Florida held a scrimmage on Saturday and if you didn’t know any better you would think the Gators have a long way to go on … offense! UF’s defense is winning spring practice right now and not only do I think that is a good thing, I also think it is by design. I certainly believe Charlie Strong, Dan Mullen and Urban Meyer are the only ones who know how UF is setting up practice, but it’s obvious to me the enthusiasm is on the defensive side.
Playing defense is really more about effort and intensity than most anything. Sure you need a good scheme, but if you are thinking and not reacting then Vince Lombardi can’t make you stop anyone. Let me be one of the first if it has not already been said and that is Florida’s defense will be really good this fall.
Historically during most springs the defense should be ahead of the offense. If it is not coaches tend to worry for an entire summer. Defensive players can familiarize themselves with the offense and the checks very quickly to win a drill. A couple of times on Saturday UF called a corner blitz in which the safety knew exactly where the quarterback’s hot read was and covered it up nicely. This is great in the spring, but will the defensive backs have the confidence to attack it this way in the fall? With that said I love the energy of the defense and here are some of the guys that stood out to me in a short period of time.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Carlos Dunlap made a lot of plays and certainly was in the backfield a bunch. He is physically talented and quick off the edge. A couple of thoughts on his game: First he looks like a guy who is strong enough to rip inside on pass rush and not just be an “edge” guy. He must be more consistent on plays away from him. Young guys try to make every play and he made a bunch, but expect the coaches to demand more from him.
Jaye Howard passes the eye test for me. I realize he has not been discussed a lot but keep an eye on him. I like what little I saw of him at the defensive end spot.
Terron Sanders looked as good as I have seen him at Florida. He could be a guy who can give you depth at tackle and actually make some plays.
Torrey Davis is good when he is not tired. He tends to stand straight up and start looking into the backfield after several plays. He again looks like he can help UF at defensive tackle.
Justin Trattou looks bigger than last season and is filling out nicely.
BACK SEVEN: Brandon Spikes looks more fluid than recent years. He has always been a straight line tough guy between the tackles. But expect him to be more active in plays down the line of scrimmage towards the sideline. Jerimy Finch will play a lot for UF this fall. It is hard to tell if he is 100 percent because we had not seen enough of him before he got injured to gauge his progress. He is a tough kid who looks like he can play closer to the line of scrimmage.
Jamar Hornsby was very active and really cut it loose. Remember this kid wrecked his knee in high school and has had a difficult time adjusting his first two years in college. He has freak-like size and range from the safety position. I think UF has four guys who will play in the middle. Ahmad Black is fearless and tough along with the two starters Major Wright and Dorian Munroe.
Jacques Rickerson continues to be very active. He is showing the kind of brass displayed by former Gator great Keiwan Ratliff. I think he can be much in the same mold as Keiwan.
OFFENSIVE LINE: I was disappointed in the push up front in the run game. UF could not run straight ahead against the front four. Some poor snaps and breakdowns in run blocking really affected this performance. I thought pass protection was good at times and really think this unit is in experimental mode. Jason Watkins and Jim Tartt are solid while others are looking to develop. As I mentioned earlier, I really fell like these guys are swimming upstream against the defense which has it’s ears pinned back.
RUNNING BACK: Chris Rainey is a player, but I have said that before and really don’t need to see him practice. I saw this guy in high school and knew he could be a factor in this system. He is doing a good job of making people miss. UF is getting the ball to him in space and he is delivering. Don’t worry about his size (he looks bigger). He is a football player.
Kestahn Moore looks like the same guy to me, reliable and a good blocker. I did not see enough carries for Mon Williams and Emmanuel Moody. I think this will change in the coming week. The offensive line has to win at the point of attack or these guys could be Emmitt Smith and it won’t matter.
RECEIVERS: UF is experimenting with Percy Harvin out and I like it. With the increased size of Cornelius Ingram and his improved blocking, UF can go two tight with Aaron Hernandez and run its offense. Going two tight helps with teams who blitz a lot or have salty defensive ends (LSU). By using these guys to block or chip UF can still run the ball or get into the passing game. Louis Murphy looks like and NFL receiver and count me as a fan of Carl Moore. I think Dan Mullen will use Moore a lot inside the 20 and red zone situations.
QUARTERBACKS: Tim Tebow didn’t have a great day and most of that was due to the defense. He is a gamer and will always look better in the games than in practice in my opinion. UF tried working on it’s down field passing game with him in but credit the secondary for good coverage. Cam Newton got the lion’s share of the repetitions and showed good mobility. He made some plays but in my opinion still made some crucial mistakes. He has been around long enough to know not to throw back against his body. Because of his incredible arm strength he feels like he can make all the throws but needs to learn to eat it sometimes and live to see another play.
FINAL THOUGHTS: UF has to amp up the inside run game this week. I realize the defense needs confidence but developing a running back besides Moore will make this offense better. I realize Moody is struggling with learning the plays so he needs to be in Dan Mullen’s offense everyday. He did not get enough carries and I think UF needs to have a scrimmage where he gets 15-20 carries and see what he can do ... I don’t think you will see John Brantley Jr. in a scrimmage this spring. He can throw but cannot even take a bump on his injured shoulder. I have heard that this will not settle the back-up quarterback battle, but if you are coming for the Orange and Blue Game it is unlikely you will see number 12 ... I expect the offense to win the next scrimmage. UF will benefit greatly from having Phil Trautwein back on the offensive line in the fall. He is technically the best lineman on campus and his leadership and nastiness make a difference … UF looks to be developing a lot of depth at key positions. Defensive back, linebacker, defensive line and wide receiver are positions where UF is going to be in very good shape with depth.