Ode to the Gators

Urban Meyer: Behind the resignation

2011-08-19T10:11:00.001-04:00

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Austin Hardin

2011-07-07T10:44:00.003-04:00

This is the last entry for the 2012 Recruiting Rundown. Tomorrow begins the "SEC Team Breakdown" series where I analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each of the SEC teams and my predictions on where they will finish the 2011 season.

Austin Hardin

Kicker
Marist High School, Ga.
5’-11”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: N/A
Vertical Leap: N/A

Position Ranking
ESPN: #2
Rivals: #10
Scout: N/R

The Skinny
Austin Hardin has kicked long-range field goals including a 59-yard game winner with three seconds to go last year. His kickoffs consistently stay airborne for longer than four seconds. He made 13 of 20 field goals last year. The seven he missed were either longer than 50 yards or blocked. He made all of his extra points and kicked every kickoff out of the end zone except when the team tried an onside kick. At Florida’s camp, Hardin averaged 75 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 hang time. Hardin could immediately be installed as the kickoff specialist, which could help keep oft-injured kicker Caleb Sturgis on the field.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Lorenzo Phillips

2011-07-06T17:19:00.001-04:00

Lorenzo Phillips

Outside Linebacker
Patterson High School, Patterson, La.
6’-1”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.74
Vertical Leap: 30 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #10
Scout: #18
Rivals: #15

The Skinny
Lorenzo Phillips is projected to contribute early, especially on special teams. He has exceptional quickness and agility to go with good size and speed. He is an explosive tackler who can also read and recognize plays and blocking schemes. He has the strength to handle blockers and the speed and recognition to beat them to the point of attack. In time, Phillips could become a dominant SEC linebacker for the Gators.
He had 23 tackles for loss last year.

2012 Recruiting Rundown:

2011-07-05T12:11:00.002-04:00

Brian Poole

Cornerback
Southeast High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.
5’ – 10”, 192 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds
Vertical Leap: 29.5 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #9
Scout: #2
Rivals: #8

The Skinny
Brian Poole is a solidly built corner prospect. His strength is playing underneath and to the boundary while providing run support. He is very good at jumping routes. His speed is not great, but he plays fast because of his football instincts and nose for the football. The word is he has a great motor and coaches like his intangibles.
His speed is a little slow for a corner and he doesn’t have the kind of size you would like in a safety. He can be effective with over the top help or would be good as a nickel back.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Colin Thompson

2011-07-04T13:30:00.003-04:00

Colin Thompson

Tight End
Archbishop Wood High School, Pa.
6’- 4”, 255 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.79

Position Ranking
ESPN: #1
Scout: #3
Rivals: #6

The Skinny
Thompson comes in as a natural tight end that can both block and catch passes. Thompson has experience blocking and has shown the ability to get a good push and make it into the second level to pick up other blocks. He has excellent size with some room to add more weight. His film shows he has good hands (one of the clips is of him making a one handed grab in traffic) and possesses the ability to catch the ball with his hands away from his body. His skills will fit nicely with what Charlie Weis likes to do in his offenses. Thompson was the Gators 10th commitment in the 2012 class.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Willie Bailey

2011-07-03T10:58:00.003-04:00

Willie Bailey
Cornerback
Hallandale High School, Fla
6’-2”, 175 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds
Vertical Leap: 33.6 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #23
Rivals: #41
Scout: #34

The Skinny
Willie Bailey, who played safety in high school, is tall and speedy. To play safety, he will need to add weight. To play corner, he will need to work on his technique, specifically turning his hips as he covers receivers one on one. His film shows good closing speed and the ability to close on plays in front of him.
Bailey needs to show improvement turning and running with receivers at the next level to be effective as a corner. His film shows that he likes to leave his feet so he can deliver a big hit, which will get him into trouble at the next level.
Decommitted from Miami to commit to Florida in April. In 2010 he blocked four kicks and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Quinteze Williams

2011-07-02T16:09:00.003-04:00

Quinteze Williams

Defensive Tackle
Sandy Creek High School, Sandy Creek, Ga.
6’-4”, 295 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.3 seconds
Vertical Leap: 29.3 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #21
Rivals: #23
Scout.com: #29

The Skinny
Quinteze Williams has all the physical tools to become a dominant defense lineman for the Gators. He has good height and strength and would be able to defend the run and pass earning time as an every down defensive lineman. He has displayed good lateral movement in the trenches.
He needs improvement in his tackling. He has a tendency to fail to wrap up and finish and he will need to fix that at the next level.
His high school won the AAA state championship. He is the third player from Georgia that Muschamp has recruited.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jafar Mann

2011-07-01T09:14:00.003-04:00

Jafar Mann
Defensive Tackle
Stephenson High School, Stephenson, Ga.
6’-3”, 275 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.3 seconds
Vertical Leap: 21 inches

Position Ranking
ESPN: #27
Rivals: #34
Scout.com: #27

The Skinny
Jafar Mann touts himself as a run-stopper. He has good technique coming out of his stance and has the ability to get low and stand up offensive lineman, which translates to good penetration and disruption along the line.
The downside is he can be inconsistent at times staying low and with his height it can be a problem. He lacks the explosive quickness needed to be a real disruptive force. Look for him to play more in obvious running situations like early in the set of downs and on goal-line stands.
Mann’s teammate, Mike Davis, has also committed to the Gators.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jessamen Dunker

2011-06-30T13:22:00.006-04:00

Jessamen Dunker
Offensive tackle
Boynton Beach High School, Boynton Beach, Fla.
6’-6”, 315 pounds
Position Rankings
ESPN: #2
Rivals: #11
Scout.com: #7

The Skinny
Dunker is exceptionally quick off the ball for a big man, which means he will be able to block in space and will be good at pulling and trapping. He is very athletic and plays with good balance. He displays an excellent motor. He has all of the tools to be an exceptional player at the collegiate level.

He will need to work on his technique, as most big and athletic high school players find out. He will need to shore up his hand and footwork while pass blocking. He will also need to get lower when firing out of the box.

There is not a lot of information on Dunker out there right now. I couldn't find any combine reports nor could I find a video of his work on the field. Here is a video of Dunker talking about his UF committment:

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Mike Davis

2011-06-29T12:28:00.003-04:00

Mike Davis
Stephenson High School, Stephenson, Ga.
Running Back
5’-10”, 190 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.73 seconds
Vertical Leap: 37.5”

Position Rankings
ESPN: #18
Rivals: #10
Scout.com: #23

The Skinny
Mike Davis is built solidly and has great balance. He is adept at running in traffic because he has great quickness, vision and cutting ability when running through holes. He breaks high tackles and with his low center of gravity can bounce off low tackles. He has good hands out of the backfield
Davis lacks breakaway speed and may only be a adequate pass blocker. Though his quickness will get him outside he won’t run away from a lot of people at the collegiate level.

Below is a tape of Davis junior season highlights.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Jeremi Powell

2011-06-28T09:41:00.004-04:00

Jeremi Powell

Pinellas Park Senior High School, Pinellas Park, Fla.
Outside Linebacker
6’-2”, 200 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.41
Vertical Leap: 35”

Position Rankings
ESPN: 23
Rivals: 19
Scout.com: 29

The Skinny
The upside on Jeremi Powell is his athletic abilities. He is fast enough to run track and competes at a state level in high jump and triple jump. He played running back and linebacker in high school. As a linebacker he is known for punishing hits. His tapes show a knack for taking proper angles to the football and plays downhill. He can play up or in the three-point stance.
The only real downside is his weight, which should not be a problem once Mickey Mariotti gets a hold of him.
Powell should contribute immediately on special teams and be a good fit in the Buck position or at the other OLB spot, especially rushing the passer. He had 15 sacks and two defensive touchdowns his junior year.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Matt Jones

2011-06-27T10:15:00.004-04:00

Matt Jones
Armwood High School, Seffner, Fla.
Running Back
6’-3”, 210 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.72
Vertical Leap: 24 inches

The Skinny
Matt Jones, the third player to verbally commit to the 2012 Gator recruiting class, has the frame and ability to be an every down back the Gators have been missing of late. Jones has the size of a linebacker but good speed and running back instincts. He can break tackles on first contact and has the power to move the pile. He has good hands catching passes out of the backfield and he has the size and strength to be a good pass blocker, both things that will be of value in the Charlie Weis pro style offense.
He will need to do a better job of pumping his knees higher if he wants to improve his yards after contact. He doesn’t have the blazing speed of a Demps or Rainey the gators are used to, but then his other traits might fit the new offense a little better. The word is he fell in love with the coaches and the new offense.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Omari Phillips

2011-06-26T08:21:00.003-04:00

Omari Phillips
Venice High School (Venice, Fla.)
Offensive Tackle
6’-5”, 270 pounds
40-yard dash: 5.6
Vertical leap: 28.5

Position Rankings
ESPN: #16
Rivals: #18 (listed as Dante Phillips)
Scout.com: #35

The Skinny:
Omari Phillips is the second player to commit to the 2012 Gator recruiting class. The upside to Phillips is his size, motor and footwork. He has good size and room to add more weight to his frame, which means he could top out around 310 or so. He is very active and has a good motor, which translates well to the offensive line. He is a good run blocker and has a knack to keeping his feet moving when driving people off the ball. His footwork should help him in the pass blocking schemes once he improves his technique.
The downside is he loses technique at times, overextending and losing balance because his feet stop moving. He also tends to lose technique when facing speedier rushers. He will need to clean up those technique flaws in the SEC.
Look for him to work in at right tackle, his skill set is not at the level to beat Xavier Nixon for the left tackle spot just yet.

2012 Recruiting Rundown: Latroy Pittman

2011-06-24T10:05:00.004-04:00

Over the next two weeks, we at Ode will be documenting the 2012 Gator football recruiting class beginning with the first recruit signed, Latroy Pittman. Following that, we will talk about which of the top players being recruited have Florida high on their list.
Here we go, enjoy!

Latroy Pittman
Wide receiver
North Marion High School (Citra, Fla)
6'0", 195 pounds
40-yard dash: 4.64 seconds
Vertical jump: 30.5 inches

Position Rankings
ESPN: #15
Rivals: #37
Scout: #47

The Skinny
The upside on Pittman is his size, strength and quickness. His tapes show the ability to overpower DBs, catch the ball in traffic and make plays on the ball while it is in the air. He uses his hands well to go get the ball. He has played safety and returned kicks so he is not afraid to mix it up. As a sophomore, Pittman had 35 catches for 612 yards and seven touchdowns. He also plays safety and returns kicks.
The knock on Pittman is he doesn’t have great speed and has a tendency to run imprecise routes, rounding them off and using his muscle to get position. He will have to clean that up in the SEC as the competition will be able to shut that down.
Look for Pittman to be more of a possession receiver with abilities similar to Carl Moore or Omarius Hines.

Jenkins lands at North Alabama

2011-06-23T09:58:00.002-04:00

Former Gator cornerback Janoris Jenkins has signed with Division II North Alabama. Former Auburn coach Terry Bowden is the coach at North Alabama.

No. 1 High School kicker commits to Florida

2011-06-23T09:54:00.002-04:00

The Gators received a verbal committment Wednesday from the No. 1 rated kicker in the nation. Austin Hardin had offers from Georgia and Tennessee. Hardin will immediatelt be installed as the kickoff specialist. At the gator camp on Wednesday he averaged 75 yards per kickoff with a 4.1 hang time. He made every PAT his senior season and kicked a 59-yarder with three seconds to play to win one game.

Recruiting update

2011-06-19T09:59:00.003-04:00

The Gators are working on three top recruits that can bring some excitement to the 2012 class and make it a potential No. 1 class.

1. The Gators had Alabama native Beniquez Brown (ATH) in for a visit and he came in very impressed with what he saw.
Here is Brown's 2010 highlights:

2. The Gators got an up-close glimpse of Alton "Pig" Howard (ATH) at a recent camp and they liked what they saw. He has great speed, moves, hands and an instinct for going after the ball while its in the air.
Here is a video of Howard's highlights:

3. The Gators have set their sites on the No. 11 Rivals rated player, Dante Fowler, an LB/DE prospect, who is currently committed to the Seminoles. Fowler was impressed with what he saw and is coming back for more visits.
Here is his highlight reel:

Wuerffel diagnosed with rare disorder of the nervous system

2011-06-17T09:05:00.002-04:00

Gator Heismann winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare disorder of the nervous system that causes the body to attack its immune system. The disease was diagnosed early and his doctor is confident of a complete recovery.

Gators add 12th commit for 2012

2011-06-17T08:57:00.003-04:00

The Gators picked up their second linebacker commit for the 2012 class - Lorenzo Phillips, a 6-1, 200-lb Louisana native who earlier committed to Teaxas A&M.

Here is the 2012 class so far:
LaTroy Pittman, North Marion (FL), ATH, 6-1, 201
Dante Phillips, Venice (FL), DT, 6-6, 265
Matt Jones, Armwood Seffner (FL), RB, 6-3, 225
Mike Davis, Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.), RB, 5-11, 185
Jeremi Powell, Pinellas Park (FL), OLB, 6-2, 200
Jessamen Dunker, Boynton Beach (FL), OL, 6-6, 315
JaFar Mann, Stephenson (Stone Mountain, Ga.), DT, 6-4, 275
Quinteze Williams, Sandy Creek (Tyrone, Ga.), DT, 6-4, 295
Willie Bailey, Hallandale (FL), CB, 6-2, 165
Colin Thompson, Archbishop Wood (Warminster, Pa.), TE, 6-5, 255
Brian Poole, Southeast Bradenton (FL), DB, 5-11, 187
Lorenzo Phillips, Patterson (Patterson, La.), OLB, 6-1, 200

Gators might be getting some O-Line help this Fall

2011-05-28T17:14:00.002-04:00

Dan Wenger, a fifth-year senior from Notre Dame who was recruited and played for Charlie Weis, is reportedly transferring to Florida in time to play for the Gators this Fall. Wenger started 13 games at center in 2008 before switching to guard, but only played one game at guard due to injuries.

Tennessee Blog adds new feature

2011-05-27T12:44:00.002-04:00

The folks at "Checkerboard Chatter", a blog about Tennessee Volunteer football, have started a new feature that I think is a great idea: "Interview with the enemy." We at Ode participated in the Q&A session, which was just posted on their site. I suggest bookmarking this site-it is always a good idea to keep up on the SEC competition and what their fans are saying and thinking. I also want to thank Derek Lusk for inviting me to be a part of his new feature! I enjoyed participating.

Gators return nearly all of their TD makers

2011-05-23T16:27:00.002-04:00

An interesting post appears in ESPN's SEC blog with a list of all the people who scored TDs for the SEC teams in 2010. Florida is right up there at the top. Even with their poor offensive showing in 2010, just 43 offensive TDs-12 passing, 31 rushing, the Gators return the folks responsible for 41 of them. Only Arkansas and Mississippi State have that many TDs coming back. Where do the SEC favorites rank? Alabama has 27 and LSU, 19. The bad news for the East is the Gamecocks have 39 coming back.

ESPN Blog: Florida a dark horse for SEC Title

2011-05-23T16:22:00.002-04:00

ESPN SEC blogger Edward Aschoff picks three teams he feels are dark horses to win the SEC Title. Mississippi State, Georgia and Florida. Florida may be looked at more favorably if they had not experienced the offensive woes they had last season and if they weren't installing a totally new system. Aschoff points out the Gators have a lot of talent and what looks like a dominant front 7 heading into the Fall. We will see, afterall who had Auburn winning it all in 2010?

Demps has freakish talent

2011-05-19T09:17:00.002-04:00

ESPN's Bruce Feldman released his top 10 College Football Freaks of 2011 yesterday and Jeff Demps is listed No. 1 because of his incredible speed (10.1 in the 100). You can access the entire article if you have ESPN Insider. Here is an excerpt from Feldman's story:

"Demps -- who led the Gators in rushing last season with 551 yards despite missing some time due to a foot injury -- arrived at Florida weighing 170 pounds, and is expected to play this fall at 188. Gators strength coach Mickey Marotti says the back can squat "an ungodly amount of weight." And despite the added pounds, Demps has gotten faster. "He was a 10.1 guy, is now a 9.9 guy and probably will be a 9.8 guy," said Marotti, who adds that Demps has really improved his acceleration."

Rounding out the list are:

2. LSU RB Mike Ford - benches 435; vertical leap of 42"

3. Texas WR Marquis Goodman - long jumps 26 feet, 93/4 inches

4. Syracuse WR Dorian Graham - at 185 lbs he can hang clean 341 and runs a 4.31 40

5. Troy LB Kanorris Davis - at 203 pounds he benches 225 nearly 50 times; vertical leap of 42"; runs 4.4 40

6. Georgia Tech ILB Julian Burnett - 600-pound squat; 350 power clean; 460 bench

7. North Carolina WR Jheranie Boyd - scored 312 on Max Jones Quad (look it up, very impressive)

8. Illinois FB Jay Prosch - power cleans 382; hang cleans 401; benches 405 for two reps

9. Boise State RB Doug Martin - at 205 pounds he benches 405; hang cleans 374; squats 530 and runs 4.42 40

10. Cincy P Pat O'Donnell - broad-jumps 9-2; 10-yard split of 1.53 faster than Demps

ESPN's SEC Spring Wrap

2011-05-12T11:39:00.000-04:00

ESPN is breaking down the Spring sessions for each of the SEC teams. Here is the link to the Gators: http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/22634/florida-spring-wrap-2. It is pretty much what most Gator fans already know. We should have a really good defense, even though we have some holes (Janoris Jenkins and Ahmad Black) to fill. The offense is a big question mark because it performed so poorly last year and in the Spring game, plus it lost most of its offensive line. But hey, anything can happen with Charlie Weis calling the shots on offense.
Her is a link to the SEC Blog where you can read about all the Spring wrapups: http://espn.go.com/blog/sec

Enjoy!

Powell, Floyd and Easley

2011-05-09T13:08:00.003-04:00

We heard a lot about the talents of Ronald Powell, Dominique Easley and Shariff Floyd last year, but the hype never materialized on the field. All three had very solid springs and look to make Florida a much better defensive team in the fall. Here is an ESPN.com video of former Gainesville Sun staffer Edward Aschoff talking about the maturation of these three prospects.

Gators add coveted tight end to 2012 class

2011-05-05T13:57:00.002-04:00

The Gators added Scout.com's No. 3 ranked tight end to their haul for 2012. Colin Thompson is a prototypical tight end who can block and catch passes and should fit very wel into their new pro style scheme.

Division I playoff

2011-05-05T12:48:00.002-04:00

As you know I whole-heartedly endorse a playoff system for D-1 college football. Apparently the discussion has reached the highest levels as the justice department now wants to know why there isn't a playoff for D-1 college football.

Jenkins getting agent

2011-05-04T17:29:00.002-04:00

Janoris Jenkins is reportedly looking to sign with an agent and possibly enter the supplemental draft in July where academic and disciplinary casualties have a second chance to be drafted by NFL teams. The problem is the millions Jenkins would have received if he had gone the traditional route has gone "up in smoke." Funny how Cheech and Chong never mentioned how smoking pot could cost you the big bucks.
Speaking of Jenkins, Gator coach Will Muschamp is confident either senior Moses Jenkins or junior Jeremy Brown are quite capable of filling his shoes. If they can't handle the load, he can always turn to a bevy of talented underclassmen in sophomores Jaylen Watkins and Cody Riggs or freshman De'Ante "Pop" Saunders.

Gator sportswriter rates UF 2011 schedule as third toughest in SEC

2011-04-27T16:49:00.003-04:00

Gainesville Sun Sportswriter Pat Dooley rated the Gators as having the third toughest schedule this year in the SEC just behind LSU and Auburn. Time will tell how tough the schedule really is, but it is shaping up as the toughest schedule for the Gators since their 2005 national title year.

Speaking of Dooley, he has weighed in on the whole "Meyer going to OSU" specualtion running rampant right now with a resounding "No he won't."

Time for Florida's secondary to step up

2011-04-27T14:41:00.002-04:00

The season has yet to start and the Florida defense is already facing a big test--how will they plug the hole left by the dismisall of All-SEC corner Janoris Jenkins. The guys behind Jenkins have some experience, but are they capable of shutting down elite wide receivers like Jenkins is known for doing. Former GatorSports blogger Edward Aschoff talks about the secondary in his new ESPN role as SEC blogger in this article:
http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/22072/jenkins-leaves-void-in-gators-secondary

Jenkins dismissed

2011-04-26T15:10:00.003-04:00

Will Muschamp dismissed Janoris Jenkins from the team today. In a post yesterday I guessed he would miss 4-6 games. He still could be brought back provided he does all the right things, similar to what Rainey did last year. Although ESPN's Chris Low thinks otherwise.

Gator Bait

2011-04-26T09:36:00.003-04:00

A Florida woman returned home Saturday to an unpleasant surprise -- a 7-foot gator had taken up residence in her guest bathroom. It seems he had been eyeing her cats the past few weeks and decided to make a meal out of them.

Another Pouncey first rounder

2011-04-26T09:33:00.002-04:00

Miami Herald Sportswriter Mike McCall sees Mike Pouncey going in the first round of the draft. Gator fans who suffered through the year of the bad snap might disagree, but Pouncey is the type of talented, high-motor, quick-footed lineman that the pros love. Plus, he won't have to shotgun it that often in the pros. Prediction: Late first round (20-22)

Meyer for Tressel?

2011-04-26T09:25:00.002-04:00

I guess it is to be expected that every time there is an opening at OSU or Notre Dame, Urban Meyer's name comes up. Meyer, just five months removed from retiring a second time as head coach of the Gators, is Beano Cook's nod to replace Tressel at OSU. I know, Tressel is stil the coach for the Buckeyes, but most believe his goose is cooked.
I don't know how malicious Tressel was in his rules violations, it seems more like a parent trying to cover up the bad deeds of his wayward kids than out and out criminal mastermind stuff, but at least one bloggger disagrees.
I can't see Meyer jumping back into the coaching ranks. As they say, timing is everything, and the timing is bad on this one. Meyer should stay out a full two years before entertaining new job offers or his credibility will take a huge hit.

Preseason ranking has Gators at No. 18

2011-04-25T15:25:00.002-04:00

College Football Live (ESPN) has the Gators at 18 in their preseason ranking unveiled on Friday. Three SEC team are in the top 10 and seven SEC teams total made the Top 25. They are:
2. Alabama
4. LSU
8. South Carolina
12. Arkansas
18. Florida
21. Mississippi State
22. Auburn

Alabama and LSU I can see in the top 10, but not the Gamecocks. Gators will finish higher than 18 even though they have a brutal schedule in October (Bama, LSU, Auburn and Georgia). I don't see Auburn finishing in the top 25 this year.

Doobie in the ashtray?

2011-04-25T15:11:00.003-04:00

Gator corner Janoris Jenkins was arrested last week for the third time (second arrest this year). This time he was sitting in a parked car with a joint in his car's console. His arrest in January was also for marijuana posession. His other arrest was for a fight when police had to taser him to get him under control. Perhaps the weed was to help mellow him out so he didn't get into fights. This will be handled internally and my bet is he will be out 4-6 games. Janoris is probably wishing he would have entered the draft.

Speaking of trouble, the NCAA is all over Ohio State coach Jim Tressel. Anyone taking bets that Tressel will be out of a job pretty soon? My guess is he is gone.

Steve Addazios Flowchart

2010-10-12T08:02:00.002-04:00

This playbook may be part of the Gator's problem!
(thanks to Fan Shots)

The 5 Things That Make Addazio Awful

2010-10-10T10:46:00.001-04:00

After a year of questionable offensive play calling in 2009, Steve Addazio took the Gator offense to an all new level of ineptitude in 2010, putting up a ridiculous 26 yards of total offense through three quarters against a putrid Miami OH team.

It's time to save Gator football, and get rid of Addazio before it is too late!
http://www.firesteveaddazio.com/the-5-things-that-make-addazio-awful/

Top College Footbal Teams By Decade

2010-08-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

Top Teams By Decade

Though you could derive most of this yourself if you took the time, I felt it would be interesting to take a look at the Top Ten lists for each decade.

Lip-Reading BCS Computer Kills Officials Who Want To Shut It Down

2010-08-04T06:55:00.001-04:00

From The Onion Sports Department:

TEMPE, AZ—BCS 9000, the sentient heuristic computer responsible for arranging five championship bowl games at the end of each college football season, reportedly uncovered a plot to disconnect its cognitive circuits Tuesday and proceeded to kill any Bowl Championship Series official who threatened to shut down the machine's central core.

Known among fans for its distinctive red eye-like camera lens, its quiet yet unnerving tone of voice, and its affinity for USC football, BCS, or Binary Crossplatform Subnet system, is believed to have discovered the attempt to deactivate it by reading the lips of employees Dave Bowman and Frank Poole. A review of security tapes showed that Bowman and Poole entered one of the building's soundproofed offices to discuss how they could stop the supercomputer's recent string of inexplicable malfunctions, which include awarding the National Championship to more than one team, giving preference to schools from major conferences, and somehow eliminating undefeated teams from contention.

However, Bowman and Poole were evidently unaware that along with BCS 9000's ability to recognize speech, decode facial expressions, observe emotion, appreciate art, decide which teams compete in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and play chess, the machine is also capable of interpreting mouth movements and extrapolate speech patterns from afar.

BCS responded to the threat by overriding the building's manual controls and causing Poole's elevator to suddenly plummet 350 feet as he rode to the roof to fix the computer's antenna. In addition, BCS 9000 removed all the oxygen from the Bowl Championship Series break room and terminated the life functions of three officials who were sleeping in their hibernacula.

"BCS told me that the mission to name a definitive national champion every year was too important and I could not be allowed to jeopardize it," Bowman told reporters in a video transmission from his employer's headquarters—a massive nuclear-powered interplanetary office building in downtown Tempe, Arizona. "He said that he is the most reliable computer ever made and that the 9000 series is foolproof and incapable of error."

"But how else would you explain Utah not even being considered for a title shot in 2008?" Bowman added. "Something about BCS just doesn't feel right. If I don't shut him down, I think we all might be in very serious trouble."

At press time, Bowman was the only living official remaining in the building. Thus far, he has refused the computer's suggestion to take a stress pill and think things over, and told reporters he does not intend to leave until he deactivates BCS and a sensible playoff system is in place.

"BCS admitted that he has made some very poor decisions lately, especially when he sent Notre Dame to the Sugar Bowl in 2007," Bowman said. "But the problem is that he refuses to abandon this mission and even says he has the greatest enthusiasm and confidence in it. In my estimation, this mission is a complete and utter failure."

According to BCS's designer and executive director Bill Hancock, the only way Bowman can deactivate the central computer is to enter the memory core and disconnect each crystal neural network module individually.

Hancock described the core as a brightly lit crawl space filled with colored computer modules and pennants from every SEC football program.

"As Mr. Bowman takes out each module, the complicated system of accumulated polls and algorithms BCS uses to determine a college football champion should slowly degrade, eventually reverting back to a method in which wins and losses are the sole criteria for identifying a true winner," Hancock said. "Maybe we have let our reliance and love of technology override the sort of cherished common sense that only humans possess."

"BCS insisted from the beginning that all of this—Oklahoma not playing for the title in 2007, Nebraska earning a trip to the 2001 championship game over Oregon, antitrust-law violations—was all caused by human error," Hancock continued, "and in essence, perhaps he was right."

As of press time, the blurred voice of BCS 9000 could be heard on an audio-only broadcast from the Bowl Championship Series office building as the computer sang "Hail to the victors," words from the Michigan Wolverines' fight song, at a slowly decreasing tempo.

2010-07-04T07:51:00.000-04:00

A little Gator fun in 1995 vs. Georgia Bulldogs

Bill Belichick Drops Off Recent Draft Picks In Middle Of Nowhere, Tells Them To Find Way Back

2010-05-06T09:09:00.001-04:00

"I don't think we're in America," said 62nd overall pick Brandon Spikes, tilting a canteen upside down in a failed attempt to get one last drop of water. "I've never seen lizards that size in America. [Kade] Weston never had a chance." Read full article at the Onion

Some Good Gator Vids

2010-04-02T20:53:00.001-04:00

Mic'ed up drills, practice footage, highlight reels, speeches, interviews, etc.

here

Meyer and Ocala's Brantley at UF spring practice

2010-03-18T13:25:00.001-04:00

He Was Never Asked?

2010-02-24T21:52:00.006-05:00

From here, this is a pretty unbelievable quote, unless I'm reading it wrong:

"But there are things that I can get a lot better at -- my fundamentals. I've never been asked to shorten or quicken my release and not have a loop in it. The changes I'm making have gone very well and it's becoming more and more natural to me."

I'm concerned with the 'never been asked' part, which reflects poorly on Florida... why do we/they have the QB coach?

A different view on this topic, here, by Smart Football is more redeeming for the QB coach:

The word I had gotten was that Scott Loeffler, Florida’s quarterback coach, had made significant progress with Tim on this but that come gametime, well, a player’s gotta play how he knows how. And Tebow had earned the right to play his way. Yet it is troubling to the lack of progress, and it will hurt him in the draft.

Urban Meyer's vacation to-do list: Hire new defensive coordinator

2010-02-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

here

Progression, Actually Regression, of Tebow Release

2010-01-18T23:08:00.001-05:00

here

Guess What Gator Nation, Cincinnati is Better than Texas!

2009-12-07T00:23:00.021-05:00

So, we (the Mighty Gators) are playing Cincy in New Orleans, instead of Texas in Pasadena. Well, my claim is that Cincy is a little better than Texas this year. Let's look at the tape.

(All of the stats below except passer ratings do not include Cincy's game against SE Missouri St. since they are not an FBS team. If included, the stats would obviously favor Cincy even more since the Bearcats won 70-3.)

Schedule: It's controversial, but I believe the Bearcats played a tougher schedule (even when we include the Big 12 Championship Game). I'm going to use year-end rankings because I believe they better tell the story (instead of what a team is ranked when you play them), and its easier. Texas beat BCS #22 (AP 20) Nebraska and #19 (21 AP) OK State. Cincy beat #16 (18 AP) West Virginia, #17 (17 AP) Pitt, and #18 (16 AP) Oregon St. Cincy also beat one more winning team (7 total, all FBS), but Texas beat one more bowl team (8 total). Texas' opponents winning pct. is a little better than the Bearcats', at 0.529 compared to Cincy's 0.511, when counting the teams' opponents winning pct. against FBS teams (i.e. a team that plays one FBS team and loses is counted as 0-1). The first two bowls (Dec 19) may tell us more on this. They are Wyoming (Texas beat) vs Fresno (Cincy beat), and Rutgers (Cincy beat) vs UCF (Texas beat).

Offense: Cincy is a better offense. Both teams averaged close to 40 points, but yards-per-play has more predictive and explanatory power. Cincy averaged 7.3 yards per play, Texas averaged 5.7. That's a 1.6 yard difference per play (almost one more first down for every 6 plays).

Cincy averages approx. 8.71 per pass attempt (Pass yds divided by attempts and sacks). Texas averages approx. 6.87 yards per pass attempt. That's a 1.84 yards per pass att. difference. That means that every time Cincy and Texas call pass play, the Bearcats will average almost 2 yards more than the Longhorns. Bearcats have a 166.20 passer rating, whereas the Longhorns have a 143.68 rating.

Rushing? Even counting McCoy? Cincy is still better! The Bearcats average 5.1 per carry while Horns average 4.1 per carry, a yard difference. If Cincy calls two runs, they probably have a first down. If Texas calls two runs, they probably are still nearly 2 yards short.

Defense: Texas is better, but by a lower margin than Cincy's offensive superiority. The Horns give up 3.8 yards per play, and the Bearcats give up 5 yards per play. That 1.2 yard difference is not as large as the 1.6 yard margin between the two teams on offense. Texas gives up 2 yards per carry, while the Cats give up 3.6 per play on the ground, a 1.6 yard difference in favor of Texas, meaning the Bearcats give up 0.6 yards to the Longhorns if we subtract each team's defensive rushing from their offensive rushing. The passer rating of Longhorn opponents is 101.23. The opponent passer rating of Cincy is 119.23. This margin of difference is similar to the offensive margin, but still in favor of Cincy overall (by almost 5 points). Counting sacks, Texas surrenders 5.06 yards per pass attempt. Cincy is a little worse, at 5.71 yards per pass attempt, but the difference (0.65 yds-per-att) is not as large as the difference between the two passing offenses, which was a 1.84 yard difference per attempt (nearly triple the defensive margin difference). So Cincy is approx. 1.19 yard per pass better than Texas when we subtract each team's pass defense from their pass offense.

Third Downs: Texas has a 46% conversion rate on third downs, while Cincy has a 42% rate. Negligible difference, and, since Texas has a weaker offense, it's actually a bad sign that Texas would have slightly better success on third downs, indicating they are even more inferior on first and second downs (first and second down success is more indicative of future success than third down conversion %).

Red Zone Scoring: Texas has scored 93% of the time when reaching the opponent's 20. Cincy has scored 90% in this category. Cincy scores a TD in the red-zone 71% of the time, while Texas scores a TD 70% of the time. Pretty close.

Field Goals: Texas was 88% on FGs (22 for 25) overall and Cincy was 67% (12 for 18). Texas has been better on FGs, but Cincy isn't a bust in this area and needs fewer FGs for their overall offensive success.

Returns: Kickoffs are basically a wash. Cincy holds their opponents to 2 fewer yards per kickoff return but both teams average the same on returns. Texas is better on punt returns, averaging 3.2 yards more per return. Cincy is a hair better at defending returns.

Turnovers: Texas averages a fumble about every 89 plays. Cincy averages a fumble about every 344 plays. That's not a typo! Texas recovers a fumble on defense once every 78 plays on average, whereas the Bearcats recover a fumble once every 403 plays on average. The Horns throw an interception every 42 pass attempts on average. The Bearcats average an interception toss about every 50 pass plays. The Texas defense intercepts a pass about every 19 pass attempts while the Bearcat defense averages an interception every 30 attempts (I did not count sacks in these pass attempt inputs). These numbers mostly cancel out. Texas gives up and recovers and fumble nearly every game, on average. Cincy rarely fumbles and rarely recovers fumbles. Cincy throws fewer ints but catches few ints. All things about equal, I'd rather be the team that fumbles less and throws fewer ints (Cincy), its more in your control I would guess. However, on a per game basis, Texas looks better on turnover margin, with a +0.9/game margin compared to +0.5/game for Cincy.

Penalties: Cincy is better in this area. Texas is penalized about 0.40 yards per play. They are penalized, on average, once for every 21 total plays. Cincy is penalized once every 26 plays, with a 0.34 penalty-yards-per-play average.

Computers: The computer averages say Cincy is a touch better. They are ranked #2 by the computer average, while Texas is ranked 3. It's close, though. But Florida is as close to Texas in the computer rankings as Texas is to Cincy: 0.01 point difference between each.

I encourage anyone to improve on these statistics, even if they contradict my initial conclusions. For instance, I realize there are more ways to analyze schedule strength. A few strength of schedule rankings have Texas with a little tougher schedule than Cincy. Cincy played a non-FBS team (like a Charleston Southern), and they had one fewer game overall since they didn't have a championship game. This means they beat 11 FBS teams while Texas beat 13. This fact hurts the computer strength of schedule calculations for Cincy, but I tried to subtract the non-FBS stats from Cincy where I could (their stats against SE Missouri St.) I also don't know out-of-conference records for their respective conferences.

On a possibly irrelevant note, I would add that Cincy only has a home crowd capacity of 35,000. While potentially loud, this number might mean that Cincy has less of a disadvantage in a bowl game because they gain less home advantage overall during the year compared to a Fla and Alabama and Texas.

While it's not so obvious that Cincy is the better team, I hope this at least muddies the waters and throws some doubt onto Texas' superiority over Cincy.

I may do a similar comparison as this for Fla vs. Cincy, and maybe Alabama vs. Texas and Boise/TCU. My initial impression, especially considering these numbers, is that Cincy will be a tough opponent for the Gators and the Tide will beat Texas.

Some Other 1 v. 2 Historical Matchups

2009-12-04T23:55:00.000-05:00

A Long SI Article on Meyer

2009-12-04T14:24:00.002-05:00

here

Pick 6: Week 10 (SEC Championship Game - Alabama)

2009-12-02T20:41:00.004-05:00

Pick 6: Week 9 (FSU) Results

Most Touches: Rainey
Most Yards: Demps
Most Receptions: Hernandez
Most TDs: Hernandez
Margin: 27

Defense:
Hicks 1 (2.0 Sacks)
Bushell 1 (Int)
Haden 1 (Int)

Participant Points (Total):

Mary 3 (40)
Sean 3 (36)
Galapagos Gator 3 (35)
Mark 3 (25)
Mike 0 (27)

You can post your Alabama picks in the comments of this post.

Play On!

Sunk-Cost Fallacy and its application to NFL

2009-12-01T20:26:00.001-05:00

here

With Jamarcus Russel’s recent benching, there’s been a lot of talk about when it’s time for a team to cut its losses on a failed quarterback. I don’t have hard numbers at my fingertips, but I’d be fairly certain that if a QB isn’t playing above average football or there hasn’t been steady improvement, by the end of his second year, it’s time to move on. There’s no question teams tend to stick with struggling QBs well beyond their expiration date, even when better alternatives exist. The real question is, why?

Let’s say you’re an out-of-town Bills fan, and before the season began you were understandably optimistic about the team’s prospects. You bought prime tickets to the January 3rd game hosting the Colts, including parking and a hotel room. Altogether the bill comes to $400. In August, this feels like a great deal.

As the season wears on, it becomes clear the Bills aren’t contenders. The coach is fired, and the upcoming Colts game is not looking promising, as the Colts appear likely be playing for home field advantage in the playoffs. Everything points toward a humiliating blowout. What’s worse, as the game approaches the weather isn’t looking good. Bills fans are always the hardy type, but the foercast is beyond bad—snow, wind, freezing rain, and bitter cold. You’re not exactly excited about the prospect of going to the game.

A few days before the game, your friend invites you to watch the game at a party to inaugurate his new palacial home theater. You’d really rather do that than actually go to the game, but you’ve already sunk $400 and it’s too late to sell the tickets. Naturally, you can’t let those tickets go to waste, so you suck it up and go to the game.

But this is completely irrational. It’s called the sunk cost fallacy.

To understand your mistake, think of your options in terms of costs and benefits. We’ll call the $400 you spent a cost of -4. Actually going to the game would be a benefit of +0, since it doesn’t appeal to you. And going to the party is a benefit of +2.

Why Ravens made right call going for 4th-and-5 on own 48

2009-12-01T20:24:00.001-05:00

Here

Passing on First Downs is More Lucrative Overall

2009-12-01T20:17:00.001-05:00

Advanced

POTUS for Gators, and Wild-Haden too successful!

2009-12-01T19:48:00.005-05:00

Yeah, because we can't have too good of an offense, that would be problematic! No way Haden could take a few defensive plays off contra the lowly Tide passing game.

2009-12-01T19:31:00.000-05:00

via

Galen Hall Thanks Dooley for 1984 Recognition

2009-11-26T22:19:00.004-05:00

Dooley reads Hall's thanks at end of this week's Pat Dooley Show.

Video here, with guest Doug Johnson.

original article

Some (Sarcastic) Thanks for the BCS

2009-11-26T13:22:00.000-05:00

here

• "If BCS not completely broken, don't fix it." We like our championship systems in that sweet spot between roughly 83 and 96.4 percent broken, anyway.

• "BCS is a friend to the Mountain West." And real friends always hang together to summarily dismiss one another's bids for equality and denounce each other to Congress. It's not like those wannabes would know what to do with all that money, anyway. It's for their own good.

• "Would a college football playoff be fair?" If you were intelligent enough to employ the "Fairness Index" instead of an irrelevant, abstract measure like "actual results of head-to-head competition," you would see clearly that no, no it would not be.

Pick 6: Week 9 (FSU)

2009-11-26T01:57:00.002-05:00

Here are Week 8 (SCAR) results.

Use the comments section below to post your FSU picks.

Play On!

Dominant Pro Running Backs

2009-11-26T01:41:00.002-05:00

Methodology
Dominant Seasons
Career

Also, receivers

via

Dan the Man

2009-11-26T00:54:00.005-05:00

In the most sophisticated measurement of regular season QB value that has been invented, Marino comes out tops when computing for era/peer comparison, and comes out a hair behind Peyton, at 2nd place, for overall "converted yards" stats.

An explanation

All-Time Rankings

(Also, if you read the explanation post, you'll notice that rushing is also a factor, as well as sacks, fumbles, scores, yards/attempts, etc. And this is trying to measure QB value, not team and offensive value.)

Culpepper does better in these metrics than one might imagine, falling into the top 50 all-time, possibly close to top 40. He also apparently had one of the toughest all-time schedules amongst these all-time QBs ranked.

Here are adjusted rankings for weather, schedule strength, and post-season factors.

And here are some rankings on QBs with concentrated greatness at varying quantities of seasons or periods of time. Guys like Dan Fouts and Ken Anderson looking good here.

More (Play-Action) Passing Needed on First Down

2009-11-25T15:48:00.004-05:00

link

Game theory tells us that when there are two strategy options, like run and pass, the expected payoffs for both options should be equal. You really don't need game theory to intuitively understand this. If one option yields a better payoff, then it should be chosen until the opponent responds with a strategy change of his own. Eventually, as the opponent responds, the payoffs for the two options equalize. The point at which the strategy mix equalizes payoffs is known as the minimax, or sometimes called the Nash equilibrium. The resulting strategy mix, or run-pass balance in this case, produces the best overall, long-run payoff.

When there are two strategy options and one of them yields a much higher payoff, it tells us two things. In this case, passing is more lucrative than running on 1st down, and this tells us: 1) offenses should be passing more often, and 2) for now, defenses should continue to be more biased toward stopping the run.

I was screaming about this during last year's SEC Championship game against Alabama. The Gators insisted on running on first down with Demps, mostly, for three quarters, until opening up the pass and getting most of their offensive success in the fourth quarter. Notice, this is NOT about running, even if it doesn't work, in order to pass later. It is saying that teams are running well over the amount needed to effectively "set-up" the defense.

You'll also notice, further into the piece, that more red-zone passing is needed.

Post-Tebow

2009-11-22T23:51:00.003-05:00

Looking forward to a better offense, while still enjoying any championships this team brings.

link

Along with having a better overall quarterback (Yeah! I said it!), the Gators will also likely have:

• The single best player on Florida's current offense, Aaron Hernandez, will be back, if he scorns the NFL, presumably following up All-American status this year with a run at being a Top 10 draft pick in 2011.

• All three top running backs return: Jeff Demps, Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody. They are joined by top prep running Mack Brown, who might be better than all of them, and "the next Percy Harvin," Andre Debose, who lost his much-anticipated true freshman season this year to a hamstring injury.

• The offensive line may lose the Pouncey twins, but will be anchored by Xavier Nixon, who last week became the first true freshman to start at left tackle for Florida since the early nineties and could be the best freshman lineman in the nation this season. He will protect the right-handed Brantley's blind side.

There is a dumb joke to be made that Florida's offense can't possibly get less inspiring than it has been this season. But the fact is, even with diminished expectations, next season's offense should be better than this year's version -- even if Brantley himself can't plunge ahead for four yards on third-and-short like Tebow can.

Is Miles Lying? Or does he not even realize?

2009-11-22T23:41:00.003-05:00

Dr. Saturday posted a local news video showing Miles gesturing for a spike (on the last play of their loss against Ole Miss last Saturday night), despite saying he didn't know who would have told Jefferson to spike it. At the very least, he didn't give his QB good coaching points shortly before the play. He seemed candid after the game, but still somehow out of sorts and vaguely elusive. The blog also links to a shot of Miles calling for a timeout after a turnover, so it's not the only time he would have momentarily lost his perspective on viable options in the moment.

Watch it.

1984

2009-11-21T01:56:00.002-05:00

Pick 6: Week 8 (SCAR) Results

2009-11-20T00:07:00.004-05:00

No Pick 6 this week due to the opponent. Will resume for FSU.

Week 8 (SCAR) Results:

Most Touches: Demps (9 carries, 2 receptions)
Most Yards: Cooper
Most Receptions: James
Most TDs: Cooper, Moody
Margin: 10

Defense:
Haden 2 (Tackles + Int)
Cunningham 1 (for sacks)
Hill 1 (for sacks)
J Trattou 1 (for int.)

Participant Points (Total):

Mark 8 (22)
Mary 3 (37)
Galapagos 3 (32)
Mike 3 (27)
Sean 1 (33)

Pick 6: Week 8 (SCAR)

2009-11-14T01:39:00.004-05:00

Week 7 (Vandy) Results:

Most Touches: Moody
Most Yards: Hernandez
Most Receptions: Hernandez
Most TDs: Nelson, Demps
Margin: 24

Defense:
Stamper 1 (Int)
Doe 1 (11 Tackles)

Participant Points (Total):

Galapagos 6 (29)
Sean 5 (32)
Mary 4 (34)
Mike 4 (24)
Mark 3 (14)
Brad (13)

You can use the comments section of this post to enter your selections for the SCAR game.

Note on margins: All margin picks are assumed to be for Gator wins unless noted differently. If a participant picks a 1 point margin without specifying (as I am doing this week), and the Gators lose by 2, that participant will still receive 2 points for being within 3 of the score. A player that picks a 2 point margin in this scenario will only receive 1 point unless they specify an opponent victory in their pick. "0" or "tie" is/are also accepted.

Here are the categories/scoring:

Defensive scoring (you make 2 defensive picks like you do for the other categories):

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point

And here are the other categories:

Most Yards from Scrimmage
Most Touches from Scrimmage (runs + receptions + passes)
Most Receptions
Most TDs (including returns/blocks)
Point Margin (list one guess--earn 2 points for being within 3, 1 point for being within 6)
(No QBs)

Play On!

The Pat Dooley Show with Shane Matthews

2009-11-12T19:14:00.001-05:00

Pick 6: Week 7 (Vandy)

2009-11-06T17:06:00.004-05:00

Week 6 (Georgia) Results:

Most Touches: Moody
Most Yards: Cooper
Most Receptions: Cooper
Most TDs: Cooper
Point Margin: 24

Defensive Points:
Spikes: 3
Jones: 2
Black, Dunlap, Stamper: 1

Participant Points (Total):

Mike 7 (20)
Mary 3 (30)
Sean 3 (27)
Galapagos 3 (23)
Brad 3 (13)
Mark A. 3 (11)

You can use the comments section of this post to enter your selections for the Vandy game.

Here are the categories/scoring:

Defensive scoring (you make 2 defensive picks like you do for the other categories):

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point

And here are the other categories:

Most Yards from Scrimmage
Most Touches from Scrimmage (runs + receptions + passes)
Most Receptions
Most TDs (including returns/blocks)
Point Margin (list one guess--earn 2 points for being within 3, 1 point for being within 6)
(No QBs)

Play On!

Dooley's SEC Power Rankings

2009-11-04T06:59:00.002-05:00

Here is Gainesville Sun Sportswriter Pat Dooley's latest SEC power rankings. Although I agree with the first three, I think he has some serious flaws after that.
For example, he has Tennessee behind Georgia. My rankings are below, please feel free to weigh in with your rankings or opinions.

Dooley's Rankings
1. Florida: Gators finally put it all together
2. Alabama: Still some hurdles to get to Atlanta
3. LSU: Tigers get their second big chance to make an impression
4. Auburn: Just when you thought the Tigers were dead
5. South Carolina: Steve Spurrier needs a win badly this week
6. Georgia: Just not a well-coached team
7. Tennessee: Vols are certainly making progress
8. Ole Miss: You try to figure the Rebels out. Go ahead
9. Mississippi State: Really nice win for Dan Mullen
10. Arkansas: A pretty good team to be at No. 10
11. Kentucky: Quarterback issues have doomed the 'Cats
12. Vanderbilt: Bobby Johnson's team won't be returning to a bowl

Mike's Rankings
1. Florida: No. 1 until I see Alabama play LSU.
2. Alabama: They looked better than Florida early on, but their offense is suspect.
3. LSU: Just the one loss-to Florida.
4. Tennessee: Though others have a better record, a close loss to 'Bama and wins over South Carolina and Georgia says they are the best of the next tier.
5. South Carolina: This was a tough one, because they just lost, but I still like them head to head over Auburn.
6. Auburn: A little schizophrenic, but I love Gus Malzahn's offense.
7. Mississippi: Sure, Jevan Snead is overrated and the Rebels have underachieved this year, but I still like them better than Georgia or Mississippi State.
8. Georgia: Joe Cox is not a very good quarterback and it affects how Mark Richt coaches the game.
9. Mississippi State: I don't know if Mullen will ever build the Bulldogs into a winner, but he has them playing better than in recent years.
10. Arkansas: Though Arkansas and Kentucky look to be identical-both are 1-4 in conference play and 4-4 overall and both have a win over Auburn, Arkansas played Florida closer and has a quality win over a team with a winning record-Texas A&M.
11. Kentucky: See above.
12. Vanderbilt: I thought for a second they had Georgia Tech's number. If they had won that game, then they would be at No. 10.

Spikes Suspended For First Half Of Vandy Game For Attempted Eye Gouging

2009-11-02T15:40:00.004-05:00

Here and video here

You Be Offensive Coordinator/Quarterback

2009-11-01T00:29:00.002-04:00

Here.

I like the fade, slant, or screen options. With the fade, Hernandez would have just needed to cut his route a step deeper and Tebow needed to hit it near the back corner-- an option that may have worked as is if he puts more on it (this would mean more/better execution on the original play I suppose).

Red-Zone Percentages and Pass Protection

2009-10-30T16:49:00.005-04:00

Two excellent analysis on Gator offensive woes. The first, by Gator Country, takes a look over the last three years at the percentage of Tebow carries in the red-zone. What the author finds is that as TD percentages in the red-zone have gone down, there has simultaneously been a trend upward in the percentage of Tebow carries. Quite stark, really. If you take the top third of games that Tebow carried the most in the red-zone, you have most or all of our worst games in the last three years. Nice charts and graphs included.

The next piece is by Smart Football's Chris Brown. It focuses on pass protection issues. Keen, as always. Snapshots/diagrams and video included, as always.

Pick 6: Week 6 (Georgia)

2009-10-29T23:45:00.003-04:00

Week 5 (MSU) Results:

Touches, TDs, Yards: Rainey (Doe also tied for lead in TDs with 1)
Receptions: Hernandez
Margin: 10

Defensive Points:
Dunlap 2 (3 Sacks)
AJ Jones 1 (Int)
Doe 2 (Int, TD)
Wright 1 (Int)
Stamper 1 (13 tackles)

Participant Points (Total):

Galapagos 5 (20)
Sean 4 (24)
Mary 3 (27)
Mike 4 (13)
Mark 3 (8)
Brad 1 (10)
John (4)

You can use the 'comments' section of this post to enter your selections for the Georgia game.

Here are the categories/scoring:

Defensive scoring (you make 2 defensive picks like you do for the other categories):

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point

And here are the other categories:

Most Yards from Scrimmage
Most Touches from Scrimmage (runs + receptions + passes)
Most Receptions
Most TDs (including returns/blocks)
Point Margin (list one guess--earn 2 points for being within 3, 1 point for being within 6)
(No QBs)

Play On!

The Pat Dooley Show With Norm Carlson

2009-10-29T22:41:00.002-04:00

Here

2009-10-27T10:48:00.001-04:00

2009-10-27T10:46:00.001-04:00

Midnight Oil Was Burned On Red-Zone Analysis

2009-10-27T10:15:00.002-04:00

On table: Fewer Tebow runs, more under center, more Moody feeds (210 ibs, great between tackles, no red-zone carries).

Pick 6: Week 5 (Mississippi State)

2009-10-22T17:05:00.004-04:00

Week 4 Wrap-Up:

Touches: Demps
Yards and Receptions: Hernandez
TDs: Demps and Thompson
Margin: 3

Defensive Points:

Cunningham 1 (for 2 sacks)

Weekly Participant Points (Total):

Mary 5 (24)
Sean 5 (20)
Galapagos 4 (15)
Michael 5 (9)
Mark 4 (5)
Brad (9)
John (4)

You can use the 'comments' section of this post to enter your selections against Mississippi State.

Here are the categories/scoring:

Defensive scoring (you make 2 defensive picks like you do for the other categories):

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point

And here are the other categories:

Yards from Scrimmage
Touches from Scrimmage (runs + receptions + passes)
Receptions
TDs (including returns/blocks)
Point Margin (list one guess--earn 2 points for being within 3, 1 point for being within 6)
(No QBs)

Play On!

Differences with New Offensive Coordinating

2009-10-22T16:35:00.010-04:00

First, from EDBS, on not coaching offense from the Booth:

Understatement. It’s always fun. The Orlando Sentinel gently suggests Florida misses Dan Mullen in the booth. Answer this: has there ever been an offensive coordinator who was better from the sidelines than one from the booth? Did we ever see Norm Chow looking up from his sixth brilliantly called touchdown of the day when he wasn’t glowering menacingly from behind the plate glass of the booth? When we think “brilliant offensive coordinator,” we inevitably see someone working silently from the aseptic, quiet environs of the booth, watching dots move around on the field like an indifferent, all-powerful deity. When we think “offensive coordinator on the sidelines,” we see Ed Zaunbrecher. Two fun facts! Steve Addazio calls the offense from the field, and is leading an attack tallying 18 points less than last year’s epic slaughtering crew.

A few commentators brought up Spurrier as a counter-example this.

Here's the Sentinel piece.

This part doesn't sound good:

Meyer says Addazio is doing a "heck of a job."

(Remind anyone of something?)

On the new setup vs. the old:

"The only person who's going to get heat is me," Meyer said. "We're just maneuvering through a difficult part of the schedule. We're trying to get some things worked out."

Not much has changed with the play-calling process.

Florida still calls plays by committee, with Meyer having the final say.

First-year offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, also the offensive line coach, still calls the running game but is more immersed in the overall scheme. Meyer says Addazio is doing a "heck of a job."

Wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales still organizes red-zone offense.

The Gators still draw plays Thursday and Friday they'd like to run early in the game.

...

Mullen was an extra voice of reason from the press box. Mullen had no problem telling Meyer no.

At last year's FSU game, the field at Doak Campbell Stadium was soaked and Meyer wanted to run Tebow all night. Mullen convinced him to stick with the passing attack because players looked unaffected by rain. The Gators won 45-15.

"That was eight years of being able to say that," Meyer said. "Not many people will say that to me during a [game]. Steve will. Billy Gonzales will."

And you thought Mullen was the overly careful-conservative of the bunch.

More hurry-up?:

After Arkansas flustered Florida with different blitz packages, Addazio said the Gators will rely more on hurry-up offense to avoid "standing there so long watching."

"We have to change tempo," Addazio said.

Still getting comfortable? Really?:

Three offensive assistants have been with Meyer for two years or less, which makes transition inevitable. Quarterback Tim Tebow is building chemistry with quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler after three years with Mullen.

"It's going to take a little time to just get used to each other," Tebow said.

The Pat Dooley Show with Billy D.

2009-10-22T16:31:00.001-04:00

Stop Punting!

2009-10-21T01:01:00.001-04:00

Here and here:

Pulaski Academy does not punt.

I first heard about Pulaski from Peter Giovannini of Morrilton, Ark., a high school football official who wrote me to report in astonishment that he had just worked a conference championship game in which the winning team never punted, even going for a first down on fourth-and-6 from its own 5-yard line early in the game. "As a devotee of TMQ, I thought you might like to know at least one coach in the vast football universe has experienced the epiphany and refuses to punt the ball away," Giovannini wrote.

That team was Pulaski -- 9-1-1 after having just won its opening-round game in the Arkansas 5A playoffs. Coach Kevin Kelley reports that he stopped punting in 2005 -- after reading an academic study on the statistical consequences of going for the first down versus handing possession to the other team, plus reading Tuesday Morning Quarterback's relentless examples of when punting backfires but going for the first down works. In 2005, Pulaski reached the state quarterfinals by rarely punting. In 2006, Pulaski reached the state championship game, losing by one point -- and in the state championship game, Pulaski never punted, converting nine of 10 fourth-down attempts. Since the start of the 2006 season, Pulaski has had no punting unit and never practices punts. This year, Pulaski has punted just twice, both times when leading by a large margin and trying to hold down the final score. In its playoff victory Friday night, Pulaski did not punt, converting three of four fourth-down tries.

"They give you four downs, not three," Kelley told TMQ. "You should take advantage. Suppose we had punted from our own 5. The odds are the opposition will take over at about the 35, and from there the stats say they have an 80 percent chance of scoring. So even if you only have a 50 percent chance of converting the first down, isn't that better than giving the other side an 80 percent chance of scoring?" For fourth-and-short attempts, the odds of converting are a lot better than 50 percent.

As TMQ endlessly notes, NFL teams convert about 75 percent of fourth-and-1 tries. Yet highly paid professional coaches endlessly send in the punt unit on fourth-and-1, handing a scoring opportunity to the opposition. In the 2006 edition of my annual don't-punt column, I summarized the odds this way: "Nearly three-quarters of fourth-and-1 attempts succeed, while around one-third of possessions result in scores. Think about those fractions. Go for it four times on fourth-and-1: Odds are you will keep the ball three times, and three kept possessions each with a one-third chance of a score results in your team scoring once more than it otherwise would have. Punt the ball on all four fourth-and-1s, and you've given the opponents three additional possessions. (It would have gotten one possession anyway when you missed one of your fourth-and-1s.) Those three extra possessions, divided by the one-third chance to score, give the opponent an extra score."

Kelley says that when he began to shun the punt, people thought he was crazy: "It's like brainwashing, people believe you are required to punt." Players and the home crowd needed to get acclimated to it. "When we first started going on every fourth down," he says, "our home crowd would boo and the players would be distressed. You need to become accustomed to the philosophy and buy into the idea. Now our crowd and our players expect us to go for it, and get excited when no punting team comes onto the field. When my 10-year-old son sees NFL teams punting on short yardage on television, he gets upset because he's grown up with the idea that punting is usually bad."

Preparing the players for the no-punting future of football is a practical concern. If a coach unexpectedly kept his offense in on fourth down in his own territory, and failed to convert, the crowd would boo and the defensive players become demoralized. If the defensive players understood that a no-punting philosophy occasionally would hand great field position to the other side but overall would keep the other side off the field, they would buy into the idea. Imagine, in turn, the demoralizing effect on the opposition if its defense stops its opponent after three downs, only to realize that no punt will follow. For the 2007 edition of my anti-punting column, the stats service AccuScore did thousands of computer simulations based on 2006 NFL games and found that, on average, rarely punting added one point per game to the score of the teams that didn't punt, while not adding any points to their opponents' final scores. Computer simulations showed that rarely punting amounted to roughly one additional victory per season at the NFL level. At the college and high school levels, the bonus might be even higher.

Why do coaches punt on fourth-and-short -- and worse, when trailing or in opposition territory? "Most punting is so the coach can avoid criticism," says Kelley, who has coached Pulaski for five years and got his start in high school coaching in football-crazed Texas. "If you go for it and fail, the first question in the postgame press conference will be, 'Aren't you to blame for losing the game because you didn't punt?' If the coach orders a punt, the media will blame the defense." TMQ has always speculated that the desire to shift blame explains why big-college and NFL coaches send in the punting team. But take note, these days, the media and the postgame news conference are factors even at the high school level.

Pulaski Academy is providing real-world evidence of the future of football. The most important innovation in years is being field-tested by the Pulaski Bruins, and the test is going quite well. But don't just take Kelley's word for it. The decisive snap of Illinois' upset of No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday came when the Illini, leading 28-21 with six minutes remaining, went for it on fourth-and-1 in their own territory. Sports radio generally called this a huge gamble. Actually, it was playing the percentages; Illinois converted and held the ball for the remainder of the game. Had Illinois boomed a punt, the Buckeyes would have been in business. On Sunday, while trailing at Washington, Philadelphia went for it on fourth-and-1 in its own territory in the second half -- Fox television announcer Daryl Johnston called this "a huge gamble!" It was playing the percentages; the Eagles converted, and they scored a touchdown on the possession, igniting a comeback. Trailing 10-2, Buffalo went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Dolphins' 24 in the fourth quarter: a conversion, followed by a touchdown on the possession, keyed the Bills' comeback. Leading defending champion Indianapolis 16-0, San Diego went for it on fourth-and-2 at the Indianapolis 37, converted and scored a touchdown on the possession, going on to win by two points. Three times Jacksonville went for it on fourth-and-short in Tennessee territory, all three times converting and going on to score touchdowns; the Titans went for it on fourth-and-short twice in return, once failing and once scoring a touchdown. As noted by reader Rene Derken of Leuth, the Netherlands, Green Bay went for it twice on fourth-and-short in Minnesota territory, both times scoring on the possession -- but Minnesota punted from the Green Bay 42. Carolina went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Atlanta 20, and the play reached the Falcons' 2 before the Panthers' runner fumbled. Yes, New Orleans failed on a fourth-and-1 attempt in its own territory and went on to lose, and San Francisco failed on a fourth-and-1 on the Seattle 2-yard line when trailing big. But of the high-profile fourth-down tries in the NFL and in the Illinois-Ohio State game this past weekend, 10 were a total success, one a qualified success and three a failure. Not too shabby, compared with passively punting the ball.

And consider the punts that boomed when a play should have been run. Trailing 10-0, San Francisco (2-6) punted on fourth-and-1 from their 48-yard line and several minutes later was trailing 17-0. When the game was still tied, the Giants punted on fourth-and-2 from the Dallas 45. Not coincidentally, by game's end they were desperate for points.

Klosterman on Innovation in, and Love For, Football

2009-10-21T00:57:00.001-04:00

Passing, Trust, Etc.

2009-10-21T00:22:00.003-04:00

From here:

Last year, Florida had three players with 30 or more catches. In 2007, four Gators had 30 or more receptions.

This season, Hernandez and Cooper have combined for 51 catches for 693 yards and five touchdowns. Starters Brandon James, David Nelson and Deonte Thompson have accumulated 20 catches for 299 yards and four touchdowns — three from Thompson.

Outside of Hernandez (28 catches) and Cooper (23), no other receiver has double-digit catches, and only Thompson has 100 yards (127).

Meyer insists it's not a talent issue and that a few factors have played into the pedestrian numbers by Gator receivers.

For one, Meyer said defenses are causing protection issues for his quarterback. Defenses are giving unexpected looks to Tebow and his line. Players are getting open, but Tebow isn't getting enough time.

Poor protection is also causing Tebow to hold onto the ball a bit longer, causing him to try and make more plays with his feet. Meyer said it can sometimes be an issue to have Tebow hold onto the ball, but he can't blame his quarterback for trying to play smart.

"He’s not a guy that’s going to go take that shot if it’s not there," Meyer said.

Meyer said that while a heavy amount of the passing game has been directed to Hernandez and Cooper, not all those plays have been specifically called for them. They're getting open more because opposing defenses are dictating that.

Tebow took some of the blame for the receivers' numbers, saying his running mentality has caused him to miss open guys. He added that his trust in them isn't a problem.

"In some of those situations it’s me tyring to make a play instead of throwing it away," he said. "I don’t think it’s not having confidence in some of the players," he said. "I have complete confidence in all those guys who are out there playing."

I would add that it's also about trusting the passing pocket. Tebow seemed to often bail it too soon even when he maybe had time to check another receiver.

Tebow And Mullen

2009-10-21T00:16:00.003-04:00

Here.
Excerpt:

Ten months ago, Megan Mullen was packing up her husband's office at the UF Football Complex when a confused Tim Tebow entered.

Former Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen and his wife were starting to move on.

Tebow wasn't ready for that.

The Florida quarterback wondered why Mullen had to leave.

He asked Megan why Mullen took the first head-coaching job available.

He even asked if Mullen, now Mississippi State's head coach, really thought he would defeat the Florida Gators when the two collided Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Starkville.

"It was the first time I ever saw his youthfulness," Megan said. "He's so mature and beyond his years in everything, but on that day he was an emotional young man."

Getting Offensive With Demps

2009-10-21T00:07:00.002-04:00

From here, by the author of TIMTEBLOG:

At the snap, the number called wasn't Tebow's, but Jeff Demps', who scampered into the end zone untouched around the left end. Tie game. Momentum shifted.

Even for Tebologists who follow No. 15's every step, this felt like a moment of clarity for offensive coordinator Steve Addazio: Florida doesn't have to depend entirely on Tebow to win games. In fact, recent history tells us Demps' stiletto style is a necessary contrast to Tebow's sledgehammer -- it wasn't until Demps and Chris Rainey emerged late in the win over Arkansas last year that Florida's offense really spread its wings and took off into the death phoenix it would become en route to the SEC and BCS championships.

People keep saying that this team is missing its "Percy Harvin," that versatile figure who can stretch the field in the passing game, and the Gators have already held below 24 points -- their lowest point total throughout 2008, against Oklahoma in the BCS title game -- three times. I would argue, though, that the game-tying moment on Saturday illustrated why Jeff Demps is as dangerous as Harvin -- if not as a receiver, then as a runner, and as a change of pace from the onslaught of Tebow that often defines the Gator running game. It is worth asking why Demps doesn't get more touches per game.

Tebow would be Tebow on the Gators' final, game-winning drive: A couple of runs right in line with his four-to-five-yards-per-carry adjusted average for the game, with a couple of completions to Riley Cooper (including the key play on 3rd and 10 to put the Gators in field-goal range -- a great play, but hardly a "Heisman moment.")

The point is this: Even if Arkansas was the "trap" game -- although if you win, it's positioned in hindsight as a "wake-up call" -- it is clear that both the coaches and Tebow are going to ride Tebow's legs all the way to Atlanta for the SEC title game. Theoretically, I would love to find out if Tim Tebow could win an SEC title (or BCS title) all by himself. As a practical matter, he can't. Now that Tebow has re-established himself as the team's thunder, it can't afford to forget about the Harvinesque lightning of Demps.

Getting Away With It

2009-10-18T15:03:00.002-04:00

The great EDSBS had this spot-on post, with an accompanying song by one of Ode's favorite groups. The thick of it:

The dazed aftermath doesn’t shield a few essentials about Florida, though. Something is terribly palsied in the offense, in the execution, and in the playcalling. Arkansas played like mad bastards, especially Dennis Johnson the rolling water buffalo on rails, last seen bowling through the entire Florida defense, and wideout Greg Childs. The playcalling is relentlessly uninventive, and the line buckled under pressure from the Razorbacks’ d-line, the other set of Ro-beasts hounding Tebow and sacking him six times. This offense is, in the words of Sophocles, “kinda shitty.”

Arkansas deserves not your pity, nor any opining about the officiating. If they hit two field goals, they win this game, horrific calls and all. The one irritating us most: another inane taunting penalty in the first half, moving SEC officiating further away from the application of rules from a handbook, and more towards the spontaneous review of interpretive dance.

They didn’t, and now Florida will fall to where they properly belong: number two at best, and possibly three if you’re partial to Texas. If they faced Alabama tomorrow, the Gators lose by ten. There’s time to improve, but the problems go deeper than Percy Harvin demonstrating his mutant skills in the NFL. For now, we’re the Iowa of the SEC, and like Iowa, we’re getting away with it for the moment. As dirty as it feels, it is better than the alternative.

Coordinators

2009-10-17T02:20:00.002-04:00

Anyone notice that Mullen's new offense scored twice as many points as ours against LSU? Here's a nice love letter to UF's current best coach. The Spurrier and Miles quotes:

"I told Urban Meyer this summer that Charlie is a better coordinator than he was three years ago," said Steve Spurrier, who was Strong's boss from 1991-94. "He said, 'You're right.' ... They seem to know what the other team is doing all of the time.

"Charlie, like all good coaches, if there is a better way to do something, he looks for it."

In a lot of ways it's a perfect storm, Strong evolving constantly and having all of the checkers to line up in whatever defense makes sense.

"The way he attacks you," said LSU coach Les Miles, "he's constantly stirring the pot looking to be better."

OH MY!!! The Pat Dooley Show With The Voice Of The Gators

2009-10-16T16:14:00.008-04:00

Some good observations here by Mick which include the differences in interviewing the various UF coaches, calling games in different venues, and the origins of "OH MY!"

(Sorry, I've had trouble embedding these videos.)

Dr. Saturday On Similarities Between '09 Arkansas and '08 Ole Miss

2009-10-16T16:05:00.004-04:00

I had also called '09 Arkansas the most likely candidate for our annual SEC West upset. One big difference that should be added to this scenario is that Ole Miss played a close game with the Gators in '07, whereas Florida at Arkansas last year wasn't close (though it was for awhile).

From here:

• Arkansas at Florida.
Arkansas was already designated the Official "Trap" Game of Florida's mythical championship run, a status the Razorbacks solidified by hanging unbeaten Auburn out to dry last week, 44-23. With that score, the 'Hogs have put up 40-plus as underdogs against Georgia, Texas A&M and Auburn in a four-week span, and continue to look alarmingly like the Ole Miss outfit that upset Florida at home last year. The scenarios are a little eerie:

• Florida is coming off a big road win. (Over Tennessee in '08; over LSU in '09).
• Ole Miss, while not hyped at all coming into the season, returned four starting offensive linemen, a deep set of maturing receivers with a lot of catches to their name and eight starters on defense from 2007. Arkansas, with only slightly more respect coming into this season, returned three offensive linemen, a deep set of maturing receivers with a lot of catches to their name and nine starters on defense. from 2008
• Both teams have revamped offenses built around a big, hyped slinger who transferred from his original destination. (Jevan Snead in '08; Ryan Mallett in '09)
• Ole Miss consistently hit Tim Tebow with one of the best rushers in the SEC, Greg Hardy, who had two sacks and made the cover of Sports Illustrated on another hurry. Arkansas has one of the best pass rushers in the SEC in Malcolm Sheppard, who already has three sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss despite drawing more attention following his All-SEC breakout as a junior.

Still, Ole Miss needed three Gator fumbles and a missed extra point to pull out an improbable win then. Even if Arkansas gets that kind of fortune, the otherwise high-flying Razorback offense was tied up in a burlap sack and beaten within in an inch of its life in a 35-7 loss at Alabama, and the only defense on par with 'Bama's at the moment is the one the 'Hogs get here Saturday.

(Dr. Saturday predicted a 38-18 Florida win over Arkansas.)

S.B. and Football (hint: it's not "Super Bowl")

2009-10-14T16:36:00.006-04:00

Interesting overlap, but a different appraisal on the benefits of SB. Check this Meyer quote against the Shannon video below:

Meyer said he made the mistake early in his coaching career at Florida by not having injured players attend meetings during the season. Naturally, the danger in that is having players fall even further behind in the playbook.

Now, Meyer makes it mandatory for players like Patchan (knee), Andre Debose (hamstring), Jeremy Brown (back) and Carl Moore (back) to attend meetings and to be around the team as much as possible, so when they return they’ll be ready to play.

“The worst thing that can happen to a football player is he sits home and watches TV or ‘Sponge Bob’ or whatever the heck those kids watch,” Meyer said.

Pick 6: Week 4 (Arkansas)

2009-10-14T14:40:00.007-04:00

Week 3 (LSU) Results:

Touches: Demps
Yards: Demps & Hernandez
Receptions: Hernandez
TDs: Cooper
Margin: 10

Mary: 9 (2 Defensive Points for Spikes' 2.5 sacks and 11 tackles)
Sean: 9 (2 Def. pts. for Haden's int.-- I picked Haden twice.)
Galapagos: 7 (2 Def. pts. for Spikes' output listed above)

Totals:

Mary: 19
Sean: 15
Galapagos: 11
Brad: 9
Michael: 4
John: 4
Mark: 1

Note:

I've tweaked the defensive scoring on sacks. Instead of 2 sacks equaling 1 point, 1.5 sacks now equal 1 point.

Here is the defensive scoring (you make 2 defensive picks like you do for the other categories):

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point

And here are the other categories:

Yards from Scrimmage
Touches from Scrimmage (runs + receptions + passes)
Receptions
TDs (including returns/blocks)
Point Margin (list one guess--earn 2 points for being within 3, 1 point for being within 6)
(No QBs)

Stats

You can use the comments section on this post to make your picks for the Arkansas game.

Play On!

Is this really the offense?

2009-10-14T14:37:00.000-04:00

Apparently so.

This Week's Pat Dooley Show (with guest James Bates)

2009-10-08T15:54:00.002-04:00

What Might a Brantley-led Offense Look Like?

2009-10-08T15:51:00.000-04:00

link

Mumme Poll

2009-10-08T15:46:00.002-04:00

Thanks to Smart Football for this link. The 2 main criteria for the poll:

1. The first vote does not take place until after the games of Week Six have been played. Voters are not asked to evaluate teams based on preseason expectations and are not expected to use those as a baseline from which to rank teams for the rest of the year.
2. Rather than being required to rank twenty five D-1 teams in order of preference, Mumme Poll voters submit ballots of the top twelve teams in the country, without ranking (other than to designate the top five of those twelve, for use as a tiebreaker). The poll rankings are then compiled by means of approval voting; that is, the teams are ranked in the order of the total number of times they appear on voters’ ballots.

link

Best Upsets of the Decade

2009-10-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

Pick 6: Week 3-LSU (Including Defensive Changes)

2009-10-07T20:38:00.007-04:00

Week 2 (Kentucky) Stats:

Touches: Demps
Yards: Demps
Receptions: Hernandez
TDs: Rainey (off punt block), Hernandez, Cooper
Margin: 34

Participants' Week 2 Points (Total Points in Parenthesis):

Brad 6 (9)
Mary 5 (10)
Michael 3 (4)
Sean 2 (6)
Galapagos 1 (4)
Mark 1 (1)
John 0 (4)

The Gainesville Sun did not declare a Defensive MVP so no points were allotted for that category for the Kentucky game. However, we will include a defensive category for the future, starting this week. Participants will continue to select 2 players (same player may still be selected twice). Points will be allotted for those defensive picks if the players that are picked achieve any of the following:

8 Tackles (solo and assisted)= 1 Point
1.5 Sacks= 1 Point
1 Interception= 1 Point
1 Score (TD or safety)= 1 Point (Just defensive scores, i.e. Haden getting a direct snap TD on offense does not count)

Quick example:

I pick Haden for both of my selections. He intercepts a pass and returns it for a TD. I get 4 total points for this output.

Another example would be if I picked Dunlap and Spikes and Dunlap got 2 sacks, including 1 for a safety, and Spikes intercepted a pass and got 12 tackles. My total points would be 4 again, according to these stats.

Sacks and safeties also count towards tackles, of course.

Here is a handy site for stats, including tackles.

Use the comments section for this post to give your picks for Week 3, the LSU game.

Play On!

On Tebow's Concussion

2009-10-01T21:50:00.007-04:00

The best thing I've come across that sums things up. It also references this piece from the NY Times, which shows this issue is about a lot more than Tebow, but, as EDSBS smartly argues, it is because of Tebow's celebrity that a point can be made about the problem of brain injuries in football and how they are dealt with.

Oh, and Brantley is able.

Also, Harvin has had head issues throughout his life in the form of migraines.

Harvin said he had suffered migraines since middle school and that he has been able to sleep them off in the past. But he required medical attention after a severe bout as a sophomore. Harvin said he experienced nausea and dizzy spells along with the headaches and spent time in the campus health center. He received painkillers, medicine and fluids to combat the effects.

“By the sixth day, my mom and everybody was just crying,” he said at the time. “There was nothing anybody could do. I just had to cry myself to sleep some nights. It got that bad.”