1 » Already in Phoenix, AZ preparing for their Sweet 16 game against the No. 3-seed Marquette Golden Eagles, the Florida Gators have been going through practices while also reflecting on the 2011-12 season. One hot topic of conversation has been the emergence of freshman guard Bradley Beal, who responded to a recent request from head coach Billy Donovan and has made the most out of his new opportunity. “The thing I tried to get through to him [was] stop worrying about your shot. Freshmen are going to have peaks and valleys shooting the basketball,” Donovan said, according to GatorZone.com. “I told him, ‘You do too many other things as a player that impact our team,’ and to start stepping up and trying to be more aggressive.” Beal has done just that after spending most of his season somewhat deffering to his more experienced teammates. He has begun been taking the ball to the hole more while simultaneously working on both his defense and rebounding; that in turn has helped increase his overall production. In fact, even his three-point shooting has improved. “I really took it upon myself to bear down and start guarding guys and crashing the boards,” he said. “My shot just ended up coming out of nowhere, really. Coach told me it was just a matter of me playing and getting my rhythm. Sure enough, it came.”

2 » Former Florida quarterback Chris Leak took a job with the AFL’s Jacksonville Sharks this year and was almost universally expected to be the team’s starting quarterback for the duration of the season. However, just days after throwing for five touchdowns in the team’s season opener, Leak was informed that he would no longer be the team’s starter. He was supplanted by Omar Jacobs, a player that was on the team as a backup last season, on Tuesday and reacted by skipping practice on Wednesday. According to the Florida Times-Union, Leak was immediately suspended by the Sharks; FOX 30 WAWS TV reported Wednesday that Jacksonville has already signed another signal caller, which makes it appear as if Leak will no longer be with the club.

Click to expand and watch/read two more BITS in this post.

Tags: AFL, Billy Donovan, Bradley Beal, Chandler Parsons, Chris Leak, Denver Broncos, Houston Rockets, Jacksonville Sharks, John Elway, NBA, NCAA, NCAA Tournament, NFL, Sweet 16, Tim Tebow

With Peyton Manning now in a No. 18 Denver Broncos jersey, Tim Tebow’s time in that orange and blue is quickly coming to an end. Now the key is determining where Tebow will wind up and how he will be utilized by his new team.

Numerous media outlets citing a number of anonymous sources reported Tuesday evening that the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets and at least three other teams have contacted Denver and “have serious interest” (to quote NFL Network’s Michael Lombardi) in trading for Tebow.

Initial reports noted that the Broncos may not receive much more than a fourth- or fifth-round pick for Tebow but having a number of teams interested will certainly drive the price up for the organization that eventually lands the former Florida Gators standout.

Jacksonville, according to The Florida Times-Union’s Tania Ganguli, has already had internal discussions about adding Tebow but had not reached out to Denver in any formal sense as of 6 p.m. New York, according to ESPNNewYork.com’s Rich Cimini, may be more of a player for Tebow than initially thought.

The Jets were believed to be a “long shot at best” to trade for Tebow, but Cimini reported around midnight that interest among team officials has “intensified.” The New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta added that the team’s interest is “legitimate,” even quoting a source as saying, “We are players in the Tebow race.”

Continue Reading » Reports: Four teams at front of the line for Tebow

Tags: Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, John Elway, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, NFL, Tim Tebow

At a 3 p.m. press conference staged by the Denver Broncos to introduce Peyton Manning as the team’s new starting quarterback, former Florida Gators signal caller Tim Tebow remained a subject of high interest and much discussion.

After being introduced by owner Pat Bowlen and executive vice president of football operations John Elway, Manning spoke about his decision and then answered a number of direct questions including two in particular about Tebow.

Manning first said that he did not have any conversations with the front office about the entirety of the quarterback position even though he knows “there are decisions to be made.” Then he added on his own:

Let me just say this: I know what kind of player Tim Tebow is and what kind of person he is. I’ve gotten to meet him personally one time. What an awesome year he had this year. If Tim Tebow is here next year, I’m going to be the best teammate I can be to him, and he and I are going to help this team win games. If other opportunities present themselves for him, I’m going to wish him the best. He’s going to be a great player wherever he is. Those are decisions that have to be made by other people. Those are not my decisions and those conversations never did come up with me. This is the place where I wanted to come and play football and to help this team win in whatever role or capacity that is.”

He also noted that he did not specifically have anything to say to Tebow’s fans that may prefer him instead and will obviously still support him going forward.

“I don’t know what to say to them. I think they’re fans of his for a great reason,” he said. “He’s a great player and a great guy. I think they can still be fans of his. I’m a fan of his, too. He’s a great player, great guy, great respect for what he accomplished last year. That was pretty impressive.”

Elway then took the podium and answered a number of specific questions regarding Tebow and his future (or lack thereof) with the franchise.

“We’re going through that process now,” Elway said in regards to Tebow’s future. “We’re going to look at that obviously. Coach [John] Fox and I called Tim [Monday] night and talked to him about it.

“This is a tough business. The toughest thing about this whole thing is Tim Tebow because of what I think about Tim Tebow. The things he did last year were tremendous. [He] helped turn this organization around from a 4-12 team to a playoff team and winning the division. And I’ve got a great deal of respect for him as a person and the things that he does.

“But that is no question the toughest thing about this business – the personal side. We just had to make a decision as an organization – myself, Coach Fox, the personnel department, the coaches. What would be the best opportunity for the Denver Broncos to be competitive for a world championship? And Peyton Manning was that so that’s why we chose to go that direction.”

Continue Reading » Tebow’s future a hot topic at Manning’s presser

Tags: Denver Broncos, John Elway, John Fox, Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow

1 » Despite ESPN presenting a narrative in which a team would only be interested in quarterback Tim Tebow at the behest of their owner and not the football operations department, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King believes there will (or at least should) be plenty of organizations interested in the former Heisman Trophy winner. According to King, Buffalo and Miami should be the two teams most interested in Tebow for the variety of ways in which they can use him aside from being a starter. King also thinks that Green Bay, New England and Baltimore (teams with strong coaches and front offices) could utilize Tebow in a similar fashion while also helping him improve as a quarterback. He also believes that the Denver Broncos should just keep Tebow, though obviously that is not a sentiment the organization or its power structure shares in any way, shape or form. “I do not join the chorus of the Tim Tebow Is Worthless Club. In the right situation, I would really want Tebow on my team,” he wrote. “I think he’s a valuable piece on a winning team, even if I’m skeptical he can ever be a long-term NFL starter.”

2 » Monica Culpepper, the wife of former Florida Gators defensive tackle Brad Culpepper and a recent contestant on CBS’s Survivor, recently told 970-WFLA radio that Tebow conveyed to her his desire to return to playing football in the state of Florida. “Brad and I just had dinner with Tim last week, and I don’t think this comes as a shock or surprise to him that Manning was actually going to go there,” she said. “And in all honesty, Tim said, ‘I miss home. I miss the South. And hopefully I’ll land somewhere in Florida.’ I sure hope Jacksonville takes him because he’s such a great kid, such a good player.”

3 » Other destinations that have also been mentioned as potential suitors for Tebow include Jacksonville, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Tampa Bay. A report from ESPN at 3 p.m. on Tuesday noted that Green Bay, Jacksonville, Miami and the New York Jets “have discussed a trade for Tim Tebow.” However, word out of North Florida is that returning home is not likely to be an option for Tebow as the front office is not interested in his talent regardless of what the owner thinks. Additionally, the Miami Herald‘s Armando Salguero shut the door on his local team, tweeting Tuesday afternoon that, “The Dolphins at this time have zero intention of pursuing Tim Tebow.”

4 » After absolutely bashing Tebow for a year and sounding off on him quite decidedly last August, ESPN NFL analyst Merril Hoge offered an extensive and (what sounded like a) sincere mea culpa about the second-year signal caller in an interview with ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning on Dec. 12. Just over three months later, Hoge has reversed course again on Tebow, going so far as to insult him as part of a list of quotes the network released to the press following Manning’s decision on Monday. “The more I studied him in an NFL setting, the more disturbed I was that he has no clue what he’s looking at,” Hoge said. “His IQ as a football player is not very good. That is why they have to come down and make it some of a college-form system that he’s comfortable with in Florida. He can’t execute, from a cerebral aspect, a pro-style system.”

Tags: Brad Culpepper, Denver Broncos, NFL, Tim Tebow

March 19 will forever be known as Victory Monday in the Denver Broncos’ front office as executive vice president of football operations John Elway and head coach John Fox got one step closer to reaching their offseason goal – ridding Mile High of quarterback Tim Tebow and perhaps more importantly “Tebowmania.”

Despite comments to the contrary in the offseason, it is a badly kept secret that Elway and Fox do not believe Tebow could become a viable long-term starting quarterback in the NFL. As if Elway’s stone-faced expressions every time Tebow threw or ran for a game-winning touchdown during the 2011 season were not proof enough.

But with a fan base in love with their star signal caller and the team finding unexpected levels of success behind the former Heisman Trophy winner, Denver only had one move to make if they wanted to get Tebow out of dodge.

The Broncos had to sign the one man, the one quarterback that would make Denver fans cast Tebow aside and unite behind an organizational decision to get rid of the guy who led their team to their first playoff victory since 2005-06.

That man is Peyton Manning and Elway did everything he could to get him to supplant Tebow including offering him what is expected to be a five-year contract worth approximately $95 million if all incentives are reached.

(No one can or should blame Elway for making a play for Manning – any good front office executive would have. At this point in his career, Manning is the far better quarterback and can bring the team to a higher level of success sooner than Tebow could.)

Even if Elway did not secure Manning this offseason, the plan was already in place to spend a high draft pick on a quarterback. Reports out of Colorado had Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden extremely high on Elway’s radar.

It was not just that Elway and Fox do not believe in Tebow and his future in the league. The Broncos as an organization have already bled every dollar they could out of the Tebowmania phenomenon.

Continue Reading » The Silver Lining: Broncos hoping to rid Denver of both Tim Tebow and Tebowmania

Tags: Denver Broncos, John Elway, John Fox, NFL, Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow

The chase for Peyton Manning lasted two weeks and in the end it was the Denver Broncos that wound up at the front of the line as Manning decided Monday to finish his career in Mile High. With a new quarterback headed to town, the question in league circles now becomes: What becomes of former Florida Gators signal caller Tim Tebow’s future with the team?

Released by the Indianapolis Colts on March 7, Manning met with representatives from five teams over the ensuing week. Arizona, Miami, San Francisco and Tennessee all had an opportunity to land the Super Bowl XLI MVP and 11-time Pro Bowler but in the end it was the Broncos that won the sweepstakes.

Now the focus of the national media and football fans everywhere turns to Tebow and where he will play football in 2012 and beyond.

Denver picked Kyle Orton to start the first five games of the 2011 season and began with a paltry 1-4 record. Tebow was installed as the Broncos’ starter against Miami and rallied the team to win seven of their next eight games including three in overtime and six in which Denver was either tied or losing at some point in the fourth quarter.

He also helped the Broncos advance to the playoffs for the first time since 2005 where he fueled a 29-23 overtime victory of Pittsburgh in the wild card round. Tebow threw for 316 yards with two touchdowns, ran for 50 yards and another score, and posted a quarterback rating of 125.6 in the contest. He also completed a game-winning 80-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas just seconds into overtime to send the Mile High faithful into a frenzy.

With the offseason in full swing, Denver executive vice president of football operations John Elway and head coach John Fox both spoke kindly of Tebow though neither showed a high level of enthusiasm in his future.

“Hopefully, he can be the franchise guy for a long time, but those are things we don’t know at this time,” Elway said on Feb. 24. “He made tremendous strides last year, and that’s without an offseason. He’s our starter going into training camp, and we have great expectations for him.”

The Broncos were always planning to bring two more quarterbacks in to compete with Tebow even has he held the starting job, but signing Manning obviously changes that dynamic. Tebow will no longer be the “starter going into training camp” and now may not even be with the team next season.

Since the Manning derby began, multiple reports have stated that Elway and Fox intended to trade or release Tebow should they land their horse. Others noted that Elway saw bringing in Manning as the only way to escape “Tebowmania” and give the team an opportunity to move on from a player they invested from a previous regime and were obviously not comfortable with from jump street.

In addition to his presence with the club, Manning expected to sign a three- or four-year deal and finish his career in Denver. Tebow, finding success after being thrust into the starting role to conclude each of the last two seasons, undoubtedly believes he is capable of being a starting NFL signal caller.

Though he probably would have been content to sit and learn the ropes from a player of Manning’s caliber in the short-term, Tebow’s contract (set to expire after the 2014 season) makes that situation unlikely. He will not want to languish on the bench behind Manning only to see his contract run out and the Broncos fail to re-sign him to be the heir-apparent to his replacement.

And Denver’s front office, which never fully bought into Tebow’s ability to be a starting NFL quarterback despite his success on the field in 2011, will likely prefer to draft someone better suited to their philosophy and allow him to develop behind Manning.

All eyes now remain in Colorado but shift from Manning to Tebow and his agent Jimmy Sexton. Unless there is a miracle in Mile High or at least a change of heart by Broncos management including a peace offering to Tebow, the former Heisman Trophy winner will likely be looking for a new place to call home sooner than later.

Photo Credit: Associated Press

Tags: Denver Broncos, Jimmy Sexton, John Elway, John Fox, NFL, Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow

1 » Not longer with the Dallas Mavericks, former Florida Gators guard/forward Corey Brewer did not receive his NBA Championship ring with his teammates when the ceremony took place at the AmericanAirlines Center early in the season. With his new team, the Denver Nuggets, in town to face Dallas on Feb. 15, the Mavericks held a special mini-ring ceremony to honor Brewer’s contributions to the team. You can check it out in the video below (hat tip to Rob K.):

2 » If you thought Tebowmania had died down at all with the 2011 season having come to a close, you would most certainly be wrong. According to the Associated Press, nearly 20,000 people attended a speaking engagement with Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow at the Canyon Ridge Christian Church in Las Vegas, NV over the weekend. During the service, Tebow discussed the Tebowing phenomenon and why he does it before, during and after games. “One of the reasons I get on a knee is because that’s a form of humbling yourself,” he explained. “I want to humble myself before the Lord and say thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for letting me play the game I love.” Senior pastor Kevin Odor also told the AP that “more than 1,000 people had logged on to the church’s website to watch a live feed of the Saturday night service, hailing from far-flung countires including Afghanistan and Bangladesh.” Tebow also donated his speaking fee to the Tim Tebow Foundation for the purposes of building a hospital in the Philippines.

Extra BIT » Former Florida basketball player Donnell Harvey, a first-round pick in 2000 who spent five seasons in the NBA from 2000-05, is now playing for the Tropang Texters of the Philippine Basketball Association after spending time off of United States soil in professional leagues in Turkey, Puerto Rico, Bosnia and China. In his debut game with his new club, Harvey posted 21 points and a league season-high 28 rebounds in a losing effort for his team (hat tip to Marco J.).

Tags: Corey Brewer, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Broncos, Denver Nuggets, Donnell Harvey, NBA, NFL, Tim Tebow

1 » Though the date has been set for at least a few weeks now, the Florida Gators officially announced this week that the team will hold its Pro Day on March 13. Free and open to the public, Pro Day will feature a number of draft-eligible Gators working out for NFL scouts and coaches from around the league right on Florida Field in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida also announced that seven players who graduated in 2011 – quarterback John Brantley, defensive end William Green, defensive tackle Jaye Howard, defensive back Moses Jenkins, running back Chris Rainey and wide receiver Deonte Thompson – are scheduled to participate. Also in attendance to work out for scouts will be former Gators including DT Troy Epps, DT Lawrence Marsh, DB Dorian Munroe, DB Wondy Pierre-Louis and WR Justin Williams.

2 » EA Sports announced via their Facebook page that QB Tim Tebow is one of two Denver Broncos players representing his team in the online voting for cover athlete for the Madden NFL 13 video game. Voting begins March 7; after the field is cut down to 32 players, head-to-head votes will take place until the final cover athlete is picked. Tebow, who was on the cover of NCAA Football 11 two years ago, may actually want to avoid winning this contest due to the dreaded and much-publicized Madden curse.

3 » No. 15 Florida women’s tennis (6-1) swept the Florida State Seminoles (5-4) at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex for the team’s 99th consecutive home victory. The Gators, now 52-1 all-time against the Seminoles, beat their in-state rivals 7-0. The No. 13 pairing of junior Allie Will and sophomore Sofie Oyen won 8-2, leading the way for three doubles victories. No. 1 Will (6-1, 6-2), No. 39 Oyen (6-2, 6-1), No. 18 senior Joanna Mather (6-3, 6-1), No. 23 junior Lauren Embree (6-2, 6-2) and sophomore Olivia Janowicz (6-4, retired) all won their singles matches as well in the rout. Florida will compete in back-to-back road meets against Tennessee on Friday and Georgia on Sunday before returning to Gainesville, FL looking for their 100th straight win at home next Friday against Vanderbilt.

4 » Eight-seed Gators women’s basketball (18-11, 8-8 SEC) is set to begin action in the 2012 SEC Tournament by taking on the nine-seed Auburn Tigers (13-16, 5-11 SEC) on Thursday at 1 p.m. With the game airing live on FOX Sports Network, fans can watch as Florida tries to pull out a victory for the opportunity to square-off with one-seed Kentucky on Friday at 1 p.m.

Tags: Allie Will, Auburn Tigers, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Chris Rainey, Denver Broncos, Deonte Thompson, Dorian Munroe, EA Sports, Florida Field, Florida State Seminoles, Jaye Howard, Joanna Mather, John Brantley, Justin Williams, Lauren Embree, Lawrence Marsh, Linder Stadium, Madden NFL 13, Moses Jenkins, NFL, Olivia Janowicz, Pro Day, Ring Tennis Complex, SEC, SEC Tournament, Sofie Oyen, Tim Tebow, Troy Epps, William Green, women's basketball, women's tennis, Wondy Pierre-Louis