1 » In addition to Pittsburgh Steelers running back Chris Rainey (who is expected to be released from his contract) and Buffalo Bills wide receiver David Nelson (a restricted free agent), six other former Florida Gators currently under contract with NFL teams will be unrestricted free agents the day after the Super Bowl. Those players include Atlanta Falcons linebacker Mike Peterson, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Louis Murphy, Kansas City Chiefs LB Brandon Siler, Oakland Raiders guard Cooper Carlisle, Pittsburgh tackle Max Starks and Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman.

On rosters for Super Bowl XLVII are San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald and Baltimore Ravens WR Deonte Thompson. The end result and Super Bowl 47 Betting may very well come down to which quarterback stands out and makes as few mistakes as possible.

2 » Speaking of Rainey, the former Gators running back had his recent simple battery charge reduced to disorderly conduct by Alachua County Judge Walter Green after the State Attorney’s Office decided it did not have enough evidence to pursue the more serious offense. The judge withheld adjudication and fined Rainey $200 to go along with court costs of $300 for the offense, effectively ending the legal issue, according to Florida Today. The alleged victim in the case denied that Rainey hit her the day after his arrest and contradicting statements from witnesses made the state’s case inconclusive. The Steelers announced the day of Rainey’s arrest that they had decided to waive him; however, NFL transactions made during the postseason cannot be completed until after the Super Bowl. With the charges being significantly reduced, Pittsburgh could theoretically have a change of heart or consider bringing Rainey back on a cheaper free agent contract.

Check out four more BITS of Gators news…after the break!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: NFL, Rainey, Beal, Rosario, track

Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Bradley Beal, Brandon Siler, Buffalo Bills, Carlos Dunlap, Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, Chris Rainey, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Deonte Thompson, Draft, field, Kansas City Chiefs, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Rosario, Minnesota Vikings, NBA, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Percy Harvin, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ponce Lions, Ray McDonald, Rex Grossman, Runner of the Week, San Francisco 49ers, SEC, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVII, track, Washington Redskins, Washington Wizards

Former Florida Gators wide receiver Louis Murphy has been traded from the Oakland Raiders to the Carolina Panthers for a conditional seventh-round pick, according to Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports and Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Murphy, who performed well during his first two seasons with Oakland after being selected in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL Draft, ran into some health issues in 2011 and caught just 15 passes for 241 yards in 11 games as a reserve last year.

He hauled in 34 balls for 521 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie in 2009 and had 41 receptions for 609 yards with two scores in 2010.

Murphy was not guaranteed to earn a roster spot this season as the Raiders have steadily been upgrading their receivers. He is set to earn $1.26 million in the final year of his contract, which made him an attractive trade piece.

With the Panthers, Murphy will catch passes from former Florida teammate quarterback Cam Newton and has the opportunity to compete for a spot as one of the team’s top receivers behind veteran Steve Smith.

Photo Credit: Unknown

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Draft, Louis Murphy, NFL, Oakland Raiders

1 » With National Signing Day fast approaching and the Kansas City Chiefs eliminated from the playoffs, new Florida Gators offensive coordinator Charlie Weis is officially on the job as of Friday. Currently in South Florida at Dwyer High School visiting four-star quarterback Jacoby Brissett (West Palm Beach, FL) [and possibly four-star linebacker Curt Maggitt (West Palm Beach, FL), too], Weis plans to set foot in Gainesville, FL this weekend as a number of prominent recruits will be visiting the University of Florida campus. In addition to speaking with recruits, Weis will also be trying to convince redshirt junior QB John Brantley (and perhaps other offensive players) to stick with the Gators and the new coaching staff.

Uncommitted recruits visiting Florida this weekend include five-star LB Curtis Grant (Richmond, VA) and three-star LB Denzel Perryman (Coral Gables, FL).

2 » Though there were concerns about whether or not a new head coach would believe in Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow as his future starter, those questions seem to have been put to rest (at least temporarily) with the hiring of John Fox. In addition Fox speaking highly of Tebow before the 2010 NFL Draft, the Denver Post reports that Tebow is still in his good graces. “He’s got a lot of intangibles I look for,” Fox said Wednesday. “Where that goes it’s hard to predict. He’s in a developmental stage for sure, but I think he has the makings to be as good as he wants to be.” Perhaps even better news for Tebow is that his offensive coordinator last season, Mike McCoy is expected to be retained as he has a long history coaching under Fox. Though he is drawing interest from other teams, McCoy worked with Fox as his QBs coach with the Carolina Panthers from 2003-07 and passing game coordinator in 2008.

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Charlie Weis, Curt Maggitt, Curtis Grant, Denver Broncos, Denzel Perryman, Draft, Jacoby Brissett, John Brantley, John Fox, Kansas City Chiefs, Mike McCoy, National Signing Day, NFL, Tim Tebow, University of Florida

1 » Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow is in South Florida speaking at an event for the Boy Scouts of America Thursday. Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post caught up with him to ask his opinion of redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson’s recent comments. “I don’t think Deonte meant anything by that,” Tebow said. “He was just stating facts. [John] Brantley is a guy who throws on timing. You know when the ball is coming and when it’s not.”

For details on Joe Haden and the Cleveland Browns, the Carolina Panthers’ interest in Tebow and Cameron Newton claiming his innocence…keep reading…
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow on Deonte; Haden; Newton

Tags: Auburn Tigers, Blinn College, Cameron Newton, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Deonte Thompson, Eric Mangini, John Brantley, John Fox, Malik Shareef, Mike Holmgren, SEC, Tim Tebow

Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was hospitalized Monday night after the first day of practices for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl, according to agent Jimmy Sexton. “He’s been sick for two days,” Sexton told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following practice Tuesday afternoon. “He had a 103 temperature.”

Reports throughout the day stated that Tebow has been suffering from strep throat since Saturday, and high fevers are commonly associated with that illness. Robby Tebow, Tim’s brother, told Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel that Tebow had a 103.5-degree fever Monday and barely got any sleep as he sweated throughout the night. He has been on IV for the last two days but has not missed a single Senior Bowl event.

Tebow struggled during Monday’s practice, by all accounts, with most of the criticism centered on his fumbling of snaps from under center. He also had some footwork issues and kept bringing the ball down to his waist when winding up to throw. However, Tebow appeared to rebound Tuesday by using his legs and making some nice deep passes, though two tosses late in practice were considered dropped interceptions and he had one fumbled snap during 11-on-11 drills.

Fowler also reported that Tebow has already sat down with representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings and had a more formal meeting with the entire coaching staff of the Carolina Panthers.

VIDEO: NFL Network’s interview with QB Tim Tebow after Day 2 of Senior Bowl.

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Jimmy Sexton, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Robby Tebow, Senior Bowl, Tim Tebow, Under Armour