gators moving on
Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:37 am
It has not been an easy few weeks for coach Urban Meyer and Florida's football team. Offensive coordinator Dan Mullen underwent an emergency appendectomy the night before the Auburn game.
Then the Gators were defeated by Auburn on a last-second field goal, Meyer's first loss at home. Then senior safety Tony Joiner was arrested. All charges were dropped.
Then Florida built a 10-point second-half lead only to let it slip away at then-No. 1 LSU in a 28-24 decision. Finally, and most devastating, Meyer and the Gators had to deal with the death of walk-on Michael Guilford, who was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday morning. Meyer tried to keep everything in perspective after Thursday's practice.
"It's easy when you start to realize you're the head coach of the Florida Gators," Meyer said. "I have three great children, a great wife and a great football team with a future that's ridiculous, so it's really not that hard. The hardest thing is the tragedy we had to deal with.
"We're competing for the SEC East in October and I get to coach (Tim) Tebows and (Percy) Harvins and Bubba Caldwells and Major Wrights. There are some people who have real issues out there. I'm a pretty fortunate guy to be able to do this. I love getting up every day. My greatest three hours of the day are (practice). I love every minute of it."
All the distractions seem to be in the past for No. 15 Florida which visits seventh-ranked Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised by CBS. Meyer said sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson looked good in Thursday's practice but it is not definite he will play this weekend. Freshman cornerback Joe Haden also looked good, Meyer said.
Caldwell (knee) is close to 100 percent and sophomore wide receiver Riley Cooper is at full speed. Harvin is back to 100 percent after dealing with multiple injuries. Through all of the disruptions the past few weeks Meyer said he finds solace around his team and family.
"I'm not one of those guys that like to be by myself," he said. "The people that know me very well, I'm either with my family or my team. I don't do a whole lot else other than go for a jog a couple times a week. I'm never by myself. I'm going to go eat with my team here in a minute and love every second of it and then after that get to go home with my family. I'm not going to go sit in a room and watch TV by myself."
Asked to reflect what Guilford meant to the team, Meyer said he was a valuable member and a person that was unforgettable. Florida players are expected to wear a sticker on their helmets starting this weekend in Guilford's memory.
"There are certain people that have that electricity about them, when you never forget a person when you meet them," he said. "That's the kind of guy Michael was. He was valuable. He wasn't a guy who stood on the sidelines and held a bag. He was a very valuable member of this team…It humbles you when you realize how fragile everything is."
The team cut short Thursday's practice by about 20 minutes and Meyer said it was because of the bye week. He said the team is right on schedule for its Saturday afternoon matchup against the Wildcats, who are coming off a three-overtime win over LSU last week.
"We're getting ready to go," Meyer said. "We had a great day today. We're throwing it around. Percy looks fast. Bubba looks fast. Defense is flying around. Great day."
Then the Gators were defeated by Auburn on a last-second field goal, Meyer's first loss at home. Then senior safety Tony Joiner was arrested. All charges were dropped.
Then Florida built a 10-point second-half lead only to let it slip away at then-No. 1 LSU in a 28-24 decision. Finally, and most devastating, Meyer and the Gators had to deal with the death of walk-on Michael Guilford, who was killed in a motorcycle accident Friday morning. Meyer tried to keep everything in perspective after Thursday's practice.
"It's easy when you start to realize you're the head coach of the Florida Gators," Meyer said. "I have three great children, a great wife and a great football team with a future that's ridiculous, so it's really not that hard. The hardest thing is the tragedy we had to deal with.
"We're competing for the SEC East in October and I get to coach (Tim) Tebows and (Percy) Harvins and Bubba Caldwells and Major Wrights. There are some people who have real issues out there. I'm a pretty fortunate guy to be able to do this. I love getting up every day. My greatest three hours of the day are (practice). I love every minute of it."
All the distractions seem to be in the past for No. 15 Florida which visits seventh-ranked Kentucky at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be televised by CBS. Meyer said sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson looked good in Thursday's practice but it is not definite he will play this weekend. Freshman cornerback Joe Haden also looked good, Meyer said.
Caldwell (knee) is close to 100 percent and sophomore wide receiver Riley Cooper is at full speed. Harvin is back to 100 percent after dealing with multiple injuries. Through all of the disruptions the past few weeks Meyer said he finds solace around his team and family.
"I'm not one of those guys that like to be by myself," he said. "The people that know me very well, I'm either with my family or my team. I don't do a whole lot else other than go for a jog a couple times a week. I'm never by myself. I'm going to go eat with my team here in a minute and love every second of it and then after that get to go home with my family. I'm not going to go sit in a room and watch TV by myself."
Asked to reflect what Guilford meant to the team, Meyer said he was a valuable member and a person that was unforgettable. Florida players are expected to wear a sticker on their helmets starting this weekend in Guilford's memory.
"There are certain people that have that electricity about them, when you never forget a person when you meet them," he said. "That's the kind of guy Michael was. He was valuable. He wasn't a guy who stood on the sidelines and held a bag. He was a very valuable member of this team…It humbles you when you realize how fragile everything is."
The team cut short Thursday's practice by about 20 minutes and Meyer said it was because of the bye week. He said the team is right on schedule for its Saturday afternoon matchup against the Wildcats, who are coming off a three-overtime win over LSU last week.
"We're getting ready to go," Meyer said. "We had a great day today. We're throwing it around. Percy looks fast. Bubba looks fast. Defense is flying around. Great day."