Rough Times for Gator Nation

It was a rough game for the Florida Gators when we lost to unranked University of Miami. There isn't a lot of positive marks we can take from the game and as gator fans we can only hope our coaching staff will learn from the mistakes and come back even stronger against Tennessee next week.

When we look at the stats we see we had the ball longer, got almost twice as many total yards and attempted to have our first balanced game with passing and rushing being close to even. Of course all of us watching the game also saw the five costly turnovers, along with our inability to score when we entered the red zone for most of the game. Our defense had yet another stellar game, holding Miami to only 212 total yards and giving the offense the ball on the 10 yard line for an easy touchdown after a beautifully blocked punt.

Everyone has bad games and every team will find itself behind in a game, but we rely so strongly on our defense, we have only a scant plan as to how to score and score quickly. My heart melted  when with only three minutes to go and needing two score, the Gators did not seem to be in a hurry offense and even wasted time huddling on the field. Had our coaches already given up?  If so this is definitely not acceptable for those of us who bleed orange and blue!

Here are some lessons I hope we will take from the game:

•   One lesson we can learn is to try harder against easier opponents like Toledo. If we had passed more last week, then maybe we could have gotten some chinks out of our armor and won this game. 
•  Lesson two is be more imaginative with our play calling. The Gators plain Jane play calling is quickly becoming infamous and it gives other teams defenses a big plus when they don’t have to worry about the threat of the long ball.
•  Don’t just work at using up the clock, fast play can keep a defense on their heels and gives us the opportunity to come from behind late in the game.
•  No matter how awesome our defense is, they can’t beat a team once we are behind. We need a team that is capable of scoring, scoring often and scoring quickly. Did you see the pace both Georgia and South Carolina scored in their match up? As conference rivals, we have to play both of them, and neither will be beat with our defense alone!
•  Go deep. On second and one go ahead and try for the end zone. If we try it enough, it will open up other possibilities and just could end with a quick touchdown. Remember the Spurrier days when we always took the ball when we won the toss and often started the game with a quick touchdown?
•  Don’t settle for a quarterback who can run the ball. We need passing to compete in the SEC. Not since before Tebow’s senior year have we had an outstanding arm on our quarterback and used it to its full capabilities. We have had different head coaches, different quarterbacks, and different quarterback coaches, but we find the great throwing arm to be an elusive ghost that every other major SEC team seems to have in their arsenal.

Lets take a look at the final stats:
                                         

Florida Miami 1st Downs 22 10 3rd down efficiency 6-15 1-11 4th down efficiency 0-1 0-0 Total Yards 413 212 Passing 291 162 Completion-Attempts 22-33 12-25 Yards per pass 8.8 6.5 Rushing 122 50 Rushing Attempts 44 28 Yards per rush 2.8 1.8 Penalties 10-70 5-58 Turnovers 5 1 Fumbles lost 3 0 Interceptions thrown 2 1 Possession 38:20 21:40

The Florida Gator

While we anticipate the upcoming gator football season, lets take a close look at our namesake, the Florida Alligator. A big shout out to Floridian Nature for providing the information!The alligator is certainly Florida's most famous animal.  When Spanish settlers first saw the Alligator they named it "el lagarto", meaning "the lizard". The Florida alligator is an ancient reptile that is only found in the Southeastern United States, from Texas to as far north as North Carolina. The only other species of alligator in the world is found in China, but that one is much smaller and very rare.

Alligators, although not as abundant as they once were in Florida can be found in virtually every freshwater body of water, including lakes rivers, ponds and even retention areas. Occasionally found in brackish water around mangrove swamps, alligators can tolerate a reasonable degree of salinity, though not to the degree of crocodiles. In the Everglades, alligators seek refuge during the dry season in "gator holes".  After swimming, you will often see an alligator sunning itself on the riverbanks, shores, or even a large log. When a gator is swimming on the surface, only its head and part of his back protrude above the water. While in this  position an alligator can breathe, see, hear, smell, and taste. Gators also spend a lot of time submerged and can stay underwater for up to three hours at a time. A gator swims with its legs tucked against its body, moving forward quietly by sweeping its powerful tail from side to side. While swimming in this manner, an alligator can quietly approach its prey, looking more like a floating log than a dangerous reptile!

The Alligator has an armored  black, lizard-like body, with muscular tails and short stocky legs. They are fast predators on both land and water, able to run as fast as 20 mph for short distances. The massive jaws of the alligator's open mouth reveals 70-80 white pointed teeth, designed to grasp, hold and crush its prey! The alligator snout is broad with the edge of the upper jaw overlapping the teeth of the lower jaw. The alligators silvery eyes sit back on the top of the head, and they have excellent vision, even at night. Alligators Eyes will shine red when you shine a light on them at night Alligators have two sets of eyelids. One set is similar to humans, while the second set of eyelids is transparent, allowing the gator to see clearly underwater. Florida Gators also have a keen sense of smell.  Adults generally take one of two forms: long and thin or short and stocky. Female alligators rarely exceed 9 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. The Florida state record for length is a 14 foot 5/8 inch male, while the  state record for weight is a 1,043 pound (13 feet 10 1/2 inches long) male.

Alligators are opportunistic feeders, and are often stealthy "sit and wait" predators. Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Alligators will eat just about anything, but primarily consume fish, turtles, and snails. Small animals that come to the water's edge to drink make easy prey for the voracious alligator. Sometimes a hungry alligator will even resort to eating his own kind!  If a gator cannot swallow its prey whole, it pulls, twists and tears, until gulp size chunks are torn off. With large prey such as deer, the alligator performs the "gator roll",  pulling the victim underwater, and rolling with it until the prey drowns.

Dan Quinn leaving Florida

The Seattle Seahawks announced Friday that the Gators' Dan Quinn is taking over as their defensive coordinator. The Seahawks current defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has taken the position of head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quinn served as the defensive line coach for Seattle before coming to Florida two years ago.

Gator lineman arrested

Police charged Gator offensive lineman Jessamen Dunker with driving on a suspended licensing and auto theft Wednesday after stopping him for driving an allegedly stolen scooter. Dunker said he knew his license was suspended, but said he purchased the scooter for $600.

Brissett headed to NC State

The Palm Beach Post is reporting that former Gator quarterback Jacoby Brissett is headed to N.C. State. Brissett, who played two years for the gators, will sit out this season and be a redshirt junior for the 2014 season. He can participate in spring drills this year. Brissett started one game this years and led Florida to a 23-0 win over Jacksonville State. He also led a fourth quarter comeback against Louisiana Lafayette the previous week. Brissett played in six games for the Gators completing 23 of 35 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown.

Eight early enrollees join Gators' football team

The Gators had eight of their nine early signees enroll early, which means they will be eligible to participate in the Spring practice and conditioning program. This type of early exposure to the program generally gives new players a leg up in competing for playing time in the Fall. The early enrollees are:
Kelvin Taylor, RB
Taylor is the son of former Florida running back Fred "Shake and Bake" Taylor. He is 5'11", 216 pounds, and runs a 4.63 40 and is ranked the No. 1 RB by ESPN. Taylor rushed for 2400 ards and 41 TDs his senior season at Glades Day.
Demarcus Robinson, WR
Robinson is a former Clemson recruit who the Gators were able to flip. The 6'2", 200 pound Peach County H.S. (Fort Valley, Ga.) recruit caught 35 passes for 700 yards and 10 TDs his senior year.
Tyler Moore, OL
The Gators are getting a real steal with Moore. He is an offensive tackle with real experience and potential. Moore started at tackle as a true freshman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2011 before deciding to return to his home state of Florida, where he attended Countryside H.S. in Clearwater. Moore sat out the 2012 season, but based on his experience should start for the Gators on the offensive line this year. At Nebraska, he was the first true freshman offensive lineman to start the season opener and earned the most starts by a true freshman offensive lineman in school history (4). He was named to the ESPN's All-Big Ten Freshman Team.
Darious Cummings, DT
Cummings is a former Florida State recruit and player who most recently played for East Mississippi Community College. The 6'3", 310 pound defensive tackle should add immediate depth to the defensive line and help fill the void left by Shariff Floyd and Omar Hunter.
Joey Ivie, DE
Ivie is a 6'4", 271-pound defensive lineman with a high motor. He totaled 89 tackles including 8 for losses during the 2012 campaign at Pasco H.S. in Dade City. He had 12 sacks, caused three fumbles and recovered two fumbles.
Daniel McMillian, LB
McMillian is the No. 3 rated outside linebacker by ESPN. He is 6'2", 220 pounds and played at First Coast H.S. where he recorded 97 tackles, three interceptions, two sacks and two fuble recoveries.
Matt Rolin, LB
Rolin is the No. 5 rated outside linebacker by ESPN. He is 6'4", 209 pounds and played at state champion Briar Woods H.S. in Ashburn, Va. He recorded 43 tackles with 14 of those for losses.
Alex Anzalone, LB
Anzalone was a late flip from Notre Dame and is listed as an athlete. He is the No. 11 rated athlete by ESPN. He is 6'3", 231 pounds and runs a 4.73 40. He played for Wyomissing H.S. in Pennsylvania. On offense, he totaled more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage and scored 30 TDs, but will most likely be used as an inside linebacker.

Gators move up to No. 1 in ESPN recruit rankings

The Florida Gators on Thursday jumped to No. 1 in ESPN's football recruiting list. The Gators, which were No. 1 in early December, but passed by Notre Dame in late December, moved back up to the top spot with the addition of several new recruits and the movement of Kelvin Taylor from a four-star recruit to a five-star recruit.

Gators flip Notre Dame recruit

The Florida Gators picked up athlete Alex Anzalone Thursday, who decommitted from Notre Dame. Anzalone was also once an Ohio State commitment. He is expected to enroll at UF today. Anzalone is projected to play linebacker. he is the 97th ranked player on ESPN's top 150 board.

Rainey arested, waived

Gainesville police charged former Florida Gator running back Chris Rainey with simple battery Thursday. Later in the day, the Pittsburgh Steelers released Rainey, who played in all 16 games this season. This is the second battery arrest for Rainey.

7 enroll early at UF

Seven of the 2013 class of football recruits enrolled early this week at the University of Florida.

The group is headlined by Fred Taylor's son Kelvin, who is the No. 1 rated running back and No. 15 overall rated player in the country, according o ESPN.

Gator Tidbits

With a new recruiting class, we are also having to say farewell to some current Gators who have chosen to transfer from the Gator program. Among them is second string quarterback Jacoby Brissett. After fighting for the starting position right up to the first game of the season, Brissett found himself on the bench for most of the season. He played in 13 career games at Florida as a quarterback, including two starts in 2011, at LSU and at Auburn, and one start in 2012 against Jacksonville State. Brissett completed 41-of-74 career pass attempts for 455 yards with three touchdowns and four interceptions.

 Chris Johnson, from my neck of the woods (Ocala) is also planning on transferring. Johnson, who played safety and running back while at Florida, saw action in all 26 games in his two years on campus, mostly as a special teams’ ace. He totaled 19 career tackles on kickoff and punt coverage and recovered a fumble against South Carolina in 2012 which he returned to the one-yard line. He totaled five carries for 35 yards as a running back in 2012.

Gator News

Florida gators continue to make their mark in the NFL. In week 14 of this season's NFL 22 former Gators were active and 14 started for their respective teams.  One of the key players was Aaron Hernandez who scored two touchdowns. We also want to give a shout out to Major Wright who started and recorded five tackles, a pass defense and an interception. Many other gators are on the injured reserve including Tim Tebow, Percy Harvin, Jeff Demps and Marcus Gilbert.

We saw some serious coach scrambling in the SEC at the close of the season. Let's start by welcoming Joker  Phillips to the University of Florida. After being let go by Kentucky the Gators swooped in and hired Phillips to coach wide receivers and serve as recruiting coordinator.

Tennessee picked up a new coach after Dooley disappointed the Volunteers one too many times. Butch Jones will be leading the Volunteer safter three seasons at Cincinnati, where he led the Bearcats to first-place finishes in the Big East. He had also been named the Big East Coach of the year in 2011. He has 50-27 career record. Tennessee was interested in former Gator coach Charlie Strong but he turned downed their overtures and appears to being staying at Louisville, at least for now. He did a superb job with the Cardinals and is set to face the Gators in the Sugar Bowl.

Arkansas has hired Bret Bielema as its new head football coach. He is the former head coach from Wisconsin and went 68-24 with the Badgers. During his seven years as the Wisconsin head coach, he led the team to three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances and three consecutive Big Ten championships, including a 70-31 win over Nebraska on Saturday.

Gators Blast FSU

What a pleasant surprise Saturday's game was against Florida State. With a weak offense, playing against one of the strongest defenses in the country I had little hope we would be able to score against the Seminoles. I have never been more happy to be proven wrong. An away game on a hostile field that displays a graveyard of past romps. this game was an outstanding victory for the Florida Gators.

The second half of the evening didn't go quite as well, when unbeaten Notre Dame refused to fall to USC. With a weakened quarterback position, the Trojans were unable to score when needed, but kept the game close enough to keep my hopes up until the end.

The real question is who will the Florida Gators play in the Sugar Bowl? It seems to be looking more and more like we could end up with a chump for an opponent. With Penn State and Ohio State not even bowl eligible and the loser of the SEC championship game not even going to a BCS bowl, the chance of some really good games seem less and less likely. I would love to play Oregon, but I don't think that will happen. Although I love ex-gator Charlie Strong, I really don't want to play Louisville. I do want to give him a big shout out though. He has done one heck of a job for the Cardinals and has proven to be a coach who knows how to win!

Florida in National Championship Hunt?

Wow, what a crazy week in college football. Although the Gator game against Jacksonville State was anything but exciting, Gators fans can feel that orange and blue blood pumping at the thought of traveling to Tallahassee Florida to play FSU on Saturday. Always a big game in the state of Florida, this game could have extra ramifications for the Gators, since a victory could give us hope at a shot for the National Championship.

How many of you caught Muschamp's press conference? I never knew he had such a good sense of humor. Unlike Les Miles who went on some sort of scary rant from hell, Muschamp joked about how the Gators wins have been anything but sexy. He went on to say that even his wife said the Gator's wins weren't sexy but he was, so that was all that mattered. What a hoot! I'm glad we have finally had a nice enough season for our coaching staff to relax a little and have some fun with the press.

So back to our championship hopes. I am sure most you gator fans have already done the math but just to re-iterate the highly unlikely opportunity this is what it will take to get us in the big game.  Lets look at the top 5 in the BCS poll:

1. Notre Dame
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Florida
5. Oregon

Number 4 Florida needs to beat Florida State and have Notre Dame lose to USC to be in position to go to Miami and play for the national championship. Don't forget either Georgia or Alabama will get a loss in the SEC Championship Game. Another scenario could be Georgia beats Alabama but loses to Georgia Tech. A less likely option would be for Alabama to lose to Auburn, although crazier things have certainly happened.

The best part is we have at least some control in our own destiny. By beating Florida State we can at the very least guarantee  a BCS bowl game, and with a little help we could be playing for another national title. However, if we  lose to FSU we can only look forward to spending New Year's in Orlando.

Gators Struggle

Well a win is a win, but our game Saturday against those raging Cajuns was anything but pretty! Not only did it take a last second blocked punt and touchdown from our defense our quarterback was forced out of the game with an ankle injury. As of today, Driskel is listed as doubtful for next Saturday's game against lower-division Jacksonville State. Driskel sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of Saturday's 27-20 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.

On a positive note Brissett is a good quarterback and barely lost the starting position. He should be able to easily handle Jacksonville State, and it may even encourage the coaches to throw the ball more. When the pair were competing for the quarterback position Brissett had the stronger arm, while Driskel had the mobility.

After our lackadaisical game I watched Texas A & M crush Bama and enjoyed every second of it. It was exciting watching teams throw the ball around and I think its noteworthy that with all that passing, it was the running game that caused Alabama to turn the ball over. I felt a sigh of relief that we played Texas A&M at the beginning of the season, and not now when they have some experience behind both the rookie coach and quarterback. Johnny Football will be a problem for SEC opponents  in the coming years and may have a Heisman trophy in his future!

Shout out to Riley Cooper

Riley Cooper is a big impact player in the NFL. As a Philadelphia Eagle he has had some great plays, including a one-handed touchdown catch last week against the Cowboys.

Although this play didn't work out it was still a great effort by one of our beloved Gators. Riley Cooper laid down in the end zone lettering on the kickoff, then jumped up and caught the trick pass, racing down the sideline. Unfortunately, it was a clear forward lateral, and the play was negated.

We can  mark up another SEC win for the Florida Gators. It wasn't pretty but we got the W and in the end the win loss numbers are all that really matter. Before the game started, we had the dubious honor of leading the nation on running the ball on first down. We opened the game with two throws on first downs and quickly converted both times. Sadly it didn't take long before we were back to our old predictable self.

Statistics show that passing on first down is a smart play. Statistics also show that teams who jump out to a good lead often win the game. Just ask South Carolina about that. They had Georgia down 21-0 almost immediately and never looked back and we had the same effect on them when we manged to get 21 points without so much as a first down. That's why I'm confused why our strategy seems to be to score as little as possible, especially the first half. Our defense is one of the best in the country and our special teams has come through every time we needed them. But the rules of the game dictate, you must score the most points in the game to win, not merely keep the other team from scoring. When our offense does score it is usually because our defense or special teams gave them the ball on the pretty side of the field. Sometimes even that isn't enough for our offense though. Take for example the Missouri game when the defense gave us the ball only 20 yards from the goal line. We somehow managed to come out of that with zero points. Indeed if it had not been for all of Missouri's turnover's we had little hope of winning a game against one of the easier SEC opponents.

Brent Pease has a history of being aggressive and throwing the ball around to win. I wonder if he has changed his style this drastically or if Muschamp has him on a very short (and predictable) leash. In order to run the ball, we need to be able to confuse defenses. They need to line up and have no idea if we are going to run or throw. We have plenty of weapons but we seldom use them. I was shocked to hear during the game that Trey Burton completed his tenth reception for the year. How can we have that kind of talent and use him so little? Also passers and receivers need to be in sync and in order for that to happen, you need to throw the ball (a lot). My heart fluttered when we threw a beautiful pass to the end zone for a touchdown. Even though a holding call brought it back, it still was working, but we still prefer 2-5 yard passes over airing one out and catching the defense off guard.

Our next two games will provide little challenge and I for one am hoping the Gators use these fluff games to develop their passing game. We can still hold our heads high as  beloved fans this year, especially if we manage to crush Florida State. That won't happen though without a strong passing game and maybe some "Spurrier" type tricks up our sleeve.

Gator Season

This has certainly been an exciting and nail biting season for the Florida Gators. Last weeks loss to Georgia was disappointing on multiple levels, but its time to look ahead and face our first SEC game against Missouri. On a side note its interesting to note that Muschamp has always been on the losing end of the Florida-Georgoa game. As a Georgia bulldog player he constantly loss, and now he is 0-2 as a coach.

I am hoping the Gators have put their loss behind them and will stay focused. We have some chump games coming up but we still have Florida State on the horizon and that could be a big win for us. I also hopr the loss let the coaches know that a passing game is needed to get the big wins!

Depending how you feel about Urban Meyer, you may be either happy or upset that OSU is having a stellar season. Of course since they are on probation there will be no Rose Bowl or BCS title game  at the end of the season, so winning all the games will only give them some bragging rights in their conference.

Shout out to our Baseball Team

The University of Florida baseball program boasted four first-team All-SEC selections for the first time since 1991!  Way to go Gators.  And now our beloved Gators are playing in the Men’s College World Series. The top-seeded Gator baseball team (47-18) will face eighth-seeded South Carolina (45-17) at 9 p.m. (ET) on Saturday. The game will be aired live on ESPN/ESPN3.

The University of Florida is 80-58 (.580) all-time in NCAA Tournament action and has reached the CWS seven times: 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2005, 2010 and 2011. Last season, the Gators defeated Manhattan (17-3) and Miami (Fla.) twice (5-4 and 11-4) to sweep the Gainesville Regional before downing Mississippi State twice in three games to win the Gainesville Super Regional. UF claimed its bracket in Omaha to reach the CWS Championship Finals for the second time in school history and fell to South Carolina. This year we are looking to avenge the loss against the Gamecocks and go all the way!

Below is the schedule for the Games- We want everyone to have a chance to watch and support Florida's talented baseball team.

2012 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES SCHEDULE (all times Eastern)

Friday, June 15
Game 1 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	(V) Stony Brook (52-13) vs. (H) No. 2 UCLA (47-14)
Game 2 – 9 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	(V) Arizona (43-17) vs. (H) No. 3 Florida State (48-15)
Saturday, June 16
Game 3 – 5 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	(V) Kent State (46-18) vs. (H) Arkansas (44-20)
Game 4 – 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	(V) No. 8 South Carolina (45-17) vs. (H) No. 1 Florida (47-18)
Sunday, June 17
Game 5 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Game 6 – 9 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Monday, June 18
Game 7 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4
Game 8 – 9 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4
Tuesday, June 19
Game 9 – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6
Wednesday, June 20
Game 10 – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	Winner Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8
Thursday, June 21
Game 11 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 6
Game 12 – 9 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8
Friday, June 22
Game 13 – 5 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3) or 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3) Game 13 will be necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11.  If it is the only game scheduled for that day, the game will start at 8 p.m.
Game 14 – 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3) Game 14 will be necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12.  If it is the only game scheduled for that day, the game will start at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 23
No games scheduled
MEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES FINALS
Sunday, June 24
Game 1 – 8 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPN3)	Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner
Monday, June 25
Game 2 – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner
Tuesday, June 26
Game 3 – 8 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN3)	Bracket One Winner vs. Bracket Two Winner

Gators place 11 on All-SEC preseason team

The good news is that Florida's total number of All-SEC selections (11) is right up there with the big boys (LSU 17, Arkansas 12, Alabama 11, and Georgia 10). The bad news is they only have one first teamer (Kicker Caleb Sturgis) and no first or second team offensive players. In contrast, the big boys mentioned above have at least three first team selections (Alabama 3 off/3 def, LSU 1 off/3 def, Arkansas 3 off, and Georgia 3 def). Some of the reason could be the two new teams are siphoning off some of the spots (Texas A&M 7 total and Missouri 6 total). But much of the reason is the imbalance created by poor recruiting during Meyer's last few years and a lack of discipline that cost us some top talent along the way.
Notably absent from my discussion of big boys is South Carolina. Steve Spurrier's boys had 6 total selections with Marcus Lattimore (RB) as their lone first teamer.

Will Hill, one year later, signs with NFL team

Will Hill has finally signed on with an NFL team. Hill left Florida as a junior last year with the hopes of being drafted by an NFL team. However, he was forced to sign with the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League after going undrafted. Hill signed on Monday as a free agent with the New York Giants.

Georgia HS receiver commits to Gators

Columbus Carver's Marqui Hawkins, a 6-foot-2, 194-pound wide receiver prospect from Georgia, committed Monday to the Florida Gators. It is the Gators' 16th commitment to the 2013 recruting class.
Hawkins has been clocked at 4.53 seconds in the 40.

Two former Gators sign with Ravens

Two former Gators, quarterback John Brantley and receiver Deonte Thompson signed Friday with the Baltimore Ravens. Brantley hopes to secure a spot as the No. 3 quarterback and Thompson is vying for a spot on special teams.