Time to Figure It Out Offensively

Defense wins championships. For the Florida Gators, that statement remains to be seen, but without a doubt – it’s certainly the reason they are still undefeated.  Florida fans can thank the defense for wins over Tennessee, LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi St. Without their effort, three out of the four games are probably losses.

So what happens if the defensive side of the ball decides to have a bad day and not show up like its offensive counterpart? All these ugly performances are going to turn into losses, and Florida will get knocked back down to reality.

By now, I would have predicted the Florida offense would be clicking on all cylinders and racking up points with relative ease. Instead, the Gators look great driving down the field until they enter the red zone. Their play calling seizes up and all Florida can do is run it straight up the middle. In SEC wins over the Vols, Tigers, Razorbacks and Bulldogs, the Gators have scored just seven offensive touchdowns.

Tim Tebow is not the same player he was pre-concussion. His decision making seems to be suffering. I cannot believe that each time he steps back to pass, receivers are so covered that Tebow is forced to run. In fact, Deonte Thompson was open on at least two plays down the field Saturday night, and Tebow didn’t see him.

We keep hearing the Gators are waiting for another receiver to step up and help Cooper and Hernandez carry the load, but how can that happen if they aren’t getting the ball thrown their way? Thompson and David Nelson both seem like viable options, if ever given the chance.

Urban Meyer attributes some of the poor play to mentally not being able to live up to the pressure of being ranked at the top of the polls every week. As defending national champions, the coaching staff needed to do a better job preparing their players for the upcoming season and all the pressure that comes along with being ranked number one.

Two things can happen with the rest of the season. The Gator offense finally starts executing and the ball gets spread around to truly exhibit what this team is capable of. Or…Florida ends up playing against a team that doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, catches are made, fourth downs are converted and the Gators are left sitting on the sideline wondering what happened to their perfect season. Either way, it won’t get any easier. Every team Florida plays will want to knock them off their pedestal atop college football. Get it fixed Gators.

Les Miles Not Happy with SEC Officials

We thought LSU week was over when Florida boarded the buses and left Tiger stadium with a 13-3 win. Les Miles, however, is still thinking about one play from last week – Tim Tebow’s 24-yard touchdown pass to Riley Cooper.

Miles sent the videotape of that play to the SEC this week for review, telling reporters, “Yeah, we sent that in. I’m savoring the opportunity to call in there.”

So Miles is angry that the officials missed the jersey tug? Apparently the LSU coaching staff missed it as well. Cornerback Chris Hawkins was benched for the rest of the game after giving up the touchdown to Cooper.

“What we saw from the sideline, we did not see,” Miles told the AP. “He just got yanked on, and there are no corners that I know that sustain that and don’t give up position on the ball.”

The call was clearly blown, as CBS showed the replay over and over – Cooper grabbed the jersey. Gators fans thought it was smart, while Tiger fans are thinking the game could have turned out differently.

Take away the touchdown and Florida may end up kicking another field goal. Say they don’t score. Nothing LSU was doing indicated they would march down the field and ever score again.

Bottom line…the defense of Florida was the real difference maker on Saturday night. Brandon Spikes and the rest of the defense shut down LSU for all four quarters.

Miles still thinks LSU could win the game, if the two should meet up down the road in the SEC Championship.

“The thing that we have to see is that adjustments have to be made certainly, and our team plays a little bit better,” he said. “If we do what we’re capable, it’d be just wonderful to see that team again.”

I have news for you Mr. Miles. If the Gators do what they’re capable of doing, and have a truly healthy Tim Tebow, seeing that Gator team in Atlanta would be more of a nightmare than anything you could imagine as “wonderful.”

Did Meyer do the Right Thing?

Many pundits have criticized Urban Meyer for allowing Tim Tebow to play against LSU on Saturday. These “medical experts” cite the danger that may have occurred had Tebow taken a shot to the head. Some mentioned the fact that a second concussion could have led to him suffering memory loss later in life. So what good does it do to have your memory later in life, if what you have to remember is sitting on the sidelines?

These idiot sportswriters don’t care if Florida goes undefeated and wins the National Championship again this year. They don’t have to live with it for the rest of their lives. Tim Tebow does. He puts his every waking hour into it. And he has been ever since he announced last January he was coming back for his senior year. He also has about 100 teammates who also put in every waking hour towards it. Do you think maybe he has a responsibility to them? There are scores of grumpy old broken down football players who hurt everywhere because of the punishment they inflicted on themselves and others during their playing days. Do you think they would trade one minute of it to feel better now? I doubt it.

It’s like the guy in the ad says to the race car driver when he asks if putting an ad across his windshield is safe, “you drive around at over 200 miles an hour, so you’ve made some choices…” Tim Tebow broke his leg playing high school football. Now most of us, had we broke a leg doing something, we wouldn’t do it anymore. How many times have you heard someone say something like “I used to ski but I had to give it up.” You ask why and they say “I broke my leg.” Tim Tebow has made choices. He plays a game and will make it his profession, where big men crash into each other. If he’s afraid of his quality of life when he’s an old man, then maybe he should do something else. How many of us would trade our old age to be Tim Tebow for one day? What if the day you got to be Tim was last Saturday, in Baton Rouge? You were going to play for the #1 team in the nation against #4 at their home field in front of 93,000 screaming fans.  I would.

This is Tim Tebow’s senior year. Although the Gators won’t come out and say it publicly, they really want this undefeated season. That was what his famous apology was all about last year! What was the first thing he said after “I’m sorry”? He said “our goal was to go undefeated. It’s something that Florida’s never done.” Well guess what? This is his last shot. How would he feel the rest of his life had he sat on the bench after being told by doctors, REAL doctors that he was ok to play, and watched that dream die? An undefeated season is like your virginity. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back.

Of course the undefeated season is also gone for about 100 other guys too. At some point you are going to be so old you won’t remember it anyway. That is, if you live that long. So what? That’s life. Bobby Allison won the Daytona 500 in 1982 with his son Davey on his rear bumper. He doesn’t remember any of it. He had a crash a year later and sustained a severe head injury. Is it sad that he can’t recall perhaps the biggest day of his career? Sure it is. Would it be better had that Daytona 500 never happened?  He may not remember it, but he has the trophy. He has the tape. He has the newspapers. He has all of us to remind him that he won it. He knows he won it. Isn’t that better than remembering someone else won it?

Urban Meyer is a football coach. He is not a doctor. Who is he to play doctor? Who is he to tell Tim Tebow and the rest of his players, this is what you will remember the rest of your lives? You’ll remember your unbeaten season go down the drain because I don’t want Tebow to possibly have memory loss when he’s old. How could he tell his players ever again to give it all they have for “four to six seconds”? How could he ever again give his “sixty minutes to remember for the rest of your lives” speech? OK maybe you won’t remember it the very last part, but is that a reason not to do it at all?

Is Special Teams Ready to be Special Again?

Brandon James is lethal when it comes to special teams. Give him an opening and he’ll make you pay with 6 points in a matter of about 10 seconds. In less time, the rest of the special teams unit can block a punt and score a touchdown, get a safety, or set up the Gator offense in great field position. It’s nice to be the one with options on fourth down, when you don’t even have the ball yet.

Last season the Gators appeared to favor going after the kick. Between the blocks, partial blocks and near-blocks, it rarely seemed like Florida dropped back just to defend for James. It’s something that’s missing this season. On pure memory, which is lacking, I can only recall one blocked kick and numerous times where I asked myself, why aren’t they gunning for the punter?

James has proven he is elusive and could still return a punt for a touchdown if the block attempt went unsuccessful. Do you think Meyer is trying to showcase James for NFL scouts? He is, in my opinion, the next Devin Hester. Will we see the Gators let loose on the LSU kicking team?

Striving for that Perfect Season

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Undefeated. Perfection. 12-0. Call it what you want, but know that it has been the goal of Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes entering this season. Meyer turned down the dial on such talk, but it’s the largest elephant in the room that no one is talking about. You’ll hear the company line, “Our goal is to make it to Atlanta and play for an SEC Championship.”

At a time where the SEC is widely considered the best conference in football, the goal of winning an SEC Championship ultimately means you’ll probably get a shot at the National Championship as well. Alabama or Florida could lose a game late, win the SEC Championship, and still make it into the Rose Bowl. You have Florida and LSU to thank for that. The SEC, having won the last three BCS Championships, has all but guaranteed a one-loss SEC team making it into the game over one-loss teams from weaker conferences.

So do you think Tebow and Spikes would be disappointed if they lost a regular season game, but still played for a National Championship? I actually think they would. Tebow and Spikes have been there before and won it all. They have accomplished most everything a college player could ask for…except that perfect season.

You know Tebow is a man of his word. How could he not be after the way the team performed following the infamous “Promise” speech? I can’t bet against Tebow until he’s been proven wrong and you shouldn’t either. But if Tebow doesn’t end up playing much Saturday against LSU, he’ll have to rely on Spikes and the rest of his team to keep that goal alive. Something tells me Spikes is just as driven. Should make for an interesting night in Baton Rouge.