So obviously I was trying to be optimistic when I predicted 9 wins. But it was ugly yesterday. Had Bowling Green not flat out missed 2 short field goals, you're looking at a seven-point game. The hardest part to determine is how much of this was Muschamp trying to keep schemes up his sleeve and how much of this was total crap.
Other than the second offensive series which went 13 plays (11 of which were running plays) and covered 85 yards in over six minutes, the offensive line run blocked inconsistently. To be a little fair, they saw plenty of 8 and even 9 guys in the box playing run defense. Which begs the question, where were the play action passes? Were the Gators holding that back to spring on Texas A&M next week? Were the Gators running the ball against nine guys to instill toughness? Or was it simple bone headedness? I'd like to think they were holding back but in a game that close nothing can be held back.
27 points isn't much against an overmatched Bowling Green State University but it did fall into the 24-27 point range I said the Gators would need to average throughout the year to pile up wins. Will that same offense be able to put up those points against conference teams? Not if they play the same way. Aside from extra pre-snap motion, the play calling seemed identical to last year; plenty of running plays and passes to the outside of 5 yards or less. Are you telling me that with 9 guys playing up that Jordan Reed couldn't get open deep over the middle? Sheesh. And where was Trey Burton? Mr. Do Everything who has played quarterback, running back, tight end, h-back, fullback -- am I missing any? -- had the ball in his hands twice? Sheesh.
The defense I could plainly see was keeping things simple. I didn't notice a single crazy blitz or coverage. There were about 4 drives during the game when they were picked apart. The most concerning part to me were the times that the defense was gashed in the running game. It can happen from time to time in a game, but it was a little too common during those drives. On the bright side, the defense had several 3 and outs (or is it 3s and out?). There was a stretch in the second quarter where the cornerbacks really tightened up coverage and broke up several passes. They were also exposed at times on slant passes so I would expect to see plenty of those run against the Gators this year.
2 play calls in particular that bugged me. The pooch punt by Driskel was unnecessary and turned out to be terribly executed and on the last drive, 1st & 10, naked bootleg by Driskel. That bootleg could have been used at any other time in the game and it would've been a great call. But after simply pounding the rock all game, why show the bootleg when the game is over? I'd rather have used it when the game was in doubt or not at all. Probably nitpicking but that's what people who have never played usually do.
Here's to hoping that next week is much improved! It'll be the Gators first taste of College Station. What's worse is that Texas A&M's first game was postponed so there isn't any film to watch. Not a huge deal except their new offensive coordinator is in his first year coming over from the prolific Houston passing offense. It would be nice to see a few of their reps. Of course, the flip side is that they haven't run any game reps and may not be sharp. Welcoming the Aggies to the SEC by winning 27-14 will look much more impressive and probably leave Gator Nation a little more comfortable.
Just Joe
*********************EDIT*****************************
I should have mentioned that even with the offensive line's struggles, Mike Gillislee was outstanding, carrying the ball a career-high 24 times for a career-high 148 yards and 2 touchdowns!
I also should have mentioned the poor tackling on defense. In fact cornerback Loucheiz Purifoy's best tackle was on punt returner Andre Debose... that is Gators punt returner, Andre Debose!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Friday, August 31, 2012
2012 Florida Gators Outlook
Okay, here is the speedy version...
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks -- 2 sophomores with starts last year are battling it out to start this year. One is said to be a slightly better passer and the other is more athletic. The battle still isn't settled and both guys will see meaningful snaps in the opener. I think the saying goes "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one." If either guy can give a consistently average performance, that should be good enough to win some games. See DEFENSE.
Running Backs -- For the first time in four years, the Gators will not have someone named Demps or Rainey at running back. Mike Gillislee is the starter and should be solid. He has shown some big play ability although it was mostly in mop up duty. If he quits putting the ball on the ground, the Gators should be okay here. Depth may be an issue.
Wide Receivers -- Yikes! Normally a kid coming in as an early entry in January and winning a starting spot by the end of spring practice says a lot about that incoming freshmen. Unfortunately it also says a lot about the rest of the receiving corps. Just yikes!
Offensive Line -- If you're going to have a strength on offense, it might as well be the offensive line. A good offense of line will make all of the other positions look better on offense. There have been a lot of injuries on the line but there is good depth and a lot of experience so here's hoping.
DEFENSE
Secondary -- Very deep with young talent. I think you'll see quite a few more plays made this year after having a full year in Muschamp's scheme.
Linebackers -- Have some injuries here. But with some experienced guys holding down positions, they should look pretty good. I think you will see them be more aggressive and instinctual and less calculated and thoughtful... which is a good thing. Hopefully the aggression will lead to more turnovers, especially if Jenkins can hold on to a few more of those 6 interceptions he dropped last year.
Defensive Line -- This is where our boys need to play like men. 3-4 defenses are predicated on having beasts in the front to keep offensive linemen off of the linebackers on running plays while getting pressure on the quarterback on passing plays (which aids the secondary greatly). Similar to offense, if you're going to have a strength on defense, it might as well be along the line.
Overall -- The defense was nearly great last year. With this being the head coach's specialty, and having a full year under the belt, I expect the defense to be outstanding! They should keep the Gators in every game. That's why I think an average offense, just scoring 24-27 points per game, could lead to 9+ wins. The points would have to be scored at the right time in the right games, but I think 9 wins is realistic. Unfortunately, with a new offensive coordinator bringing in a lot of new shifts and motion to the offense, I expect some inconsistency.
Just Joe
OFFENSE
Quarterbacks -- 2 sophomores with starts last year are battling it out to start this year. One is said to be a slightly better passer and the other is more athletic. The battle still isn't settled and both guys will see meaningful snaps in the opener. I think the saying goes "if you have two quarterbacks, you don't have one." If either guy can give a consistently average performance, that should be good enough to win some games. See DEFENSE.
Running Backs -- For the first time in four years, the Gators will not have someone named Demps or Rainey at running back. Mike Gillislee is the starter and should be solid. He has shown some big play ability although it was mostly in mop up duty. If he quits putting the ball on the ground, the Gators should be okay here. Depth may be an issue.
Wide Receivers -- Yikes! Normally a kid coming in as an early entry in January and winning a starting spot by the end of spring practice says a lot about that incoming freshmen. Unfortunately it also says a lot about the rest of the receiving corps. Just yikes!
Offensive Line -- If you're going to have a strength on offense, it might as well be the offensive line. A good offense of line will make all of the other positions look better on offense. There have been a lot of injuries on the line but there is good depth and a lot of experience so here's hoping.
DEFENSE
Secondary -- Very deep with young talent. I think you'll see quite a few more plays made this year after having a full year in Muschamp's scheme.
Linebackers -- Have some injuries here. But with some experienced guys holding down positions, they should look pretty good. I think you will see them be more aggressive and instinctual and less calculated and thoughtful... which is a good thing. Hopefully the aggression will lead to more turnovers, especially if Jenkins can hold on to a few more of those 6 interceptions he dropped last year.
Defensive Line -- This is where our boys need to play like men. 3-4 defenses are predicated on having beasts in the front to keep offensive linemen off of the linebackers on running plays while getting pressure on the quarterback on passing plays (which aids the secondary greatly). Similar to offense, if you're going to have a strength on defense, it might as well be along the line.
Overall -- The defense was nearly great last year. With this being the head coach's specialty, and having a full year under the belt, I expect the defense to be outstanding! They should keep the Gators in every game. That's why I think an average offense, just scoring 24-27 points per game, could lead to 9+ wins. The points would have to be scored at the right time in the right games, but I think 9 wins is realistic. Unfortunately, with a new offensive coordinator bringing in a lot of new shifts and motion to the offense, I expect some inconsistency.
Just Joe
Friday, June 29, 2012
Monday, June 25, 2012
UEFA EURO 2012
Back on June 8, the countries of Europe began competing for the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Championship. That's "soccer" to us ignorant Americans. Just yesterday Italy beat England in penalty kicks to advance on to the semi final match against Germany, which is being played in Poland.
Soooo... Italy and Germany are meeting up... in Poland! I wonder if the Pols are as nervous as I am for them?
Just Joe
Soooo... Italy and Germany are meeting up... in Poland! I wonder if the Pols are as nervous as I am for them?
Just Joe
Monday, June 18, 2012
Evolution (of Skin Color)
Human beings are so remarkable that it's difficult to put into words. I could go 1000 different ways with a statement like that, but this time I'm referring to the complexity of our physiology and how it came about.
Dr. Nina Jablonski is an anthropologist who teaches at Penn State University. She wanted to delve into the evolution of skin color. The prevailing convention at the time she started was that dark skin occurred in areas with lots of sun exposure in order to prevent skin cancer. Although the cause of dark skin seemed right, the reasoning didn't. Skin cancer is normally found in people who are beyond ideal reproduction ages, so in a sense, the body isn't even aware of skin cancer before it passes its DNA onto the next generation. Since evolution occurs through the passing down of helpful gene traits, whichever traits seem beneficial up until reproduction are passed along while traits that develop after reproduction aren't really taken into consideration for passing along. (Example: Let's say longer limbs are beneficial to the aged but a hindrance to the young. Because the young'ns are the ones reproducing, limbs will be shorter. Over simplified, yes. But you get the point.)
Dr. Jablonski dug a little deeper and found that there are 2 types of radiation in sunlight, UVA and UVB. Turns out that UVA radiation is what causes melanomas. But Dr. Jablonski figured it had to effect something up to or during the time of pregnancy otherwise cancer-causing UVA exposure would not affect reproduction. Further tests and evaluations proved her correct as UVA penetrates through skin and destroys folates in the bloodstream. The big deal here is that folates are key in maintaining healthy reproductive cells. Therefore, too much UVA exposure before reproducing could mean reproducing either won't happen or could happen with birth defects. So how did the human body adapt to ensure future generations? Yep, by darkening the skin and filtering out more of the sun's light.
Not fascinating enough? Well, the story continues. If keeping out as much UVA as possible is good, why doesn't everyone just have dark skin? The answer turns out to be UVB!
UVB radiation is actually a good thing (in moderation) because, get this, it reacts with a cholesterol in human skin to create vitamin D! And vitamin D is important because it aids in the absorption of calcium into bones and such. Apparently back in 1900s England there was an epidemic of rickets which was eventually determined to be a result of vitamin D deficiencies and led to laws being created mandating that bread be fortified with vitamin D. Back to the story now, as darker skinned humans began migrating to northerly climates with less sun exposure, too much of the UVB radiation was kept out of the bloodstream (likely leading to skeletal problems) so the human body adapted once again by lightening skin color.
There you have it, an incomplete, tip of the iceberg, generalization on the evolution of skin color.
Just Joe
Dr. Nina Jablonski is an anthropologist who teaches at Penn State University. She wanted to delve into the evolution of skin color. The prevailing convention at the time she started was that dark skin occurred in areas with lots of sun exposure in order to prevent skin cancer. Although the cause of dark skin seemed right, the reasoning didn't. Skin cancer is normally found in people who are beyond ideal reproduction ages, so in a sense, the body isn't even aware of skin cancer before it passes its DNA onto the next generation. Since evolution occurs through the passing down of helpful gene traits, whichever traits seem beneficial up until reproduction are passed along while traits that develop after reproduction aren't really taken into consideration for passing along. (Example: Let's say longer limbs are beneficial to the aged but a hindrance to the young. Because the young'ns are the ones reproducing, limbs will be shorter. Over simplified, yes. But you get the point.)
Dr. Jablonski dug a little deeper and found that there are 2 types of radiation in sunlight, UVA and UVB. Turns out that UVA radiation is what causes melanomas. But Dr. Jablonski figured it had to effect something up to or during the time of pregnancy otherwise cancer-causing UVA exposure would not affect reproduction. Further tests and evaluations proved her correct as UVA penetrates through skin and destroys folates in the bloodstream. The big deal here is that folates are key in maintaining healthy reproductive cells. Therefore, too much UVA exposure before reproducing could mean reproducing either won't happen or could happen with birth defects. So how did the human body adapt to ensure future generations? Yep, by darkening the skin and filtering out more of the sun's light.
Not fascinating enough? Well, the story continues. If keeping out as much UVA as possible is good, why doesn't everyone just have dark skin? The answer turns out to be UVB!
UVB radiation is actually a good thing (in moderation) because, get this, it reacts with a cholesterol in human skin to create vitamin D! And vitamin D is important because it aids in the absorption of calcium into bones and such. Apparently back in 1900s England there was an epidemic of rickets which was eventually determined to be a result of vitamin D deficiencies and led to laws being created mandating that bread be fortified with vitamin D. Back to the story now, as darker skinned humans began migrating to northerly climates with less sun exposure, too much of the UVB radiation was kept out of the bloodstream (likely leading to skeletal problems) so the human body adapted once again by lightening skin color.
There you have it, an incomplete, tip of the iceberg, generalization on the evolution of skin color.
Just Joe
Thursday, May 10, 2012
JFK
It's quote time again! Another one of my favorite quotes comes from JFK's inaugural address: "Ask not..."
I think I was drawn to it because, having heard replays as a kid, it made me consider the greater good and being part of something that was bigger than myself. Basically I fell for the patriotic brainwashing that was so prevalent from World War II through the 80s. You know, all of the "Us vs. Them" stuff. Come to think of it, it still goes on plenty but I suppose as an adult one tends to see through it a bit more easily. Anyway, I still dig the quote for the same reasons but the greater good in my mind now goes way beyond the United States.
The other night I was watching a show called "10 Things You Don't Know About." As you might gather from the title, each episode contains 10 "facts" about a person/topic that aren't well known. This particular episode was about JFK. The first fact they mentioned was that JFK was a slacker type in school. He attended the prestigious Choate Boarding School in Connecticut during the mid-1930s, where headmaster George St. John once delivered a speech to JFK and his fellow students saying, "The youth who loves his alma mater will always ask not 'What can she do for me', but 'What can I do for her?'" As the host of the show said, "I guess JFK was paying attention."
I had to shake my head and chuckle. It reminded me very much of my "Be like Water" blog where I found out that Bruce Lee wasn't the first to utter the particular saying I hold so dear. Then I came to the conclusion that everything that's going to be said has probably already been said, it's just a matter of finding it. I guess that's why people read so many books. :-P
Just Joe
I think I was drawn to it because, having heard replays as a kid, it made me consider the greater good and being part of something that was bigger than myself. Basically I fell for the patriotic brainwashing that was so prevalent from World War II through the 80s. You know, all of the "Us vs. Them" stuff. Come to think of it, it still goes on plenty but I suppose as an adult one tends to see through it a bit more easily. Anyway, I still dig the quote for the same reasons but the greater good in my mind now goes way beyond the United States.
*****************************************************
I had to shake my head and chuckle. It reminded me very much of my "Be like Water" blog where I found out that Bruce Lee wasn't the first to utter the particular saying I hold so dear. Then I came to the conclusion that everything that's going to be said has probably already been said, it's just a matter of finding it. I guess that's why people read so many books. :-P
Just Joe
Friday, May 4, 2012
Martian Sunset
Well, I don't really have much to say but I came across this picture the other day. It was taken by a Mars rover and it's a picture of a sunset from Mars.
I suppose the first thing I noticed is how tiny the sun is -- well, looks. Sometimes you tend to forget the types of distances were dealing with when we talk about the planets. Sure, everyone knows that Earth is 93,000,000 miles away from the sun (on average). But Mars averages another 47,000,000 miles away from the sun making it look much, much smaller.
The next thing I noticed is the color. Sunsets on Mars tend to have a bluish hue due to the atmosphere. It almost makes me feel the frigidity.
I hope the picture sparks your imagination and wonderment as it does for me.
Just Joe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)