Former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow was hospitalized Monday night after the first day of practices for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl, according to agent Jimmy Sexton. “He’s been sick for two days,” Sexton told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch following practice Tuesday afternoon. “He had a 103 temperature.”

Reports throughout the day stated that Tebow has been suffering from strep throat since Saturday, and high fevers are commonly associated with that illness. Robby Tebow, Tim’s brother, told Jeremy Fowler of the Orlando Sentinel that Tebow had a 103.5-degree fever Monday and barely got any sleep as he sweated throughout the night. He has been on IV for the last two days but has not missed a single Senior Bowl event.

Tebow struggled during Monday’s practice, by all accounts, with most of the criticism centered on his fumbling of snaps from under center. He also had some footwork issues and kept bringing the ball down to his waist when winding up to throw. However, Tebow appeared to rebound Tuesday by using his legs and making some nice deep passes, though two tosses late in practice were considered dropped interceptions and he had one fumbled snap during 11-on-11 drills.

Fowler also reported that Tebow has already sat down with representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota Vikings and had a more formal meeting with the entire coaching staff of the Carolina Panthers.

VIDEO: NFL Network’s interview with QB Tim Tebow after Day 2 of Senior Bowl.

Tags: Carolina Panthers, Jimmy Sexton, Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Robby Tebow, Senior Bowl, Tim Tebow, Under Armour

1 » Senior Bowl Practice Day 1:
By all accounts, former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow did not have a great day practicing in Mobile, AL. Most of the criticism surrounding Tebow Monday centered on his fumbling of multiple snaps from under center. However, he did put together some good throws and showed nice arm strength. Wide receiver Riley Cooper proved to be one of the best in his position and showed a nice combination of size and quickness.

“I feel like it was good. Kind of back to the basics,” Tebow said after practice. “Gotta get the timing down, gotta get the snaps down, everything, so it’s like you’re back in junior high.” He also explained some of his early struggles. “I think it has to do with getting used to a new [center]. They are rotating in three quarterbacks, rotating in three centers, so that’s something you have to get used to and it takes a little time.”

Five more BITS including Tebow’s Super Bowl ad, a TMZ piece, Cooper’s agent, Harvin’s Pro Bowl, Parsons’ Facebook friends and Tebow on ESPN…after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tebow, ad, TMZ, Cooper, Harvin, Parsons

Tags: Ben Troupe, Chandler Parsons, Channing Crowder, Ciatrick Fason, Focus on the Family, Joel Segal, MLB, NCAA Tournament, NFL, NIT, Pam Tebow, Percy Harvin, Pro Bowl, Riley Cooper, Senior Bowl, Super Bowl, Texas Rangers, Tim Tebow, Under Armour

Never one to shy away from doubters and skeptics, former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has a prime opportunity to increase his value to NFL brass during practices this week for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL. It is a challenge he is neither taking lightly nor backing down from. Head coach Urban Meyer is confident that Tebow will face the NFL challenge head-on and be immensely successful but still provided some words of advice.

“Coach Meyer called me last night and he said, ‘Promise me one thing: Just be you and you’ll be fine,’” Tebow told reporters Sunday during a pre-Senior Bowl press conference. “I’m just going to be me. I’m going to be excited, I’m going to be passionate, I’m going to have fun. I’m going to love playing the game out there, just like I always have. Hopefully the coaching staffs and the owners and general managers will just like me.”

It is hard to imagine anyone not liking Tebow, as a football player, that is. One of the most prolific and arguably the best player in the history of college football, Tebow’s accomplishments seem to have fallen by the wayside in recent weeks while some of his attributes like throwing motion, arm speed and footwork have been picked on.

Find out what Tebow thinks of his many critics (and more) after the jump!
Continue Reading » Tebow excited to prove himself at Senior Bowl

Tags: Arkansas Razorbacks, David Lee, Heisman Trophy, Miami Dolphins, National Championship, NFL, Senior Bowl, Tim Tebow, Under Armour, Urban Meyer, Wildcat, WildHog

1 » Five-star Florida Gators defensive tackle commitment Sharrif Floyd (Philadelphia, PA) has been named the 2009 National High School Player of the Year by the Maxwell Football Club. Floyd, who committed to Florida during the 2010 U.S. Army All-American Bowl, is ranked as the No. 4 and No. 25 overall player in the country respectively by Rivals and ESPNU.

2 » Completing OGGOA‘s trifecta of Friday coverage on former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow is NFL Network analyst and draft expert Mike Mayock. Mayock spoke with Michael DiRocco of The Florida Times-Union about Tebow’s NFL prospects and how his participation in the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 in Mobile, AL, will help his stock. “Whether or not he competed in this game, he’s got mechanical issues,” Mayock said. “No question about it, and they’re not that easy to get rid of. But this kid will work his tail off and do whatever anybody tells him to do to work on those issues. I really believe that by spending a week being coached by NFL people and letting the whole league start to get to know what kind of kid he is, no matter what the ball looks like — whether it flutters or whether it takes too long — I think he’s going to win just because people are going to want him in their huddle.”

“Most people think that he’s risking the most of any player coming to play in this game,” Mayock continued. “I think it’s a brilliant move. Here’s a guy who’s arguably the best player to ever play college football, yet most NFL scouts will probably put him in the third round. The fact that Tim Tebow is coming here and willing to expose himself to this kind of scrutiny I think speaks volumes to the type of kid he is.”

Tags: NFL, Senior Bowl, Sharrif Floyd, Tim Tebow, Under Armour

1 » Could former Florida Gators wide receiver Percy Harvin be sitting out the most important game of his young NFL career? If his sudden migraine flare-up continues, he just might. Harvin missed Minnesota Vikings practice on Thursday [and Friday] for the first time since returning from the Mayo Clinic in December. He had been headache-free for more than a month, but head coach Brad Childress indicated that the only thing that can cure Harvin is time. “I think it’s just a matter of trying to slow the onsets,” Childress said. “For a while he had them pretty often. We expect him to be OK.” Harvin has 60 receptions on the season, second on the team to Sidney Rice, and has become one of quarterback Brett Favre’s favorite targets on third down.

2 » Preparing for the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl and a future in the NFL, former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow has been working out in Franklin, TN, since last week at D1 Sports Training. Co-owned by Indianapolis Colts star QB Peyton Manning, D1 “specializes in making athletes faster, stronger, more agile and explosive while also building character,” according to the company’s mission statement. Tebow is working closely with former Georgia Bulldogs All-American QB Zeke Bratkowski, a 40-year playing and coaching veteran. “When they see him in person, how he moves and throws, his work ethic at the Senior Bowl, and his passion for the game, I think that is what is going to move him up on the draft,” said Kurt Hester, director of training for D1. Check out the full story by Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Tags: Brad Childress, Brett Favre, D1 Sports Training, Draft, Indianapolis Colts, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, Percy Harvin, Peyton Manning, Senior Bowl, Sidney Rice, Tim Tebow, Under Armour

CNBC Sports Business Reporter Darren Rovell was curious about the money making potential of former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. Seeing as Tebow will likely be on the cover of NCAA Football 11 and is set to appear in a television commercial during Super Bowl XLIV, Rovell sought out the Davie-Brown Index to compare Tebow’s endorsement potential to others at his position currently playing in the NFL.

The findings were simple: Tebow is already more popular and appealing than future hall of famers Brett Favre and Tom Brady and more of a trendsetter than Super Bowl winners Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning.

It is important to remember that Tebow has already achieved these DBI ratings without competing in the Senior Bowl, working out at the NFL Combine or even being selected in the 2010 NFL Draft – yet. It looks like he will have plenty of money to donate to the Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association even if he does not end up succeeding in the professional ranks. Don’t worry – he will.

Photo Credit: Mark Seliger, GQ

UPDATE: As OGGOA reported yesterday, CBS was in the process of reviewing Tebow’s Focus on the Family advertisement. Sports Business Daily mentioned Wednesday that the script for the Super Bowl spot has received early approval from the network. It appears as if the ad will not carry a strong pro-life message as was the concern of some at CBS. Almost all major networks, especially those airing significant or highly rated national events, have a policy against advocacy ads regardless of the slant.

Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Bob Tebow Evangelistic Association, Brett Favre, combine, Davie-Brown Index, Draft, Eli Manning, Focus on the Family, NCAA Football 11, NFL, Senior Bowl, Super Bowl XLIV, Tim Tebow, Tom Brady

1 » Former Florida Gators wide receiver Riley Cooper will join teammate quarterback Tim Tebow in Mobile, AL, on Jan. 30 after accepting an invitation to the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl. Cooper was Florida’s leading receiver in 2009 with 961 yards on 51 catches while also accounting for nine touchdowns. Senior Bowl practices throughout the week, as well as the game itself, will be televised by the NFL Network.

2 » Gators thrower Mariam Kevkhishvili, a three-time NCAA Champion, broke a Georgian national record and Florida indoor school record in the women’s shot put during the Kentucky Invitational on Saturday at E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse. In addition to Kevkhishvili’s astounding feat, other Gators achieved promising results at the event. Florida, in total, scored two NCAA automatic-qualifiers, accounted for four provisional-qualifying marks and won three events in 48 hours. Read more about the Gators track & field team’s accomplishments this weekend.

3 » One of the few remaining Gators in the NFL Playoffs, San Diego Chargers defensive tackle Ian Scott has gone through a tumultuous two seasons with the team having been signed, released and then re-signed by the Chargers in a 13-month period. In fact, he even considered moving his entire family back to Gainesville, FL, at one point. The Gainesville Sun’s John Patton caught up with Scott and put together a nice feature article on the former Florida standout.

4 » The No. 6 men’s and No. 7 women’s Gators swimming and diving teams (7-0, 2-0 SEC), (8-2, 2-1 SEC) were victorious after turning in 159-118 and 163-122 wins over the Florida Atlantic Owls Saturday at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Sebastien Rousseau led the way for the men with an NCAA provisional mark in the men’s 200-yard butterfly (1:47.97) while senior Liz Kemp stood as a beacon for the women by taking home the 1,000-yard freestyle title (10:05.29).

Extra Bit » If you thought former Tennessee Volunteers head coach Lane Kiffin‘s departure created a ruckus, check out this video of the school’s Sports Information Department trying to settle down the clearly ticked-off media…after the jump!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Cooper, shot put, Scott, swimming

Tags: diving, E.J. Nutter Fieldhouse, Florida Atlantic Owls, Ian Scott, Lane Kiffin, Liz Kemp, Mariam Kevkhishvili, NCAA, NFL, O'Connell Center, Playoffs, Riley Cooper, San Diego Chargers, Sebastien Rousseau, Senior Bowl, swimming, Tennessee Volunteers, Tim Tebow

1 » One year ago, the Florida Gators women’s basketball team upset the then-No. 12/17 Tennessee Lady Vols 66-57 in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Looking to repeat history, a much younger Florida team (9-8, 2-2 SEC) had the game tied at 64 against a significantly more experienced No. 4 Tennessee squad (15-1, 3-0 SEC) until Lady Vols guard Angie Bjorklund hit a reverse lay-up with 2.3 seconds left in the second half to pull ahead and ultimately win 66-64. Four Gators scored in double figures, and Florida led for much of the second half but could not hold on.

2 » In a news item that OGGOA broke Thursday via twitter, former Gators linebacker Ryan Stamper was invited to be a participant in the 2010 East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 23 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. Stamper is currently slated to play in the game but may have to pull out if the ankle injury he suffered in the 2010 Sugar Bowl flares up. The game will air live on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. In other Stamper news, he has decided to sign with agent Garriet Blair of GMB Sports and Entertainment. Quarterback Tim Tebow has declined an invitation to the East-West Shrine and will instead participate in the 2010 Senior Bowl in Mobile, AL.

All-Americans, Wuerffel, 2011 recruits and Gators in the pros after the jump!
Continue Reading » SIX BITS: Tough loss, Stamper, Wuerffel, 2011

Tags: A.C. Leonard, Aaron Hernandez, All-America, Angie Bjorklund, Carlos Dunlap, Channing Crowder, Citrus Bowl, Danny Wuerffel, David Lee, De'Ante Saunders, Draft, East-West Shrine Game, Heisman Trophy, Jeoffrey Pagan, Joe Haden, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, Miami Dolphins, NBA, New York Knicks, NFL, O'Connell Center, Ryan Stamper, Senior Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Tennessee Lady Vols, Tim Tebow, women's basketball