Are Urban Meyer and his Minions Lowering Expectations

Perhaps Corch Meyer is suffering from some expectation related phobia. His operatives in the sunshine media do their best to bring the gatuhs back down to earth without compromising their homer status.

Robbie Andreu changes strategy in his quest for quality time with his Gatuh idols, he is now playing hard to get: Deflating issues for Gators | GatorSports.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, FL

Florida seems to be receiving more preseason love than any other college football team in recent memory. Everybody loves Tim Tebow. Everybody has the Gators starting out the season No. 1. Almost everybody is projecting UF to reach the BCS title game in Pasadena.

Pat Dooley lets Andreu know that two can play that game: Tebow wears glasses, just not during season | GatorSports.com | The Gainesville Sun | Gainesville, FL

It turns out that Superman does have a weakness.

It is not just because we wear orange: Orlando Sentinel - Florida WR: Gators off-field woes "kind of frustrating" by

“These guys are just young men put in the wrong situation,” Nelson said of his teammates. “They are good guys, quality guys…It is kind of frustrating sometimes when they perceive the entire team as one individual. We’re doing what we can to take away from that.”

Fear Not Bulldawg Nation

A heap of offense

Time had not expired on the Citrus Bowl clock when the questions about Stafford and Moreno's future took center stage. Then came the answer and the fretting, then more fretting. Add Mohamed Massaquoi to the list of departures and fret some more. There have been more stories than I care to recognize detailing the amount of offense that has departed the Classic City. Georgia averaged 426 yards per game in 2008, all but about 50 of those yards were produced by the aforementioned trio.

This is the game we love. We pour our heart and sole into these young men, living through their successes and dying with their failures. Then they leave and others take their places. Their athletic eligibility is limited but their place in the Bulldawg Nation is eternal. This is the game we love.

Any magic left in that #14 jersey?

The Joe Cox era will begin without the quarterback controversy that seems to be the norm at other schools. From every indication, he has the complete confidence of his teammates and coaching staff, if not the NFL scouts. He has been in the program for four years, is a student of the game, and aspires to be a coach when his playing days are done. His top goal in life is to be Head Football Coach of a National Champion. Will he lead, as a player, his team to a championship? We are about to find out.

I certainly do not remember a more daunting season opener to be breaking in a new quarterback on the road. We should know all we need to know about the "Ginger Assasin" by the time we hit the Arkansas line on the way home from Stillwater. Expect him to do what coaches do, get the ball into the hands of his play makers.

Tailback by committee begins with these two

Caleb King and Richard Samuel both ooze athleticism. King is very shifty and has decent speed. Samuels is a load that has some get up and go. King tended to bounce it outside a little too much last year. Samuels looked like a strong safety carrying the football and looking for contact. A year of seasoning and film study should pay off. Carlton Thomas and Washuan Ealey will make sure these two do not get complacent.

Coach Richt's recent comment about King being number one "for a reason, not just because we like him" gets me pretty fired up. It seemed like both of these guys were trying a little too hard last year. As their carries increase I imagine things will slow down for them and their talent will prevail. Running back is not going to be a weakness for this team.

Joe Cox likes this picture, Rodney Cox is glad to be graduated

The only knock on our number eight appears to be that he doesn't spell his name j u l i o j o n e s. Without getting into any media biases against our guy, the real question is who will benefit from the double teams AJ is certain to face all season. Just like with our running backs, there is a lot of receiving talent on the roster that has yet to demonstrate itself in game situations. One advantage they will have is the amount of practice reps they have shared with Cox while MoMass was catching the Stafford strikes. These guys are scholarship athletes at the University of Georgia. We will be fine.

No offense to Tripp Chandler, but Tight End has not been a strength in recent years. The coaches appeared to have addressed this shortcoming with excellent recruiting. Only time will tell, but I am looking forward to seeing the big guys fly down the middle of the field again. I am sure Joe Cox does too.

A great coach with lots of great talent

With all of the attention giving to the departures, it is easy to lose sight of what remains. Coach Searels has plenty of healthy talent to coach up. In retrospect, the Dawg's accomplishments last year were pretty amazing given all of the injuries and changes along the offensive line. Last years weakness should be this years strength. Even a yankee knows football games are won and lost in the trenches. This year, the trenches should be our briar patch.

So fear not Bulldawg Nation. 2009 promises to have the Dawg's back in the thick of the SEC race. We even have one more orange clad opponent on the schedule, and nothing makes your red pants look better than to stand next to someone wearing an orange.

Full Contact Tuesday

It appears the psyche of the Oklahoma State defense needed a boost, at least according to new defensive coordinator Bill Young.
Cowboys take defensive stance - College Football - Rivals.com (h/t Blutarsky)

“One of the main things we’re working on is the psyche of our players,” Young said by phone Monday. “They don’t need to be hearing how bad they are. They need to be hearing how good they are – because they are good.”

Ask, and you shall receive....
What's in store for Oklahoma State this season? | NewsOK.com (h/t Hale)

Sept. 5 vs. Georgia
Despite growing doubt nationally about the Cowboys, they announce their presence with authority, handing Georgia a 21-point defeat to open the season.

The BUI take on the pokes, the game, and that color.

Maybe we won't see them in the "I" formation
Florida quarterback Tim Tebow says he'd consider playing other positions in NFL

But Tebow said last week that doesn't mean he's not open to the possibility of playing other positions at the next level.

Here's to hoping Tebow makes about 4 tackles and 0 circumcisions at the WLOCP!


The BUI recruiting/research/marketing department talks about some fresh faces
Bernie's Dawg Blawg: Have Campus Bus Schedule Will Play

I for one think we've recruited really well at that position the last few years.

It's never too early to prep for next year
EDSBS » Archive » THIS RECRUIT MCGEE MUST BE SOMETHING

Coach Dan Hawkins making what is by far the most JACKED AND ENTHUSED call

Nothing like a little confab between the Masters of Muckraking, Finebaum and Bianchi
Paul Finebaum | Press-Register Sports Columnist - al.com

"The Bear has finally risen again," Bianchi said, "but he's coaching at Florida under the alias of Urban Meyer."

Not to ignore the gathering at Cobb Galleria, but nothing too newsworthy took place that wasn't examined by Bernie.

The Virgin and Votegate

Upon reflection, Mike Slive was compelled to change the name of this week's event to "The Vote for Virginity". Slive took full responsibility, claiming it is obvious to everyone the purpose of the event was to further glorify the Saint that is Timothy. Furthermore, Slive went on to say it was a mistake to invite other teams to the event and he personally apologized to Tebow. The Gator Nation and ESPN both accepted the apology.

Will Steve Spurrier be allowed to take back all those pre-season votes for Duke? Seriously. The man that has given a pre-season vote to Duke every year since 1990 was compelled to change his vote from Jevan Snead to Tim Tebow. No, he didn't claim it was a hanging chad, nor did he claim the ballot was too difficult to read. He blamed it on an assistant. Oh how the mighty has fallen.

Like an unforeseen weather pattern, or a Tim Geithner speech, the "V and V Episode" has placed our Media Days' expectations in jeopardy. After all, when they change the name of the event and allow coaches to change their votes, speculation becomes a fool's game. Still, before we write off the predictions, we will have to wait on Paul Finebaum's column that should be published around July 28.

Given the events that occurred, it will be hard for even the most stubborn of muckrakers to take a shot at any coach other than man that once was Steve Spurrier. Of course, Paul, the master of the qualified statement MAY focus on virginity and vote-gate. IT IS POSSIBLE Finebaum will deliver a piece that both questions the veracity of Timothy Tebow's virginity claim, and criticizes Spurrier for changing his vote. After all, Nick Saban PROBABLY would have been man enough to take the heat.

And finally, if there was ever any doubt Mike Bianchi has a man crush on Tebow, his RUMORED offer to de-flower the god from Gainesville should remove any doubt. Stay strong Timmy, remember when Bianchi asks you to get in the spread formation, he is not talking football.

Everything isn't "Fine" in the SEC

Drink number one.
Call it the Cold-Keg season, if you will, in deference to baseball's hot-stove. Recruiting keeps college football in the spotlight year round. Freedom of Information Acts and, despite the decline of newspapers, more media than you can shake a stick continue to sate our appetites for God's game. This year, the Cold-Keg season has brought us a slew of articles implying too much money is spent on recruiting. I beg to differ.

Recruiting is the Research and Development of college football. College football is the financial lifeblood of large Title IX regulated NCAA member institutions. The money invested in recruiting most certainly comes back in spades. My speculation is the most ardent supporters of Title IX are the same complainers whining about the money spent on recruiting.

It may come as a surprise, but I am a convert to Title IX. Having three daughters will do that to a fellow, even one from South Georgia. In fact my plasma, watching Georgia's gymnastics, softball and women's basketball teams, has consumed many a kilowatt-hour. But I digress.

Drink number two.
The problem with recruiting is not the legitimate investment of capital in hopes of acquiring talent within the guidelines set forth by the NCAA. The problem with recruiting, in my humble if not somewhat tipsy opinion, is the depths at which outside forces will go to give "their" team an advantage or their "rival" a disadvantage.

I am not going to focus on the used car dealers, too easy a target. Hell, I am not even going to cover recruiting. A news article on recruiting, if an article that quotes my target can be called news, put today's target in my scopes. Today we focus on the slime that doesn't use his money, but his column space or radio network to tarnish God's game.

Drink number three, starting to swerve.
As a Georgia man and a huge fan of Lewis Grizzard I have taken a great interest in the young journalist that have paid there dues in Athens, from the Red and Black, and The Banner Herald, to the once proud Atlanta Journal AND Constitution. Many a great beat writer has learned their trade in the Classic City. I am proud of them all; no matter how funny some of them look.

Gainesville, as usual, would be an overly easy target for this post. Somewhere on a Gainesville J-School degree it must have a stamp that says "Reptile Homer". Having suffered through a three year subscription to the Jacksonville Onion during the Bianchi days, I know of what I blog. Read Bianchi in the morning, listen to Lamb on the morning commute and Frangie in the afternoon and you too will understand, unless you are cousin to a lizard.

Drink number four, stay off the sidewalks.
As a potential masochist, I occasionally watch MSNBC in the evening. This practice gives me the empathy required to write this posting. I am a loyal, patriotic American. I love my country, yet sometimes I watch Keith "I wanna be a czar" Olbermann. Even though I know he hates my country and is trying to destroy it, I still watch from time to time. This brings me to the citizens of Alabama. Most of them love Bear Bryant and Tuscaloosa, the rest love Shug and West Opelika.

Drink number five, I now have the right of way.
What in the name of Charlie Trippi does MSNBC and Keith "I wanna be a czar" Olbermann have to do with the state of Alabama? Knutsville. Specifically, Paul "no other state would fall for this garbage" Finebaum. The master of muckraking, Finebaum recently gave his take on SEC recruiting.

Talk about Lucifer explaining the ills of society. Paul taking on rumors and innuendo in college football is akin to Phillip Morris ads educating us on the dangers of smoking. The only difference is congress mandated the anti-smoking spots, this "journalist's" motives are beyond this BUI convict.

Wake up, Alabama. There are alternative programming sources, Dunaway and Brown for instance. This knutsville alum means you no good. Sure he may have saved West Opelika from Bobby Petrino. And yes, from time to time his upper lip smells like Saban's supper that was.

Drink number six, riding on rims.
For all the damage this man does to your biggest rival, he does the same to you. Send him packing. Let him work quality control or safety at Alcoa. Make him wear orange, for certainly he deserves it. I am not saying the man should be used to fatten the hogs, but let his destructive forces come to bear where they originate. In Knutsville, Tennessee.

Florida to Impose $1 Surcharge on FB Tix

Breaking news from the Athletic Department offices in Gainesville... Athletic Director Jeremy Foley announced that beginning with the 2009 football season a surcharge of $1 would be added to every home football game ticket. No decision has been made as to basketball but they are leaving the option open. Proceeds from the surcharge will be gifted to Alachua County.

During the press conference, with President Bernie Machen and Coach Urban Meyer by his side, Foley announced, “Gainesville and Alachua County have been instrumental to the quality of life, and indeed the success of the Florida Gators football team. We are confident the Gator Nation will stand behind this decision enthusiastically. Coach Meyer has assured me this will be a meaningful advantage in recruiting the top 1% of the top 1% he desires to represent our institution on the gridiron.”

No questions were allowed during the press conference. Crack reporter Hale David of the Macon Ledger-Enquirer, via the Florida Public Records Act, was able to uncover what the estimated $500,000 in first year receipts will be spent on. Undoubtedly, Coach Meyer is eager to hit the recruiting trail with this information.

Highlights among the many investments the ticket surcharge will be going toward over the years include; new HVAC system for the county jail, new plasma televisions for the county jail, new weight room and equipment for the county jail, Nike apparel for county jail inmates, and the establishment of a new Athlete Defenders Office within the county jail.