Think this was his subtle way of sending GatorNation a message?
On Thu, Jun 27, 2013 at 8:35 AM, Shane Ford <[email protected]>wrote: > Snowball effect real in college football****** > By Pat Dooley <http://www.gatorsports.com/personalia/patdooley> > Gainesville SUN Columnist**** > Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.**** Last Modified: > Wednesday, June 26, 2013 at 4:01 p.m.**** > ** ** > ** ** > ** > * * > In the sticky heat of the summer as we look down the road to another > college football season, there is a way to make you feel a little more > refreshed and cooled down.**** > Because I’m going to write about snowballs.**** > Ah, you feel better already, right?**** > After so many years of watching and covering the sport, I’ve seen a lot of > snowballs. And I know this — there are some coming again this year.**** > The real talent of a coaching staff is to manage the snowballs. Some you > have to find a way to slow down and eventually melt. With others, you want > to keep adding snow as they wipe out everything in their paths.**** > Last year was a perfect example of snowballs. And despite the heat outside > that will intrude into the football season, I think snowballs are more > plentiful in Southern football.**** > Coaches talk all the time about not letting one loss become two. But > sometimes they become 10. Or more.**** > Take Southern Miss last year. Please. The Golden Eagles were returning 11 > starters from a team that won 12 games the year before. Southern Miss had a > new coach in Ellis Johnson and a tough schedule.**** > Two elements for a possible snowball.**** > And it rolled right through Hattiesburg.**** > The Golden Eagles went 0-12. They were hurt by injuries, but 0-12? Johnson > was cut loose after one season. The snowball won.**** > Look at Tennessee last season. Does anybody think that Tennessee had > enough talent to win more than one SEC game last year? Of course.**** > Remember when Florida went to Knoxville and the Vols were all lathered up > for the big game? Instead, the Gators put the Tennessee season in the > freezer. They started a snowball, and it gathered negative momentum > throughout the season.**** > The same thing happened at Auburn. And Arkansas. The snowball is difficult > to stop when it gains momentum.**** > That’s when you need a coach with a door jamb or a leader on the field who > won’t allow the snowball to pass. **** > Snowballs go both ways.**** > Some teams get them going in the right direction, and they win a bunch of > games and they start believing they are better than they are. Last year’s > Florida team was a perfect example. The Gators started to believe they > would find a way to win and overachieved their way to 11 wins.**** > Same deal with Urban Meyer’s Ohio State team. That was not 12-0 talent, > but Meyer and his staff got the snowball rolling in the right direction.** > ** > Momentum is an unsung part of a college football season. It’s such an > obvious factor within games, but its importance in a season is overlooked. > **** > The snowballs usually don’t affect the elite and the downtrodden. But they > can.**** > Usually, the really good teams are going to end up within a win or two > from where they are projected. And the really bad teams won’t be able to > generate enough momentum to become bowl eligible.**** > But there are cases like 2000 Alabama. The Tide were coming off an SEC > title and talking national championship in the preseason. But a Crimson > snowball fueled by a dysfunctional coaching staff turned into a chilly 3-8 > season.**** > That same season, Bob Stoops was in his second year as Oklahoma’s coach. > He got the snowball going in the right direction, winning 13 straight games > and a national title after a seven-win season the year before. Also in > 2000, Lou Holtz won eight games at South Carolina after winning zero the > year before.**** > There are a lot of factors that play into bad momentum. Negative energy in > a fan base can freeze any efforts by a coach to turn things around. > Injuries are almost always part of it. Chemistry isn’t there. And can a > team get a break?**** > The opposite is true for positive momentum. You stay healthy, you get > every replay call, your fans stay up, you have a good locker room.**** > All we know for sure is that snowballs are coming again this season. Right > now, they sound like a cool break from the heat. But only if they’re going > up the hill.**** > *Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at [email protected]. And > follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.***** > ** ** > > -- > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "GatorNews" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GatorTalk" group. 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