Gene Frenette may have at some point written a sports column that caused me to say to my friends, ‘Did you see that?’ But I doubt it. Mostly it’s bland generalities you couldn’t possibly object to. Better than the bitter irrelevance of Littlepage. A few weeks ago Frenette weighed in on Cam Newton right as his subject was establishing himself as this year’s Heisman Trophy frontrunner. It was a confused and embarrassing argument. Here’s the tape.
The obvious temptation for anyone with a rooting interest in Florida’s football program is to look at what spread-offense maestro Cam Newton is doing at Auburn and think two words: What if?
Yep. For a few minutes as I watched Newton embarrass LSU, I’d forgotten he was originally a Gator. Then I thought, What if...? Those were good thoughts.
Had Newton remained a Gator, or coach Urban Meyer been more forceful in convincing the 6-foot-6, 250-pound quarterback to not transfer to a junior college when Tim Tebow returned for his senior year, many believe Florida’s offense wouldn’t be in its present lost state.
That’s precisely what Gator fans were thinking as another John Brantley pass fell incomplete at the feet of a receiver turning the wrong way.
It’s reasonable to think the Gators would be more potent with a dynamic quarterback like Newton running the show.
Yes, rather than the clusterfuck they’ve run out there this year.
But who could have envisioned him developing into the ideal dual threat we’re now seeing zoom to the top of so many Heisman Trophy leaderboards?
Nostradamus? A really good scout? The point isn’t that any of us should have been the scout/Nostradamus, it’s that Cam Newton is really fucking good and he used to be a Gator.
Certainly not anyone at Florida during 2008 spring practices.
Fair enough. Newton was probably an unimpressively raw but promising athlete at the time, but there’s probably lots of those at any given practice at a football mill like UF.
Nobody was touting Newton as a future star after watching him struggle to complete the most basic of passes.
He was a raw prospect with wildcat-type skills, but Meyer and the coaching staff were much more sold at the time on John Brantley as heir to the Tebow throne.
True. Wrong, as it turned out, but that was the considered decision of the staff that coached two national champions in three years.
So UF fans now bemoaning the fact Newton is working wonders for a different orange-and-blue are merely engaging in revisionist history.
Um, no. Gator fans (and everyone else) are watching a QB who might be even more effective than Tebow and are understandably wondering how much better the UF offense would be with such a talent.
They’re forgetting there wasn’t any collective regret when he bolted Gainesville for Blinn (Texas) Junior College, where Newton won a national title.
Because they were stoked that Tebow was coming back. Please tell me you’re not going to argue Gator fans should have been bummed at the return of Tebow because it would displace the unknown Cam Newton.
The only thing Gator nation felt was relief that Tebow decided to stay one more year. Newton was an afterthought, dismissed by the perception that Meyer would make Brantley every bit as effective as Chris Leak during the ’06 championship year.
Yes. At this point I think Gene will go his usual bland-and-obvious route, rather than the crazy-pants theory he hinted at earlier. Let’s see.
For lots of reasons — from an overrated offensive line, to lack of real playmakers beyond the injured Jeff Demps, to the Gators’ defense regressing against elite SEC opposition, to offensive coordinator Steve Addazio possibly being spread too thin while serving as line coach — it’s not working. Brantley has never looked comfortable running Meyer’s spread offense for any more than an occasional series.
(All Gator fans are nodding their heads sadly).
The question is: Would Newton making everything better?
Sic, goddammit. Are there copy editors at the T-U? And to answer your dumb-ass question, yes. I really hope you don’t argue otherwise.
The easy answer is yes, especially after watching the way he ran over and around LSU’s defense Saturday in a 24-17 victory.
OK, good.
As a runner, Newton is a bigger, faster Tebow. Watching Newton run for 217 yards against the SEC’s top defense, the natural inclination is to think Florida’s offense would be instantly fixed had he stayed with the Gators.
Yes. Go with that.
It’s a hypothetical dead end.
Wha?
Newton is great with Auburn’s surrounding cast, but it’s a bit of a leap to think he’d still be college football’s shining light in a Gators uniform. Being a perfect fit in Gus Malzahn’s spread attack at Auburn doesn’t mean Newton would make the Gators an unstoppable machine.
I doubt Malzahn’s spread is radically different than UF’s. Newton might not be as good with UF’s cast, especially since they look inferior Auburn’s, but weren’t we talking about whether he would be better than Florida’s QBs?
That’s too simplistic a view. UF didn’t shed any tears when Newton left. The Gators had no idea what they’d be missing.
No one did; the dude ended up at a juco. But now Newton is the best player in college football, so it’s reasonable for Gator fans to speculate what might have been. Right, Gene?
They’ll just have to fix this mess while wondering what could have been.
Here, Gene, at the end of your confused spiel, you should have something definite to say, rather than this weak, vacillating sentiment. Something like ‘Cam Newton is worse than Hitler,’ or ‘the Gators would have won another national, title with him.’ Take a stand, bro.
The obvious temptation for anyone with a rooting interest in Florida’s football program is to look at what spread-offense maestro Cam Newton is doing at Auburn and think two words: What if?
Yep. For a few minutes as I watched Newton embarrass LSU, I’d forgotten he was originally a Gator. Then I thought, What if...? Those were good thoughts.
Had Newton remained a Gator, or coach Urban Meyer been more forceful in convincing the 6-foot-6, 250-pound quarterback to not transfer to a junior college when Tim Tebow returned for his senior year, many believe Florida’s offense wouldn’t be in its present lost state.
That’s precisely what Gator fans were thinking as another John Brantley pass fell incomplete at the feet of a receiver turning the wrong way.
It’s reasonable to think the Gators would be more potent with a dynamic quarterback like Newton running the show.
Yes, rather than the clusterfuck they’ve run out there this year.
But who could have envisioned him developing into the ideal dual threat we’re now seeing zoom to the top of so many Heisman Trophy leaderboards?
Nostradamus? A really good scout? The point isn’t that any of us should have been the scout/Nostradamus, it’s that Cam Newton is really fucking good and he used to be a Gator.
Certainly not anyone at Florida during 2008 spring practices.
Fair enough. Newton was probably an unimpressively raw but promising athlete at the time, but there’s probably lots of those at any given practice at a football mill like UF.
Nobody was touting Newton as a future star after watching him struggle to complete the most basic of passes.
He was a raw prospect with wildcat-type skills, but Meyer and the coaching staff were much more sold at the time on John Brantley as heir to the Tebow throne.
True. Wrong, as it turned out, but that was the considered decision of the staff that coached two national champions in three years.
So UF fans now bemoaning the fact Newton is working wonders for a different orange-and-blue are merely engaging in revisionist history.
Um, no. Gator fans (and everyone else) are watching a QB who might be even more effective than Tebow and are understandably wondering how much better the UF offense would be with such a talent.
They’re forgetting there wasn’t any collective regret when he bolted Gainesville for Blinn (Texas) Junior College, where Newton won a national title.
Because they were stoked that Tebow was coming back. Please tell me you’re not going to argue Gator fans should have been bummed at the return of Tebow because it would displace the unknown Cam Newton.
The only thing Gator nation felt was relief that Tebow decided to stay one more year. Newton was an afterthought, dismissed by the perception that Meyer would make Brantley every bit as effective as Chris Leak during the ’06 championship year.
Yes. At this point I think Gene will go his usual bland-and-obvious route, rather than the crazy-pants theory he hinted at earlier. Let’s see.
For lots of reasons — from an overrated offensive line, to lack of real playmakers beyond the injured Jeff Demps, to the Gators’ defense regressing against elite SEC opposition, to offensive coordinator Steve Addazio possibly being spread too thin while serving as line coach — it’s not working. Brantley has never looked comfortable running Meyer’s spread offense for any more than an occasional series.
(All Gator fans are nodding their heads sadly).
The question is: Would Newton making everything better?
Sic, goddammit. Are there copy editors at the T-U? And to answer your dumb-ass question, yes. I really hope you don’t argue otherwise.
The easy answer is yes, especially after watching the way he ran over and around LSU’s defense Saturday in a 24-17 victory.
OK, good.
As a runner, Newton is a bigger, faster Tebow. Watching Newton run for 217 yards against the SEC’s top defense, the natural inclination is to think Florida’s offense would be instantly fixed had he stayed with the Gators.
Yes. Go with that.
It’s a hypothetical dead end.
Wha?
Newton is great with Auburn’s surrounding cast, but it’s a bit of a leap to think he’d still be college football’s shining light in a Gators uniform. Being a perfect fit in Gus Malzahn’s spread attack at Auburn doesn’t mean Newton would make the Gators an unstoppable machine.
I doubt Malzahn’s spread is radically different than UF’s. Newton might not be as good with UF’s cast, especially since they look inferior Auburn’s, but weren’t we talking about whether he would be better than Florida’s QBs?
That’s too simplistic a view. UF didn’t shed any tears when Newton left. The Gators had no idea what they’d be missing.
No one did; the dude ended up at a juco. But now Newton is the best player in college football, so it’s reasonable for Gator fans to speculate what might have been. Right, Gene?
They’ll just have to fix this mess while wondering what could have been.
Here, Gene, at the end of your confused spiel, you should have something definite to say, rather than this weak, vacillating sentiment. Something like ‘Cam Newton is worse than Hitler,’ or ‘the Gators would have won another national, title with him.’ Take a stand, bro.
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