I got this in an e-mail from a Gator friend and thought that you guys may be interested in reading it. Casey's original post: Hello all, Now that my senior season is over I can make posts now and then. I have ofetn read many of your posts as do many players. For those of you have supported us through the whole season I thank you. On the subject of Coach Zook and the Florida Gators Football team- I am extremely confident in the future of the program and the talent that is currently in the program. I played under Spurrier for three years and enjoyed the experience of playing with a gator legend. I, like most of the team, was extremely upset at his sudden resigination from the post of Head Ball Coach. Many of us were frightened of the future and had no clear purpose. Coach Zook stepped in and gave us that purpose we needed and the motivation to play to the best of our abilties. He has earned our respect and loyalty. I would follow that man to hell and back, and know that many players feel the same. We learned from him to play for each other and take pride in ourselves, damn the negative views and what the media said, when no one believed in us he helped us to believe in ourselves. He has an ability to connect with players and motivate them like a head ball coach should, but that I never saw in my first three years as a gator. Many things have been said on this board about his ability and the quality of his coaching. Yet no one has posed the question what do the players think or what is their stance on their Coach? To me that is the only opinion that matters. It was our loyalty to coach and the bond he created between the team that got us out of mediocrity at 3-3 in the begining of the season. He instilled in us a comraderie and an esprit de corpes that made me proud to be a part of the University of Florida. Coach Zook and his staff have backed the players and are there for them night and day off the field as friends and mentors. That is more than I can say of a previous time. The gator football team is in good hands now and will be for some time to come. Remember coaching doesnt just happen on the field it is a full time job helping young players to become good men and better athletes. This coaching staff is fully capable of doing that. In the process the football team becomes better and stronger on the field . Team unity is an often discounted aspect of football which makes or breaks college football teams. I saw that unity time and again this season through win or loss. Miami, Ole Miss, Tennesee, Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, even FSU I wish many things turned out different this season, but do not regret the hand fate dealt me and my team. I have been apart of something special. This team is in good hands with incredible athletes and great coaches. It will be a joy to watch them in the years to come and I am proud to say I have known many of these people. But most importatly I am proud to say I played football for the Florida Gators, under Coach Zook. The young guys will carry on what we learned this year about being a team, and I think because of Coach Zook the gators will be a force to contend with for years to come. Thank you for your support of the team. This has been a dream come true playing at the University of Florida and I am happy with the outlook for the future of my gators. Sincerely, Casey Griffith, Longsnapper, #69, Gator Fan P.S. mom sorry I used your account Then a poster who bashes Zook all the time, by the name of Spaceheater accused Casey of simply posting from the ignorance of youth, and basically being to young to really know what he was talking about, to which Casey replied Spacehater- I'm sorry but I must disagree with you sir. I feel I do have experience many of which you have not partaken of, that is unless you have been one of my teamates in this tumulutus period of gator football. I believe you your self are guilty of seeing only what you want in my original posts. I merely posted what I saw as the state of the team and since that post I have had my views validated by my roomates and other seniors that I speak with. But spaceheater you must forgive us for our obivous innocence and inexperience as we were only members of the team since 1999 and didnt really totally understand the coaching change nor do we have the ability to compare and contrast the coaches on a personal experience level. Because we are so young and naive we also must not have had the wisdom to pull together as a team and play for each other this season. The Iowa game was an aberration. I regret the game and cannot explain it other then to say that we were flat which is obvious to those who watched. That being said I stand by my earlier post in all its blindness of youth, I comfort myself in the knowledge that I was there and you weren't. My post was meant as a vaildation of the current coaching staff and to give the gators here on this board a player's positive affirmation of Coach Zook, his staff, and the future of the team. If wisdom comes from experience then surely despite my youth I must have a small stash of knowledge that I have picked up over the last five years being a member of the team and far be it from me to want to share my feelings with others of a more open mind than you. Take the posts as you want, but do not brush it off as the ravings of a youth who does not understand what he said. I have full knowledge and understanding of what I said. And who are you to debate my experience and perspective? I thank all of you for your kind post and I hope to posts on here more. Spaceheater I think your sense of wisdom is a bit skewed, but you are entitled to your opinion. I have gone through experiences you could not imagine and fought my way to a position over the years with which I have been able to observe the team. After all I am just a longsnapper theres not much to do other than watch and listen and snap. Spaceheater I wish someday you can just have fun and enjoy watching the gators on the level I will. College football is supposed to be fun. Coach Zook has told us that time and again. Its not a job for these guys, they play to have fun, if your looked at it as a game maybe you would enjoy being a gator alot more. go gators casey griffith