canned!!!