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Forget the numbers.
Forget that John Brantley ranks 72nd nationally in quarterback rating. Forget that he ranks 10th in the Southeastern Conference in that same category. Forget that the Florida Gators currently rank ninth in the SEC -- and 71st in the nation -- in total offense.
Brantley is a terrific quarterback.
He's just playing in the wrong system.
Not that it's a bad system.
It was good enough to win two national championships in a three-year span, win Tim Tebow a Heisman Trophy and win enough marquee games to put Gators coach Urban Meyer's face on the Mount Rushmore of today's college football coaches.
But Meyer's spread-option offense works best with a dual-threat quarterback -- such as Tebow, who was a perfect fit for this scheme -- at the controls.
It doesn't work for everyone.
Clearly, it hasn't worked for Brantley, a drop-back passer who doesn't run nearly as well as his legendary predecessor and, frankly, doesn't want to. He'd rather beat you with his arm. And, in a different system, he could.
Therein lies the problem for the 22nd-ranked Gators, who are 4-2 overall, 2-2 in the SEC and, thus far, a disappointment to more than a few fans.
Brantley is the wrong quarterback for Meyer's offense. And Meyer's offense is the wrong scheme for a quarterback with Brantley's talents.
Something's gotta give.
Certainly, something needs to change.
And since Brantley is never going to be the kind of runner necessary to operate the spread-option offense to its full capacity -- truth is, when he runs the option, everyone in the stadium knows he's going to pitch the ball
-- Meyer needs to make a tough decision.
Either he changes his offense.
Or he changes quarterbacks.
Either he dumps the option and lets Brantley drop back and throw, which the junior does as well as any quarterback in the college game, or he stays with his playbook and puts Florida's offense in the hands of run-first, wildcat-back Trey Burton.
But can Burton throw the ball? Me? I'd go with Brantley.
I'd go to a pro-style offense and, given the Gators' struggles on the ground, build my game plan around Brantley, much the way former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula built everything around Dan Marino.
I'd go with Brantley's strengths -- Remember the Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n' Gun?" -- instead of forcing him to do something he's not comfortable doing, something he's not equipped to do.
And then I'd make sure I never put myself in this situation again.
Let's face it: Brantley, who initially committed to Texas but changed his mind because of his family ties to Florida, should be playing elsewhere.
Indeed, Texas would've been a wise choice. Not only do Mack Brown's Longhorns run a pro-style offense well suited to a drop-back passer, but Colt McCoy graduated last year. Brantley would've made a fitting successor.
It's an intriguing what-if, one that surely has crossed Brantley's mind, though he's not likely to say so.
Likewise, you won't soon hear Meyer discuss an even more intriguing what-if scenario: What if Cam Newton had stayed in Gainesville? What if that November 2008 incident involving Newton, a laptop and the campus police had never happened? What if Newton hadn't decided to leave Florida, transfer to Blinn College in Texas -- where he threw for 2,833 yards and 22 touchdowns and ran for 655 yards and 16 touchdowns to lead the Buccaneers to a junior college national championships -- then sign with Auburn? What if Newton, whose 180.7 quarterback rating ranks No. 1 in the SEC and No. 2 in the nation (behind Boise State's Kellen
Moore), was running and passing for the Gators? Florida's offense would look noticeably different. It would look a lot more like it did when Tebow was running the show. It might look even better.
At 6-6, 250 pounds, Newton has the size, speed and arm-strength to do everything Meyer wants to do with his "Spread 'n' Shred" attack. Through six games this season, the 21-year-old junior has completed 65 percent of his passes (70 of 108) for 1,138 yards and 12 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He has rushed for 672 yards and another nine TDs.
And, oh, by the way, Auburn is ranked No. 7 in this week's Associated Press poll with a 6-0 record that includes SEC victories at Mississippi State and Kentucky and against No. 10 South Carolina, which knocked off then-No. 1 Alabama on Saturday.
Simply put, Newton is the type of dual-threat quarterback Meyer wants and needs to run his offense. He's exactly the type of quarterback Florida should recruit. The only kind.
And, as long as Meyer is at Florida, only those types of quarterbacks should go there.
Any drop-back, pro-style passers thinking about following Brantley to Gainesville? Forget about it.
There's nothing wrong with Meyer's offense. You're just the wrong guy to run it.
