"He was mad at himself.": CFB analyst delves into Urban Meyer's fall in Netflix documentary 'Swamp Kings'

The Florida Swam Kings Netflix documentary has made its debut, with Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow taking center stage. The series promised to offer a retrospective of Urban Meyer's influential era in Gainesville between 2005-10.

CBS analyst Josh Pate took the chance to share his insights on his podcast "Late Kick Live". The reception to the documentary has been a mixed bag. Additionally, Pate delved into the details of the Florida Gators' downfall. He put his arguments forward about a leadership failure on the part of Meyer.

Pate minced no words as he drew attention to the disparity between the predictions and reality of the team. Adding on to it, he dissected Meyer's anger that was directed at the team. Pate concluded that the frustration reflected Meyer's own failure in leading the team:

"There's more to the game of football and the game of life than that. And Urban Meyer is sitting there in this documentary saying, 'I became so mad with this team,' while he was mad with himself. That's who he's mad with, because he couldn't figure it out."

Pate mentioned that the disconnect between the team's talent and performances was glaring. He added that Meyer could not stand up to the challenge of harnessing the team's potential effectively.

"You reach a point where you've got all the raw ingredients in the room, but the stove won't turn on. Like it's the thing you never thought would go wrong, is what goes wrong.

"All of these talented people aren't performing at the same level they did last year. It's just magically they're only an eight instead of an eleven.

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Urban Meyer's concluding confession: Beyond Pate's review

The narrative of the Untold: Swamp Kings concludes with a revelation that aligns with Pate's review.

The final episode shows Urban Meyer candidly addressing the tumultuous period following the Gator's loss to Alabama. He acknowledges that the SEC Championship game of 2009 was a disappointing event.

“I just felt like something was wrong with me. I felt the dynasty slipping from our hands right there. I feel all this coming on me, ’cause it’s my team. Felt like a failure,” Meyer said in the episode.

The myriad of arguments gives fans the satisfaction of at least explaining Meyer's decision to step down. However, after a brief break, Meyer tried to return for the 2010 season.

Eventually, the choice to step down for good was in fact a responsible decision on Urban Meyer's part. His departure and the team's failure marked the conclusion of an era of glory for the Florida Gators.