Dec. 27, 2009

Meyer's timing, change of heart baffling

By Dennis Dodd | CBSSports.com Senior Writer
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Between heaven (coaching a national power) and the hell of retirement, Florida's Urban Meyer chose a purgatorial spot on the sideline. For how long, no one knows, not even the protagonist himself.

Judging from the events on Sunday, though, it is now possible to unring a bell or be sort of pregnant. In other words, there are no absolutes in Urban's World.

A resignation changed to a leave of absence for Meyer but it was much more complicated than that. In less than 18 hours, he went from leader of Gator Nation to changing the laws of time and space -- becoming his own coach-in-waiting.

After sleeping on it, the subject changed from chest pains to being homesick.

After careful reconsideration, Meyer walked into a karaoke bar and started belting out Billy Donovan tunes.

Wait, check that. Compared to Meyer's sudden change of heart, Donovan actually made a commitment -- lasting less than a week as head coach of the Orlando Magic -- 2½ years ago.

If you believe in conspiracy theories, Urban Legend has left the Tebowless Gators of 2010 to offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, only to re-emerge in 2011 to "save" the program.

Problem is, Meyer might not be gone that long. What they're officially calling it is an indefinite leave of absence. Note the uncertainty of the time frame and the certainty that the man will be back on the sidelines, probably soon (see below).

Pardon us if some of us are confused, mystified and a little bit irate. Strip away the speculation and news conferences and it's clear football won this battle. It won over physical ailments that, as of Saturday night, had forced Meyer to the sidelines. It won over a recruiting class that teetered in the balance had Meyer stayed away. It won over a career that looked all but finished. At least at Florida.

Now? There is something that Meyer is not telling us. That is certainly his right, considering his health is his business. But football is Gator Nation's business and Meyer has to understand that inquiring minds will want to know about the future of their franchise with or without him. All the pointed questions at Sunday's Sugar Bowl news conference in New Orleans announcing that the coach had indeed changed his mind and will return at some future date, were left unanswered.

Is there a surgical procedure in his future?

Urban Meyer is 56-10 in five seasons with Florida. (Getty Images)

Did doctors ever advise him to get away from coaching?

"I'd rather not get into that."

Those deflections could be nothing. No coach wants to reveal a "weakness" to recruits or to rival recruiters who will pounce. They could be hiding larger truths. The most telling admission was when Meyer was asked "in his gut" did he believe he'd be coaching in 2010.

"I probably knew that question was coming," he said. "I do, in my gut, believe that will happen."

So what was Saturday night all about? The decision to step down was as baffling as it was sudden. There was the revelation of chest pains and multiple hospital visits. The complications emerging from the cyst that rests on his brain have been chronicled.

Meyer spoke constantly of getting something "fixed."

"I've lived a 30-year coaching career in nine years," he said.

What Meyer intimated on Sunday was that he is taking six months off and hoping it will be enough that his condition will improve. That could be all he needs. Maybe it's simple as delegating authority and eliminating those 4 a.m. film sessions that he considers "our fault." Coach K pulled it off. Mike Krzyzewski took a leave of absence, missing most of the 1994-95 season because of back surgery.

If you take the man at his word, then, Meyer changed his mind after seeing his players at Sunday's practice.

"My family comes first, that's non-negotiable," Meyer said. "My second family is my players. That [practice] was the moment."

Maybe it was a simple change of heart. Maybe Meyer is going against doctors' wishes by coming back. Either way there is still room to criticize him for waffling. Posters ripped him on Sunday for being "a drama queen." We don't know for sure because Meyer wouldn't let us know for sure.

Sunday's flip came just as suddenly and makes you wonder if Meyer can ever be the same on the sidelines. His intense persona is part of the package. After clinching the Fiesta Bowl berth in 2004 at Utah, trainers reportedly had to attend to Meyer. The cyst had become so inflamed that he was close to passing out.

If, as officials said, the leave-of-absence option was always on the table, why go to the trouble of Saturday night? That announcement seemed rather permanent.

All of this could have been avoided by Meyer sleeping on a final decision, maybe until after signing day. A bit unseemly, sure, but coaches have done it in the past. Get the herd in the pen and shut the gate.

Sunday, then, wasn't about celebration in Florida as much as it was for head scratching. The coach-for-now and coach-in-waiting passed along the reaction of his 18-year-old daughter when he stepped down on Saturday: "I got my daddy back."

On Sunday the question had to be, "For how long?"