Five former Florida Gators were on the rosters of the two teams that participated in Super Bowl XLVI on Sunday but only one – New York Giants defensive end Justin Trattou – left Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN with a ring.

Only three former Gators participated in the Super Bowl; Trattou was inactive and another was forced to sit out due to injury. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished Sunday.

Super Bowl XLVI was the 10th consecutive NFL championship game to feature a former Florida player. It is the third time in the last four seasons that one has won a ring.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
LB BRANDON SPIKES, New England Patriots: 11 tackles [game-high] (eight solo), forced fumble
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: Eight receptions [team-high] for 67 yards (targets: 14, long: 12), touchdown

THE REST
DT GERARD WARREN, New England Patriots: Two tackles (one solo)

INJURED / INACTIVE
LB JERMAINE CUNNINGHAM, New England Patriots: Hamstring (season)
DE JUSTIN TRATTOU*, New York Giants^: Inactive

^ Team won Super Bowl XLVI.
* Rookie

2011 WEEK: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | WC | DV | CC

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Gerard Warren, Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Trattou, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl XLVI

1 » On a lighter note than the story from Thursday about Super Bowl XLVI being a dream come true for New England Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes and his mother comes this story about Spikes’s preplanned attire for the occasion. As he did before the 2009 BCS National Championship, Spikes donned his all-pink suit as the team left New England and may very well rock it again on Sunday before the game. “Brought the lucky suit out again!” Spikes tweeted, adding that it is his lucky championship game suit. Below are a handful of pictures Spikes has taken over the weekend while in Indianapolis, IN including two with teammates and fellow former Gators tight end Aaron Hernandez and defensive tackle Gerard Warren.

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

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Bill Belichick, Brandon Spikes, Cleveland Browns, Draft, Gerard Warren, Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Trattou, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Super Bowl XLVI

With the 2011 regular season in the books, four former Florida Gators participated in conference championship action during the third round of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs on Sunday.

A total of six former Florida players were on the rosters of three of four teams that participated in this round, but one was inactive and another was forced to sit out due to injury. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished Sunday.

Super Bowl XLVI will be the 10th consecutive NFL championship game to feature a former Florida player. No matter which team wins on Sunday, Feb. 5, the Gators will have a former player earn a Super Bowl ring for the third time in the last four seasons.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
LB BRANDON SPIKES, New England Patriots^: Nine tackles [team-high] (two solo), interception (19-yard return), pass defense

(Thanks to ThrowTheFlagBlog for capping the above video for us.)

Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Conference Rd.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Gerard Warren, Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Trattou, NFL, Ray McDonald, Super Bowl, Super Bowl XLVI

With the 2011 regular season complete, six former Florida Gators participated in Divisional action during the second round of the 2011-12 NFL Playoffs on Saturday and Sunday.

A total of nine former Florida players were on the main rosters of four of the eight teams that participated in this round, but two were inactive and one was forced to sit out due to injury. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished over the weekend.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots^: Four receptions for 55 yards, touchdown (targets: 6, long: 20); five carries for 61 yards (long: 43); solo tackle

Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Divisional Rd.

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon Spikes, Cornelius Ingram, Denver Broncos, Derrick Harvey, Gerard Warren, Jermaine Cunningham, Justin Trattou, Marcus Thomas, New England Patriots, New York Giants, NFL, Playoffs, Ray McDonald, San Francisco 49ers, Tim Tebow

1 » Despite missing the entire 2011 after rupturing his Achilles, linebacker Brandon Siler was re-signed by the Kansas City Chiefs over the weekend to a one-year deal with a total compensation of $750,000 that will keep him off of the market in 2012. Siler agreed to a one-year contract with Kansas City in the 2011 offseason, his agent David Canter told OGGOA, in order to prove that he was deserving of a multi-year deal with another team. He never had that opportunity, however, due to being injured before a single down of the regular season was ever played. Siler joined the Chiefs after spending four years with San Diego where he amassed 123 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions. After playing solely as a reserve in 2007 and 2008, Siler started seven games in 2009 and five in 2010. He only played in 12 total games in 2010 due to injury.

2 » New England Patriots defensive tackle Gerard Warren loves football and so far the NFL has loved him back. Participating in his 11th season this year, Warren took a look back at much of his career this week with the Boston Herald’s Ian Rapoport. In his feature, Rapoport covers a story about Warren knowing C.J. Spiller when he was just a water boy at Florida, his giving back to the community, and how much love he has for his fellow players. Warren, who said he does not plan to retire “until they tear [the uniform] off me,” said, “The game is my life. This is my life. Sixty minutes, overtime, you can have hatred. Once the game is over with, you come back to being human beings again.”

Extra BIT » Former Gators striker Abby Wambach and former Florida swimmer Ryan Lochte are featured in a new Gatorade commercial set to debut during the 2012 Rose Bowl. The duo are two of a number of athletes shown in the advertisement, which promotes a variety of the company’s products while introducing a new tagline: Win From Within. Lochte’s portion of the commercial, which features him in a Gators cap for one shot, was filmed at the pool at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.

Tags: Abby Wambach, Brandon Siler, Gatorade, Gerard Warren, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, NFL, Ryan Lochte, Stephen C. O'Connell Center

With the 2011 NFL regular season complete, a number of Florida Gators participated in Week 17 action, many of whom had an impact on their team’s performance. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the 17th week of the 2011 campaign.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
DE JEREMY MINCEY, Jacksonville Jaguars: Five tackles (four solo), 2.5 sacks, QB hit
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots^: Seven receptions for 138 yards [team-high] (targets: 11, long: 44), touchdown; two carries for 26 yards (long: 19)

Check out how the rest of the Gators in the NFL played…after the break!
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 17

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Andra Davis, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, David Nelson, Gerard Warren, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Justin Tr, Major Wright, Marcus Thomas, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Percy Harvin, Reggie Nelson, Tim Tebow

With the 2011 NFL regular season nearly complete, a number of Florida Gators participated in Week 16 action, many of whom had an impact on their team’s performance. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the 16th week of the 2011 campaign.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
S REGGIE NELSON, Cincinnati Bengals: Seven tackles (five solo, one for loss) [team-highs], sack, QB hit, pass defense, interception (17-yard return)
WR PERCY HARVIN, Minnesota Vikings Five receptions for 65 yards [team-highs] (targets: 6, long: 36), touchdown; four carries for 39 yards (long: 31); three kickoff returns for 47 yards (long: 23)

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Major Wright, Carlos Dunlap, Jeremy Mincey, Ray McDonald, Jabar Gaffney

Check out how the rest of the Gators in the NFL played…after the break!
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 16

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andra Davis, Carlos Dunlap, Chas Henry, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Gerard Warren, Jabar Gaffney, Jarvis Moss, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Justin Trattou, Lito Sheppard, Louis Murphy, Major Wright, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Thomas, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, Percy Harvin, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Rex Grossman, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow

With the 2011 NFL regular season nearly complete, a number of Florida Gators participated in Week 15 action, many of whom had an impact on their team’s performance. OGGOA has checked and re-checked the box scores to bring you a summary of what these Gators accomplished during the 15th week of the 2011 campaign.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TE AARON HERNANDEZ, New England Patriots: Nine receptions for 129 yards [team-highs] (targets: 11, long: 46), touchdown; carry for 16 yards

Check out how the rest of the Gators in the NFL played…after the break!
Continue Reading » Former Florida Gators in the NFL: Week 15

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Ahmad Black, Andra Davis, Carlos Dunlap, Chas Henry, Cooper Carlisle, David Nelson, Gerard Warren, Jabar Gaffney, Jarvis Moss, Jeremy Mincey, Joe Haden, Justin Trattou, Lito Sheppard, Marcus Gilbert, Marcus Thomas, Maurice Hurt, Max Starks, Mike Peterson, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Percy Harvin, Ray McDonald, Reggie Nelson, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow