The transistion.

So I joined the world of Mobile Professionals by getting a laptop. Which (seemingly) means that I'll be able to update more. (Of course, if this PC Mover application ever finishes, maybe I'll actually be 'mobile.') But let's just say that a lack of mobility wasn't really holding me back from posting regularly anyway. Hard to believe it's been well over a month since I last updated. I didn't even get to sweep people up in March Madness! (I burned my bracket after Day 2, thanks for asking.)

With the Garnet and Black (for that other USC/Carolina school) game coming next week, that brings college football season even closer. And yes, I'm well aware that the actual season does not start until September. But that gives me plenty of time to voice my lack of confidence in the direction of the Gamecock football program in general. Let's call this my Rush Limbaugh 'I hope he fails!' moment.

Steve Spurrier was hired in November 2004 as yet another attempt to make South Carolina football relevant again. (Never mind that somebody found the thing relevant anyway, how can a school routinely sell out an 80,250 seat stadium and not be relevant?) Granted, the team had run into yet another maddening cycle of being just good enough to make you want to set yourself on fire. After a total of 17 wins in 2001 and 2002, the team went 5-7 in 2003 and 6-5 in 2004. Not only that, the 2004 season ended with that 'can we not talk about that?' fight with Clemson in the final game of that year (which sadly kept us out of the Aldi Bowl that season). Lou Holtz had seemingly worn out his welcome, and a string of minor violations had finally caught up with the coach who had given the Gamecocks the highest level of success in about two decades. So yes, you have a very good argument for there needing to be a change.

But was The Ole Ball Coach really the way to go? Here's a guy who had won over 100 games during his time at Florida, and taken the Gators from fairly irrelevant (with ugly orange uniforms to match the helmets) to six SEC championships and one national championship. But then, he decided to leave and take a shot at coaching in the NFL. Let's just say that didn't work out so well. He spent 3 years there, doing no better than 7-9 for his first season. Now don't be alarmed, but being a coach in the NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE (courtesy Ron Jaworski) is quite different than coaching college football. I won't dispute that. So one could say that Papa Steve just wasn't cut out to be an NFL coach. But you could sense a rather...lackadaisical attitude starting to set in. Either way, with the history of the Gamecock football program, maybe a more logical plan would have been to give an opportunity to a coach who did not have such a legendary past instead of someone who obviously was only looking to make himself look good. If he won, this would be just another nugget for how great Spurrier was/is. (I mean, he did win the ACC title at Duke. DUKE.) If he didn't win, then there's the 'well no one can win at South Carolina!' excuse. A no lose situation for the coach. A no win situation for the program. Not really what you want to have.

Obviously, I'm not the one making the decisions here. So, off we went with promises of SEC titles and entering that grand stage of being a 'relevant' football program. At his first public appearance, (which happened to be the same day the SEC Championship took place) he spoke of how his goal was to one day have the Gamecocks playing in Atlanta for the SEC Championship. There was a lot of positive energy created, and most people were certain that once Spurrier was able to get his kind of players in, we would be on our way.

2005
The first real play of the season was that nice slice of pie that was able to whet the appetite just enough. It was a long pass from Blake Mitchell to Noah Whiteside for a 5 million yard touchdown. (OK, maybe it was actually only about 60 yards. But whatever.) I feel like that play alone was the one highlight of the Steve Spurrier Era. It hasn't gotten any better than that. Seriously. While the year itself had its share of highs, (beating Tennessee and Florida, being ranked near the end of the year, first bowl game in three years) there were some signs (getting destroyed by Auburn, blowing a 20+ point lead to Missouri in the Independence Bowl) that we had a long way to go. There were a couple of things to build on. The problem, of course, was actually building on that.

2006
Things didn't look so hot from the start. The starting quarterback (Blake Mitchell) did everything he could to NOT hold on to the starting job. There was the Georgia game where we didn't score at all. But even with a QB that he wasn't quite comfortable with, Papa Steve found a way to make things work. The offense seemed to make just enough plays to get the job done, which was generally the same on the defensive side. Of course, there were the moments that made you want to set yourself on fire (TWO BLOCKED FIELD GOALS AND A BLOCKED EXTRA POINT against Florida come to mind. We lost that game 17-16. I'm gargling lighter fluid as we speak.) In terms of contending for the SEC title, we were still in the middle of the pack. There was the memorable win against Clemson, as well as the emphatic win over Houston in the Liberty Bowl. At last, momentum. Who knew?

2007
At the end of Papa Steve's second year, he was given a contract extension. Not only that, he was given a raise. Mind you, the record during the first 2 years was 14-10. You get a raise for THAT? I argued with a co-worker once that Papa Steve pretty much got a raise for just showing up, and that we were really no better than we were before he arrived. Yes, we had been to two bowl games. But neither bowl was any more impressive than the two Dr. Lou took the Gamecocks to in 2001/2002. I just felt that giving a raise for mediocrity set us up for disaster. Unfortunately, I was able to supplement my argument with the 2007 season. We started off with a bang, even winning at Georgia, to start 6-1. We were ranked #6 in the BCS, and all signs pointed to (if we won out) playing for a national championship in New Orleans.

Let's just say that we just missed out on that opportunity. We lost five straight games, including allowing 99 points over two games to Arkansas and Florida. We also launched the Heisman campaigns for Darren McFadden and Tim Tebow. (No need to thank us, guys. We know you appreciate it.) We finished 6-6, no bowl, lots of embarrassment.

While the losses were hard enough, it was the reaction that seemed the most puzzling. At the beginning of the season, Papa Steve was certain that we were ready to contend for the division title. That got everybody around here absolutely PUMPED. Well, after losses, there was always the excuse of, 'Maybe we're not good enough' or 'We just don't have what it takes to win.' I don't know about you, but that's not what I want to be hearing from the guy I just gave a raise to. Where's the accountability? Why aren't you more angry that we're not contending? What will it take for you to pretend that you care? You're in college football, the players are the same ages, they have the same kind of lives. How are we consistently getting beat the same ways? What are you doing to make us better?

2008
With this past season, I got the answer to my last question. That answer was not much at all. Sure, we won more games than we lost, we beat Tennessee, lost a close game to Georgia, blah blah blah. BUT. There was the not so spectacular finish. A 56-6 loss to Florida. A 31-10 loss to Iowa in the Outback Bowl. More pathetic reasoning and excuses. Not contending for the five thousandth straight year. How's the raise working out now?

An even more troubling sign is the fact that the Gamecocks have not been good on offense. At all. Mind you, this was the thing that Papa Steve is known for. Protecting the quarterback is something that DOES NOT HAPPEN HERE. We haven't had an offense that's ranked in the top half of national statistics in any category. Well, unless there's a category for Stupidity. We'd probably be number 7 there. Something like that.

We're about to enter Year Five of the Steve Spurrier Era. And no, I don't feel any better about the direction we're headed than what I felt back in 2004. My friends, that's not a good thing! And yes, this is one man's opinion. And yes, I was never really a fan of Papa Steve ever. I also may be a little jilted because every time I've taken a day off for watching the Gamecocks, they've lost. So that could make me a little bitter. But, it would be much easier to not be so critical if it seemed like the man cared. Seriously. I must say that we have to be better this year, or it will be time to look in another direction. After five years on the job, it's time to be on the move. Yes, I understand that Florida is the defending national champion, and they are in our division. But shouldn't we be just as good as everybody else? How are we not on the same level as Georgia or Alabama? We have the same playing field. There's no other way to slice it. The end. If there's anyone that thinks otherwise, you're kidding yourself. Seriously.

So if you're now depressed about the state of Gamecock football, then I somewhat apologize. Now you're just like me.