Living in Tallahassee, Tim Tebow (ahem: still the "Big Kid From Big Duval" in my Jacksonville-centric book) has given me incredible satisfaction beyond what he has simply done for the Florida Gators.
Numerous Noles insisted the man was nothing more than a fullback destined to be a bust at Quarterback (don't laugh, they were dead serious). Then, after his freshman season superlatives helped lead the Gators to a national title, these same Noles insisted Tebow would be a bust as a starting QB in college football. Above that, however, they insisted once the Noles were able to get after him for a full game -- our boy Tebow wouldn't make it through the game. The Result? Tebow threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two in a 45–12 rout of the mustard-and-ketchup Noles.
Tim would go on to never lose to the Noles in his college career.
Now, we all know what he's doing in the NFL. In the face of the most outrageous and disrespectful ridicule I've ever seen an elite athlete subjected to in my life. But he's still standing tall.
Against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, he achieved the impossible. A co-worker, and big Nole fan, assured me that the Steelers were going to destroy Tim the Magnificent.
I said no hell they wouldn't.
Trust me, you have no idea how incredibly satisfied I've been this week.
The dream will likely come to a crashing halt this Saturday against the Patriots, but I've never been so proud of an athlete. If by some weird occurrence you've missed the background information on the Tebow phenomenon, thanks to Rachel George at the Orlando Sentinel for the following info:
In preparation for the Broncos’ playoff game at New England on Sunday – or just because ESPN just loves Tim Tebow content – two Tebow-related documentaries will re-air this week on ESPN2 and ESPNU.
The first is Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow, which originally aired after he committed to Florida. It follows his senior season at Nease High School. The second documentary, Tim Tebow: Everything in Between, follows Tebow as he prepares for the 2010 NFL Draft.
Here’s a look at the schedule for when they’re re-airing:
Date
Time (ET)
Program
Network
Fri,Jan.13
11 p.m.
Tim Tebow: Everything in Between
ESPNU
Midnight
Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow
ESPNU
Sat,Jan.14
7 a.m.
Tim Tebow: Everything in Between
ESPN2
8 a.m.
Tim Tebow: Everything in Between
ESPNU
9 a.m.
Faces of Sports: Tim Tebow
ESPNU
Yeah, some of you might be sick of him but "Tebow the Magnificent" continues to roll right on down the road, ever deeper into the American consciousness. And there isn't a more deserving guy in America.
The humbling of the Mighty Gators continues unabated; this time, a frustrating 17-12 loss to the Carolina Gamecocks. You know when your little nieces Cacky-lacky call talking football smack before the game that things have changed for the worse for the Orange and Blue. Arrrgggghhhhh !!!
Upon hearing the news last year that Brantley had decided to return for his senior season, there was truly not a doubt in my mind that we would end up in this type of situation.
He can't play well enough, he can't stay healthy enough, he can't make players around him better enough, and he can't lead well enough for what we've needed the last two seasons.
Pretty hard to get a more damning indictment of a Gator QB, and pretty hard to dispute any of those assertions I made. Especially when I see his former teammates, Tim Tebow *and* Cam Newton, starting in the NFL! It's incredibly hard for Brantley fans to acknowledge this but *all* of our opponents salivate at the sight of this guy.
Need I say more?
I've said it before: the kid is cursed. He had LSU beaten last year at home before a fluke play bounced the Bengal Tigers' way, he made a great effort under difficult circumstances this year against Georgia (especially in the first half). Without a lackluster play or three from Chris Rainey (IMHO), we win that game. Even with a few boneheaded plays from Rainey, had we utilized the "pistol" offensive set against Georgia -- we win that game. As it stands now, based on the hard results, we've wasted a season when our freshmen quarterbacks (and I like both of them, Driskel and Brissett) could have received some truly valuable game experience. Wasted! And that drives me crazy.
John Brantley? I feel for the guy, I've always felt for the guy, but this is what it is. I knew I was going to have to endure this season but -- staring at a quite possible loss to the damn Noles in the Swamp -- thinking of this season leaves a very bitter taste that lingers.
Tim made history yesterday in his 18-15 win; not only did he win his first start of the season but according to Elias Sports Bureau, no team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 had ever been down as many as 15 points with less than 3 minutes remaining and won.
History.
Yes, he was brutal early and often. Yes, he was obviously nervous. Who wouldn't be? But he was also handcuffed early and often. They -- Denver -- need to just go ahead and allow Tim to be Tim. He has started four NFL games, and today is the cover image on the NFL.com website:
He has eight touchdowns and three interceptions in his NFL career; three TDs and zero INTs this season. Amidst all the talking head talk yesterday and this early morning about how horrible he was early and often in this game, he had no interceptions. A bad performance with interceptions would be horrible. This kid had to overcome his coaching staff, his first start jitters, his coming back to Florida at *the* story of the day in a League hoping like hell you will fail . . . and he did overcome all of that.
Kudos to you, Timmy.
Somehow Philip Rivers can take beaucoup snaps out of the shotgun and no one says a damn thing, but the idea of Tim Tebow back in the shotgun on a regular basis is used as proof that he can't be an NFL quarterback. John Fox, put the man in the shotgun and let him work his magic. Allow him to get in his rhythm, his flow, then do more under-the-center stuff. Damn! Don't shackle the kid.
What follows will be a few random and perhaps controversial or crazy thoughts on the looming expansion of the Southeastern Conference.
[1] I think Jerry Jones is very much involved in this whole process, on the down low. And I suspect he knows that with the entry of A&M, the SEC is very likely -- VERY LIKELY -- to award Dallas an occasional SEC football championship game. That would be quite an event, ladies and gentlemen.
[2] I'm very comfortable with VaTech or N.C. State as possibilities in the east and would not have an issue with West Virginia.
[3] In the West, I'm cool with Missouri -- to me, they're a good fit -- although I know they're probably still hoping for the Big Ten.
[4] Although it is virtually inconceivable, I would like for the SEC to add either FIU down in Miami or FAU in Palm Beach County as the 14th member. Adding FIU would absolutely decapitate the Canes, truly freak out the Noles, strategically harm and destabilize the ACC, increase the SEC's reach into Latin America and the northeast, and it would give all Gators a conference little brother down in the most populous corner of the state and allow our huge alumni base down there to interact with their alma mater regularly. Adding FAU wouldn't quite reach that level but it would come close enough.
[5] With the conference now sitting at 14 members, we could then stand pat and see how the expansion cookie crumbles and cherry pick the remaining two members from the best available universities.
[6] I see UF and A&M partnering on more than a few research initiatives. I know UF has an International Center in China that we're either going to share with another SEC school (or more). Perhaps that Center and others like it will be shared with the whole conference. Academically, UF and A&M can lead the SEC research pack and, simultaneously, pack one hell of a powerful political punch.
It's an exciting but unsettling time in college athletics; tremendous changes are on the horizon and I'm ready to see just what's going to be the end result.
This is why I revere Urban Meyer so much; watch these four videos:
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
Wow!
The greatest Gator football coach ever, greatest Gator coach ever, and quite possibly the greatest college football coach ever. Enjoy your wife and kids, Urban, and thank you for all you did for the Fightin' Gators !
The desperate attempt to knee-cap our Governor in his first year in office continues unabated. The St. Pete Times has a story up and just take a look at these two paragraphs:
As a defendant in at least seven lawsuits since he took office in January, [Governor Rick] Scott could be the most sued governor in Florida history. And [Charles] Trippe [Governor Scott's general counsel] now finds himself deep in cases relating to election law, drug testing of state employees, redistricting and prison privatization.
Some speculate the avalanche of lawsuits involving Scott has more to do with dislike of the governor than his actions related to the legislation or policies in question.
Yeah, I'm sure some Democrats do speculate on *their* dislike of the Governor. Other Floridians may see through the opaque machinations of political partisans, however, and transparently recognize the shaping hand of a media hell-bent on hammering home an unflattering image of this Governor. Those "other" Floridians will not likely obsess on the Governor's supposed status as a disliked Chief Executive but will take note that (boy, oh boy!) the media sure does hate him . . . and given that fact, they are likely to conclude that he can't be all bad.
He's being sued because he's shaking the tree, making some bold decisions, and upsetting some very special interests.
As I said previously, given those facts, he can't be all bad.
Gator basketball fans are in the middle of transitioning from lamenting a disappointing loss in the Elite Eight toward great anticipation of the future, which looks very bright indeed.
The Loss to Butler
Of course, we always want to give credit to our opponent when they win. As a rabid Floridian, I always fear Floridians who up their game against us. Butler had two who played well against us, Vanzant and Marshall. But it was the tremendous heart of that team that did us in, along with their willingness to get down and gritty with their basketball. I'm still angry about the loss but not angry at Butler. You have to love that team; just as you have to love VCU. It's going to be a great Final Four game with those two.
What can you say about our Gators in that game against Butler? Anyone who has watched Tyus and Macklin during the entirety of their time in Orange and Blue heaven knows physicality ain't them. Okay? Gator power? Not them. Lots of grabbing and pulling? They shy away from that.
The very same thing applies to Chandler Parsons, of course.
There's the problem. And did I mention that all three of them, relatively speaking, have bad hands?
That was the brilliance of Butler's strategy to own the boards, and we -- for some crazy reason -- played right into that strategy with walking the ball up the court and dumping it down low time and time again. Our bigs depended on a proper flow that gives them space, where they don't have to deal with all kinds of grabbing and pulling. It looked as though our staff forgot who our bigs really were. When Gator fans were praising Macklin at halftime, I was going crazy (check my twitter account). Zeroing in on him was narrow-minded in the extreme, as far as I'm concerned. We completely removed our guards from the flow of the game and paid for it in the final half when the ref stunted our close-out and gave Butler new life. By that time, Walker and Boynton -- both natural scorers -- were completely frustrated and, try as they might, couldn't do enough to get us over the hump. And as we should have learned, frustrated scorers are bad news for the Florida Gators this season. It has been a chore to get Big Shot Erv to do the dribble-drive penetration and involve his team in the flow of the game. Admittedly, it may be I'm not giving Butler enough credit but it looked as though we gameplanned away from the dribble-drive penetration. Weird, weird, weird.
But all of that is after-the-fact nitpicking and counterproductive. The players maximized their contribution this season and our coaches did a fantastic job coaching them up. I was going crazy at the gameplan but it may have been the smartest approach. None of us really knows, we are simply left with our personal opinions. Our bigs simply didn't have a defensive personality this year (a personality, by the way, that is extremely helpful on the offensive boards) and you can't coach that into a player, you can only coach to mitigate the effect. Still, we won the SEC title this year and earned a 2-seed in the tournament, blasted UCSB in game one and defeated a very good-looking UCLA team to make the Sweet Sixteen. There, we handled Jimmer-mania and defeated a game Brigham Young squad to make the Elite Eight. Then Butler avenged a last-second loss to us years ago with a hard-fought victory. Arrrggghhhhh !!!
Looking Forward while Thanking Our Seniors
The good news? There's great hope that Patric Young will know how to police the paint next season and grow tremendously with his knowledge of how to handle hard work in the trenches as only a grunt can.This is a lost skill with these modern players. If Erik Murphy, Cody Larson or others (Yeguette, Prather, etc.) can engage the physicality, and properly complement Patric, we are in very good shape going forward.
As devastated as I was after that loss, and I was devastated (we were a clearly superior team), this is a time for celebrating and congratulating our seniors for bringing us back out of the mediocrity. Kudos to you, Vernon and Alex and Chandler. Well done. You've set the stage for futher Gator excellence.
At the beginning of next year, when the staff is looking at all kinds of options, here's how I see things shaking out based on the five basketball positions:
1. Rosario, Scottie, Walker [point guard is the focus at the 1] 2. Boynton, Rosario, Walker, Beal 3. Beal, Prather 4. Murphy, Yeguete, Pitchford, Young, Larson 5. Young, Larson, Murphy, Yeguete
Billy and staff are going to watch these combos and see how they flow. Walker at the 1 and 2 will give great flexibility, Beal at the 2 and 3 will do the same.
And I can't wait; the potential is phenomenal.
As for people insisting that Big Shot Erv is going to start throughout the season, don't count on it. Defense, defense, defense. Pay more attention to defense, not offense.
Here's my bigtime bias, and it should be obvious from looking at my projected slots: I love Beal and firmly believe he has a chance to be the best Gator ever. Seriously. And Patric, my favorite from this year, is worthy of comparisons to Mr. Gator Power himself, Al Horford. Back to Beal; what's so special about that guy, you may ask? If you have the time, sit back and take a look:
The guy is special. Truly special.
Everyone within Gator Nation should be salivating at our basketball prospects next season. We're going to be a force; quite probably much more of a force than we were this season. Now, with Shaka Smart shining so bright, and perhaps headed to N.C. State -- a question for us may be which Gator assistant replaces Shaka just as Shaka left our staff to replace Anthony Grant who started the trend of Gator coaches heading up to VCU. Will it be Rob Lanier, Richard Pitino or Larry Shyatt???
Courtesy of GatorVision, here's a great press conference video featuring the victorious Gator basketball team:
Way to go, men, way to go. We are the only program that has played UCLA multiple times in the tournament and never lost to them. Never (three wins, two in the Final Four, one in the championship game). That's one hell of a factoid.
We're getting front row views of a basketball coaching clinic this year from Billy Donovan, head coach of the University of Florida. He has taken a fundamentally flawed basketball team that could be hard to watch at the beginning of this season and into January, then transformed them into a machine that shows promise of maximing their talents during March Madness.
College basketball, however, can be quite tricky and when you have a fundamentally flawed basketball team -- the tournament can be unkind. One-and-done is a heartbreaking possibility for this team, and might dredge up old, unfairslights lodged against Donovan's teams.
The highly accomplished 04's, however, forever changed things with Billy and Gator Nation along with changing the perception of the nation when it comes to Billy Donovan as coach. He took a group of good basketball recruits and molded them into a great team that surprised the basketball world. Then, he took it one step better by coaching them in the following season to an improbable repeat championship.
That ain't easy to do, regardless of the level of talent you have.
Currently, Billy has somewhere around 390 wins and 165 losses (as of this writing) in his coaching career. By that point in Coach K's career, it was the 1992-93 season. And he had earned two national championships, and was approximately 394-177 (this is prior to that season where he begged off one year with a bad back).
Pretty similar, don't you think?
We need to appreciate Billy far more than we do. He is the King of the Gator Basketball Nation just as much as Coach K is the King of Duke -- and his task was tougher at Florida than that of Coach K at Duke (a basketball school).
We need to treat Billy as the phenomenal talent that he is, and our Sports Information people need to remind the national press of his incredible pace.
The way our team is currently playing, we shouldn't be in serious jeopardy of a one and done this year. But you never know. At similar points in their career with respect to wins and losses, Coach K had a better record of success in the Big Dance. Consistency in advancing in the tournament is the one area where Billy needs more success to keep pace with the guy who is going to go down as the greatest coach of the Baby Boom generation, Mike Krzyzewski.
Incredibly, Billy has a serious chance to go down as the greatest coach of his generation. And he's doing it at the University of Florida, in the greatest football-centric conference in the nation. Thank you, Jeremy Foley. Thank you, Billy the Great (we should have long-ago retired all that "Billy the Kid" stuff).
I don't guess I'll ever quite understand what motivates people to be so school-marmish when it comes to college athletes. I do understand the tremendous disappointment when young people disrespect the opportunities bestowed upon them. I fully agree with the sentiment that college athletes shouldn't be coddled and that they must be held to reasonable standards. Still, what am I supposed to make of the Sports Illustrated / CBS News special investigation into college football and crime?
True, I've only briefed the material and it's always possible I glossed over some very important contextual information. Also, it's hard to give some thoughts on this subject in the way I intend to do it that doesn't come off as sounding defensive or pollyannish about the misdeeds of players. But . . . ten percent of all 318 Florida players turned up "positive" in the database. Ten percent is causing an alarm? I've been saying for years we as fans have a ridiculous standard when it comes to these players and the coaches held responsible for them.
Thirty or so arrests in six years (former Florida Gator football coach Urban Meyer was slammed for this) out of 100 or so guys each year -- get real, people. That's not a big deal. That's in line with guys being young and dumb (yes, I'm talking to you Chris Rainey), but when people have an agenda and want to create a story, arrests are an easy target. Exhibit A:
Quote:
Take Florida, for example. The Sunshine State is not only one of the nation's largest football hotbeds, it also has the nation's most open public records law.
Any wonder why there are so many stories on Florida athletes along this line of inquiry? For Exhibit B, how about this little nugget from the story:
Quote:
In cases in which the outcome was known, players were guilty or paid some penalty in nearly 60 percent of the 277 total incidents.
In other words, more than 40 percent of the 277 incidents couldn't be said to have resulted in a guilty adjudication or some penalty being assessed.
News flash: young guys get arrested. This is news??? That more than 90% of college football athletes in the list of top 25 football program in one representative poll did not have an arrest record??? And somehow this is demonstrative that background checks (and more) should be routinely conducted???
What???
If you did a similar survey of guys in the military you'd probably find something similar. If you checked black male college students across the nation, or white male college students for that matter, what might the numbers show? Something similar, or perhaps even something worse? Quite possibly.
It is idiotic and lazy to run this kind of story with no context provided about the cohort of young males from which this pool is examined. Nevertheless, Sports Illustrated is impressed with its work:
Quote:
An unprecedented six-month investigation by Sports Illustrated and CBS News found that Pittsburgh had more players in trouble with the law (22) than any other school among SI's 2010 preseason Top 25. The joint investigation involved conducting criminal background checks on every player -- 2,837 in all -- on the preseason rosters of those 25 teams. Players' names, dates of birth and other vital information were checked at 31 courthouses and through 25 law enforcement agencies in 17 states.
Unprecedented?
Twenty-five teams were the focus. In all of the nation, thirty-one courthouses were checked (31? There are 67 courthouses in Florida alone.) in 17 states. And all of 25 law enforcement agencies were consulted.
Unprecedented?
Okay, if y'all insist. I'll tell you what, though, it sure as hell isn't thorough. And if you think ten percent is a problem, you don't understand human nature at all. And that's whether we're talking about engineering students or student-athletes.
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