Anonymous Source Reveals Latest On Florida's Brantley, Cam Newton, and More

Not to sound like some kind of serious reporter here, but I was privy to some information this week pertaining to Florida QB John Brantley that Gator Nation should be aware of. 

It is no secret that the much maligned QB has received an enormous amount of criticism after taking the reins of the Florida offense handed to him by the school's greatest player, Tim Tebow. The job was no easy task, but fans were certain that the five-star, 2007 Gatorade High School Player of the Year QB from Ocala could direct Florida through another successful season.

Indeed, it seemed that Brantley was ready. He waited behind Tebow for two years, played exceptionally well as a back-up and shined in Orange and Blue Games. In fact, during Tebow's struggles in 2009, it was not uncommon to hear Gator fans consider installing Brantley into the offense as a spark. The 2010 season truly seemed like the young man's chance to make a name for himself.

It is also no secret that the Florida offense has been nothing short of putrid. Any reasonable analysis of statistics from the Mullen-era to the Addazio-era make it perfectly clear that things have changed drastically since Mullen inked his name on the Head Coaching contract with Mississippi State.

If you didn't know about how much Urban Meyer relied on Dan Mullen's coaching, take a look at Buddy Martin's book: "Urban's Way: Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators, and His Plan to Win". In particular, read the story about Mullen's emergency appendectomy. Doctors discovered that he had acute appendicitis on a Friday at midnight, and Mullen checked out of the hospital at 2:00PM the next afternoon to coach the Auburn game (2007). That is called commitment on Mullen's part, and the best indication of extreme RELIANCE on Urban Meyer's.

Addazio, on the other hand, assumed the position of Offensive Coordinator, and just two short years later, the offense sputtered to the tune of six points in an embarrassing loss in Tuscaloosa, and 14 combined points vs Miss St and South Carolina at HOME (Debose's opening KO TD vs USC counts as a special teams score, not offense)!

Not content with only blaming Addazio, the fans also turned against John Brantley. Who could blame them? In mop up duty (2009), Johnny threw 48 passes and turned in SEVEN TDs to no INTs. Fast forward to 2010. As a starter (and I'll hesitate to say full-time starter because we've recently been utilizing a THREE-bow system) Brantley has thrown 282 balls, seven of which have been intercepted, and only EIGHT TDs! How can you throw 234 more times and only throw ONE more TD pass than the previous year? Granted, he's facing the opposing team's #1 starters, but let's face it: play-calling is a tremendous issue.

So let's get to the good stuff; what does Brantley have to say about it?

My source informs me that Brantley stated that "he and Addazio get [into] screaming matches all the time over the offense" and that "Addazio [will not] let him do anything or give him free rein." He also raised concerns over the offensive line play on late blitzes. Guess who coaches the offensive line?

Maybe we were all wrong about Brantley! Shouting matches?! Maybe the blame for the offense really does fall squarely on Addazio's shoulders. Think about things from Brantley's perspective. He's an 18 year old kid, and the BEST QB in the Nation. He's committed to the Texas Longhorns, and then Florida comes calling, the alma mater of his father and uncle, two ex-Gator greats. He accepts and goes to Florida. He patiently waits and learns for two years and is finally given his turn...for what? For an offense that isn't tailored to his style? An offense that sets him up to fail, and fail miserably on national television before lay persons and NFL scouts alike? We always joke around that Brantley should sue the Florida coaches for loss of potential income, because seriously— the kid might have lost hundreds of thousands or even millions after this season. So what does he plan on doing next?

While he may have stated to reporters that he will remain at Florida after last week's loss, that's not what he told my source. In fact, Brantley is considering "[enrolling at a] D2 school next year to try and salvage his career." Why, you may ask? Because "he won't play under Addazio anymore."

Wow...let that sink in for a minute...now, please understand that this may be frustration talking and Johnny might very well be back next season, but it is apparent that he is not enjoying one MILLISECOND of this season and he is not happy with Steve Addazio, so much so that he is considering transferring to an FCS school much like another Gator QB from not so long ago. Yes, I'm talking about Cam Newton, and Johnny had something to say about that, too!

According to my source, Brantley stated that the Florida coaches have known about these Cam Newton allegations all along and have known since January when it was discussed at a coaches meeting. Can confirm nothing more, but take from that what you want.

Again, I have no reason to suspect that anything my source said was untrue. This information only confirms what most of us were speculating. Have a great day all, and Go Gators!