SIX BITS: Gymnast Sinclair arrested; Gators prepare for Hogs pass attack; Marsh’s ankle

By Adam Silverstein
October 14, 2009

1 » Florida Gators star gymnast, redshirt senior Melanie Sinclair, was arrested Tuesday, according to the Gainesville Sun, “for her apparent role in storing stolen items that police say were taken in a series of burglaries.” According to the Gainesville Police Department, Sinclair’s boyfriend Bud Leonard Williams had been using Sinclair’s apartment with her knowledge as a safe house to store guns and stolen items. Leonard is a convicted felon who was arrested Oct. 1 and faces 11 counts of possession of a firearm, burglary and theft. Sinclair is a nine-time All-American and three-time All-SEC honoree who has scored a school-record 10.0 on the uneven parallel bars three times during her career.

2 » While the Gators will certainly face a tough test in containing the high-powered Arkansas Razorbacks offense on Saturday, the team does have a leg up compared to its rivals. That is because Florida quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler worked extensively with Hogs quarterback Ryan Mallett as his position coach while both were with the Michigan Wolverines in 2007. According to The Morning News, Mallett and Loeffler formed a strong bond. “Coach Loeffler, he was like another father to me through the whole recruiting process and everything. That’s one of the main reasons I chose to go to Michigan,” Mallett said. The Gators, quite obviously, plan to use this past relationship to their advantage. “We talked about him already. Scot’s got a lot of respect for him,” head coach Urban Meyer said of Mallett.


3 » Speaking of Arkansas, Saturday’s game will also be the biggest test this season for Florida’s defensive backfield, which many (including myself) consider to be the best in the nation. With three starting-caliber safeties and potentially the best starting cornerback duo in the country, the Gators should be able to contain Mallett while simultaneously keeping him off the field with long, clock-eating scoring drives. “This is the best offense we’ve faced and this is the best skill we’ve faced in my opinion,” safeties coach Chuck Heater said. “So, it’s a real challenge for us and schematically just how they do things is very impressive. We’re excited about it.”

4 » That cornerback unit consists of Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins, both of whom took pride in stifling the LSU Tigers dynamic receiving duo of Brandon LaFell and Terrence Tolliver on Saturday night. Both Haden and Jenkins have two interceptions on the season and are proving to be exactly what Meyer expected when recruiting them. “Joe Haden and Janoris Jenkins are playing as good a football as we’ve ever had corners since we’ve been here,” Meyer said. “The one thing about [Haden and Jenkins] is, they know when they’re going against good players, and they [get] all over them.” Haden and Jenkins are ready for what the Razorbacks have to offer. “We like teams that air the ball out,” Haden said. “We don’t look at it like it’s bad. We look at it like a good thing, more of a chance to make plays.”

5 » The UF football team has gone from flashy in 2008 to classy – or classic – in 2009, winning with defense, ball security, clock management and a superior running game. Whether this is out of game plan or necessity (both), head coach Urban Meyer has gotten his players to buy into the concept. “This team is a little different than in the past,” senior quarterback Tim Tebow said. “We know it’s OK if we drive the ball down (and punt) and put our defense in good position. Not many teams are going to drive 90 yards against our defense. We want to play great defense, have zero turnovers, score in the red zone and win the kicking game. That’s our plan to win. If we do that, we’re going to win a lot of games.” But the point is not to win a lot of games – it is to win all of the games. This week, the Gators meet the best offense they have seen all season in the Razorbacks and will need to get at least a little more flashy to keep up.

6 » Lawrence Marsh, who returned to action playing in limited time Saturday night vs. LSU Tigers, is still having issues with his sprained right ankle. The redshirt junior defensive lineman is “still not ready,” Meyer said. At the same time, freshman linebacker Jelani Jenkins has re-aggravated his own ankle injury and will be out a few more weeks. Meyer said he has not considered redshirting Jenkins yet, but it could be an option should his ankle injury linger.

5 Comments

  1. Daniel M. says:

    This stuff makes me want to flip! What a terrible way to tumble. She clearly has no balance in her life.

  2. Ugh…THREE gymnastics puns? You at least could have shoved the pommel horse somewhere in there.

  3. ZURBO says:

    Justice in this country is so UNEVEN. By the way if you look up her boyfriend on alachua jail site he looks like a real winner. Sometimes I wonder what these chicks are thinking….

  4. Daniel M. says:

    “We like teams that air the ball out,” Haden said.

    See: 2008 BCS Championship Game

  5. Adam Silverstein says:

    Post the link Zurbo.

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