Gator Quiz

Let me know your thoughts on these important Gator questions.

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A Little Gator History

After reading @paradigmshift35 latest article http://sports-at-work.com/2011/06/21/how-college-football-affects-rocket-science-%E2%80%93-part-ii/) I decided that I could definitely do a better job than that no-talent hack. So here goes nothing. I attended the University of Florida from 1987 – 1993 (yes, 6 years – let’s say that I’m a doctor). I would be “old school” by most standards, pre-internet and cell phone. I thought I’d share some of my highs and lows while at UF for the youngsters. I’m going by memory alone so time, events and facts may not be correct.

Back in the early 1980s, UF was becoming a very talented team, but much like OSU and USC today, we got stalled by NCAA infractions. “Give ‘em Hell” Charley Pell was a great recruiter, but didn’t much care for rules. My freshman year was also Emmitt Smith’s freshman year. Our football strategy the next 3 years – Emmitt right, Emmitt left, Emmitt middle, punt. It’s hard for current Gators to understand, but we were very average back then. Of course, that would all change when SOS took over. True story – Emmitt actually attended a party we had in 1988 at La Mancha Apartments and I offered him a beer bong of Natty Light. He politely declined, but I saw the look in his eyes. Side note – fans were able to leave the stadium during half time back then to replenish.

Also in 1987, the UF basketball team reached the NCAA Tournament for the FIRST time, led by Vernon Maxwell, part of the M&M backcourt, and Coach Norm Sloan. Again, right when the team was becoming good, we were rocked by NCAA sanctions (sensing a theme here?), revolving around drug use by Maxwell (who most Gators now hate) and rule violations. If you are a current Gator, thank god everyday you didn’t experience the Don DeVoe era. He actually got booed regularly at the O’Dome.

Of course the milestone moment during my years at UF was the hiring of the ‘Ol Ballcoach. I can’t describe it to people that weren’t there, but let’s say that suddenly the grass got greener, food tasted better, you get the idea. Gator fans have always been “confident”, even when we sucked, but this hiring gave us all great hope. In 1991, we won our FIRST official SEC title. I’ll never forget pouring out of the Purple Porpoise and on to University. It was a new feeling. Not to hate on younger Gators, but we haven’t always been entitled to greatness. I think we may have appreciated it just a little more. The Fun ‘N Gun was setting records all over the place for passing yards and points. Remember, this was right after we ran the ball every damn play. To me, this was the heyday for Gator football and led us to what we have become.

Also in 1991, Lon Kruger was hired to coach the basketball team. Not the same fanfare as Spurrier, but he would also lead the basketball team to become relevant. In 1992, we reached the Final Four of the NIT. We were so excited that thousands met the team at the airport (yes the NIT, this is how far we have come). Of course, Lon would later lead us to our first ever NCAA Final Four.

Many things have changed since I attended UF. We couldn’t follow our coaches, players or fellow fans on Twitter (or troll our opponents). Skeeter’s was the late night hang out. The Purple Porpoise was the rocking bar. The Pikes were the “cool” frat.  However, many things have remained the same. The Century Tower brick story. Our hatred of SoW, UGA and UT. Saying “Go Gators” to strangers. The hottest coeds in the country. To me, that is what Gator Nation is all about. Some call us entitled or obnoxious. I say I agree. Go Gators!

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Bahamas Vacation

My homeboy wrote a good article on his recent trip to the Bahamas with his lovely wife. His blog gives good advice on what attractions to visit and which hotels to stay in and which ones to avoid.

http://tonypeacock.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/bahamas-vacation-2010/

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Social Media Strategy

Here is a good article describing social media and how to incorporate a strategy for your business.

http://peacockstudios.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/social-media-strategies/

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Gators Media Day

Go Gators

It’s almost here! Today was media day for the University of Florida Gators football team. Here is a nice, concise summary of some of today’s hot topics. My favorite part? Debose is 100% healthy. Thanks to Only Gators.

http://www.onlygators.com/08/10/2010/2010-florida-media-day-injuries-leadership-starters-freshmen-fall-practice-updates/

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Growth of Social Media

Facebook is the 3rd largest country! 27 million tweets every day! Read these and other interesting facts about the growth of social media.

http://peacockstudios.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/the-growth-of-social-media/

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UF Football – Defense

National Champs

In the weeks leading up to the beginning of all that is holy, aka college football, I will be posting my thoughts on this year’s Florida Gators team. In this post, I will be looking at the Gators defense. If you missed my thoughts on the offense, please click here. https://gatorsean.wordpress.com/2010/07/27/27/

The defense is the question mark heading into the season. Not only did we lose many great players to the pros (Spikes, Haden, Wright, Cunningham, Dunlap), but we also lost coordinator Charlie Strong. Last year, the Gators D finished 4th nationally in points against and total defense. Definitely a tough task to duplicate, but I think this years D will be very good and fun to watch. We will be relying heavily on young players and how well they adapt to big-time college games will determine our fate. Here’s a breakdown heading into the season.

The defensive line is a big question heading into the season with the loss of our two best pass rushers, Cunningham and Dunlap. The good news is that there is a lot of depth at the position. While maybe not as flashy as last year’s squad, I fully expect this unit to dominate against the run and pressure enough to create some turnovers from our backfield. The projected starters at end are Trattou and Lemmens, but it is super-recruit Ronald Powell that everyone is looking forward to watching. If he is as good as advertised (#1 defensive recruit last season), we should be able to get a consistent pass rush. I’ve also liked William Green when given the chance to play and expect him to step it up this year. We are loaded at defensive tackle this season. The projected starters are Marsh and Howard, but there will be a lot of rotating at this position.  Sanders (if healthy) and Hunter are proven play-makers and this could be a huge breakout year for Hunter, the nation’s top recruit a couple of years ago. Throw in Shariff Floyd (#2 defensive recruit last season) and Leon Orr, the Gators defensive tackles should be the strength of this team. We are so deep at this position I wouldn’t be surprised to see us use 3 tackles during certain plays. As they say, defense starts up front and the Gators are more than solid.

This year’s linebacker group might be the most athletic we’ve ever had at Florida. The loss of Spikes, Stamper and Doe would normally result in a drop off, but I am confident that this year’s group will end up being better. All of the linebackers are quick and versatile, able to play inside and outside. With pass rush up front being a concern, I expect to see plenty of blitzing from our linebackers. This unit is led by 3 steady seniors (Jones, Edwards and Hicks), but it is 2 true sophomores who should garner the loudest cheers in the Swamp this season, Bostic and Jenkins. Both were top recruits a couple of years ago, but didn’t get much playing time last year due to the upper classmen. All indications during spring practices is that Bostic and Jenkins are ready to break out and will see a lot of playing time this season. If the sophomores turn out to be as good as advertised, this group will be a strength of the team and should create plenty of turnovers.

The biggest area of concern for the defense is the backfield, particularly cornerback. Gone is Joe Haden, last year’s shut-down corner and it will not be easy to replace him. Janoris Jenkins appears to be the best bet to replace Haden, but I’m afraid this will be a major drop-off. Moses Jenkins will probably be the starter at the other cornerback to start the season, but I am hopeful that freshman Joshua Shaw will eventually replace him. While I don’t expect this year’s corners to be as bad as 2007, I definitely don’t see  them being as good as the last couple of years and that is a concern. Luckily, we are loaded at safety and they can hopefully contain the damage of big plays I expect our corners to allow. Ahmad Black will be the leader of this position and should be rock-solid. Gator fans have been hearing for years how great Will “The Thrill” Hill is and he is going to have to perform this season or he will be replaced by super freshman Matt Elam. Elam was the nation’s number 1 defensive back recruit last season and should see immediate playing time, possibly at nickelback. I also expect true freshman Jonathan Dowling to see quite a bit of time. Overall, there are many concerns about the backfield and how well they play will determine how successful our season is.

Other than concerns at cornerback, I am very excited to watch this defensive group play this season. There is a nice mixture of veteran leadership and young, athletic studs. It was well documented that this year’s recruiting class was the greatest in Gator history (and maybe the best of all-time) and much of the focus was on defense. Powell, Floyd and Elam are among the top few defensive players out of high school and how quickly they adapt to the college game will go a long way in determining our success this year. While we may not finish 4th in the country, I fully expect them to be a top 15 unit which should be good enough with our offense. Even if there is a drop off this season, the future looks very bright.

Go Gators!

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Be the Master of your Domain.

Here is an article written by Peacock Production Studios detailing the importance of owning your own domain. It also gives tips on how to gain ownership if you don’t already have it. Good, informative read.

http://peacockstudios.wordpress.com/2010/07/26/master-of-your-domain/

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Prichard’s Distillery – Case Study

Here is a case study regarding the web site improvements for Prichard’s Distillery, a maker of fine Rums and Bourbon in Tennessee,

http://peacockstudios.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/case-study-prichards-distillery-concept-1/

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Random Blog

My friend’s blog. Well worth a read. He writes about whatever is on his mind and not always in a ‘pc’ way.

http://aorhetoric.blogspot.com/

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