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Thursday, August 7, 2008
Georgia game looms large for the Gators
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gainesville, Fla.-When last we saw the Florida Gators play, head coach Urban Meyer was not a happy camper. His defense had been just been torched by Michigan which resulted in a 41-35 loss in the Capital One Bowl and a final record of 9-4.
With Tim Tebow, the Heisman Trophy winner, coming back for his junior season there was a sense of urgency in the coaches’ offices when I visited on Wednesday. Georgia is ranked preseason No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll and by Sports Illustrated. The Associated Press poll comes out later this month. But Florida, not Georgia, was the overwhelming choice by the media to win the SEC in 2008.
And while nobody in charge will talk about it, that Nov. 1 date with Georgia in Jacksonville looms pretty large in this building. It is a long-term goal in a program that, under Meyer, is always focused on the short-term goal of using the next practice or the next game to get better.
“We are thinking about the first game with Hawaii,” said Cameron Newton of College Park, who is competing to be Tebow’s backup. “But yeah, the game with Georgia is going to be big after what happened last year (a 42-30 loss). I know our coaches really want it.”
But first Florida has to get to Jacksonville in position to win a championship. Given what will be the SEC’s, and maybe the nation’s, best offense, I think they will.
That’s still a long way off. For now, here are five things that you need to know about the Gators as preseason practice gets into full swing:
1. For Tebow, it’s about the championships: In my meeting with offensive coordinator Dan Mullen, I asked him what Tebow, the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, does for an encore in 2007.
Mullen pointed to two photos in his office. One was a large copy of a Sports Illustrated cover that shows former quarterback Chris Leak holding up the crystal ball after winning the 2006 national championship. The other is a smaller photo, tucked into the corner of the office, of Tebow at the Heisman Trophy ceremonies last December.
“Tim knows that quarterbacks at Florida are ultimately defined by that,” said Mullen, pointing to the photo of Leak, “and not that,” as he pointed to the other photo.
“It’s really about winning the SEC championship because that is what you can control on the field. Quarterbacks are always remembered for championships. Tim knows that.”
2. Harvin still not 100 percent: Percy Harvin, the splendid wide receiver, is not yet completely recovered from April surgery to correct a long-term problem with his heel. His participation in preseason practice will probably be limited but no one here seems concerned. Harvin knows what to do.
“Right now he’s limited because he’s still taking time in recovery but Percy knows he has to get himself ready for games,” Mullen said. “He knows what he is doing in this offense now. He’s played enough.”
When Harvin is healthy and at full speed he is the most dynamic player in this league. He spent all of last season with heel and hip problems. Don’t expect Percy to be pushed too much in practice this season. He is too valuable.
3. Taking care of Tebow: Tebow carried the ball 210 times last season. Kestahn Moore was second on the team with only 104 carries. Mullen concedes that that just simply can’t happen again in 2008. Tebow had a couple of significant injuries that slowed him down at the end of last season. Even if Tebow doesn’t get hurt, the wear and tear of the pounding by SEC defenses has to take its toll.
“Yes, we have to get the ball out of his hands,” Mullen said. “The good news is we’ve gotten to the point were we have guys like Cameron Newton who can come in a take some of that (offensive) package because he’s ready. We also have more guys we can put at the tailback position (like Chris Rainey and Emmanuel Moody), who can take some of those runs away.”
This may be too much X’s and O’s talk for Aug. 7, but here’s the thing that makes it so tempting to run the ball with Tebow. When Tebow is in the shotgun and the Gators have three wide receivers, the defensive is spread to the point where Florida actually has a numerical mismatch. Tebow is such a good runner that the play almost always does well.
But even on good plays Tebow will get his shots. Auburn’s game plan last year when they beat Florida in Gainesville was to get after Tebow on every single play. You can bet that the rest of the league will follow suit. This year they have to protect the Franchise.
4. Florida’s new complex is impressive: Since my last visit the school has invested $28 million to build the new football complex on the southwest corner of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It is a new and impressive “front door” to the entire football operation, where the school can entertain recruits and their families and provide a place for fans to congregate on game day.
The coaches’ offices have been completely renovated with state of the art flat screen TVs and new meeting rooms.
In short, Meyer wanted something tangible and impressive to be able to sell Florida’s history of success and tradition to recruits. It is no accident that when a recruit and his family walk up the stairs to the main football office, there is a flat screen television in the lobby playing continuous footage of “Gators in the NFL.”
“We have this incredible tradition at Florida and it is our job to put this on display for everyone to see,” Meyer said. “We are proud of it. We think we have a lot of sell here. This helps us do that.”
5. Concerned about C.I. Tight end Cornelius Ingram injured his knee in practice on Tuesday. Results of an MRI are expected to be released as early as this morning. If “C.I.” is out for the season or even part of season that would be a big blow for the Gators.
With all of the moving parts in Florida’s offense, having a quality tight end gives the Gators an incredible advantage. Ingram came back for his senior season because it was clear that Florida had really been plans for him. He caught 34 passes for 508 yards last season.
