Be good or be gone. It's as simple as that. From the first time a corner stands between a receiver and the end zone, he knows he's on trial. If the first pass in his direction makes his coach smell toast, the world may never see him again.
One series. That's standard for a running back.
Do something, and do it quick. Such is the understanding. Break a tackle. Make a move. And for goodness' sake, don't lay the ball on the ground.
One game. A quarterback usually gets one game.
Lead or get out of the way. It isn't difficult to figure out. From the first time he calls a play, a quarterback knows he isn't promised a second chance.
Sports is a world of quick judgments, and everyone works with a burning fuse. Prove yourself quickly, or the game will spit you out and move along.
Which brings us to this question:
How much time, exactly, does a wrong coach get?
At the University of Florida, this is the burning question. Seventeen games into his career and Ron Zook, it appears, is somewhere between a recent arrival and an overstayed welcome. He is still new and, at the same time, he is awfully old.
So ask yourself this:
How much time, exactly, should Zook get?
Eight more games?
Four more seasons?
Two more brain cramps?
For the growing number of Zook's critics, this is worth debating. When is the expiration date on give-him-time? What's the due date on he-needs-a-fair-chance? How many more games until we get to what's-gone-wrong?
A lot of things have been said about Gator fans, but no one ever suggested they were overly patient. So does Zook get five years, as if he were trying to build a program rather than keep one going, before people are allowed to wonder if he's the wrong guy? Four years, until his recruits grow up? At less than a season and a half, have we seen too much already?
Pro or con, it seems the fairest statement you can make about Zook is this: He still looks very much like a coach learning on the job. That's fine if you're coaching at Baylor or Oklahoma State or Wyoming. At Florida, where the expectations are higher, where the built-in advantages say they should be higher, it's a lot to ask.
Seventeen games and, let's face it, we haven't seen a lot. Florida is 10-7 under Zook, and four of the victories have come in those rehearsal-dinner games the Gators schedule each season.
Here's the money question: When you look at Florida, do you come away thinking, "Now, that's a well-coached football team?" No, you don't.
This season, for instance, the two-quarterback experiment was a disaster and taking four games to figure it out was a tragedy. Look, it's fine to play two quarterbacks, but it's a feel-of-game thing as to when you do it. It's stupid to script a quarterback change.
Against both Miami and Tennessee, Ingle Martin was pulled after a scoring drive. Why? Because Zook had decided in advance he was going to do so. When he did, you could hear the offense's gears grind to a halt. (Sure, you can blame offensive coordinator Ed Zaunbrecher if you wish, but Zaunbrecher works for Zook.)
There was the clock mismanagement against Tennessee. There was the lack of adjustments in Miami's comeback. There was the inability to tap Rex Grossman's talents last year. Such criticisms have nothing to do with how long Zook has been on the job.
Ask Zook a question, and his answers are long and winding and directionless. He can take minutes to answer, the stream of consciousness weaving all over the road. And, in a news conference, it's kind of cute.
But what about when the question is what to do on third and 4?
Does Zook take a long time to answer that question, too?
Since Zook arrived on campus, he has had his critics and, by reflex, his defenders. Let's face it, Zook is a very likable man who works very hard and cares very deeply. He recruits furiously and, unlike Steve Spurrier, doesn't always act like he's the only intelligent guy in the room. Almost everyone who has ever met Zook would like him to succeed.
Because of that, there still are those who will furiously defend Zook. One of those defenses has been that Spurrier left the cupboard bare. That's an exaggeration. Last year, Florida had as many players drafted by the NFL as any college in the country. No, Spurrier didn't leave him a locker room full of Heisman winners, but let's be honest. He left him better than this.
Did Florida lose to Miami this year because of lesser talent? Not with a 33-10 lead, it didn't. Did it lose to Ole Miss last year because of fewer athletes? No, it didn't.
Will it get better? Perhaps. Zook never has been a head coach, and he's bound to learn some things along the way. There are talented young athletes who will grow into excellent players.
So what's the answer? How long should Zook get?
Three years, it says here. Give Zook the rest of this year and one more.
If the program hasn't rediscovered itself by then, it's hunting season.
