Contrary to rumor, the Florida Gators are not going to abandon the pass in favor of a single wing running attack next season due to a shortage of wide receiver talent. There will be pass catchers. And there will be air in the football.
Ideally, a receiver’s reputation precedes him and when he lines up on the field, his mere presence dictates the kind of defense he will face. That was the added value or Percy Harvin and, to a lesser extent, Louis Murphy.
So far in spring practice, except for tight end Aaron Hernandez, that kind of dominant receiver has yet to show up.
Every day, Urban Meyer places a call to central casting, looking for somebody to play the part. Who will answer the call?
Not all the auditions are complete yet and maybe help is on the way.
On Saturday, after a lethargic spring, the offense blossomed like the dogwoods and azaleas at Augusta National as Tim Tebow understudy Johnny Brantley enjoyed his best day as a Gator.
Central casting even sent over some wide receiver talent. Carl Moore and Deonte Thompson look like they’ve got the part. Both made big plays on long catches and lit up the spring morning, along with Brantley, who Urban Meyer said “looked like a Florida quarterback” for the first time.
It’s an emerging receiving corps which made a quantum leap Saturday.
Meyer said he knows his first-line receivers will likely be Riley Cooper, David Nelson, Thompson, Moore and Hernandez. He did mention Frankie Hammonds and threw an attaboy at Cade Holliday for the day’s practice, but never brought up incoming freshman Andre Debose. And he’s looking for the others to step up and insert their names on the depth chart.
Yes, Harvin and Murphy are gone, but David “The Technician” Nelson is back and, despite one foot in an air cast, is busily mentoring some of the youngsters. “Prime Time” Deonte is on the screen, along with the yet-to-be nicknamed and ever-improving Moore and the steady Hammonds.
Holliday is a fill-in. Meanwhile, Cooper is baseballing; Brandon James, Omarious HInes and T. J. Lawrence are injured; Paul Wilson and Justin Williams have yet to break through; and incoming freshman Debose isn’t here yet.
OK, admittedly it’s a bit early for nicknames because nobody but Nelson has earned them – let alone a reputation. But that’s how they’re starting to refer to each other, which is probably a sign of bonding. And as for Nelson, “The Technician,” he’s out there peeking in huddles, standing behind the younger players, whispering in their ear holes and encouraging others to take pride in their jobs.
Moore says of Nelson: “He knows how to do everything – crisp routes … Looking at him and having him tell us what to do is always great. We told him, he’s like the Tim Duncan of college football – ‘The Technician.’”
Meyer is starting to feel better about the performance of Moore, who despite his talent, has not played up to speed – literally. Urban says he needs to get a little more confidence in No. 16.
“When Carl plays fast, he’s pretty good,” said receivers coach Billy Gonzales. “The issue with Carl is that when he’s thinking, you can really tell the difference. If Carl’s coming off the ball, he does a pretty good job of getting open. It’s when he thinks about ‘what I have to do’ or thinks about ‘the release I should be using,’ that’s where he gets himself in trouble. So he’s gotta be prepared, come up to the line of scrimmage, expect man-to-man coverage and be able to adjust on the run. But you’ve got to play fast. If you play fast and make a mistake, I’m okay with it. But if you’re thinking and you’re coming off the ball slow, that’s when we have issues.
“It’s kind of like playing basketball – there are some great basketball players in one-on-one settings because there’s no thinking involved. Put ‘em in a team situation and it’s completely different. No different than being a receiver on the perimeter. You’re in a one-on-one situation. You’ve got to know what you have so you can play fast in every situation.”
Learning more about the offense and how to play his position has boosted the confidence of Moore, who’s now a senior and says because of the familiarity he runs better routes and “I use my speed a lot more.”
Thompson plays fast, but needs consistency. He dropped one early in the scrimmage, but came back with two sterling touchdown catches from Brantley. Of the entire group, Deonte has the talent and explosiveness to deliver big-game knockout punches. On Saturday, he played with determination and a sense of appreciation, bouncing with joy on a monster hip-bump with a teammate after his touchdown reception. Getting back on the field after sitting out with an injury was a happy occasion.
“I missed it,” said Thompson of his absence. “I’ve been out for a little minute. So I’ve been ready to get back. I’m just happy to be out there. Been missing it. And running around with the guys.”
It hasn’t been lost on Deonte and the playmakers that the offense seems to be suffering from a power shortage. Part of that is the incredibly suffocating defense (which is all too familiar with the offensive scheme) and the number of missing offensive line starters.
With people like Brandon Spikes, Terron Sanders, Carlos Dunlap and Lawrence Marsh on the sidelines, it was a chance for the offense to shine Saturday.
Thompson said he and Brantley decided to hook up and make a statement.
“It was my first day back after a whole week off, so me and Brantley came together and said ‘we gotta make some plays,’” said Thompson. “We did excellent today. I’m so proud of all our guys. Everybody did good today. This is just a little preview of what it’s going to be like this season. They’ll see. They’ll get a lot of show this year. We’re going to put on a show.”
Nobody was happier than Gonzales, who has been waiting for Moore and Thompson to give him a sign they were ready.
“Two of the guys that needed to make plays stepped up and made some – Carl and Deonte are two guys we are depending on,” said Gonzales. “We’ve still got to finish some things, to clean some things up. It’s gotta be consistent. When their number is called, period, they’re going to make some plays. Couple of times they didn’t, but the majority of the time they made some plays. Significant improvement throughout the spring and today.”
The quarterback position also looks well fortified. Superman has been indestructible for three seasons and there’s no reason to think Tebow won’t be healthy all season—but that’s not a given. That’s why the development of Brantley is key now, and not just for 2010 and 2011.
Everybody knows that Brantley has a gun, but how he uses it is essential to that development.
In a call to arms, new quarterback coach Scot Loeffler appears to have not only improved Brantley’s throwing mechanics, but his composure as well. Brantley commanded the huddle, took charge and barked his cadence with a new self confidence.
“That’s a great quarterback,” Moore said of Brantley. “He’s going to to a lot of great things for the Florida Gators coming up. He’s a gunslinger. The new quarterback coach has both quarterbacks playing well doing good things right now.”
More importantly, Meyer liked what he saw.
“I’m really impressed,” said Meyer, who reserves those kind comments for his best players.
The role of Johnny Brantley for the 2009 season is yet undefined and as to whether there will be a special package for him on the field remains to be seen. Put it this way: Meyer obviously wanted to put Brantley, Thompson and Moore in the spotlight on Saturday to see what they could do. They passed with flying colors.
If Brantley is starting to look like a “Florida quarterback,” as Meyer said, then perhaps Moore and Thompson are starting to look like “Florida receivers.” In fact, Gonzales went back and did a little research on what that means. Essentially, like those before them, Moore and Thompson need to be there when it counts.
“These guys have got the ability,” said Gonzales. “It’s gotta be ‘when my number’s called’ there’s no thought process … When Murphy’s number was called…when Percy’s number … Dallas (Baker), Jemelle (Cornelius), Bubba (Caldwell) – there was no doubt in anybody’s mind. They were going to make the play.”
If nothing else, that just goes to prove that under Urban Meyer, some rich tradition is being written for those to follow in. When your football team wins two national championships in three years, excellent paradigms tend to surface. And eventually, the bells do get answered.