1 » On Oct. 29, 2010, one day before the Florida Gators and Georgia Bulldogs square-off in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, FL, four former student-athletes will be inducted into the Florida-Georgia Hall of Fame. Representing the Gators are linebackers Wilber Marshall and Scot Brantley, while LB Knox Culpepper and quarterback Zeke Bratkowski will be honored as former Bulldogs.

2 » A quick blurb from friend of OGGOA, former Florida football player and host of “The Morning Drive” on ESPN Radio in Ocala/Gainesville, FL, Brady Ackerman via his Twitter account Monday evening: “I am hearing that [head coach] Urban [Meyer] has made [the] team accountable for everyone this offseason. In an effort to develop leadership – a mistake hurts everyone. Meyer is trying to develop leaders and accountability with his team this summer. That will be put to test with the arrest of Hammond. The rule is if one guys messes up – everyone pays. Hammond, who is now suspended, is causing the team a little ‘extra’ running this week. I think the message will get home with the team this week and expect the rest of the summer to be quiet from ‘nonsense.’”

Two more BITS on Joe Haden and Maurkice Pouncey…after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Hall of fame, accountability, NFL

Tags: Brady Ackerman, Cleveland Browns, Eric Mangini, Georgia Bulldogs, Hall of Fame, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Joe Haden, Knox Culpepper, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Scot Brantley, Urban Meyer, Wilber Marshall, World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Zeke Bratkowski

Arguing whether or not Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Tim Tebow will succeed in the NFL has seemingly become a national pastime with fans, league executives, former players, current players and analysts all having an opinion on his future without even seeing the former Florida Gators star step into a professional huddle.

Supporters and doubters alike realize that Tebow has some work to do in order to be a polished NFL quarterback. Nevertheless, what some term as “flaws,” others believe are characteristics that make Tebow unique and will allow him to succeed at the next level – perhaps even beyond his most ardent fans’ expectations.

ESPN spoke with a few former NFL signal callers known for their mobility – most prominently Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton and Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh – and asked them to evaluate Tebow’s ability to succeed in the pros.

Tarkenton: “I know that Tim Tebow is not the prototypical quarterback. I wasn’t either. Neither was Roger Staubach, even Bob Griese wasn’t. I had my own style of play and did OK. The only thing that will hurt him is coaches. Most coaches don’t understand quarterbacks. Don’t try to coach him into what he’s going to be. That would be a disaster. […] Peyton Manning can’t do what Tim Tebow does, and vice versa. […] The quarterback position is about playmaking, it’s about leadership. It’s a complex position you can’t test for.”

Read what else was said about Tebow and his future…after the break!
Continue Reading » Tebow adds more supporters, lofty comparisons

Tags: Bob Griese, Bobby Douglass, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Fran Tarkenton, Jim Harbaugh, Kordell Stewart, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Roger Staubach, Steve Grogan, Steve Young, Tim Tebow

1 » OGGOA has extensively covered former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey’s transition to the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers, including his lining up at right guard while he waits for his true position to open up along the offensive line. ESPN’s Len Pasquarelli profiled Pouncey last week, nothing that he truly has the chance to be something special in the NFL. “He’s the kind of guy where, if he makes a mistake on a play, he’s immediately right over to you to get [an explanation],” offensive line coach Sean Kugler said. “You’ve got to tell him, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll go over that.’ He really wants to be good; he’s into it.”

2 » The name “Titus O’Neil” may not be familiar to Gators fans, but perhaps Thaddeus Bullard rings a bell. While Bullard is a former Florida defensive end, O’Neil is a professional wrestler about to make a splash as one of the newest members of World Wrestling Entertainment‘s NXT television program. Fact is – they are one and the same. Bullard, now 33, was one of the nation’s top defensive linemen coming out of high school in 1995. Unfortunately, his football career never really panned out after registering 56 tackles in 47 games with the Gators as a back-up from 1997-2000. After playing in the Arena Football League for three years, he decided to try his hand at sports entertainment and began competing with Florida Championship Wrestling in 2009. The now-named O’Neil has been called up from FCW to WWE and is set to take part in the second season of the company’s NXT brand – a faux-reality show attempting to find WWE’s next breakout star. OGGOA will follow along with Bullard’s journey over the next few months as he attempts to “win” a full-time contract and pay-per-view title match.

Tags: AFL, FCW, Maurkice Pouncey, NFL, NXT, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sean Kugler, Thaddeus Bullard, Titus O'Neil, WWE

Though NFL mini camps are non-contact, former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey escaped serious injury Thursday after Pittsburgh Steelers guard Trai Essex accidentally stepped with his full weight on his big left toe.

“Oh, man, 330 pounds on a toe!” Pouncey exclaimed well after being examined, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I felt it a little bit at first, but I got back in there and couldn’t let the guys down.”

Reports on site had Pouncey letting out a big yell when his toe was initially stomped on, but trainers rushed to the aid of the No. 18 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, wiggling his toe and making sure it was not extensively damaged.

Though, as OGGOA has reported on numerous occasions, Pouncey is expected to play guard this season for the Steelers, he was actually practicing at center when the injury occurred. Essex, ironically, is one of his chief competitors for the starting right guard job.

“We’ve been working him at center and guard,” Pittsburgh offensive line coach Sean Kugler said. “He’s been taking reps at two different groups. Today, he worked mainly at center. That will be the plan with Maurkice, continue to work him at guard and center. He’s a player we feel can play both.”

Photo Credit: Peter Diana/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Tags: Draft, Maurkice Pouncey, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Sean Kugler, Trai Essex

1 » Though Maurkice Pouncey earned major recognition as a center with the Florida Gators, his short-term future looks to be as a starting right guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that drafted him No. 18 overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. If you talk to Steelers’ starting left tackle Max Starks (also a Florida alum), Pouncey is already turning some heads. “Being that I’m such an established alum from the University of Florida, I’m going to be biased. So I’ll say he’s going to be great,” Starks told the Beaver County Times. “Seriously, Maurkice is a guy who’s come in with the right attitude. He’s a good kid. He’s picking up things and learning the system, although I’m sure his head is still spinning because he’s a rookie. But the most important thing is that he’s here getting a foundation. You can only imagine that once we get into camp and he puts the pads on and he’s had more time in this system, how well he’ll do.” Pittsburgh wants him to be the starting center – eventually – but would like him to get on the field as quickly as possible; right guard is where they need immediate help.

2 » Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com recently posted a New England Patriots mailbag covering a number of topics concerning the team including the future of former Gators linebackers Jermaine Cunningham and Brandon Spikes. Reiss projects that Cunningham will ultimately start at outside linebacker in 2010 opposite Tully Banta-Cain but thinks Spikes will have a rough go of it (at least in the beginning) beating out the two guys ahead of him for the opportunity to start alongside Jerod Mayo.

Photo Credit: David Silverman/New England Patriots

Tags: Brandon Spikes, Draft, Jermaine Cunningham, Jerod Mayo, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, New England Patriots, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tully Banta-Cain, University of Florida

1 » Senior center Mike Pouncey will be filling in for his brother next season in the middle of the Florida Gators offensive line – a position he has yet to play on the college level. Nevertheless, he has already been named to the 2010 Rimington Trophy spring watch list. The trophy, which is awarded to the best center in college football, was won by now Pittsburgh Steelers center/guard Maurkice Pouncey last season, providing a rare opportunity for brothers to win it in back-to-back years.

2 » Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow‘s No. 15 jersey is so popular that it has already set numerous NFL sales records. It is in such high demand, in fact, that Chinese counterfeiters rolled out some fake ones almost immediately. According to the Tampa Tribune, “U.S. Customs & Border Protection in Tampa seized $8,175 in counterfeit sports jerseys” last week. Though there were others included in the package, “several” were “good quality” counterfeits of Tebow’s jersey.

Tags: Denver Broncos, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Pouncey, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rimington Trophy, Tim Tebow

1 » Five-star 2011 guard recruit Austin Rivers decommitted from the Florida Gators on April 8 and named the Duke Blue Devils his new leader a month later on May 5. He went in-depth on why he made this decision just a week ago, but now his AAU coach – Therion Joseph of Each 1 Teach 1 – is adding some fuel to the movement away from Florida and to Duke. “Florida is obviously a very good program but basketball is just one of their sports,” Joseph told Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog. “Duke sells out every game and Florida is fighting to get half their students there. He likes to play with a bulls-eye on his back. He plays better with a bulls-eye. He wants to play at a school that is on ESPN every day, kind of like Notre Dame in football.” Once Rivers decommmitted, OGGOA believed he was all but gone from the Gators for good – now it is looking like they may even be falling out of his top five. To Joseph’s credit, attendance last year was embarassing.

2 » New Pittsburgh Steelers center/guard Maurkice Pouncey sat down with WTAE ABC 4 in Pittsburgh, PA, to discuss his transition to the NFL “This team here is just like college – family here, there aren’t any individuals,” Pouncey said. “Everybody pulls together, so it kind of feels like Florida.” Obviously he is looking forward to getting on the field and competing, but Pouncey is also anxiously awaiting one more perk of playing in the NFL. “Oh man, I can’t wait for that first paycheck, to tell you the truth,” he said. “I’m kind of living the college life still with no money, but whenever that first paycheck comes in, it will be amazing.” You can watch the entire interview by clicking here.

3 » No. 4/5 Florida baseball (38-12, 20-7 SEC) and the No. 6/7 South Carolina Gamecocks (42-11, 20-7 SEC) begin a three-game series on Thursday that will ultimately decide the Southeastern Conference’s 2010 regular season champion. Tied atop the standings, the weekend road series’ pitching match-ups are as follows: Thursday – sophomore Alex Panteliodis (8-2, 3.34 ERA) vs. senior Blake Cooper (10-0, 3.01 ERA); Friday – freshman Hudson Randall (6-3, 2.96 ERA) vs. junior Sam Dyson (5-4, 3.79 ERA); Saturday – freshman Brian Johnson (5-2, 3.53 ERA) vs. TBA. The Gators have won eight of their last nine conference series and are 10-time conference champions (last in 2005). Saturday’s game – perhaps the decider – will air live on Sun Sports at 4:00 p.m.

4 » Former Florida assistant basketball coach Nate Dixon, who was a member of head coach Billy Donovan’s Gators staff from 2003-05, has been hired by the Wyoming Cowboys to a similar assistant position.

Tags: AAU, Alex Panteliodis, Austin Rivers, baseball, Billy Donovan, Brian Johnson, Duke Blue Devils, Each 1 Teach 1, Hudson Randall, Maurkice Pouncey, Nate Dixon, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Therion Joseph, Wyoming Cowboys

1 » Former Florida Gators center Maurkice Pouncey is loving his new home with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Drafted by the six-time Super Bowl champions with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Pouncey is “just trying to establish” himself with the veterans. “This is a great experience and a great team,” Pouncey told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “All of the guys take you in, none of that hazing kind of thing. It’s just, ‘Win championships.’ […] I’m sitting in here looking at all of the other guys that played in the Super Bowl and just trying to soak in what they’ve got and follow their lead.” He joins Florida alum and left tackle Max Starks on Pittsburgh’s offensive line. “He didn’t come in with any type of ego,” Starks said, praising Pouncey’s introduction. “That’s what you want to see, especially in an offensive lineman. You want a young guy to come in that wants to learn and wants to get better.”

2 » According to a live chat session with Philadelphia Inquirer beat writer Jeff McLane, former Gators tight end Cornelius Ingram participated in individual drills during the Philadelphia Eagles’ minicamp last weekend. Missing his rookie year after suffering a second injury to his anterior cruciate ligament (the first kept him out the 2008-09 Florida football season), Ingram lost out on a starting opportunity to Brent Celek but has a chance to be a back-up and earn time on the field should he be able to stay healthy. Reports are that his rehab has been going well, and Ingram is expected to make a full recovery. Wide receiver Riley Cooper, drafted in the fifth round by Philadelphia, joins Ingram on the Eagles this season.

Photo Credit: Tracy Wilcox/The Gainesville Sun

Tags: Brent Celek, Cornelius Ingram, Draft, Maurkice Pouncey, Max Starks, NFL, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Riley Cooper, Super Bowl