Austin won't try to reinvent the wheel

In the ideal defense that Teryl Austin dreams to put on the field at the University of Florida, the blitz will be used sparingly, needed only for a change of pace because the defensive linemen are spending the entire game in the backfield harassing the opposing quarterback. Having spent most of his coaching career in the National Football League, Austin knows that the more pressure from the defensive line, the less you need the blitz which means more players in position to make plays on the football.

"I think if everyone could do that they would because then you don’t put yourself in stressful situations and you don‘t put yourself in terms of your team in situations where you might not have the right numbers," Austin said Monday morning after the Gators concluded their first full practice with both the freshmen and returning vets together. 

As Florida's new defensive coordinator, Austin isn't bringing a new philosophy to the table or advocating wholesale changes in the way things are done. The Gators won two national championships in the previous five seasons with a dominating defense sculpted by coordinator Charlie Strong, who became Louisville's new head coach after the 2009 season. Obviously, what Strong was doing worked quite well so there is no need to reinvent the wheel.

Instead of turning things upside down, Austin, who coached record-breaking secondaries that got their teams to the Super Bowl in both Seattle and Arizona, will tweak a few things along the way but the philosophy --- get the best players on the field and tailor the defense to what they do best --- will stay the same. 

Because he is back in the college game for the first time since 2002 when he coached the secondary at Michigan, Austin is relying heavily on input from Chuck Heater and Dan McCarney, holdovers from the previous staff, and from new linebackers coach D.J. Durkin, who came to Florida after a successful stint at Stanford. Heater has been a part of two national championships at Florida (2006 and 2008) while McCarney was on the 2008 staff. 

The 2006 team rarely blitzed, getting almost all of its pressure from a front four that held  Ohio State to 83 total yards in Florida's 41-14 national championship win over Ohio State. Ohio State's Heisman Trophy quarterback Troy Smith still hears the footsteps from Derrick Harvey and Jarvis Moss. Florida's 2008 national championship team didn't get near the pass rush from the front four so it needed a variety of zone and corner blitzes to bring the pressure.

Both systems worked well because they were designed to fit the talents of the personnel and that's a philosophy that isn't going to change just because there is a new defensive coordinator. 

"The big thing I didn’t want to do is come in here and say I’m changing everything," Austin said. "Really, at the end of the day it’s what can our guys do and do well. So we kind of merged all that together. No egos in our (defensive) room. The bottom line is we want to do what is best for our team. Because I did it someway somewhere else doesn’t make it right and because they did it someway somewhere doesn’t make it right. The big thing is what’s right for this team this year."

Ideally, he says, what is right is for the pressure to come from the defensive line and he's confident that he will find the right combinations from those 17 scholarship linemen to make it work. 

"It's (pressure) going to come our pass rush," he said. "Our guys are going to get it done."

If the Gators can get it done up front then the secondary and linebackers can be more aggressive. Austin likes to attack and while he would like to get most of the quarterback pressure from his front four, he's not afraid to blitz. He also knows that game situations sometimes require more of a read and react scheme. 

No matter the scheme, however, the Gators will be aggressive. 

"We’re going to be aggressive which doesn’t always mean blitzing," Austin said. "I think sometimes people get the idea that if you’re an aggressive team you’re always a blitzing team. That doesn’t mean that. I think we can be aggressive without blitzing. I think we’ll fall somewhere in between but that will be dictated by the game."

Unlike the NFL whose schemes on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball are often limited by personnel numbers (you can only carry 47 players on an active game day roster), the college game is more wide open due to greater depth (85 scholarship players available. While a majority of NFL teams stick with the West Coast offense, the college game is gravitating toward the spread.

And, as Alabama proved in last year's SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, it's possible to run power formations and switch to the spread without changing personnel. That puts tremendous pressure on defensive coordinators to have players flexible enough to switch from a 4-3, which is better for rushing the passer, to a 3-4, which is better against the spread.

Austin says the Gators will be flexible enough in their schemes to run both a 4-3 and a 3-4 but because of the spread, you might see more 3-4 this year than you're used to.

"I think that’s probably what you’re seeing because you can be a little more flexible in some of things you can do with a 4-3 but at the end of the day you have to make sure you have the right personnel on the field," Austin said. "If they’re spreading you out, they usually have a plan why they’re spreading you out and how they’re spreading you out so you have to have figure that out before you change personnel just to change personnel. I think the 3-4 does give you flexibility because you can match up your balance, their balance and we go and we just play from there."

From a philosophical standpoint, flexibility is critical. From a practical standpoint, it's all about fitting the scheme to the talent of the personnel.

"It all goes back to the same thing: what can our players do, what can they do well, what gives us the best chance to win?" Austin said. "If it is getting into some 3-4 then it’s getting in a 3-4. If it’s staying in a 4-3 and letting our guys hunt off the edge that’s what we’re going to do."

* * * 

If there is one player on the defensive side of the ball who helped himself the most in the offseason, Austin says it is fourth-year junior tackle Jaye Howard. 

"The one guy Coach Mick (strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti) talked about a bunch who really had a heckuva summer is Jaye Howard," Austin said. "Jaye Howard, from what I understand in the past, hasn’t been that guy but he really has kind of turned the corner and he is one guy that kept coming up that Mick was saying ‘boy he really had an outstanding summer for him’ in addition to numerous guys but he is one guy that kind of turned the corner that we’re counting on."

* * *

Florida's 2010 defense will be led by a strong group of veterans. The Gators have starters or experienced players at every position except one and that is the corner opposite two-year starter Janoris Jenkins. When spring practice ended, the open corner position was a two-way battle between senior Moses Jenkins, who has distinguished himself as a special teams standout but not as part of the regular defense, and Jeremy Brown, whose back issues have caused him to miss the last two seasons since he early enrolled in January of 2008. Brown is healthy now and ready to compete with Jenkins for the starters job, but Austin warns that several freshmen will also be given a chance to compete for the job.

Janoris Jenkins is secure as one starter, but the second spot will go to whoever proves to be the second best player at the corner position.

"I think Jeremy Brown and Moses Jenkins are involved at that position in addition to any of our freshmen," Austin said. "At the end of the day we know Janoris is one corner. What we’re trying to do is develop our next corner --- if it’s Moses, if it’s Jeremy, if it’s one of the young guys --- and what we’ll do as we get going through the next two weeks will determine who our second best corner is. If it happens to be a guy that’s in the boundary we’ll move him to the field. If it happens to be that guy that’s out there, hey we’re going to move ahead and go full speed but we’re going to put our best players on the field. We owe that to our team."

 
 

Meyer, agents talking about reforms

 In the midst of what seems to be an epidemic of agents making illegal contact with college football players, Florida coach Urban Meyer says he's involved in some discussions that could lead to some much-needed reform. Speaking to the media following Thursday afternoon's freshman practice, Meyer said it's not just college coaches who are concerned about the problems but plenty of good agents who want to put an end to the illegal practices of agents who want to skirt the rules.


"There's a lot of discussion that I've been involved with with agents," Meyer said. "We actually had a great discussion --- I can't go into detail yet --- but a group of us have gotten together and we're trying to make some changes from anything from signing balls and getting them sold on the internet to practice where people are just showing up."

During the height of Tebow-mania, huge crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of and perhaps an autograph from Florida's charismatic Heisman Trophy quarterback. But not all the fans were there with good intentions. Every day the same old folks were showing up outside the Sanders Practice Field with helmets, footballs and other things to be signed that were later sold on the internet. It has created enough of a distraction that Meyer says things will be different from here on out.

Meyer can't do anything about the long walk from the Florida locker rooms in the South End Zone of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to the Sanders Practice Facility but he can do something to police the crowds that have become a distraction to his players. 

"People are showing up and who are you and why are you here?" Meyer said. "We can't live the players' lives but we can do the best we can and you should have the right as a player to walk from here to there without being bothered and practice and come back without being bothered. Now if you get bothered on your own ... but that's my fault. For five years ... that's crazy. When I tell that to my colleagues that you get dressed and you walk across and people just maul you and bother you and internet people grabbing helmets ...sign this and all this ... and we don't have security saying 'get the heck out of here.' So you'll see a lot of 'get the heck out of here' from now on. Let the kids go practice and concentrate on football which is what our job is." 

Meyer is also aware that the crowds of fans also open the door for agents and their runners, another reason why he's making changes with security and why there are these ongoing discussions with a group of reform-minded agents. There will also be a concerted effort to educate his players so they can better deal with the distractions and temptations.

"We're going to have a lot of discussions around here and continual non-stop education," Meyer said. "It's an epidemic. You flip on a TV and you hear someone talk and it's this school, this school, this school. That's nuts. The good thing is the other side of this wants to help and when I say that I mean they really want to help. There are going to be some positive things that come out of this."


CAPTAINS: Meyer said that senior center Mike Pouncey and senior defensive end Justin Trattou have been named team captains. Usually, captains aren't announced until later during August practice but Meyer said he wanted to address leadership immediately and this is one way to handle it.

"Mike Pouncey and (Justin) Trattou have been named captains," Meyer said. "There will be more to come but we made a decision --- Coach Mick (Marotti), myself and Steve (Addazio) --- that we're going to announce captains right now to take charge of this team. Ahmad Black is going to be involved in that. Lawrence Marsh is a leader on our team now. He's done a great job and there will be more that will show up soon." 
 
GREAT EXPECTATIONS: Just because Tim Tebow, Brandon Spikes and a whole host of seniors and juniors who left early for the NFL are gone doesn't mean expectations won't be high for the Gators. Last year the Gators fell short of their goal of repeating as national champions but they still finished 13-1 and ranked third nationally. This year's group may not have the marquee names but it's still a very talented team with plenty of great players so the expectations will be high once again. 


"I don't know if pressure is the right word but the expectation level within our team of what we expected with all those kids coming back last year with Tim (Tebow) and (Brandon) Spikes and Joe (Haden) and all those guys ... it's a little bit different feeling but it's still Florida," Meyer said. "It's still a bunch of good athletes --- not good, probably great --- running around on that field. It's a year of accountability and development and if that happens we'll have a good team. If it doesn't, we won't."

Following the 2006 season, the Gators lost several key seniors as well as some juniors to the NFL who would have made a huge difference in the outcome of the 2007 season. The Gators lost a lot of players after last season but Meyer says the situation is different now because the Gators have recruited well enough that talented players are ready to step in and play.

"It's a little bit like '07 but we have better players," he said. "In '07 we took a hit because to be quite honest, guys were playing who shouldn't have been on the field. Now you have guys who should be on the field but you have to develop them pretty quick which is a huge difference. This is part of the game. When guys leave early you have to replace them. Like John Brantley ... you don't replace Tim with a guy who's been here one year. He (Brantley) has been here three years. You've got some other positions that guys have been here and it's time for them to play."


ON BRANTLEY BECOMING A LEADER: Now that Tebow has gone to the NFL, it's Johnny Brantley's show which means he assumes the key role in directing the offense as well as leading the team. Meyer says Brantley should be ready to take the next step.

"You have no choice but to be a leader if you're a quarterback," Meyer said. "Now Chris Leak is probably one of the greatest stories of all time on how to develop a leader. He was not a leader and as a result was not a good quarterback. Now someone said he threw for a lot of yards but if you lose five games a year you're not a good quarterback and then he flipped a switch and he became not only a good leader but a great leader and we won a national championship. As a leader of the team, Johnny has to be and he's taken that step. These next 28 practices will be a good indication of where he's at."

ON DEPTH ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE: The Gators will start the season with more defensive line depth than they've had at any time since Meyer has been Florida's coach. With 17 scholarship linemen, the Gators are deep and talented which should lead to the kind of rotation that is conducive to a high level of play.

"This is as good a depth as we've had and that's going to be a key," Meyer said. "There's a lot of guys ... Brandon Antwine (knee) --- how long is he going to hold up? (Lawrence) Marsh (high ankle sprain) has had injuries. (Terron) Sanders (knee) has had injuries ... significant injuries. At the beginning of '06 we had a group playing 25-30 snaps a game. If you do that you can play with the effort we expect you to play at. If you're playing 70-80 plays your body can't hold up."

Meyer also mentioned that freshman defensive linemen Lynden Trail (6-7, 217), Ronald Powell (6-4, 248), Shariff Floyd (6-3, 301), Dominique Easley (6-1, 280) and Leon Orr (6-4, 315) are an outstanding group of physical specimens who, when they broke the huddle at Thursday's practice and stood by graduate assistant Tony Weaver, who played nine years in the NFL, caused Meyer to day, "They all kind of look alike over there." 


LAWRENCE TRANSFERS; PARKS OUT FOR 2-3 WEEKS: Third-year sophomore wide receiver T.J. Lawrence has opted to transfer to another school in search of more playing time. Redshirt freshman tight end Desmond Parks will be out 2-3 weeks after a surgical procedure on his wrist.

Rainey haunted by loss to Alabama

Chris Rainey keeps watching the DVD of the Alabama debacle in last year's Southeastern Conference Championship Game. Sometimes it's with teammates and sometimes it's when he's all alone but always, it's a bit of self-induced torture, a necessary pain that serves as a constant reminder of the worst loss he's ever been a part of since he started playing football. 

"We got embarrassed," Rainey said Thursday morning after the Florida Gators had finished their first preseason practice for their September 4 debut against Miami of Florida. "We looked like a high school team out there."


When Rainey was in high school at Lakeland, the mighty Dreadnaughts turned winning into an art form, taking their last 45 straight games --- most in convincing fashion --- as they won three straight Florida state championships and two mythical high school national championships. At Florida, Rainey took a medical redshirt his freshman year and then won a national championship ring as a redshirt freshman in 2008. Throughout the first 12 games of the 2009 season, the Gators maintained their winning ways but then came the week of the SEC Championship Game and the wheels started coming off early for Florida. 

It began with the arrest of All-SEC defensive end Carlos Dunlap for DUI following a Monday night birthday party attended by a sizable group of players. The Dunlap incident and the subsequent questions about why so many Gators were partying on the Monday night before the most important game of the season created enough distraction that the Florida team that took the field Saturday night bore very little resemblance to the Gators who had won their previous 22 games. 

"Every time they show the video, it's like is that us ... for real?" Rainey asks. 

It was the Gators and it was real to the tune of 32-13. Alabama went on to win the national championship and while the Gators regrouped to blow Cincinnati's doors off 51-24 in the Sugar Bowl, it was little consolation for a team that went through 12 games hoping to become the first repeat national champion since Nebraska did the trick in 1994-95. 

The memory of that Alabama game has everything to do with an offseason regimen that Rainey says "was ridiculous." Some of the offseason work, which Rainey says "seems like they were trying to kill us with punishment," was the handiwork of strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. Outsiders looking in might think Marotti has a sadistic streak but there is method to his madness. Players who endure an offseason of his training end up bigger, stronger, faster and more importantly, tougher. 


But Marotti wasn't the only one motivating the team and getting everyone to work harder in the gym and put forth the effort in the sweltering summer heat in the afternoons. 


"We did it on our own," Rainey said. "That's the good thing about it. We did it on our own and we didn't have to use the coaches to tell us what to do and all that."


The end result of a motivated offseason is a team from diverse backgrounds and circumstances that has become more like a band of brothers.

"This is the closest team I've ever been around," Rainey said.

The difficulty of the offseason workouts, the collective embarrassment of that loss to Alabama and the tireless efforts of team leaders has produced a motivated the team that has closed ranks and bonded. Rainey says everybody is friendly, accountable and always looking for ways to have fun together as a team.


"There's just a bond this year like I've never seen since I've been here," he said.


Rainey and no one else would ever question Tim Tebow's dedication, determination or leadership abilities, but by the time Tebow reached his senior season at Florida, he had become a living legend and bigger than life personality who required around the clock monitoring to keep him safe from overzealous fans. And, Florida was so loaded with draftable talent that NFL distractions grew stronger with each passing week. 

Add to those factors the mounting pressure of a 22-game winning streak and the weight of high expectations and the recipe was there for cracks in the team armor. Rainey says there were definitely some self-centered and divisive elements.

"You could say cliques ... [guys] worrying about themselves, worrying about trying to get to the NFL and stuff like that," Rainey said. 

Tebow graduated and went to the NFL to the Denver Broncos in the first round. Nine other Gators were drafted and several others signed free agent agreements. For most teams, that kind of personnel attrition would be devastating. At Florida, it's what is expected. Graduation and the NFL will always be a part of the Gator landscape but Urban Meyer has the recruiting machine going so well that the holes are filled instantly by players of equal or perhaps even greater talent. 

While this year's team might not have marquee names like Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes, there is no shortage of talent. Unlike last year's team which had to deal with the mega personalities and all the baggage that accompanied them, this group has bonded together, determined to move the Florida football program forward.

"I guess we got rid of all the prima donnas and selfish cats," Rainey said. "That's probably it this year. No rock stars this year."

There aren't any rock stars, but this team oozes with talent. Rainey, who has rushed for 1,278 yards (7.1 per carry) in his two seasons splitting time at tailback with Jeff Demps, moves to the slot this year where his speed and elusiveness should provide home run capability to a position which slumped to 350 total yards (rushing and receiving) and only one touchdown last year after averaging 1,450 and 14 touchdowns the previous three seasons. 

Rainey got his first start at the slot in the Sugar Bowl where he gave the Gators more than 200 all-purpose yards rushing, receiving and returning kicks against Cincinnati. His four pass receptions for 71 yards were indicative of the kind of production that he'll be expected to give this year. 


It's a new position for Rainey, who has always played tailback, but it's a change he has embraced with determination. 

"Since I've been growing up I never thought I was going to be a receiver," Rainey said. "Every time I look on You Tube the receiver goes across the middle and gets the big hits and now that's not going to be me [getting hit]. I'm going to keep myself from doing that but receiver is fun. You don't get many injuries from it. A lot of running ... it's harder than running back, but I'm good at it."


In addition to learning pass routes and how to make all the catches, Rainey has also had to learn how to read defenses to adjust routes based on the coverage in the secondary.


"At receiver you have to know everything," he said. "What they call a running back you just know one thing and you're done. A receiver ... details like if on the ball or off the ball ... everything."


Everything also includes blocking. When he first came to Florida, Rainey didn't have a clue about blocking. At Lakeland, he lined up in the I-formation, took a handoff or a pitchout and let his speed and elusiveness take over.  At Florida, where the offense is the spread option, a tailback has to be as much a blocker as he does runner or receiver.


That took some adjusting but Rainey discovered that blocking cornerbacks and safeties is a tad easier than taking on a defensive end or blitzing linebacker.


"Way easier, too ... somebody coming at you full speed about 250 pounds," he said with an infectious laugh. 


Armed with a new position, a leadership role on the team --- he says Mike Pouncey, John Brantley, Justin Trattou, Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore and Ahmad Black are the other leaders --- and the determination to erase the memory of that Alabama game, Rainey is ready to get the season started. Like all the other Gators, that Alabama game has created a rather hefty chip on his shoulder and a searing need to prove that one game was a fluke, not the norm at Florida.


"We've got a lot to prove," he said. "The only thing we can do is get to Atlanta [for the SEC Championship Game in December]. That's all we can do. I can't stop thinking about it. I think about it every day."

Practice begins which means a new season has arrived

The Florida Gators start practice this morning in what just might be the most anticipated August since Urban Meyer took over in 2005. There are so many question marks for the Gators, but there is no denying that Meyer has stocked the roster with talent. The Gators are two and three-deep --- or more --- at every single position and there are players who could be starting at other schools in the Southeastern Conference who will have to patiently wait their turn to get on the field at Florida. 

Most of the attention will center on Johnny Brantley, who is in the unenviable position of having to step in and replace a legend. How will Brantley fill Tim Tebow's enormous shoes?

The answer is simple. He won't.

Instead of trying to fill Tebow's shoes, Brantley needs to carve out his own niche. If he concentrates on being the first Johnny Brantley rather than the next Tim Tebow, he will do just fine. He's got the arm, the smarts and the command of the offense, plus he's got a stockpile of offensive weapons second to none in the SEC. There isn't a team other than Florida in the SEC capable of going five wide with sprinters who have all turned in a 10.5 or faster in the 100 meters. And, Brantley has four very capable tailbacks who can run the football so he doesn't have to take on that role of the battering ram on third and short.


With Florida's offensive weapons at the skill positions, something tells us that the Gators probably aren't going to have many third and shorts this year. 


It's been a good summer for Brantley. He's worked all the receivers hard during the dog days when the sun scorches the practice field and everyone willing to brave the heat but in particular, he's on the same page with Deonte Thompson, Carl Moore, Chris Rainey and Omarius Hines. Watch for those four to emerge during August as go-to guys in the passing game.


Rainey can catch the ball and he can give that Percy dimension by sliding back into the backfield and taking handoffs or pitchouts on the option. He's going to be dynamic.


Thompson is the consummate deep threat while Moore and Hines have the size and brute strength to wear our folks in the middle of the field.


Watch what's going on with the offensive line, too. Matt Patchan's leg has healed and he's really huge, which means there is a solid three-man rotation at tackle. If Mo Hurt, James Wilson or Jon Halapio have a great August to solidify the right guard position, then the Gators will have the best line in the SEC and maybe one that's as good as there is anywhere in the country.


Anytime the line is mentioned, it's a requirement to mention Mike Pouncey. He's in the best shape of his life, and ready to be the best center in the country. And, Carl Johnson is also in great shape. At 6-6, 355, he's going to crush people at left guard.


Over on defense, the two names to track are William Green and Ronald Powell. Green has bulked up and will play in the 255-260 range. With that explosive first step, now that he's got the size and strength, he will terrorize quarterbacks. Powell has a chance to be special from day one. He can be that hybrid defensive end linebacker. I've compared him to Lawrence Taylor at the same age. I saw Taylor in high school and as a freshman at North Carolina, and I see the same qualities and strengths in Powell. 


There's plenty of leadership on the defensive side, too, with Brandon Hicks, Ahmad Black and Justin Trattou. It only seems like they've been here forever. They've earned their stripes and they are solid on the field and unchallenged in the locker room. 


We'll have media availability twice today: returning veterans at 11 a.m. and Urban Meyer at 6:30. I'll be posting here with quotes and other goodies from day one.

 

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.

Five burning questions about Florida's defense

In three days, the post-Tim Tebow era of Florida football begins as the Gators begin their preprations for their September 4 season opener with Miami of Ohio. Here are five burning questions about the defense that have to be answered before the Gators take the field for game one.

1. WILL THIS BE A TRANSITION YEAR FOR THE FLORIDA DEFENSE?: Any time you lose an outstanding coordinator such as Charlie Strong, there is going to be a certain amount of transition. Charlie had his way of doing things and it was quite successful. Due to his extensive pro background, Teryl Austin's way of doing things will be different, so there is going to be a certain amount of transition but judging from what we saw this spring, it's hard to imagine there will be too many bumps in the road. Austin has the benefit of working with Dan McCarney (defensive line) and Chuck Heater (co-defensive coordinator/safeties), coaches who are grounded in the college game and who know Florida's personnel inside and out. Austin isn't very vocal but he has a way of getting his point across. Don't expect any wholesale changes but look for a gradual integration of his new ideas to go with some of the old ones, and look for McCarney and Heater to perhaps have a little more input into the way things are done. Also, watch at how the linebackers respond to D.J. Durkin, another new staffer. In the spring, I really liked the energy I saw from this position.


2. ARE THE GATORS MOVING FROM A 4-3 TO A 3-4 BASE DEFENSE?: With teams like Alabama going from a power-I to a spread without changing personnel, it puts a tremendous amount of heat on opposing coordinators to have the right personnel in the game at all times. That's why you're seeing more and more teams gravitate to a 3-4 base using strong, fast, athletic guys on the outside who are as comfortable with their hand on the ground as a defensive end as they are playing in coverage as a linebacker. Timeouts are precious and you can't burn one every time a team shifts from a conventional formation to something exotic so you better have the players in the game who can handle multiple responsibilities.  I believe one of the reasons Urban Meyer hired Teryl Austin from the Arizona Cardinals was his familiarity with adjusting the 3-4 to go against any formation or scheme. In the NFL, you've got a 47-man roster so it's impossible to make wholesale substitutions. Therefore, you better have a scheme and personnel that can adapt on the fly. The Gators will still run their share of 4-3 this year, but I think by midseason, we'll see more 3-4 than 4-3.

3. WHO'S GOING TO PLAY THE CORNER OPPOSITE JANORIS JENKINS?: Judging by what I saw in the spring, I think we'll see a lot of Moses Jenkins and Jeremy Brown. Moses Jenkins is an experienced and valuable special teamer without a lot of experience on the field with the defensive unit while Brown has missed two seasons  because of a back injury. Before he was hurt, Brown was ahead of Janoris Jenkins on the depth chart (spring of 2008) and Janoris went on to  start at corner for a national championship team. Moses Jenkins is that big corner (6-2, 188) that you need to go against the big wide receivers that are so abundant in the SEC like A.J. Green, Julio Jones and Alshon Jeffery. Moses is also a senior and I would love to see him rewarded for his patience by turning the opportunity for playing time into a stellar season. I've got similar feelings about Brown, who has to be so frustrated that he's been unable to contribute his first two years on campus. If he can stay healthy, he's got a chance to be really good. Watch out for freshmen Jaylen Watkins and Joshua Shaw. Although they often looked like a lost ball in the tall grass during the spring, they've had the entire summer to get used to the scheme and speed of the athletes they'll be defending in the college game.

4. WILL THE GATORS FIND A WAY TO GET JON BOSTIC AND JELANI JENKINS ON THE FIELD AT THE SAME TIME?: If and when the Gators are in a 3-4, we'll see a lot of Jenkins and Bostic on the field at the same time. Jenkins has such speed that in the 3-4, he could slide to the outside and stay with tight ends and most running backs. Bostic is a beast against the run, so he's going to be on the field a lot. Bostic is a prototypical middle linebacker but he has the range to play the weak side, too. Jelani Jenkins is a plug and play guy. Plug him in and he'll find a place to play.  I like Florida's situation at linebacker with Brandon Hicks, A.J. Jones and Lorenzo Edwards providing veteran leadership for youngsters with speed and talent such as Neiron Ball, Michael Taylor, Darrin Kitchens and Gideon Ajagbe.


5. CAN RONALD POWELL BE AN IMPACT PLAYER FROM DAY ONE?: I saw Lawrence Taylor in high school and then watched him make an almost effortless transition from defensive tackle to defensive end as a freshman at North Carolina. When I see the film on Ronald Powell, I see a player of comparable size (6-4, 248) and speed along with that instinctive ability to find the football and destroy whoever has it. Powell is the perfect fit for that hybrid end/linebacker that the Gators will need to run the 3-4. I think Powell and William Green are going to be perfect fits for that role and I think they will provide the kind of pass rush that will make life hell for opposing quarterbacks. Even though there is tremendous pressure on him to produce from the beginning, I think Powell has the right skills and mindset to make it happen instantly.

Five burning questions about Florida's offense

The post-Tim Tebow era of Florida football begins Thursday when the Gators begin the countdown to the September 4 season opener with Miami of Ohio. Here are five burning questions about the offense that have to be answered before the Gators take the field for game one.


1. WHAT KIND OF SUMMER DID JOHNNY BRANTLEY HAVE?: It's the Johnny  Brantley Show now and the Gators will only go as far as he can take them. He's got the arm and the smarts to be a truly gifted quarterback, but if he's going to be the next big thing in Gainesville he has to be THE man when he steps in the huddle. That means JB needs to be coming off a summer in which he not only led by example but showed the moxie to get in the face of a teammate who's dogging it on a hot afternoon if necessary. If he's made that stride from quiet leader to one who when he speaks everybody listens, then he will have total command of the huddle and that means you can expect a truly explosive Florida offense. 

2. IS DEONTE THOMPSON READY TO BECOME THE GO-TO GUY ON THE OUTSIDE?: Deonte has the speed (sub 10.3 in the 100 meters) to go with the size and strength it takes to be one of the most feared receivers in the country and now is his time to take the next big step by showing what he can do on the field. We've seen glimpses of what he can do in the past two years when he's played a secondary role but now the expectations are different. Now he is expected to be the leader of the receiving corps. He's got a lot of young guys looking up to him to set the example so if he shows up primed and ready to go from day one, the entire receiving corps will follow his lead. 

3. WHO'S GOING TO PLAY RIGHT GUARD?: Four of the five positions on the offensive line are set with Mike Pouncey at center, Carl Johnson at left guard, Xavier Nixon at left tackle and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle. That leaves right guard as the only unsettled position and we can expect a three-way battle for the starting job in August. Mo Hurt and James Wilson have starting experience and they've been in the system long enough (this is Hurt's fifth year; fourth for Wilson) but both of them have a history of injuries. Can they hold up for an entire season? And then there is Jon Halapio, the big sophomore of Tongan descent. He's built like a concrete block and he has that nasty streak that offensive coordinator/line coach Steve Addazio likes. There's no question these three guys have the talent to play the position well, but line play goes beyond talent. It's all about the chemistry and for that to happen, one of the three has to distinguish himself as the starter in August. If that happens, the Gators will have the best offensive line in the Southeastern Conference.


4. CAN JORDAN REED TO A REASONABLE IMITATION OF AARON HERNANDEZ?: The Gators are going to use the tight end, particularly now that they're transitioning from an option-first team to a pass-first team. Aaron Hernandez gave the Gators tremendous production last year and while it might be unreasonable to expect redshirt freshman Jordan Reed to equal those numbers (68 catches, 850 yards, five touchdowns), he needs to give the Gators something in the neighborhood of 35-40 catches for 500-600 yards. If he can do that, then the Gators will be able to do some serious damage in the middle of the field. When Reed is on the field, he can also take wildcat snaps and from what we saw of him in the spring, he's a real threat to pick up big yardage any time he has the ball in his hands. 


5. CAN CHRIS RAINEY GIVE THE GATORS A PERCY-LIKE THREAT IN THE SLOT?: The Gators went from an average of 1,400 yards and 12 touchdowns in the slot the previous three seasons with Percy Harvin to 350 yards and one touchdown last year when Brandon James had to play the position by default due to the injury to Andre Debose. James was a great return guy but just not cut out for every play duty. Rainey, who has a half-dozen runs of 50-plus yards in his two years at tailback, moves to the slot where he has the ability to be that hybrid running back/receiver who drives defensive coordinators nuts. We got a glimpse of Chris in the Sugar Bowl when he produced more than 200 all-purpose yards. If he can catch the ball consistently, he could put up All-American numbers. And, if Debose is back 100 percent after missing all of last year, the Gators could do some serious damage with a double slot.