ACL Injuries: They're a fact of life in football, people

Shortly after Florida announced the loss of Dominique Easley for the season to a torn ACL, I made a prediction as to what the response of UF fans would be.

Re: Florida's rash of ACL injuries -- really just a case of bad luck for #UF, although I'm SURE someone will try to read deeper into it.
— Justin Wells (@justinlwells) September 25, 2013

Remember when Florida had a rash of knee injuries -- especially at the safety position -- in the summer of '08? Sometimes it happens.
— Justin Wells (@justinlwells) September 25, 2013

I wanted to expand on this matter a bit more in-depth. That 2008 team, which experienced a rash of ACL injuries, still went on to win a national championship. I'm not predicting the same fate for Florida this year, but the Gators can overcome their injury issues to have some semblance of a "succesful" season, depending on your definition of "success." The knee injuries the 2008 team encountered included the following:

– Safeties Dorian Munroe and John Curtis suffered ACL injuries during offseason conditioning drills in July. Combined with the loss of Jamar Hornsby (for some very notable off-the-field transgressions), UF went into the season with a razor-thin depth chart at safety.

– Expected to be a major factor on offense in 2008, Cornelius Ingram tore an ACL just two days into preseason camp for the Gators that August.

–  Not even a week later, reserve offensive lineman Jim Barrie and backup linebacker Brendan Beal would incur ACL injuries just two days apart, adding to the misery for UF fans heading into the season.

This fall for Florida, the Gators have seen an assortment of season-ending injuries. A torn labrum for Chaz Green, a surgically repaired shoulder for Nick Washington as well, a broken leg for Jeff Driskel, and ACL injuries for Andre Debose, Matt Rolin, and now Easley. It's been a rough two months in terms of health for Florida. If the Gators can avoid the injury bug from here on out, they still have a shot at a pretty good season. But if not, well, things could get ugly in a hurry.

For the fans that want to blame this on the Strength & Conditioning coaches: please stop. Everyone was singing their praises last fall. Did they suddenly just forget how to do their job? This is simply a freakish streak of bad luck that no one could prevent. There was nothing different for which Jeff Dillman and his staff could have done to prevent any of these injuries from happening. In fact, two of the ailments (Rolin and Washington) were simply re-injuries of previous issues both players had dating back to last season, when they were still in high school. Hopefully, both freshmen have received proper treatment and won't have any issues moving forward as they rehab during their redshirt seasons.

As for the notion that an indoor practice facility (or "IPF," for the football facility diehards) could have prevented Easley's injury, I'll just agree to disagree. Easley could have torn his ACL walking down the street and stepping off (or onto) a curb in the wrong fashion. It's just one of those things. Unless he was pushed around in a wheelchair all day, in a protective bubble, and didn't play football, there was no way to prevent this from happening. It was a non-contact injury. One of those freak things. Hopefully Easley's surgery goes well, and he rehabs quickly enough to put himself in a position to sneak into the bottom of the first round of next May's NFL Draft. That's really about all we can hope for at this point.

This is a bitter pill to swallow. I get it. Until Easley's injury, there was still a sense that this team could accomplish anything on its list of goals heading into a season. Despite the injuries. This one is different. It happened to a guy who came back for all the right reasons, and who was playing himself into a potential All-American. In many ways, Easley was the guy who stirred the drink of this 2013 squad. He'll still be there in spirit. The question is, can the other guys on this vaunted Florida defense step up in his absence? We'll get the first indications from Lexington just two days from now.

A remarkable run of health at the QB position ends for Florida

29 years. That's how long it's been since the Gators suffered a major injury at the QB position. An incredible run of good fortune that ended on Saturday with the post-game revelation that Jeff Driskel suffered a fracture of the right tibia during the first quarter of Florida's 31-17 win against Tennessee. Driskel's season comes to a close after just three games.

Not since fifth-year senior Dale Dorminey suffered a torn ACL four days before the season-opener in 1984 (when a player ran into him on the sidelines in pratice, no less), has a Florida quarterback been lost in a similar fashion. Sure, there have been injuries at the position. Kerwin Bell (who fortuitously earned the starting job as a redshirt freshman after Dorminey's injury) struggled with a balky left knee in 1986 which was injured in a loss to LSU, but only missed two games. Danny Wuerffel suffered what ultimately proved to be a season-ending knee injury in 1993, but missed only the final two games (the 1993 SEC Championship and the 1994 Sugar Bowl). John Brantley missed two games after a severe sprain of his ankle in 2011, but returned to action against Georgia (although his effectiveness was severely limited the remainder of the season as a result of that injury). Of course, we can't forget Tim Tebow's broken right hand against FSU in 2007 as well as a concussion suffered at Kentucky in 2009. But he didn't miss any time as a result of those maladies. While all of the above-mentioned quarterbacks suffered fairly significant injuries (or, at least, what was thought at the time to be serious injuries), none of them missed more than two games as a result.

The only comparable situation for Florida in fairly recent history as to the predicament they now face is 1989, when starter Kyle Morris was lost for the season after six contests. But that was due to an investigation into the gambling practices of four team members (including Morris and his eventual successor at quarterback, Shane Matthews), as opposed to injury. The Gators, who began the 1989 season 5-1, would lose four of their last six games, as the turmoil in that particular fall included the firing of head coach Galen Hall under the veil of NCAA improprieties. In all, the mess of that season would lead to the hiring of Steve Spurrier, who as we all know, got things turned around in a hurry.

So, the Gators must now navigate the final three-quarters of their season knowing their starter is gone for the season. Facebook and Twitter have ably demonstrated how many fans are happy with this development, seeing as how Driskel had struggled considerably in his first three games of the year. But, as has been pointed out many times before, the back-up quarterback can often times be the most popular man on campus. Tyler Murphy accorded himself well on Saturday against the Vols, after being thrown into a tough situation. Despite some struggles getting on the same page with his offensive line in the first half, he guided the Gators to a season-high 31 points, and showed an ability to make plays with both his feet (79 yards rushing and a TD) and his arm (8-of-14 passing, 134 yards and one score). Now the question is very simply this: can he continue to produce like he did against Tennessee for the rest of the season?

Murphy was a completely unknown quantity before Saturday. With each passing week, defenses will be able to gameplan to exploit Murphy's weaknesses – whatever those may prove to be – as more film on him becomes available. That will be his biggest test moving forward, as the element of surprise will no longer be a factor.

In any case, while injuries are a regular part of football, injuries for the Florida Gators at the quarterback position have been surprisingly few and far between for UF over the past three decades. Now Will Muschamp and Brent Pease get to learn how the other side lives as they prepare for the rest of the season with Tyler Murphy as their starting signal-caller.

Jeff Driskel: A Convenient Scapegoat? (Part II)

After watching all the venom spewed at Jeff Driskel this weekend, I wanted to take a step back from things and try to take a more rational approach to his current reign as leader of the Florida offense (now at 14 games and counting). Yesterday, we took a quick glance at Driskel's performance last Saturday in a loss against Miami. Now, I want to take the long view. And try to put his situation in perspective against quarterbacks from other programs.

One thing that got me thinking. A Facebook post from a friend of mine (a big UCF fan) who said this over the weekend: "Guess UF got the wrong kid out of Oviedo!!! Bortles hasn't thrown an INT in months, not minutes."

First, let me explain: Bortles and Driskel are from the same town (ish) of Oviedo, just north of UCF on the southern end of Osceola County. Bortles attended the well-established program at Oviedo High School, which has been an occasional power in central Florida prep circles over the years. Now is definitely an "up" cycle for the program.

Driskel, meanwhile, attended the newly-opened Hagerty High School, south of "old" Oviedo, which is in the middle of a housing boom that has sprung up just north of UCF (which is actually in Orange County) in recent years. Driskel's freshman year at Hagerty coincided with the school's first year of varsity football in 2007.

Now, back to the claim of Florida getting the wrong quarterback out of Oviedo. It's certainly not an unreasonable assertion right now, in light of the numbers. Bortles has played extremely well for Central Florida and undoubtedly had a stronger showing at quarterback early in his second season as the unquestioned starter for the Knights. I also can't help but think he's had a better set of circumstances in which to grow into (and blossom) in the role of signal-caller at the college level.

First, consider this. Bortles played for a stronger, more firmly-established high school team. It wouldn't be difficult to argue his prep experiences better prepared Bortles for what he would experience as he moved on to UCF. Driskel, meanwhile, played for a brand new program that was lacking both in talent and cohesion. Playing for a young program at Hagerty High School, Driskel did not have excellent skill talent around him. After taking over as the starting quarterback early in his freshman year, the offense was built largely around his considerable abilities as a runner.

Secondly, Bortles had a much smoother transition into the role of starter. He was eased into the position over three years, redshirting as a freshman, splitting time with Jeff Godfrey in his second year, and then taking over as the full-time starter as a sophomore in 2012. On that plan, Driskel would only be assuming the reigns full-time this fall, his third season on campus. Instead, he was thrown into the fire early, seeing his first major action at home in a blowout loss to Alabama after starter John Brantley went down. Injuries would eventually end Driskel's freshman season early following his next appearance, another loss on the road at Auburn. Driskel was not afforded the same process of easing into the role as a guy like Bortles. Or in a sense, even Johnny Football at A&M or Jameis Winston at Florida State. Both of those guys got a full redshirt year to prepare before being tossed into the fire.

Okay, so you're going to come back with "Cal's Jared Goff and Texas Tech's Baker Mayfield aren't doing too shabby so far this year. Why is Driskel still struggling to put up big numbers?"

The nation's #1 & #2 QBs in total offense, #Cal's Jared Goff & #TexasTech's Baker Mayfield are both true freshmen.
— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) September 9, 2013

It's true, Goff and Mayfield are lighting it up and making the transition from high school to college look easy. But, remember this. It's still early in the season, for one. Two, Mayfield played in essentially a very similar system in high school to the Air Raid derivative he's now running for Kliff Kingsbury at Texas Tech. As for Goff, he was hand-picked by Dykes to run the show at Cal because of his size and pinpoint accuracy. That he's doing so well as a true frosh is surprising, but maybe it shouldn't be. There are now plenty of prep quarterbacks out there who run offenses just as intricate as what some college guys are tasked with.

Still, that doesn't mean every prospect coming out of the high school ranks is ready to come in and roll out on the field as a ready-made starter. And that leads to my third and final point to consider: circumstances. Driskel was a project coming from Hagerty H.S. A young man with good size, a big arm and quick feet. He needed time to pick up the nuances of playing the quarterback position. He also needed to be surrounded with good talent at the skill positions and along the offensive line. That is finally starting to happen, and it's why I do expect him to put up good numbers this year. That was hardly the case in 2011 and 2012. Going through a transition from Charlie Weis to Brent Pease certainly didn't help matters any for a young guy still getting a feel for playing quarterback at the college level. Coaching stability is something that Bortles has had the benefit of, unlike Driskel.

Sometimes, it's all about finding the right fit and going to a system that suits your individual talents. That's why Goff and Mayfield are doing so well at a precocious age (at least for a college quarterback.) They're in the right place, at the right time, with a good fit for their talents. Likewise, Bortles came in to UCF alongside Jeff Godfrey. Despite Godfrey's splashy freshman season, his shortcomings as a quarterback were exposed in year two, as Bortles was starting to come around and show he was the future of the position. Although Bortles was overlooked a bit in recruiting circles, I doubt he's too upset with how things have turned out. He's in a great fit at UCF, with coaching stability and good skill and offensive line talent around him.

Driskel hasn't been blessed with the same luxuries for which some of his contemporaries have blossomed with. I'm just saying this – it's something to keep in mind before throwing a physically gifted young quarterback under the bus. Florida's starting quarterback may just prove everyone wrong, yet.

Jeff Driskel: A Convenient Scapegoat?

After watching all the venom spewed at Jeff Driskel this weekend, I wanted to take a step back from things and try to take a more rational approach to his performance in a 21-16 loss at Miami.

His stat line was decent. 22-of-33 (66.7%) for 291 yards (a career-high), one touchdown against two interceptions. Granted some of those numbers were padded a bit by Florida's hurry-up offense against a Miami prevent defense which all but conceded a score late in the fourth quarter. Still, Driskel took some huge shots (nine hits, by my count) in this game and hung in there to make some big plays.

For the purposes of this analysis, however, let's focus more on the "mistakes." Driskel made three poor decisions throwing the football, that I saw.

– The interception to Miami safety Rayshawn Jenkins into coverage near the goal line in the second quarter. This play took three points off the board for Florida. It was simply an inexcusable decision by Driskel, especially considering a similar experience that cost the Gators points late in the first half against Georgia last year.

– An incomplete pass over the middle to Quinton Dunbar who was blanketed by three defenders on third-and-nine to end the second drive of the game. Trey Burton appeared to have a step on his man in the flat and was a better option on the play. (6:24, first quarter)

– Another incomplete pass to Dunbar down the right sideline on a third-and-three with just over 12 minutes to go in the game. Dunbar was double-covered, while Burton was running a flat-route in which he appeared to be open and in position to get the first down.

Of his additional eight incompletions, there were the following:

– A missed pass to Quinton Dunbar on the sideline on Florida's second drive. Miami's Tracy Howard was in coverage. A dangerous throw, but Driskel put it where only Dunbar had a chance to get it, and the receiver nearly made the play. (6:08)

– The missed opportunity to a wide-open Dunbar in the end zone on a well-timed play-action call early in the second quarter. This incompletion subsequently led to the Jenkins interception a play later. It's easy to wonder whether Driskel was pressing a bit on the next play because of the overthrow of Dunbar, and forced things a bit as a result. (14:16)

– Later in the second quarter, Driskel threw behind an open Dunbar on a crossing route. (11:48)

– Good play-action design out of a run-heavy formation where Driskel couldn't find an open man and threw it out of bounds late in the first half. (2:17)

– An incomplete pass to Clay Burton late in the third quarter. It was a third-and-four situation where the defender (Perryman) batted the ball away. Credit Perryman, in large part, for Miami's win. He was an animal on Saturday. (0:57)

– Clay Burton dropped a pass on a crossing route on the first offensive play of the fourth quarter (after an 18-yard run by Jones was wiped out because of a holding penalty.) (13:52)

– The interception to Burton. Clearly some timing issues on this play. But from my vantage point, Burton ran a flat route and simply didn't have his head around to catch the football. He ran the same route on a third-and-short the Gators didn't convert on earlier in the fourth quarter as well. (EDIT: Let me add, that's my interpretation ... and obviously we'll know more about what happened on this play soon enough)

– Missed pass to freshman Demarcus Robinson (his only target of the game) on a crossing route which took place on the second touchdown drive. The receiver vacated the middle on the play and moved into the flat. Driskel was hit on the play and threw it low and behind Robinson. Essentially the equivalent of a throw away, as Robinson was unlikely to get loose for much of a gain. (4:42)

That's really it. Three bad decisions and two poor throws. There was the sack/fumble in which Max Garcia (filling in for D.J. Humphries) got beat. You can argue Driskel held on to the ball too long, fine. And then the second sack at the end of the game, which really didn't mean much at that point.

So, seven bad plays you can put on Driskel. In 35 called pass plays. Most coaches will take that from their quarterbacks. Was it a great day by Florida quarterbacking standards? No. But it certainly wasn't the downfall of Florida against an opportunistic Miami bunch.

I like to remind UF fans in times like these, that even the all-time greats weren't infallible. Danny Wuerffel threw a critical interception in the waning stages of the 1994 Auburn debacle at home, which set up the Tigers to go on a game-winning touchdown drive. Fast-forward to 4:39 to see a truly awful decision by one of Florida's best ever.

It happens. We remember Wuerffel for all the good now, because there was a lot of it. But even he went through some growing pains. Unfortunately Jeff Driskel is too, and because he didn't get a redshirt year (like Wuerffel did), he's still experiencing these in his junior year, as opposed to his redshirt sophomore campaign as a result.

In any case, Driskel is catching some heat right now. And that comes with the territory with the position. But it wasn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be. At least, not from my vantage point. Now we have to see if #6, and the team as a whole, can rebound from a stinging defeat against an in-state rival to regroup and make a run at earning an invitation to Atlanta.