Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 15:55:12 GMT -5
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 25, 2017 19:28:49 GMT -5
My annual rant about SEC scheduling against UF over the years:
1. From 1953, 1956-1960, 1962-*1964, and 1966, UF played LSU/Auburn/Georgia back to back to back with no open dates or, in the case of 1964, Alabama/Auburn/Georgia back to back to back with no open dates. That's 10 of 14 seasons with killer SEC schedules.
2. From 1956-1960 and 1962-1991, UF played Auburn and Georgia back to back without an open date, that's 35 years with 30 being consecutive. 1961 was an oddball season.
3. Commencing in 1992, the SEC scheduled an open date between Auburn and Georgia. However, in their infinite spirit of fairness, the SEC scheduled LSU and Auburn back to back with an open date before Georgia from 1992-2002. That's 11 consecutive seasons back to back with LSU and Auburn.
4. Auburn dropped off UF's annual schedule in 2003. Since then, UF has played Auburn 3 times. Each time when the SEC scheduled Auburn, it was back to back with LSU again. UF and Auburn play again in 2018. I'm betting on the SEC to put LSU and Auburn back to back again followed by the off week before Georgia.
5. The SEC favoring Alabama in scheduling is irritating. The UF equivalent of LSU/Auburn/Georgia for Alabama is Tennessee/LSU/Auburn. Alabama has rarely had these teams scheduled back to back and never back to back to back. The few times the SEC scheduled back to back without an open date for Alabama, their record was an awful 1-9. From 2002-2006, the SEC scheduled LSU and Auburn back to back without an open date. The SEC never scheduled Tennessee/LSU/Auburn back to back to back without an open date before 2002 and haven't scheduled LSU/Auburn back to back without an open date or another team in between since 2006. What Alabama wants, Alabama gets. After 1-9 from 2002-2006, the Alabama administration probably squealed loudly in private to stay away from UF's style of scheduling.
The following proves that UF's LSU/Auburn/Georgia has an Alabama equivalent of Tennessee/LSU/Auburn. Since 1950, LSU/Auburn/Georgia have a combined SEC record of 818-562-34 for an SEC winning percentage of .59052. Tennessee/LSU/Auburn have a combined SEC record of 809-567-41 for an SEC winning percentage of .58539. That's about as close as you can get for a 67 year SEC games comparison.
6. Gotta love SEC scheduling - NOT! - Sometimes, I have wondered why UF has remained in such an unfair scheduling conference. It's no wonder why UF didn't win its first SEC championship until 1984 as the Gators faced killer schedules every year. For us old timers who lived the significance, I haven't used the despised phrase "wait till next year" since 1984.
7. Georgia has taken it in the rear from the SEC too. From 1944-1951 and 1953-1991, Georgia played Florida/Auburn back to back without an open date or another team in between. That's 47 years total with 39 consecutive. That was also killer scheduling by the SEC.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 27, 2017 23:02:48 GMT -5
Jarrad Davis was a difference-maker at linebacker for Florida. Now, he’s a Detroit Lion.
Davis was picked by the Lions with the No. 21 pick of the first round of the NFL Draft Thursday night, giving the Lions a big, physical linebacker in the middle of their defense.
Despite missing 4 games, Davis still finished second on the Gators with 60 total tackles this past season, while tallying 6 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 pass break-ups and 5 quarterback hurries.
Davis finished his junior season with 98 tackles along with 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 7 quarterback hurries.
When healthy, he was the driving force for a Florida defense that finished the season ranked 5th nationally in fewest yards allowed (293 per game).
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said, “Davis is my No. 1 inside linebacker, a day one contributor with athleticism and A-plus intangibles.” In a dual mock draft with ESPN colleague Todd McShay, Kiper slotted Davis to the New York Giants with the No. 23 overall pick.
McShay, meanwhile, raved about Davis’ intangibles during a recent conference call with reporters.
“I think from a talent standpoint, Jarrad Davis is a first-round player. From an intangibles standpoint, he’s top 5 in the class,” McShay said. “I mean, he’s a player that loves the game. You can see the passion and just energy he has for the game when you study him on tape.”
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2017 16:15:14 GMT -5
The Florida-Georgia game is one of the biggest on Florida’s football schedule every year. And the SEC teams’ tradition of playing Jacksonville, Fla., will continue.
Per a report from the Jacksonville Business Journal, a contract has been drawn up for the schools to sign and awaits approval from the Jacksonville City Council. Over the course of the five-year deal, Florida and Georgia will receive $2.75 million in incentives. A new provision is that each school will get a $125,000 signing bonus and a $250,000 guaranteed payment.
Both Georgia and Florida will also get a $10,000 bump in lodging and travel spending to $60,000. Jacksonville is also covering airfare for Georgia up to $350,000. Both schools will receive full ticket revenue, which will be split evenly, and won’t pay to play at Everbank Field.
The expected game dates are: Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017 Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018 Saturday, Oct. 26 or Saturday, Nov. 2; 2019 Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020 Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021
The Gators have won the past three games in the rivalry, including 24-10 in 2016.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 28, 2017 20:07:53 GMT -5
NFL Draft Update - 1 taken in first round, 3 taken in the second round, and 1 taken in the third round - all on defense:
PHILADELPHIA – Four former Gators were taken on the second day of the 2017 NFL Draft, with Marcus Maye, Quincy Wilson and Teez Tabor going in the second round and Alex Anzalone going in the third. Maye and Wilson were selected by the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, who chose them with the 39th and 46th overall picks, respectively, while Anzalone was picked by the New Orleans Saints with the 76th overall selection.
Meanwhile, cornerback Teez Tabor joined 2017 first-round pick (21st overall) Jarrad Davis in Detroit as the Lions selected Tabor 53rd overall in the second round.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 15:36:12 GMT -5
UF is up to 7 players drafted in the NFL draft - think DT Joey Ivie still has a shot to be drafted.
Brantley was projected as 2nd or 3rd round so his stock plummeted due to his legal troubles this week. He could have settled, but I'm glad he chose to clear his name instead. He'll make up for it in his 2nd NFL contract presuming he pans out and doesn't get a career ending injury:
PHILADELPHIA – Two former Gators were taken on the third and final day of the 2017 NFL Draft, with David Sharpe and Caleb Brantley going in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively. Sharpe was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round with the 129th overall pick. Meanwhile, Brantley was picked in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns with the 185th overall selection.
Sharpe and Brantley join Jarrad Davis (first round, 21st overall, Detroit), Marcus Maye (second round, 39th overall, New York Jets), Quincy Wilson (second round, 46th overall, Indianapolis), Teez Tabor (second round, 53rd overall, Detroit) and Alex Anzalone (third round, 76th overall, New Orleans) to total five draft picks for UF.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 16:27:33 GMT -5
Given the following, I wouldn't be in a hurry to sign with Cleveland until the legal issue is settled. Once settled positively for Brantley, I'd hold out for my fair market value even if I had to sit out a year. The Cleveland Browns ain't all that:
The Cleveland Browns made Caleb Brantley the No. 185 overall pick on Saturday, but reportedly there’s a chance the former Florida defensive tackle might not stay on the roster given recent events. As relayed by Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan, Sashi Brown, the Browns executive vice president of football operations, said the misdemeanor battery complaint involving Brantley still is being investigated and that Cleveland might not keep the player on roster because of the situation. Ruiter reported that the Browns are “concerned” about the event. The complaint featuring Brantley came about after he was involved in a physical altercation with UF student Chelsea Austin on April 13. The woman has alleged that Brantley knocked her unconscious and displaced a tooth. Brantley has entered a written plea of not guilty. Brantley earned second-team All-SEC honors last season. He closed the year with 31 total tackles, a team-high 9.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 16:44:09 GMT -5
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 16:54:48 GMT -5
Joey Ivie DT was selected in the 7th round by the Dallas Cowboys - that makes 8 drafted Gators 7 defense and 1 offense. I had thought Tampa Bay, but Dallas pulled the trigger when Tampa Bay went with a different DT in the 7th round:
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 18:56:42 GMT -5
I have no doubt that Bryan Cox Jr. will be on an NFL roster this fall:
Bryan Cox Jr. dealt with several injuries during the 2016 season, which is likely a reason why the former Florida defensive end was passed over during the 2017 NFL Draft. But not long after the draft concluded, Cox made the next step in his football career, signing as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles, according to multiple reports.
Cox suffered a broken hand — which forced him to wear a cast while playing — that limited him to 19 tackles and half a sack for the Gators last season. Over his four-year career at Florida, Cox compiled 99 tackles and 10 sacks.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2017 19:09:54 GMT -5
By Robbie Andreu Staff writer Published: Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 6:18 p.m. Last Modified: Saturday, April 29, 2017 at 6:18 p.m. In perhaps the surprise of the day in the NFL draft Saturday, the Cleveland Browns, with the first pick in the sixth round, selected Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley, who is facing a battery charge after allegedly knocking a woman unconscious with a punch to the face in a scuffle outside a Gainesville bar on April 13. But being selected by the Browns doesn't necessarily mean Brantley will ever make it to Cleveland. Moments after the Browns made the selection, Sashi Brown, the team's executive vice president and head of football operations, said the charges against Brantley are “concerning” and the Browns could release him. "This may not be something we can get comfortable with," Brown said. "Facts may come up that may prevent us from keeping him on our roster.” After selecting Brantley with the 185th overall pick, the Browns informed him that they may release him, pending results of the case. Before being charged with battery, Brantley was projected to go in the second or third round of the draft. Over the past week, there has been growing speculation that he would not be drafted at all. Brantley entered a written plea of not guilty Monday. The State Attorney's Office is investigating the incident and will decide whether or not to formally charge him. Huntley Johnson, one of Brantley's attorneys, said Brantley appreciates the Browns giving him an opportunity, and that he and his law firm will vigorously defend Brantley, whom Johnson said he is convinced has been wrongly accused. “He's extremely grateful to have an opportunity to play football next fall,” Johnson said Saturday evening. “I will say that Caleb Brantley will never plead guilty in this case, that we will defend him to the best of our ability at my law firm. And that more than ever, I believe he is the victim, and this certainly proves beyond any doubt that life is not always fair.” Brantley was the second of three former Gators drafted Saturday. Junior offensive tackle David Sharpe was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round with the 129th overall pick and defensive tackle Joey Ivie was taken in the seventh round by the Dallas Cowboys with the 228th pick Of the eight Gators drafted, a school record-tying seven are on defense, led by linebacker Jarrad Davis, who was taken in the first round by the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. Florida also had seven defensive players selected in the 2007 draft. Defensive backs Marcus Maye (New York Jets), Quincy Wilson (Indianapolis Colts) and Teez Tabor (Lions) were selected in the second round Friday, while outside linebacker Alex Anzalone (New Orleans Saints) was taken in the third round. The first Gator off the board Saturday, was Sharpe, a massive (6-foot-6, 343 pounds) left tackle prospect who was scooped up by the Raiders in the fourth round. Sharpe, in a conference call Saturday afternoon, denied the rumors and reports that he is legally blind in his right eye. That speculation started at the NFL combine. “That info is definitely false,” Sharpe said. “All of it is false. Just had a little cataract removed when I was younger. Just been battling that since I've been young, but it doesn't affect my play or vision or anything. I'm not blind.” Sharpe wasn't surprised that he got the call from the Raiders on Saturday after getting an early morning text from UF quarterback Luke Del Rio, the son of Raiders' coach Jack Del Rio. “He actually texted me this morning and said his dad called him and asked about me,” Sharpe said. “There was a little hint there, so that was cool.”
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2017 6:53:27 GMT -5
A total of thirteen former Florida Gators are heading to the NFL.
Florida had eight players selected in the 2017 NFL Draft, and five more signed undrafted free agent deals Saturday.
Quarterback Austin Appleby (Dallas Cowboys), defensive end Bryan Cox Jr. (Carolina Panthers), running back Mark Herndon (Cleveland Browns) and wide receivers Ahmad Fulwood (New Orleans Saints) and Chris Thompson (Houston Texans) all joined NFL teams after the draft concluded.
Here’s a look at where Florida’s draftees landed:
LB Jarrad Davis, Detroit Lions, Round 1, No. 21 S Marcus Maye, New York Jets, Round 2, No. 39 CB Quincy Wilson, Indianapolis Colts, Round 2, No. 46 CB Teez Tabor, Detroit Lions, Round 2, No. 53 LB Alex Anzalone, New Orleans Saints, Round 3, No. 76 OT David Sharpe, Oakland Raiders, Round 4, No. 129 DT Caleb Brantley, Cleveland Browns, Round 6, No. 185 DT Joey Ivie, Dallas Cowboys, Round 7, No. 228
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on May 1, 2017 7:32:28 GMT -5
QB Jake Allen has chosen to enroll in Summer A instead of reporting with the remainder of the recruiting class in Summer B. He'll get started early working with the QBs and WRs.
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2017 8:16:17 GMT -5
Spurrier on scheduling Michigan and more. It has been my opinion that 8 SEC games plus FSU every year with Miami tossed in some years has been plenty in scheduling. After the 19 game in Orlando with Miami, I'll be looking for an out of region match up to fill the Miami slots. I'm glad to see Spurrier agrees with me that UF doesn't need excessively hard scheduling:
Steve Spurrier shares thoughts on Florida’s ’17 kickoff with Michigan, perils of marquee openers
Ryan Young SEC Country staff
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. — While discussing the Florida football team’s 2017 potential among other topics on Tuesday, Steve Spurrier was asked his thoughts on the Gators’ marquee season-opening showdown with Michigan in Arlington, Texas.
The legendary former Florida coach said those kind of matchups weren’t discussed much during his tenure in Gainesville, and if such a game had been proposed, it doesn’t sound like he would have had a lot of interest.
“It didn’t come up too much back then. Everyone was sort of happy with the way the schedule felt. I think it can be detrimental, to tell you the truth,” Spurrier said. “I saw (Ole Miss coach) Hugh Freeze last night at the golf tournament and I said, ‘You know, during the summer it sounded real neat and cool to want to play FSU in Orlando, Fla., when realistically Ole Miss (has) got no business coming into Florida to play FSU down there.’ But there was a lot of money involved, and I guess it would be nice if you beat them. But they went down there and got beat and kept getting beat and went 4-8 this year.
“So I’m not sure when you’re in the SEC and you’ve got 8 big conference games, plus Florida, we’ve got FSU, I don’t know that we need to schedule all those big guys. Because it sounds cool and it sounds like, ‘Hey, we want to play anybody.’ But in the long run at the end of the season when they start (deciding) who’s going to be in that final four, they usually say, ‘What’s your record?’ So your record is, to me, more important sometimes than your schedule, although they say it isn’t.”
Spurrier met briefly with reporters before his speaking event with the Historic St. Augustine Gator Club on Tuesday evening. Earlier in the day he had competed in the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament near Georgia’s Lake Oconee.
Before entering the main room of the Riverview Club to sign books and speak to the fans in attendance, Spurrier talked about his golf performance earlier in the day along with other matters pertaining to the Gators.
With regard to his Ole Miss example, the Rebels opened the 2016 season with a 45-34 loss to Florida State in the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando. They actually finished the season 5-7 after a daunting early schedule.
Meanwhile, Freeze and former Ole Miss tight end Wesley Walls won the golf tournament Tuesday. Spurrier said he and former Gators quarterback Shane Matthews took second.
As for the matter of scheduling, Spurrier noted that during his time as head coach at South Carolina the Gamecocks routinely opened their season in Charlotte against a quality ACC opponent, but not necessarily a national power.
“We played an ACC school and it was a fair game — North Carolina, NC State and so forth. But we didn’t try to bring too big a team,” he said.
During his 12 seasons at Florida, Spurrier’s Gators started every season at home in The Swamp, and aside from a home opener with Oklahoma State his first season in 1990 and an immediate SEC clash with Kentucky in 1992 those games were mostly against mid-major competition.
That’s the standard recipe for power conference programs looking to build some early momentum.
Florida’s 2017 opener with Michigan in the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium was announced back in late 2013, well before Jim McElwain wash hired as head coach.
“Obviously we loved playing at home. We were 68-5, pretty good. But you can’t play all of them at home, so you’ve got to win on the road also,” Spurrier said. “It will be a difficult game with Michigan in Dallas, but getting LSU at home and Tennessee and so forth, hopefully that will lead to a big year. Only time will tell.”
Spurrier insists his golf game isn’t showing any improvement since his retirement from South Carolina during the 2015 season, but he felt good about the way he and Matthews finished the tournament Tuesday.
Alabama coach Nick Saban and former Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram formed another team in that tournament while Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Auburn coach Gus Malzahn were among the other SEC representatives.
Saban made headlines earlier in the day when it was reported that his new contract with Alabama will pay him more than $11 million this coming season, including a substantial signing bonus.
“I didn’t hear about his numbers, but he certainly deserves it for what Alabama has done,” Spurrier said when asked about the ever-growing spectrum of college coaching salaries.
He was more eager to discuss his golf round with his former Gators quarterback.
“We actually finished pretty strong. We were 4-under the last 3 holes, had a shot on the last hole and made a birdie,” he said. “The team that won, Ole Miss, they had a couple more shots that we did, so we basically sort of tied them off the stick. …
“But today was fun. I made a few putts at the end of the tournament today so it was fun to get in the hunt there. To come in second is not too bad. I think we raised something like $80,000 for the University of Florida and charities. Chick-fil-A does an excellent job raising and giving away a lot of money to charities back to the schools.”
|
|
Woah, this is a default personal text! Edit your profile to change this to what you like!
Deleted
|
Post by Deleted on May 3, 2017 8:31:29 GMT -5
Eddy Pineiro at it again kicking 81 yarder with pads on. I'd have been more impressed if he had his helmet on and was practicing to see the distance he can hit with the OL and DL doing their jobs: www.seccountry.com/florida/watch-florida-k-eddy-pineiro-drills-81-yard-field-goal-padsIn game play, I'm guessing 60 to 65 as anything longer would be too low and would get blocked. If the game was on the line and time was running out, I'd give him a shot at 65. Otherwise, I'd put the distance at 60 which is having ball possession at your opponents 43, line of scrimmage plus 7 for the kick. The NCAA record is 67 yards done by 3 kickers in the 77 and 78 seasons, but those kickers used tees which were ruled out of the game in 1989. I'd give him a shot to break the 67 yard record too. It would have to be in a no doubt win or loss. I wouldn't want the game to be decided by a kick of that distance. The NFL average long distance is 52 yards.
|
|