Holiday Wishes!!

This is just a quick shout out to everyone that may read this Blog to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I know like many of you I am wanting to push behind me 2008 and look for better things to come in 2009. 2008 was a year filled with many challenges and also many changes but with that the promise of hope and growth.

May you all have a great 2009! And yes this is a picture of Snow, and No I still have no desire to live in it. Nice to play in, Not to Stay in!!

Keep Warm and Go Gators!

Tebow Leads Gators Back to BCS Championship Game

Well it looks like Mr.Tebow has once again risen to the occasion. In a game in which Tim was without his favorite weapon (Percy Harvin) he stepped up and showed the SEC that is is Timmy's world and the rest are just living in it.

On a national stage against the consensus #1 team in the country Tim Tebow accomplished what he hadn't done in his Gator career yet. What was that missing element to his resume? A come from behind win in the 2nd half. The voters for the Heisman Trophy will have to seriously consider making him only the 2nd two-time winner of the most hallow of College awards. They will have to do this after he single handily took control of the SEC Championship and made the #1 team in the county look like they didn't even belong on the same stage.

The Gators known as the fast and flashy team of the two imposed a physical style of play on the Crimson Tide and wore them down. This set up the Gators for a chance to play in the National Championship game against the Big-12 Champions the Oklahoma Sooners.

Congrats to the Gators and I look forward to breaking down this match up as the game gets closer.


GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GATORS!!

SEC Championship Game

Well first of all I have to apologize for the lack of information that has been posted. I have about 6 half way finished posts saved in word that I decided to just forget about and just make a new post. So here is my "State of the Swamp" address.

My Fellow Gators and Opponents
I first of all want to thank you all for making this season one that we will surely remember for a long time. There have been some trials but overall mostly triumphs.

In our path we may have been tripped up by some rebels opposing our cause but we have come out on top looking forward to even bigger things. Along our way we have seen rainbows even when surrounded by Hurricanes. During this adventure we assembled quite a petting zoo. In this zoo we collected; Hawgs, Wildcats, Tigers, Chickens, and even two species of Bulldogs. We are very excited for the Elephant display that will be opening soon as well. We demonstrated our mastery of the elements by surviving monsoons and even showed the Commodores how to navigate the treacherous waters. I would also like to apologize to our good friend Phillip as he prepares for his early retirement because I know it was mostly the pain and anguished we caused that lead to his early departure. Good Luck Phil! And once again we conquered "The Unconquered", doesn't make much sense does it. Maybe they could change their pants to read "Recently Conquered, Again!"

Return of the Bucket Hat

OK. We have set things back into their normal rotation. By simply making sure I wore the bucket hat to the UF vs LSU game on Saturday all things have been returned to normal. Therefore, with a simple piece of magical cloth I have saved the Gators season and stopped Global warming. OK, so maybe I did not help solve global warming but the first part is true. Now on to my observations.

1. Timmy was finally TIMMY! That is right, if you read my first few blogs about this season my major concern was Timmy just not playing like the Tim Tebow of old. Well on Saturday, Tim took the opportunity to run when it was there and did the things we love to see from him. He was hyped, pumping his fist, and simply getting the crowd fired up all game. The cameras obviously couldn’t show you what we got to see from our seats in section 16, that was Tim Tebow firing up the crowd during timeouts, this doesn’t seem like much but that is what made Tim T the heisman winner and it helped the crowd stay electrified.

2. The Crowd was PHENOMENAL. The easiest way to explain it was to say that at this game every member of the crowd felt like they were contributing to the win. Throughout the week leading up to the game there wasn’t much hype from the Gator fans. This was from a combination of being unsure about our team and LSU as well. I think that because the fans were so uneasy about the game they came prepared to help in any way they can. It was one of the loudest games I have ever attended in the SWAMP! Pat yourself on the back if you were there and take a throat lozenge to get ready for the next few weeks.

3. Speed Kills. Just ask LSU about this one. The LSU Tigers are considered a fast team by college football standards and on Saturday they looked slow compared to Florida. The Gators speed was apparent in every aspect of the game and was the big difference between these teams. Regardless of what other teams may say their strengths are, NO ONE can say they are faster than the Gators.

4. Destiny. Florida now controls their own destiny for a BCS birth. If they win out in SEC games, they are guaranteed a BCS spot. That would mean beating Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and the SEC West champ (probably Alabama). In addition to that, if they win out with no losses they would be in the debate to play for a National Championship. Let the arguments start soon, Big 12 (is it great QB’s or Bad Defenses), Big Ten (Penn State, Ohio State, and who???), USC (Also known as Pac-10), at larges (BYU, Boise St., Utah), and the SEC, which conference deserves sending their team to play?

Next week is a Bye Week for the Gators so get some rest and watch teams in the top 10 continue to drop like flies. See ya and GO GATORS!

Ole’ Miss hap

OK. So I am going to say this upfront to all of my friends, family, and fellow Gator fans, "I am Sorry!"
So you are probably asking why? Well simply put it is my fault the Gators lost to Ole’ Miss 30-31 this weekend. Yes, despite Tim Tebow crying and Florida fans complaining of bad play calling, it is really my fault.

Let me explain further. There has been one common factor in Florida’s last 2 home losses and that is MY BUCKET HAT! That’s right the last two times I went to game and the Gators lost it is because I was wearing a hat other than my bucket hat. This time I was wearing my new orange visor thinking it had helped while watching them on TV from my home against Tennessee. WHAT WAS I THINKING??? I promise now to wear the Bucket Hat until it completely falls apart.

Now to my actual observations about the game knowing the results were all my fault.
1. Tim Tebow has to just be TIMMY! That seems simple but the old phrase about a Bull in a China Shop applies here. You can’t take an emotional hard nose guy and making him something else. Especially when that is what made him not just good but great. My biggest fear in watching Tim trying to read 2nd, 3rd, and 4th receivers rather than tucking the ball and running. He is probably doing that since some scout somewhere wrote about Tim not being able to take his style of play into the NFL. He is trying to become a pocket passer for the next level, stop doing that and run over some cornerbacks! There are lots of other top prospects waiting behind you, play your game.

2. Stop blaming the play calling. Tim just had an off day (when trying to be a pocket passer, see#1) missing open receivers. If he just hits a couple of the wide open throws or the low throw in the endzone the score would have been at least 17 points higher for the Gators and all would be happy. (47-31 would have had a nice ring to it).

3. This is the first time I feel like Urban was out coached. Yes I hate to say it but for the first time I felt like an Urban Meyer team wasn’t the better-prepared team. There were some key plays like the Ole’Miss fake punt that swung the momentum of the entire game. And also the Rebels really just seemed to want the game more.
4. It is a huge uphill battle but if the Gators get rolling and won out they would probably play in National Championship game against the Big 12 Conf. Champ. Tell me they wouldn’t deserve it if they ran off wins against LSU, Georgia, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, FSU, and then probably Alabama in SEC Championship game. You think that many quality wins wouldn’t get them a shot, guess again. Can they do it? That seems a very tall order at this time.

OK. So next week Florida gets a terrible Arkansas team based on their season so far. Expect a week of frustration to come out on this one with a good old fashion butt whooping. And I am cleaning my Bucket Hat before the next home game, LSU. So with a win and my Bucket Hat on LSU would be in big trouble, but lets get this one against the Hawgs first.

Did They Forget How to Play "Rocky Top"?

Let me make this statement right up front, Tennessee is not even the best team in the state. Considering the amount of teams in that state, that is not a good thing. I’ll go on record now to say at this moment in time the Vanderbilt Commodore have shown they are better and that can’t be sitting well with those that love the "Purina Dog Chow Endzone".

After Saturday’s display by the Gators up in Knoxville I am sure the talk radio shows and alumni are making sure they have a stack of applications ready for "Tubby" Fulmer’s job. There was a time when people loved and adored the guy but that time is long gone. I guess Peyton Manning a slew of NFL running backs will do that for you. Oh, and did the Band forget how to play "Rocky Top"? Cuz I sure didn’t hear it on Saturday??
Now for the recap for this week’s 30-6 win over

1. Playing to their strengths. I just don’t think people give Urban Meyer enough credit for the game planning and ability to know your opponents. Florida hasn’t had to go with a lot of wide-open offense and simply is just getting the ball to the playmakers and letting the opponents’ work to score. Urban is taking away deeper passes and having the speedy secondary attack forward on the ball. They will give you five and less yard out routes, but it takes how many successful ones to score?
2. Unfortunately #1 leads to no Heisman Trophy for Tim Tebow this year unless……That’s right if Florida play’s to their strengths then that will shorten games making it tougher for Timmy to get those Video Game Crazy kind of stats he had last season. The only way Tim will get it this year is with big games where he outshines the other Heisman candidates in the game. Like when they play Georgia while Moreno and Stafford both are Heisman candidates he must beat them and do so in convincing fashion. Then he will have to rely on the voters agreeing he is the "Best" football player and not just a stat machine.
3. This defense is "Crazy" fast. It has taken a few years to get this where Urban wants it, but now look at it. We have D-Linemen chasing down these "mobile" QB’s. You have LB’s running with the quicker RB’s in the land. And amazingly the secondary just runs with anyone. Tell me, have you seen a receiver wide open on a deep ball this season? I didn’t think so.
4. Holding on to the ball. Three games, No Turnovers……….Enough Said

This upcoming week will be an interesting test with Old Miss coming into town. Thank goodness it is here in the swamp as this team can be a little dangerous. Look for the Gators to get out early again and then get key turnovers later in the game as they try and play catch up! Go Gators!

Week 2 of Fantasy Football

ESPN:
The Gladiator Cake Crew gets solid production form every starter in almost doubling up We Play Dirty 121-64. Poor Team Arvin, they score 125 points and lose. Can anyone stop the Knights? And someone should have played Chris Cooley?????

DIVISION 1
1 Lone Star Kn... 2-0 W2
2 Team Arvin 1-1 L1
3 Gladiator Ca... 1-1 W1 <----My Team
4 We Play Dirty 1-1 L1
5 Team Shortbu... 0-2 L2
DIVISION 2
1 Running Back U 2-0 W2
2 Team Yeigh 2-0 W2
3 Something Cl... 1-1 W1
4 Dome Patrol 0-2 L2
5 Remember the... 0-2 L2


Yahoo:
Swamp Things win by 33. 99-66. Helped by owner unaware of bye week changes, the Swamp Things cruise to victory. Now if we could just remind DeSean Jackson to actually carry the ball into the endzone next time?
1.Landin's All Pros 2-0-0
2.Warriors 2-0-0
3.WheresFantasyTrack? 2-0-0
4.Swamp Things 2-0-0 <---- My Team
5.Ferocious D 1-1-0 .
6.BILL ionaire Wannab 1-1-0
7.The Wino 0-2-0
8.Lazy Bums 0-2-0
9.minute plus? 0-2-0
10.YITBOS2000 0-2-0

Week 1 of Fantasy Football

ESPN:
Gladiator Cake Crew Loses 117-97. GCC fought hard but two missed calls by officials (Reggie Bush stepped out at the 4 and TO did roll in the endzone) and the dissappearance of Carson Palmer helped the Lone Star Knights steal a win.

DIVISION 1
1Lone Star Kn...1-0 W1
2Team Arvin1-0 W1
3We Play Dirty 1-0 W1
4Gladiator Ca... 0-1 L1 <---- My Team
5Team Shortbu... 0-1 L1
DIVISION 2
1Running Back U 1-0 W1
2Team Yeigh 1-0 W1
3Dome Patrol 0-1 L1
4Remember the... 0-1 L1
5Something Cl... 0-1 L1

Yahoo:
The Swamp Things pull out a win on Monday Night Football in a matchup that featured 2 RB's going Head to Head on TV. Ultimately Adrian Peterson outplays Ryan Grant to get me a much needed win.

1.Landin's All Pros 1-0-0
2.WheresFantasyTrack? 1-0-0
3.Warriors 1-0-0
4.Ferocious D 1-0-0
5.Swamp Things 1-0-0 <----My Team
6.The Wino 0-1-0
7.Lazy Bums 0-1-0
8.minute plus? 0-1-0
9.YITBOS2000 0-1-0
10.BILL ionaire Wannab 0-1-0

Gators 26 -Whine-Am-Mi 3

(In action photo by CB of the extra FG at the end, you can see football about to cross at top of goalpost)

OK. I was another great evening for the Gators in “The Swamp”. It had only been forever since the Gators had beat the Canes, but now it sways the way of the Orange and Blue.

The original game plan was for Inger and I to go to the game, but with the surprise addition of another Burton on this day Grandma was racing to help and that left a ticket for my best half to come with me to the game. So after quite a few phone calls we finally got the kids supervised for the evening and it was “Go” time.

We met up with several friends and had our first official Tailgate here in Gainesville. We learned a few lessons we can apply to our next trip but still had a blast. We had some burgers, hotdogs, and plenty of junk food to keep our appetites under control. We also were introduced to game of Cornhole. I will let you just stay in a state of wonderment figuring out what that is but needless to say I was undefeated. J After the tailgate it was time to teach the “U” a lesson.

The game was never really in doubt as Miami was unable to truly get any offense going at all. Though at half the score was close I never felt like the outcome would be in jeopardy? So here are my quick takes on the game.

Florida’s defense looks really good. I know I said this last week as well but with the pressure the d-line got against a much larger Miami offensive line I was very encouraged by what I saw.
Even though defense looks dominant will we ever face a high quality QB before Georgia?
In the 1st half the offense looked very sluggish but ultimately this team has too many playmakers to be held in check.
The biggest controversy was the FG Florida kicked with almost no time left. Personally I think it was all about getting a FG attempt for his kicker so he will have a positive experience before having to take a “big” kick in a game. Miami fans get over it!

OK. That’s all I have to say about this game. Next up on the list…can I get a VOLUNTEER??

The Footbrawlers II Fantasy Football League draft was completed last night through ESPN. There was lots of food, fun, and espionage occurring, or so it was alleged. The draft apparently was rigged and there were accusations of wire tapping in the draft areas. All 10 teams were able to make the draft online (or most of it, Dallin & Sam).

OK. So here are my observations for each team going in draft order:

1. We Play Dirty: Owner Reuben Romney
Team is going to always be decent when foundation is LT. Also apparently likes his receivers to have last names ending in H. (Holmes, Holt, Heap). Team could also revert to 2007 form losing each week in record fashion.
2. Remember the Tight-Ends: Owner Crystal Burton
She is already feeling the pressure of being a Woman in a Man’s world. She is already losing sleep fearing that she needs more top tier WR’s. I feel sorry cuz I know nobody had Braylon Edwards ranked very high???
3. Lone Star Knights: Owner Rich Formby
I am very proud of Rich for getting out of rehab and learning not everything has to be about the Cowgirls. He should put a beat down on me week 1 as every time I play B.Westbrook he gets like 50pts. If one of his five 3rd tier RB’s come through he might have a good year.
4. Team Yeigh (real name TBD): Owner Sam Yeigh
See Rich’s note above and please get into COLT Rehab. He managed to get almost every colt except 2 of the best 3? He even demonstrated his love for the colts with a strong selection of Dallas Clark in the 3rd round. Thanks for joining this year. J
5. Dome Patrol: Owner Sam Formby
Sam is hoping Peyton Manning carries the load and his incredible luck from last year. I am really betting Cotchery carries ya this season??
6. Gladiator Cake Crew: Owner SUPERMAN
Besides being mocked by the uneducated, for drafting three RB’s that they were unsure of. (K.Smith, M.Forte, and T.Hightower). Not much else to say except, “Pay UP Fools”!
7. Something Clever: Owner Dallin McRae
Don’t know what to say when the best 2 picks were done by autopilot (T.Brady and M.Lynch)? Maybe next time let it go through the first five rounds until messing it up. Solid team that gets better after B.Marshalls 1 game suspension.
8. Team Arvin (hopefully he changes it): Owner Scott Arvin
If Frank Gore and Edgerin James don’t scare ya now, they probably never will this season. Don’t worry Scott, Gore does the same thing Westbrook does to me, goes off for the week they play me. Oh now I remember that is the only week Gore went off last year. The other good thing is you can drop any of the guys on your bench to get new players without losing much.
9. Team Witt (TBD): Jeff Witt
Not a lot of guys on his bench are going to scare you, but the starters could put up explosive numbers. As long as frontline guys stay healthy, he will be in contention.
10. Team Shortbus Riders: Owner & rider Logan McRae
Are you high? That should be the question after seeing the selection of Brett Favre in the 1st round. OH! And then following that with Ricky Williams with pick 70. If the rooks work out and Brett gets his cane dusted off, you have a chance.

OK. So now you know a little bit about what I think. The draft was a blast. Even the constant yells from the other room about…”I was about to pick him”, or “He was on my hot list”, kept the fun rolling until the end. I also want all of you to know I will keep you updated on our league results and let you all see “How We Roll!”

The Gators Start with Washing out the Warriors

Well opening kickoff has come and gone and the Gators start the 2008-2009 season with a lopsided 56-10 win over the Hawaii Rainbow warriors.

For my family it was a fun experience as Crystal, DJ, and I all had the opportunity to go to the game along with our friends Reuben Romney and Scott Arvin. The 12:30 kickoff time made it really tough to try and tailgate so we just went and enjoyed the game. The weather looked like it wasn't going to cooperate with us but in the end it rained just before kickoff then held off for the remainder of the game providing some cloud cover. DJ and Crystal may never be able to just go enjoy a game as their seats were 7 rows up on the 45 yard line, talk about lucky!

As for the game itself here are my notes on what I saw:

1. The overall team speed looks much greater. This was a general observation based on watching the Secondary, the Defensive Linemen, the young Skill Position guys on offense, and special teams coverage.

2. Tim Tebow and Urban Meyer are making a statement now that this is a "Team" not just "Tim". This was made every clear when Tebow was pulled in the 3rd quarter on a drive that was inside the 10 yard line. Tim easily could have ran the last 2 plays Cam Newton did to "pad" his stats, but this team clearly is more focused on winning an SEC Championship and possibly National Championship.

3. Can we find a kicker? I have a feeling the Tuesday paper on campus will look like a help wanted add. All the kickoffs were barely reaching the 20 yard line. This is unacceptable if ya wanna win the field position game in a tough conference match up.

4. The best part for me though was watching us finally get pressure from the interior D-line. We will get a better gauge when we play Miami this week but I like what I saw.

OK. Now that I gave you a quick synopsis it is time for me to get back to tweaking my final draft sheets for my upcoming Fantasy Draft. I always have to be on top of this or else my wife may end up with bragging rights. We just can't have that. So stay tuned and I will publish the draft results later this week.

Initial Blog

This is going to be a learning process so plz be patient as I wreck and re-wreck what I am trying to do.

So stay tuned for some real blogs.......