"Remember Jeff, there's 11 guys on each side......."

I haven't blogged in a while. I've been busy with work and coaching my youth football team (we went 7-3 this season, were 6-0 in Division play and won our Bowl Game 20-0). Plus, I just haven't felt the passion to bust out a good rant in a while (which is normally what fuels my blogging :)

That is until now.

SI.com is reporting that Jeff Bowden is finally packing up his four play playbook and riding out of town with his golden parachute...a $537,000 payout by the Free Shoes University Booster Club.

Yes, you read that correctly. Jeff Bowden is receiving $537,000 to leave FSU and end his tenure as the worst Offensive Coordinator in the history of football. I wish someone would pay be $537,000 to leave my job but I guess when you are actually competent, folks actually pay you to stay.

This has to be the biggest embarrassment to hit the House that Burt built since he and Ned Beatty were rolling around the woods together in the movie Deliverance, or at least since last week's 30-0 pasting by perennial powerhouse (in Basketball at least), Wake Forest.

Bobby Bowden is a snake and he really doesn't care about FSU.

Let's face it, Bobby should never have hired Jeff. A few years of coaching Wide Receivers at Salem College (thanks to the nepotism of Salem Head Coach and big brother Terry Bowden) and a brief stint as their Offensive Coordinator should not qualify you to come and coach at one of the top programs in the nation. Does anyone find it odd that Jeff Bowden has never gotten a coaching position on his own merit? He has never worked for anyone who didn't have the last name Bowden?

Now you might say "Jeff is incompetent but why does that make Bobby a snake?" and that is simple. Bobby Bowden put the interest of his incompetent son ahead of the interest of Florida State University, it's players, coaches, fans, alums, and students. Not only should he have never hired little Jeffy but to promote him when Richt left for Georgia is unconscionable. Richt commanded one of the highest octane offenses in College Football but with Jeff Bowden at the helm, the offense has been reduced to the power output of a Schwinn ten speed. Whereas a class act like Joe Paterno was able to demote his son's responsibility when the team was suffering, Bowden refused to do the same for FSU, even resorting to calling out his critics. Look, you can keep your son on your staff if you want. Spurrier does it, Paterno does it and Lou Holz did it (although he had the character to demote his son from Offensive Coordinator at SC when he wasn't getting the job done) but did Bobby really need to keep him as the Offensive Coordinator?

Of course Bowden has taken away some of his son's responsibility as Offensive Coordinator putting Mark McHale in charge of the running game. Now doesn't that tell you something? An Offensive Coordinator who isn't in charge of the running game? Jeff Bowden has even been quoted saying "I don't want to deal with the running game...I'm not going to sit here wondering why we're not blocking this guy or that guy." ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Judging by how effective the FSU Offensive Line has played this year it's obvious that Jeff Bowden really isn't concerned with "who's blocking this guy or that guy."

 
Pride and performance obviously could not convince Bobby Bowden to get his son to step down but now we see just what it took. Money, and lots of it. SI.com is reporting that Jeff "retains his present $141,000 salary until his contract expires next August. He then will receive annual payments of $107,500 until August 2012." I guess with all that money he could ride off into the broadcast booth like big brother Terry and fleece some money out of a network looking to attach it's name to the fallen star of the Bowden franchise. Pretty soon the only Bowden left in coaching will be Tommy who won't have key wins against FSU to keep him from being fired (I will go to my grave believing that Bobby "took it easy on Tommy" in a few of those games to help his son keep his job).

Here's an open invitation to FSU fans everywhere. Hit I-10 east to 75 South and stop off in Gainesville if you'd like to see some real football. Of course if you enjoy watching an incompetent coach roam the sidelines, an even more incompetent coach in the booth calling the plays (just not the running ones), an offense that consists of about four plays, then stay in Tallahassee. If your idea of a fun Saturday is watching your beloved Seminoles get blown out by Wake Forest (who didn't even have Tim Duncan in the lineup) or win a nail biter against giant killer Duke, than stay where you are. But if you'd like to see real football coached by a real coach and played by real players than come down to Gainesville and watch the Florida Gators play ball the way the game was meant to be played. IT'S GREAT, TO BE, A FLORIDA GATOR, SAID IT'S GREAT, TO BE, A FLORIDA GATOR...........

"Hey guys, this is a football? What a cool shape! Of course I don't think you should throw it with two hands but......."