The Gators have won 18 games in a row...the longest winning streak we've ever had. We've made it through the 3-game SEC West gauntlet unscathed for the first time in over a decade...we're poised to finish our regular season undefeated and untied for the 2nd time in school history. We are and have been #1 in the polls since this Summer...our offense is coming along, our defense is as good as anyone's...and let's not forget, we've only got Tebow, Spikes, etc...for 6 more games. Our QB is a Heisman contender...the National Championship road goes through Gainesville for the 3rd time in 4 seasons...

We play Vandy on Saturday and I've yet to read a single word...here, or anywhere else, concerning the match-up.

The Gators have had so many distractions...as have Gator fans. After every win there's controversy...whether it's a concussion, a tugged jersey, a bad call...or an eye gouging. We're allowing this crap to take away from what could be another special season for the Gators. I just want to enjoy this season...forget the non-sense. Hopefully, all these distractions won't hurt the team...Vandy plays us tough, usually...no matter how their season is going and that turn-coat, SOS, would love nothing more than to halt our run at another National Championship.

BS aside, it's never been better to be a Florida Gator...

As much as I would love to see Vandy win, it ain't gonna happen. No way, you would have a better chance at winning the lottery

Sadly, no GH, we can't... not going to happen while we win.

Life In The Fish Bowl
Franz Beard - Managing Editor | November 4, 2009


At dinner Wednesday night, Urban Meyer savored the last bite of his steak but failed to finish the last of the Brussels sprouts, sparking an unprecedented uproar from two organizations. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was appalled by the news that Meyer eats meat and called for a boycott of Meyer and the University of Florida because cows are people, too. Feed the Famished issued a statement of grave disappointment, claiming that a man in Meyer’s position should show more sensitivity to the starving people around the world rather than throw out a perfectly edible Brussels sprout that could have fed an entire family.

Now, that didn’t actually happen but given the way things have been going these last two months, it’s only a matter of time before organizations for social change target Urban Meyer. It seems that everybody else has, particularly the national media, which just can’t seem to criticize Meyer enough.

Urban Meyer is nobody’s victim and you won’t hear him complain about the treatment he’s gotten in the media although you might think that there has been an orchestrated campaign to bring him down ever since the football season began. While there are some writers and talking heads out there who really do have an agenda, the vast majority are simply looking for chinks in the armor because Urban Meyer has the Florida Gators poised to dominate college football the way Alabama and Bear Bryant dominated from 1961-80.

Bryant, who won six national championships in his 25-year run as Alabama’s head coach, needed four years to win his first Southeastern Conference and national championship. Bryant was 41-8-5 in his first five years in Tuscaloosa. Meyer is in his fifth season at Florida. He’s 52-9 and already has two SEC and two national championships. The Gators are 8-0 so far this year and the way they’re cranking up, they could very well steamroll their way to a third national championship in four years.

That’s part of Meyer’s problem right there. The Gators are starting to look like they’ll not only be the bully on the college football block for a long time to come, but they’ll do it at the expense of traditional powers like Alabama, which had won 19 SEC championships before the Gators had won their first one. Before Florida won its first national championship in 1996, Alabama had already won 11 but since Alabama’s last national championship in 1992, the Gators have won seven SEC championships and three national titles. Alabama’s only SEC championship since 1992 was won in 1999 and that title was stained by NCAA probation.

Bryant coached in an era when there was limited television coverage of college football, no talk radio and no such thing as blogging. He knew reporters by their first name and was known to share game plans and intimate secrets over a shot of Maker’s Mark with the ones he trusted.

Meyer has no such luxury. His every move is chronicled by a corps of beat writers and radio and television reporters that is as large or perhaps larger than the one following any other college football coach in the country. He is so easily recognized in Gainesville that the owner of Ballyhoo’s gives him a private room so he can take his family and friends out to eat without fear of being disturbed by autograph seekers.

It shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that Meyer places such a high value on what little privacy he actually has. It’s not that he doesn’t like the press, it’s just that he doesn’t have time for them nor can he afford to risk opening his family and friends to such close scrutiny by embracing the media. He already lives life in a fish bowl. Close relations with the media only jeopardizes his family’s ability to live a normal life and it takes away the time he spends with his players. The door at the Meyer home and office is always open to his players. Media rarely sees the door of his office and never sees the door of his home in a small gated neighborhod.

But that doesn’t stop the media from clamoring for information and with the national media, their lack of access only makes Meyer a serious target. For example, there is a talking head/columnist in a neighboring state who has claimed on the air that if Urban Meyer caught on fire, he “wouldn’t even piss on him to help put the fire out.” Earlier this week when Meyer was first dealing with the Brandon Spikes incident from last Saturday’s Georgia game, this same talking head/columnist called Spikes a “thug” and Florida football under Meyer a “thug program.”

That’s actually mild compared to some of his outbursts in which he tries to give the impression he’s got an inside source who has the goods on Meyer. His source is a former well-respected member of the media who has absolutely zero access to Urban Meyer. That, folks, is a fact.

cont'd

And that, precisely, is their problem. Both these guys have Steve Spurrier on speed dial. Not only do they not have Urban Meyer’s cell phone number but Meyer doesn’t return their calls when they go through the football office. The reality is Meyer rarely returns phone calls to anyone in the media. He doesn’t have time. He tries to devote his on-the-job time to his players and coaches and to potential recruits. Any remaining time he tries to devote to his wife, kids and family members.

The way he operates, there really isn’t time for anyone else.

The Gators are college football’s best team and Meyer is college football’s best coach. Florida got where it is because of Meyer’s relentless work ethic, ability to recruit and because he’s probably as good a big game coach as we’ve seen in quite some time. Add all those things together and there are stories to be written and told but with such limited access to both coach and players, some national columnists tend to go on the attack.

If you don’t believe it, just follow the trail of the past two months. It’s been everything from criticizing Meyer for playing Charleston Southern in the season opener (Alabama, by the way plays Chattanooga from Division I-AA) to proclaiming a moral victory for Tennessee even though the Vols never seriously threatened to actually win the game to the no-win Tebow concussion story (Meyer ripped for having Tebow in the game against Kentucky and ripped for playing Tebow against LSU even though some of the best doctors in the world cleared him) to the AP poll the week before the Mississippi State game in which the Gators dropped a notch on the strength of national columnists claiming Alabama’s superiority. Of course, when it took two miracle blocked field goals in the fourth quarter for Bama to dispose of that same Tennessee team that never threatened the Gators, they had to recant and Florida returned to number one.

And all of that has led us to the most recent attack.

Brandon Spikes didn’t try to gouge out the eyes of Georgia’s Washaun Ealey --- “I had my eyes closed, and he really didn’t gouge my eyes. He really didn’t get his hands close to my eyes,” Ealey told the Atlanta-Journal Constitution --- but the national media called for Spikes to be suspended for the entire season and howled that Meyer is a win at all costs coach when a half-game suspension was announced Monday. Not too many folks in the national media bothered to check out that the SEC punishment for fighting is a half-game suspension and that SEC commissioner Mike Slive had consulted and approved the half-game.

The media firestorm Meyer got Monday will seem like Romper Room compared to what Meyer is going to get the next couple of days. Rather than allow the media storm to distract the team, Meyer and Spikes agreed Wednesday that the Vanderbilt game just isn’t worth it so he will sit out the entire game. Of course, you can bet the morning media spin will be that Meyer got caught with his fingers in the cookie jar and that only when called out by the media for his kid gloves treatment of Spikes did he cave in and suspend Spikes for the entire game.

The Spikes incident will give way to something else before you know it. Florida has four games to go before the SEC Championship Game against either Alabama or LSU and if the Gators win that one, they’ll have another month and another game during which time the critics will be firing away.

This is what life is like at the top, folks. If you are a Gator fan, then it’s probably a good idea to toughen up and grow some very thick skin. As long as the Gators are winning or challenging for national championships, this is the way it’s going to be.

And remember these words from that very wise philosopher turned football coach Steve Spurrier, who once said, “If people like you too much it’s probably because they’re beating you.”

Florida isn’t going to lose many football games as long as Urban Meyer is the coach so get used to being disliked. And get used to the media taking their shots. Life at the top means life in the fish bowl where every move is critiqued. The alternative is a mediocre program that hopes for seven wins and a minor bowl and that just doesn’t cut it.

http://www.gatorcountry.com/football...fish_bowl/7545

No I don't. I don't pay the "bad at math" tax.

Poor Gators, you guys just can't get a break can you?

Yeah.... life at the top really sucks! I really don't know how you guys deal with it all!

The media and everybody's obviously out to get Meyer and there's not another college coach anywhere that deals with that kind of scrutiny!
Who's the spineless weak minded that wrote that embarrassment of an article? How does a program that's on top of the world have such thin skin! Grow a pair, Gators!!

Has nothing to do with "thin skin" or dealing with success. When pathetic b*stards like Tim Brando and Paul Finebaum use their National radio audience to slander your coach...not to mention, every other thread on this site is often disparaging towards your team...a fan can get a little fed up with it. You wonder why Gator fans seem conceded or egotistical...we can't even discuss a valid topic (this thread) without some kind of DA negative remark or criticism.

There was nothing stained about Bama's 1999 title. Sorry, but just had to point that out. Albert means was not signed until after that, and that was the cause of the probation.

Can you site where they slandered him please? Not that I don't believe you, I'm just interested in reading what they said about him that was slanderous.

Can't "site" Tim Brando's radio show...but he ripped Meyer a new one yesterday basically calling him a POS and questioning his ability to lead a football team and his ability to mold recruits into citizens. This could directly hurt our recruiting...however, it's now being reported that Brando just has a beef with Meyer because Meyer doesn't do interviews with him anymore.

Now...as far as Finebaum...that would be easy. Just listen to that BS he airs daily...or just read one of his numerous articles criticizing Meyer...calling Meyer a liar, a cheat....reporting that he had a source saying Meyer was headed to ND at season's end...all of which is an attempt to damage the reputation of UF/Meyer...again, this could hurt recruiting and was a smoke-screen for Bama recruiting. Finebaum's lies and BS has been so flagrant, I'm surprised there hasn't been litigation.

WHAT??? It has EVERYTHING to do with "thin skin" and not being able to deal with success. And do you REALLY think there's a Vol fan ANYWHERE that can't relate to your bolded comments?? C'mon....
Name ONE high profile coach that isn't "slandered" on a daily basis somewhere on the airwaves in this country or on a message board! Pete Carroll?? Jim Tressel?? Bob Stoops?? Mack Brown?? Bobby Bowden?? Joe Pa?? Nick Saban?? Have I named one yet that isn't continually and routinely trashed by the press and on message boards?? Meyer should be treated differently why???
Finally, what is the "valid" topic that isn't being discussed in this thread? Seems the whole point of the thread was to be self loathing! If Gator fans REALLY can't enjoy this season then there never will be one you can.
Take off the skirts, Marys!! Take a long look in the mirror and be happy for goodness sakes. It doesn't get any better than this for you folks! Enjoy it while you can!
ANY complaints are weak-minded sniveling!!

I know alot of Gator fans want to see us scoring more points and beat every team like we beat UGA but when you got a D that is running things out there you got to be happy and just accept that we play football like the Alabama crimson tide and cheer for field goals because Tebow forgot how to put it in the endzone after Kentucky. We are D squad U and I'll be happy to win 6-3... Beat the cocks!!!

First...this is the FLORIDA BOARD...and this post was meant for GATOR FANS. Your opinion isn't important.

Second...I've yet to ever hear Tim Brando use his National Stage to completely and utterly trash a coach at every opportunity. Every day this week Brando has made disparaging comments towards UF and Meyer...some have been downright nasty.

Lastly...this has been a trying season...Tebow's concussion, terrible officiating, an OC that downright refuses to utilize the talent on the team. These are legit gripes whether you choose to acknowledge them or not.

BTW..."not being able to deal with success"...that's funny.

Absolutely. Every Gator fan I know is unsatisfied (which is pretty typical of Gator fans, I'd say ), some to the extent of watching Steve Addazio fired.

In my opinion, that's all about inflated expectations. I feel as though this team could easily score a ton of points. But I don't think that's what Urban Meyer is after this season. It seems like he's interested in winning, regardless of how it makes us look. Reputation is not his current interest (apparently), and if you think about it, if he wins the SEC Championship, or the National Championship, what can anyone really say or complain about this team? We didn't get 60 points per game; we're still the National Champions. I think that's Meyer's goal. And I have no problem with it, as long as he keeps winning these games.