Spring is a time of renewal, but not so much in the swamp. All new coaches, even some new players, or at least ones we haven’t seen thanks to injury.
But the results looked mostly the same.
There weren’t wild conclusions to be drawn from Florida’s spring game. Nothing shocked, nothing awed.
It was without histrionics as most spring games are and without great play either.
That should worry you if you had outlandish expectations for this team, which you shouldn’t have had in the first place.
Jim McElwain can only sell you futures for so long. At one point, this team is going to step on the field and play a real game and fans will see how much of a work in progress it really is.
I believe in McElwain. I believe he’s a good coach and I believe he’s assembled a decent staff.
I believe he’s building the program in an intelligent way with a support staff modeled in the mold of Alabama’s.
But through spring, summer and for all the world to see on Sept. 5, he’s still got to play the hand Will Muschamp and co. dealt him and that’s far short of a royal flush.
Is there talent on this squad? Absolutely yes.
Is there depth? Absolutely not.
Unfortunately for McElwain, that’s what builds winning teams.
The offensive line in the Orange and Blue Debut was about as lacking as you’d think with six healthy players, only one of which had seen meaningful time in a college football game.
I don’t mean to be a drag, but this team is what it is, a work in progress as I said, and I think those around the program are well aware of it.
It didn’t sound like McElwain had any delusions of grandeur, probably because you shouldn’t either. When asked if he was satisfied with how the offense progressed he flatly responded with a “no.”
I don’t think that was the PR response in a “never be satisfied” type of answer. I think he realizes this team may still be at the bottom of the proverbial mountain and haven’t done as much climbing up it as they needed.
But it’s not about the play on the field that I think bothers McElwain so much. It’s the mindset and mentality.
That’s what he railed about the other day when the effort at a practice following a good scrimmage was sub-par.
It’s about getting players to understand attention to detail. Attitude adjustment, McElwain hopes, will breed success.
But how long will it take to reform the product between the ears of 85 scholarship Florida Gators and how long will that take to translate onto the field? Only time will tell.
Spring is over, the clock now slowly ticks toward Sept. 5. That’s when the reality of what this team is will really hit home. It’s a process to get back to the top, and Florida’s still at the beginning.
Follow Richard Johnson on Twitter @RagjUF
Florida football playes run out of the tunnel during the 2015 Orange and Blue Debut Spring game April 11, 2015, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
