Urban Meyer Stepping Down (MERGED THREADS)

[BamafanNPC]

I'm not sparring here, but I simply do not agree. I think that the possibility of Meyer losing 25+ play makers has really weighed on him heavily as the season has progressed. I just do not believe his ego can let him take his chances given that UF could likely go 7-6 or even 6-6 next year. I do agree that he would not resign because he is afraid of losing, but I think it has certainly played a role--subconsciously--in his decision to resign.

If so why didnt he bolt for ND? I think that had nothing to do with him leaving.

 

[formersoldier71]

Can't he just see a shrink or something? Take some prozac?

Do they fix heart attacks?

 

[bnhonest]

Urban Meyer would not have been rebuilding anything next year at Florida. They will still have more talent, top to bottom, of any other team in the East. Any coach they plug in next year should have plenty of success sans one game in Tuscaloosa. I can believe the part about him leaving for stress related issues. Being the coach at one one of the top football schools in te country has got to be a stressful gig. While I don't like Urban personally, I have a great amount of respect for what he has done in coaching. I hate he is leaving.

I cant help but think that the next coach will be a big step backwards and will have their work cut out for them.

 

[crimsonaudio]

I take it you missed the whole developing aspect of this story. Like the part about him having no heart attacks and getting a clean bill of heart health. It's the stress that is killing him. There are ways to manage stress.

Few folks ever come to realize their own personal deficiencies - in this case, CUM's incessant drive for perfection - before it dooms them.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I take it you missed the whole developing aspect of this story. Like the part about him having no heart attacks and getting a clean bill of heart health. It's the stress that is killing him. There are ways to manage stress.

He has a bad heart now and he has an arachnoid brain cyst. Stress will make both worse, but lack of stress won't make them go away at this point...

 

[formersoldier71]

I take it you missed the whole developing aspect of this story. Like the part about him having no heart attacks and getting a clean bill of heart health. It's the stress that is killing him. There are ways to manage stress.

If the "heart attack during this past season" story is incorrect, then yes, I did miss that developing aspect.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Few folks ever come to realize their own personal deficiencies - in this case, CUM's incessant drive for perfection - before it dooms them.

Folks like Saban and Meyer border on being obsessed monsters. Of course, we fans like it when they're OUR monsters. The toll the stress takes on their bodies and families is huge, though. TBF, I would not be bowled over at all, one day out there, to hear a very similar message from Saban...

 

[resmith]

I have read every post on this subject so I have absorbed a lot of history prior to this post.
First of all, my hat is off to Coach Meyer for all that he has achieved at UF. Coach Saban's comments about CUM earlier tonight are right on the mark. CUM will be missed in this conference, and I hope that he will find some peace and good health in the future.
Second, I look for Florida to make a decision quickly on a replacement. CUM's departure at this time of year will have many recruits up in the air until a replacement is named. It is clear that CUM will have a role in picking the new coach, so that tells me that the betting money says Utah or MSU will be looking for a coach in the near future as well.
Third, I am absolutely satisfied that his decision is completely health related.
People with his personality profile do not run from difficulties. They face them head on with the belief that they can solve anything if they work hard enough. With his stress level and work ethic, he was pushing himself to a heart attack, stroke, or complete and total exhaustion/burnout.
I have read several comments on other boards tonight with quotes from blogs/beat writers with the Orlando and Gainesville papers about dissension on the team from several juniors with indications that several of them plan to leave early for the NFL (the Pouncey twins, Rainey, A. Black, Dunlap, etc.). I hate that for UF, but they are going to be a much different team next year and not just from 18 seniors leaving and the loss of Coach Strong.
It is amazing what a difference a couple of years make, and those couple of years have led to a wonderful time to be a Bama fan!

 

[TideFan in AU]

There are ways to manage stress.

It sounds like he has made the decision that stepping down is the best way to handle it. I think it would be harder to minimize stress at a job like that than almost anything else. Stress is a serious risk if it cannot be controlled.
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[DiamondDust]

It sounds like he has made the decision that stepping down is the best way to handle it. I think it would be harder to minimize stress at a job like that than almost anything else. Stress is a serious risk if it cannot be controlled.
Posted via Mobile Device

It's also been said that Meyer is not one to hand things off in a CEO fashion. He is highly involved in every step of that team so it wasn't going to be an instance of him scaling back. It was all or nothing for him.

 

[bnhonest]

Folks like Saban and Meyer border on being obsessed monsters. Of course, we fans like it when they're OUR monsters. The toll the stress takes on their bodies and families is huge, though. TBF, I would not be bowled over at all, one day out there, to hear a very similar message from Saban...

I think the big thing there is enjoying what you do, developing a system that works and acheiving a good balance. It seems to me that Coach Saban spent his first two years struggling with keeping "the process" in place vs. complacency and expectations. This year seemed different. Maybe it was merely the fact that he knew he had the nut lock, but I tend to think it was the fact that he knew everyone was on the same page and could relax (as much as Saban can relax).

I dont see burn out as being something that would affect coach Saban.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

I think the big thing there is enjoying what you do, developing a system that works and acheiving a good balance. It seems to me that Coach Saban spent his first two years struggling with keeping "the process" in place vs. complacency and expectations. This year seemed different. Maybe it was merely the fact that he knew he had the nut lock, but I tend to think it was the fact that he knew everyone was on the same page and could relax (as much as Saban can relax).

I dont see burn out as being something that would affect coach Saban.

It won't be burnout. It will probably be heart-related. Meyer's problem is not burnout...

 

[Doc Bama]

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20091226/ARTICLES/912269965/1136/SPORTS?Title=Meyer-God-was-telling-me-I-have-to-slow-down-and-stop-it-

“There was no heart damage,” Meyer said. “But I didn’t want there to be a bad day where there were three kids sitting around wondering what to do next. It was the pattern of what I was doing and how I was doing it. It was self-destructive.”

“I made the decision that had to be made at this time,” he said. “There were all the warning signs. I felt like God was telling me I have to slow down and stop it.”

There are more important things than football and it is obvious from this interview that Meyer's job was killing him, probably more spiritually/emotionally than physicially. I pray that he will find his rest and seek God's will for the next chapter of his life.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

Meyer: God was telling me I have to slow down and stop it' | Gainesville.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, FL





There are more important things than football and it is obvious from this interview that Meyer's job was killing him, probably more spiritually/emotionally than physicially. I pray that he will find his rest and seek God's will for the next chapter of his life.

If you'll read the SI article cited above, the cyst problem causes him excruciating headaches when he gets stressed. That's physical. He thought he could control the stress and stay in coaching. It turns out he couldn't. There's more to the story which will come out...

 

[BigAlsGal]

Whew....my eyeballs hurt! that was a lot of reading.​

I wish the best to CUM and his family,​

What a great ride he had.:biggrin:​

To me...it really doesn't seem to matter why he left....I just hope he can find peace within himself to achieve all of his goals in life now.​

 

[whitman]

In the article that Doc Bama linked, I think that this is the most telling passage:

He had suffered from severe chest pains the past two years, but this time was different. He lost consciousness, went to a hospital in an ambulance and underwent more than nine hours of testing.

TWO years of chest pains and then losing consciousness! To me, it sounds like burnout that manifested itself physically. By reading the SI article, it seems evident that he would not allow mental burnout to be an issue, but his body was sending signals that he couldn't ignore anymore.

 

[KrAzY3]

I'll say this about Urban... if all he wanted to do was make things easier, he could have taken a boatload of money and gone to Notre Dame. The control he could have had in scheduling and over the program along with the ease in recruiting could have resulted in a fairly easy success (the SEC will always be very demanding). So clearly this was not just about being afraid or wanting the easier route.

However, I do think the loss of coaches and impending loss of players had to weigh in on his timing to leave. Florida is going to have trouble next year, certainly more trouble than they would if he had stayed, however if losing guys like Harvin and Mullen last year slowed his offense, losing guys like Tebow and Strong could be expected to severely hamper the team. That could get stressful...

I'll have to wait until more about his health comes out, but I could imagine Urban not having as many health/stress issues coaching in the WAC or something, that's for sure.

 

[DiamondDust]

I'll say this about Urban... if all he wanted to do was make things easier, he could have taken a boatload of money and gone to Notre Dame. The control he could have had in scheduling and over the program along with the ease in recruiting could have resulted in a fairly easy success (the SEC will always be very demanding). So clearly this was not just about being afraid or wanting the easier route.

However, I do think the loss of coaches and impending loss of players had to weigh in on his timing to leave. Florida is going to have trouble next year, certainly more trouble than they would if he had stayed, however if losing guys like Harvin and Mullen last year slowed his offense, losing guys like Tebow and Strong could be expected to severely hamper the team. That could get stressful...

I'll have to wait until more about his health comes out, but I could imagine Urban not having as many health/stress issues coaching in the WAC or something, that's for sure.

I don't buy Florida struggling next year. Even with the losses, they should still be favored to win the East.

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Coach Meyer made the hard, but right decision. :frown:
Family and health should be his main focus.

Looking ahead, Florida will have to do a coach search. Recruiting for Fla. will at least be slowed down, some recruits may waiver in their commitment...
AND...
The SEC will likely be a little weaker next year without Coach Meyer.
Coach Meyer will be remembered in Florida lore, just as we remember Coach Bryant and Coach Stallings.
ALSO...
Lest we forget... Florida rolls back on our schedule next year, in regular season.
********************************************************
FORGET WHAT I SAID ABOUT HEALTH, FAMILY, ECT...
CUM HAS FLIP FLOPPED ABOUT LEAVING...

(He may be going thru Tebow Withdrawal...)

 

[KrAzY3]

I don't buy Florida struggling next year. Even with the losses, they should still be favored to win the East.

Uhh yeah because Georgia has fallen off a cliff and UT has Kiffin. Having said that, the upcoming season could easily be tougher than 2007 (4 losses).

The West was better this year and could be better next year. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Florida is the third best SEC team and they might not even be that.