Does Florida have the QB of the post-Tim Tebow era?

If we’re to believe Coach Urban Meyer, yes. After Friday Night Lights, a 2010 quarterback recruit committed to UF. Apparently, Mr. Burton converted from tailback and had an outstanding first-year campaign at Venice High School.

But wait, 2010? If Tebow left for the NFL after his junior season, that would only leave two quarterbacks on the roster, Cam Newton and John Brantley. The former has had his issues as a backup QB, while the latter is a pro-style QB and a relatively poor fit for the spread offense.

So the only logical explanation for signing a greenhorn QB and putting the 2009 season in jeopardy - was if Tebow stayed for his senior year and left Burton, Newton, and Brantley to themselves after he graduated. Conspiracy theories, anyone?

Nothing against Trey, but I’m not convinced that he’s the immediate answer to UF’s problems. Instead, signing and redshirting a 2009 prospect makes much more sense:

1. If Tebow were indeed to leave after his junior season, the Gators have a third QB on their roster. It’s a good insurance policy.

2. Adjusting to the college game takes time. Let the guy have a year to learn the ropes without feeling pressured to produce.

3. It’s easier to project seniors than juniors; they have more experience.

4. The guy can pick Tebow’s brain on being a starting SEC quarterback. Unfortunately, barring a Tebow redshirt, Burton won’t get that chance.

5. The guy can develop some good chemistry with the team.

6. In short, the guy will be flat out better prepared to take over when Tebow does leave.

Historically, quarterbacks will always look good in gimmicky offenses. Timmy Chung and Colt Brennan set NCAA records in Hawaii’s Run-N-Shoot. David Klingler put up huge numbers after Andre Ware left Houston. Even Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer benefited from USC’s pro-style system and Norm Chow’s tutelage. Heck, Danny Wuerffel went above and beyond Shane Matthew’s numbers under the OBC.

But Burton will entering a lion’s den when he arrives on campus. To make matters worse, he won’t have a stool and a whip to tame all the beasts heading his way. Expect the 2010 and 2011 seasons to be rebuilding years.

Sorry, guys, but I just don’t see the next Tim Tebow. Well, not yet.

When you field a “below the rim” team like the 2008 Florida Gators, you live and die by your shot. They didn’t fall for Florida in their NIT semifinal game against the Minutemen. With a pretty good defensive effort and some made free throws, you can make up for that; but the Gators were good for only one of two, holding the Minutemen to 42% field goal shooting, while going a miserable 8-21 from the charity stripe.

Game over. Season over.

It was a roller coaster ride of a season: sometimes exhilarating, occasionally terrifying and often downright frustrating.

The Gators didn’t lose to UMass because of heart or intensity, they lost because they’re simply not a complete basketball team that is capable of shifting gears and winning games with “Plan B.”

This team is a work in progress. The pieces are not fundamentally flawed, but the puzzle hasn’t come together yet, and it might take another season to really get things to gel.

Still, I’ve grown to appreciate this squad again. Not just because they made a deep NIT run, which was nice, but because of the way they banded together and tried to pull out a championship. Maybe it just wasn’t in the cards this year.

Next year, fellas, Gator Nation expects you to be better. Much better. With the talent on this squad, a year of off-season conditioning, and a quick glance around the SEC at what’s returning, I see no reason why you shouldn’t be contending to win the SEC. No reason at all. And without question we should be discussing which seed you’ll earn, rather than which tournament you’ll play in, next February. (more…)

Embarassing confession: I fell asleep during the second half of Florida’s 68-59 loss to Mississippi State. True, I wasn’t operating on much sleep that day, but… that game sucked from the tip.

Mississippi State is a good, but not great team. They had well-documented weaknesses which our guys didn’t exploit. For the Gators, the defensive intensity was there for a change, but the offense was downright ugly. A halfassitality (it’s my own word, deal) for keeping a grip on the ball and some missed chippies combined to doom the Gators in a game they had the tools to win.

I love our team, but I haven’t been enjoying Gator basketball lately.

I can handle youthful mistakes, I fully understand that this team has already overachieved — I think — and I know it’s a rebuilding year. Don’t remind me! But for a healthy team with the talents ours enjoys, this is one of three games I can think of where it seems we lost because of a lack of focus. I’d add those up to be LSU, Vandy (in the final moments) and now Misisssippi State. Taking nothing away from the Bulldogs, who have some good if not great players, but Rick Stansbury has to love the fact that Florida consistently played right into his hands.

I’m dreaming of next year already. This team can be really good and I expect them to be serious contenders for the SEC in ‘09. I just hate to be thinking that way with two regular season games left, the SEC-T (which we’ve dominated for three years now) and of course the NCAA Tournament.

I don’t like watching Gator basketball in its current form. It’s not enjoyable. I’ve seen a lot of ugly basketball, and forgive me for the comparison, but I prefer watching Kentucky more. They may be less talented overall, but at least they leave every ounce of it out on the court. I appreciate that from a hoops team.

Tennessee comes to visit next. Most will count it as an almost surefire loss. I’m not so sure. It’ll be competitive. If we can catch the Vols napping a bit we can win the game. I don’t have a good feeling about playing Kentucky at Rupp. They look hardened, battle-tested, and pissed off. Yeah, our odds are better without Patterson on the floor, but if they can stick it to the Vols the way they did in Thompson-Boling, how are we going to be able to stop them? Plus, Joe Crawford and Ramel Bradley desperately want to remove their “Property of UF” tags and will do everything it takes to win one in eight against the hated Gators.

A win against the Vols would do wonders, but for now… how ’bout that Spring Game?

Remember USC? They’re baaaaaaack.

After coming heart-wrenchingly close to pulling out a win against us on their home turf, the Gamecocks are hen-pecked heading into Gainesville. The Gators have hit such a skid that they know anyone poses a threat.

Simply put, of all the “big” games Florida’s had over the past few weeks, this one takes it to an entirely different level. With no guarantee of being chosen on selection Sunday, they MUST win this game to break the slide. In all likelihood, this is the last game on the schedule where they will be the clear favorites to win. ‘Nuff said.

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It may not seem apparent, but the Kentucky win was also an important moral victory. Florida maintained momentum from wins over Alabama and Auburn. Mareese Speights took a step toward shedding the “underachiever” mentality. Kentucky couldn’t crack 8-8.

Which raises the important question: Can the Gators keep up the pace? They can help themselves if they know their tendencies.

This group isn’t going to win with force; it lacks the muscle. Rather, execution and timing become paramount. The Gators may only be able to do 20 things while other teams can do 30. But if they can perform those 20 things better than anyone else, they can make up for their lack of variety in offense.

Look at what happened against UK. Speights shot a blistering 67% of his field goals. Nick Calathes did not miss a free throw in overtime. Jai Lucas had no turnovers in the ENTIRE game. Much of Florida’s early success can be attributed to the Wildcats’ sloppy execution on the offensive end, allowing steals. Oh yeah, the entire team held Kentucky to 26% in tres while hitting 50% themselves.
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From the O&B Hue mailbag: world-famous Huer Vince Gagliano checks in…

There was an interesting storyline behind the Capital One Bowl game. In case you’re unaware, we just happened to beat Michigan’s fiercest rival in football and basketball last year, perhaps a secret reason that the bowl committee scheduled the Wolvies. But now that UF’s season is over, there are a number of interesting storylines for the 2008 season:

How does Tim Tebow follow up his season?

It has taken Gainesville’s finest just two years to accomplish nearly everything Danny Wuerffel did in five. Between the two, Wuerffel is one Davey O’ Brien award, one Draddy Trophy, and one Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award extra. That’s about it, and even the DT and JUGAA are primarily for upperclassmen, with the JUGAA restricted to seniors only.

Basically, there is only one thing #15 needs to do to put the finishing touch on his already historic career. Win a national championship - this time as the starter, and there’s no debate as to who really is the greatest Gator QB.

Will Manny Moody and Carl Moore step up?

Losing Andre Caldwell slightly stalls the Gators’ offensive firepower next season. Bubba was a tough possession-oriented receiver who served as the perfect foil to speedy Percy Harvin. If Moore can muscle past the scout team defenses in practice, he’ll fit in nicely with the offensive scheme. Unfortunately, as a junior college transfer, Florida fans will only get to see him for two years, if that.
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With the 2007 season winding down to an end I decided it was time to start ranking the top returning impact players in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) for the 2008 season.  The following players are ranked in order of impact I expect them to have on the how the conference shapes out next year.
 
1) Tim Tebow (Florida) - What can we say?  He will either win the Heisman in 2007 or be the leading candidate by far for 2008 or both.  In his first year in the spread I think all the SEC naysayers are seeing the offense of the future.  LSU already runs a spread and both teams have the type of playmakers to excel with the spread in the future.  Tebow has greatly improved his progression on passing plays and next year you can expect his offensive efficiency to be beyond what it is now.  After a full season and another spring practice Tebow will be reacting rather than thinking in games.  And THAT could be a very scary proposition for opponents.
 
2) Knowshon Moreno (Georgia) - Say what you will about Matt Stafford, he’s a quarterback who came to Georgia with all the hype and glory but Moreno has become the heart of the Bulldogs.  Without his running Georgia’s offense would still be as anemic as it looked against South Carolina and Vandy.  With Knowshon running and gashing opposing defenses Georgia is a team that can control the clock and impose its will on opponents thus improving both the offensive AND defensive play. 
 
3) Earl Bennett (Vanderbilt) - The best wide receiver in the conference who unfortunately plays for one of the worst offenses in the conference.  He’s virtually the entire Vanderbilt passing attack and defenses all gameplan around him.  Despite this attention Bennett continues to put up great numbers and proving he is physically beyond your typical college receiver.  Already the best WR in Vandy history, he might end up leaving after this year for the NFL draft.  If he stays he will be the best WR in the league.
 
4) Felix Jones (Arkansas) - Another player who could choose to go to the NFL but with the foregone loss of Darren McFadden he could also stay and become the focus of the Arkansas offense next year.  Another influence in his decision could be whomever Arkansas hires to replace Houston Nutt.  Jones is a big time playmaker with an average yard per carry that is truly staggering (over 9 yards).  He’s also a NFL first rounder and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him and DMac leave for the NFL.  This could be a very deep year at running back though with all the juniors who could announce - Jonathan Stewart (Oregon), Steve Slaton (West Virginia), Rashard Mendenhall (Illinois), Javon Ringer (Michigan State), Ray Rice (Rutgers), Felix Jones (Arkansas), Kevin Smith (UCF), Jamaal Charles (Texas), James Davis (Clemson), Ian Johnson (Boise State), and Arian Foster (Tennessee) - so neither would I be surprised if he stays a year to improve his position on the board. (more…)

I managed to watch about half of the telecast (I was in Jacksonville for that… abomination). I came away feeling that our outlook is even bleaker and more depressing than I originally thought.

Kestahn Moore was a walking catastrophe in this game. He played a pivotal role in every one of our most disastrous plays.

His first fumble, on Florida’s first drive, came as a result of lousy ball security. He took a hit from the opposite side he was carrying the ball, the Georgia tackler just brushed the ball with his forearm, and the ball popped out. He might have dropped this ball even if it wasn’t touched. 9 plays later, Georgia’s entire bench was celebrating in the endzone. That’s a 14-point swing.

I blame the coaches for the next call — putting Moore in the shotgun for a direct snap. This was one of a number of trick plays in which Tebow was motioned out from under center. Stupid. The snap was high but it was catchable; Moore made a half-hearted attempt to snag it, but it looked like he was distracted or unready for the hup when it came. Moore recovered his fumble but it drove the Gators out of scoring range.

That dumb 4th-and-2 call by Mullen? You know, the one where we absolutely had to have a first down so we could keep scoring and stay in the game? Even though we were running lights out with Harvin and James on perimeter and stretch running plays, he called a reverse. Kestahn Moore was a key blocker on that play and was pushed back off the line of scrimmage so far that he picked off Harvin’s route, forcing Caldwell to hold onto the pigskin in an attempt to make some kind of miracle happen when he cut upfield. This play never had a chance. Again, the coaches share a lot of blame for this one.

The fumble with under 2:00 to go, when Florida was driving inside of Georgia’s 10-yard line? Again, Kestahn Moore was the guy late to get up to the line. Drew Miller was watching the play clock wind down and when it hit :01, he just snapped the ball. Of course, it bounced off of Kestahn Moore and killed whatever slim hopes the Gators had to recover an onside kick.

4 scoring opportunities. I believe we would’ve scored on all of those drives had we held onto the ball or converted. We ended up with zero points instead.

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This says it all.

I can’t wait to see what Kerwin Bell does in the college game at Jacksonville University. All the successful coaches made something out of nothing, and we will see if Kerwin Bell and his staff can create some magic. Here is a portion of the interview :

Q: At Ocala Trinity Catholic you were known for a wide-open, high-scoring offense. Are you going to implement that offense at JU?

We’re going to be real aggressive [offensively]. I think some coaches are inclined to be conservative by nature. Being a former quarterback I can take criticism. I know what it’s like to be booed. I think criticism bothers a lot of coaches and they get into a shell, get defensive and they think they can’t do something they’re going to be criticized for, but I’ve been criticized so many times it doesn’t bother me. I want my players to understand that I want them to be in attack mode. Every play we’re going to put them in a position to make a great play. We want them to be aggressive in their nature, their thoughts, everything. I’m always going to be trying to score points. I believe if we coach [the players] good enough I’ll have no fear calling a pass play from the 5-yard line because I know we’ve coached those kids to where we’re going to execute that play and something positive is going to happen.

Q: You coached under Steve Spurrier for one season as a graduate assistant. How influential was Spurrier on your coaching and your offensive system?

My philosophy really started to develop under Steve Spurrier. He didn’t coach me, but I got a chance to coach under him and watch what he did. He really got me excited about coaching, about trying to develop perfection on the field. That what excites me, coaching players to perfection. Everybody thinks it’s [Spurrier’s] plays, but everybody runs his plays, it’s the way he implements it. It’s the timing, the rhythm. Developing that with players so the offense runs with great execution. We strive for perfection.