Wednesday, May 15, 2013

[gatortalk] Fwd: [gatornews] Gatornews from the Miami Herald, Palm Beach Post, SI.com and youtube, courtesy of JunoGator

I'm ready for this to end too!  I'm already angry just thinking about it. 

Oliver Barry, CRS GRI
Bob Parks Realty, LLC
1517 Hunt Club Blvd
Gallatin TN 37066
Office: 615-826-4040
Mobile: 615-972-4239



Begin forwarded message:

From: JunoGator 

Will Muschamp vows to end Georgia's winning streak in rivalry

by Jason Lieser, Palm Beach Post
Gators coach Will Muschamp is 0 for 2 so far against Georgia, his alma mater. (AP photo)
Every trip to Jacksonville brings with it the same question to Florida coach Will Muschamp: When are you going to beat Georgia?

Prior to tonight's Gator Gathering appearance at the Jacksonville Fairgrounds, he was asked about losing two straight to the Bulldogs and whether Florida is in danger of sliding into a prolonged slump in the rivalry.
"Well, it's not going to be a long winning streak, I can assure you," he said. "We feel very comfortable.
"Obviously, last year, when you turn the ball over six times, you're not going to win many games. We fought through a lot of adversity we created for ourselves in the game. It just didn't work out… Very disappointed for our football team and the Gator Nation that we didn't get the job done. Looking forward to the game this year."
Even with the turnovers, Florida was driving to tie the game in the final minutes before tight end Jordan Reed fumbled near the Georgia end zone. The Bulldogs won 17-9 to follow up their 24-20 victory in 2011.
Muschamp attended and played for Georgia in the 1990s and lost all four games he played against UF, making him 0-6 all-time in the rivalry.


Ex-Dwyer High star Matt Elam, who survived difficult path to reach NFL, wants to be role model for those who dream of following him

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Allen Eyestone
Matt Elam (22) scores on a run for Dwyer in the second quarter against Niceville in the 2009 state championship game in Orlando. (Allen Eyestone/The Palm Beach Post)
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Patrick Semansky
Baltimore Ravens safety Matt Elam walks off the field after a rookie camp practice at the team's practice facility in Owings Mills, Md., Sunday, May 5, 2013. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Video: Matt Elam prepares for the NFL
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
PALM BEACH GARDENS — 
When he finished a workout on a back field at a Dwyer High spring practice last Thursday, Matt Elam walked tall among the dozens of underclassmen players on the main field. They all looked, but tried not to stare.
To the young players, Elam's accomplishments are Bunyanesque: A five-star recruit at Dwyer, he became a first-team All-American safety at Florida, playing a human-missile style that won him a legion of fans. Last month he was drafted 32nd overall by the Baltimore Ravens, becoming one of a handful of first-rounders in Palm Beach County history.
But he is no mythical figure. Like some of the players, he grew up in a tough section of Riviera Beach, with a story of pain and loss that is not unfamiliar to them.
He wants them to know they can use their struggles for fuel, as he has tried to do.
"I feel like with me going (in the draft), it was big motivation for the kids because they come from the same neighborhoods, the same program," Elam said. "I got the chance, and I took advantage of the chance. That makes the kids feel like they've got the chance. That's what it's all about."
At 21, Elam "has been through more than anyone should have to go through in a lifetime," Dwyer coach Jack Daniels said.
He was just eight years old when his 12-year-old sister, Christina, was shot and killed by a classmate's brother in Monroe Heights Park in Riviera Beach. Elam ran two blocks from the family's home to hold his dying sister. Nine years later, in 2008, his older brother, Donald, was killed in the same park. Days after his sophomore season ended at Florida, Elam's father, Donald C., a Vietnam veteran and preacher who struggled with mental illness, died of cancer. He was 64.
He credits his mother, Addie Lewis, and brother Abe, a Cardinal Newman graduate who played safety for several NFL teams, for helping him through.
"Watching him overcome things and seeing him make it, that's motivation to me," Matt Elam said. "I just followed his footsteps, and it got me where I am."
At Florida, Elam racked up 176 tackles, 24 for losses, with five sacks, six interceptions and two forced fumbles in three seasons. When the Super Bowl champion Ravens called his name on April 26, it touched off a joyful celebration in Riviera Beach.
"Whatever he does from here on out is icing on the cake," Dwyer assistant coach Paul Meunier said. "He's proven he can make it. He's proven you don't have to let the bad stuff that's happened to you affect you, screw you up."
Elam returns to Baltimore two weekends ago to participate in the Ravens' organized team activities. His face lights up when he talks about his experience at the team's rookie camp that concluded May 5. He had several interceptions and pass breakups. Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters he was surprised by Elam's instant command of the field.
"I was getting guys lined up, I was making calls, and I felt very confident. I was moving fast — moving real fast," Elam said.
With Baltimore losing Ed Reed and Bernard Pollard to free agency, Elam has a chance to start. But he stops short of the comparisons to Reed, one of the NFL's all-time great safeties.
"I don't even think about that," Elam said. "He's a legend. I want to come in and do what I can and be the best guy I can be, and live up to my standards. I've got very high standards for myself. … Every day, man, I just work to be legendary."
Elam hasn't signed a contract yet, but that will come. He hasn't hired an agent, instead relying on Abe (who is currently a free agent) to help him navigate the waters.
Elam said there isn't a better team for him. Former Florida receiver Deonte Thompson of Glades Central, defensive tackle Pernell McPhee (Pahokee) and running back Damien Berry (Glades Central) are new teammates. Ex-Florida defensive backs coach Teryl Austin is on Baltimore's staff. Dean Pees, who coached Abe Elam at Kent State, is the Ravens' defensive coordinator.
"I feel I'm prepared. I've got a lot of help, a lot of guys reaching out to me," Elam said. "Like I said, I'm confident. If I had to play a game tomorrow, I'd be ready to go."
Young players all across Palm Beach County, like Tennessee-bound Dwyer defensive end Malik Brown, believe in him.
One of them became a first-rounder.
"When I heard Matt's name get called, it just showed me that anything can happen," Brown said.


Matt's youtube video, courtesy of JunoGator:






From SI.com, courtesy of JunoGator:

Report: Bill Belichick 'hates' Tim Tebow as an NFL player

BILL BELICHICK, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, NFL, TIM TEBOW | COMMENTS

The media circus and scrutiny surrounding Tim Tebow's brief NFL career remains a detractor to many prospective teams. (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Tim Tebow's future as an NFL quarterback has been a hotly debated topic since his freshman season at Florida. Three years after Tebow was drafted in the first round by the Denver Broncos and nine days after the New York Jets placed him on waivers, the former Heisman Trophy winner finds himself without an NFL job.

Sports television network execs may be waiting to pounce on the world's most influential athleteaccording to Forbes, but are there ANY teams still considering taking a chance on Tebow behind center?

Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports reports the same hype and media circus that makes Tebow attractive for ratings and sponsors is likely keeping him out of most NFL camps. Some of the chatter Silver dissects includes a Patriots source saying the team is unlikely to sign Tebow because Coach Bill Belichick "hates" him as a player. The Patriots, with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels — the former Broncos coach who drafted Tebow — have been linked to Tebow as a possible destination. But the Patriots' source said the team won't take a chance on Tebow as a situational player because "they wouldn't like the circus that comes with it."

PHOTOS: Classic shots of Tebow through the years

Circus seems to be a familiar thread that NFL executives fear when considering adding Tebow to their roster — even if it's of no fault of his own. He's a proven leader, but his poor mechanics, footwork, throwing motion and lack of accuracy appear to be too much of a gamble when combined with the media and fan frenzy that have followed his NFL career in Denver and New York.

Silver reports:

"He seems like a great guy to have on a team, and I'd be tempted to bring him in as our backup," one NFC head coach said  Wednesday. "But it's just not worth dealing with all the stuff that comes with it."

In a business in which coaches and general managers strive to avoid distractions, Tebow, as one NFC offensive coordinator told me last spring, carries more of a stigma than Terrell Owens.

Or, in the words of one AFC head coach to whom I spoke recently: "You don't want to put up with the circus."





Gators notes: Florida to play Kansas, No. 1 recruit Wiggins at home in '13; Jenkins, Sturgis sign contracts; UF gains '14 commit  

GatorClause  By Matt Watts, Miami Herald

The Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 conference announced Tuesday the matchups for the 2013-14 Big 12/SEC Challenge, including the headline game between Florida and Kansas on Dec. 10 in Gainesville.

"The ability to showcase SEC basketball in this kind of conference competition makes this a unique and exciting event for our coaches, student-athletes and fans," SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in a release. "We are pleased to be able to work with the Big 12 and ESPN to highlight the sport of men's basketball."

The Wildcats will bring with them to Gainesville the nation's No. 1 recruit and perhaps the best player in college basketball in Andrew Wiggins, who committed to Kansas Tuesday after much hype surrounding his decision. The Gators signed two of the nation's top 10 recruits and are expected to be ranked in the preseason top 5.

Show us the money

The Dolphins on Tuesday announced they have agreed to terms with former Florida linebacker Jelani Jenkins and former Florida kickerCaleb Sturgis.

Jenkins, Miami's first fourth-round pick, and Sturgis, the first place kicker taken in the draft, both have a solid chance at contributing heavily as rookies. Jenkins provides immediate depth at linebacker and should play a large role on special teams, while Sturgis is expected to battle veteranDan Carpenter for the starting job. Carpenter is scheduled to earn nearly $2.7 million this season.

PG picks UF

Obviously overshadowed on a national scale by the commitment of Wiggins, 2014 point guard Chris Chiozza ended his recruitment by choosing to attend Florida on Tuesday.

A four-star recruit, Chiozza from Memphis, Tenn., is one of the top point guards in next year's class and chose the Gators over his hometown school as well as Butler, Ohio State and others.










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