Meyer Leaving? Maybe Not

URBAN THE LEGEND

Urban Meyer is taking an indefinite leave of absence from coaching. He initially said he was going to retire but after seeing his team practice he reconsidered. Urban has to take care of himself that is a no brainer. Your long term health is way more important than recruiting or money. I think pressure of the Florida job really caused him to take a step back and evaluate what is really important. SEC fans as well as a lot of big school feel like its their school's right to be always contending for a National Championship. During the season the Gators struggled on offense this season and people were wondering what was wrong with them. The team won 22 games in a row and Gator Nation was still complaining. Fans forget that offensive coordinator Dan Mullen left, as well as Tebow's top receiver's and running backs. To make matters worse, Tebow suffered a severe concussion and the team ran the shell of its offense until he got healthy. But Meyer felt the pressure of the school's lofty expectations and it wore on him. People have said and have written that the reason why Spurrier left was because that winning 10 games a year, and the SEC title was just not good enough for the fan base and that's too bad. Building a program takes time and patient not only by coaches but the fans as well. Once a team starts to have success, fans feel like it should be easy to keep up the championships. In this regard, I feel bad for Meyer because I think he became a victim of him and Tebow's success.

If Meyer steps down, it will create more of a competitive balance not only in the SEC, but in the state of Florida, as well as nationally. The Gators have become a football factory, and Gainesville is a an easy sell to top recruits in the state of Florida and you add in the winning and the exposure the SEC receives and it becomes a no-brainer for kids to want to play there. Florida was going to drop off next year because Tebow and Brandon Spikes, their best defensive player, are leaving. With Meyer gone, the downturn might be a lot tougher than Gators fans expect. People will say that Florida can get any coach they want, but you want it to be the right coach. Even with him taking that leave of absence will hurt them in recruiting as well. The uncertainity surrounding the program will probably cause some of the top talent to reconsider Florida.The candidates are Dan Mullen, former defensive coord Charlie Strong who is now coaching at Louisville, Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen and Bob Stoops. Stoops is tied to Florida and was rumored to be the head coach when Meyer initially took the job. You never want to be the Man following the Man, ask Ron Zook. Following Spurrier was tough enough, can you imagine following Meyer?

Cincy picked the wrong year to try and go undefeated. When they face the Gators in the Sugar Bowl, they will be facing a team that will play inspired football not only for Tebow but for the head coach.