Could Florida defense be BETTER in ‘09?
On the surface, it appears Charlie Strong has the easiest job in college football. He is the coordinator of a Florida defense that played a huge part in leading the Gators to the 2008 BCS national championship. Florida led the SEC in scoring defense (12.9 points per game) and in the title game held Oklahoma, which averaged 51.14 points, to only 14 points.
All 11 defensive starters from that game are back.
So you figure this must be a pretty quiet spring for Charlie Strong.
“Anything but,” said Strong said when we talked Tuesday night. “We do return a lot of guys who have played a lot of football. But we can’t get complacent. We have a good group of guys but they can’t forget what they have done to get to this point. We can get better.”
Seriously? Yes, seriously.
Talent is not an issue on the Florida defense. In fact, the depth chart has to look a bit intimidating for a young player. Yes, there is a little concern at the defensive tackle. Torrey Davis, who made a couple of big stops against Oklahoma, and John Brown are gone. But waiting in the wings are guys like Omar Hunter, Jaye Howard, and Edwin Herbert to help Lawrence Marsh.
“It’s time for a guy like Omar Hunter to step up,” Strong said. “He and Jaye Howard need to get better and start pushing the ones (first team).”
The secondary is so deep that a guy like safety Will Hill, who everybody in the world wanted, is fighting just to get on the field.
And when linebacker Brandon Spikes decided to come back for his senior season, Florida not only returned its best defensive player, but the heartbeat of that entire unit.
“The only guy on our defense who can say that he’s without a doubt a hands-down starter is Spikes,” Strong said. “We have some depth and we have some competition and we expect that will keep guys hungry.”
Strong once worked for Joe Kines, the veteran SEC defensive coordinator. This spring he is using one of the lessons Kines taught him long ago.
“Coach Kines said that when you have really good players you can’t take your foot off the pedal,” Strong said. “Our guys made a lot of great plays last season. They earned everything they got. Now we have to coach them like none of that ever happened.
“(Backup linebacker) Ryan Stamper told me the other day that the guys on this team know that if they slip, somebody will take their position,” Strong said. “That’s the way it should be.”
Florida’s two national championships (2006, 2008) under Urban Meyer had one thing in common. While the world was looking at and raving about their offense, the Gators were playing extraordinary defense. And this defense is why Florida will be everybody’s preseason No. 1.
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102 comments Add your comment
Chardog
April 1st, 2009
9:33 am
Tony,
Who’s gonna be the next UGA BB coach??
Corrine (D) FL
April 1st, 2009
9:33 am
Coarch Urban Meyers had the best defense play i have seen when the gator held the oklahoma to 14 points.
go gator.
bigdawg01
April 1st, 2009
9:38 am
As much as I hate them, that secondary will be the best in the country this year. They can just flat out play. Maybe Willie Martinez should watch a FL game or two and see what they do, and take some notes. God help the entire conference this year.
I cant wait to see them DESTROY TN and Kiffin this year. It will be something to see.
Capstone Report » Joe Kines influence on the Florida defense
April 1st, 2009
9:42 am
[...] Mr. College Football wonders if Florida’s 2009 defense could be even better than its 2008 version. The answer he provides includes this interesting tidbit: “Strong once worked for Joe Kines, the veteran SEC defensive coordinator. This spring he is using one of the lessons Kines taught him long ago. ‘Coach Kines said that when you have really good players you can’t take your foot off the pedal,’ Strong said. ‘Our guys made a lot of great plays last season. They earned everything they got. Now we have to coach them like none of that ever happened’…” [...]
joe
April 1st, 2009
9:46 am
We SEC fans can’t wait to see the Gators annihilate UGA and Richt this year…and see Tebow leading the Gators as they rush to the end zone to do a victory dance after their first TD.
JustCallMeChamp
April 1st, 2009
9:49 am
This could well be the best Florida defense in history. Defensive tackle actually should be a strength with Marsh, Sanders, Jaye Howard, Omar Hunter all being over 300lbs at the position. Also with Herbert, Epps, Antwine, and a developing monster in Earl Okine (6′7″ 290 and rapidly growing) plus a highly touted Gary Brown…you get the picture. Linebackers All American Brandon Spikes, A.J. Jones, Hicks, Doe, Stamper, Edwards have all started games and Big Jon Bostic (6′2″ 235) is turning heads as a true freshman this spring. Also L. McCray has completely tranformed his body to go along with that tremendous speed. And of course the next superstar LB, Jelani Jenkins, will be there this summer. Defensive end will have 2 potential All Americans in Cunningham and NC Game Defensive MVP Carlos Dunlap, with Trattou and Lemmens for backup. But keep an eye on William Green at this position, a future superstar. The DB position is deep deep deep with safeties Black, Wright, Will Hill, Dorian Munroe, all having started. Look out for freshman Dee Finley, a 6′2″ 211 pound bone shaker who looks ready out of the box. At DB you got 2 more potential All Americans in Joe Haden and lockdown corner Jenoris Jenkins along with Markihe Anderson and W. Pierre-Louis who have been starters with experience as well. Who did I leave out???
NCDawg
April 1st, 2009
9:53 am
Florida again will be loaded and will probably win the NC, which I hate as a Dawg fan. However, they should be embarassed to be playing Charleston Southern, Troy, and FIU. FSU is nowhere near what they were in the 90s either. Let’s hope that schedule will make them soft and they won’t be ready to play a mentally tougher team. Otherwise, it could be a long season of CBS showing Tebow waving his towel at the UF fans on the sidelines.
lakerat
April 1st, 2009
9:56 am
Too bad UGA failed to realize last year when they were the consensus pick at #1 that the D is what makes champions – and it appears they still do not realize that since they have done nothing to remedy the poor coaching on that side of the ball for this year!
I do not think UF will win it all again this year (too hard to stay focused when all eyes are on you), but it will be another loooooonnnng season for the Dawgs with another bad beat down by UF.
Bull Gator
April 1st, 2009
10:07 am
Tony, thank you for showing Charlie Strong some love. He has been more important to the Univeristy of Florida than he has gotten credit for. I dread the day he leaves UF for a head coaching position, but it’s long overdue and when it happens every school who passed him over is going to regret it.
UF’s defense will be the best defense in the country. And after last year I have no doubt that Brandon Spikes will not let his teammates get complacent, because he’s seen what happens when a team gets fat and happy after a national championship. I’d pay any amount of money to be in the Gators locker room before the TN game. Meyer won’t have to say anything because Tebow and Spikes will say everything that needs to be said. Go Gators.
DawgGirl32
April 1st, 2009
10:09 am
I’m pretty sure they said similar things about Georgia’s defense going into last year after we returned most of our starters on defense and we all know how that turned out. They look great on paper, but Georgia found out what huge expectations and a myriad of injuries can do to your team. That’s the thing with college football. It’s totally and completely unpredictable.
Wrecker
April 1st, 2009
10:12 am
If UF doesn’t win the NC this year, they’re chumps and underachievers.
No excuses UF fans. No excuses.
rok dawg
April 1st, 2009
10:12 am
Tony:
No question Florida is THE theam to beat in 2009. If Meyer DOESN’T win the national championship, he will have no one to blame but himself.
The more interesting question is how many games do you think the Gators to lose in 2010? The defense will likely lose all eleven starters and the offense will lose the greatest player in the history of college football.
So Tony, how many games will Florida lose in 2010?
rocksteadyfreddie
April 1st, 2009
10:21 am
NCDawg,
you know as well as the next man, that the SEC will keep you mentally tough. Chas. Southern is a joke, but Troy is a decent pay for play team.
baconboy
April 1st, 2009
10:24 am
Pat Dooley in the Gainesville Sun this week made a good case that there is plenty of room for improvement. He suggested that the UF defense was good at keeping teams from scoring, but not as good at getting them off the field (which is exactly what happened in the first half of the NC game). I think that Spikes and other leaders on the team don’t want to be just the best defense in the country next year, but the best defense that has ever played at UF and word is that they are playing great in spring practice. The real question for UF is on the offensive line, which isn’t playing so great.
bigdawg01
April 1st, 2009
10:30 am
I do agree with DawgGirl, however Meyer can get them to play, and play hard. Something Richt seems to have lost. That said, expectations are a heavy, heavy load. Hopefully, Richt will get it reversed and FL will drop the ball…literally.
Go Dawgs!
DawginLex
April 1st, 2009
10:31 am
If Ole Miss can score 31 on them, they are not the remake of the ‘85 Bears.
They are a college football team with a lot of talent. If they get complacent, they will lose. They have Tebow which most likely means they won’t get complacent but you never know.
That is why you play the games. They still have to go to LSU.
mcdawg
April 1st, 2009
10:34 am
Dooley makes a good point-dawgs moved the ball up and down the field on them but couldn’t score before imploding-their secondary was a big reason for that
Tom
April 1st, 2009
10:34 am
Tony,
With the Gators inching closer to catching the Dawgs in the series record (16 out of 19 has sure closed that gap, huh?), could you ask Dan Magill how long he’ll wait before picking out prior losses to UF to take out of the media guide?
WinderDogg
April 1st, 2009
10:38 am
I have been to Jacksonville many of times when no one gave UGA a chance and we turned the town crazy when we won….we will be ready to tee it up.
bukhed dawg
April 1st, 2009
10:44 am
With that schedule South Florida could win a MNC. 8 home games not including Georgia in Jax and powerhouse’s Charleston Southern, Troy and Florida International. I hope all U Florida fans pay big $$$$$ for those nationally televised games. What a joke!!!
bellyseries
April 1st, 2009
10:46 am
You mean UGA is not preseason #1?
knoxdawg
April 1st, 2009
10:52 am
I am not ready to annoint them the 2009 National Champions. They do have the potential to be a great team. However, they can lose because any team is capable of being beaten when they don’t play to their abilities. If Spikes were to get injured I am sure he has a capable replacement but it could be the difference between winning and losing a game and one game can keep you from winning it all.
2009 in the SEC will be even more entertaining than last year. I look forward to seeing the UF/UT match up as well as others. Being a Dawg fan I look forward to the UGA/UF game cause you never know what might happen.
ByteMe
April 1st, 2009
10:55 am
Gawd, preseason #1??
Kiss of death. Better to be #10 and lose one than #1 and lose one.
David
April 1st, 2009
10:56 am
Florida is going to get over confident and they will collapse, im sure they will be ranked #1 in the pre season and we will see how they handle the hype, im picking Florida to lose to LSU and Georgia
GO DAWGS!
GATORZONE
April 1st, 2009
10:59 am
Difference between Last year and this year’s preseason #1 is that Florida has actually won 2 out of the last 3. They are not pretenders and know how to get it done! There will not be a let down this year.
MChammer
April 1st, 2009
11:09 am
joe
April 1st, 2009
9:46 am
We SEC fans can’t wait to see the Gators annihilate UGA and Richt this year…and see Tebow leading the Gators as they rush to the end zone to do a victory dance after their first TD.
joe….that was last years pregame drama. Wake up Rip Van Winkle. You gotta be a tech fan to be that oblivious.
TampaGator
April 1st, 2009
11:09 am
There is no excuse for Charleston Southern being on the Gator schedule. That is a joke and embarrassing to Gator fans, Mr. Foley, and should never happen. I am sure the Gators are capable of getting a better team on the schedule. But Troy and FIU are respectful non-conference opponents. FIU won a bowl game last year, and Troy is always competitive with whomever they play. But Charleston Southern…I didn’t even know they had a football team. Come on…how about South Florida, at least.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
11:13 am
The key to beating Florida is to bully them with your offensive line because you are not beating them with speed. If we have a very good two deep on the OL and find backs willing to hit someone in the mouth we’ll have a shot. UF won’t be as good on the other side of the ball which will give a good team a chance if they can control the tempo of the game and be in it in the 4th Q.
And don’t forget, with our interior OL having to deal with Owens and Atkins everyday, whoever UF puts in the middle will seem like a day off. 50 rushes and 20 passes and no TO’s = victory in Jax.
TampaGator
April 1st, 2009
11:16 am
ROK Dawg…the Gators will not lose all 11 starters on defense after this season. They will lose some good players, but the Gators are 3 deep at almost every defensive position…deep as in really, seriously deep. And remember this name…John Brantley at QB for 2010 and 2011. Probably the Heisman Trophy winner in 2011…and a contender in 2010. Plus, the Gators are still young on the offensive side of the ball and will be peaking in 2010. Not much will be changing for at least the next 3 to 4 years as far as the Gators being real good is concerned. And Meyer is already putting together the #1 recruiting class for this year. Get used to Gator power…it is like those batteries…it just keeps on going and going and going….
GATORZONE
April 1st, 2009
11:17 am
Dorsey, why will uf not be as good on the other side of the ball?
Supes
April 1st, 2009
11:20 am
Dorsey Hill, right on. If, and that’s a big if, FLA runs up against a physical O-Line who run blocks well and smacks their D-Line and backers in the mouth, and plays nasty, a good smart offense has a strong chance of beating FLA.
You don’t play football on paper, one thing that last year’s UGA team showed us well. Looked great on paper, but failed when it counted the most.
I believe FLA’s offense will carry them to wins (if they win the National Championship) once again. Say what you want, Tebow is the heart and soul of that team, not the FLA defense.
Still, I don’t think anyone is going undefeated next year, not even FLA. So the question is, where is that loss going to come from? LSU? UGA? SEC title game? A ’surprise game’ like Ole Miss (last year)? Bowl game?
Dawg Tired
April 1st, 2009
11:22 am
Just having some defensive ends puts them ahead of us. Not to mention their biggest advantage: their defensive coordinator, Coach Strong, appears to actually know what he’s doing. Having said that, it is still important to understand that things can go south in a NY minute – injuries, bad breaks, bad calls by the most inept referees in college football, girlfriend problems, Ole Miss, stupid penalties, etc.
Supes
April 1st, 2009
11:22 am
TampaGator, come on now…Brantley? Maybe ought to hold off on that guy until he wins some games by himself! Say what you want, but there will be a drop off from Tebow to Brantley…even a 10 percent drop off is enough to lose some games.
turkey
April 1st, 2009
11:32 am
The gators may lose 11 starters on defense this year but the dogs are still stuck with Willie Martinez. As long as UGA has CWM the gators will win.
GATORZONE
April 1st, 2009
11:33 am
Supes, have you seen him play? He is phenomenal! He comes in for cleanup duty to get his work, but the guy has a great arm and makes great decisions. Brantley will be great, watch and see!
Charlie Pell
April 1st, 2009
11:36 am
He is no Aaron Murray!
ChuyDAWG
April 1st, 2009
11:37 am
Good to see you recognize Charlie Strong. UGA all the way, but you have to give UF serious credit for the position they have put themselves in. Strong’s defense will be better this year. Gator fans can kiss him good-bye at the end of the year. My bet is that if the Miami job opens up, that’s where he’ll end up. It makes all the sense in the world to me. What do you think Tony?
mightyKC
April 1st, 2009
11:38 am
“I’m pretty sure they said similar things about Georgia’s defense going into last year after we returned most of our starters on defense and we all know how that turned out. They look great on paper, but Georgia found out what huge expectations and a myriad of injuries can do to your team. That’s the thing with college football. It’s totally and completely unpredictable.”
the (HUGE) difference: FL already had the best D in the SEC, and returns 21/22 from the two deep. Big difference vs. PROJECTING a team’s defense to be good (ie, UGA’s O and D last season)….FL has already proved it, and will be better, no question.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
11:41 am
UF won’t be as good on offense because they are weaker at WR, TE, the loss of Harvin and both OT’s.
GATORZONE
April 1st, 2009
11:45 am
Dorsey, you may be correct, but I think there are plenty of players ready to step in. Plus Aaron Hernandez will be back wont he? TE should be just as good as last year.
Around The SEC East - 4/1/09 | MrSEC.com
April 1st, 2009
11:47 am
[...] about a return engagement.UF: Tony Barnhart, also of The AJC, wonders if Florida’s defense could actually be better in 2009. (Yes.)UF: Dee Finley is happy to finally be a Gator after failing to qualify academically last [...]
DawgGirl32
April 1st, 2009
11:50 am
MightyKC- Georgia’s defense at the end of the 2007 season was ranked the in top 5. That’s why they were projected to have the best defense going into 2008….because they had already proved it in 2007.
WestPalmDawg
April 1st, 2009
11:57 am
JOE
Too bad your Gators will be down 2 scores by the time you put one in the end-zone.
DawgGirl32
April 1st, 2009
11:58 am
TampaGator- Florida showed in 2007 what can happen when they lose a bunch of key players on defense. 9-4 with a bowl game loss to Michigan. I have no doubt that you are deep and that there are players ready to step up but there’s a reason why starters are starters and back-ups are back-ups. I don’t think there’s going to be a huge drop off in 2010 but even the great Charlie Strong proved that he can have a down year when he loses a bunch of players. I guess we’ll see.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
12:01 pm
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying UF will be bad on O, I just don’t know that they will be putting up 2008 numbers. I think that Meyer did a great job in 05 and 06 of playing to his D and playing tight, NFL type games, against good opponents. The 2005 game against UGA is a great example. I think you’ll see something similar this year from them. The good news for UF is that they did pretty well in those type of games. Obviously, if I’m wrong and they are as explosive as in 2008, it is going to be very, very hard to score 30+ against UF if that is what it takes to win. However, I am rarely wrong, lol. I do think the Gators will be surprised at how much a Percy Harvin meant to UF’s success on that side of the ball.
Huh?
April 1st, 2009
12:01 pm
I only have one thing to say: Georgia has an off week before the Florida game this year.
God Bless America. Have a great day.
GCB
April 1st, 2009
12:03 pm
http://www.gcbbuydirect.com/
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
12:13 pm
The question is will Meyer be around to see 2010? If Weis falls on his face again, I predict Meyer will be a Golden Domer in 2010. With the losses UF will have after 2009, it does seem like to perfect time to jump ship. However, it would be nice to make sure that Urban last game is coached in Orlando so let’s get that done first.
Kiffinisatosser
April 1st, 2009
12:16 pm
As a non-partisan, all I can say is that Joe Cox is far superior to Tebow. Case closed.
Yeah right.
Kiffinisatosser
April 1st, 2009
12:17 pm
Kiffin’s bootay will be a free fire zone for the both of them….and that’s all that really matters.
rocksteadyfreddie
April 1st, 2009
12:17 pm
Supes, you said:
“”Dorsey Hill, right on. If, and that’s a big if, FLA runs up against a physical O-Line who run blocks well and smacks their D-Line and backers in the mouth, and plays nasty, a good smart offense has a strong chance of beating FLA.”"
check out the SEC CG last year. You described ‘Bama to a T, and UF still beat them.
People still have this notion that UF isn’t a physical team. The facts (and results) dispell that. UF is strong up front on both lines.
Volsrule
April 1st, 2009
12:24 pm
Bigdawg…You must be high if you think UF’s secondary is better than Eric Berry and company. UT had the 4th ranked defense in the nation with a terrible offense. If we even had an average offense our defense would have easily been ranked #1
StockDog
April 1st, 2009
12:36 pm
The question Tony, is, why doesn’t Charlie Strong have a head coaching job. The guy is a great D-coordinator.
Florida should be the favorite to win the SEC and the NC in 2009.
“Coarch Urban Meyers had the best defense play i have seen when the gator held the oklahoma to 14 points.
go gator.” -Rep. Corrine Brown, Jacksonville. Hilarious at best, sad at worst.
PJ
April 1st, 2009
12:43 pm
Dear WestPalm<
Two scores? Pfffffft! Big deal.
Hugs and kisses,
Paul Johnson
Gator Mike
April 1st, 2009
12:49 pm
This is getting good early. As a cautious Gator, I do not like all of the preseason #1 hype. It played against UGA last year and SoCal the year before. It can easily happen to UF. Keeping players focused in the head and physically healthy constitutes the formula for success. The Gators will be very good, but they casn easily fall in the SEC. Additionally, there is no reason for Charleston Southern to be on the schedule. I drove by there once and saw their stadium. Most high school stadiums in FL and GA are much larger.
I am usually focused on the UGA Game in Jax, but this year I am focused on seeing kiffin in the Swamp get his due reward.
Go Gators!
Dawgbonz
April 1st, 2009
1:00 pm
I like the strategy that Tony is using in the article….. Build UF up even more than they are…… the fall to reality will humble those retarted fans down there.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
1:29 pm
rocksteadyfreddie,
Bama gained 4.1 yards per rush to UF’s 3.4. Bama entered the 4th Q with a lead, although slight. I will take 20-17 lead going into the fourth every day. Just because Bama couldn’t shut the door doesn’t mean the plan was wrong, it just wasn’t completed.
Corrine Brown (D) FL
April 1st, 2009
1:49 pm
1 2 3 4 5 the gator dont take no jive.
go gator
rocksteadyfreddie
April 1st, 2009
2:09 pm
Dorsey,
UF still won by 11 points. The UF D got a 3 and out when they needed it. Bama had 1 long TD drive. The 1st one was almost all Julio. What kind of offensive production did Bama get once they fell behind?? Not a single 1st down in the 4Q and 1 turn over. You can try and play smash mouth with UF, but you better be able to score in a hurry as well.
Gen Neyland
April 1st, 2009
2:12 pm
The original Big Dawg has spoken highly in the past of his friend, Charlie Strong. He remarked to me (and others I’m sure) that Coach Strong would make somebody a fine full-time HC. Yeah, he’s 0-1 as a stand in but with the resume he’s building at UF, his day will come…
JustCallMeChamp
April 1st, 2009
2:12 pm
1,2,3,4,5…Tech put up a 45! And for those thinkin’ of a Gator collapse in ‘10…I’d say you’d better think again! How’s that for a little nursery rhyme???
Volman
April 1st, 2009
2:14 pm
Hey “BigDawg01″…
you can’t wait until Florida DESTROYS Tennessee? Kind of like UF did to UGA this past year? I think it is funny that you want other teams to fight your own battles. UGA is so out of the picture now that it isn’t even funny. They are going to be the new Tennessee, boring and not in the picture.
Didn’t you guys lose to Georgia Tech this year? Ouch.
There’s always next year….
BILLY JACK
April 1st, 2009
2:24 pm
VOLMAN-AT LEAST UGA WINS 10 GAMES EVERY YEAR -HOW MANY DID UT WIN LAST YEAR?YEA THATS WHAT I THOUGHT.
OaktownGator
April 1st, 2009
2:37 pm
Article was spot on. The Gator defense will be absolutely dominant this year. When we get to 21, the game is over. For a team to beat us, they will have to have lights out defense and special teams, as well as a strong ball control offense.
Dorsey – I think you are correct on the plan, but who has the horses to execute? That is the point with Bama, last year. They had the perfect team to get it done, but couldn’t do it, even though we were very thin on DL at the time. We’ll be much stronger on DL this year, and I could be wrong, but I don’t see any SEC team that will be as strong in the run game as Bama was last year.
Besides the Gators, of course.
Volsrule – Berry is phenomenal, and the UT secondary is pretty strong. But as a unit, I’ll take the Gator defensive backfield all day long.
BILLY JACK
April 1st, 2009
2:44 pm
The sad part about Rep Corrine Brown is she probably made the deans list at Florida.What a damn disgrace.
Buzz_29
April 1st, 2009
3:00 pm
The Robot is the new Tebow.
Mark it down in your SEC coloring books.
mightyKC
April 1st, 2009
3:06 pm
“MightyKC- Georgia’s defense at the end of the 2007 season was ranked the in top 5. That’s why they were projected to have the best defense going into 2008….because they had already proved it in 2007.”
nice try pulling statistics out of your ass.
UGA gave up *3 TD’s* per game in 2007! They were NOT in the top 5 in scoring defense (nor the top 20). As far as yards, they were barely in the top 20, giving up over 320 yds/game.
UF 2008: top 5 in pts scored against (< 13 pts), top 10 in yds against (~280/game).
now, *ON TOP OF ALL THAT*, UGA did NOT have 21 out of 22 in the two deep returning, either.
A for effort, pup. Corrine Brown could have done better than that.
Go Gator!
Area Sports Fan
April 1st, 2009
3:14 pm
The “Robot” is what Tech fans call Josh Nesbitt. He probably cringes everytime he hears it.
Josh is a good player, but he’s no Tebow. We can end that right now.
athensdawg
April 1st, 2009
3:18 pm
more mental toughness exhibited by the gators coaching staff.
meanwhile in athens we are trying not to get hurt, whining about the lack of an indoor practice facility and enjoying the cool weather so we can work out harder without straining ourselves. We are so excited that we will have 50 players this season……none of which will be a healthy defensive end.
IS THERE ANY WONDER WHY THEY OWN US?
MinnesotaJacket
April 1st, 2009
3:55 pm
Jeez…another SEC article between this guy and College Recruiting I find it more and more outstandindishly funny that the ATLANTA Journal Constitution barely talks about the team located in Atlanta…jeez worthless absoluetely worthless columns
red face huh?
April 1st, 2009
3:56 pm
Huh?, remember what that no-week-off before the Tech game did!
A reminder, your guys had cake and ice cream during halftime…LOL!
twisted1
April 1st, 2009
4:11 pm
Too all the idiots mentioning Charleston Southern on the UF schedule…do you know why it is there??? Well, numbnuts, it’s because USF (you know, the team that has beaten the likes of Auburn and others) backed out at the last minute and CS was all that was available. Get a clue before you knock someone’s schedule.
rok dawg
April 1st, 2009
4:12 pm
TAMPA GATOR:
Fact – 10 of the 11 starters on your gator defense will either be juniors or seniors; only Jenkins is a Sophmore. How many of these juniors are going to return to a gutted defense in 2010?
If you really think Brantley is going to step in and replace Tebow, you have been drinking a little too much gator aid!
We all know the gators are loaded this year … if you don’t win the national championship it will be a devastating blow.
But I want to know how Urban is going to handle the shock in Gainesville in 2010(assumming of course Urban hasn’t moved to South Bend). The old ball coach didn’t like the booing at the end … I doubt if Urban will either!
PTC DAWG
April 1st, 2009
4:16 pm
They could be better, that’s for sure..but I’ve seen teams return bunches of starters and get blown out at home…..and in Jax, and beaten by their instate rival.
James Adams
April 1st, 2009
4:36 pm
Tony Barnhart’s new name:
Mr. Florida Gator Sycophant!
Gen Neyland
April 1st, 2009
4:55 pm
Tony Barnhart is refered to as ‘Mr. College Football’, not Mr. Homeboy Rah-Rah. There are plenty of sites for that in the ajc and beyond. Continue, Prof Barnhart…
shane#1
April 1st, 2009
4:57 pm
I have stated before that the Gators are the team to beat in the East. Can they be beaten? Sure, any team can be defeated, but untill some team in the East beats them, they are the lead dog. Alabama is in the same posistion in the West. Bama is tops in the West untill some team beats them. Urban Meyer did some geart recruiting in his first couple of seasons and its paying off now. We will have to see what Saban can do with two number one classes.
Voice of Reason
April 1st, 2009
5:00 pm
uga has already beaten Florida once with Willie Martinez as DC. Therefore the statement that “as long as UGA has CWM Florda will win” is not true.
m
April 1st, 2009
5:05 pm
It looks like it will be Floriduh and the eleven dwarfs again in the overrated sec.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
5:48 pm
On the contrary, Bama was no great team last year. Utah proved that. To suggest that Bama was the “perfect” smashmouth team is a gross overstatement. The perfect “smashmouth” team smashed your mouths in embarrassing fashion in January of 1996 in the desert. A wonderful, wonderful game by the way. Watching Jacquez Green get folded up was among the better highlights. Tommie Fraziers 12 broken tackles another, but I digress.
Bama was a well coached team with a mediocre QB, a good first line, no depth and one decent WR. Bama was not near the “perfect” smashmouth team.
well
April 1st, 2009
6:22 pm
“Bama was a well coached team with a mediocre QB, a good first line, no depth and one decent WR. Bama was not near the “perfect” smashmouth team.”
Insert UGA and you just described your team slick
SugarHillDawg
April 1st, 2009
6:41 pm
No way in the world! I am convinced they did it with smoke and mirrors. They were VERY fast but their defensive line was smallish and why Alabama and Oklahoma just didn’t stay with the running game in those two games I’ll never know!!
JaxGator
April 1st, 2009
6:50 pm
We will see you dawgs in Jax on Oct.31 and you vols in the swamp on Sept. 19; I am looking forward to those games.Rokdog, for your information, Spurrier was never booed at Florida;as a matter of fact, he is cheered for loudly every time he comes back to the Swamp. If you are not a Gator, then you are Gatorbait.
murfdawg
April 1st, 2009
7:22 pm
Tony,
Maybe UGA should cancel the game.They have Tebow, Meyer and a defense. What chance do we have? I just hope the gators are #1 when we get to Jax, and Timmy is on the cover of SI the week before the game. Kepp up the good work touting the mighty, mighty gators. Halloween is going to be fun this year!!
James Adams
April 1st, 2009
7:39 pm
I don’t care if he slams Georgia every article. I just get the feeling that he and Thom Brennaman have to take turns. I guess to cut down on rug burns.
Dorsey Hill
April 1st, 2009
8:47 pm
Any of you old dawgs remember the “6 days” chant? That was hilarious.
PTC DAWG
April 1st, 2009
8:50 pm
To clear up a point…gator bait is just that, bait used to draw gators into a trap. Florida and LSU have always had trouble with that, referring to their own team as the “bait”. After hearing UF edumacated Corine Brown speak, I now understand it better, at least the Florida perspective.
JustCallMeChamp
April 1st, 2009
10:10 pm
6,7,8,9 Gators put up a 49…7,8,9,10 Gators will do it all again. And who was the IDIOT talking about the National Championship game in 1996??? DUDE…THAT WAS 3 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AGO!!! How many u got??? I’m startin’ to like the go gator!
JustCallMeChamp
April 1st, 2009
10:25 pm
Also, PTC “DAWG” We don’t yell GATOR TRAP! at games. We Yell GATOR BAIT. Think for a second…I know it’s real hard…what does the gator do to the bait??? ‘Bout the same thing he does to the “dawg”!!! lol go gator
AltamahaDawg
April 1st, 2009
10:46 pm
They can only put 11 of them out there at one time.
Kunta Plenty
April 1st, 2009
11:08 pm
My God, UGA fans are absolutely pathetic.
I mean, the Dawgs haven’t won it all since Herschel had one personality, and they’re coming off an increibly disappointing season … and yet they’re STILL talking as if they have the premier program in the nation.
That’s right. In 2009, everything will go right for the Dawgs, and everything will go wrong for the Gators. Uh-huh. UGA couldn’t even win its own division in 2008 with TWO future first-round draft picks in its backfield … and yet the Dawgs are going to be even better in 2009!
You people are delusional.
The fact of the matter is that there’s not another college football program in the nation that has done LESS with MORE than UGA. Great recruiting base, great financial support, great facilities … and yet y’all still can’t win it all.
The only difference between Georgia and Clemson is the school colors.
KJ
April 2nd, 2009
12:00 am
“UGA couldn’t even win its own division in 2008 with TWO future first-round draft picks in its backfield”
Yes, because everyone knows, all you need to guarantee a MNC is a strong backfield.
You should drop the “Plenty” from your name. And the “a”. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Hammie
April 2nd, 2009
12:18 am
FYI.. the Charleston Southern game was to fill the spot where UCF backed out. You can’t really get a big name program to schedule something at the last minute, so you’re left with the likes of Charleston Southern.
JustCallMeChamp
April 2nd, 2009
1:15 am
Goodnite…and go gator!
mightyKC
April 2nd, 2009
7:51 am
you pups are PATHETIC!
‘oh dear, watch out in 2010!’
it’s sad when you have to start talking about ‘next year’ before ‘this year’ has even begun.
oh how the 2008 preseason champs have fallen….
Bryant
April 2nd, 2009
10:16 am
Dorsey,
It is a pretty sad day in Athens whenyou have to go back to Jan 2 1996 to talk crap about UF. I guess the fact that UF has won 3 national titles since your last one must hurt.
Also, pretty lame to be cheering on an injury, no matter who you pull for.
Hugh Walker
April 3rd, 2009
2:40 am
I am not going to repeat the comments here, most of them are reasonable and well stated. I do want to remind the GA fans, and I live in Atlanta, about 2007, our down year.
Everybody around here said, “well we deserved it, now it’s over.” IT WILL NEVER BE OVER As LONG AS WE CURRENT FANS ARE STILL ALIVE. So dream on Bull Dogs, until your next trip to Jax.
Old Gator
Big Dawg
April 3rd, 2009
12:53 pm
It is a shame that Charly Strong has not been hired as a head coach by someone. Now as to the expectations that this years team defense may be better than last years. Yes at this point they should be better, with all 11 returning starters and with 18 of their top 22 returning as well. But as has been pointed out it was expected that the 2007 Gators at this point in the spring were going to be a strength but injuries, suspensions etc. took their toll and the Gators went 9-4 with the defense taking the lions share of the blame. Last years defense at this point was a big question mark and I remind some of you that Charly had told me that his defense was going to be improved as long as the injury bug stayed away and they had time to develop some depth which is what happened. My conversations so far this year is that Charly believes this group has the chance to be one of the best but like always that depends on guys staying out of trouble and injury free. It will be interesting in Jax this year between two very good teams maybe great teams and for those Gators fans who have put on blinders remember this the score last year was not indicative of just how close these two teams are but IMHO was indicative of the continuing punishment by SEC officials for that TD celebration from the year before and inconsistent and sometimes downright stupid play selection and execution by the Dawgs offense. It is also my humble opinion that if GA stays healthy this year we may see one of the best games in the history of the series.
Go Dawgs
rocksteadyfreddie
April 3rd, 2009
2:08 pm
Big Dawg,
From where I was sitting, it looked like Stafford threw 3 pics, not Penn Wagers, but I could be wrong.
FLDAWG
April 8th, 2009
1:00 am
UF deserves its props. They are returning alot. However, the UGA game should be a good one assuming both teams come in healthy. The Dawgs O line should be a great match up for UF D line. The winner of this battle will probably win the game. If it is a draw then UF should get the nod with Tebow as QB. UGA D line should be improved, but how much remains to be seen. UGA should match up favorably with speed on D to match UF skill positions. This should be a good game.