Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was interviewed Monday morning on Lamm at Large on WJXL-AM in Jacksonville, FL. During his segment, Tebow discussed the health of head coach Urban Meyer, his level of desire to play for his hometown Jacksonville Jaguars and a few other topics.

On Meyer’s health: “He needs to keep resting and being with his family. He’s enjoying it. He’s had a little time to get away. And we’re still talking pretty much every day. He’s doing great and feeling better. He’s going to get back and have a great season and Florida is going to dominate. Their going to do great. I’m just happy that he’s feeling better and that he’s there for his family and that he’s been able to just relax and let his stress levels die down a little bit. He’ll absolutely be back and he’ll be involved. He’s going to be hands on working with the guys. He’ll be there for a lot of the stuff in the spring and in the summer. Florida should have a great year.”

On if he wants to play for the Jaguars: “I would. It’s here at home and I would enjoy that. I have been a Jaguar fan my whole life. I have enjoyed being here in my hometown and watching the Jaguars play and getting an opportunity to play for them would be a blessing for me and a privilege for me to be able to stay in my hometown and play here.”

Listen to Tebow’s interview here or read the remainder of the transcript courtesy of the folks over at SportsRadioInterviews.com.

h/t Ben Volin, Palm Beach Post
Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press

Tags: Jacksonville Jaguars, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

1 » The month of February is half over and Florida Gators basketball fans are concerned about where their team will be playing in the end of March. Will it earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons or join some other traditional college basketball powerhouses in the NIT? While ESPN‘s Joe Lunardi has left the Gators out of his most recent bracketology, Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated believes Florida still has a legitimate shot. Davis lists the Gators as a 12-seed and predicts an upset over 5-seed Wake Forest. “Despite recent struggles, Florida looks like a team capable of making the tournament — and staging a first-round upset,” Davis writes.

2 » With the 2010 NFL Draft coming up and plenty of Florida players in contention for top picks, The Houston Chronicle’s Lance Zierlein looked at how former Gators have fared in the league since 2001. The results are less spectacular than Florida fans would hope, though the team has certainly had its share of impact players.

3 » One former Gators star on the verge of a bleak NFL career is Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey. Though he has struggled thus far in Jacksonville and only compiled two sacks in 2009, Harvey is a favorite of new Jaguars assistant coach Joe Cullen. “Our pick was going to be Derrick Harvey if he was available,” Cullen recounted about the 2007 draft to The Florida Times-Union. “We did a lot of research on him, put him through a great one-on-one workout after Florida’s pro day. The qualities we saw in Derrick are still there. He’s explosive, strong. He’s going to be a powerful rusher. With more repetition and work, that can come out of him.”

4 » Looking back at college football recruiting classes from 2007, SI’s Andy Staples reaffirms that the Gators had the best class in the nation. “This class provided the raw materials for a championship,” Staples writes. “It’s interesting to note that this class could produce as many as four 2010 first-round draft picks.”

Tags: Derrick Harvey, Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars, Joe Cullen, NCAA Tournament, NFL, NIT

1 » New York Knicks forward/center David Lee, a former Florida Gators standout who is averaging a double-double of 20 points and 11.4 rebounds in his fourth professional season, has been selected as a replacement reserve for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game. Lee will take the place of Philadelphia 76ers point guard Allen Iverson (personal reasons) and will join Atlanta Hawks F/C Al Horford in Dallas, TX.

2 » Former Gators linebacker Brandon Spikes has decided to continue training in Gainesville, FL, as he prepares for the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February. His agent, Terry Watson, spoke with The Gainesville Sun about Spikes. “He’s doing well,” Watson said. “He continues to work out hard and he’s eating well. He’s fully committed to a plan that will get him ready for the Combine.” Also in Gainesville working out with Florida strength and conditioning coordinator Mickey Marotti is wide receiver Riley Cooper. “Coach Mick is the best,” Cooper said. “I’m following the same plan Percy (Harvin) did a year ago under Coach Mick.”

Four more very informative Florida Gators BITS after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Lee, Spikes, Cooper, Tebow, Jones-Drew

Tags: Abby Wambach, Al Horford, Algarve Cup, All-Star, Allen Iverson, Allison Hightower, Amanda Butler, Atlanta Hawks, Brandon Spikes, combine, David Lee, Daytona 500, Gatorade Duel, Jacksonville Jaguars, LSU Tigers, Maurice Jones-Drew, Mickey Marotti, NBA, New York Knicks, NFL, O'Connell Center, Philadelphia 76ers, Riley Cooper, SEC, soccer, softball, Steffi Sorensen, Terry Watson, Tim Tebow, USF Wilson-DeMarini Tournament, women's basketball

1 » Florida Gators running back/sprinter Jeff Demps and jumper Shara Proctor were both named Athlete of the Week by the Southeastern Conference for their performances during the Virgina Tech Elite Meet track and field competition over the weekend. Demps, who participated in the first indoor meet of his career, placed second in the finals of the men’s 60-meter dash and was honored as SEC Male Freshman of the Week. His 6.61 time was the second-fastest time in school history and one hundredth of a second off of the NCAA automatic-qualifying standard. Proctor won both the women’s triple jump and long jump setting “automatic-qualifying marks, school-record marks, SEC-leading marks and nation-leading marks in both events,” according to the University Athletic Association.

2 » Former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will serve as Grand Marshals for the Gatorade Duel at Daytona on Thursday. Consisting of two 60-lap races, the Gatorade Duel is a qualifying event for the Daytona 500. Tebow will recite the famous, “Gentlemen, start your engines!” line before the first race. So much for focusing solely on football.

Extra Bit » The No. 5/3 Florida softball team was chosen to win the SEC East Division in the annual coaches’ preseason poll. The Gators look to return to the Women’s College World Series after falling to the Washington Huskies in the 2009 championship series.

Tags: Daytona 500, field, Gatorade Duel, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeff Demps, Maurice Jones-Drew, SEC, Shara Proctor, softball, Tim Tebow, track, Virginia Tech Elite Meet

1 » When former Florida Gators assistant Anthony Grant left the program a few years ago to take over the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, head coach Billy Donovan wished him luck. When Donovan left the team after the 2007 National Championship game, Grant’s name was the first called by Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley to replace the long-time head coach. However, a change of heart by Donovan thurst Grant back to VCU, where he would eventually be tabbed as head coach by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mentor and assistant will square-off for the first time Thursday in Tuscaloosa, AL. “You never like to play against one of your friends, but Anthony and I have a great relationship,” Donovan said.

2 » Speaking of Donovan, his frontcourt players from those championship seasons (and even the year after) have been experiencing a lot of success in the NBA recently. Philadelphia 76ers center Marreese Speights spoke with the Philadelphia Daily News about how genuinely happy he is that former teammate and now Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is finding success in the pros. “He and a lot of the other guys were really good at watching out for me when I first got to Florida,” Speights said. “That meant a lot. It’s good to see him doing so well in the league, but it’s not surprising. He always has had a great work ethic, trying to improve his game in every way. He improved a lot in college, from not playing a lot as a freshman to becoming someone who could have been taken with the first overall pick.”

There are four more BITS waiting for you after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Grant, Speights, Tebow, Easley, honors

Tags: Alabama Crimson Tide, Allie Will, Anthony Grant, Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls, Dominique Easley, field, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jeremy Foley, Jeremy Postin, Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights, NBA, NFL, Philadelphia 76ers, SEC, Shara Proctor, Tim Tebow, track, Uche Nwaneri, Virginia Commonwealth Rams

1 » Former Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and current NFL analyst for NBC Tony Dungy continues to stand behind former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and believes he will succeed at the next level. “I know a lot of people are saying he will play another position and he might, but I think he’s going to be a great leader, a winner, and I think some team is going to take him and tailor their offense to the special qualities he has,” Dungy told George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel. “I think he’s going to be a fantastic player in the NFL. If I am a coach, I say to myself: ‘I’ve got a special, unique talent and I am going to structure my team a little differently to take advantage of that.’ People are starting to do that. Tennessee did that with Vince Young and was very successful. I think somebody is going to do it. [...] Tim won a lot of games in high school, a lot of games at the University of Florida and my belief is that he will win if he gets with the right team in the NFL.”

2 » Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Gene Smith told The Florida Times-Union that his team’s experiment with the 3-4 defense is over. Part of the reason for the change is a belief of Smith in former Gators defensive end Derrick Harvey, who only had two sacks in 2009. “The third year is usually a defining year for what you’re going to become,” Smith said as he indicated that Harvey will begin camp as the starting left end. Former Florida safety Reggie Nelson, who had an outstanding rookie campaign but has since floundered with the Jaguars, may be cut if he does not show significant improvement throughout training camp.

Women’s basketball, lacrosse and men’s & women’s tennis after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Dungy on Tebow, Jaguars, weekend

Tags: Alexandre Lacroix, Antoine Benneteau, C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum, Derrick Harvey, Disney Wide World of Sports, Florida International Golden Panthers, Gene Smith, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Indianapolis Colts, ITA, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kick-Off Weekend, Linder Stadium, Lonnika Thompson, National Team Indoor Championships, NFL, Ole Miss Rebels, Reggie Nelson, Ring Tennis Complex, Sharielle Smith, Steffi Sorensen, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tennis, Tim Tebow, Tony Dungy, U.S. National Developmental

New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with a number of counts including driving while intoxicated, according to a report by The Associated Press. McCray was handcuffed after refusing to take a breath alcohol test during a routine traffic stop.

McCray was pulled over and arrested at 4:30 a.m. by an officer who caught him speeding. He was charged with DWI, speeding, careless operation of a motor vehicle and absence of vehicle registration. McCray was booked into Orleans Parish Prison but has been released on his own recognizance. Anyone who refuses a breath test under suspicion of driving drunk in Louisiana automatically loses their license for 12 months.

McCray was a two-time All-SEC second-team selection who played in 36 games while with the Florida Gators from 2001-04. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL Draft (249th overall) by the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Tags: arrest, Bobby McCray, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints

1 » With so many people questioning Florida Gators senior quarterback Tim Tebow’s future in the NFL, one city and team that are seemingly fully behind him are Jacksonville, FL, and Tebow’s hometown Jaguars. In addition to revitalizing a franchise that is one of the least financially successful in the NFL, Tebow could add a much-needed character boost to a team that has been desperately trying to catch up with their division-rival Indianapolis Colts for years. The 17,000 fans who chose not to renew their season tickets this past offseason could easily come back if Tebow is drafted to his local team.

2 » Speaking of the Jaguars, former Gators free safety Reggie Nelson allowed not one but two touchdowns Thursday night to the Colts, immediately throwing him in head coach Jack Del Rio‘s doghouse. Nelson has regressed significantly over his last two seasons in Jacksonville, leading many to believe he will be benched this week. “[Nelson] didn’t play well,” Del Rio said. “You can’t stay in the lineup playing like that.”

3 » Gators four-star tight end commitment Gerald Christian, a star for Dwyer High School who is playing in the Class 4A Championship game on Saturday, has started since his freshman year and become an irreplaceable part of both the team’s offense and defense. “He was already a grown man as a sophomore, even as a freshman,” Dwyer defensive coordinator Bobby Sifrit said. “He’s a leader at practice, in school. He’s very smart and even keeled. You couldn’t have a better candidate to [call shots on defense].” Five-star Florida safety commit and Christian’s teammate, Matt Elam, agrees. “He’s a freak with all the stuff he knows,” Elam said.

4 » Gators basketball fans may notice that one of the reasons the team has improved so much in 2009 is a dedication o defense. “Nowhere is Florida’s newfound commitment to defense than from behind the 3-point line,” writes Michael DiRocco of The Florida Times Union. In some ways, the Gators are playing better on defense than even the 2006 and 2007 National Championship teams did at this point through their seasons.

Tags: Bobby Sifrit, Dwyer, Gerald Christian, Indianapolis Colts, Jack Del Rio, Jacksonville Jaguars, Matt Elam, NFL, Reggie Nelson, Tim Tebow