1 » Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow’s initial performance as a professional did little to sway his doubters – most notably former QB Joe Theismann and UCLA Bruins offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Theismann, who has been on Tebow’s case since before the 2010 NFL Draft, claims that many of his contemporaries were surprised to see the signal caller drafted I n the first round. “I would hope there isn’t anybody who would say Tim Tebow was going to come in and start for the Broncos this year,” Theismann said, according to The Denver Post. “It would have been too great an expectation for him. […] if you can’t refine his delivery, then he’s going to struggle to become a consistent quarterback. […] It’s long and low. Randall Cunningham had a long windup, but it was high. Tim’s is long and low. The ball is away from his body a long time.”

Chow agrees. “I don’t think Vince [Young] was ready because of where he came from. I don’t think Tebow is quite ready because of where he came from,” he said. “The intricacies of a pro passing game are unbelievable. It takes time. […] They said they were going to change his throwing style and that’s a bunch of bologna. You don’t change, in one summer, the throwing style a guy has been using for 20 years of his life.” Chow doesn’t even thing Tebow will survive as a running QB. “Tebow’s strength, obviously, is running the ball, and he’s not going to be able to do that in the NFL. We tried to do some of that stuff my first year with Vince, and he had a little success. But once teams figured it out – which in the NFL it usually takes them a half, or a quarter to figure things out – it wasn’t very effective anymore. All it’s going to do is you’re taking a lot of hits. And you’re not going to survive if you take a lot of hits in the NFL.”

2 » Florida Gators junior safety Will Hill knows it is his time to shine in the team’s starting secondary. Now holding the full-time job, Hill is aware that he will have an important role in the team’s success. “I feel the same responsibility as when Major [Wright] was here last year,” Hill said, according to The Gainesville Sun. “Just become a leader and help the team win the next game. […] I’ve been looking forward to [starting] for a while now. I just have to sit back and do my job and everything will come to me.”

Two more BITS on the 40-second clock and 2011 NFL Draft…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Theismann, Chow, Hill, NFL Draft

Tags: Ahmad Black, Carl Johnson, Carl Moore, Denver Broncos, Draft, Emmanuel Moody, Joe Theismann, Lawrence Marsh, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Maurice Hurt, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Norm Chow, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, UCLA Bruins, Vince young, Will Hill

1 » Bad news coming out of Minnesota Vikings training camp as the team has received a roster exception for former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin, indicating that the 2009 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year will not be returning to the team anytime soon. The specific exemption, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune is “left squad.” Harvin, who is in Minnesota, has been dealing with serious migraine headaches since his grandmother passed away a few weeks ago.

2 » Florida redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody was dismayed when running backs coach Stan Drayton and the program parted ways in 2007 but was even more excited to find out he had been rehired after last season. “I didn’t know how to handle it,” Moody said at Florida Media Day regarding Drayton’s departure. “He was a big reason I came to Florida because I wanted a relationship with my position coach and I wanted to be coached by a really good running backs coach.” Upon finding out Drayton was returning? “I was in my car when I found out. I was so excited and I think I actually did scream at the top of my lungs. […] I believe he’s the best coach in the nation at running back and he takes his job very seriously. I’ve learned so much in the four or five months he’s been [back] here.”

3 » Former Gators tight end Cornelius Ingram has not played a football game in exactly 954 days. Think he is excited to get back on the gridiron? “I definitely want to produce as much as possible when I’m out there,” Ingram told the Burlington County Times. “But just being out there is going to be an unbelievable feeling.” Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid is excited for Ingram too but does not want him to overexert himself. “He’s a competitive guy, and his juices will be flowing, but within reason,” Reid said. “He’s just got to play the game and concentrate on his assignments and catching the football and blocking and so on.”

4 » Florida outfielder Matt den Dekker, selected in the fifth round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, added a solid note to the beginning his minor league career Thursday with the Savannah Sand Gnats. Powering his way to three doubles on four plate appearances, den Dekker has a .470 batting average in four games with the club. He started out with the Gulf Coast Mets but was promoted after only five games.

Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch/US Presswire

Tags: Andy Reid, Cornelius Ingram, Draft, Emmanuel Moody, Gulf Coast Mets, Matt den Dekker, Minnesota Vikings, MLB, New York Mets, NFL, Percy Harvin, Philadelphia Eagles, Rookie of the Year, Savannah Sand Gnats, Stan Drayton

Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, offensive coordinator Steve Addazio, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and a number of players represented the team at the 2010 Florida Media Day on Tuesday in Gainesville, FL. After the break…are some of the biggest stories and most interesting quotes coming out of the event.

Continue Reading » 2010 Florida Media Day: Injuries, leadership, starters, freshmen, fall practice updates

Tags: Ahmad Black, Brandon Hicks, Carl Johnson, Chris Dunkley, Chris Rainey, Chuck Heater, D.J. Durkin, Dan McCarney, Deonte Thompson, Duke Lemmens, Emmanuel Moody, Florida Media Day, Janoris Jenkins, Jaye Howard, Jeff Demps, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Lorenzo Edwards, Matt Elam, Matt Patchan, Mike Pouncey, Omar Hunter, Ronald Powell, Sharrif Floyd, Steve Addazio, Teryl Austin, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer, Zach Azzanni

1 » Junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins realizes it is his time to shine in the Florida Gators secondary, and the Pahokee, FL, native took steps over the summer (including dropping 10 pounds and increasing his speed) to ensure that he is capable of playing the way coaches want him to. “I have to go out now and put everything on the table,” Jenkins said. “I’m trying to be the best corner.” Even his game play has changed. “Being physical at the line of scrimmage is a big part of my game now,” he added. “That, and coming up and tackling better.” Jenkins is also helping mold whomever it is that starts across from him this year in place of Cleveland Browns rookie CB Joe Haden. “It’s going to be some good competition. All of those guys are working hard and going at it. I try to help them as much as possible,” he said.

2 » Speaking of Haden, his mind may have been on money while briefly holding out for a better contract, but money is on his mind any longer. In fact, Haden is taking his five-year $50 million maximum contract in stride; he sees it more as a confirmation that he is financially stable for the rest of his life rather than rich enough to throw money around. “It definitely means a lot. I just know that I’m set,” he said, according to The Canton Repository. “I don’t have to worry about money any more. I just go out here and do what I love. After football, I can do what I do, have a good time, take a vacation. I want to set up a couple foundations. I want to own gyms, barber shops, stuff like that … just set our family up for the rest of our lives.” He continued, “One thing a lot of people have been telling me … is that 80 percent of the league, after 20 years out of the league, is broke or bankrupt. So one thing I’m doing with my money is, I set it up so me and my family and my brothers and my kids — if I have children — are set financially.”

3 » Injuries and experience have helped Gators redshirt senior running back Emmanuel Moody mature as he gets healthy and returns to the field for his final collegiate season. Now, he is less concerned with individual success and more about making the most of his year. “It’s my fifth year and my mindset has changed a lot,” Moody said, according to The Gainesville Sun. “I’m to the point where I’m just going to handle what I can handle and not think about if I’m going to be a 1,000-yard rusher or focus on some goals that are far ahead. I’m just focused on taking each day at a time and having an even-keel attitude every day and, no matter what happens, just have a smile on [my] face. […] It’s about time I learned and change my character and change the way I approach things. Now, it’s to the point where no matter what happens in life, know how to bounce back with it, have a good attitude with it and not get down on myself … and know that football is what we do. It’s not who we are.”

4 » As OGGOA cited on June 1, former Florida RB Earnest Graham will be continuing his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – but this time he will do so as a fullback. The Lakeland Ledger caught up with him over the weekend, and he shared some thoughts on the change. “I’m prepared to play both,” he said. “Starting the season I’ll probably be at fullback, but you never know how things will play out. In 2008, I started out as a halfback and we had an injury at fullback, so I ended up playing fullback. […] I tried to put a little bulk on this year, be up around 230 as opposed to 220 or 225.”

Photo Credit: Kim Klement/US Presswire

Tags: Cleveland Browns, Earnest Graham, Emmanuel Moody, Janoris Jenkins, Joe Haden, NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers