Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Time is running out for these five players

Satchel Paige once said, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you." For these five Florida Gators, the start of football practice on Thursday is a chance for them to make amends for shortcomings in the past. If they take a look back, they'll see lots of young, motivated talent that wants to be on the field hot on their heels. For these five guys, time is running out and it's time to prove something. 
1. EMMANUEL MOODY: I'm always reminded of that line by Roseanne Rosanadana from Saturday Night Live: "It just goes to show you it's always something. If it isn't one thing, it's always something else." That's Emmanuel Moody's Florida football career. There is no question that he has the size, the speed and the talent to be a great one but it seems that every time he gets going he dings an ankle or a shoulder or a toe ... something. He's a senior and this is a contract year. If he comes up big, he can get a big NFL contract. Even better, if he comes up big, the Gators have a back who can put the fear of God into defensive coordinators. If he spends the year nursing one injury after another, he won't get drafted. The Gators will do fine, however. They're loaded at tailback and maybe the fact that there is so much competition will motivate Moody to have the year we've been expecting since he transferred from Southern Cal. His numbers for two years in and out of the lineup with injuries are pretty darn good --- 195 carries, 1,254 yards (6.4 per carry) and six touchdowns.

2. EARL OKINE: He's got the size (6-7, 284), the body and the speed to be a great player. He got mono as a freshman and took a redshirt. Last season, he just never got it all together and wound up with two (count'em) tackles for the whole season. Now that Carlos Dunlap has moved on to the NFL, Okine could be that big, imposing defensive end whose mere presence is a nightmare for quarterbacks simply because he keeps his feet moving and his arms high. There have been whispers that Okine doesn't play with a lot of energy. With all these high profile youngsters on the defensive line, Okine needs to (a) play with a lot of energy and (b) make a move up the depth chart or else risk being buried forever.

3. JUSTIN WILLIAMS: If you don't watch what goes on with the kickoff team, you've probably missed Justin Williams. He's a valuable contributor on the special teams, but he's never gotten into the regular rotation as a receiver. Now that he's a fifth year senior, it's time for him to make his presence known. He's another one with outstanding speed and good size (6-1, 205). He showed last fall in mopup duty (six catches, 50 yards, two touchdowns) and again in the spring that he can catch the ball and do something with it after he makes the catch. It will be hard for him to become Florida's go-to receiver this year but he's good enough to become a contributor. He needs to catch at least 20 passes this season.

4. LORENZO EDWARDS: He's a fine leader, a great teammate and a terrific special teams player. This year, he's got to become a serious contributor in the linebacker rotation. He's a senior with only 43 tackles in his career. He's got the kind of size (6-1, 240) and strength to be a serious player against the run and enough speed to cover a tight end, but it's time to put it all together. He's had three years of special teams while watching the defense from the sideline. This year, it's time to get in the game and make some plays.

5. DUKE LEMMENS: He hustles. Lord, the guy hustles. Any time he's in the game, just watch and you'll see he's running hard to the football on every single play. The problem is, he arrives right after the play is made. The knock on Lemmens is that he doesn't get to the football often enough to make a play. His numbers for three years on the job are 23 tackles. He's a senior this year and the Gators are inexperienced at defensive end. It's time for him to show up and make some plays.

1 comment:

  1. all very true-we need all of them to contribute this year

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