Greg: John Brantley is back!
Signal the trumpets and ring the bells, Florida’s senior quarterback (and savior) has returned.
Not so fast.
Regardless of who is under center, the Gators have a ton of issues to get ironed out.
The last three games, Florida’s offensive line has surrendered nine sacks and paved the way for only 64.7 rushing yards per contest.
The defense has given up 206.3 yards per game on the ground in the three losses, down from the 61 mark that was No. 5 nationally after four weeks. Even the pass defense has fallen off, giving up 8.7 yards per attempt in October after holding opponents to 4.7 yards per throw the first four games.
On special teams, Florida couldn’t even catch a punt against Auburn.
How is Brantley going to fix that?
Matt: Didn’t you hear Will Muschamp on Monday? Brantley’s return is going to give this team a humongous “psychological” boost!
That’s all the Gators need.
Stop it with all these stats and facts and logic, Greg. All that matters is how Florida approaches this game mentally.
Plus, that boost isn’t limited to just the offense. Brantley playing against Georgia is going to help the defense, too!
Omar Hunter even said so.
“We feed off of Brantley. … Having your starting quarterback back, that makes you feel good. … We’re gonna play hard for Brantley.”
See? They’re going to play hard. What more can you ask for?
Greg: A couple tackles might be nice. Besides, UF’s players have shown that what they say isn’t always accurate.
Although he admitted the Gators have focused on tackling aggressively and with proper form and that this exercise has taken up a period of practice each day, Sharrif Floyd said tackling isn’t a problem or something that “wasn’t where it needed to be.”
Wrong. Those pesky “stats and facts and logic” show Auburn, LSU and Alabama pounding Florida with dominating rushing attacks. Michael Dyer, Spencer Ware and Trent Richardson all had some success on the ground, and Georgia’s Isaiah Crowell fits into that same downhill, power-running mold.
I don’t think Brantley plans to trot out on defense, so I’m not sure his presence will help that a ton.
That is, unless this “psychological boost” includes some kind of psychic, leg-paralyzing mind tackling.
Matt: Tackling, schmackling.
The Gators didn’t lose all those games because they couldn’t wrap up. They lost them because they didn’t have Brantley. Duh.
UF’s gunslinger may even be the best quarterback in the state, including the NFL teams.
The difference he’s going to make by returning is immeasurable:
Quinton Dunbar is going to be relevant. Deonte Thompson will be one game closer to getting that championship, man. And Jordan Reed may even catch a chest-high throw without leaping to the moon.
With Brantley back, the sky really is the limit. You saw what he did against Alabama. This guy has first-round NFL pick written all over him.
Stats are for losers. All Johnny does is win.
If you don’t see yet, you will. Just wait.
Greg: I’m a little jarred by the use of “Brantley” and “first-round NFL pick” in such close proximity, so you’ll have to excuse me if I need a second to regroup.
This is the same quarterback who was benched so a pair of tight ends could take snaps last season. A year doesn’t change all that much.
Even if Brantley has improved, the Gators would need Aaron Rodgers-level talent to make something out of this hodgepodge of wide receivers. If you add all of their stats together, their 646 yards still rank behind the NCAA’s top 26 individual wideouts.
I don’t see a quarterback who threw more picks than touchdowns last year saving the season with such a dreary supporting cast.
Matt: OK, before we get a ton (read: three) of emails and comments from incredulous fans who can’t read between the lines, let me be frank: My entire stance has been sarcasm.
Of course, Brantley’s return doesn’t mean that much. The Gators have plenty of problems that the return of one slightly above-average quarterback simply cannot fix.
Fans need to realize this and gain some perspective. Buckle up for a bumpy ride.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org and Matt Watts at mwatts@alligator.org.
