The players have so much more confidence and energy with DJ Lagway. He looks like Patrick Mahomes throwing out there. I’ve never seen more poise from a true freshman in his first start in week 2 . getting lined up fast , reading defenses, staying in the pocket to make deep throws, throwing the ball away, learning to slide already
I watched your podcasts about FSU getting out of the ACC and thought you were such a FSU homer and you thought so highly of FSU importance, but I have watched a few podcasts with you and Ali and now I have more respect for you thoughts, but Go Gators!!!
Starting Mertz over Lagway would be the most Sun Belt Billy thing he could possibly do. Don’t underestimate the stupidity of this guy. He’s still the playcaller, even though we’ve been screaming for him to hire an OC. I fully expect Mertz to start Saturday.
I think we should do whatever is necessary to develop and prepare Lagway for next year. 2024 is not about the wins for me, its about developing Lagway, the team and recruitment.
Lagway came to Florida for a lot more than Napier and you made the point I think is being overlooked. Listening to the players they all say the right things and would expect them to say the right things. When the players talked about playing with Lagway they all had smiles on their faces and were enthusiastic about the guy. Tough spot for sure but Lagway was throwing receivers open last night. Haven't seen that in I don't remember how long. My concern is letting him play behind our oline. George and Waites may actually get the guy killed. Been over Napier for a minute and have 0 expectations for him making a decision that makes sense. Expecting Mertz and 1-2 record. Thanks for the press and Go Gators!!!
I’ve been telling people, if Napier wants to stay at UF he has to hand the keys to Lagway and give them some life I believe this week against A&M it will be split and Lagway will have the keys next week
From his presser, Lagway is a Gator first. I think if Napier goes, he will stay with the new coach unless he doesn't get along with him in a major way.
I think Napier starts Mertz and sees how he performs against TAMU. If Mertz struggles you put Lagway in and then make the decision known that you have to go with Lagway moving forward. You’d still prefer to bring a true freshman along slowly if you can so the hope is Mertz can win you games but I don’t hold out hope after Miami.
If Florida was a contender then you start the experienced Mertz. However, Florida isn't a contender so you start the best option which is Lagway. Both Mertz and Lagway get paid so changing is a business decision not a loyalty one. But ... like his offense, Napier's choice is an easy read. Mertz starts.
My guess is he will start Mertz, if he is healthy. There is the old sports adage that you don’t lose a starting position because of an injury. Mertz has been faithful and done a decent job. But if Billy wants to win, Lagway gives his team their best chance, and the team knows it. Very, very tough spot to be in. But so is having your entire fan base against you.
I didn't see Lagway make many passes that can happen in SEC games. The OL isn't going to hold up for deep passes. Play action isn't going to work if the run game isn't established (and it probably won't be). Wide receivers aren't going to take the top off the defense every play. I don't know how much we can really take from the Samford game other than the fact Lagway is pretty accurate on deep throws (which Mertz is terrible at). That said I'm really excited to see what else Lagway can do and he should be given the opportunity to show that. But, I'll understand it when Napier trots Mertz out there. Fans are going to boo, and Mertz really doesn't deserve that. He's a good guy.
As a Miami Hurricanes fan, I hope Lagway transfers to Miami if he doesn't get the starting spot. Even though Cam Ward won’t be there next year, I’m confident he’d still be willing to mentor and help guide the young quarterback.
To me it's simple, until Lagway slips up he gets the start after his performance Saturday. He's the future of the team so until he has a lackluster performance give him the ball and see if he has continued success. It's a team after all and you're looking for the best combination of people to get the win, it's not about who was the nicest or who was the most loyal. Perhaps that's tough for some to deal with but it's the truth. Let the kid play.
IMO, start Lagway. He's the future of Florida football. Let him go through the growing pains of a true freshman year. Even as a true freshman, I still think he gives us a better chance to win. It's obvious that the team rallies around him. Samford or not, his accuracy and arm strength are next to none. Mertz struggled making throws over 10 yards against Miami, even when the plays were there. Big plays were missed because Mertz' throws were not on point. With that said, I think Napier will start Mertz. I am okay with that. So Mertz had a bad game against UM. Let him attempt to redeem himself against A&M. BUT, if Mertz struggles in the first half, he needs to be benched for DJ and it should be the DJ show for the remainder of the season, win or lose.
I could hear the chants all the way down in Orlando….dj lagway….dj lagway……dj lagway…. Think i can still hear them 😂 he was a sight for sore sore sore eyes 👀
Gator fan here. I'm fuckinn done with billy boy and his sorry ass play-calling. I truly believe this is his last season. This schedule is his putting this man in his casket. I'm effectively done with this shit
We can't start DJ until after the Texas game. We need Mertz this year. Our line sucks and I won't to see DJ have to throw to third and fourth option. Let's give DJ a few weeks to learn.
Definitely start Lagway he's our only chance at saving this season. Don't get me wrong Mertz is a good guy and a good leader, but Lagway is the better option.
I think, especially in these days of NIL and transfer portal that you’ve got to play Lagway now . There is less chance of a young superstar waiting his turn for a year or two. Look at ETN transferring out (bad move BTW).
Leak vs Tebow. Franks vs Trask. Driskel vs Brissett. Treon vs Grier. Jones vs Richardson. My goodness we've had our fair share of QB controversies over the years.
Made fun of my Gators, then made fun of FSU for 2 weeks. But hey we can both make fun of ND now. Perhaps Texas AM is beatable. I do have fun trolling including my team, but you do a good job and you put yourself out there and not usually standing on the fence. One clear argument for Mertz is our 3rd string QB looked pretty good. Also West Georgia beat Samford and hung 38 points. West Georgia lost to Abilene Christian. Samford may be one of the worst teams out there. If it’s me you play both QB, with our line your going to need them both. I don’t care who starts. BN gets the old ball coach and gets his opinion the best way to play both. No doubt DJ is the future. I think you start Mertz because that is more pressure and you plan to put DJ Lagway in and it will work itself out. What happened is exactly what I thought would happen and the response is the exact response I thought would happen. If individual Gators talk about the performance and not truly appreciate how bad Samford is, then they have no business talking about how weak FSU and UM schedule is. DJ gave me every indication to believe in him, but Mertz gave me a whole season of delivering to his level. Play both!
Take a big picture approach... Mertz is gone this year... Lagway will play all of these teams again next year... give him all the reps this year... good or bad... let him make all the mistakes now and let him make special plays (the ones Mertz just cant make) and provide hope to the fanbase and recruits that will want to play with him. Fanbase will tolerate losing this year if Lagway is providing hope.
As a Gators fan who has not liked Billy Napier as our coach I do not see any way he can win back the fan base. If Billy Napier is the coach next year for the University of Florida I will not be attending any games or watching any on TV until Napier is gone. And BTW dont waste any time with the blonde bobblehead. Ali has absolutely no credibility or no real knowledge about the game of football.
@@CFBAddiction dj is Tebow ish. He bleeds orange and blue. He would have gone to another school if he wasn’t no way he came here for billy and rob sale lol 🐊🐊🐊2️⃣
Mertz was just a place holder transfer after Richardson went to the NFL; time to move on to our guy and speaking of Richardson - he was much more talented and should have started probably very early in his first year too and we were frustrated by that then so we see keeping DJ on the bench as another similar mistake, plus who is going to create more problems for opposing defensive coaches, created more excitement for the fans and also who will recruits be more interested in seeing - DJ in every case
They didn't play anyone....the numbers should have been big with either qb. Unless one of them can play on the o-line at a high level, it isn't going to matter.
Here's mertz stats from last year look at the games he played against talent like samford he was horrible Passing Date Opponent Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rat 2023-08-31 Utah 31 44 70.5 333 1 137. 2023-09-09 McNeese State W 14 17 82.4 193 0 197 2023-09-16 Tennessee W 19 24 79.2 166 0 151. 2023-09-23 Charlotte W 21 24 87.5 284 O 200. 2023-09-30 Kentucky. 25 L 30 83.3 244 2 1 167. 2023-10-07 Vanderbilt W 30 36 83.3 254 3 0 170. 2023-10-14| South Carolina W 30 48 62.5 423 3 0 157. 2023-10-28 Georgia 25 34 73.5 230 2 0 149.1 2023-11-04 Arkansas 26 42 61.9 282 3 0 141. L 2023-11-11 Louisiana State L 26 38 68.4 311 0 145. 2023-11-18 Missouri L 14 21 66.7 183 2 1 161.1 11 Games 261 358 72.9 2903 20 3 157.
U can go look at DJ highschool highlights he throws the deep ball the same way especially as he moveing around in the pocket..... Dats his mechanics not him just throwing the ball up..
Like Mahomes very much a baseball background QB. They tend to throw from many angles.I don't care about textbook mechanics. Think about basketball, Bird's jumper was unorthodox etc.
it’s gonna happened and ima be mad asf bc i knew all along mertz was mid and alll of sudden our wrs are getting open like watch the spring game dj literally performed way better with the back ups😂
So nobody's learned from the AR shit show huh? Thank God the fans & the commentators don't run shit. Lagways grate, but he played against Samford. Who gives a fuck. Now if he jumps in & plays that way against A&M, I'll be a little more sold
If you want to be neutral on this channel, it would help if you wouldn’t have all the fsu gear in the background. Makes me cringe. What about mixing in some UF and Miami gear?
This is a good comment. And I appreciate it. I am going to work to make the background a little bit more neutral, but I’m probably not going to exclude all Florida State stuff from it. The ball is actually signed by Coach Bowden and so that’s the only thing that I would not replace. The cleats are also game worn and signed by a former FSU player as well. Both of them are a little bit more meaningful than just being FSU related. I appreciate you tuning in nonetheless.
Listening to Lagway's post-game presser, he made Napier and staff sound like the best coaches in America. Go figure. Lagway, Mertz, and Napier are in a tough spot. As a coach, you want to let your veteran QB lead the team but if he flops your job is on the line. As a Senior QB, you came back to show the NFL what you can do and if you have a slow start, you're looking over your shoulder at a phenom and may never see the field again. As a Freshman, you throw a couple INTs and you're doubting yourself. On top of that, we are the most impatient fans in America. What to do, what to do?
What’s the controversy? If Napier doesn’t start DJ, he doesn’t want to win, and he should be fired for cause.
Absolutely
Mertz wasn’t even remotely good smh it’s really not a tough call
He's starting Mertz
Amen, let’s roll with Lagway
The players have so much more confidence and energy with DJ Lagway. He looks like Patrick Mahomes throwing out there. I’ve never seen more poise from a true freshman in his first start in week 2 . getting lined up fast , reading defenses, staying in the pocket to make deep throws, throwing the ball away, learning to slide already
I watched your podcasts about FSU getting out of the ACC and thought you were such a FSU homer and you thought so highly of FSU importance, but I have watched a few podcasts with you and Ali and now I have more respect for you thoughts, but Go Gators!!!
Napier is going to start Mertz next week and bring in Lagway qtr 2 or 3. I am not convinced Napier has the guts to bench Mertz
Well said. He is sooooo stubborn
Concur!
For the sake of any chance to keeping his job, he MUST start DJ
Starting Mertz over Lagway would be the most Sun Belt Billy thing he could possibly do. Don’t underestimate the stupidity of this guy. He’s still the playcaller, even though we’ve been screaming for him to hire an OC. I fully expect Mertz to start Saturday.
I think we should do whatever is necessary to develop and prepare Lagway for next year. 2024 is not about the wins for me, its about developing Lagway, the team and recruitment.
There is no QB controversy. But STILL a Coaching issue. Still time to move on . I CAN'T Cheer for this Coach.
Lagway came to Florida for a lot more than Napier and you made the point I think is being overlooked. Listening to the players they all say the right things and would expect them to say the right things. When the players talked about playing with Lagway they all had smiles on their faces and were enthusiastic about the guy. Tough spot for sure but Lagway was throwing receivers open last night. Haven't seen that in I don't remember how long. My concern is letting him play behind our oline. George and Waites may actually get the guy killed.
Been over Napier for a minute and have 0 expectations for him making a decision that makes sense. Expecting Mertz and 1-2 record.
Thanks for the press and Go Gators!!!
I’ve been telling people, if Napier wants to stay at UF he has to hand the keys to Lagway and give them some life
I believe this week against A&M it will be split and Lagway will have the keys next week
From his presser, Lagway is a Gator first. I think if Napier goes, he will stay with the new coach unless he doesn't get along with him in a major way.
I think Napier starts Mertz and sees how he performs against TAMU. If Mertz struggles you put Lagway in and then make the decision known that you have to go with Lagway moving forward.
You’d still prefer to bring a true freshman along slowly if you can so the hope is Mertz can win you games but I don’t hold out hope after Miami.
If Florida was a contender then you start the experienced Mertz. However, Florida isn't a contender so you start the best option which is Lagway. Both Mertz and Lagway get paid so changing is a business decision not a loyalty one. But ... like his offense, Napier's choice is an easy read. Mertz starts.
My guess is he will start Mertz, if he is healthy. There is the old sports adage that you don’t lose a starting position because of an injury. Mertz has been faithful and done a decent job. But if Billy wants to win, Lagway gives his team their best chance, and the team knows it. Very, very tough spot to be in. But so is having your entire fan base against you.
I didn't see Lagway make many passes that can happen in SEC games. The OL isn't going to hold up for deep passes. Play action isn't going to work if the run game isn't established (and it probably won't be). Wide receivers aren't going to take the top off the defense every play. I don't know how much we can really take from the Samford game other than the fact Lagway is pretty accurate on deep throws (which Mertz is terrible at). That said I'm really excited to see what else Lagway can do and he should be given the opportunity to show that. But, I'll understand it when Napier trots Mertz out there. Fans are going to boo, and Mertz really doesn't deserve that. He's a good guy.
As a Miami Hurricanes fan, I hope Lagway transfers to Miami if he doesn't get the starting spot.
Even though Cam Ward won’t be there next year, I’m confident he’d still be willing to mentor and help guide the young quarterback.
i think he likes the gators to juch to go to a direct rival but he may leave to go to somewhere else
To me it's simple, until Lagway slips up he gets the start after his performance Saturday. He's the future of the team so until he has a lackluster performance give him the ball and see if he has continued success. It's a team after all and you're looking for the best combination of people to get the win, it's not about who was the nicest or who was the most loyal. Perhaps that's tough for some to deal with but it's the truth. Let the kid play.
Nice objectivity, Thks.
IMO, start Lagway. He's the future of Florida football. Let him go through the growing pains of a true freshman year. Even as a true freshman, I still think he gives us a better chance to win. It's obvious that the team rallies around him. Samford or not, his accuracy and arm strength are next to none. Mertz struggled making throws over 10 yards against Miami, even when the plays were there. Big plays were missed because Mertz' throws were not on point.
With that said, I think Napier will start Mertz. I am okay with that. So Mertz had a bad game against UM. Let him attempt to redeem himself against A&M. BUT, if Mertz struggles in the first half, he needs to be benched for DJ and it should be the DJ show for the remainder of the season, win or lose.
I want dj to start the offense just looks better and flows but Billy being Napier I feel like he gonna start merk and imma be highly PISSED
Billy this could be your last game man as a gator. Go all out balls to the wall. Let’s go get this w and get our line playing right!!
You sit down with Mertz tell him it’s DJ Lagway time I need you to give him your full support.
Wish Norvell would give our true freshman Luke a shot at qb against memphis
If he doesnt start Lagway my Trojans will be needing a Qb next year potentially. Imagine Lagway with Riley the qb guru.
Heisman lock
I could hear the chants all the way down in Orlando….dj lagway….dj lagway……dj lagway…. Think i can still hear them 😂 he was a sight for sore sore sore eyes 👀
Gator fan here. I'm fuckinn done with billy boy and his sorry ass play-calling. I truly believe this is his last season. This schedule is his putting this man in his casket. I'm effectively done with this shit
Call it arrogance or stubbornness, he will go with Mertz and tell the fans they don’t know the system and need to have blind faith.
Let keep lagway as the start and Mertz a back up
We can't start DJ until after the Texas game. We need Mertz this year. Our line sucks and I won't to see DJ have to throw to third and fourth option. Let's give DJ a few weeks to learn.
A&M has a lot of former gators on defense that should be helpful since we know their weaknesses if they play that is 😂😂
Considering those players are under a new coach they probably don't have those weaknesses anymore. Florida's coaching staff is terrible
Definitely start Lagway he's our only chance at saving this season. Don't get me wrong Mertz is a good guy and a good leader, but Lagway is the better option.
Even the Gator DEFENSE played better because DJ played QB. YOU TELL ME!!🤷
Billy’s being loyal to Mertz it’s gonna cost him his job
I think, especially in these days of NIL and transfer portal that you’ve got to play Lagway now . There is less chance of a young superstar waiting his turn for a year or two. Look at ETN transferring out (bad move BTW).
Derek Lagway Jr he’s the real deal 58 passing TD’s he holds the High School record in Texas.
DJ IS OUR BEST CHANCE TO WIN. PERIOD. THERE IS NO QUESTION. IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY HE IS BETTER THAN MERTZ . SIMPLE. DIMES.
And the legs
This is Felipe franks vs Kyle Trask all over again
Leak vs Tebow. Franks vs Trask. Driskel vs Brissett. Treon vs Grier. Jones vs Richardson.
My goodness we've had our fair share of QB controversies over the years.
@@henrysimmons6767 you ain’t mf lying
Starting Mertz is a bad idea. If we're his mom n dad. I would tell DJ pack your bags let's get da HELL away from UF
Mertz definitely not on no draft boards anyway. So he needs to sit
You only going to have this guy for three years. Why waist a year. DJ is your clear #1.
Lagway will definitely throw more picks than Mertz, but our d can't stop anyone anyway. Mind as well go with Lagway.
Dj lagway is the man
it doesn’t matter the UF o- line gets physically manhandled VS SEC defenses
Y'all say Tom Brady, oh Mertz what has he done. Mertz 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Made fun of my Gators, then made fun of FSU for 2 weeks. But hey we can both make fun of ND now. Perhaps Texas AM is beatable. I do have fun trolling including my team, but you do a good job and you put yourself out there and not usually standing on the fence.
One clear argument for Mertz is our 3rd string QB looked pretty good. Also West Georgia beat Samford and hung 38 points. West Georgia lost to Abilene Christian.
Samford may be one of the worst teams out there.
If it’s me you play both QB, with our line your going to need them both. I don’t care who starts. BN gets the old ball coach and gets his opinion the best way to play both.
No doubt DJ is the future.
I think you start Mertz because that is more pressure and you plan to put DJ Lagway in and it will work itself out.
What happened is exactly what I thought would happen and the response is the exact response I thought would happen.
If individual Gators talk about the performance and not truly appreciate how bad Samford is, then they have no business talking about how weak FSU and UM schedule is.
DJ gave me every indication to believe in him, but Mertz gave me a whole season of delivering to his level.
Play both!
Take a big picture approach... Mertz is gone this year... Lagway will play all of these teams again next year... give him all the reps this year... good or bad... let him make all the mistakes now and let him make special plays (the ones Mertz just cant make) and provide hope to the fanbase and recruits that will want to play with him. Fanbase will tolerate losing this year if Lagway is providing hope.
As a Gators fan who has not liked Billy Napier as our coach I do not see any way he can win back the fan base. If Billy Napier is the coach next year for the University of Florida I will not be attending any games or watching any on TV until Napier is gone. And BTW dont waste any time with the blonde bobblehead. Ali has absolutely no credibility or no real knowledge about the game of football.
The long Ball is so much better from lagway
Hightop sports has talked to his agent and said he is a gator 💯 billy leaving won’t make him leave.
All these kids are committed/locked in/solid... until they aren't. 😂 we'll see.
@@CFBAddiction dj is Tebow ish. He bleeds orange and blue. He would have gone to another school if he wasn’t no way he came here for billy and rob sale lol 🐊🐊🐊2️⃣
Imma say Lagway, but Napier rolls with Mertz because of being a good guy instead of a D1 SEC coach.
Napier is nothing if not a stubborn creature of habit. He will start Mertz.
I go with DJ
Lagway....mobility....downfield pass ability
DJ - no question
Mertz was just a place holder transfer after Richardson went to the NFL; time to move on to our guy and speaking of Richardson - he was much more talented and should have started probably very early in his first year too and we were frustrated by that then so we see keeping DJ on the bench as another similar mistake, plus who is going to create more problems for opposing defensive coaches, created more excitement for the fans and also who will recruits be more interested in seeing - DJ in every case
They didn't play anyone....the numbers should have been big with either qb. Unless one of them can play on the o-line at a high level, it isn't going to matter.
Mertz played 2 FCS teams last year and didn't look that good.
Here's mertz stats from last year look at the games he played against talent like samford he was horrible
Passing
Date
Opponent
Cmp
Att
Pct
Yds TD Int
Rat
2023-08-31 Utah
31
44 70.5
333
1 137.
2023-09-09 McNeese State W
14
17 82.4
193
0 197
2023-09-16 Tennessee
W
19
24 79.2
166
0 151.
2023-09-23 Charlotte
W
21
24 87.5
284
O 200.
2023-09-30 Kentucky.
25
L
30 83.3
244
2
1 167.
2023-10-07 Vanderbilt
W
30
36 83.3
254
3
0 170.
2023-10-14| South Carolina
W
30
48 62.5
423
3
0 157.
2023-10-28 Georgia
25
34 73.5
230
2
0 149.1
2023-11-04 Arkansas
26
42 61.9
282
3
0 141.
L
2023-11-11 Louisiana State L
26
38 68.4
311
0 145.
2023-11-18 Missouri
L
14
21 66.7
183
2
1 161.1
11 Games
261 358 72.9 2903 20
3 157.
U can go look at DJ highschool highlights he throws the deep ball the same way especially as he moveing around in the pocket..... Dats his mechanics not him just throwing the ball up..
Like Mahomes very much a baseball background QB. They tend to throw from many angles.I don't care about textbook mechanics. Think about basketball, Bird's jumper was unorthodox etc.
it’s gonna happened and ima be mad asf bc i knew all along mertz was mid and alll of sudden our wrs are getting open like watch the spring game dj literally performed way better with the back ups😂
Mertz has more experience but is not the better QB
Napier WILL start Mertz.
That’s who he is…..
Lagway or no way.
Welp...FSU is 0-2 so UF fans are celebrating
Billy will die on the Mertz hill. Napier is like an ex-wife, you can always count on him to make the wrong decision.
No its 11 on 11 football
So nobody's learned from the AR shit show huh? Thank God the fans & the commentators don't run shit. Lagways grate, but he played against Samford. Who gives a fuck. Now if he jumps in & plays that way against A&M, I'll be a little more sold
If you want to be neutral on this channel, it would help if you wouldn’t have all the fsu gear in the background. Makes me cringe. What about mixing in some UF and Miami gear?
This is a good comment. And I appreciate it. I am going to work to make the background a little bit more neutral, but I’m probably not going to exclude all Florida State stuff from it. The ball is actually signed by Coach Bowden and so that’s the only thing that I would not replace. The cleats are also game worn and signed by a former FSU player as well. Both of them are a little bit more meaningful than just being FSU related. I appreciate you tuning in nonetheless.
Napier sucks nuff said
Listening to Lagway's post-game presser, he made Napier and staff sound like the best coaches in America. Go figure.
Lagway, Mertz, and Napier are in a tough spot. As a coach, you want to let your veteran QB lead the team but if he flops your job is on the line. As a Senior QB, you came back to show the NFL what you can do and if you have a slow start, you're looking over your shoulder at a phenom and may never see the field again. As a Freshman, you throw a couple INTs and you're doubting yourself.
On top of that, we are the most impatient fans in America. What to do, what to do?
Start DJ