Florida Football has to change to keep up

Thank goodness for Urban Meyer. When Bernie Machon and Jeremy Foley imported Meyer from Utah in 2004 he brought a different approach to coaching in this state. Perhaps Meyer's greatest asset was that he had never coached or played with on of the "Big 3" in Florida before.

Meyer's spread option attack is the sort of innovative football you used to see from Florida's schools and coaches. Howard Schnellenberger, Bobby Bowden, Steve Spurrier, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson were all innovators of the highest caliber and they changed College Football. Miami proved you could win titles running a pro style offense, something that was totally unheard of before UM hired Howard Schnellenberger then an NFL Offensive Coordinator to revive what was at the time a dying program. Florida State's trick plays and passing oriented game changed football in the south, and Steve Spurrier knocked down the last barriers to traditional run oriented option offenses when he invaded the SEC. Bobby Bowden and Jimmy Johnson both showed the world that you could win championships with speed at positions all over the field.

Watching Florida State, Miami and South Carolina (coached by Steve Spurrier) today is like watching old stale reruns of what were once good TV shows for the 400th time. Not only have the offenses failed to keep up from these three schools, but the lack of player discipline is shocking. The Florida schools used to get away with the lack of discipline and the high number of penalties and mental errors because of extrodinary talent and speed that nobody else had. Bowden, Larry Coker and Steve Spurrier simply don't coach em' up as hard as they should it appears.

Miami and Florida State have not only lose their talent edge, but they have lost their mental edge as well. It used to be intimidating to come into Doak Campbell Stadium and see the talented Noles wearing all red, or to travel into the Orange Bowl in front of a ruckus South Florida crowd in primetime. Now these trips have become like walks in the park for opposition, many of whom have copied FSU and Miami's methods but have further improved upon those methods leaving the Florida schools behind.

Louisville smashed Miami the other day using what was a variation of Dennis Erickson's offense that Miami's opponents could not defend against in the early 1990s. Yet today, Miami's coaches some of whom played or coached with Erickson are clueless as to how to stop it. Clemson's offensive play caller is Brad Scott who for years held the same position at FSU under Bobby Bowden. He now works for Bobby's son, Tommy. Why can't Florida State's coaches stop an offense they saw in practice for years?

South Carolina at least is trying to finally change. Last week, Coach Spurrier who has long been biased against running quarterbacks benched his starter Blake Mitchell in favor of converted WR Syvelle Newton. Spurrier recognizes that with a bad offensive line and poor pocket passers his best bet is to have a QB who can run.

Today's Florida State and Miami teams have taken what was once the most exciting rivalry in all of sports and made it into an annual snooze fest.....one which is broadcast nationwide after months of hype the matchup cannot possibly live up to. Based on the team's last 4 meetings where the raw total is Miami 49, FSU 47 the national TV audience will probably want nothing to do with either team in the future. Both schools must regain their edge, not just in terms of players swagger, but also in terms of coaching innovation.