The Long Snapper (2/9/10)
USF
will have more former players at the NFL Combine than any other Big East team. Pretty impressive for a program still trying to establish itself as an NFL player provider. The Bulls will send wide receiver
Carlton Mitchell
(an early entry), defensive ends
Jason Pierre-Paul
(also an early entry) and
George Selvie
, linebacker
Kion Wilson
, cornerback
Jerome Murphy
, and safety
Nate Allen
to the pre-draft event. Pierre-Paul has a very real chance of being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in April. A strong showing at the combine will solidify his status.
Skip Holtz will drop the puck at Thursday night’s Tampa Bay Lightning game. Of course it’s ceremonial and doesn’t really mean the game begins with the drop. Sports would be a lot more interesting if it did though. Throwing out the first pitch should mean you’re really throwing out the first pitch. None of this for fun crap anymore. Let’s see Holtz drop the puck then attempt to get out of the way before being run over by angry Canadians.
ESPN.com’s Chris Low has made a list of the top five SEC players he believes will be the toughest to replace. A top that list is of course former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Not necessarily because the highly-touted John Brantley can’t do it, but because of everything Tebow brought to the Gators. Play on the field, leadership, attitude, etc. Tebow was much more than another football player. The offense will change under Brantley and he seems destined to be a great player in his own right, but it’s everything else people are wondering if he’ll bring. Can he be the emotional leader Tebow was? Those will be the shoes Brantley is expected to fill. He’ll be able to win games, but can he get the rest of the team to rise up during the situations they need a leader most?
Low also has a top five list of the SEC newcomers to watch. The top two on that list have Florida connections. #1 is new Auburn quarterback Cameron Newton – someone Gator fans surely remember. Newton is back in the SEC and has the tools to be a very good quarterback for the Tigers. Look for him to help push Auburn closer to the top of the SEC West. #2 on the list is Florida redshirt freshman do-it-all athlete Andre Debose. Debose was one of the top players coming out of high school a year ago, but his hamstring wouldn’t let him get on the field in 2009. He’ll suit up for the Gators for the first time in 2010 and could end up being one of Florida’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
Chris Leak made a statement before he ever suited up for the Gators. Something about winning 3-4 National Championships and 2-3 Heisman Trophies. Not to take away from Leak’s bravado (I was actually quite the Leak supporter during his time at Florida), but many wondered if he should have been so bold. Leak did leave with a title, and two short years after he was gone the Gators won another, but didn’t reach the level he predicted. This time around it’s defensive end Lynden Trail. Trail has been very vocal in his support of Florida and his overwhelming desire to be a Gator (something I, for one, am very happy about) and recently said he believes Florida will win 2-3 National Championships during his time there*. When Leak said it, it had been years since the Gators won their first title. When Trail said it, Florida was only just over a year removed from hoisting the trophy and just came off a 13-1 season. Although some may wish players weren’t so boisterous before stepping on the field, Trail’s prediction has a much better chance of coming true than Leak’s did.
* For your own good, avoid reading the comments left on most Swamp Things articles.