Zook names Leak the starter at QB

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by max, Sep 22, 2003.

  1. MikeD

    MikeD Sports Genius

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    Hey Soviet, I was under the impression that Spurrier went to the Redskins because he wanted to see if his offense would hold up in the NFL. Did Foley have something to do with him leaving or was it all Spurrier's decision?
     
  2. red55

    red55 curmudgeon Staff Member

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    National championships breed unrealistic expectations. The fans are never satisfied with anything less and the power brokers get involved.

    Charlie Mac was run off by a similar set of powerful political playmakers with a 62% winning record and consistant top-10 rankings because he didn't match Dietzels National Championship. It sent LSU into a 20-year spiral.

    Nobody will ever be good enough at Bama after Bryant, it's a coaches graveyard. Now, anybody who doesn't win 10 games a year at Florida will never survive. And he's expected to do it in year 1, no less.
     
  3. SovietGator

    SovietGator Founding Member

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    MikeD,

    Whoo-boy, where do I start?

    Spurrier was run off/pissed off by UF AD Foley and Charles Young, then UF President, for a multitude of reasons. You'll never hear this in the media because only people in the know are aware of it. Foley would never confirm it if confronted with it by the media because he would be run out of town on the spot. Here's why Spurrier left, and left so abruptly with no replacement recommended or put in place by Spurrier,

    Spurrier was never happy with the fact that his minimum 9 win seasons over 11 years were never good enough in the eyes of some greedy egomaniacal boosters, Foley, and Young. He also detested the Gator Club and Booster meeting circuit as well as recruiting. He figured you either wanted to play for UF or you didn't, he wasn't fond of kissing these kids a$$es and begging them to come to UF.

    Spurrier was hired by Bill Arnsparger and always had the support and friendship of him and UF President John Lombardi. They recognized an appreciated what Spurrier had done for the football team and UF Athletics in general because they witnessed it first hand and hired him.

    Spurrier always ran the show under Arnsparger and Lombardi and they left well enough alone. Once they left however, things began to deteriorate.

    Spurrier was never happy with the fact that current UF AD Foley never supported him in giving the 1990 team recognition for being SEC Champs in Spurrier's eyes. They were still paying the price from Galen Hall's screw up.

    Spurrier also didn't like it when F$U scumbag Darnell Dockett intentionally injured his starting RB Earnest Graham. Spurrier subsequetly got into a very public verbal feud with Booby Bowden and FSU's AD Dave Hart over the injury. Jeremy Foley alarmingly remained quiet and gave Spurrier no support. That pissed Spurrier off royally.

    Spurrier had always wanted to move the FSU/UF game date up to earlier in the season. That game usually had National Championship implications each year and he didn't like having to face them at year's end and then play in the SEC Championship. He also knew FSU plays a patsy schedule in a weak conference known for basketball more than football and hated boosting them into the NC game when they would beat UF. Foley never supported Spurrier in getting that game moved up and Bowden and FSU always resisted it as they knew a late season win against a highly ranked UF team would usually propell them into the NC game.

    When Bowden and FSU resisted moving the game up Spurrier wanted to drop FSU from Florida's schedule and Foley didn't support that. Spurrier knew FSU ran a rogue program and were pu$$ies for never joining the SEC when they had the chance. Spurrier had always wanted to add Miami back to the schedule so UF and UM could restore their storied rivalry.

    It took years before Miami was added to UF's schedule in large part because of Foley. Spurrier never ducked anyone and adding Miami to an already tough SEC schedule that contained perenial powerhouse FSU and an SEC Championship game proved just that.

    Then after the 2000' Sugar Bowl loss to Miami Spurrier fired UF DC John Hoke. In an increasingly frequent power struggle with Foley, Spurrier was made to hire Hoke back. Jeremy Foley has a HUGE ego due to the success of UF Athletics. That success came because of Spurrier and the money generated by Spurrier's successful football teams, not because of Foley.

    The final straw that broke Spurrier's back came right before the 2001 Orange Bowl game with Maryland. Spurrier, Foley, and UF Prez Young got into a very heated verbal exchange in Young's UF suite at the Orange Bowl. The exchange was over Foley and Young wanting Spurrier to publicly apologize to Booby Bowden and FSU AD Dave Hart over the Dockett/Graham incident.

    With Spurrier's wife and some influential Boosters beside him to witness all of this, Spurrier flatly refused to make any apology to his most hated rival and coach, FSU and Booby Bowden. He decided right then and there with his wife's agreeance that they should hit the road. That is why he went out with a bang that night and stomped Maryland, then waved to and saluted the Gator crowd for an extended period of time after the end of the game. He never did that.

    He also never apologized to anyone or kissed anyones a$$. He always ran the show, so when Foley and Young started telling the Evil Genius how to run his show they ran him right out of town.

    Spurrier quit without notice 2 days after his contractual window allowed, Foley and Young didn't even dream of trying to hold him to it as they knew Spurrier had too much dirt on them and they certainly didn't want their dirty secrets told in public. They also knew had they tried to hold Spurrier to the contract or not pay up, Spurrier would spill the beans and they too would be run right of town.

    So in effect Spurrier royally screwed Foley and Young with his abrupt departure and in the process, screwed UF. Thing is he didn't owe his alma matter UF any more than that, he gave his all for 11 seasons and that was more than enough.

    Caught completely off guard but not one to miss a beat, Foley thought he would be slick and go straight to Bob Stoops at Oklahoma to hire him as UF's new head coach as the Boosters wanted him BADLY, as did I. Thing is, Spurrier and Stoops were great friends and had condos next to each other on Crescent Beach, Florida. Stoops owed Spurrier for Spurrier giving him the opportunity to even be able to accept or be offered the Oklahoma job.

    Upon Spurrier's resignation he naturally called Bob Stoops and gave him all the scoop to head Jeremy Foley off at that pass. Stoops knew he didn't want to follow in Spurrier's footsteps and could negotiate a bigger salary with OU when UF came calling.
    So when Foley flew out to Oklahoma on UF's private jet he thought he had his new head coach all wrapped up. He gave his presentation and got the middle finger from Bob Stoops and Stoops bluffed OU in the process and got a big ol' fat pay raise compliments of his friend the Evil Genius Steve Spurrier and the jack-a$$ Jeremy Foley.

    Spurrier had almost left UF in 96' to go to the NFL, every year they kept calling. It was merely perfect timing that Snyder and the Skins were ready and Spurrier was available. Spurrier took that big fat guaranteed NFL contract with nothing to lose and the rest is history. Now you know the REAL story.

    E! True Hollywood stories could do a special on this.
     
  4. LSUfan

    LSUfan Founding Member

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    Thanks for posting that, SovietGator, it was very informative.

    I'm a LSU fan who liked Spurrier as a coach. Coaches like Spurrier give a team an identity, and with coaches like Spurrier you can build a program. What the university does with that program in the years after he leaves, he can't control. We have our Spurrier now. Saban has given the LSU tigers an identity.

    Earlier someone posted that no coach will be able to live up to Spurrier like standards at Florida, and that is very true. Zook has to be given time to work his system, it's college football and he needs a small grace period. It's really not as easy as just doing everything Spurrier did, he needs the time to build something. If boosters and groups are controlling things Zook should be running, the gators are in trouble. They have the talent to beat anyone in the country, but like Auburn they don't seem to playing on the same page. LSU has been there before, tons of talent and no direction on the field. Zook, if he wants to be a Gator coach for any period time, will need to take control of that program.
     
  5. SovietGator

    SovietGator Founding Member

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    red55,

    Know all about LSU's powerful-political-booster-playmakers of old. Ya'll lost your chance at Spurrier back in the late 80's when he was taken out to eat at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse off College Drive by one faction of those old powerful playmakers.

    The faction with Spurrier wanted him as their next head coach, but the competing faction sitting across the dining room at Ruth's Chris with another prospective head coach turned Spurrier off on the spot.

    He immediatley saw what he was in for and withdrew from the race so to speak. The rest is history...:D
     
  6. SovietGator

    SovietGator Founding Member

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    LSUfan,

    Foley and UF are in a very dicey position. Foley has to save face with his hire in Zook, the BullGator Boosters, the fans, and also with the next UF President, his new boss.

    This is without question Zook's make or break season. If he loses to FSU and UGA, already in addition to UT and UM he is toast. He will probably be given next season with some personnel changes and that will be it.

    Zook, Foley, the new Prez, Boosters, fans, and empty seats will all play a factor in what happens next as you very well know.
    The Swamp was empty in the 4th quarter last weekend and full of boos. This is all very bad timing, especially with that new stadium expansion that brings us close to LSU's seating capacity.

    I know Spurrier is sitting back laughing his a$$ off at the predicament Jeremy Foley is in.

    :D
     
  7. Goodlifetiger

    Goodlifetiger Founding Member

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    All this crap about a big money booster wanting leak sounds a lot like the Booty-Davy QB competition. I do believe Dinardo got caught in that trap. Some big money people wanted Booty. That was the beginning of the end.

    I do believe wurffel and Grossman were the Coaches choice without any of pressure. I am not sure Leak is ready.
     
  8. SovietGator

    SovietGator Founding Member

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    Nobody pressured Spurrier to pick or start a particular QB.

    It's the lesser of two evils, neither Leak or Martin are ready to start. If one had been chosen during Spring Ball and Zook had stuck with him instead of placating the two, one of them would be ready.

    The Gator Nation in general has been screaming for Leak to start since the day he arrived on campus at UF.
     
  9. Goodlifetiger

    Goodlifetiger Founding Member

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    With out any pressure is the truth
     
  10. MadMaxwell

    MadMaxwell Guest

    I wouldn't be too high on Zook's decision. Leak is just the kind of quarterback LSU has trouble beating. He's fast and has a cannon arm. Somebody mentioned him throwing an interception last week when they were down and trying to come back, well he is only a freshman. But if he learns quickly (which he probably will because he watches film non-stop) it could cause LSU some trouble.

    Watching Leak, I can only find 3 big problems with his game.

    1. He cocks his arm back too far when he throws.

    2. He doesn't scan the field real well when dropping back.

    3. Doesn't take off on his feet as often as he should.

    We may get him this year, but this kid will be Heisman material in by his Junior year.
     

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