FOUR BITS: Addazio, baseball, lacrosse, Tebow

By Adam Silverstein
December 21, 2010

1 » According to OrangeBloods.com, the Texas Longhorns have decided to hire current Florida Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio as the team’s new offensive line coach. Addazio, who has struggled calling plays for Florida for the last two seasons, is a terrific offensive line coach and recruiter and should do quite well at Texas if the report is accurate. He was named ESPNU‘s recruiter of the year after helping corral the Gators’ 2010 recruiting class and served as interim head coach for Urban Meyer after he briefly stepped down and then during his recovery last offseason. It is worth noting that OrangeBloods.com previously reported that current Florida defensive coordinator Teryl Austin had been hired to the same position at UT; however, that has neither been confirmed nor denied since it was initially mentioned two weeks ago.

Addazio was recently named one of three head coach candidates for the open Temple Owls job. He reportedly interviewed for the position on Monday.

2 » Gators baseball has earned a No. 2 ranking in Collegiate Baseball’s preseason poll, which the organization released on Monday. Florida is coming off a season in which they finished 47-17, won the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championship and participated in the 2010 College World Series in Omaha, NE. The Gators are returning eight starters, 11 pitchers and 22 total letterwinners and begin their 2011 season with a three-game series against South Florida from Feb. 18-20.

3 » Participating in its inaugural season last year, Florida lacrosse is already making national waves after being ranked No. 17 in Lacrosse Magazine’s preseason poll. The Gators, who finished the 2010 season 10-8, reached the finals of the 2010 American Lacrosse Conference Tournament and was only the sixth team in Division I history to have 10 or more wins in its first season. Inside Lacross ranked Florida’s 19-person 2010 recruiting class No. 1 in the nation; every player is returning the team this year.

4 » Denver Broncos interim head coach Eric Studesville plans to start former Gators star quarterback Tim Tebow for his team’s final two games this season, according to numerous reports. Similarly, Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan has decided to start former Florida signal caller Rex Grossman for his team’s two remaining games after Grossman’s strong performance on Sunday.

Photo Credit: Tricia Coyne/Gainesville Sun

29 Comments

  1. Gatorbuc15 says:

    It really looks like the baseball team is gonna have a
    really good season this year. With 8 returning starters, 11
    pitchers, and 22 total letterwinners they should be pretty damn
    tough to beat. Go Gators!!!!!

  2. Wingtee says:

    We can certainly pitch , just concerned about Tuckers bat.
    If he hits we roll. Got to get FSU this year. They handled us last
    year

  3. David says:

    Not happy at all if Addazio is leaving to be the OL Coach
    elsewhere. Given his recruiting prowess and his OLs of the past
    (when he has been able to focus on them without being OC), I was
    hoping he’d stay here as the OL Coach. Gator fans don’t always look
    at the big picture!

  4. zurbo says:

    our O-line regressed this year. Thats all im
    saying

  5. Big Pussy says:

    Feels like the twilight zone. Can things get any
    weirder??

  6. dp says:

    Adam, please don’t tell me that you feel bad for Addazio.
    The guy makes six figures to be a part of one of the best programs
    in the nation. We live in a world of accountability…he did a
    shitty job and now it’s time to move on. If you honestly think he
    did a good job at play calling maybe we should turn to the bleacher
    report for our Gator news. I think you do an awesome job and that’s
    why people come to your site. Trust me, if you sucked, we would be
    moving on.

    • DP- Let me make one thing perfectly clear before I respond to your comment. Mentioning this site in the same breath as the Bleacher Report is not only an insult to me personally, it is an insult and slap in the face to the hours upon hours of work I have put into this site every day – through every holiday – for the last 14 months. I know right afterward you said the site is “awesome” and you have been a reader for a long time, so that is why that comment surprised me so much.

      Secondly, as one of our readers from the very beginning, I have appreciated your comments and thoughts from the start, but the comment to which I am responding to right now really bothers me because you made a blatantly *incorrect assumption* about a comment I made.

      Now to answer the comment itself.

      I said NOTHING about Addazio’s skills as an offensive coordinator or the job he did. What I pointed to, specifically, was what Addazio has gone through recently off the field. That includes nasty things that no one should have to deal with in the realm of doing their job. That does NOT include people wanting him fired or insulting him on dozens of message boards or the media calling for his head. What it does include are some personal things that I am not at liberty to discuss other than to say they went well above and beyond people wanting him fired. If you were subjected or privy to some of these things I’ve been told, you would understand exactly why leaving would not be the worst thing for him.

      Even all that other stuff – every fan of your team wanting you fired, the media calling for your head, etc. – would you really want to continue to work under those conditions even if you accepted a demotion or start fresh elsewhere?

      Addazio has done an awful job over the past two years as offensive coordinator. That being said, he happens to be a very talented recruiter and offensive line coach.

      My comment was based on having *empathy for him as a human being*, not defending the job he did coaching on the field. In no way did I say or infer that he did a “good job” as you stated in your comment. All you did was completely twist my words around for no reason whatsoever.

      Understand where I’m coming from now?

  7. jaxgator says:

    Really excited for this years baseball season. The coaching staff has really put together some great recruiting. Hopefully Sully can keep up the great work for years to come.

    As for Coach A, I wish him well. Although he basically failed as the OC, he kept the program running while Meyer was figuring things out. For that we should all be grateful. If he leaders maybe he will once again be successful. If he stays he better be.

    On a side note; Congrats goes out to a former Gator Charlie Strong who just coached lville to a bowl victory.

  8. SaraGator says:

    I was hoping Coach A would get the Temple job. Personally,
    I think he would be a good head coach at a smaller school with less
    expectations. Hopefully, that will come in Texas. I wish him the
    best of luck. He is a good guy and refuses to throw the kids under
    the bus, and despite this year’s results, Coach A did a tremendous
    job at Florida…. remember we did have one of the best offensive
    lines for several years! Adam… dp’s comments is an example of how
    harsh the Gator nation can be to our own family. Congratulations to
    Coach Strong for this season and pulling a couple of top recruits
    out of Miami.

  9. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Adam, I think what dp meant was that your site has been SO AMAZINGLY timely and accurate with info as compared to others who regurgitate press releases and offer nothing new or informative ( not to mention feel anti-Gator to me personally). I think we are all sensitive to anything that we might misinterpret as apologist for the traumatic season we all experienced last year, however I think misinterpret is exactly what happened (the bain of e-media is to read once and reply without proper contemplation). All that aside, I too wish Addazio the very best of luck and all Gators should hope he does not land in the SEC, as his talents will be pitted against us both on and off the field. Best wishes to ALL the UF coaches who are not retained and must uproot their families and reinvent their futures at this time of year.

  10. Mr2Bits says:

    Baseball team is going to be sick this year, can’t wait.

    Adam, have you heard anything about our offer to Kirby Smart? Guessing nothing will surface in a na/ya until after their bowl game or right before?

    • Mr2Bits- No idea about Kirby Smart at this point. I have to believe the offer is out there if he wants it. Then again, is Florida going to pay him more than $900K to be a defensive coordinator for a defensive head coach who can call his own plays? Probably not.

  11. Gatorgrad79 says:

    I don’t know Adam – think about it. College football is morphing into a semi-pro league now and over the next decade , when (I predict) players will be receiving stipends that allow them to eliminate financial stress and concentrate on the sport ( and, oh yeah, school). For a University to get into and STAY in the top 10, they will have to have a calibre of staff – from HC throughout, but especially OC and DC, who are truly head coach potential, but who will agree to stay for several years for the RIGHT COMPENSATION. So how do you get a Muschamp and Smart to team up and stay for 4 or 5 years? You pay them enough ( have to be over a million for the co-ordinators) and you write in penalties for leaving, unless the HC changes. Drastic change in ops, but I see it coming, so maybe UF should be first?!

  12. Drew 4 Orange & Blue says:

    Good point Adam but then again why is Bama paying this guy so much? It would probably be one of those things that depends on the personal relationships between the three guys…Saban is known to be a tough guy to work for regardless of how much your getting paid….and I think the fact we would be pulling away Bama’s DC would certainly add to the value of what we paid him!!!!

    • I’m not saying Florida shouldn’t pay Smart. I’m implying that the Gators do not normally pay assistants that kind of money and I would make the assumption that, if they were going to, it would be for an offensive coordinator. Bringing Smart on would be a huge get and a move I would definitley make if I were the administration and if he was interested. I’m just not sure it’s actually going to happen.

  13. Gatorgrad79 says:

    Adam – if the boat is adrift because there is weak link in the chain, do you just keep changing the anchor? No – if the anchor is set, replace the weak links and make the whole chain strong! Our weak link is in never having (since Charlie left and Addazio could not just coach the line) the entire chain and anchor strong at the same time. Obviously this is the dilemma in college football. The right OC/DC and staff will always be moving up and out. SO you have to HAVE A PLAN to maintain the integrity of the staff for 3 or 4 years at a time. That will mean changes in the way contracts are negotiated with coordinators and staff to stop the merry go round! As a BullGator, I can tell you that another million or two spread around the staff is not an issue IF it buys stability. The Boosters who pay the big bucks beleive it is worth it.

    • 79- I don’t disagree with you. You make a compelling argument. I’m simply looking at Florida’s history with coordinators and formulating an opinion on what is likely to happen. It is more likely that the Gators hire an OC and DC and pay each $300-400K than $1M. That’s all I’m saying.

  14. Gatorgrad79 says:

    BTW, the whole “”Head coach in waiting” concept is an attempt to do what I stated above, but we all know how that is working for them….

  15. CH says:

    Adam – agreed about smart. That’s a pipedream (but a really nice pipedream).
    The name “brian schottenheimer” has surfaced a few times as a possibility for OC. He has pro and college experience and close ties to UF. Have you heard anything about that? And what are your opinions of Schotty Jr.
    Also, don’t let dp get you fired up. Just keep doing what you are doing and 99.9% of will appreciate it.

    • CH- Even if Schotty was to get fired by the Jets, I’m quite sure there would be another NFL head coach who wants him as offensive coordinator. There may even be teams interested in him as a head coach. College is still a step down.

  16. Aligator says:

    I do hope Coach A finds a good HC job somewhere where he can excel. I know he is a good man, who can recruit and coach. He has a very Big Ten approach to offense and that is fine for him. I would hope that he would stay on as maybe a co-coordinator, focusing on the line and run game while being the associate HC, but I do not know if that will happen. I do not think he will take a demotion, of sorts, but I also do not think he will make a lateral move either?

  17. dp says:

    Adam, you blew my statement way out of proportion and gg79 was correct. I obviously am not aware of the personal attacks on Addazio because you never shared them. I was simply responding to his shitty job of play calling which took away his time as o-line coach…which in turn was even more shitty. He wasted two years of eligibility for some great athletes and now it’s time to go. I didn’t feel bad for a guy getting booed after making six figures to basically playa game. I knew comparing you to bleacher would get your attention but only to show that if you thought he shouldn’t be let go for his football actions than maybe the bleacher report was where we should turn…it was a joke. We all know and appreciate the great job you do here and I think Addazio should give you a percentage of his salary for all of the hours you have spent backing him up. Happy holidays Gator Nation

    • dp- Your comment made me mad because you put words in my mouth. Nowhere did I say he “shouldn’t be let go.” All I said is that people should feel empathy for him as a person even if you don’t like him as a football coach. The BR thing you said bothered me, but putting words in my mouth or altering what I ACTUALLY wrote is what angered me. You basically just did it again with this comment as well. “if you thought he shouldn’t be let go for his football actions than…” I never said that. So there was no reason for you to bring it up or make that comment. Completely out of line man.

  18. dp says:

    That was my attempt to make light of the situation. I guess I’m not as good of a writer as you are…but as a writer you must know that words sometimes get misconstrued and made into more than they are. I hope your Kwanzaa is great!

  19. g8ter27 says:

    Adam, great job you are doing as always. I look forward to reading tis each and every day and it has been a real treat to have your site up. It is the first site i go to each day, not sure of that means I am putting too much emphasis in my life into the gators but so be it. I too feel bad for Addazio, he is a good man and great recruiter. i also think like most here that he sucks as an OC. Now the difficult part, I love Meyer, he has been the best thing to happen to gator football in a long time, maybe ever. But, Meyer did not do Gator Nation any favors when he chose to leave Addazio on as OC for the past year. Eevryone could see the problems with the offense after last year…even at 13-1. Addazio kept the freshman class together and held down the fort during Urban’s “retirement” and i think that he felt obligated to give him another shot. I wished he would have not done so but I guess I may have done the same thing. I certainly would have demoted him during the season and called the plays myself…unless I knew i was leaving again…so the whole year has been a mess. i just hop WM has a plan for coaches in place and blows us away next month with his choices.

  20. BrooklynGator says:

    Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Addazio turned down the UT job and will be announced as Temple’s HC tomorrow. Good luck to him wherever he ends up. He did what he could for the Gators but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.

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