SIX BITS: Tebow and Meyer, Brantley, Stamper

1 » The hottest topic of conversation right now is whether or not the Florida Gators and head coach Urban Meyer did enough to help quarterback Tim Tebow prepare for an NFL career. The two schools of thought are that (a) Meyer’s primary responsibility is winning college football games and that (b) Meyer got more out of Tebow than the player did out of his four years at the University of Florida.

Check out five more BITS on Florida football players…after the break!

2 » While it has become trendy to say that Tebow will fail in the NFL, the people working with him closely and those that know him best laugh at that assumption. One of those men is Sam Wyche, a former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers who decided to stake his reputation on Tebow’s success on the next level. “If this guy can’t be a starting quarterback in the NFL, then I was in the wrong profession for a lot of years,” Wyche said.

3 » ESPN’s Chris Low put together a nice breakdown of what the Florida faithful should watch for during spring practices beginning March 17. He believes Gators fans should keep an eye on Meyer’s involvement, redshirt sophomore QB John Brantley taking the reigns and the team finding more playmakers around him.

4 » Speaking of Brantley, ESPN college football reporter Joe Schad placed him at No. 1 of his “top 10 storylines to watch this spring.” Schad writes, “Replacing Tim Tebow is no easy task. But while Brantley may lack bull-rushing ability, he possesses pure passing talent. Hard to believe Brantley is a junior already. He has skill. Spring is the time to step forward and become a team leader.”

5 » ESPN NFL writer Len Pasquarelli named former UF linebacker Ryan Stamper as one of six players who were not invited to the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine but may still get drafted in two months. “Two-year starter for Gators; sometimes got lost in the shadow of teammate Brandon Spikes. Was a team captain who started at weakside and inside positions. Not especially big (6-2, 235). Appeared in 41 games and totaled 73 tackles in ’09. Should be able to help immediately on special teams.”

6 » Back to Tebow, where ESPN AFC East blogger Tim Grham speculates that the makeover of his mechanics has significant undertones because all four of his coaches have ties with the division.

Photo Credit: John Raoux/Associated Press