GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Jim McElwain might have apologized for the way he lit into running back Kelvin Taylor over the weekend. But it is hard to ignore the way McElwain looked in that moment -- like a man struggling to handle the tinderbox that is coaching the Gators.

His predecessor, Will Muschamp, might have had the nickname Boom, but it was McElwain who exploded on the Gators sideline Saturday night, delivering a rant that quickly went viral on social media.

Watching McElwain yell at Taylor with a profanity-laced tirade was far more disconcerting than the throat slash gesture that drew his ire against East Carolina. That is not excusing what Taylor did. He deserved to take a seat on the bench for the remainder of the game and a stern talking to for an act that has no place in the game.

Instead of defusing the situation, McElwain became the focus in the immediate aftermath and remained the focus Monday during his weekly news conference. McElwain admitted he went overboard, telling reporters, “I'm not proud about it, and neither is my mother. I don't feel good about it. As you know, this is a very public job. This is a public thing that we do. I understand that I have a long ways to go and I make mistakes.”

At least McElwain sees that. What he also sees are cultural issues that have not quite been rooted out, either.

Florida players admitted to being lackadaisical and without focus in the week leading up to the East Carolina game, high off a 61-point outburst in an easy win over New Mexico State. That attitude must change, because hanging 60 on an overmatched opponent should come to be the norm, not a days-long celebration that imposes a false and undeserved sense of invincibility.

The penalties must be rooted out, too, and McElwain clearly knows this all too well given the undisciplined play that governed the Muschamp era. Against East Carolina, Florida was flagged 12 times for 105 yards, which is downright unacceptable.

Couple those penalties with mediocre quarterback play, no offensive identity, struggles on the offensive line and lapses on defense, and this was more like Throwback Saturday, all the way back to 2014.

There is an inordinate amount of pressure on McElwain to distance himself from anything and everything Muschamp did. His team cannot and should not resemble those that took the field over the last four years. When it did Saturday, he went ballistic. You understand why. Even two games in, he simply cannot be Muschamp Redux.

McElwain knows more than anybody he must change the culture, and changing the culture takes time. But changing the culture does not need to include his behavior on the sideline. Coaches get angry. Coaches spit fire. Coaches curse. It is all part of the game.

But two games into his head coaching career at Florida, McElwain simply went too far. Does a coach who just arrived have the standing to do what he did and get through to his players?

McElwain is no longer at Colorado State. His every move will be charted, scrutinized and then scrutinized some more. When he goes off on the sideline, he will morph into the story, fair or not. He also might turn off a recruit who can go somewhere else and not get embarrassed on national television. It is also worth mentioning Taylor is the son of Gators great Fred Taylor, who was not exactly thrilled with what McElwain did, either.

Those who have no problem with what McElwain did might just say every player needs to man up and take the heat. Taylor was absolutely in the wrong, and needs to know that in no uncertain terms. What is hard to comprehend is how a string of f-bombs and insults to his manhood teaches Taylor anything.

SEC play starts Saturday at Kentucky. What has been a shoo-in victory going all the way back to 1986 is very much in doubt now that the Wildcats appear to have turned a corner. After Kentucky, Florida plays Tennessee at home, another game that has gone to Florida 10 straight seasons. McElwain is no dummy. He knows if Florida plays against them the way it did Saturday, his team will probably lose.

So his frustrations -- and desperation to right the wrongs -- are all understandable. But there are more constructive ways to deliver a message. Especially at this stage in his tenure.