Expectations are that the Florida Gators will field the most explosive offense in the nation in 2008. With a big, mobile offensive line to clear a path for a Heisman Trophy quarterback and some skill players with as much speed and elusiveness that you can find, the Gators look like a team that is loaded and ready to slice and dice any defense in the nation. At Monday’s first practice, it was hard to determine how far the Gators have come since last year since they weren’t in pads but the speed was astounding.
Here are observations about Monday afternoon’s practice:
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QUARTERBACKS: The obvious place to start is reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow. He looked very good from what I saw today. He threw the underneath routes better than any quarterback and showed his usual outstanding touch on the long ball, hooking up with Louis Murphy multiple times. The slant routes were the best ones Tebow threw. I can’t recall a single bad throw on a slant.
The first day of the John Brantley-Cameron Newton battle for the backup position was pretty much a draw since neither quarterback had an extraordinary day. Both of them showed off their strong arms but neither one of them had what you could call a breathtaking moment. Newton struggled putting touch on his passes. He has incredible arm strength, but sometimes that becomes his worst enemy as he loses touch with his accuracy. Brantley threw the only interception I saw all day after Brandon Spikes tipped a pass into the air that AJ Jones came down with. Sometimes it looks like Brantley is thinking too much but when he relaxes and simply cuts loose, you’d be hard pressed to find a better pure passer.
RUNNING BACKS: The pads aren’t on yet so it’s difficult to judge the running game. One thing that was encouraging was Kestahn Moore. He seems to have improved from last year, something he’s done every year he’s been here. Even with the Gators running out of the shotgun I was amazed at how quickly Moore was hitting the holes. He shot through the line and the added quickness that teammates have been talking about was clearly evident. His arms are noticeably bigger, and he looks to be much stronger than last season.
Chris Rainey looks like the same Chris Rainey we saw during the spring, with maybe a few added pounds. You never have to worry about him hitting the hole hard, and he was also a reliable option for the quarterbacks to dump off to sometimes.
Emmanuel Moody took a majority of the snaps after Moore left practice early. It was a very impressive showing. He’s gotten bigger since the spring but he hasn’t lost any quickness or agility. It’s almost cliché at this point to claim him as the big time back the offense has been lacking, but when his game is at the level it needs to be, he has all the tools to live up to the hype.
Mon Williams participated in all the drills and did well. He has had trouble in the past catching the ball out of the backfield, but I can’t remember him dropping a pass Monday.
FULLBACKS: I almost skipped this position because there was so little usage of them for the most part. Steve Wilks worked a good bit with Coach Hevesy on blocking drills at the beginning of practice. I took notice of freshman T.J. Pridemore showing up at the afternoon practice in shorts and a T-shirt just to learn more about the position from Hevesy.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Percy Harvin didn’t participate much. He got in a few reps but most of his time was spent lightly jogging and talking with trainers. I don’t think there is much to worry about. He’s going to be just fine. The leader is Louis Murphy. I can’t watch him without thinking that he will be a productive NFL receiver. He gets easy separation from defensive backs on the longer routes, and caught two touchdowns from Tebow with very little visible effort. He is smooth in everything he does. Some have labeled him as the possession receiver in this group, but he’s got multiple tools besides just catching the football. Deonte Thompson made an impressive catch today on an out pattern where got his feet down inbounds after making a leaping grab. Riley Cooper seemed to be moving slowly at the beginning of practice, but he was going full speed by the end. He was Tebow’s favorite target on the slants. Carl Moore continues to catch everything in sight. Brandon James spent almost the entire day working with the wide receivers. It looks like their plan is to use him consistently in the slot position this year. Justin Williams is a receiver I think would get more touches if there were more balls to go around. He’s got elusive speed for his height and above average hands.
TIGHT ENDS: These three spent most of their day with the wide receivers in passing drills. Cornelius Ingram used his huge hands to swallow a few footballs for some nice gains. He stays low after the catch and is able to have good balance after that. Aaron Hernandez still boggles my mind with his quickness combined with his size. He did drop a pass today in the flats as he heard footsteps from Wondy Pierre-Louis. Tate Casey spent more time working with Coach Hevesy on blocking than the other two.