Entries from August 2009 ↓
August 18th, 2009 — Florida Gators Football, Gator News, Offense, Players
If at this point you had to choose the starting offensive line for Florida, Carl Johnson and the Pouncey twins would definitely be there, somewhere.
Where it gets tough is when you have to slot each of the players into a specific position.
Steve Addazio, who is the offensive coordinator for the Gators as well as the offensive line coach, has been quite frustrated by some of the team's injuries as of late. Maurkice Pouncey has not done much during the preseason, for example, because he is still recovery from surgery on his shoulder. Having an all-Pouncey brother guard tandem could be possible since Mike Pouncey could play the other guard spot. This is only going to be possible if the coaches are completely 100% sold on Sam Robey, a redshirt freshman, being able to handle the center position.
Addazio had certainly hoped to take a good look at the sophomores Matt Patchan and James Wilson, however both have injuries. Patchan was sidelined by a concussions and Wilson by an ankle injury, so this past scrimmage on Saturday did not allow Addazio to see them play. Patchan is aiming for a big to take the left tackle position, while Wilson also happens to be having a solid preseason. The key when it comes to Wilson is going to be remaining healthy.
Is there good news for the Gators? Yes. They are building plenty of depth and it appears as if they are going to have quite a few different options come the fall.
Johnson could possibly be playing left guard or perhaps left tackle depending on what Patchan ends up doing for the remainder of the preseason camp. It will appear that Marcus Gilbert is going to be the right tackle starter. Gilbert, who is a junior, has both started as left guard and as right guard during his playing career.
Photo Credits: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/
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Florida Gators Preview: Troy Trojans The Florida Gators are definitely expecting a bigger challenge this week from the Troy Trojans. On Monday, Florida's coach, Urban Meyer, said that the Gators are preparing themselves for what is likely to be a much tougher contest this week against the Troy Trojans, at least in comparison to their...... -
Florida Gators Preview What you should be watching out for on the offense: The I-formation. The new offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, has been experimenting over the off season in order to add a few more wrinkles to this equation. This isn't going to end up being 1977 Nebraska, and the spread really isn't...... -
2009 Defense Preview The defense nearly had to start from scratch just two years ago when nine brand new starters were thrown right into the fire. After experiencing a great year, 11 starters are back, creating one heck of a brick wall of a defense. All the top reserves are coming back and...... -
Depth Chart Preview In the Offense there are 6 Returning Starters: Quarterback 15 Tim Tebow is a senior, 6-3, 245. Quarterback 12 John Brantley is a sophomore, 6-3, 217. Running Back 2 Jeffrey Demps is a sophomore, 5-8, 183, or Running Back 2 Chris Rainey is a sophomore, 5-9, 175, or Running Back...... -
Omission a Mistake According to Spurrier Steve Spurrier recently confirmed upon appearing at the SEC media days that he was in fact the person that snubbed the Florida Gators player Tim Tebow during the coach's voting for the preseason All-SEC player team. Ole Mississippi football coach, Houston Nutt, says that he voted for Tebow as All-SEC.......
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August 9th, 2009 — Florida Gators Football, Gator News, Players, Receiver, Riley Cooper
Riley Cooper, a receiver from Florida, who has made plans to play baseball for the Rangers in Texas has decided to return to the football field for a senior playing season.
Urban Meyer, coach for the Florida Gators, made the announcement regarding Cooper's decision on this past Tuesday.
This was welcomed news for Florida, as their biggest challenge during the fall season is going to be to replace two lost lead receivers, Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin.
According to Urban Meyer, he is going to be relied on heavily as a go-to receiver. Urban Meyer has been long been looking for someone that can step up now that Louis Murphy and Percy Harvin are departing. Nobody has stepped up yet, but it is said that Riley can definitely be someone that can.
Cooper was a starter in 12 games for the Gators, which went on to be national champions during the last football season. He managed to catch 18 passes for a total of 261 yards and a total of three touchdowns. He has had a total of 30 receptions in his career for a total of 535 yards with nine scores. He is also the roommate of quarterback Tim Tebow.
There was a very real chance that Cooper may spurn Florida in favor of a major league baseball career. The Rangers decided to draft him during the 25th round in the amateur baseball draft in June. He spent a good part of the summer playing alongside the McKinney Marshals from the Texas Collegiate League.
Cooper says that the decision was tough for him to make, perhaps one of the hardest he's ever made, but he is excited about both playing as part of the Texas Rangers Organization and also returning to play a senior season with the Florida Gators. Two weeks ago, the personnel with the Rangers gave him a tour of the Arlington ball park.
Cooper had been initially drafted into the 15th round by the Phillies in Philadelphia in 2006. He chose to play with the Florida Gators instead of pursuing his baseball career at that time.
Meyer allowed Cooper to skip out on spring practice this year so that he could join the baseball team. Cooper hit two home runs with .247, eight runs batted in and three bases stolen in a span of thirty games. In 89 at-bats, he struck out 41 times.
Meyers knows that Riley is an extremely talented athlete. He has the speed, size and the strength that are needed to create a rough match up for most defenses. The entire offense for the Gators is going to be predicated on problems with matchups for the defense. Luckily, Riley is going to be able to do this for the team because he is renowned for being a big time playmaker.
The NCAA rules have allowed for student athletes to go professional in a sport while they maintain eligibility in a different sport. Former Florida QB Doug Johnson, for example, spent four years playing for the Gators even after he had signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Tebow is applauding the decision that Cooper has made.
Photo Credits: Stephen M. Dowell, Orlando Sentinel / April 12, 2008
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Florida Gators Football 2009 Roster Highlights There are some very memorable faces that are coming back to the Florida Gators sideline for the upcoming 2009 season as well as a few additional brand new faces. Some of the old faces from the Florida Gators are even moving up into much larger roles during the 2009 season,...... -
Florida Gators Apparel The right Florida Gators apparel can really go a long way when it comes to showing other people just how much team spirit you have. When you wear Florida Gators apparel, there is no secret in the fact that you are rooting for the Florida Gators during their current football...... - Florida Gators Preview What you should be watching out for on the offense: The I-formation. The new offensive coordinator, Steve Addazio, has been experimenting over the off season in order to add a few more wrinkles to this equation. This isn't going to end up being 1977 Nebraska, and the spread really isn't......
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Eastern Division Florida Gators vs Western Division Alabama On December 5, 2009, the Eastern Division Florida Gators will face Western Division Alabama at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA. This will be the 7th time since the championship began in 1992 that Alabama and Florida had met for this game. Of the 6 match ups to date,...... -
Florida Gators vs. FIU On Saturday, the Gators made a decisive victory against the Golden Panthers at Ben Hill Stadium. In front of over 90,000 attendees, they pushed their record to 11-0 for only the second time in the University of Florida's history. This win also puts the Gators winning streak at 21......
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August 5th, 2009 — Florida Gators Football, Gator News, Players, Quarterback, Tim Tebow
How much do you think you'd be worth if you were a winner of two national championships, a Heisman Trophy and the adoration of an unstoppable force of Florida Gator fans? Apparently, you would be worth about $2 million dollars.
The quarterback for the Gators, Tim Tebow, recently disclosed during SEC Media Days this past Thursday that he has taken out roughly $2,000,000 dollars worth of insurance policies, according to Florida Today.
This senior quarterback spoke to Florida Today, telling them that he had not even considered buying so much insurance until the head coach for his team, Urban Meyer decided to intervene.
Tebow asked Florida Today how many times anyone really takes advantage of the insurance. He says that he may have it, but only because Urban Meyer, his coach for the Gators told him that he needed to get it. He claimed that he did not want to get any more insurance.
The policies that Tebow has taken out on himself are designed to cover injuries, which is a practice that is allowed under the regulations for the NCAA. Typically the premiums on these policies are not actually paid until after the player signs an NFL contract.
This year, Tebow decline to actually raise the amount of his policy. According to Florida Today, however, he could have actually qualified for as much as $6,000,000 if he had purchased the insurance policy through an independent insurance agent.
He told reporters that he isn't thinking negatively, waiting for something to happen. But instead, he says that he was just acting on the advice of coach Urban Meyer and coach Dan Mullen that thought it should be purchased.
Insurance policies for this purpose are available both through the NCAA and also through independent agencies as well.
Photo Credits: photo-gator
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UF Gators Slated to Face Georgia Bulldogs The University of Florida Gators are having some offense problems, it seems, and this is becoming the fuel that Georgia needs to get pumped up for the upcoming game. Looking Ahead - The output on the behalf of Georgia has really paled in comparison to their previous seasons. The defense...... -
Gators to Play Florida State Seminoles The undefeated Gators will face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, November 28th, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The match-up looks to be a challenge for Florida State, which stands at 6-5 for the season. Their last game was against Maryland and gave them a 29-26 victory, putting their winning...... - Florida Gators vs. FIU On Saturday, the Gators made a decisive victory against the Golden Panthers at Ben Hill Stadium. In front of over 90,000 attendees, they pushed their record to 11-0 for only the second time in the University of Florida's history. This win also puts the Gators winning streak at 21......
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Looking to What's Ahead for the University of Florida Gators First, let's review where the Gators have been lately: Following four sacks by Tim Tebow, an offense that was often only one dimensional and a really big lack of what we like to see in terms of big play production, the Gators may have won against Vanderbilt but they...... -
Recap: Florida Gators vs Charleston Southern Bucs For the sake of putting it simply, the Florida Gators wiped the floor with Charleston Southern, walking away with a score of 62-3 after a blowout game on Saturday. You may say that this was the most boring game going on right now, because all the Florida Gators did was......
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August 4th, 2009 — Florida Gators Football, Gator News, Players, Quarterback, Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow is quickly proving himself to be the Andy Stitzer of college football. Unlike Stitzer, who is the lead character that Steve Carell plays in the movie "The 40-Year-Old Virgin
", Tim Tebow is not embarrassed to admit that he is a virgin, and he is actually planning to stay away from sex until he becomes married.
For some reason, this admission of chastity by Tebow, which came following the SEC media day this past Thursday, has caused a great amount of debate in the world of sports after AOL's FanHouse.com's Clay Travis asked him if he was a virgin.
Questioning the virginity of Tim Tebow is being looked at as inappropriate, and yet he definitely showed fortitude when he wasn't afraid to give an honest answer. Should we really care at all that one of the most popular athletes in all of college ball hasn't yet had sex? Was this question appropriate to ask? Should Tim Tebow have answered as honestly as he did?
The answers to these questions are an enthusiastic yes, yes, yes.
Deciding to ask Tebow about whether or not he was a virgin certainly wasn't out of bounds. The answer that he gave was also quite certainly more important than what most people have realized. What Tebow has gone is used the enormous platform that he has in order to promote his own personal Christian based beliefs. He has uttered the phrase "Jesus Christ" just about as often as the term "Spread offense".
During Media Day, he spoke in great deal about taking the time to minister to prisoners, and he has also been considerably praised for having done missionary work in other countries as well. His faith preaches the act of abstinence before marriage. If Tebow is going to continue to endorse his Christian beliefs to millions of fans, then he should absolutely be prepared to respond to any questions that are posed about how he adheres to that belief system.
Rather than engaging in debate about the right to privacy of an athlete, we should be celebrating Tebow for having exhibited so much backbone while under so much scrutiny by the public. A lot of athletes have professed that they are devout Christians in front of the cameras only to end up being sighted later at a bar picking up random women.
Here we have who is arguably one of the most popular college athletes ever and he is supporting abstinence, which is something that isn't even considered to be conventional in society today. Isn't this the real definition of what true leadership is?
Promiscuity is something that is deeply embedded in our sports culture, so much so that people think that it is crazy for the 21 year old Tebow not to be taking full advantage of his popularity. Considering the breadth of the accomplishments he's made and his popularity, he probably has to spend quite a bit of time stiff-arming women as if they were linebackers for the SEC. After this announcement of his, however, the female segment of his fan base is likely to triple.
To his credit, he is taking this role model job quite seriously. He has realized that not only are fellow Christians watching him, but thousands of other young people all over the country are also watching him as well. Shouldn't we be happy, then, that Tebow is teaching these people about exercising restraint rather than making it rain? Doesn't that mean that it is a good thing for Tebow to be showing people that they can be who they want to be rather than succumbing to pressure from their peers?
Above all else, shouldn't we be really relieved that one of the most visible athletes in college ball is taking a completely different course, especially in light of the tricky circumstances associated with the tragic murder of Steve McNair?
The fact that Tebow answered this question about his virginity is a true testament to who he is as a person. All that he did was put another bull's eye right on his back. Think about the ridicule that he is going to incur all over the nation. Whether or not he stays a virgin is really not the issue. The real lesson here is that having a true belief is sometimes going to require you to separate yourself from the pack, and only a few chosen strong people are capable of handling this.
Tebow says he'll deal with the backlash, because it's not a big deal to him. The kids have been encouraged by the life that he has attempted to live.
Photo Credits: chasingfun
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Are the Gators Looking Beyond Vanderbilt toward South Carolina? Reportedly, Urban Meyer, Brandon Spikes and Tim Tebow met and had a meeting with other key members of the team and it has been said that everyone is now on the same page when it comes to the Gators team. Obviously some of the results from the post-Mississippi State meeting...... -
Florida Gators Jersey If you're looking for a way to really show off which college football team you're rooting for this year, why not take a look at the unique Florida Gators jerseys that are available on the market today? There are a wide variety of different Florida Gators jerseys for you to...... -
2009 Offense Preview What To Know: With Harvin and Murphy gone, the offense is going to be missing their sure thing stars for receiving, but there is plenty of speed to be burned at running back and so the line should be able to grow into something that is terrific. The quarterback situation...... -
Gators Top Troy with 56 to 6 on Saturday The Florida senior quarterback, our favorite allstar Tim Tebow managed to throw a total of four touchdowns, rushing for another as the No. 1 team Gators chalked their second win for the season, their 12th straight win after claiming 56 to 6 against the Troy Trojans who are currently...... -
Florida Gators Watch With a Florida Gators watch, you will always know when it's Gators Football time! But with a high quality Florida Gators watch, you will also be able to let your friends, family and other people around you know that you are not messing around when it comes to your love......
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August 4th, 2009 — Florida Gators Football, Gator News, Players
There are some very memorable faces that are coming back to the Florida Gators sideline for the upcoming 2009 season as well as a few additional brand new faces. Some of the old faces from the Florida Gators are even moving up into much larger roles during the 2009 season, which is necessary for picking the slack up for those that have departed since the 2008 season.
Here are the 2009 Stars:
Quarterback Tim Tebow is the most accomplished WB in the history of Florida, and he has definitely lived up to all the hype, having lead the gators to a national championship during the last season after having won the Heisman Trophy while playing as a sophomore. What is left for him to prove? Why has he decided to come back to play his senior season with the Gators? Tim Tebow is hoping to Lead Florida to national championships back to back while he improves on his NFL draft stock.
Brandon Spokes passed on the potential for being drafted during the first NFL draft round in order to return to the Gators to play his senior football season. He is going to be anchoring a defense that is returning all 11 of its starters.
Running Back and Kick Returner Brandon James is definitely one of the top threats to be returning in college foot ball right now. He has four total career punt returns with touchdowns, and he is looking to spend his senior season breaking this school record.
Running Back and Wide Receiver Jeff Demps recently emerged as a real home run threat in the spread offense when he was a freshman, and he rushed for 605 yards with 7.8 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. Now that Percy Harvin is out of the picture, Demps is being given a real opportunity to earn even more really big plays during his sophomore year.
Tight End Aaron Hernandez spend his first year as a starter establishing himself as one of the top tight ends for pass catching in the entire country, and he has also established himself as a potential first round NFL draft pick. During his sophomore year, Hernandez caught 34 passes with 381 yards rushing and 5 touchdowns.
Punt Kicker Jonathan Phillips has been allowed a fifth year for eligibility after making 12 out of his 13 field goal attempts during the last season.
2009's Top Stars
Wide Receiver Andre DeBose is a true freshman from outside of Orlando, and he may be able to help fill the role that has been vacated since Percy Harvin entered into the NFL draft. DeBose is a threat that is speedy and versatile enough that he can play receiver and running back in the spread offense for Urban Meyer.
Dee Finley enrolled in the University in January, and is being given a chance to develop a real niche since he has outstanding speed and great playmaking ability.
Finally, Gary Brown is a 6-4 and 275lb Brown that earned a place as the second best defensive tackle in the entire country, according to http://www.scout.com. He may be able to fill a really important role in the defensive tackle rotation for Florida.
Photo Credits: minds-eye
Related Posts - Recap: Florida Gators vs Charleston Southern Bucs For the sake of putting it simply, the Florida Gators wiped the floor with Charleston Southern, walking away with a score of 62-3 after a blowout game on Saturday. You may say that this was the most boring game going on right now, because all the Florida Gators did was......
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Game Preview: Florida Gators vs Tennessee Volunteers The no. 1 team Florida, currently 2 - 0 going to be playing host to Tennessee, currently 1 - 1 this upcoming weekend. Fueled by Lane Kiffin's feelings and words about the upcoming game, the game has a lot of considerable hype surrounding it and it is going to be...... - Florida Gators Apparel The right Florida Gators apparel can really go a long way when it comes to showing other people just how much team spirit you have. When you wear Florida Gators apparel, there is no secret in the fact that you are rooting for the Florida Gators during their current football......
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Florida Gators vs Florida State Seminoles The Florida Gators ratcheted their ranking up to 12-0 on Saturday by beating Florida State's Seminoles with a decisive 37-10. And quarterback Tim Tebow, a 2007 Heisman Trophy Winner, had another stellar game. It's fitting that the record-setting Gators games should have had senior Tebow with a whopping 5...... -
Florida Gators Hoodie When it gets cold, it doesn't hurt to have a hoodie on standby so that you can keep yourself warm. If you're cold during a Florida Gators game, then it would definitely be great to have a Florida gators hoodie on standby. This way, not only are you keeping yourself......
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