‘Weight of the world is not on you’ — Gators HC Billy Gonzales sends firm message about DJ Lagway’s benching with a unique comparison
Billy Gonzales is trying to do right by DJ Lagway.
For the first time in his time with the Florida Gators, quarterback DJ Lagway was benched in a 38-7 loss to the Kentucky Wildcats. It wasn’t without merit either, as Lagway was brutal, as he threw for less than 100 yards and three interceptions on 19 attempts.
Interim head coach Billy Gonzales was non-committal after the game on Saturday when discussing the immediate future of Lagway this season. During Monday’s press conference, that uncertainty continued, but he added a little bit of context to the decision.
Billy Gonzales remains non-committal on starting quarterback
The first thing Gonzales was asked about was the quarterback situation, and he didn’t give a straight answer about who would start on Saturday against Ole Miss.
“I think it’s always any there’s competition everywhere, and it should be competition,” said Gonzalez.
It’s not a simple decision for Gonzales, especially since Lagway has struggled so much. Even so, Gonzales did say that Lagway would be heading into the week as QB1 and the projected starter on Saturday. Even so, it’s not a certainty. Benching him was for his own benefit, relating it to a baseball pitcher.
“It’s our responsibility if someone’s struggling, help them out or take them out so they’re not put in that position to have to keep fighting through that. So that was my decision,” said Gonzales.
“I know we’re not Major League Baseball, but I told him, ‘You got an amazing amount of talent. You’re a great quarterback, but just like in Major League Baseball, it’s different than football.’ [In] football, we have one quarterback, and he’s going to take the reps, and that’s what it is, and that’s kind of how the game’s played out. But in baseball, you have a bunch of great pitchers, and if a pitcher is struggling in the major leagues, what do you do? You get the next guy in, right? And doesn’t mean that he’s not a great pitcher. Just means that wasn’t his day.”
That philosophy isn’t necessarily a bad one, but there is merit to what Gonzales is saying. Sometimes, you need to take a step backward and make sure that you aren’t struggling just to struggle. He was also very clear with Lagway that he needs to take all of the pressure off of his shoulders, something that you can tell is weighing heavily on him.
“Here’s the one thing I don’t ever want you [Lagway] to say that it all begins with me, because it doesn’t. It all begins with the coaching staff. It begins with us as an offensive staff, to be able to put him in that position,” said Gonzales. “I don’t want you to think that it all begins with you in that you got the weight of the world on your shoulders. I don’t want that. I need you to go out there and relax. I need you to go out there and play and be focused.”
Gonzales seems to be handling things in the right way, and alleviating the pressure from Lagway could help him play better. It also helps that true freshman Tramell Jones Jr. struggled when he got into the game. Even with Lagway taking the first reps with the first team, we don’t know for sure who will be the starting quarterback, but Gonzales is doing a good job in handling the situation with Lagway, and they will be ready for The Grove on Saturday.
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