"Swamp Kings" is a Disappointing Waste of Time

I recently just finished the Netflix miniseries "Swamp Kings". For those that do not know, "Swamp Kings" is about the five year run of the Florida Gators football team under Urban Meyer. Everyone knows my feelings on Meyer. He is a scumbag, a cheater and a punk. I have never liked him and I never will. The only upside to my household not getting Fox anymore is that I don't have to listen to him call Big 10 games. So when I decided to tune into this four part docuseries, I thought it would be an eye opening affair. I thought they would point out the good and the bad of this Gators run. Unfortunately they did not do that.

This show was, for all intents and purposes, a mastubatory fascination for Meyer, Tim Tebow and the Florida football team from 2006-2010. This was all about how great of a coach Meyer was for the team. How he molded these young boys into men. How his methods were exactly what this talented but undisciplined team needed. How he made a name for himself and changed the game of college football. Pretty much all the good and none of the bad. They barely mentioned the amount of arrests that happened under his eye. They didn't talk about the recruiting tactics he used. They only mentioned Aaron Hernandez's name once, calling him a "top recruit". They portrayed his barbaric methods as something new college coaches should aspire to. It was, for lack of a better word, gross. I couldn't believe all the stuff that was left out about him.

I have to think he was a producer on this show and would only allow it to air if it made him look great. Urban Meyer definitely had a moment as a top college football coach, but he also had some serious problems that this show just decided to not air. It was so bad that when they talked about his tenure with the Jaguars in the NFL, they said he "stepped down" as head coach. He was fired after 14 games because he was so ill fitted for the NFL. Tim Tebow was looked at as some kind of deity in this thing. They talked about him like he was the greatest college QB of all time. They had their chances to talk about him kind of getting off scot free sense he was a white QB winning titles, but they barely touched on that. A few of his teammates made comments about how they felt slighted, how Tebow got all the love, but the show was quick to get off that topic and move on to something else. Tebow also spoke like he was trained to sound wistful. He had this quiet tone that I found quite annoying. He talked as if he was this person who changed the college game. He would mention a fight between him and a teammate and give it a button along the lines that it helped both him and the teammate. Stuff like this made his teammate a better player. I found it quite odd that he didn't go into any kind of detail about how he felt about the arrests and issues, being that he is so religious. He sat down and openly praised Meyer at every turn. It was frustrating.

They did a decent job of portraying this team as one of the better college units of all time. They won two titles in three years. They had a Heisman winner. They had a bunch of NFL players. And they beat really good teams. But they never talked about the true issues that this team had. They barely touched on the arrests. There was one moment in one episode where they started to talk about it, but it was a three or four minute chunk in a 45 minute long episode. I thought they would do a full 45 minutes just on that topic. They didn't though. They kept it incredibly bland.

This could have been a salacious docuseries. They could have done all the good stuff and peppered in the bad. They could have dedicated entire episodes to the issues. They could have dug deeper. They went the opposite direction. "Untold" is meant to make you angry and disgusted with what you are seeing. This one was a miss though. They didn't dig at all. They let the bad stuff slide. It felt like the people behind "Swamp Kings" figured we knew all the bad stuff so they were just going to show the good. Skip this unless you are a college football fan like me. This is not worth your time. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Disaster at Tennessee is the Biggest Question of the NCAA Coaching Carousel

The NCAA football coaches firing and hiring has begun. Last week I touched on 2 schools, Florida and Tennessee, that were in need of a new coach. Before I get into the meat of my story today I need to touch on something else involving college football coaches real quick.

First off, I am so very annoyed at all the Jim Harbaugh to the NFL rumors. Every offseason this has happened for the three years he has been at Michigan. It is great to have a coach that is this high in demand, but I'd like him to either commit or leave. I'm so sick of this happening every time at this time of year. After year one at Michigan it was the Colts. After year 2, it was the Rams. Now, about a month before their bowl game, it is the Bears. If he leaves after just 3 short years, when he gets to do whatever he wants, and is the most important person at the University of Michigan, whether you'd like to admit it or not, before beating Ohio State, or any highly ranked team, and before he gets to fully realize the potential of the kids he recruited, that would be a shame. I didn't want Harbaugh at Michigan in the first place because I knew this was going to be a yearly thing, the rumors, but now that he is there, and has been a damn good coach for this team, I do not want him to leave. I truly hope he stays, but you never know with coaches nowadays.

Also, Texas A&M did a stupid, stupid thing in letting Kevin Sumlin go. That guy had 56 wins over 6 years, was constantly in bowl games, coached a Heisman winner and got A&M up to number one in the country one year. If they don't get Jimbo Fisher, they are screwed. Sumlin did more than enough to keep that job, and A&M gave him the shaft. I hope Fisher passes on the job and they have to scramble to get a coach.

Other jobs opened since last week, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Nebraska, and I'm sure they will all vet out some decent candidates. But, all this turnover is why no team, or teams can stay relevant for long. As stated, Texas A&M was number one a few short years ago. Now, after winning 8 games this year, they fire Sumlin. The reason that teams like the University of Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn and Oklahoma are always relevant is because they have a consistent coaching staff, or head coach. Urban Meyer has turnover with coordinators every year, but he is still the head coach. That never changes. Same with Alabama. While the coordinators leave for other jobs, Nick Saban is the constant. Auburn, after a failed experiment with a coach I cannot even remember, hired back Gus Malzahn, who was their offensive coordinator when they won the title, and they are a big time contender once again. The reason why, recruits and players are familiar with Malzahn and Auburn. And even with the whole weird Bob Stoops offseason, Oklahoma kept Lincoln Riley, the offensive coordinator, and they are playing like Stoops never left. With consistency comes winning and competing every year. I wish more colleges, and some coaches, understood that.

Now that all of that is out of the way, lets get to what I wanted to really talk about today. As I wrote last week, Florida and Tennessee were searching for new coaches. As I was hanging lights outside my house yesterday, my phone buzzed and told me that Florida was finalizing a deal with Dan Mullen, and Tennessee was doing the same with Greg Schiano. Florida got it right was my first thought. They got a guy familiar with the team, and had major success at Mississippi State. It is truly a homerun hire. But, the Schiano news shocked me. It felt like Tennessee was grasping at straws. I knew they were never going to get Jon Gruden, but Greg Schiano? What the hell, I thought. Then more and  more stories started to come out yesterday about how bad a hire this was.

Schiano is currently the defensive coordinator the University of Ohio State. Their defense is okay, but not great. He was also a failed NFL head coach, and had a "whopping" 68-67 record as the head coach at Rutgers many years ago. All of these stats came out yesterday after the announcement, but my bewildered mind just couldn't grasp the hire. I mean, it is Tennessee, they can get someone better. People were calling this one of the top ten worst hires in any level of sports of all time. People pointed out his subpar record as a head coach. People also talked about the job he had done this year. Then some people brought up the fact that he may or may not have been involved with the Penn State scandal. This brought up a whole new set of terrible circumstances. It got so bad, the local government was threatening to get involved.

So, after about half a day worth of getting the shit kicked out of them, Tennessee pulled the offer. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever witnessed. First off, this make Greg Schiano look like an awful football coach and person. Not many teams, at least power 5 teams, will ever look at him the same again. This whole debacle will make him an assistant coach for life. Or, if he wants any shot at being a head coach, it is going to have to be low level division one, or maybe, division 1-AA.

Second, and most importantly, this makes Tennessee look like a tire fire that will comply to whatever boosters and fans say. If I were a major D-1 coach looking to move up in the college football coaching world, I would stay very, very far away from Tennessee. This is a terrible, awful look for them. After their pipe dream of Gruden fell through, it seemed like they just threw a dart and picked the first person they landed on. Then, when that choice backfired, they pulled the plug. It is a real mess in Knoxville. It got so bad that someone said that their best option may be Lane Kiffin now. They already danced that dance and it was dreadful. Hell, I don't even think Kiffin, or Derek Dooley for that matter, would want that job now. Hell, their best, and maybe only option at this point, could be interim coach Brady Hoke. Yikes. I went through that Volunteer fans, and I promise you, you want no part of that. Tennessee has a real problem on their hands, and I do not know how they bounce back from this. And Greg Schiano comes off almost as bad.

This was just a wreck from the moment it was announced yesterday. Who will Tennessee go after now, I don't know. I mentioned Hoke. But, the guys I mentioned last week, Justin Fuente, Memphis' current head coach, a lower level assistant at a major program, those type of coaches are more than likely off the table. Tennessee is going to have to dig very deep in the trash pile of coaches looking to get back in the college game. Maybe they will go after Bret Bielama now that he is available, but I don't think even he would take that job now.

I would end this by saying good luck, but after yesterday, Tennessee needs a miracle to get any kind of prominent coach. My good luck does them no good at all. They are in a bad, bad place right now, and it is going to be a long while before they get up. Hell, maybe they should have kept Butch Jones around after all.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has been waiting for his shot at a head football coaching job for years. He will keep waiting if Tennessee comes calling.

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Where are Florida and Tennesse Going to Find Their Next Football Coach?

With Rivalry Week ahead of us, it means 2 things. First, there will be some good games to watch. But, the thing I want to focus on today, coaches are getting fired, and rumors are swirling everywhere about who will coach at the big schools next year. I know that places like Oregon State, UCLA, most likely Texas A&M, most likely Arkansas, and maybe, just maybe, Washington State will be open at season's end. But, the 2 schools I want to talk about today are Tennessee and Florida.

Both these jobs are open. Tennessee fired Butch Jones 2 weeks ago. Florida let Jim McElwain go after the ridiculous death threats rumors, and the overall poor play of the Gators. These are 2 big, big time jobs. Yes, both schools have fallen on hard times, but, these jobs are still marquee in the world of college football.

For the record, both these guys deserved to be let go. Tennessee was horrendous under Butch Jones. Every year Jones was there the preseason pundits said that, "this was the year that Tennessee football was back". That never happened. His best season was probably last year, and that team was a heart attack to watch every week. And, I think they only ended up winning 8 or 9 games. Butch Jones also always said something stupid. I remember him calling his team, "champions of life". That is so dumb. He was also a bad football coach, as far as X's and O's go. Tennessee always looked unprepared and outmatched, especially this year. They have been utterly dreadful this year. It came to a head at Missouri, and I know they have won 5 straight, but Tennessee got absolutely smashed by a team that they should have at least been in the game with. Missouri scored 50 on them, while only giving up 17. This is the same Missouri team that gave up 40 plus points to Missouri State. In reality, the Volunteers quit on Jones, but Jones also quit on them. I had to go through Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, so I understand the relief that Volunteers fans have now that Jones is gone.

McElwain enjoyed minimal success at Florida. He had a better tenure there than Jones had at Tennessee. He went to 2 straight SEC title games. Yes, Florida got smashed both times by Alabama. But, they did enough in the SEC East to make it to the title game. McElwain also won double digit games his first year. He won, I think, 9 games last year. By all accounts, coming into this season, they looked like they would contend in the SEC East again. Then their first game happened. I watched it because they played Michigan. Michigan absolutely smothered them. I know Florida had 17 points, but 14 of those were on 2 pick sixes. Florida's offense looked worse than it had ever looked under McElwain. I then found out that Doug Nussmeier was their offensive coordinator, and it all made sense to me. He coordinated one of Michigan's worst offenses ever. After that game it seemed Florida could only win miraculously. They needed 2 Hail Mary's to win 2 early games. Any solid team destroyed Florida. Then the whole death threats thing. That was a total cry for help, and a way to try and keep his job. But, when pressed on it, he was caught in a lie and Florida had no other choice but to let him go. To lie about death threats is disturbing and insulting to that team and his players. Florida pretty much immediately fired him after that.

Since these 2 guys got fired there have been a million rumors about who will be their next head coach. I've heard tons and tons of random names taking over these big time jobs. The big one, and, for right now, the only name being mentioned in Knoxville is Jon Gruden. I do not want to burst your bubble Volunteers fans, but Jon Gruden will not be your next head coach. He may coach next year, but he is going to be an NFL coach if he decides to go back. I personally do not think he will return to coaching at any level next year. He has a cherry gig right now, and I think he is more than happy to call games and spout nonsense on ESPN. It is more likely to me that the Volunteers are going to go out and get not such a big name, but a good coach. Memphis' head coach could be considered. He has turned Memphis into a really explosive offensive team. Fuente at Virginia Tech would be a good fit if they want to go the defense and toughness route. David Cutcliffe has turned Duke into a decent team, and he has ties to Tennessee. I'm sure there are some good, young coordinators that should be on their radar. Look at what Kirby Smart has done at Georgia. Unfortunately the Jon Gruden stuff will, most likely, not happen. I think Tennessee will have to pick a "smaller" name head coach, but it will benefit them in the long run.

As far as Florida goes, I do not think they will get Chip Kelly, especially now that UCLA has let Jim Mora go. I know they have had multiple talks with Kelly, but why would he go to a place like Florida, where if he doesn't win right away they will be mad, when he can go to UCLA and build a team. He will have carte blanche at UCLA, a la what Jim Harbaugh gets at Michigan. UCLA will give him time to recruit and build, and I think he could turn them into a powerhouse in 2-4 years. Florida would be great for recruiting for Kelly, but everything else around that job would be rough. As I said, they would expect him to install his offense with the current players, and expect it to work right away. Florida has the speed to run that offense, but not the talent. Felipe Franks could be a good QB, but running a spread option up tempo offense doesn't fit his style. Florida does have a decent defense, but Kelly doesn't care about that side of the ball. He would probably be able to get a big name, but his lack of concern on that side of the ball would infuriate Florida fans from day one. Also, I think Kelly would prefer to go back to a conference he is familiar with, the Pac 12, as opposed to coaching in the SEC. He can already game plan for all the teams in the Pac 12. In the SEC, he would have to prepare for the Alabama's, Auburn's and Georgia's of the college football world. While I think the SEC is very overrated, I'd much rather get ready to face the Arizona's, Stanford's, USC's and Oregon's of the college football world. Chip Kelly seems like a guy that wants a cushy job, and Florida is not a cushy job at all. Florida is going to have to do the same thing that Tennessee will have to do. They need to get an up and comer or poach a good coach from another power 5 school. They should look at Willie Taggart. He has experience coaching and recruiting in Florida, and he is a hard nosed,  but offensive minded coach. Maybe they look at Memphis' coach. Again, he is an offensive mastermind. I think they need to go after an offensive coach that has experience dealing with defense.

So while all the Gruden and Kelly stuff sounds nice, I do not think it will happen for either of these schools. They will have to make what many will consider "uninspired" hires, but that could benefit them both in the long run. I'm excited to see what happens as far as who they hire though. These schools choices at head coach this offseason will shape the future of these storied programs. Hopefully neither of them will pick Lane Kiffin too. Stay far, far away from him. Especially you Tennessee.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He really needs to be careful with his Lane Kiffin criticism. What would Ty do if Jim Harbaugh left Michigan for the NFL, and the Wolverines brought Kiffin in as their next head coach? See, things could be much worse.

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