I correspond with Justin Wells on Twitter. He's a nice guy.. great insight into the world of recruiting.
On Wed, Sep 8, 2010 at 8:46 AM, Jerry Belloit <bell...@clarion.edu> wrote: > He went to a start-up site at http://florida.247sports.com/. He took > Justin Wells with him. It is still in its infancy. Clearly he hurt > GatorCountry.com when he left. Ray has done a pretty good job with hiring > some quality replacements. Dugan Arnett has some of Franz’s ability to get > at the human interest story behind the regular story. Derek Tyson has done > a decent job at replacing Justin as well. They have made some other new > hires but they have not yet had the impact of Dugan and Derek. > > > > I still support GatorCountry and Ray—particularly because of its historic > connection with GatorNet. One of the difficulties with GatorCountry and > even GatorNet is that over time, we become family. When someone leaves, it > is like a divorce. It hurts, we grieve, we wonder if things will ever be > the same. I still miss PD and Jeff Brown, to mention a two. On > GatorCountry I miss Franz, Justin, and even Hollywood Bob. Unfortunately, > premium web sites are a business and not just family.** > > > > Jerry > > *From:* gatortalk@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatort...@googlegroups.com] *On > Behalf Of *oli...@bobparks.com > *Sent:* Wednesday, September 08, 2010 7:12 AM > *To:* Gator Talk > *Subject:* [gatortalk] Fw: [gatornews] Mike Pouncey looking for a good > night's sleep > > > > So, this is where Franz Beard ended up? Where is he? Can't tell from the > article. > And, are they the Golden Bulls? I thought just the Bulls. > > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry > ------------------------------ > > *From: *Jerry Belloit <bell...@clarion.edu> > > *Sender: *gatorn...@googlegroups.com > > *Date: *Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:43:34 -0400 > > *To: *<gatorn...@googlegroups.com> > > *ReplyTo: > *gatornews+own...@googlegroups.com<gatornews%2bown...@googlegroups.com> > > *Subject: *[gatornews] Mike Pouncey looking for a good night's sleep > > > Mike Pouncey looking for a good night's sleep Franz Beard > Senior Writer > > 2 hours ago > > · > *Share**1*<http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fflorida.247sports.com%2FArticle%2FMike-Pouncey-looking-for-a-good-nights-sleep-370&t=Mike%20Pouncey%20looking%20for%20a%20good%20night's%20sleep&src=sp> > > · > > · > Comments<http://florida.247sports.com/Article/Mike-Pouncey-looking-for-a-good-nights-sleep-370#comments> > *0* > > · Add a > comment<http://florida.247sports.com/Article/Mike-Pouncey-looking-for-a-good-nights-sleep-370#comments> > > Mike Pouncey <http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863> needs for > Saturday to get here quickly. After a nightmare game against Miami (OH) last > weekend that left him feeling truly embarrassed and the subject of national > ridicule, he needs to play well against USF when the Golden Bulls come to > town (12:21 p.m.; Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; SEC Network). He needs to redeem > himself. Then and only then will he get a good night’s rest. > > Several bad snaps by Pouncey set the tone for an effort so uninspiring that > the Florida Gators fell from third in the coaches poll to sixth in the most > recent rankings. Although the Gators finished off Miami to the tune of > 34-12, their miserable offensive output (212 total yards), the lingering > memory of Florida’s opening game win of the 2010 season is a mistake-filled > effort for which Mike Pouncey<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863> > has asked to shoulder all the blame. He feels his poor effort reflected > poorly on his teammates and that is a burden that he’s been carrying for the > past three days. > > “I’m the leader of the offense and when the leader is messing it up, it > makes everybody look bad,” Pouncey said early Tuesday afternoon. “It’s just > not expected out of me. I’ve been busting my tail. I haven’t been able to > sleep all week ever since the game, trying to get it right and it’s going to > be right this weekend.” > > If there is a word that probably best describes Mike, the half of the > Pouncey twins who stayed for his senior year (Maurice left early, was > selected by Pittsburgh in the first round of the NFL Draft and earned the > starting center job for the Steelers over veteran Justin Hart wig) it is > pride. He’s proud to be a Gator and proud to be the team leader. He expects > to play well every time out. A second-team All-American at right guard last > year, Mike came back to play center, the position where Maurice earned the > Remington Award as the nation’s best last year. > > When you’ve invested so much into a new position and earning a chance to > better yourself in the next NFL Draft --- as a guard Mike would project late > second or early third round at best but as a center late first or early > second --- a game like the one Mike > Pouncey<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863> > had Saturday is the worst possible nightmare. He’s been called out on > ESPN by Mark May and is the star of a bloopers compilation on You Tube. > > The snap issues were brand new for Mike and nothing he had experienced > before either in practice or in games. He was the backup center last year > and even played half of the Sugar Bowl victory over Cincinnati at center > without a single snap incident. When his third snap of the game went > bouncing past quarterback Johnny Brantley it was a surprise, but he didn’t > think it would happen again. > > It did. He bounced two more past Brantley during the game and was off > target on at least seven other snaps. > > After the game, Mike Pouncey<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863> > stood before the media and accepted the blame for the way the entire team > played, knowing as he spoke that he was going to have to atone for his bad > game and atonement started with figuring out what went wrong, then doing > something about it. > > “I grew up where if you’re doing something wrong you change it,” Mike said. > “I was doing something wrong so I don’t want to stay the same. If I stay the > same we’ll be back in here asking about the same thing [Saturday].” > > There are theories about what went wrong --- nerves, not locking his wrist, > too anxious to block instead of first focusing on getting the snap right, > sweaty palms. The list goes on and on. By now, Mike has heard them all. > Sunday morning when he and Brantley worked a long time to correct the snap > issues, Mike changed his grip on the ball. He was holding it closer to the > middle of the ball last weekend. Sunday morning he found he was comfortable > gripping near the nose of the ball and at Sunday night’s practice, the new > grip produced good results once again. Just to be sure he was doing the > right thing, Mike called Maurice to talk about snap mechanics. > > “Everybody holds the ball different,” Mike said. “I was trying to hold it a > certain way that was comfortable for me and I asked him [Maurice] when I > changed it. I said I moved my hand all the way up to the top of the ball, > how do you hold it? He was like, ‘I don’t hold it like that.’ He was like, > ‘I’ve got to hold it how I’m comfortable holding it.’ “ > > And, it’s not like Maurice didn’t struggle when he first took over as > Florida’s center in 2008. Maurice Pouncey started at right guard as a > freshman at UF in 2007 while Mike was starting at nose tackle to help out > the defense. In the spring of 2008, Maurice moved over to center and Mike > found a home at right guard where he started 28 straight games. > > Those first practices in the spring of 2008 were a bit adventurous for > Maurice, who offered Mike a bit of solace Saturday. > > “He told me that when he first started at center two years ago he had the > same thing,” Mike said. “His wasn’t as bad but he had high snaps that went > everywhere.” > > During the game Saturday, Mike also drew strength from teammates who never > once lost faith in him. They knew he was struggling with the snaps. That was > obvious. The whole world saw it. > > But none of them felt compelled to get on his case or call him out. > > “All those guys respect me so much,” Mike said. “Even when I was messing > the snaps up Saturday, they didn’t say anything to me because they know I’m > going to get it right. I respect the guys for that. I love my teammates > because none of them turned their back on me. We’re just moving forward. > This made us a stronger team and we needed it.” > > Pouncey says he’s put last Saturday’s game behind him. He’s confident that > the snap issues are a thing of the past and he’s ready to concentrate his > efforts on helping the Gators play very well against USF. He thinks that > having a couple of familiar faces back on the offensive line will help > matters considerably. Against Miami, the Gators played with Marcus > Gilbert<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Marcus-Gilbert-4815> > at left tackle, James Wilson<http://247sports.com/Recruit/James-Wilson-4889> > at left guard, Mike Pouncey<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863> > at center, Jon Halation <http://247sports.com/Recruit/Jon-Halapio-4822> at > right guard and Mo Hurt at right tackle. Everyone but Wilson was making his > first collegiate start at their position. > > “We get Carl Johnson <http://247sports.com/Recruit/Carl-Johnson-4838> (left > guard) back this week and we get Xavier > Nixon<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Xavier-Nixon-4855> > (left tackle) so we’ll be a much stronger unit,” Pouncey said. Johnson > had 24 consecutive starts on the offensive line before missing the Miami > game for disciplinary reasons. Nixon, who had arthroscopic surgery on his > knee a couple of weeks ago, is hopeful he will play, which will allow > Gilbert to move back to right tackle where he started all 14 games last > season. > > No matter who starts where on the offensive line, Pouncey is convinced the > Gators will play much better when they’ve got the football against USF. > During the past three days, there has been plenty of criticism leveled at > offensive coordinator Steve > Adagio<http://247sports.com/Coach/Steve-Addazio-148> > for Florida’s poor offensive showing in game one, but Pouncey thinks the > criticism is wrongly directed and he thinks the Gators will prove it > Saturday. > > “We trust in Coach Adagio,” Pouncey said. “He made great calls on Saturday > but we didn’t execute the calls. Our offense could have been explosive last > Saturday. I feel like if we don’t [execute], I’m going to have to delete my > Face book account. They’re killing me.” > > That’s not the only thing that’s killing him. A good night of rest would be > a good thing for Mike Pouncey<http://247sports.com/Recruit/Mike-Pouncey-4863>, > but that won’t come until Saturday night and it will happen only if the > Gators have played well, beaten USF and if he executes all the center snaps > properly. > > > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > > -- > GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! > 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions > 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions > 2008 National Football Champions | > Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), > Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us > -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us