One of the more interesting debates on the Gator roundtable is whether Tim Tebow can join Ohio State legend Archie Griffin in the Multiple Heisman club.

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Because I love Florida, I’ll wrap up legit reasons why Mo should stay.

Because my good friend Gatorpilot hates Duke, I’ll use J.J. Redick as a sacrificial lamb in this one.

Speights already has conditioning issues from college. And Mo, if you thought that was bad, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

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Grrrr. Got some stuff that’s bugging me today…

*These language lab computers won’t let me upload images.

*It just dawned on me that I graduated from former FSU quarterback Danny Kanell’s high school - the same DK who coordinated the Noles to the infamous “Choke at Doak” tie.

*I’m getting rumors that Tim Tebow is getting pressured by defensive backs in practice. Oh wait, that happens in real football games all the time.

But the latest press leaks have Florida’s front four pressuring Superman even more so than last year.

Has the man lost his touch? I doubt it, given that he’s had to masterfully evade pressure in the past. C’mon Vince, he’s doesn’t just turn into a college football flop overnight.

Or maybe the big uglies on D have gotten their act together? Why not? The Gators had a bumper crop of youth and inexperience last year; the underclassmen MUST have packed in some extra pounds.

Either way, a major leap in the football learning curve has just taken place on both sides of the ball. Tebow’s going to have to learn how to evade all the blitz packages defensive coordinators throw at him. And it’s not like he can just, ahem, walk out of the situation, shall we say? This will also be a good test for the lucky every-down halfback chosen to start for the Gators.

On defense, they’re starting to crank it up. Granted, the blitz can only compensate for the secondary so much, but getting better is what it is. I wouldn’t be surprised if the improvement in the rushing attack was complemented by growth in the linebacking corps.

Which brings us to a significant wildcard: the offensive line. Are they going to play up to their potential? I hope so; there’s only so many hits mere mortals like #15 can take. With Trautwein coming back, Maurkice Pouncey guaranteed a starting role *somewhere*, and Mike Pouncey (or whoever it is) snapping the ball at center, I think they’re just fine. If the sack numbers start to drop, as I think they will, then everybody will be A O.K.

Let’s just hope that the cornerbacks will learn from all this…

Before you start typing remarks about how I’m going off topic and why the NFL won’t match college sports, hear me out.

I’m fully aware that the subject matter is somewhat out of the ordinary. I know that college sports have that unique sense of brotherhood and competitiveness that the pros find lacking. I even know that my post might be a bit overdue.

But in the aftershock of yesterday’s press conference, something must be said for one of the greatest athletes, ambassadors, and competitors that the sport has ever known. There never has been, and likely never will be, another football player with that exact same sense of playful glee that #4 embodied in 17 seasons of a distinguished NFL career.

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Turns out, there are things far worse to a college basketball program than Patrick Patterson’s broken foot or a missed NCAA tourney trip.

Try this one: Harvard’s, HARVARD’S, hoops program got caught with its hand in the cookie jar. There are a litany of recruiting violations, including illegal contact with a recruit’s father, an assisstant coach playing illegal pickup games with a recruit, and the signing of players below Harvard’s normally lofty standards.

Apparently, head coach Tommy Amaker, resentful of Boston’s sudden boom in sports success, felt a need to catch up. So he hired Bill Belichik to help him out.

Okay, so I made that last one up. But seriously, Tom, why do it? Messing around at America’s most prestigous college makes no more sense than Tim Tebow trying to imporve his football prowess by taking steriods. In trying to improve something great at the price of excellence, everyone loses.

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A recent article in the Palm Beach Post offered some insight into the current and long-term struggles facing the University of Miami (at least their athletic department).  While none of the information here is new, it is presented in a manner that describes the inherent hurdles the school faces while trying to compete in major college athletics.  In the article, Jorge Milian, describes some of the challenges facing the schools next Athletic Director (AD).  Paul Dee, the current AD, has already announced his retirement effective on June 1, 2008.
 

According to Dee, UM’s athletic department budget is slightly more than $50 million.  That might seem like a lot but it’s not compared to schools like Ohio State or Texas, whose budgets run into nine figures.  In state, Florida is nearing the $100 million mark and Florida State is in the vicinity of $80 million.

Now to be honest, we all knew that Miami was not on the same footing as the larger Public schools like FSU and the Gators.  I question the athletic budget figures though.  Perhaps he is confusing revenue with the budget.  In an article back in CNNMoney, the University of Florida athletic budget for 2006 was described as $82.4 million.  Florida’s annual athletic REVENUE however was recently stated at $107.8 million by the Palm Beach Post and could be the cause for the confusion.  In fact CNNMoney recently described the University of Florida as “The most successful major sports program in the country” and then described Florida officials as “the shrewdest, best-organized, most enthusiastic, and (shudder) most charming bunch of unofficial sports executives you’d ever hope to meet.” (How Florida cashed in on college football - CNNMoney)
 
As previously reported here in our Dec 17, 2007 Around the Web segment the University of Miami actually raises more revenue than Florida State (49.2 million for UM versus 40.9 million for FSU).  However I’m guessing that Miami keeps it’s budget within its revenue while FSU is allowed to tap into the general University funds to pay for athletic endeavors (Note: At FSU the athletic department is part of the University Structure while at Florida it is a separate corporation and self-sufficient).  Thus the Seminoles have a monetary advantage over their ACC rival to the south.  And the reason that FSU and Miami are now both in the ACC is also explained: (more…)

I usually don’t care to comment on other bloggers negatively but I couldn’t resist with this.  Kevin Donahue of FanBlogs has a post (HERE) where he takes shots at Urban Meyer for what he said at a post Capital One Bowl press conference.

“Well, for those guys who just put in their time and didn’t make any real contributions, it’s time for you to go. It won’t be hard to say goodbye to some of those guys who just went through the motions. Now for those kids who actually bought into the program, and who made some sacrifices and contributions - you know, like Bubba Caldwell… he’s a graduate of UF and had a great career - you”ll really miss those guys. But just because you’re a senior doesn’t mean you have any value.”

Kevin goes on to end his diatribe with the great closing line “just because you’re a [coach], doesn’t mean you have any value.”  Not bad prose . . . powerful stuff right?  Well it might have been had the above quote attributed to Meyer actually been said.  Mr. Donahue had to be CORRECTED by posters in his comment section.  I have seen that quote before and I knew it wasn’t accurate, it was a tainted “interpretation” by a rival.  And by failing to double check his facts, the primary piece of evidence of his article and the setup for his closing statement looks . . . well pretty pathetic.

The actual quote by Meyer (as Donahue would later admit and correct) was . . .

“Let’s make this clear,” Meyer said. “It’s not difficult to say goodbye to a senior. A senior that maybe just put in time and didn’t do a whole lot…no, it’s time for you to go and move on. It’s really hard to say goodbye to seniors that are invested in your program and jumped in with both feet and graduated. Bubba’s (Caldwell) a graduate and (Clint) McMillan’s a graduate of Florida and they were a part of the national championship team, part of a team that played in a January 1 bowl. It’s hard to say goodbye to those guys and so when you say ’seniors,’ just because you’re a senior doesn’t make you a value to the team. A value to the team means that you contribute and you’re part of the team and I’m going to really miss some of those guys.”
 

OUCH!!!  I’d say that version is has a COMPLETELY different tone than the former.  In fact, instead of insulting his seniors (as suggested by the first version) he’s actually PRAISING Caldwell and McMillan in the second (actual) version. 

I have to say I’ve seen a few of Donahue’s posts and he’s a blogger not a journalist and shouldn’t be held to the same standards as such.  But from now on every time I read his writings I’ll wonder in the back of my mind - is this accurate or just some inaccurate nonsense he swiped from someone else without bothering to check his sources???  Why bother basing your opinions on facts?  Who said quotes attributed to people need to be accurate?  The truth is overrated.

Congratulations Kevin Donahue, you traded your credibility and integrity for a quick zinger.   I look forward to reading more of your compelling posts in the future.  However now I will have understanding the that you don’t blog sports but rather you blog fiction.

YOU’RE A FREE MAN NOW FREEMAN
 
Rumor has it that Miami Hurricane quarterback Kirby Freeman has been kicked off . . . errr . . . asked to give up his scholarship . . . errr . . . is seeking a transfer from the team.  For those following the soap opera that is the Miami program this was mentioned a month ago but is just now leaking to the press.  According to the Miami Herald neither Freeman nor his father would comment on the report.  The bottom line is that Freeman was the only Miami quarterback with any game experience.  Next year we can expect either redshirt Robert Marve or true freshman Jacory Harris to start for the Hurricanes in the Swamp.  Barring injury (say another preseason car accident) I expect Marve to be the sacrificial lamb in Gainesville.
 
The sad part is that the return game (well . . . it will be played in Orlando since it will be mostly Gator fans no matter where the game is played and UM doesn’t actually HAVE a home stadium) is in 2013 so Marve’s only opportunity to play the game will be on the receiving side of a road blowout.  The second game could have been played BEFORE 2013 but apparently the Canes already have Oklahoma in 2009 and Ohio State slated for 2010 and 2011 (don’t ask me why 2012 couldn’t happen) and felt their schedule was tough enough those years.  Shannon is jettisoning players by the bucketful in order to sign a HUGE class for this year.  The strategy makes sense, he needs to clean house and start from scratch.  Unfortunately this is a long term strategy and Miami probably won’t give Shannon the chance to see it through unless they have no choice (financial issues).  My guess is that whomever replaces Shannon as the next UM coach will find the cupboard stocked with talent.
 
MCFADDEN IS NFL READY
 
Apparently Arkansas fans were DEAD ON with their description of Darren McFadden being an NFL caliber player.  Apparently he’s already acting and spending money like an NFL player.  DMac was recently spotted cruising in his new Cadillac Escalade except . . . . ummm . . . how does a struggling college student afford a brand new Cadillac Escalade???  Apparently agent Mike Conley arranged the purchase in McFadden’s mother’s name at a local dealership.  Darren was reportedly at the dealership during the purchase.  I guess DMac couldn’t wait another couple of weeks to start spending the money he doesn’t have yet?  Maybe he didn’t realize that having your agent buy you a car is sort of against NCAA rules.
 
If McFadden is ruled ineligible for the Cotton Bowl then what looked to be a matchup that favored the Missouri Tigers looks to be an absolute mismatch.  The Arkansas offense depends on and runs through McFadden.  He will have let his team down in the biggest conceivable way in his last game.  For someone who had been promoted by the Arkansas media as a poster boy for everything that is right about college athletics prior to the Heisman Ceremony he sure seems to be reshaping his image into the typical greedy, self-indulgent modern athlete we all know and hate.  Thank goodness DMac didn’t win the Heisman, the last thing we needed was 2 out of the last 3 Heisman winners to be involved in a scandal that questions their eligibility (Reggie Bush in 2005 being the other scandalized winner).
 
PATRIOTIC HISTORY
 
Much has been made this year about New England and their attempt to become only the second team to go undefeated in an NFL season and the first team to do it since the season expanded to 16 games.  I’ve heard a number of media pundits (many of whom have a very over-inflated value of themselves) declare that the Pats should rest their players for the Super Bowl because the only thing that matter is, of course, winning the Super Bowl.  Uh oh –**RETARD ALERT**– something set off our dumb*ss alarm!!!  Goodness gracious, what could it be?  Maybe that . . . oh yeah, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have won THREE Super Bowls in the past 5 years.  Clearly the pinnacle of all sports achievement would be measured by winning 4 out of 6 years???   Arrrrrgghhhh!!!  The ignorance here is SUFFOCATING!!!
 
The Patriots have a chance to go down in history as one of the greatest teams EVER and accomplish something that has never been done before (winning 19 games in a season).  Go ask Ben Roethlisberger how that Super Bowl win two years ago makes him giddy like a school girl after ever loss this year.  Super Bowl wins are a great way to finish the season but . . . if they are so important then why do we play a new one every year???  This isn’t like when the Buccaneers, a perennial loser, made it to the Super Bowl for the first time.  These are the Patriots - the most dominant NFL franchise this decade.  Whether they win a Super Bowl this year or next year or the year after, their place as the dominant team of the decade is safe.  Only if the Colts were to win the next two Super Bowls could they make a strong claim to that position. (more…)

Frank Haith entered this year on the hot seat. Many Hurricane fans were clamoring for his firing a year ago. To clarify when I say many I don’t mean there are a lot of Hurricane basketball fans, just the percentage of fans who actually follow basketball. Because, let’s face it: most Miami fans are probably still busy mourning the football program, and don’t even realize the success on the hardcourt yet. And if history shows us anything, they will not support this team unless they are contending for an ACC Championship late in the year. And even that is no guarantee!

It is too early in the season to suggest that UM will make any noise in the NCAA tournament but not too early to state that their local fanbase will probably be the last group to realize if this team is any good. Even in the heyday of Hamilton, only the games involving St Johns and UConn were sellouts even though Miami spent much of those years ranked. The basketball program is a shadow of what it was back in the late 90s. One thing going for the team is the lack of success in football might lead for some Cane fans to latch onto any scrap of success they can find.

KENTUCKY REELING

I am completely perplexed of the proclamations of doom and gloom I hear from people surrounding the Kentucky basketball program. Folks, I realize that Kentucky is in the SEC and southerners are not the savviest of basketball fans nationally but this ISN’T FOOTBALL!!! It doesn’t matter what you do to start the season, all the matters is how you FINISH THE SEASON!!! Sure, UK is 4-4 but the Wildcats entered the year with a dearth of experienced talent, a difficult schedule and are implementing a new system. This isn’t UNC which brought back virtually the entire team under the same coach and system for the past few years.

It is going to take time before we will know what form the Wildcats will take. A lot of people seem to be down on Billy Gillespie based on how the team is playing. Now I’m not going to suggest I’ve been overly impressed with Gillespie’s in-game strategy but why do people think there isn’t a method to his madness? I’ve watched Billy Donovan stubbornly force his team to execute a system they were clearly struggling in despite being down big in games. Many basketball fans (who have little knowledge of the nuances of basketball) don’t realize that coaching is more than just taking advantage of specific mismatches in an individual game. You might be able to overwhelm an opponent like FAU by forcing the ball to your big men due to a size advantage but when they play SEC foes and are the smaller team . . . you want a team that can execute the entire offense against various defensive looks.

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Is it just me or is anyone else getting a little tired of hearing all the constant denigration of Bobby Petrino for leaving the Atlanta Falcons for the University of Arkansas job?  The bottom line is that, no matter the manner in which it was accomplished, Bobby Petrino simply left one job for another.  Where are all the media pundits getting their self-righteous indignation from?  Simple, how DARE a coach leave a great job in the NFL for what all these NFL biased commentators declare to be a “second tier” college coaching position.  Why the sheer impudence of it all!!!
 
The NFL is the most powerful and successful sport in the United States.  Since most of the sport shows originate from the Northeast and are populated by people who graduate from schools that don’t even have legitimate football programs, they are NFL cronies.  The overall knowledge of NCAA sports (football, basketball, etc) is so slight that anything unrelated to the NFL, MLB or perhaps the NBA is considered rural and off the mainstream.  Thus how could they possibly understand someone leaving a sport they know for a sport they don’t understand?  And essentially they are so removed from college football that it’s virtually another sport to them.
 
Bobby Petrino left with 3 games remaining . . . and your point is???  What exactly would waiting three more games on a team that was 3-10 effectively accomplish???  What is the difference between going on a three game roll and finishing 6-10 compared to ending up 3-13?  Worse draft picks for the franchise next year?  What friggin difference does it make?  It’s more important for a college coach to be in place now because of the recruiting impact.  And maybe . . . just maybe . . . based on all the people jettisoning from the NFL coaching ranks these days that the life of an NFL coach might . . . perhaps . . . umm . . . SUCK???? (more…)