Former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer, now a college football analyst on ESPN, was asked on SportsCenter Thursday evening if he had any problem with NFL analyst Merril Hoge’s criticisms of his former player and now Denver Broncos second-year quarterback Tim Tebow. Meyer agreed that Hoge had every right to criticize him but did note that the analyst’s was relatively “harsh.” He also said that he believes part of the reason so much vitriol is thrown at Tebow is because of the immense success he has achieved and the non-stop coverage of him at every level of his career.

Tebow, who was interviewed by Denver Post columnist Woody Paige on Wednesday, expressed angst and uncertainty about his role on the team going forward this year. Below are excerpts from the one-on-one interview, which can be read in its entirety as a feature story in the Denver Post by clicking here.

On Orton not being traded: “My dream, since I was a young boy, of being a starting quarterback in the NFL seemed to be coming true. Then, I felt like it was grabbed back away.”

On if learning of the change affected him: “I didn’t have a good day on the field (last) Saturday, but I think in the other practices I’ve thrown well and improved each day.”

On blocking out the critics: “I’m trying to insulate myself from what people in the media are saying, but I’ve seen some of it, and it hurts because it’s coming from people who haven’t seen me practice, haven’t seen me play, haven’t seen what I can do. I did an interview the other day with someone on the NFL Network who said last year I’d never play a down in the NFL. He was wrong. Others who say I won’t make it are wrong. They don’t know what I’m capable of and what’s inside me. My family and my friends have been bothered by what’s gone on, and I tell them to pay no attention to it.

“I’m relying as always on my faith. I’ll always use the negativity as more motivation to work even harder and become even stronger. I’ll practice as good as I can, but I know that I play even better, with the qualities I have — leadership, my ability to make something happen in games, winning. And I know there are a lot of people who believe in me as a player and a person, and I don’t want to let them down.”

Tags: ESPN, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

Even though the Florida Gators have closed their fall practices to fans and the media, the team has decided to make an exception for ESPN and will provide studio analyst Jesse Palmer, writer Chris Low, a cameraman and a photographer with an all-access pass for a special behind-the-scenes look at the program on Monday, Aug. 8.

Titled Inside the Program: Live with the Gators, the feature will allow Palmer to “conduct live interviews with head coach Will Muschamp, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and multiple players throughout the day,” according to an official press release from ESPN.

These segments, along with some other elements (mentioned below), will air at least once per hour on SportsCenter, First Take and College Football Live; each will streamed live on ESPN.com for those without access to a television.

Additionally, College Football Live will televise a practice drill live at 3:30 p.m.

Additional elements include:
» Still photographer posting images on ESPN.com throughout the day
» Video of training room, cool tubs, etc.
» A ride-along on the bus to the stadium
» Live shots during breakfast, lunch and dinner in the Gator Room
» Video and interviews with players
» Post-practice interviews

OGGOA will have live coverage on Twitter throughout the day but will also compile the segments in a post at the end of the day here on OnlyGators.com.

Tags: Charlie Weis, Dan Quinn, ESPN, Jesse Palmer, SportsCenter, Will Muschamp

1 » ESPN reporter and former Florida Gators dazzler Erin Andrews will be up on the silver screen in the near future after filming a cameo in the upcoming movie I Hate You, Dad staring comedian Adam Sandler. Andrews, who will have a very small part in the movie, is part of a cast that also features such big names as Leighton Meester, Susan Sarandon and James Caan. Other actors/celebrities also appearing in the film include Andy Samberg, Will Forte, Ciara, Vanilla Ice and Dan Patrick. “I had like four lines, and it was the coolest thing ever,” she told Complex.com. According to IMDB, the movie is about “A disagreeable father who moves in with his son before he’s about to get married.” It is currently filming and does not have a scheduled release date.

2 » Whether you want to call it a gaffe on his part or a case of someone else taking a comment a bit too seriously, a thought provided by Gators head coach Will Muschamp at the 2011 SEC Media Days a few weeks ago has the University of Florida’s faculty union president John Biro perturbed. Asked about what it takes to build a quality team, Muschamp responded, “You can’t have union guys. Those are the guys who make a great play and then take the next play off because they think they are in a union.” According to The Gainesville Sun, Biro (who confessed that he does not pay attention to football) was not amused by this comment. “Obviously he’s been watching too much TV and all the union-bashing going on,” Biro told the paper.

Tags: Erin Andrews, ESPN, SEC Media Days, Will Muschamp

Just days after finishing up the 2011 Southeastern Conference Media Days in Birmingham, AL, Florida Gators head coach Will Muschamp traveled to Bristol, CT and was put through ESPN‘s self-named car wash – appearing on nearly a dozen of the network’s media platforms over the course of one business day. OGGOA followed Muschamp’s appearances throughout the day and put together the following recap:

He started the morning on the set of ESPN2‘s First Take, where he and Auburn head coach Gene Chizik competed in school trivia and a putting contest (neither made it).

Muschamp then taped a segment for GameDay Radio before heading over to the Scott Van Pelt Show to speak about representing the University of Florida, the passion of the SEC, his primary concern for the team (staying healthy), redshirt senior quarterback John Brantley, being himself on the field and more. [Listen]

He continued his radio tour by visiting The Herd with Colin Cowherd, where he discussed the pressure to win, depth of the SEC, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, the NFL lockout, paying players and more. [Listen]

Next up were taped segments for ESPNU and Storycast, which he completed before moving on to do some work with the folks who operate Page 2 of ESPN.com.

Muschamp’s day then included a spot on SportsCenter, where Chris Fowler interviewed him about getting started in his efforts to turn around the Florida program.

After that was a Twitter chat, three more taped segments (College Football Live, SportsCenter Tonight radio, SportsNation), a trio of social media appearances (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) and a spot on ESPN Radio Dallas.

OGGOA will update this post with additional multimedia from Muschamp’s day in Bristol as it is released by the Worldwide Leader.

Tags: Charlie Weis, ESPN, NFL, SEC, SEC Media Days, University of Florida, Will Muschamp

1 » As a defensive-minded coach with no former head coaching experience, new Florida Gators boss Will Muschamp has been compared to former Florida and current Illinois head coach Ron Zook on numerous occasions. Florida fans, obviously, hope the comparison ends there as Zook’s tenure with the Gators (while successful from a recruiting standpoint) was filled with underwhelming records (23-14 combined) and early eliminations from the title hunt each year.

Appearing on ESPN 1000′s GameNight out of Chicago, IL on Monday, Zook offered some advice for Muschamp on his new gig. “The thing is you got be yourself,” he said. “Don’t try to be anybody else. It’s one of those jobs all you can do is the best you can do. You can’t get tied up with all the other stuff. Believe me, there’s a lot of noise in the system down as there is at a lot of places. He’ll do fine. There’s a great state base there, and he’s a good football coach. There’s no doubt they’ll do fine.”

2 » With the NFL lockout nearing its conclusion, former Gators safety Ahmad Black is excited to finally play professional football for his favorite team growing up, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Selected by Tampa Bay with the No. 151 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the 2011 Outback Bowl Most Valuable Player has his sights set on a starting job but hopes to contribute in any way he can.

“I want to try to get a starting spot, but if not, then a significant role on the team,” he told the Pewter Report. “I really just can’t wait to get in there and do my thing.” In the meantime, he has been staying in shape and making sure he is ready to go when the season starts. “I’ve been pretty much training four or five times a week,” Black said. “I’ve been doing a lot of outside stuff, going to the beach and trying to relax a little bit. I know that once we start it is going to be crazy.”

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Tags: Abby Wambach, Ahmad Black, Alex Morgan, Dan Mullen, Draft, ESPN, Megan Rapinoe, MVP, NFL, Outback Bowl, Ron Zook, SEC, soccer, Steve Spurrier, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, USA, USA Soccer, Will Muschamp

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and soon-to-be-official Miami Dolphins center Mike Pouncey visited the ESPN studios in Bristol, CT to participate in the famed “car wash,” which consists of making appearances on nearly every live and taped program to air on television and radio during the course of the day.

The twins and former Florida Gators offensive linemen began the day by appearing on First Take before heading over to the main studio for SportsCenter. They also dropped by the Scott Van Pelt Show, ESPN Rise, the Doug Gottlieb Show, SportsNation and NFL Live (among other shows) before departing.

Being interviewed on the Scott Van Pelt Show: Listen

Playing a game on First Take:

Talking about a number of topics on SportsCenter:

Meeting U.S. women’s soccer stars goalkeeper Hope Solo and striker Alex Morgan:

Planking on the set of NFL Live:

Tags: Alex Morgan, ESPN, Hope Solo, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers

1 » Former Florida Gators now Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow is one of a handful of athletes who recently participated in ESPN’s collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation titled My Wish. These segments, which will air on SportsCenter, feature athletes fulfilling the wishes of ill children by meeting them, hanging out and sometimes participating in an activity. Tebow’s segment, in which he meets up with 16-year-old Adam Hubbs (“who suffers from a rare immunodeficiency disorder known as MonoMac”) will air on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Below is a preview of Tebow’s segment:

2 » Speaking of Tebow, HarperCollins, the publishers of his memoir Through My Eyes, got in touch with OGGOA to make you all aware that there is currently a contest being run in which 10 lucky fans can enter to win a limited edition signed copy of Tebow’s book. All you have to do is click here and enter your e-mail address! Head over and let us know if you are one of the lucky winners. Contest concludes July 20.

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Tags: All-American, Alyssa Bache, Bailey Castro, baseball, Chicago Cubs, Daniel Vogelbach, Denver Broncos, Draft, ESPN, field, Jessica Damico, Lauren Haeger, Mike Holloway, MLB, NFL, SEC, softball, Through My Eyes, Tim Tebow, track, Under Armour All-American Game

Just days after it occurred on the pitch, the game-tying header scored by former Florida Gators striker Abby Wambach in the 122nd minute of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2011 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match against Brazil on Sunday won the ESPY for Best Play as announced during the award ceremony Wednesday evening.

Down 2-1 and facing the earliest elimination from World Cup play in United States history, Wambach converted a beautiful cross from Megan Rapinoe to tie the game and force a penalty kick shootout, which the Americans eventually won 5-3.

With the ESPYS set to air three days later, ESPN‘s producers decided to add the connection between Rapinoe and Wambach to the Best Play category as what they termed an “extra time” nomination on Wednesday. Even with only a short window for fans to vote (it is the only award that can be voted on until the night of the show), Wambach and the USA brought home one of the most prestigious awards from the event.

Defeating France 3-1 on Wednesday, the U.S. advanced to the World Cup finals for the first time since 1999. The Americans will face Japan on Sunday at 2 p.m. live on ESPN.

Tags: Abby Wambach, ESPN, ESPYs, Megan Rapinoe, USA, USA Soccer, World Cup