10/25: Straight from the Gators’ mouths…

By Adam Silverstein
October 25, 2010

Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley, senior safety Ahmad Black, senior center Mike Pouncey, sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic, redshirt senior tackle Marcus Gilbert and redshirt senior LB Brandon Hicks answered questions for the media on Monday about a variety of topics concerning the Florida Gators. OGGOA has compiled some of the most important notes and quotes from the event this week.

TEAMMATES RALLY BEHIND RAINEY

Though he was not supremely effective for the Gators early in the season, redshirt junior wide receiver Chris Rainey is an electric playmaker whose talent could have seriously helped Florida over their last three-game stretch. No one knows that more than his teammates, who all had good things to say both about Rainey’s talent and his improved attitude after missing a month due to suspension.

“He’s practicing and he’s practicing great,” Pouncey said. “He’s one of those guys that can take it to the house on any play. Like I’ve been saying the whole year, he’s our best player.” Brantley concurred with Pouncey’s sentiments. “He looked good. He looked really determined, fast,” he said. “He’s really changed as a person. He’s changed his attitude to football. He’s working really hard. He just wants to get out on that field and play, that’s all he wants to do.”

Gilbert noticed that Rainey’s mistake not only was a blow to the team but also seriously affected the person who committed it. “He’s very explosive, like a Percy [Harvin]-type. I think he’s going to bring a lot of explosiveness to the offense, big plays,” he said. “He’s so much more mature now in practice, he’s ready. I felt bad for him because, Chris, he loves this game. For him being suspended, that kind of hurt me to see him down, walking around campus with his hoodie on. He just wants to be out here and play. I think he’s going to take full advantage of this chance this coming Saturday.”

GAME WEEK-LIKE PRACTICE ON THE BYE

Bye weeks are usually a little more relaxed practice-wise, but head coach Urban Meyer remarked early Monday that Florida’s practices last week were very much what they would be like if there was a game to be played this past Saturday. His players universally agreed with that sentiment.

“Everyone was ready to play,” Brantley said. “We wanted to practice and we wanted to succeed. To see [everyone work so hard], after especially such a hard weekend, was a great thing.” Black shared Brantley’s thoughts exactly. “It was great,” he said of practice. “You would have thought we had a game. Everybody went hard, went tough. [I’m] just excited to be out there again this week.”

Pouncey, the leader of the offensive line, felt the same way. “I seen a bunch of guys that really want to win,” he said. “We came out and practiced hard on the bye week. Most teams don’t do that, we did. We practiced [like] we had a game that Saturday.” Gilbert believes that trend will continue during preparation for Georgia and does not expect UF to lose a step. “Last week I think we came out to practice and we had a tremendous practice,” he said. “We look forward to the same this week.”

QUOTES (After the break…)

Brantley on pressure: “We have faced a lot of pressure and we expect to get more pressure, and we’re going to be prepared for that. […] We’re a close bunch. As long as we’re all still together, we’re not pointing fingers at anybody, that’s all that matters to us. We’re going to feel some outside pressure, but we just kind of know to let it all go and just keep trying to get better each week.”

Brantley on if the offense has been modified: “We’re still running the same plays. We got great plays, we just need to execute them.”

Brantley on losing playmakers to injury/suspension: “It’s always tough when you have such players like that be limited. We got other great players to do that, to fill in, so we want them back on the field but we want them healthy, too.”

Black on how bad Florida needs a win Saturday: “Real bad. These next couple games are huge for us. Like coach said a couple times, we gotta get urgent about everything. Urgency is the key factor. […] The word ‘urgency,’ he loves the word ‘urgency.’ Urgent about everything.”

Black on expressing himself on Twitter: “I’ve been around a little bit. I pretty much know what to put up and what not to put up. I’m just basically being me. I’m not the cocky type. What goes on with our team, stays with our team.”

Black on everyone being against the Gators: “All the time. I feel like it’s even more now. People like for us to lose, people like for us to be down. Everybody’s bashing us right now. The type of team we have and the coaching staff keep us together – and the leaders on the team.”

Pouncey if this is actually one of the biggest games of his career: “It is because if we don’t win this game then there’s going to be a lot of disappointed faces. We’re practicing hard and we really need this win.”

Pouncey on if he’s surprised about missed assignments: “It’s mistakes everywhere, not just up front. We play hard and we just got to execute better. When you see it on film, you wonder why a guy does that. You can’t take it back now; you can’t go back in time.”

Pouncey on watching game tape: “I wish you guys could watch it with us. We’ll be like this close (holds fingers together) from breaking a 90-yard run.”

Gilbert on the playcalling: “The play calls and everything else, I think they’re fine. They’re the best plays for us. The players, ourselves, we have to just execute them. It’s not the coaches, it’s not the plays, it’s on us.”

Hicks on if Meyer has changed recently: “He’s been very motivational. You can see some coaches may break down…he’s been more encouraging to go – go – keep going, keep going, leave the past behind you and set-up a new future. Every day is a new day and we should take it like that. Basically trying to see one game at a time, one practice at a time, one game at a time. Anything can happen.”

Hicks on stopping the run: “It doesn’t matter how big or how small you are, if you have the will to stop the run, it’ll happen. We feel that we have to build that will within each and every person on our defense.”

9 Comments

  1. Gatorken says:

    I wish we could have the same kool aid as fans to see that we have “great” plays.

  2. vsherrel says:

    Pouncey is as delusional as Addazio. I think he meant they were close to being “on schedule” and gaining 4 yards some plays.

  3. Wingtee says:

    There is no comparison between Rainey and Harvin. Rainey has not done anything here so using the word ” electrifying” does not hold water with me or most Gators. Rainey is not on the same planet with Percy.He just needs to keep his big mouth shut
    and play
    football.

  4. Joe says:

    Meyer on modifications to the offense: “We have modified quite a bit. Things are modified
    Brantley on if the offense has been modified: “We’re still running the same plays.

    Somebody didn’t get the memo on the “coachspeak catch phrase of the week”.

  5. Daniel Mabie says:

    “He’s very explosive,…”, Gilbert said.

    See? Add’z wasn’t kidding.

    I am going to go out on a limb here and say that all of Gator Nation is getting tired of the coach speak.

  6. ziggy says:

    Come on guys, everyone needs to get behind this team and show some support. Have a little confidence in your 2 time national championship winning coach. Wouldn’t hurt to show a little love for the players every now and then either (at least don’t bash em).

  7. Ahab says:

    Some of our “fans” aren’t content w/ anything less than a public flogging after a loss.

  8. Jjd says:

    2 time national championship Coach. We need to realize that there will be some losses, some bumps in the road, but we still should be behind our team and it’s coaches. We lost some of the greatest players to don the Orange and Blue, not to mention fantastic coaches, and all so many of you can do is abandon the coaching staff and team at the first down year since Urban’s initial season. Let’s get behind this team and see what may still happen…?

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