1 » Though playing in the NFL again remains his top priority, former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow is doing whatever he can to be the best television analyst possible in his new role with the SEC Network. According to SI.com’s Richard Deitsch, Tebow is heavily involved in his new position and going so far as to pester SEC Nation host Joe Tessitore with questions both in and out of work. “I know when Tim states a goal he stays the course, so I understand why he firmly expresses fulfilling his NFL dreams,” Tessitore told Deitsch. “It’s who Tim is. I also know that he loves this SEC Nation job with us. I know he considers us his team. I know that he has told our producers that he wants constant feedback, he wants to be coached, and he wants to be great at TV. He calls and texts me non-stop to discuss every detail of everything we’re doing. Just last week I fielded one of his pressing concerns about a potential 90 second telestration piece he was going to voice over and explain for a broadcast — a broadcast that is still 10 days away. That’s commitment to preparation.” The first SEC Nation show will air on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. on SEC Network ahead of the channel’s first-ever live college football game – Texas A&M at South Carolina.
2 » CBSSports.com senior editor Tony Moss ranked all 128 FBS head coaches by how successful they were as football players. As it turns out, two coaches tied to Florida were placed in the top 20 of the rankings. Checking in at No. 20 is current Gators head football coach Will Muschamp, a walk-on strong safety at Georgia who became a team captain as a senior. No. 1 overall, of course, was former Florida Heisman Trophy-winning QB Steve Spurrier.
3 » Buffalo Bills linebacker Brandon Spikes is happy in his new surroundings, according to the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who spent some time with Spikes in Buffalo early this week. “I love Buffalo, man,” he said on Monday. “It’s a different environment, a little bit out of my comfort zone, but hey, that’s life. You’ve got to adapt. And like I said, it’s great. The guys have treated me like a teammate since I signed my name on the paper, so it’s been fun.” He is also excited for the opportunity to prove his many doubters wrong.
4 » Gators redshirt senior center Max Garcia took the SEC Network on an all-access tour of Florida’s facilities, including parts of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and the Heavener Football Complex. Strength and conditioning coach Jeff Dillman makes a cameo.
5 » College football assistants are none-too-pleased with the Miami Hurricanes after someone related to the program appeared to turn former Florida wide receivers coach Joker Phillips into the NCAA for a violation of the “bump” rule in recruiting. “The incident has sparked outrage among many assistants who recruit the Miami area. Three assistants, none of whom has ties to the University of Florida, said the Hurricanes have become pariahs in the recruiting world,” wrote SI.com’s Pete Thamel and Thayer Evans.
“It’s bull—-,” said one assistant, “Miami bumps and talks to kids more than anybody. They’ve started a war. They better watch out. You started messing with livelihoods and s— is going to get dirty.”
Said another assistant: “Nobody trusts Miami right now. You don’t even want to shake hands with them.”
6 » The New England Patriots have decided to hold defensive tackle Dominique Easley out of their fourth and final preseason game despite Easley having already been participating in practice for the last couple of weeks. The team still believes he will able to play in its season-opener, but Easley is still working to get his repaired knee back to 100 percent. “The real difficult part is just being confident on your knee, just getting back used to the steps and everything that you’re used to taking,” he told the Boston Herald last week. “It’s a little bit more natural, but it’s still an ACL, so there’s still a little bit there that I’ve got to get off.”
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