You are not alone, Oliver. Paula and I are both excited about the prospects. We have the motorhome in a shop in Ocala getting spruced up for the fall campaign...every game, home and away. Can't wait!
I'm on the fence and agree that things could fall either way. The team could sneak up on everybody and be very special. With a new coaching staff, offensive and defensive schemes and, as always, new personel at key positions, it could get bumpy. Even the Tebow learned to respect Ole Missy. Looking at the whole SEC I'm excited for the season to start. It's fun to watch Spurrier be excited about a team for the first time in years. I wish the Old Ball Coach nothing but success until the Gators get to Columbia. Having our first road game be a night game at Death Valley at LSU will be a hoot as usual following a few nights of reverlry in New Orleans. Focus on the food! Beating up on the SOD (son of dawg) when Tennessee comes to Mecca should be cool. We'll find out what we have at that game. Beating Auburn on the Plains is always tough. We'll see. I'm just glad I was there to see us beat 'em in Auburn for the first time at was then called Cliff Hare Stadium (no, his first name wasn't Jordan). What would Halloween be without kicking our Dawg's butt? Jax is always fun. The Semi's will be a handful. I'm glad we get 'em in the Swamp. Not long now, gang. I can smell it. A. Leon Polhill, Gator "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." - Mark Twain ________________________________ From: Oliver Barry <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, August 10, 2011 12:08:11 PM Subject: [gatortalk] FW: [gatornews] GatorNews From The Gainesville SUN For 8/10, Courtesy of Shane Ford I know, I’m biased. But, I really think the Gators have a chance to be something special this season. Brantley ought to do well in this new offense, we have as much talent as we’ve ever had. And, we’ve got experience in certain important skill positions. If Deonte Thompson can catch a pass, the center can get the ball back to Brantley without too much ado, and a couple of other minor problems can get cleared up with the offense, this will be a very special team. The Defense should be great! There’s a lot of talent and experience there, especially in the line. The secondary has lost Janoris Jenkins, but there’s an awful lot of talent to take up any slack there. I’m thinking the Gators are going to have a great season!! Other thoughts? Am I the only one here suffering from delusions? Oliver Barry CRS,GRI Real Estate Broker Bob Parks Realty 1517 Hunt Club Blvd GallatinTN 37066 Phone: 615-826-4040 Fax: 615-822-2027 Mobile: 615-972-4239 Brantley's development key for Florida in 2011 By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer Published: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7:12 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 at 7:12 p.m. John Brantley never really fit in Florida 's spread offense. He seemed fine sitting on the bench behind Tim Tebow. But when it was his turn, little went right. Brantley struggled to read defenses, missed open receivers and often held the ball too long. Things were so bad that Brantley, a lifelong Gators fan whose father and uncle played in Gainesville , considered following coach Urban Meyer out the door. He eventually chose to stick around under first-year head coach Will Muschamp, swayed by the hiring of offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. His decision and his ability to transition to Weis' pro-style offense could be keys as Florida tries to survive a tough schedule and compete in the Southeastern Conference. The Gators open the season Sept. 3 against Florida Atlantic. They also face Alabama , LSU, South Carolina and Florida State . For Florida to have success, they need more Brantley. Teammates insist they've already seen improvement. "Big difference," receiver Deonte Thompson said. "He came in confident. He's taking control of the huddle. He walks around different. His whole swagger's back right now. We expect big things from him." The Gators expected big things from Brantley last year, too. He completed 61 percent of his passes for 2,061 yards, with nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He became the first player to lead Florida in passing and throw more INTs than TDs since Kyle Morris in 1988. That dubious distinction is far from what anyone expected from one of the country's prized recruits in 2007. Brantley watched and learned from Tebow for three seasons, and some expected Florida 's offense to run as smoothly with Brantley under center. It wasn't even close. It didn't help that the Gators were plagued by bad snaps, dropped passes, turnovers, sacks, missed field goals and poor execution in the red zone. All the issues resulted in some of the program's worst offensive performances in more than two decades. Brantley received the brunt of the blame. Meyer, who quit shortly after the season, tried to spark the floundering offense by experimenting with tight end Jordan Reed and versatile Trey Burton at quarterback. Neither proved to be a long-term solution. "I definitely learned last year that when things aren't going right or when things are just going wrong, you need to forget about it and just move on," Brantley said. "You have to keep your head up and keep pushing forward. If your head is down, other people's heads are going to go down. "You have to keep moving. Bad things aren't unavoidable. They've going to happen, even if you're the No. 1 team in the country. A play or two is not always going to be perfect. You just have to forget about it and move on." Muschamp, the former head coach-in-waiting at Texas , said Brantley is the clear-cut starter ahead of freshmen Tyler Murphy, Jeff Driskel and Jacoby Brissett heading into the Sept. 3 season opener against Florida Atlantic. Muschamp said Weis' history of developing quarterbacks - Tom Brady, Brady Quinn, Jimmy Clausen and Matt Cassel are on his resume - should benefit Brantley. "He's got great confidence in John. That should give John great confidence," Muschamp said. "Here's Charlie Weis, who's coached some of the best quarterbacks that maybe have ever played the game. ... That ought to give him great confidence as a quarterback, and I think it does." Even though Brantley is a senior and an integral part of the offense, the Gators don't plan to lean on him in 2011. Muschamp wants a stout running game, with undersized backs Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey carrying the load, and hopes to get chunks of yards through play-action passes. It could be a good fit for Brantley. At least a better fit than the spread. "Coming off last year, (Brantley's) definitely more confident," receiver Frankie Hammond Jr. said. "He looks more settled. Things should turn around and it should get better." -- 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
