I graduated from the University of Florida, and am a huge Gators fan. Like so many other Gators and college football fans in general, I too am a fan of Tim Tebow. I think it was Bobby Bowden that suggested that Tebow was this century’s version of Bronco Nagurski. I loved watching Tebow hitting and punishing a linebacker when they attempted to tackle him. I absolutely love the passion, leadership, and dedication to the game and life in general that he brings every single day. He stands for something that in my opinion is seriously lacking in today’s world.

When he was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, my heart sank because I knew that the expectations that would be inevitably placed on Tim would be unrealistic. Unfortunately, that’s what happens when you are drafted in the first round, and rightfully so; Tebow was expected to produce as soon as his feet touched the field—especially living in today’s immediate gratification world. If he had been chosen in the third round, then those expectations would have never been placed on Tebow, and he would have been allowed to develop as everyone with half-a-brain knew he would need to do.

There is talk now that Tebow is the fourth best quarterback on the Denver Broncos roster. Perhaps that’s true, but again, Tebow is not ready to be the starter for any NFL team. Kyle Orton, who for a while was thought to be trade-bait a few weeks ago, is the clear-cut first string QB, and Brady Quinn is No. 2. However, without OTA’s and off-season training and development due to the NFL lockout, Tebow’s progression was put on hold.

I have no idea if Tebow will ever be a NFL quarterback; no one does. I know this: if anyone thinks he should be ready to go today then they are living in fantasy land. If anyone thinks that Tebow should be farther ahead in his development as a NFL quarterback then they need to stop smoking the hippie lettuce. Tebow is going to be a three to five year project at best, and if a team does not commit to that type of development program for Tim then they are kidding themselves. It’s that simple.

If Denver feels that Tebow will never be the team’s starting QB then they should cut or trade him now, period. He is set on becoming a QB in the NFL, and is not going to be a H-back or linebacker like some have suggested. There is a team out there that will take Tebow and put him on a development plan and give him the tools and resources for him to succeed; the question is which team.

Don’t write off Tim Tebow just yet. He has too much drive and fortitude to give up this soon. Denver may give up on Tebow, but he will not give up on himself.

Denver, if you feel Tebow is a loss, then cut or trade him. If you are not going to give him what he needs to succeed, then get rid of him. Do you and Tebow a favor and let him sign on somewhere else.

Tebow will never give up on himself. It’s not in his DNA. Is there a team out there that will see Tim for what he may possibly bring to the table if given the chance with the right expectations? That remains to be seen.

I came home from work and immediately turned the television on to watch his live press conference, and immediately I made up my mind that he made the right decision to walk away. He repeatedly mentioned his family, especially his kids, and the father in me could feel exactly what he was talking about. Your family is most important, and it is crucial in my opinion that you keep your family at the forefront of all the decisions you make.

If you are a Gator fan, then think back to Urban standing on the sidelines this season. Hindsight is always 20/20, but now I can see how he wasn’t all in like previous years. Yes, Tebow was gone, and too much has been said about his relationship with Tim, but something else was missing: the fire, passion, and enthusiasm was no where to be seen. To say he was simply cashing a pay check would be too strong, but to say his heart (no pun intended) wasn’t 100% in it would be fair.

Perhaps the Gator Nation’s expectations were too much; I mean, we are known to be the most arrogant college football fans anywhere. In 2009 the Gators went 13-1 ending with a victory over Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl, and if you ask any Gator fan the vast majority would say the season was a disappointment.

I’ve been a Gator fan for a very long time. Before I went to school there in the late 80s/early 90s, I remember watching the Gators lose almost annually to Georgia, FSU, and Miami. I remember when the entire Gator offense was centered on one running back by the name of Emmitt Smith. There was the “Peace Corp”, which was led by QB Wayne Peace, and the defensive legends of Jack Youngblood and Wilbur Marshall. We had stars but lacked championships. The Ole Ball Coach came along and made Florida a national powerhouse, but let’s face it; Urban Meyer elevated the program to heights we Gators could never have dreamed of.

Urban Meyer will coach in the Outback Bowl against Joe Paterno and Penn State on New Year’s Day. I am hoping that I get to cover the game for Bleacher Report now more than ever. The coach everyone has been waiting for to retire against the one no one expected to retire so early in his career. Gators, join me in thanking Urban for his hard work, dedication, and the memories he leaves behind. Who knows what the future holds for Gator football, but I know the team and program is must better now that Urban was involved in it.

Go enjoy the time with your family, Coach. Hopefully, you’ll consider yourself a Gator forever. Spurrier may be the head man at South Carolina, but he will be the first to tell everyone that he is a Florida Gator. Hopefully, Urban will be the same way. I mean, we don’t allow just anyone to become a citizen of our great Nation.

Last week, the Jaguars traded former first-round draft pick and Florida Gator Reggie Nelson to the Cincinnati Bengals. It was the latest in a string of first round draft busts for Jacksonville.

Now every team makes bad draft choices from time to time. With all the due diligence that team’s go through before making their draft selections, they still cannot predict the future and at the end of the day it is the athlete that must perform and meet the team’s expectations.

That being said, I find it odd that the Jacksonville Jaguars have had so many first-round draft busts during the Jack Del Rio years. Here is a list:
2003: Byron Leftwich – released and replaced by David Garrard (bust)
2004: Reggie Williams – released (bust)
2005: Matt Jones – released (bust)
2006: Marcedes Lewis – still playing for the Jaguars
2007: Reggie Nelson – traded (bust)
2008: Derrick Harvey – still playing for the Jaguars but becoming a bust
2009: Eugene Monroe – still playing for the Jaguars (second season)
2010: Tyson Alualu – still playing for the Jaguars (rookie season)

Without counting the 2009 and 2010 draft picks since they are too recent to include, Coach Del Rio has just one first-round draft pick in six that has panned out. Considering Derrick Harvey who soon will become a bust, too, that will be one in seven first-round draft picks. During those seven drafts, the general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars was Jack “Shack” Harris, who resigned in December of 2008. Gene Smith is now the GM, and is responsible for the last two first-round draft picks in 2009 and 2010 (Monroe and Alualu).

It is well known that Shack Harris was heavily involved in the draft choices during his tenure, so do we hold him totally accountable for those bad draft picks?

I wonder how much of the accountability fall on the coaching staff of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Seriously, a team cannot be that unlucky, right? I am reminded of the old saying: “Luck comes to those that are best prepared”.

This past draft was rather controversial when Tim Tebow, the former Florida Gator great and local Jacksonville, Florida hero, was available for the taking at No. 10—the Jacksonville Jaguar’s draft position in the first round. Many Jaguar’s fans were hoping that Jacksonville would take Tebow, but they passed on him and selected Alualu instead. It probably saved Tebow’s professional career.

Is it possible that the Jaguars simply squander or under-develop rookie talent? What else could it be?

Sure, the easy choice would be to simply blame former GM Shack Harris, but that’s too easy. Some, if not most, of the blame must fall on Del Rio and his coaching staff.

That, and simply failing to win football games, is reason to fire Del Rio.

Oh, and by the way, Minnesota Vikings Defensive Coordinator Leslie Frazier was offered the chance to interview for the position, but declined.

Was he really offered the chance to interview?

The Rooney Rule was established in 2003 to ensure that NFL teams give minority coaches the opportunity to interview or be considered for head coaching and senior football operations positions.

Does the Rooney Rule serve it’s purpose, or is it a hurdle NFL owners must jump before making a hiring decision?

Leslie Frazier chose to not have any part of it. I’m guessing that he didn’t want to waste his time interviewing for a job he knew he wasn’t going to get. Clearly, the Seahawks already made their choice on who will be their next head coach.

The intention of the Rooney Rule is clear, and named after Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and chairman of the league’s diversity committee. The Rooney family is well known for their long history of giving African-Americans opportunities with their team and organization.

It is the NFL’s version of Affirmative Action.

One wonders if the Rooney Rule is the NFL’s attempt to address equal opportunity or a way to appease liberal groups and factions inside and outside of the NFL.

There are legal scholars that are petitioning to have the Rooney Rule enforced in college football as well.

Currently, six percent of all college coaches are minorities, which is the same percentage the NFL realized prior to the implementation of the Rooney Rule. Now the NFL has increased to 22% since implementation.

However, some teams have claimed the Rooney Rule had nothing to do with their decision to hire a minority head coach. Oddly, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of those teams. When they hired current head coach Mike Tomlin in 2007 they had interviewed Ron Riviera prior to making their decision.

Clearly, opportunity still remains for minorities in top leadership positions in both the NFL and college football. Moreover, opportunity remains in all facets of our society.

The question remains if mandates like the Rooney Rule serve the purpose they are created. Some may argue they cause more harm than good by creating animosity and increased racism.

Perhaps stricter adherence and compliance of the Rooney Rule is necessary. I am not suggesting that hiring quotas or requirements be implemented to ensure minorities are hired, but I think it is prudent that the NFL ensure owners are not just giving face time to satisfy the rule.

Should NFL owners have be forced to proactively seek out minorities to apply for job openings? I say not. However, if someone applies for an open position, then they should be afforded the same opportunity regardless of their ethnic background.

That’s what the Rooney Rule should guarantee. By forcing teams to interview minorities just to say they did it is doing nothing to address a serious situation. Guarantee that minorities who are interested in a position that they will be given the same opportunity to be hired is what the “Rule” should do.

The fourth quarter is about to begin, and I am getting ready for what should be a big time thrill. I don’t know if I should attempt to approach Coach Bowden; surely he’ll be surrounded. I’m not even sure that the Seminoles will win the game at this point. Each team is doing their best to lose the game.

Regardless, this has been a wonderful opportunity. This is a terrific start to a new year and decade.

Before the game started, I made small talk with those that were in my immediate area. Everyone agreed that the Mountaineers would win the game, but felt that the Seminole players would play their hearts out for Coach Bowden’s last game.

If the first drive of the game is any indication, Coach Bowden’s final game will be soon forgotten.

Now that I looked up from typing this blog entry, FSU is marching quite easily down the field. No one ever said that this was going to be a defensive battle.

Stay tuned….this may turn into a high-scoring fiesta. So far it doesn’t look like it’s going to be boring.

It’s 51 minutes until game time, and I smell food. One thing is for certain; the folks in the press box eat well. I’m going to go check out what they have to offer here in a second.

The FSU players are on the field, and the stadium is maybe 1/10 full. It’s a chilly, rainy, cloudy day, and the fans are taking their time getting inside. I’m sure there are a few more beers to drink, maybe a shot or two left, and that last chicken wing to swallow.

I’m pretty damned excited to be here. I’ll shoot updates to Twitter and Facebook throughout the game.

Now what?

Seriously, other than Coach Bobby Bowden, I have very little knowledge regarding the two schools and their players this year. I have my work cut out over the next few days.

I need to familiarize myself with the two schools. I need to know their strengths and weaknesses. I need to know who their play-makers are. I need to know the style of football they play on both sides of the ball.

I need to plan what I want to write about during the upcoming week. Who should I focus on? What spin can I create? Is there an angle that’s fresh and not over-used? It’s too easy to run with the “Bowden Bowl” title.

What am I going to do on game day? If I do get a shot at interviewing Bobby Bowden, what do I ask? I did ask people on Facebook to give me some ideas, and what I’ve received so far is pretty good.

Oh well. Stay tuned. I hope the old paralysis through over-analysis doesn’t kick in.

Personally, I’ve never had a “real” problem with FSU. I have always respected Bobby Bowden even though there have been a few calls he’s made that in my mind were very questionable. But if you listen to one of his interviews, you can tell he has a grasp for the game and the personality to sell an ice cube to an Eskimo.

I applied to receive media credentials for the Sugar Bowl, and was told I would be considered. I have only been doing this for less than a year, so by no means did I expect to get that assignment. I had already planned on getting up early New Year’s Day and driving to New Orleans arriving a few hours before the 8PM kick-off. When the game ended, I was going to drive into Mississippi or even Alabama, pull over into a rest area, crawl into the back of the Expedition, and sleep on an air mattress until I woke up sometime the next morning.

Now I get to party at the Lemaire’s New Year’s Eve (yeah, party – I’ll pass out before the ball drops), crash at their place or drive home to my super-comfy Tempurpedic (sic) bed, wake up when I want, shower, get dressed, drive 30 minutes or so to the Gator Bowl, and hopefully get an interview with one of the greatest college football coaches in the history of college football.

Sleeping with the enemy? Perhaps, but I’m sure Urban would forgive me.

Let’s first talk about the offensive performance of both teams. The Gators led by Tim Tebow relied heavily on the run. The LSU defense struggled to contain Emmanuel Moody, Chris Rainey, and Jeff Demps all night. LSU’s offense, on the other hand, could do very little against Florida stout defense.

Florida’s offense put a total of 328 yards on LSU, whereas LSU could only muster 174 yards. Out of the 328 yards Florida produced, 198 of those yards were on the ground. The Gators averaged 4.0 yards/carry while LSU only averaged 2.3/carry.

However, the Gators did their best to keep things interesting. First, there was the fourth and two they went for missed. Then a missed chip-shot field goal certainly kept the game compelling, and Tebow’s interception in the fourth quarter definitely made Florida fans stay in their seats. But it was Florida’s defense that kept the Gators in the game.

In an earlier article, I reminded everyone to keep an eye on Brandon Spikes, and my prognostication came true. With 2.5 sacks and 12 tackles (three for losses), Spikes led the Gators defense throughout the night.

Steve Addazio purposely kept it boring throughout the first half allowing Tebow to acclimate to the game. The Florida running game was superb throughout even without much production from Tebow.

A boring and ugly game it was, but one could argue it was a classic SEC defensive battle. I for one am happy its over, and on to Homecoming with Arkansas coming to town.