Gator Garb

Gators vs. Vols Game Day T-shirt are out...

With all the bitching and crying Kiffin has done this T-shirt might be appropriate....





NOW KIDS TAKE SOME ADDERALL and FOCUS ON THIS WEEK

WE CANNOT, I stress CANNOT look past Troy (12:21 pm @ the Swamp)...Gators are favored -36 which I think is a bit steep.

Our friend/ghostwriter Leaf made a good point.
Troy is one of the teams stacked with the most Floridians out of any school outside the state.



This paired up with some fun facts from fellow Pi Kapp Jeremey Fowler Ya'll from the O-Town Sentinel

"Georgia and Tennessee are powerful rivals the Gators would never overlook, but even they don't have more senior NFL prospects than Troy, Saturday's opponent in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Troy, like the Bulldogs and Vols, has three players on nfldraftscout.com's list of the top-200 upperclassmen.


Only four Southeastern Conference teams-LSU, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi-had more prospects in the top 200. Six conference teams fell short of Troy's total.

No wonder the three-time defending Sun Belt champions have given high-profile opponents fits in recent years."

It looks like this will be a good test for us on the speed axis.

See you all at Wall Street Gator's apt. at 9:30am for some Beam&Coke and the Gameday crew.

Florida fans you better hold it down.

West Coast you better wake up real early.

Go Wake and Bake
Go Gators

WSG's Corner.

This game will be a blow out. I know that is not a revolutionary statement but nonetheless, it needs to be said. We are playing a weak Division I-AA team here. Somewhat embarrassing that we even scheduled this game but it is what it is. At least it should provide significant playing time for a lot of our back-ups and freshman. I don’t expect many of the starters to be there beyond the midway point of the third quarter at the latest. The real suspense in this game will be whether this team scores on us, I think we shut them out.

Four burning questions to watch out for during the game:

· Who starts in the offensive line? I am predicting the Pouncey Twins, Carl Johnson, Marcus Gilbert and Matt Patchan. But look for James Wilson to get significant playing time. For those less learned amongst us, Patchan is the big white guy with long hair. He played on the D-line last year due to depth issues but was a 5 star O-line prospect coming out of High School. He is a bit of a lunatic, the type of guy who will surely draw some personal foul penalties for late hits after the whistle. And James Wilson was also a 5 star recruit who played high school ball with Tebow at Nease High in Jacksonville (he de-committed from USC last minute and came over to the good guys). By all accounts, both of those guys have all the talent in the world, with Patchan being really athletic and fast for a lineman while still somewhat undersized and Wilson being more of a big mauler with the brute strength of a Ford F-150. Also, I really want to see Xavier Nixon get some valuable playing time and expect that he will. This kid is a true freshman and was ranked among the best Offensive Tackle prospects by many of the recruiting services last year. He certainly passes the eyeball test at about 6-6 305 lbs. Oh yea and he is barely 18 years old.

· Who starts at Safety? Both of our safeties this year, the hammer that is Major Wright and playmaker they call Ahmad Black are on the Jim Thorpe watch list (an award that goes to the best defensive back in the country). And it is likely that one of them (rumored to be Black) will not start for us. Will “the Thrill” Hill the #1 rated Athlete coming out of high school two years ago has been lighting it up by all accounts…so much so that Joe Haden said that he was speaking with Spikes and that the Thrill looks like the best player on the Defense, period. Yes you heard me right, the same defense that likely has three first round picks in next year’s NFL Draft (Dunlap, Spikes and Haden). Hold on to your seats, this will be interesting to watch. I don’t know how the hell you take Ahmad Black out of the lineup after he led the SEC in interceptions last year, most notably with that pick he ghetto-ripped out of Iglesias’s hands last year in the National Championship game, which could go down as one of the greatest plays in Gator history in my opinion. This is a very positive signal for recruiting purposes though, it says to all the high school ballers out there, “Come to Florida and if you’re good enough you will start, no matter who is ahead of you when you get here.” We truly have an embarrassment of riches in the secondary.

· How many sacks do we get? Seriously, I don’t know how this glorified High School team we are playing will block Dunlap and Cunningham coming off the edge. This could be a good chance for them to pad their stats and get out in front of the SEC sacks race for the year. Dunlap led the SEC in sacks last year and he wasn’t even listed as a starter for us. He actually co-led with Eric Norwood from South Carolina who looked like a man beast last night against NC State by the way. I also want to see Willie Green get in the mix as well as Omar Hunter. Enough of the hype, get out there and bust somebody in the mouth for god’s sake…I just want to see blood dripping (not too much, but a little bit).

· Which WR not named Hernandez will finally step up? We all know Hernandez is and will be even more of a Puerto Rican man-beast this year. But who is the next great Gator WR? Most people say Deonte Thompson…he will certainly get his shot. He is on the track team and claims to be one of the fastest guys on the team but I frankly haven’t seen it. Sure it seems like he has good straight line speed but not much as far as lateral agility and ability to break tackles after the catch. I hope I am wrong and honestly haven’t seen enough of him to truly make an accurate assessment. We will soon find out. Also, I want to see Riley Cooper finally burst out and I am curious to see Brandon James in the slot. Brandon James could have a little Wes Welker in him, he is shifty and good after the catch, let’s hope he gets it done. I am predicting a big game from Frankie Hammond Jr. (the redshirt freshman standout who is next in line to crack the starting rotation). I think he and Brantley will rack up the yards in the second half. On a side note, I am excited to see Brantley sling it around…his arm strength and general passing ability have been discussed ad nauseum – I want to see it.

Lastly, lets chat about injuries. Looks like Carl Moore is out for the year with a back issue as is likely Jeremy Brown with another back issue. Andre Debose could go under the knife with a bad hammy and this talented freshman will not see the field any time soon. Too bad because if you go to the CoachUrbanMeyer website and look at the practice clips, he looks like the most elusive player on the team, like a slippery little jelly fish, hard to tackle. His lateral agility and ability to cut on a dime are very Percy-esque if I do say so myself. It might do him some good to get stronger and learn the playbook though, so if he sits out the year it’s not the end of the world. Also out for this game is Dustin Doe (suspended for repeated traffic related violations) and we just heard that Janoris may not start (probably due to his off-season fight/legal issues, but Urban might just want to get Markhise Anderson a start since it’s his senior year). Brendan Beal, the great white hope at linebacker has a neck issue and is listed as doubtful. Other than that most of the guys are good to go. Unlike last year, we came out of pre-season without any disastrous injuries (see Cornelius Ingram 2008). Let’s hope that trend continues and as far I am concerned, the most important thing we need to accomplish in this game is to come out of it injury free.

Go Gators – Final Score prediction UF over Charleston Southern by a score of 66 – 0.

Hallelujah.

It started. Thank. Fucking. God. I really don't know how much longer I could've gone watching that ridiculous sport with a wooden stick and little ball and where it's against the rules to kill the other team. Seriously, watching baseball and tennis in the weeks leading up to football season is like drinking your own piss in the desert. It'll get you there, but you're drinking piss. And spare me that the NFL preseason whets the appetite. That I liken to bagging the fat-but-not-so-much-in-strategically-striped-clothes-and-in-a-dark-smokey-bar chick, technically you got what you want, but not really and you'll hate yourself in the morning.

But all that's over now for college football is back and I'm thrilled through and through about it. Most people have to take inordinate grams of mescaline to achieve the smile I have on my face. Now I can watch ESPN again. Now I can feast my eyes on blurs of orange and blue violence. Now I can sound my barbaric yawp again.

I never thought I'd be so happy to watch the Wolfpack and Gamecocks play a football game. So can we please talk about how great this feels for a moment? I feel this is something to which we should dedicate some time. I cannot imagine a world without college football. I hope there's a treaty of some sort that makes sure that if we go to war, the other side has agreed not to destroy college football lest they trigger a nuclear war. Any outside country's interference, or what's worse, cessation of college football, will be regarded as a nuclear attack on the United States which shall be met with equal or greater force. It's only fair.

What is it about this game? The players are kids, strangers, and willful. The fans are crass and obnoxious, the colors loud and clashing, and the coaches are melodramatic and Machiavellian little Napoleans. But the excitement is electric, the tension more palpable, the beer colder, the weather cooler, the sun brighter, the sky bluer, grass greener, and, just as Matt said, I get older, but the girls stay the same age.

Welcome back, college football. I've missed you terribly.

Breaking News

According to WSG Will Hill is going to start over Ahmad Black. Jewboy thinks Will Hill is the best athlete on the team.

The Dog Wins the Poll by Jewboy

Here is the clear winner folks.

This is a proud moment, as I credit The Salty Dog as being the first establishment I drank at when I first got to Gainesville as a young naive 18 year old. A certain friend and now district attorney (a prosecutor, who will remain nameless) would "card" us and let us taste all the flavors that flowed from an endless wall of taps. I credit "The Salty Dog" with my first Harp, Tucher, Bass, Anchor Steam, and Sierra Nevada experience. I am sure everyone at MGN has stood in "the dog", along the bar, just waiting to pounce on the first table that opened up. You would sit down with your beer and just let your sleeves stick to the tables and your shoes to the floor.

Thank you Salty Dog, for without you I would never know the pleasures of reading "I ran all the way here with all my heart, thought I had to shit but really it was a fart" when taking a piss.

Thank you for being there, for without you I would have been studying in Library West instead of watching Dupay and the Gators beat UK.

Thank you for being there during all those halftimes when you could leave the stadium, down a beer and run back into the stadium for the start of the third.

Thank you Salty Dog! Thank You!

Sneaka Heads

New Kicks for 2010

Spring 2010 of Nike Dunk Be True To Your School Edition

The Chosen One

Do Not Take HIM For Granted!!!

D Rod sent out these videos this week. I had heard of them but never actually watched them….




Last night I did… and the whole time all I could think of was……………………

“What if Tebow had gone to Alabama instead?”


How different would these last 3 years have been without him.


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We are so damn lucky to be Florida Gators…..

We have one of the most hungry competitors to ever take the field at our helm

Our team is led by a warrior that only comes around every 50 yrs.

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I implore you.

DO NOT take this season for granted, do not take a single snap to his hands for granted.

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This year you will be watching one of the Greatest College Football PLAYERS to ever take the field.

You will be able to tell your grandchildren that you saw this man take over the game

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You will witness a part of History.

Savor it… because it could have been a different story…

Go take every drip-drop, don’t you waste it
Go Gators

9-5-09

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A look back at the Elite 11

The elite 11 is now ten years old and the members of the 2005 class are now 4 years removed from high school so you can get a good look at just what happened to that class.

For those that don’t remember the 12 QBs that attended the 2005 camp were:

Neil Caudle – competing for the starting job at Auburn
Pat Devlin – transferred out of PSU
Zach Frazer – transferred out of ND
Josh Freeman – 17th pick by Tampa Bay Bucs
Cody Hawkins – poised to start for a third straight season at CU
Jake Locker – will return to starting role at UW
Mitch Mustain – transferred from Arky to USC
Kevin Riley – starter at Cal, Phil Steele considers him a Heisman candidate
Jevan Snead – transferred from UT to Ole Miss
Matt Stafford - #1 pick in NFL draft Detroit Lions
Tim Tebow – 2 titles, 1 Heisman, looking for 1 more of each
Juice Williams – 4 year starter at Illinois




It’s pretty interesting to look at what happens to elite HS QBs. Of the 4 transfers only 1 has gone on to be a known name that looks like a top NFL pick. Three others took redshirts their freshman years and are now starters but 2 of them are on pretty awful teams. There were 2 QBs who went on to start as Freshman, one of them ended up the #1 pick and the other plays for Ron Zook. Then there is Josh Freeman who is freakish athletically but never did anything of note in college and still got drafted in the Top 20.

Clearly, the headliner of that group is Tim Tebow, who played a major role for the Gators 2006 Championship team as a Freshman, won the Heisman as a Soph and then won another MNC as a Junior full time starter. If he somehow pulls off another Heisman and another MNC he will easily go down as the most accomplished of the Elite 11 QBs as he has already put himself ahead of the 2005 class the way Usain Bolt pulls away from the field in the 200m.

But not only is Tebow the best of his class, he might be the best of any class. The elite 11 began in 1999 with a class that included Brock Berlin, Casey Clausen, Matt Cassell and Chris Rix. Since then the program has hosted Gator QBs Ingle Martin, Gavin Dickey, Chris Leak, Justin Midget, Cornelius Ingram and most recently John Brantley. As well as some very notable names in the world of college football: Matt Leinart, Vince Young, Troy Smith, JaMarcus Russell, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, Chase Daniel, and Tyrod Taylor.

Out of the entire list of Elite 11 QBs you get the feeling that it is as likely for these guys to become complete non-factors as it is for them to compete for championships. Still, the odds are better when you have an Elite 11 QB. Elite 11 QBs have accounted for 3 Heisman trophies in the past 10 years and 4 National Titles with 6 BCSCG appearances (Its actually more if you count Ingram and Brantley, which I am not). And many of the others have not been slouches either, winning conference titles and excelling at new positions. It is clear that the Elite 11 brings in a very talented group but it is not a guarantee for success.

It is however a very good gauge for which programs are the best. Looking at the list the most represented programs are also considered to be the tops of CFB. USC with 5 and UF with 7 seem to be bringing in one every other year and sometimes more. It is these top tier programs that consistently recruit at the highest level that will be competing for titles year in and year out.

Go Recruit Elite

Go Gators

Thanks to Leaf for this peice

Op ed from my boy Leaf a Gator and Viking

Purple Haze

 

Percy Harvin has a new nickname, its about time as there never seemed to be one good enough for him in high school or college.

 

When the Vikings selected him they became one of the biggest winners in the NFL draft and the Florida Gators lost an irreplaceable player. In the NFL the Vikings have gained the Percy position and added 30 plays to their playbook. All for Percy. No one on the Gators roster will be able to fill those shoes alone. Not Rainey, Demps, Deonte or Debose. They may all have great seasons but none of them will be able to do all of what Percy Harvin did. No offense to any of those guys, I expect big things from all of them but if I were to be expecting them to replace Percy it would just be unfair to them. Instead, I think Gator fans should be happy with whatever production we get out of all of these talented athletes and know that it will take all of them to provide the electricity that Percy Harvin gave us for three years.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhb8eZY5EjI

 

For anyone hoping to continue to follow this great Gator's career you might want to pick him up in your fantasy league.

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/features/column.aspx?sport=NFL&columnid=125&articleid=33416

 

And for Gator fans who are hoping they will see another player don the Orange and Blue at the Percy position we may be lucky enough to get just that out of Andre Debose. Just try not to get too excited before he plays a game no matter what Urban says. 

 

http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/the-percy-position/