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

Having already competed in the 2010 Senior Bowl and 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, there are only two things left on former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow’s plate before the 2010 NFL Draft: individual team interviews and Florida’s Pro Day on March 17.

Two NFL teams, the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks, have already arranged individual workouts with Tebow after he works out for most of the NFL early next week, according to ESPN

Interestingly enough, the Bills and Seahawks combine to have five of the first 41 picks in the draft. Seattle has the No. 6 and No. 14 overall picks in the first round and the No. 38 selection (No. 6 in the second round), while Buffalo possesses the No. 9 and No. 41 overall picks.

Photo Credit: Jimmy DeFlippo/Sports Illustrated

Tags: Buffalo Bills, combine, Draft, NFL, Pro Day, Seattle Seahawks, Tim Tebow

Jon Gruden has been raving about former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow for almost two years. Thursday, the former NFL head coach had a chance to tutor the Heisman Trophy-winning signal caller one-on-one in Tampa, FL.

“I love quarterbacks, and today I had a blast,” Gruden told The Tampa Tribune. “How can you not root for Tim Tebow? He’s a courageous, competitive, play-making, undeniable force. I think he’s going to be a great success.”

The duo first worked on NFL defensive formations in Gruden’s office before heading out to Carrollwood Day School to throw some passes and work on mechanics. Tebow is in the middle of tweaking his throwing motion and delivery before competing his final work out at Florida’s Pro Day on March 17.

“It was wonderful,” Tebow said of the experience. “To be able to spend a day with Coach Gruden was a lot of fun. He’s got a passion and love for the game that’s unrivaled.”

The Tribune also reports that an ESPN camera crew was on-site to film the day’s activities for a one-hour special that will air a week before the 2010 NFL Draft.

Photo Credit: Cliff McBride

Tags: Draft, Heisman Trophy, Jon Gruden, Pro Day, Tim Tebow

1 » In a Q&A session on Rivals Thursday, recruiting analyst Jamie Newberg addressed the Florida Gators’ needs at wide receiver by mentioning that five-star safety Jonathan Dowling (Bradenton, FL) has requested that the catch instead of defend passes while wearing the Orange and Blue. Dowling, assumed to be playing free safety, is listed as an athlete by many recruiting services, could find a spot in Florida’s receiving corps, though he should also see an opportunity to get some time on the field in the secondary.

2 » Though he was not focused on former Gators quarterback Tim Tebow at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris praised the signal caller and believes there will be plenty of teams interested in his services. “Teams will be fired up to get him,” Morris told The Tampa Tribune. “He’s won at every level. His teammates love him. They’ll let you know they love him. [...] Those are the kind of guys you look for to involve in the character, leadership and also the winning of your football team.”

Two more BITS on Joe Haden and UF award-winners after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Dowling to WR? SEC award winners

Tags: Bob Van Overbeek, Central District Invitational, combine, Freshman of the Week, golf, Golfer of the Week, Isabelle Lendl, Joe Haden, Jonathan Dowling, Kinderlou Forest Challenge, Lauren Embree, NFL, Raheem Morris, SEC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, tennis, Tim Tebow, University of Florida

1 » ESPN’s Bruce Feldman covered some of the most polarizing figures at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine in his most recent Insider blog. Topping the list, of course, is former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. “Tebow Talk will dominate the draft coverage right through late April,” Feldman writes. “Is he an every-down QB? How will he do at his Pro-Day on March 17 since he’s worked hard to shorten his previously slow and long delivery? Did his fast shuttle times and impressive vertical jump (38.5 inches, tied for best ever by a QB) actually give more juice to the camp that says he’s best suited to be an H-back or a fullback?”

2 » Covering another side of the controversy surrounding former Gators cornerback Joe Haden’s 4.57-second 40-yard dash time is Yahoo! Sports’ Dr. Saturday blog, which points out that Haden was listed as running a 4.33 during his time with Florida. Calling the board “fake” and ludicrous, writer Matt Hinton does make a good point: Haden’s listed time is faster than any single player actually ran in last year’s combine.

Two more Florida Gators football recruiting BITS are available after the break!
Continue Reading » FOUR BITS: Tebow; 40s; recruits Driskel, Gosha

Tags: baseball, combine, Draft, Jeff Driskel, Joe Haden, Kevin O’Sullivan, Lonnie Gosha, NFL, Scot Loeffler, Tim Tebow, Urban Meyer

With the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine now complete and the 2010 NFL Draft just under two months away, the speculation has begun about where former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow will be headed. Though there are some front-runners (New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars, in our opinion), ESPN has gone ahead and completed projections for each team in the league.

ESPN ranked Tebow’s potential destinations on the likelihood he is selected by each team. Declaring two-thirds of team’s decisions to draft Tebow as “low” or “no chance,” the network’s bloggers did point out a few as having a “medium” level of potential. Among them were the Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders.

Of course, the Worldwide Leader in Sports needed to have Todd McShay weigh in on Tebow once again. McShay posted a new ESPN Insider blog entry Tuesday afternoon, claiming Tebow is “still a project at quarterback.” A snippet of his latest entry is below:

Tim Tebow’s performance at the NFL combine could not have gone any better considering how much he struggled at the Senior Bowl and that he opted not to throw at this venue. Tebow’s intangibles and leadership skills stood out, and multiple NFL scouts raved about his interviews. He was clearly the leader of his group and had a presence about him a lot like Mark Sanchez showed a year ago. […]

While this impressive showing doesn’t improve his third-round grade as a quarterback it does gives NFL teams another reason to want to draft him. It shows Tebow is doing everything he can to be desirable to NFL scouts and, as a result, teams could be more inclined to believe in him as he changes his throwing mechanics. […]

Tebow’s pro day will not impact his draft stock, either, even if he can show improved balance in his drops from under center and shorten his elongated deliver. That would not guarantee he won’t revert back to old habits because, after all, he is trying to undo 15-plus years of bad mechanics in less than a month.

Tags: combine, Draft, NFL, Tim Tebow

ONLY GATORS Get Out Alive will be covering the 10 former Florida Gators players who have been officially invited to participate in the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine (National Invitational Camp) in Indianapolis, IN, at Lucas Oil Stadium each day.

Days six and seven of the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine featured five former Florida Gators completing their workouts. Monday, linebacker Brandon Spikes and defensive ends Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham completed the combine workout. Cornerback Joe Haden and safety Major Wright closed out the event on Tuesday.

Linebacker Brandon Spikes (Group 09, LB30)
40-yard dash, bench press: N/A
Vertical jump: 29 in.
Broad jump: 9 ft. 2 in.
Measurements: Day 4

Defensive end Carlos Dunlap (Group 07, DL13)
40-yard dash: 4.71 sec.
Vertical jump: 31.5 in.
Broad jump: 9 ft. 3 in.
Bench press: 21 reps of 225 lbs.
Measurements: Day 4

Defensive end Jermaine Cunningham (Group 07, DB09)
Did not workout
Measurements: Day 4

Cornerback Joe Haden (Group 10, DB20)
40-yard dash: 4.57 sec.
Vertical jump: 35 in.
Broad jump: 10 ft. 5 in.
60-yard shuttle: 11.12 sec.
Bench press: 18 reps of 225 lbs.
Measurements: Day 5
- Post-Combine Interview

Safety Major Wright (Group 11, DB58)
40-yard dash: 4.48 sec.
Vertical/broad jump: N/A
Bench press: 14 reps of 225 lbs.
Measurements: Day 5

All 10 Gators have now completed their duties at the combine. They will each return to their respective training facilities across the country before meeting up again in Gainesville, FL, on March 17 for Florida’s Pro Day.

The event, which ran from Feb. 24 to March 2, consisted of more than 300 players being put through a series of drills, tests and interviews while more than 600 NFL personnel in attendance including coaching staffs, executives, player personnel and medical staff looked on and evaluated each of them. It amounts to the final job interview these athletes will participate in before the 2010 NFL Draft commences on April 22.

Gators at the 2010 NFL Combine – Day 5
Gators at the 2010 NFL Combine – Day 4
Gators at the 2010 NFL Combine – Day 3
Gators at the 2010 NFL Combine – Day 2

Tags: Aaron Hernandez, Brandon James, Brandon Spikes, Carlos Dunlap, combine, Draft, Jermaine Cunningham, Joe Haden, Major Wright, Maurkice Pouncey, NFL, Riley Cooper, Tim Tebow