Urban Meyer has a psychology degree and he likes to use it. Such is the case with the Gators nearing the end of fall camp. On Monday, Meyer said he was, "hitting the panic button a little bit," because the team might not be ready for the season to start.
First, let's qualify this statement in that no one has seen if this team is ready or not. The only ones who know if the Gators are ready are the players and coaches. Meyer's statement could be accurate, but most likely the first volley in Meyer's head games to get across to his new players. Bonus points are awarded since the freshman will all pickup the Independent Florida Alligator tomorrow and see Meyer's comments.
However, do you really think the Gators are in trouble? Think about it; the questions they have are the same as any top-10 team. Plus, the Gators essentially have a preseason game before their first real opponent in USF. The Gators don't need a panic button until they have Alabama and LSU in consecutive weeks.
Since Meyer has been at Florida, he would occasionally use coach speak and the media to get messages across. I remember one player would casually ignore the messages because he knew Meyer's academic background and was smart enough to know when Meyer was trying to pull a mental trick. Of course, this was an offensive lineman, one of the smarter players. To UF's new batch of kids, this is the equivalent of your Mom and Dad giving you the death stare at dinner.
The Gators are probably better off than we think. Sure, a lot can go wrong this season. But that won't be entirely dependent on the team. In the case of Alabama and LSU, they just might run into better teams.