Official Florida Gators Thread

Me too Mot, I am excited to see him on the field...

 

When I see Dunlap play, I can't help but think of Jevon Kearse. I don't know if he'll get the same results. I do see the same body type, with really long arms, very similar athleticism, etc. He just moves like Jevon. BTW, I grew up playing against Kearse from Pop Warner through H.S. So, I may be a bit biased since I saw so much of him.

Dunlap looked a bit lost on the field last year. His hesitancy made him play slow. If he can get a grip on what he's supposed to be doing, and be confident enough to go full bore...

 

most freshman and some sophmore will be lost becuase its a lot to sink in. It takes awhile. Moore will not be the starting rb however he will get carries. Meyer was saying that Williams was not fully healthy yet. Moody has not got the whole offense yet either.

 

That was predictable.Still quite a feather in his cap in only his second year

 

Florida Spring game 1pm ESPN

 

Oh goody. Football!

 

I'm not a Gator fan but I watched that game and man is Dunlap impressive. I was thinking freak of nature every time I saw him. So is Rainey, hes so elusive. He made a great cutback I believe it was on a TD.

 

My impressions of the secondary today...granted I awoke middle of the second quarter:

It seemed today that the secondary played much better than last year. What indicated this to me? Well first of all it was the two interceptions. Yes I know both interceptions came off of tips by the WR, but this shows that the DB's are playing the WR's close enough to get the rebounds off of the tips. Too many times last year there was too much seperation between the DB and WR and you didn't see many picks off of tipped balls. Continuing on this note, I noticed the trend overall about the DB's. One play in general was a deep TD attempt by Tebow. He threw it deep to Cooper I believe how was well covered by two defenders. The throw was perfect and Cooper actually had it in his hands for a second, but the coverage was so tight he couldn't hold on.

 

I normally can't stand the Gators but I am a fan of him and Dunlap. Great talents that will cause hell for opposing offenses and defenses.

 

RAINEY DAY BRIGHT FOR FLORIDA'S OFFENSE

David Gardner of NewEraScouting.com checks in with this report from Florida's spring game:

Before Florida’s annual spring practice – the Orange & Blue Debut – three heats of Florida’s fastest non-athletes competed against running back Chris Rainey and wide receivers Deonte Thompson and Louis Murphy. Each one won his race, but Rainey stood out above them all. Clocking in at an unofficial 4.24-second 40-yard dash, he didn’t slow down for the rest of the day.

Despite the heel injury to Florida’s main offensive weapon, wide receiver/running back Percy Harvin, the Florida first-team offense (the blue team) posted 28 points on its first-team defense (orange). Rainey, a sophomore who missed most of his freshman year with a shoulder injury, was a huge part of that, scoring on a 65-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass from Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and on a two-yard dive into the end zone.

Buried on the depth chart as the second-string running back on the second-team offense, USC transfer Emmanuel Moody had a brilliant second half and should be more of a factor in a crowded backfield that also includes power back Mon Williams. Both offenses seemed to be emphasizing the run, one of Florida’s glaring weaknesses last season.

The development of Rainey is a good sign for the Florida offense, as it will allow Percy Harvin to spend less time in the backfield and more time as a wide receiver, where he should be Tebow’s number one target. Tebow, who was intercepted on two tipped passes and threw for two touchdowns, ran on the first play from scrimmage but not much after that. Sophomore Riley Cooper was the most impressive wide receiver and appears to be Tebow’s favorite target in the absence of Harvin.

On the other side of the ball, Florida’s starting defense forced three turnovers, but continued to struggle with tackling and gap integrity. Rainey’s 65-yard touchdown was a direct result of a gap in Florida’s Cover Two defense. Major Wright continued to shine; his stellar play will allow Florida to switch back to its baseCover One defense that it used with Reggie Nelson in 2006. The only other standout player was backup defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who recorded three “sacks” (quarterbacks aren’t supposed to be tackled in the game).

Other highlights included Tebow decking Major Wright, who was blocking for the return of Tebow’s second interception, which resulted in a touchdown. Tebow became just the third player in school history to have his jersey placed on the stadium wall, following fellow Heisman Trophy recipients Steve Spurrier and Danny Wuerffel. Freshman kicker Caleb Sturgis also nailed a 60-yard field goal. The Blue Team won the game, 28-14.

http://www.collegefootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

 

Man, you would have thought we were playing FSU I was so excited to see them play. I was obviously looking forward to seeing a lot of things, but I did have a top four.

1) John Brantley - What a shame. He was absolutely the most important thing going into the game for me.

2) Rainey - There's not much to say, because if you saw it, you definitley saw it. He is a much better receiver than I expected. On that long TD pass; I still can't believe the body control. I watched half dozen times, and kept waiting for different results. Not only did he catch the ball over the shoulder after sprinting down field, but he didn't fall down or out of bounds! I was floored that someone running that fast could change direction, still catch the ball, and keep himself under control.
THEN he flat out clowned the safety! I'm surprised the kid didn't destroy his groin.
Unbelievable play.

3) Moody. I'll get over the fumble. I'm not sure the coaching staff will, yet, but I will. His speed far exceeded my expectations. That kid can run the ball. If he shows that he can hold onto the ball, and fully grasp the offense, he will absolutely be our #1. No doubt in my mind. Rainey will be split out like Harvin, when Moody's in, and often come back in motion.

4) Dunlap. I wanted to see if he was finally able to play w/o thinking. Last year he played very slowly. You could see the wheels turning in his head, and that'll make anyone slow.
Wow. I just hope what we saw was more about how good he'll be and less about how bad our OT's are. He is still thinking too much out there, when not on a straight pass rush, but he's so much better.
Disclaimer. Do not believe what Corso said about him being 290 lbs. He's no where close to that. Probably in the 250 area. Maybe 260. But, that's plenty big enough for next year.

I'm going to watch the game again so I can focus on the DL. That's another obvious concern, but I prefer to watch a second time if I'm going to look at them in more detail. I believe I saw John Brown do some nice things though.

Regarding Newton: I'm not that worried. Even though these games are designed to showoff the offense, that doesn't really hold true with a guy like Newton. Yeah, I'd love to see him throw like Tebow, but that's pretty unreasonable. He's a runner, that can pass after the defense is focused on stopping his runs. He would have had some HUGE runs yesterday if it were a real game, and the defense would have been forced to put 8-9 in the box. Then he would have been able to find some wide open targets, which is what a guy like him needs.
If, God forbid, Tebow should go down, you won't see us run the offense like we did with Newton yesterday. It'll be much more like the Old Miss game last year. It will be a let down after Tebow, but it won't be a disaster like it was yesterday.

Speaking of Tebow... He's been practicing. He's already smoother passing the ball, and threw some really nice passes deep. Watchingh His development is such a treat.

Re: the DB's. Who were those guys? Certainly not last year's group.
Wondy was outstanding! I mean that can't be the same lost CB I saw at the beginning of last year. He was blanketing our WR's. I'm so impressed!
Major Wright was actually playing center field and reading the play development very well. I'm not surprised at his improvement, just very pleased to see it.

Was that Duke Lemmens playing LB? He was around the ball often and early. Hope to see this better when I rewatch the game.

Deonte Thompson needs to exchange his hands for a pair that works. Definitely looked like a guy trying too hard to prove something.

BTW, the race defined anticlimactic. Should have made them do it again after all that press.

 

Gators offense is S-C-A-R-Y

Rainey *shudders*

 

Florida or LSU will win the SEC and maybe even make the BCS title game against Ohio State

No really we all know its been the SEC's turn to be the top conference the past few years, I love watching the 3:30 game on CBS every saturday....always a good game.

 

I'm hoping for a Florida vs Ohio St rematch. Though it would be in Florida

 

Honestly its down to Florida and Georgia for the SEC. The only way I don't see Florida in the NT game is if their secondary hasn't improved. Henne picked apart that group.

 

Yeah, I was going to say that it'll be UF or UGA.

FWIW, I don't get Corso going on and on about their schedule but not even mentioning UF's. UGA's is certainly brutal, but I can't say it's much different than UF's.
The biggest difference I see is that UF has Miami at home, while Ga goes to ASU. Also, UGA plays three tough *** SECW games, while we have two and Old Miss.
However, we're at UT, and we're at FSU while they have GT home.
Both have a throw away game.
Both have a tougher "mid major" game, although Hawaii's not going to be as good as they were last year.

Anyway, it irked me that UGA's was SO tough, but no mention of UF.

 

Yeah, June leaving really changed that game. Our young secondary would have really been put to the test against the run and shoot under Jones' direction.

I think the analysts will give UF more credit for the UM game at the end of the year, then before hand. Miami SHOULD greatly improve by the end of the year. They're still too young, but the talent is back. Next year at UM should be a fun one.

 

I'm having a tough time with that 4.24 time. He wasn't exactly running with good form. I that's nit picking, but for a "real" time that low, I'd expect perfect form. I think there is a lot of in that time, especially with it being put up as a potential benchmark for a free scholarship.

Only four? Seemed like 10.

 

That was hilarious!

 

I read that the RBs impressed at the spring game, one ran a 4.27

 

I'm not saying I believe the 4.24 but do you remember Darrell Greene CB for the Redskins? That guy was one of the fastest players in the league and he had horrible form.

 

Just saw the replay.That Moody kid really has some great moves but looks like a fumbler and doesnt change hands away from the coming tackle.I hope they resolve that.

Rainey was impressive as was Tebow,Dunlap,and the DBs.

Cameron did not look very uncomfortable except when he was running the ball.I was not impressed with Cooper who dropped two catchable TDs.Someone has to step up to the No 1 WR spot.

All in all a good showing but not an overwhelming performance that would make you think they would be the favorites to win the SEC IMO.

 

I'm not too worried about a #1 WR. Harvin, if/when he recovers, would fill that role. He'll be asked to run the ball much less with Moody, Rainey, and Manson emerging, so that will allow him to focus receiving. Also, Rainey's appearance anywhere on the field, and CI's hopeful maturation should also keep less eyes on Harvin.

/fingers crossed

 

Damn it! You know I meant Williams