Well actually, what makes this even worse on his part, while at Utah Meyer had Alex Smith which is more of a drop back passer. So, with that said this should be no shocker to anything Meyer has done previously. This is what makes the Florida situation more weird and the reason why some folks (GF, myself and few others) say that Mullen leaving to Miss St has way more of an impact than what many more thought originally. Meyer, I still think, is a great offensive mind but things apparently changed faster than he realized.
Alex Smith was a good spread option QB that could throw.
2003 Rushing: 149 Att. 452 Yds 3.0 YPC
2004 Rushing: 135 Att. 631 Yds. 4.7 YPC
Brantley has 35 Att. -52 Yds. This season.
Hell, even Leak managed positive yards with 77 Att. 30 yds in 2006...but they had Tebow who carried it in spot duty 89 times for 469 Yds.
This is Meyer's first foray in to the world of the pure dropback passer. As I said...he even had Leach in to consult on the passing game in the off season. I think his failing was a true commitment to a passing game...a real high level, intricate, passing game. And, as coaches will do, he's retreated back to what he knows best...the spread option.