1 » Florida Gators incoming junior defensive tackle Damien Jacobs, joining the team as a JUCO transfer out of East Mississippi Community College, had minor but successful surgery on a finger Thursday but should be available for the start of spring practice. He enrolled early at Florida and is expected to make an impact on the team right away considering his size (6’3” 295 lbs.) and experience.

2 » Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey was a featured guest on Thursday at a fundraiser for the Guadalupe Center, which helps impoverished and underprivileged children in Southwest Florida. “We sponsored a couple games for the guys to come to and gave away tickets,” he said. “I love giving back to kids. I remember growing up in their shoes always wanting somebody to look up to.” While at the event, Pouncey spoke to the News-Press about a number of topics including his team’s coaching search, his brother’s recovery from ankle surgery and the fact that both of them own a condo together in Tampa, FL where they are currently spending time together. Pouncey is working out and staying in shape while his brother is doing post-surgery rehab work.

Click to expand and read three more BITS in this post.

Tags: baseball, Bobby McCray, Damien Jacobs, Denver Broncos, Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeremy Mincey, Matt den Dekker, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, MLB, New York Mets, NFL, Nike, Tim Tebow

1 » Those who follow us on Twitter saw a retweet from CBS Sports’ Jeff Goodman Monday morning noting that the Florida Gators basketball team held a “secret” scrimmage against the Central Florida Knights over the weekend. OGGOA inquired about the scrimmage and learned that Florida head coach Billy Donovan was pleased with his team’s effort following the game. The Gators’ starting five consisted of senior point guard Erving Walker, guards junior Kenny Boynton and freshman Brad Beal, junior forward Erik Murphy and sophomore center Patric Young.

Beal, as noted by Goodman, was the standout performer in the scrimmage, but redshirt junior transfer G Mike Rosario also played quite well. Florida earned a double-digit “victory” at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, a nice prelude to their exhibition game against Catholic University on Thursday.

2 » Eight full weeks into the 2011 NFL season, former Gators cornerback Lito Sheppard was finally signed by a team. The Oakland Raiders picked up Sheppard, who they cut just before the season after signing him as a free agent, on Monday and hope to have him ready to play as soon as this upcoming weekend. Sheppard was one of three notable ex-Florida veterans available on the free agent market. Defensive ends Alex Brown and Bobby McCray remain unsigned.

3 » Every year, the Gators women’s soccer team holds a special practice on Halloween with all of the players going through the motions in full costume. The annual tradition gives the team a boost each year before they begin playing in the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Florida had an opportunity this past weekend to earn a share of the 2011 SEC regular season title but failed to do so dropping a 2-1 decision to the SEC champion South Carolina Gamecocks. SEC Tournament action begins Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. when UF faces Georgia in Orange Beach, AL.

4 » The Gators soccer team received good news Monday when the SEC announced its women’s soccer awards. Junior midfielder/forward Erika Tymrak and redshirt junior defender Kathryn Williamson were named to the All-SEC first team, while senior D Jazmyne Avant and junior MF Holly King garnered second-team honors. Florida also had two picked as All-Freshman – MFs Havana Solaun and Annie Speese.

Extra BIT » Below is the Thriller video put together by a number of UF student-athletes for Gator Growl in 2009. Happy Halloween!

Tags: Alex Brown, All-Freshman, All-SEC, Annie Speese, Bobby McCray, Brad Beal, Central Florida Knights, Erik Murphy, Erika Tymrak, Erving Walker, Havana Solaun, Holly King, Jazmyne Avant, Kathryn Williamson, Kenny Boynton, Lito Sheppard, Mike Rosario, NFL, O'Connell Center, Oakland Raiders, Patric Young, SEC, SEC Tournament, soccer

1 » In a surprising move on Tuesday, the New Orleans Saints released former Florida Gators defensive end Alex Brown. A nine-year NFL veteran who spent the first eight years of his career with the Chicago Bears, Brown was signed by New Orleans as a free agent in 2010 and notched 39 tackles (32 solo) with a forced fumble and two sacks as a 16-game starter. He held the same position through the first three preseason games and worked with the first-team defense in every practice this offseason. “It saddens me to say that I have been released from the Saints because [they're] a first class organization and I will miss it,” he wrote on Twitter. “Good luck to the guys and Who Dat Nation keep roaring… My family and I had a blast here.. Thanks.” Brown joins DE Bobby McCray and offensive tackle Max Starks as big-name free agents currently available with Florida ties.

2 » Also receiving bad news was former Gators linebacker Duke Lemmens, an undrafted free agent who found out Tuesday that his contract with the Arizona Cardinals had been terminated. Lemmens played in the team’s first three preseason games and made a number of tackles but was one of many players the team released in this round of cuts.

3 » New England Patriots LB Brandon Spikes had not practiced or played with the team since Aug. 4 but finally returned to the field on Tuesday according to reports from numerous media outlets. Spikes has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury but is expected to see some time in the team’s preseason finale at home on Thursday. He played in 12 games with eight starts during his rookie season and was fifth on New England with 71 tackles (41 solo) and an interception. He was suspended for four games in 2010 for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.

4 » Another player out for an extended period of time was former Florida safety Ahmad Black, a fifth-round selection of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2011 NFL Draft. Black suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s preseason opener and has missed numerous practices and both subsequent preseason games since. There are rumors that Black could be cut soon because the team is only planning to keep four safeties and he has not had much of a time to make an impression, but head coach Raheem Morris has said previously that he believed Black was one of the steals of the draft. “I know he’s going to try to go this week,” Morris said, according to the St. Petersburg Times. “But it’d be hard right now for him to go out there and do some things, especially with the way Larry Asante’s playing, and Corey Lynch. Those guys played their butts off this preseason, not to mention our starters. It’ll be tough. You’d like to see him out there.” Black could always be a candidate for the practice squad in a worst-case scenario.

Tags: Ahmad Black, Alex Brown, Arizona Cardinals, Bobby McCray, Chicago Bears, Draft, Duke Lemmens, Max Starks, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

With the 2010-11 NFL regular season having come to a close, a number of Florida Gators participated in Wild Card Weekend action during the NFL Playoffs. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the first week of the playoffs.

DE ALEX BROWN, New Orleans Saints: Six tackles (five solo, two for loss), pass def.
RB DeSHAWN WYNN, New Orleans Saints: Played but did not record statistics.
WR RILEY COOPER, Philadelphia Eagles: Two receptions for 18 yards (targets: 4)
DE BOBBY MCCRAY, Philadelphia Eagles: Played but did not record statistics.

NOTES
- Wynn was released by San Francisco and signed with New Orleans on Monday.
- McCray, a free agent this season, was signed by Philadelphia on Dec. 30.
- Both teams featuring former Gators lost this weekend in the wild card round.

ACTIVE FOR REMAINDER OF PLAYOFFS
Linebacker Mike Peterson (Atlanta Falcons); safety Major Wright (Chicago Bears); LB Jermaine Cunningham, tight end Aaron Hernandez, LB Brandon Spikes, running back Fred Taylor, defensive tackle Gerard Warren (New England Patriots); center Maurkice Pouncey (Pittsburgh Steelers)

REGULAR SEASON: Week 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17

Tags: Alex Brown, Bobby McCray, DeShawn Wynn, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Riley Cooper

It has been a tough year for former Florida Gators defensive end Bobby McCray. Shining in the playoffs last season for the New Orleans Saints, McCray was unexpectedly released by the defending Super Bowl champions after the team acquired fellow former Florida DE Alex Brown via free agency in the offseason.

McCray was initially cut because he was due a $1.25 million roster bonus even though he wrecked havoc on then-Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner and Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre in 2009 and compiled 59 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three defended passes and a forced fumble in his two years in New Orleans. The team re-signed him in July but cut him just a month later; he has yet to play in 2010.

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles decided to release DE Derrick Burgess and tabbed McCray for their playoff run. He is expected to join the team immediately and could play as soon as Sunday at home against Dallas.

Tags: Alex Brown, Bobby McCray, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl

NFL teams were required to trim their active rosters to 53 men on Saturday, which meant a number of former Florida Gators were on the fence about whether or not they would make their respective teams going into the 2010-11 season.

GOOD NEWS

» As expected, all nine Gators selected in the 2010 NFL Draft made it through training camp and the preseason.

» Former Florida wide receiver David Nelson, who signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills after the draft, was told Saturday afternoon that he made the team. “Officially a Buffalo Bill,” Nelson wrote to his Twitter account. “Thanks to everyone for the support and prayers through this long but rewarding process!”

» Though it is not believed he was in complete danger of making the cut, former Gators safety Reggie Nelson got what he will likely consider his own form of good news Saturday, as the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to trade him to the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals, in need of safety help after losing Gibril Wilson to a season-ending injury, decided to trade cornerback David Jones and a conditional draft pick to the Jaguars. Nelson will be reunited with wide receiver Andre Caldwell and defensive end Carlos Dunlap in Cincinnati.

BAD NEWS

» Tight end Cornelius Ingram has faced plenty of adversity since tearing his anterior cruciate ligament during his senior season with Florida. Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles with the No. 153 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Ingram proceeded to tear the same ACL again as a rookie during training camp. Finally back at near full speed, he had been playing well for the Eagles this offseason until a baker’s cyst in his knee kept him out of action. Ingram was released by Philadelphia on Saturday but will be a candidate to land on the team’s practice squad should he go unclaimed.

» Even though he scored three touchdowns in the Indianapolis Colts‘ final preseason game, former Gators kick returner Brandon James did not make the cut with one of the top teams in the AFC. Instead, the team elected to sign Devin Moore for that job. James did muff a punt that was returned for the touchdown during the preseason and will likely be picked up as a practice squad player with either the Colts or another team.

» One of the team’s most valuable defensive players throughout the 2009 playoffs, former Gators defensive end Bobby McCray was cut by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, just over a month after the team brought him back (they originally let him go on June 21). In the offseason, the Saints signed fellow former Florida DE Alex Brown, who will be a starter for New Orleans this season.

Tags: Alex Brown, Andre Caldwell, Bobby McCray, Brandon James, Buffalo Bills, Carlos Dunlap, Cincinnati Bengals, Cornelius Ingram, David Nelson, Draft, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Reggie Nelson

1 » Perhaps none of the former Florida Gators who are now rookies in the NFL are having more success than the trio drafted by the New Engalnd Patriots – defensive end/linebacker Jermaine Cunningham, LB Brandon Spikes and tight end Aaron Hernandez. Word out of Patriots camp is that all three are shining and will get on the field plenty. Cunningham and Spikes continue to work with the first-team defense and could be penciled in as starters when the season begins. “Jermaine has picked up things very well,” head coach Bill Belichick said. “I think each day you can definitely see him getting better, more confident, understanding things that happened the day before and being able to process that.” ESPNBoston.com‘s Mike Reiss broke down their progress:

Read more about the Patriots’ rookies and three additional BITS on Riley Cooper, Bobby McCray and Greg McGarity…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Patriots, Cooper, McCray, McGarity

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Alex Brown, Bill Belichick, Billy Johnson, Bobby McCray, Brandon Spikes, DeSean Jackson, Georgia Bulldogs, Greg McGarity, Jack Kingston, Jason Avant, Jeremy Foley, Jeremy Maclin, Jermaine Cunningham, Kein Kolb, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Riley Cooper, University of Florida

Former Florida Gators defensive end Bobby McCray was released by the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints exactly one month ago. After agreeing to a reduced contract on Thursday, he will return to Who Dat Nation with a one-year, $1.5 million deal including an additional $1 million in achievable incentives.

McCray, who was the Saints’ third end but started a quarter of his games during his two-year run with New Orleans, made a number of impact plays as a starter during their playoff run last season.

The Saints acquired fellow former Gators defensive end Alex Brown via free agency in the offseason and expect him to start on the left side. McCray, who worked with the first team defense during mini camp, will still see plenty of playing time next season.

He was due a $1.25 million roster bonus and was probably released by New Orleans in order to avoid that payment. The team did not attempt to renegotiate as McCray’s 2010-11 base salary was set at $2 million. Should he hit all of incentives, the Saints will only save $0.75 million with his new contract.

McCray, who made headlines for during the season for his vicious hits on quarterbacks Kurt Warner (Arizona) and Brett Favre (Minnesota), complied 59 tackles, 7.5 sacks, three defended passes and a forced fumble in his previous two years in New Orleans.

Photo Credit: Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune

Tags: Alex Brown, Bobby McCray, Brett Favre, Kurt Warner, New Orleans Saints, NFL