At what point during the season do you think Spurrier packed it in?

[TankRizzo]

Do you think the rumors were true and that he has been contemplating it all along? Or do you think he had plans of coming back but as the season digressed one thing lead to another and he had had enough. Or do you think he would have been back and Vinny and Dan sort of nudged him out the door?

Personally I think he had the idea in his head at the start of the season. Things went good at first, but the Tampa game put the thought back in his head. He flat out gave up in that game. Next came the Buffalo game, the bye, the first Dallas game and then a glimmer of hope in the Seattle game. I still think he was probably done after the Seattle game, but the two heartbreakers (at least to us, the fans) in Carolina and Miami were enough for him to have his bags packed and tickets ready for Florida.

So what are your thoughts?

[steve57]

I think he entered the season with good intentions and high expectations. To the FO's credit, I think they went out and got the kind of people he wanted, but at tremendous cost to us, since we lost Davis as a result. So his whining about Danny and "issues" with the Front Office comes across as pretty disgusting. Anyway, around Dallas 1 he flamed out. I'd have to go back and look at some of this post game comments. I heard on the radio the other day, and I think it was the Seattle game, how all he could talk about during the postgame was what a perfect day it was for throwing, even though he had won through running the ball. Whatever. He wasn't willing to adapt (or do away with) his appoach to offense. Anyway, around this point his public comments became increasingly circular, as if he was, in a very half-assed way, searching for strawmen. It was at this point I knew he was gone, and that it would be his finger on the trigger. I never doubted that what happened yesterday would occur. He was like a blinking "I'm out of here, No Mas" sign the last several weeks. One of the most gutless departures in Sports History, and one that he will never live down.

Good post/question!

[BCS:BraveCaringSoul]

I can no longer discount the possibility, originally reported by Comcast, that Spurrier had to be talked into not resigning before the season even started.

The front office forcing him to cut both Danny Wuerfull and to a lesser extent Kenny Watson probably did lead him to the edge of walking away. The terrible collapse that followed and his general unhappiness during the season were the final nails in the coffin.

[Art]

I hate to say it and wouldn't have thought it until things went down as they did yesterday, but, a part of me wonders if Spurrier coached at least a portion of the year TO get fired. The offense showed little of the imagination it showed at some times last year. Worse, the game that meant the most to Snyder was a game so atrocious his best player commented that the Cowboys knew everything we were doing on seemingly every play.

In hindsight made possible by his quitting here, it appears the vibe we were getting from Spurrier wasn't a guy who was frustrated and wanted to find a way to make it work, but rather a guy that stopped caring and just wanted to get back to golf and being the king again in Florida. I may be way wrong on this, but the way he quit puts everything else into perspective that may not be very kind to Spurrier.

[Kilmer]

When Wuerfell was cut.

[Sonny Joe Hog]

When it got cold outside.

[112row2]

I felt like his play calling hit rock bottom v. Dallas at FedEx. It was like he WANTED to get out of here. :dallasuck

[SlinginSammy HOF '63]

Originally posted by Sonny Joe Hog

When it got cold outside.

:laugh:

It seemes like things changed after the Buffalo game.

[Sailor]

I have to believe Spurrier was still competing when Rob Johnson was cut. I don't think he would have tried to get DW to come back if he already had plans to mail in the rest of the season. What would be the point?

[skinsblitz]

Yep, it was when that tag team known as The Raquetball Twins double teamed The 'Ole Ball Coach and sent Wuerffel packing.

[xanathos19]

EVERYONE QUIT!!! The players quit, OBC quit, everyone. The entire organization should be ashamed and embarassed...this is pathetic. I hate being the laughing stock of the NFL.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I think Spurrier quit on this season after our bye. When he publicly stated that he was going to go back to what made him successful in college (I think right before the Dallas game) he was pretty much saying "I'm going to quit trying to win at all costs, I'm going to do what I want to do."

[WallyG3]

I don't think he really quit until after the Chicago game. Up until then he was actually trying to win, which is even sadder.

[Even Madder]

I hate to say it and wouldn't have thought it until things went down as they did yesterday, but, a part of me wonders if Spurrier coached at least a portion of the year TO get fired. The offense showed little of the imagination it showed at some times last year.

I was wondering that myself. It seemed like even his trick plays, like the fake punt, were halfhearted. He just kept trying the same things -- and he looked so dispirited. So lifeless. So un-Spurrier-like.

It was the first Dallas game when I concluded that the season was a waste, but it wasn't until later that I noticed that he seemed to be hiding in his parka and muttering to himself.

And some of his comments, like "We're all losers now" were so defeatist that the writing was on the wall. Lots of people noticed it... but no one wanted to believe it. Not even Snyder, probably.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Also, I think he could have possibly called some of those trick plays thinking they could fail and he could be out the next day...

[PatFischer37]

when wearing the white on white didnt work miracles anymore

[SlinginSammy HOF '63]

What happned to Burgundy on Burgundy? He never put that on.

[SS-Skin]

Some say that SOS left Florida because the Athletic Director didn't back him up enough. You think maybe having two key players, Wurfell (knowledge), and Watson (blocking) canned by management might have got SOS to thinking? SOS may not like to control ALL aspects of the game, but he does demand TOTAL control of the offense.

Plus, SOS plays golf, not racketball. :laugh:

Hail

[leaping lizzy]

After one game (don't remember which, maybe Bills) he did an interview in which he said he had called out his players for their poor performances and that he wasn't ever going to do that again. He had that look of rejection and I don't care anymore on his face then.

[AlexRS]

I think Spurrier quit because of the players, mostly. He realized that dealing with "professional" athletes is different than dealing with students who are trying to make it. Everything was file while we were winning (anyone remember us being 3-1?). However, all kinds of psychological crap came up when we started loosing. I'm sure every player had an opinion, everybody knew what we should be doing and what we are doing wrong, etc. Our whole locker room became The Cancer. Spurrier realized that these are not college students who will listen to him and do as he says. He did not want to deal with this crap, so he quit.

[orlskinsfan]

after the first loss to dallas.....remember that picture after the game of parcels hugging spurrier and spurrier looked totally dejected....that was the moment he packed it in