Watch: Jim McElwain speaks to media prior to Florida vs. Georgia

Florida Gators head coach Jim McElwain had the week mostly off from media duties last week, as Florida prepared for what would be a rout of East Bye State. He was back at a podium on Monday, in a familiar blue shirt with Florida’s slanty F, speaking to assembled media members before Florida’s showdown in Jacksonville with Georgia.

Some notes that are definitely not outright lies intended to make you watch the video and decide on the context of McElwain’s words for yourself:

• Everyone is hurt. Everyone.
• McElwain cited “some insightful commenters on the Internet” and announced the firings of all of Florida’s coaches, including himself. He was, however, rehired as all-time coach, and can now not be fired again because of “that one movie with Ashley Judd, I think, I dunno?”
• Clare-a-belle will start at quarterback this week.
• Answering a question about the two-touchdown spread in favor of Georgia this week, McElwain responded: “It should be five. We are bad at football and Georgia is not. Again, those folks on Facebook have us clocked.”

Actual notes from the presser:

• The first thing McElwain cites about Georgia is the Bulldogs’
• Injuries: “Really no updates,” but Josh Hammond is now questionable with a back injury, Kadarius Toney will try to go on Wednesday, Jabari Zuniga will try to go on Wednesday, Jeremiah Moon should be back, Tyrie Cleveland “ran pretty decent” on Sunday, Quincy Lenton is out and “had a scope done” (on his knee, I believe).
• McElwain would like to sign “all 25 guys” in Florida’s recruiting class at the early signing period in December.
• “Is there a point where Malik Zaire gets a second chance?” “Yeah, there’ll be ... (if) he keeps continuing to work and gets better.”
• “Big thing” for Feleipe Franks: “Don’t get locked in.” (Duh.)
• Asked what improvements he’s seen in Franks, McElwain began with “He’s handled some situations pretty decent” — vague as could be — before specifying that he’s gotten better at doing things pre-snap to get plays in.
• Badgered into saying something about the credit his players and coaches deserve, McElwain explained that “credit in this business is internal, it’s never external” — then lamented that “There’s a lot of hate in this world,” before revealing that there have been “threats against your own players, death threats to your families,” and connecting it to a national trend of anger: “There’s a lot of angry people — and in this business, we’re the ones that you take the shots at.” Asked to expand specifically on the death threats, McElwain demurred; asked about whether he was surprised by the level of vitriol, McElwain said no; asked about whether he personally had received a threat or his family had, McElwain said “Let’s move (on),” clearly not wanting to belabor the point; asked yet another time about whether he had involved law enforcement, McElwain said “No, it is what it is.” This is going to be A Big Thing, and McElwain is going to get some criticism for claiming death threats have been made without proof and without law enforcement backing him up on it. I think his greater point — the vehemence and volume of vitriol in America is rising to worrisome levels, and to sometimes violent ends — is pretty close to being exactly right, but it may well get lost if he is perceived as crying wolf.