Prior to the press conference they bring on Pat Dooley from the Gainesville Sun who compared this to the Billy Donovan situation. The change of decision according to Dooley changed when Meyer came back on the field after seeing all the players again.  In his opinion the chances of Addazio or some other coach taking the field on the 2010 opener is quite likely.

Urban Meyer clarified that he will coach against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl.  After talking with staff, family and players he has made the decision to just do a leave of absence and take advantage of this option.  Steve Addazio will in fact be the interim head coach for Florida during this time.  His decision to do a leave of absence rather than just leaving was because his love for the players as well as the practice they had last night was one of the determining factors.

Urban will be calling all the shots in the Sugar Bowl.  It will be his show, not Steve’s. Jeremy Foley came on and said it’s only fair that Meyer has a shot to come back when he’s healthy as it’s the right thing to do.  But overall the repeated talking with the players and interacting with them in practice yesterday sealed the deal for him to return eventually as head coach at Florida.

The question we were all waiting for was finally asked regarding his health concerns.  Urban states that it has to due with the chest pains he had started having 4 years ago and gets worse with stress.  After his hospital trip after the Alabama for this issue, Doctors told him that he needed to fix this or it could lead to worse things.

Urban was asked about talking with Billy Donovan as this similar circumstance happened with him to see if he had talked with Billy.  Urban hadn’t talked to Billy about this but can understand why the decision to not go was made.

Urban’s role wasn’t cleared up in the press conference but Meyer stated he wouldn’t just lay around so the exact responsibilities weren’t laid out.  The hiring of the new defensive coordinator is still up in the air on who will handle this.

Our man Tim Tebow was asked how it was for him and he responded with the typical answer that it was rough and a “whirlwind” for him.  He mentioned that he knew something wasn’t right and respects the decision that the coach makes.  Ryan Stamper was behind Tim Tebow basically repeating what Tim Tebow said.

Urban was asked if he would coach 2010 and he responded with that in his gut feeling he feels he will be back as coach but there is no exact time table laid out.  Their focus is on the bowl game now and they will clarify the roles of everyone as time goes on.

Scout is reporting the same as well:

Just got off the phone with Hollywood Bob who has been told by two of his best sources that Meyer has had a Billy Donovan moment and is reconsidering his decision. He has been told that Meyer told his players before boarding the plane for New Orleans that he was going to stay.

There has been no timetable set on his return, though the source said it could be as early as next season.

Steve Addazio will be the interim head coach at Florida.  Urban will stay on as an assistant athletic director in 2010 and this should help keep recruits.

But the question plagues on… who will replace Meyer who has earned a place in University of Florida history?  Had Meyer announced this a few weeks ago, Charlie Strong would have probably been the easy pick.

Dan Mullen – This is the first person that comes to mind when you talk about who could come in as head coach.  Yes, he did just sign with Miss St as head coach there but would you not make the move?  I’m sure he would love to get back to a team that has the potential of being a championship contender and would take the first flight out if offered.

Mike Shanahan – What?  Don’t think Foley wouldn’t want him at Florida? He tried very hard to convince him to leave the Denver Broncos when he was there to coach at Florida after Spurrier left and now that Shanahan is no longer employed, don’t put it past Foley to go back to him.  The only downfall with Shanahan is he has already made an agreement with the Redskins.  But I mean Foley asked him to leave Denver, why not ask him to leave Washington?

Chris Petersen – Boise St Head Coach Chris Petersen always finds himself in rumor talks for big coaching jobs.  How far can Boise St take you Chris?  Florida is nice and cozy and you get the national exposure and strength of schedule needed to get in the big game.

Mike Mularkey – That’s right!  The Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator.  He would do incredible with the Florida style of offense and wouldn’t have to face the NFL style defenses that he currently does enabling him to be much more successful.  Why would he come to Florida?  Well it’s his Alma Mater!

Kirk Ferentz – Kirk is one of the highest paid coaches and did well in Iowa and is in no way or shape someone that would jump ship but it would take some serious consideration from him if offered.

Bob Stoops – Of course he’s going to be discussed and the rumors will run about Stoops coming back to Florida.

Pete Carroll – Pete’s time at USC may be coming to a close and would be one hell of a pick up for Florida if we could pull it off.  He has the recruiting channels for California to bring in some star players.

Those are our top picks of who will be offered to take Urban Meyer’s place as Florida’s Head Coach or who we would like to see come in.  We’ll keep you updated with the news and updates as the job recruiting continues for our beloved Gator Nation.

“I have given my heart and soul to coaching college football and mentoring young men for the last 24-plus years and I have dedicated most of my waking moments the last five years to the Gator football program,” Meyer said in statement. “I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to re-evaluate my priorities of faith and family.

“After consulting with my family, Dr. Machen, Jeremy Foley and my doctors, I believe it is in my best interest to step aside and focus on my health and family.

“I’m proud to be a part of the Gainesville community and the Gator Nation and I plan to remain in Gainesville and involved with the University of Florida.

“I’m very appreciative for the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of a tremendous institution – from Dr. Machen to Jeremy Foley and the entire administrative staff at UF. I’m also very thankful for the chance to work with some of the best assistants in college football and coach some of the best college football players and watch them grow both on and off the field as people. I will cherish the relationships with them the most.”

Urban Meyer will coach his last game against Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl.

Let the discussion begin on the next coach at UF.

Update:  It is being rumored that it is a terminal sickness that has brought this decision on.  We will update when we have any confirmation.

“Coach Meyer has violated the Southeastern Conference Code of Ethics,” Slive said, in announcing the fine. “SEC Bylaw 10.5.4 clearly states that the coaches, players and support personnel shall refrain from public criticism of officials.”

The comment was made on the weekly teleconference between coaches.  When asked his opinion on it:

“I’m not sure I can share that. I don’t want to step out of line on that,” Meyer said. “It should have been a penalty, in my opinion. You’ve got to protect quarterbacks. That’s the whole purpose. It’s right in front of the referee.”

Slive had the option of suspension or fining and chose the fine.  Meyer apologized for his remarks and had this to say:

“I’m not sure I can share that. I don’t want to step out of line on that,” Meyer said. “It should have been a penalty, in my opinion. You’ve got to protect quarterbacks. That’s the whole purpose. It’s right in front of the referee.”

It wasn’t until last week with Lane Kiffin and Dan Mullen that the athletic directors voted unanimously to enforce this bylaw 10.5.4 which results with fines or suspensions.

Urban Meyer talks LSU

Tonight during the Gator Hotline a caller asked Coach Meyer how “jacked” the defense was to play the game.  Florida Gator coach did not beat around the bush in his reply: “We’re jacked, super jacked”.

The #1 Florida Gators are set to face the #4 LSU Tigers in Death Valley Saturday at 8 PM EST on CBS and there’s no doubt that we have to go into this game “super jacked”.  Coach Meyer touched on the preparation that has been in place to get ready for away games.  They have 4 speakers blarring at practice to generate a likeness in playing in an away stadium.

Some have questions on John Brantley’s emotional toughness.  Coach Meyer stated that this was an issue with Brantley a couple years ago but that the young QB is stepping into his own and has developed the mental toughness needed to play on such a big stage and is able to step into the leader role whenever needed.  John Brantley has had great practices with the WR’s the past few days and Urban Meyer has said these have been the best days of practice for the WR’s all year and went out of his way to say that Riley Cooper has had THE best practice he’s had since being at Florida.

As you are aware, there have been LSU fans calling Brantley and Cooper as they did Tim Tebow in 2007.  This isn’t being taken lightly by Coach Meyer or law authorities.  They treat the players as if they were their children this is happening to and are seeking appropriate action where they can.

I had the pleasure of being able to ask Coach Meyer about the Matt Patchen injury and the effects it has on our offensive line and who will be stepping up in his absense.  The injury occurred in “period 3″ of practice which Meyer stated isn’t even the highly physical part and was somewhat of a fluke injury that will put the young offensive lineman out for the year.  They will be seeking the medical redshirt for Matt Patchen and state that he should be eligible.  Xavier Nixon is the player that is being called upon to step up in his absence and Meyer seemed comfortable with this replacement.

Meyer did have a gameplan on defense going in this Saturday.  He mentioned that LSU has been an option heavy team this year more than ever and that there has been a focus on this.  With the players they have, the option is something that can be difficult to stop and one of the concerns on defense.

You can catch Coach Meyer next Thursday for the Gator Hotline before the next home game against Arkansas.

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Week 1 has come and gone and both Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow having some thoughts.  Urban Meyer dabbed on many subjects: Running game, Riley Cooper, Up Tempo, etc.  Tim Tebow commented on his limited playing time and his opinion of Riley Cooper.

Courtesy of Gator Zone:

Watch Urban Meyer Press Conference

Head Coach Urban Meyer

On Florida’s running game:

“Everything is personnel-based.  Good recruiting.  These young men are high-character people who take things seriously.  They all pull for each other.  The only thing they said to each other was, ‘Great win,’ and had big smiles on their faces.  Emmanuel Moody went in during the third quarter.  Coach [Kenny] Carter has done a tremendous job, but it’s also a testament to who these young men are.”

On the chemistry between Tim Tebow and Riley Cooper:

“It is very undervalued.  Tim has great chemistry with a lot of guys.  Riley is going through a phase in his life right now where he realizes it’s last call.  We’ve had some guys come speak to the team about that.  Some guys think they always have next game, next year.  Riley has 11 shots left.  He’s playing like it, and he’s practicing like it.  We’ve got two practices a week on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so he has maybe 23 or 24 practices left.  Even more than chemistry is the guys taking a more serious approach to football.”

On why he likes the up-tempo style:

“I think Tim [Tebow] is good at it. I think it’s all personnel-based, and I made the comment that it’s just in the beginning phases because basically we ran one set. We’ve got the ability with a guy like Aaron Hernandez, you can be in a multitude of sets and add [Jeff] Demps and [Chris] Rainey-type bodies. I just liked it because Tim is very good at it, and I think that our offensive line handles it very well because they realize we’re in a advantage getting them to the line of scrimmage real fast. Those two runs by Demps we’re perfect examples. They were out of the shoot like that (snaps fingers), because either lineman issues on defense or fatigue issues. [That] is something that I think that should be, our conditioning the way that Coach Mick [Mickey Marotti] gets our guys conditioned, that should be a strength.”

On offensive play calling:

“We were very vanilla on offense, other than tempo. I mean, bizarre vanilla, painfully vanilla. But tempo, we have to practice it, and we don’t mind. It’s out there and it’s fine, and we had to practice it. But if you looked at our sets, there were three sets over the whole night. You guys have been covering us for a while and know that it’s usually 12 to 15 different sets. So, painfully vanilla.”

On communication worked during the game with new members on the coaching staff:

“The issue would be the guy on the sideline [Steve Addazio]. He’s coaching five guys, and he’s also calling the offense. I thought Steve was one of the few individuals that I would trust to do that. I think he’s that good and that focused. We’ve been together, and it’s not a new offense. It’s the same offense. It’s got his stamp on. It’s got his personality on it. I thought that Scot Loeffler and Brian White did an excellent job with it. Scot especially during our two minute drill was the manager of that situation, and I thought he did a really nice job. I was more worried about the mechanics of the conversation, and we can improve, but I thought it went very well.”

Watch Tim Tebow Press Conference

Senior Quarterback Tim Tebow

On playing limited time vs. Charleston Southern:

“I feel good. I didn’t take too many hits on Saturday.  It’s nice.  I think it was the coaches’ goal not to have me get hit much.  It’s good to stay away from contact, stay fresh, and get ready for games in the future.”

On the hurry-up offense:

“It’s a fast-paced, no huddle offense.  I think it worked well.  It’s tough for a defense to get used to, especially when they don’t know it’s coming.  It’s something we’ve practiced, feel comfortable with and like to play.  It gives us a different style to go play in.  Going up hitting them in the mouth feels good.  It’s worked well whenever we used it in a game.  You have to be really well-conditioned because it is so fast tempo, especially the linemen and the receivers out wide who are running back and forth and getting back on the ball.  I think our guys are getting used to it and we’re growing more comfortable with it.  We have different calls for it, but ‘Bonsai’ could be one of them.  Bonsai is not the play, but it’s to get them going.”

On if he learns about the progression of players once they are in a game situation:

“A little bit.  I think you find that out in two a days, in fall camp, and the first few games you’re going to be finding it out, especially the timing with the guys you go to in certain situations.  That’s just natural to have as you go through a season.  Look at a guy like David Nelson last year.  He went from having very little contribution to catching touchdown passes to win a national championship.  That just shows the difference a year can make.”

On wide receiver Riley Cooper:

“I think he is an elite receiver in college football.  He’s definitely an underrated player.  He’s very athletic, very tough.  He can catch deep balls, hitches, but he also blocks and cracks back at people.  He is tough and is the kind of guy you want to bring into tough games with you.  He is the type of guy who will go and give everything he has, and that’s a guy you want during the game.”

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Urban Meyer spoke out about many things in his press conference yesterday touching on many subjects:

Opening Statement:

“It’s a big game coming up. We’re playing a good team and are anxious to get going. It’s put a little different pep in our step. We came in at 7 a.m. this morning and had meetings. We are certainly not the finished product, but we don’t have to be yet. We have four days until Thursday’s practice. We’re going to have a tough practice today and our focus will be getting through Monday and get to Tuesday.”

On the returning offense’s style:

“We’re going to mess around with the up-tempo, which is a little bit of what we learned from Oklahoma. How much we change things is still to be determined. I’m anxious to see it work. We’ve spent a lot of time on it. I think you’ll see some of that in the game, but it is dependent on the tailbacks. If those guys run like I think they are going to run, then you might see a more traditional hand-off. We’re going to do what we have to do in the game.”

On redshirt sophomore defensive end Jaye Howard:

“Well, it’s true that about 90% of young athletes that go through are very confused and one of our sayings here is to eliminate all confusion. If you practice really hard and learn your playbook, then you’ll probably be playing. If you don’t do that, then you won’t play. The guys have a hard time accepting that for some reason. It’s been that way for a long time. If we played tomorrow I think he’d take the first snap. He and (Terron) Sanders are right there, but we still have some practices left, which is the beautiful thing about competition. If he makes the decision to not go hard then he won’t start. But I’m very proud of Jaye, he’s got a great family and is a great person.”

On this being the final year for Tim Tebow and the other Gator seniors:

“I thought about it more this summer when we had time to think. I haven’t had the opportunity to reflect lately. I made a couple of comments in the summer where I thought ‘I have this cat for four more months and I’m going to cherish every moment.’ There wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t talk to him. He’s got a very light load academically and he’s going to graduate in December, so he’s spent a lot of time in this facility. Same with Brandon Spikes and a lot of guys that fall into this category, and I’m going to cherish every one of them.”

On complacency:

“Today is going to be the day. There is no chance you’re going to survive today. Their legs have had 48 hours by the time we practice today. Enough of the ‘we’re just trying to make it through training camp,’ I’ll know by today if there is any complacency. You can’t make it through today’s practice unless you’re reared up and ready to go. I anticipate from their weight workout this morning and their attentiveness this morning that they’re ready to go.”

On freshman WR Andre Debose’s injury:

“It’s been difficult; I’ll meet with Dr. Pete (Indelicato) today. It’s a very unique injury. There is an issue with one of the tendons that leads into the bone. It’s certainly not career-ending is what they’ve told me. It’s just do you fix it or give it time. He’s already had a lot of time so that decision will be made within the next 24 hours. I talked to Andre this morning and his attitude is great. It’s almost like he’s relived because a hamstring pull should be healed by now. It’s comparable to the young man DeMarco Murray at Oklahoma last year, who missed our game. I don’t think many guys have had what he has.”

On holding off on young players:

“I’m an emotional guy.  I love recruiting and I love the players. Our guys will be fine….Am I not going to act excited about a recruit when I come here? No, that’s not going to happen. The good thing is we have good, young players; so it will be easier to put them in games.”

On Florida’s 2009 schedule:

“In 2006, we had the No. 1 schedule in America. In 2008, we had the No. 2 schedule. I’m not sure how that equates in terms of schedules, but that’s not on our pyramid of success. We’re going to do what we have to do. I think our schedules are well thought out, but I’m not involved with it. Our job is to get our guys in position to be in Atlanta. It’s a really gray area. Our job is to win games.”

On the Gators’ offensive depth:

“Our number one concern on offense is depth at wide receiver and tight-end; that and finalizing our Top-5 [offensive-line]. I will feel better as soon I know who we have and which way we’re going. It’s critical. Carl Moore is still not healthy. Riley Cooper almost didn’t come back, has been practicing every day and is playing the best football of his career right now. In the last week, Deonte [Thompson] took that step to become one of our core receivers. We don’t have a third-string anywhere. We feel good about positions such as linebacker, safety, corner and defensive end since those are very strong. On offense, we don’t have that luxury. There is no back-up tight end; they will be fine players, but are just not ready yet. Defensively, we do have some depth and competition.”

On competition within the program:

“Consistency of our program is important. When you recruit the system, young players can see they can play. We don’t really redshirt at Florida. If you’re the best player, you can come here and you will play. There is no seniority, no nothing. The best football players will play. We recruit to our system and young players want to know they have the opportunity to play. In the last four years, we’ve opened up with more true freshmen than Florida has ever had before.”

On Florida’s running game:

“If we started tomorrow, Jeff Demps would start at tailback, Brandon James would be the H [Halfback] and David Nelson, Aaron Hernandez, Deonte Thompson and Riley Cooper would lineup on the outside. Chris Rainey will get in the game early; he’s had some really good practices. You’ll see a variety of different packages. We have good tailbacks. I’m not concerned about handing the ball off as I used to be.”

On Florida’s professionalism:

“I love to coach this team.  You will see a really good team jog out to practice today; in full pads, not whining and being anxious to get going. It will be hot and humid and you will see a bunch of players and coaches ready to go work. It sounds easy, but it’s not. I’m very proud of where they are at right now; ready to get better and keep going.”

On the leadership provided by his seniors and upperclassmen:

“To have players like (Tim) Tebow, (Brandon) Spikes, The Pounceys (Mike and Maurkice) make things much easier.  No one ever talks about Joe Haden and Major Wright.  They take care of business too.  When they come into this building, they want to watch all the tapes. To be a good player, you need to do those kinds of things.”