1 » With seven of their eight 2010 NFL Draft picks now under contract, the last thing on the docket for Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren is to sign former Florida Gators cornerback Joe Haden to a deal. Here is what he had to say about the situation at a press conference on Wednesday:

“As far as Haden goes, those of you who have been around this for a long time, the number one picks you just need a domino to go and then it starts to happen. Then it just explodes and happens. We have had good discussions with Joe’s agents and I am hopeful that he will get in without too much loss of time. It’s very important for the young man, I will say that. I get the business part of it, even when I was coaching I did. It frustrated me to a certain extent, but I get it. This is a lot of money, but I also saw and lived through and experienced the importance of this with a lot of athletes. If they wait too long, they miss some really valuable stuff. [...] It’s hard to catch up in most cases. It’s important that he gets in here, but I’m not discouraged. I think we are making progress.”

2 » As draft picks are being signed left and right, the Cincinnati Bengals made a splash Wednesday officially signing veteran wide receiver Terrell Owens to a one-year contract. Owens’ signing will certainly impact former Gators WR Andre “Bubba” Caldwell, who had been penciled in as the team’s starting slot receiver in 2010. Instead, it looks like veteran Antonio Bryant will hold that role and Caldwell will be fighting for balls as the Bengals’ No. 4 pass catcher. Caldwell said he realizes his playing time will be “diminished” but “maybe not. I’m just going to keep grinding and playing my hardest.” Nevertheless, he has great respect for Owens. “I read his book. I’ve been watching all this time,” Caldwell said. “He’s one of the greatest receivers. […] To be able to learn from him is something I’m really looking forward to.” As far as team chemistry is concerned, Caldwell has no worries. “If Chad [Ochocinco] can’t disrupt this team,” I don’t think T.O. can,” he told the team’s website.

3 » Former Florida thrower Evelien Dekkers, who took home the 2010 NCAA National Championship in women’s javelin, was named the 2010 U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Outdoor Women’s Field. Dekkers is the only female in school history to own a national title in javelin and holds a school-record toss of 58.99m/193-6.

4 » Good news came Wednesday for Gators redshirt senior gymnast Maranda Smith, who has been granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA. A four-time All-American, Smith has suffered a stress fracture in her right shin and torn her right labrum in previous seasons. “I’m so grateful that the NCAA granted me another year of eligibility,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to competing with my Gator teammates again and having another chance to compete in front of the O’Connell Center fans is truly a gift.”

Photo Credit: Cleveland Browns

Tags: Andre Caldwell, Antonio Bryant, Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals, Draft, Evelien Dekkers, gymnastics, Joe Haden, Maranda Smith, Mike Holmgren, National Championship, NCAA, NFL, O'Connell Center, Terrell Owens, USTFCCCA

Round 1 – No. 7
Joe Haden, CB
Cleveland Browns

Height: 5’11″ – Weight: 193 lbs.
Age: 20 – Class: Junior

Months of speculation came to an end Thursday night when the Cleveland Browns selected former Florida Gators cornerback Joe Haden with the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In attendance at Radio City Music Hall in New York, NY, Haden’s eyes swelled up when he received the phone call from Cleveland before he took the stage with gusto to take a picture with league commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Browns had been drooling over Haden since at least March 1, with general manager Tom Heckert making his intentions known rather publicly. “I think Haden is a heck of a football player,” Heckert said. “He’s probably one of the top corners, if not the top corner in the draft. He’s played at a big-time program, and they won a ton of games. He’s going to go early.”

Considering Haden has only been playing cornerback for three years (he set Maryland state high school records as a quarterback), his emergence as a shut-down corner in the talent-rich Southeastern Conference became the stuff of legends around the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, which he completed with less than stellar reviews after posting slow 40-yard dash times.

Haden corrected his speed at Florida’s Pro Day, impressing those in attendance including almost the entire Cleveland front office. Team president Mike Holmgren and head coach Eric Mangini met with Haden shortly after his Pro Day for a private workout and invited him to visit the team facility on April 6.

If the team’s comments are any indication, Haden has a legitimate shot to start as a rookie in 2010 opposite CB Eric Wright with veteran Sheldon Brown moving to safety; should he not be ready right away, he could play in nickel and dime packages until he is able to step in to a starting role.

The fourth defensive player from the University of Florida to be drafted in the top 10, Haden is also the highest-selected Gators cornerback of all-time.

WHAT HADEN SAID
Press Conference Transcript
Press Conference Audio
“I am just trying to soak it all up. It’s crazy. Just a dream come true. I feel like this is like a blessing. I definitely had a good idea about that when I talked to [team president Mike] Holmgren. He definitely was telling me that they were really, really interested in taking me at No. 7. And once he told me that, it just made me have a sigh of relief. Then once I left my visit in Cleveland, I really didn’t have contact with anyone from Cleveland, so I didn’t know if they just stopped liking me or what happened so I just came in here didn’t know what was going on.”

WHAT THEY SAID
Press Conference Transcript
General manager Tom Hickert: “Joe was a guy we spent a lot of time with and evaluating. He’s a bigger corner that can really play the run, good cover ability. He’s a smart kid and he’s tough. He’s a guy we liked all along.”

Head coach Eric Mangini: “He did a great job the day he visited. You could feel the intensity, feel the passion, how much he cared about playing football and continue to improve. It was real. I don’t think there was anybody that met him that didn’t feel that way.”

Head coach Urban Meyer: “I’m happy for Joe and his family. He is one of the most unselfish players I’ve ever coached. He came to Florida as an offensive skill player who never played cornerback. He approached the coaching staff about changing positions because he wanted to get on the field. Despite not playing cornerback in high school he developed into one of the best ever to play his position at the University of Florida and is now a first-round draft pick in the NFL.”

THINGS TO READ
- Haden Browns choice at No. 7
- Heckert, Mangini intrigued by Haden
- Cleveland Browns select Florida cornerback Joe Haden in 2010 NFL Draft
- Cleveland Browns don’t get their safety, so they go with the safe pick
- Joe Haden joins Cleveland Browns with strong endorsement from teammate Tim Tebow
- Cleveland Browns find a defensive playmaker, and that decision is hard to argue
- Browns don’t buy buzz, go ahead with Haden pick

VIDEO
Haden on stage at 2010 NFL Draft with Commissioner Roger Goodell

OGGOA will continue updating this story.

Tags: Cleveland Browns, combine, Draft, Eric Mangini, Eric Wright, Joe Haden, Mike Holmgren, NFL, Pro Day, Radio City Music Hall, Roger Goodell, Sheldon Brown, Tom Heckert, University of Florida, Urban Meyer

1 » When mentioning Florida Gators redshirt junior starting quarterback John Brantley, the first thing that comes to the mind of most is simply: “How will he follow Tim Tebow?” Brantley, to his credit, says that is not his goal – even if the comparisons will be there from the get-go. “He knows he’s going to be compared to Timmy and that’s OK, that’s part of the deal,” his father John Brantley, Sr. told USA Today. “But I keep telling him, ‘Be yourself. Don’t be Tim Tebow. Don’t be someone you’re not. You’ve been successful at every level. Don’t change.”

2 » Florida senior center Mike Pouncey has taken his new leadership position seriously. So much, in fact, that he proclaimed boldly to USA Today that no foolishness will get by under his watch. “We had a lot of things going on [last year] that we shouldn’t have had and we got away from being the team,” Pouncey said. “We lost a lot of our star players, guys with big names. We don’t have any prima donnas. Anyone who is going to step on that field is going to have something to prove. […] We’ll take care of [any prima donnas]. We’re not having that this year.”

3 » The Cleveland Browns seemingly hoped to kill two birds with one stone Tuesday as they hosted former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow and cornerback Joe Haden at the team’s complex in Berea, OH. According to The News-Herald, team president Mike Holmgren has “made it clear the Browns will take a quarterback in the draft;” whether or not that will be Tebow remains to be seen. Also in attendance was former Rutgers CB Devin McCourty, considered the fourth-best at his position. The team could choose him in a later round should they pass on Haden at No. 7 overall.

4 » The Gainesville Sun’s Kevin Brockway, citing a story published by the Knoxville News-Sentinel earlier this week, reports that Florida basketball has inquired about 2010 three-star point guard recruit Jalen Steele (Knoxville, TN). Steele, who committed to the Auburn Tigers in September, is looking to get out of his letter of intent after the team fired head coach Jeff Lebo.

Tags: Auburn Tigers, Cleveland Browns, Devin McCourty, Jalen Steele, Jeff Lebo, Joe Haden, John Brantley, Mike Holmgren, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Tim Tebow

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

One name not garnering much publicity as the 2010 NFL Draft approaches is former Florida Gators linebacker and defensive leader Brandon Spikes.

Hampered by a number of injuries (as well as a bruised reputation for an eye gouge) throughout the 2009 season, Spikes only participated in a few events at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, planning to do most of his testing at Florida’s Pro Day on March 17 and at individual workouts scheduled by various NFL teams.

Pro Football Talk is reporting that the Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will all conduct private visits with Spikes in the coming weeks.

Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah told OGGOA before the combine that Spikes could be picked anywhere from the middle of the first round to the middle of the second. The Browns (especially) have a dire need at linebacker, and Spikes would fit well in a 3-4 defense reconstituted by new team czar Mike Holmgren.

Photo Credit: Tim Larson/Icon SMI

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, combine, Draft, Mike Holmgren, NFL, Pro Day, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

From time to time, OGGOA will come across a plethora of news and notes that we wish to share with our readers. In those instances, we present a special post: Gator Bites. Enjoy.

» Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow stepped to the podium Friday at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine for media interviews. Though OGGOA has the full audio version, here are some individual notes from his press conference:

• A writer handed Tebow a pad and pen as a joke, to which he signed it and gave it back to him. Apparently this was unexpected by said writer.
• “People don’t realize there have been a lot of hurdles in my life. Scrutiny is something you have to deal with. I just have a little more motivation added on top. For so many people to care, I look at it as a blessing.”
• Tebow once again mentioned that he only wishes to play quarterback in the NFL.
• On changing his throwing motion at Florida; “It was something we talked about, but we had some success there the first two years. I worked on it for sure with the great coaching I had at Florida. But we were running a different system. It doesn’t correlate to what I’m doing now.”
• “I’ll do whatever you ask me to do. And I’ll do it with all my heart. And I’ll do it over and over again.”
• On his new throwing motion: “I’m just trying not to have that long loop in my delivery. The release point is no different. I talked to a lot of quarterback coaches, and some of them told me I should wait until after the draft or the combine. But I’m someone who is raring to go. I’m not scared about what anybody has to say.”

Much more on Tebow, Cooper, James, Pouncey and Hernandez after the break!
Continue Reading » Gator Bites for Feb. 27 – NFL Combine Edition

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon James, Cleveland Browns, combine, Draft, Green Bay Packers, Louis Murphy, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Holmgren, Mike Pouncey, Mike Shanahan, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants, NFL, Oakland Raiders, Percy Harvin, Riley Cooper, SEC, Ted Thompson, Tim Tebow, Tom Coughlin, Washington Redskins