August 28, 2007
When basketball coach Billy Donovan talked to the football team about preparing for the season after winning the national championship, he told them "to not drink the poison." Translated: Don't get complacent. Don't buy into the hype.
Football coach Urban Meyer likes to call it the human element. Both phrases have a punch to them. Everyone involved with the team has to steer clear of falling into that trap including Meyer. It hasn't been a problem.
"I don't want to say mature but once you reach a certain age I think you're beyond that somewhat," Meyer said after Tuesday's practice. "You have to guard on that too; start thinking you have all the answers.
"We have a defensive staff everybody told them how good they were after that national championship game. Now we're going to find out because we have a bunch of new players out there. Same thing on offense. That's probably the only human element I can see is people losing that edge but I don't see that in our staff."
Florida opens its season against Western Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Meyer said sophomore cornerback Markihe Anderson will "almost for sure" not play this weekend. There's a chance Anderson, who has a sprained right knee, will be ready for Troy on Sept. 8. If Anderson can play this weekend, Meyer said he'll play him.
"I'm tempted (to sit him) but if he can go, he'll go," Meyer said. "You can't play corner limping around. We'll know more (Wednesday) on that one."
Asked if freshman Chris Rainey worked out at cornerback, Meyer said he will not play that position on defense but practices there during punt rush drills. Rainey has worked mainly at running back and wide receiver this preseason.
Meyer called junior running back Kestahn Moore "excellent." He said sophomore Percy Harvin and fifth-year senior Andre Caldwell have transformed from being fast guys and good receivers to excellent receivers. Moore and sophomore Jarred Fayson will start out returning kicks against Western Kentucky, Meyer said.
"(Fayson is) intelligent," he said. "He's a football guy. He can go in and play quarterback, tailback and receiver and that's an invaluable guy to have in your offense. He can do it all. He's a smart guy."
Meyer said fifth-year senior defensive tackle Clint McMillan had a solid practice. Freshman offensive lineman James Wilson is supposed to return Monday from a knee injury. Sophomore running back Mon Williams, who injured his knee in spring practice, was doing individual work during practice but Meyer said Williams will still miss this season.
More Meyer quotes
On keeping young players focused during game week: "It's the reason we work so hard and take up almost all their time. We have a lot of trouble with that. It's going to get worse once the masses show up."
On being at Florida for three years and recruiting: "People say you coach other coaches' guys well and I don't look at it that way. They're just football players. It's nice to know the families you recruit. You get a really strong relationship. I have not had that experience yet (of coaching a player for five years). I guess when I was an assistant I did. I have not had a guy for five years. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I never thought about it but it's kind of a neat deal."
On the difference between getting ready for the opener in his first season compared to this year: "I keep taking shots but we had some unbelievable players on that team. But, overall, the resistance really showed up when it got hard. That's when I really saw it. Going into two-a-days I saw some of it. Young guys trying to quit, guys who are veterans trying to leave the program and I don't see that right now."