Urban hard on injured players!

[bgsuman]

Interesting....

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/c ... &cset=true

GAINESVILLE -- Wearing heavy steel chains around his neck, Florida offensive lineman Ronnie Wilson walked up and down the steps of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday while his teammates scrimmaged on the wet, gloomy field below.

Wide receiver Michael McIntosh loafed behind him, carrying a large rock with both hands. On another set of bleachers not far away, safety Terrence Holmes lugged a sandbag over his shoulder.

This didn't look like a football practice. It looked like a prison yard.

"He's acting like we messed up," Wilson mumbled to a teammate, his chains clanking against his shoulder pads as he walked past pointing fans. "We're just injured."

Wilson makes a good point -- it did appear as if the players were being punished. But it seems he also doesn't get the real point.

During the first scrimmage of the spring under Florida Coach Urban Meyer, you didn't need to see quarterback Chris Leak's 65-yard touchdown pass to Chad Jackson to appreciate the new regime's tactics. Instead, the sight of injured players lugging odd objects was far more telling.

"That's the pit," Meyer said. "Stay out of the pit. It's an ugly deal. Nothing good comes out of the pit. That's for injured guys. Their goal is to get out of the pit and practice. Practice is easier than the pit."

You see, Meyer thinks his Gators are too soft. He doesn't think a minor injury should get you out of practice. And he'll take any means necessary to motivate his players to get back on the field.

"I don't think we're a tough team," he said. "We're just not."

So even though it was important to Meyer that backup quarterback Gavin Dickey had an impressive scrimmage, (he completed 5 of 7 passes in the regular phase of the workout for 96 yards), it was more important to Meyer that defensive tackle Ray McDonald also played well.

Before the scrimmage, trainers told Meyer that McDonald couldn't practice because of a minor ankle sprain. Meyer told McDonald otherwise.

"He fought through it," said Meyer, praising the junior's effort. "We had a guy like that at Utah. Everybody says he has great potential, but he doesn't go real hard all the time. That's all I've heard about Ray and [defensive tackle] Marcus [Thomas].

"We're going to change that, or they're not going to play. Ray can decide to continue not to go real hard, and he can transfer somewhere else where that's acceptable. But it's not acceptable here."

Sure, Meyer agrees with the notion that Florida possesses great talent. Jackson made that much clear after catching three passes for 105 yards during the scrimmage.

To this coaching staff, however, it's not just about talent. It's about discipline and toughness -- two areas that drew criticism from fans and media under the former coaching staff.

So while it certainly excited Saturday's crowd when Leak threw four consecutive pass attempts deep down the field, the other scene in the stands might have just as appropriately depicted the plans for a new direction of Florida football.

"You can paint it however you want to paint it, but we're not a tough football team," Meyer said. "But it's March, so we've got a long way to go."

Jeff Darlington can be reached at [email protected].

[Warthog]

Hmmm, there is a fine line between being tough and being legitimately injured. I knew plenty of guys who came up with excuses (A cow stepped on my foot ) and injuries to get out of practice. But if you have a trained medical staff that tells you someone shouldn't play, I think you should abide by that, instead of basically calling the player a wuss and forcing him onto the field.

[UK Peregrine]

But if you have a trained medical staff that tells you someone shouldn't play, I think you should abide by that, instead of basically calling the player a wuss and forcing him onto the field.

What do doctors and medical staff know? Sounds like a wussy response!

[Warthog]

Your right, doctors are idiots.

[PGY Tiercel]

Your right, doctors are idiots.

doctor (MD) not doctor (Ph.D.) right? Or else UK went and set a lot of us up to be called idiots?

[UK Peregrine]

Your right, doctors are idiots.

doctor (MD) not doctor (Ph.D.) right? Or else UK went and set a lot of us up to be called idiots?

Including myself.

[factman]

We had something very similar when UM was at BG.

[hammb]

Damn I love that coach.

In all the sports I watch Urban Meyer has been by far the best coach to ever coach any of my favorite teams. If somebody is genuinely injured I have no doubt that Meyer doesn't make them go through that stuff. If you have watched Florida recently you'll notice they're soft, much as we were when Urban arrived in BG. He whipped the guys that stuck it out into shape, and the softies quit. He's doing the same in Florida.

If you don't give it your all then you won't be playing for Urban.

[orangeandbrown]

Reason #550 why I never went anywhere near competitive athletics.

[1987alum]

Maybe the thread title should be: "Urban's hard on - injured players"

I think hammb hit it. UM wouldn't put players at risk if they were seriously injured.

Is it true that at one point during his short stay at BG that he actually asked guys on campus with high school experience to come out because he was running short on bodies?

[Falconboy]

Why Urban has had so much sucess so quickly with each team he has coached. After being coached by Urban Meyer, everything else seems gravy I guess. Thats why you saw Utah obliterating Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl this last January.

[SaxyIrishTenor]

All I can say is that if I played football under a guy who thought I was "soft" and "not tough" I'd be extremely motivated... to quit the team.

But in a way I guess I can see the merits of what he is doing... Just not sure I agree with the methods.

[Flipper]

Urbie ran over 20 kids off his first year at BG IIRC. If you aren't willing to give it 100%, he will weed you out.

I don't think it's any accident that he singled out two of his DT's as being soft. You do not win in college football if you are soft in the middle.

I can't help but point out the similarities between Meyer and Dakich's approach to building a team. We seem awfully quick to criticize Dan for doing some of the same "tough love" coaching that Urban does.

Granted, Urban is running off someone else's recruits and he has had a bit more success than Dan, but is it really fair?

[Falconboy]

I'll say this Urban with his tough ways has actually had something to show for it in the little time he was here, than DD has with 7 years of coaching the way he has. Gosh imagine what BG football would be like if Urban was actually here for 7 years!! The fact is you can run off more kids in football and get away with it than you can in basketball where the absence of a couple of kids can dramaticly change your luck during the season. It's the simple fact of a football team has alot more reserves at each postion that a basketball team has.

[hammb]

Urbie ran over 20 kids off his first year at BG IIRC. If you aren't willing to give it 100%, he will weed you out.

I don't think it's any accident that he singled out two of his DT's as being soft. You do not win in college football if you are soft in the middle.

I can't help but point out the similarities between Meyer and Dakich's approach to building a team. We seem awfully quick to criticize Dan for doing some of the same "tough love" coaching that Urban does.

Granted, Urban is running off someone else's recruits and he has had a bit more success than Dan, but is it really fair?

I have no problem with Dan's tough love approach. I do question his selection of players in recent years, because it takes a special kid to play for a coach like that. It appears that Dan has had trouble getting the right type of kids here, thus they're taking off. One thing I will always say of Dakich teams, they play their butts off.

I do, however, think that this style of coaching lends itself to football moreso than basketball, but that's just an opinion.