University of Florida Women Gymnastics: Dynasty, Dynasty!

By Jimbo Brown

Coach Faehn Giving Some Pointers To A Young Athlete

Athlete Talk normally supply its readers with articles about the more traditional sports; football, basketball, track & field, etc. So today we wanted to show some love to the University of Florida Women’s gymnastics team. The team is being coached by a great women that believes in talent, persistence and talent. Coach Rhonda Faehn has been the coach for the past 13 years and has brought nothing but success to the university. During her time UF has won 4 sec titles, 10 NCAA regional titles, 10 super six appearances and 3 back to back to back national titles. The only other sports program to win three consecutive national titles is UF men’s track & field team. The women’s team has tons of talent on it.

2015 NCAA Gymnastics Champions

On every team championship team there are individuals that the underclassmen look up to and those two are Kytra Hunter and Bridget Sloans. These two set the tone for the other athletes on the team, especially Hunter. Hunter is a 15-time All American and is a 3x NCAA champion. Like most teams, the Gators had an up and down regular season. Through the good and bad times the whole roster delivered at clutch moments. For example, Bridgette Gaquatto’s career-best-tying floor routine gave UF a share of the 2014 title. This year freshman Alex McMurty came through and delivered the 3^rd consecutive national title by putting up a career best 9.95 to close UF’s bar rotation. Three freshman competed with the team for the national title, this establishes a good foundation for the slight rebuild Coach Faehn has to do.

Losing Hunter and fellow seniors Rachel Spicer, Jamie Shisler and Kierten Wang would be devastating for most teams. These seniors have contributed to the team in so many ways. The squad is already returning 9 people from their national championship team. 7 of the 9 actually competed this past weekend. The incoming freshmen will have plenty of leadership to follow because the retuning athletes have never experience a season that didn’t end with a national title. Freshman Kennedy Baker is the only African American on the team right now and she had a very good beginning to her career. The Gators have a bright future ahead of them. To be successful you have to emulate the greats.

Miami Carol City High School signs with NIKE and BSN Sports

By: Jimbo Brown

Ironic how 9 years later, the first Dade county high school to appear in a NIKE commercial has officially signed a contract with the worlds leading brand. I don’t know the details of the agreement but they also partnered up with BSN Sports. For those who are not familiar with BSN, it is a factory-direct equipment company. BSN represents hundreds of teams/organizations across america. Being a Chief alumnus I feel this was long over due. I remember when the commercial first aired. Me and the boys believed we was about to receive some fly Nike uniforms and gear. Sad to say Coach Walt Frazier, declined the offer. The only thing we were given was the generic “Miami Carol City Football is Everything,” which I still have. All Nike schools had these shirts, lol. I am proud to say that this shows my school is moving back in the right direction.

Since Aubrey Hill has token over as the head coach, the team has done nothing but progressed. The talent is starting to come back to its home. With Rashad Fenton signing to the University of South Carolina, shows the program is gaining national exposure. Its going to take more than a apparel deal to prove we have returned. That comes with wins and competing for state championships. 

Chief Pride!

Omar Kelly: "Ted Ginn Jr. is not a Bust"

            Remember Ted Ginn? The explosive receiver & return specialist from Ohio State that the Dolphins drafted with the 9^th overall pick back in 2007. Over his 3 year career in Miami, he caught 128 balls for 1664 yards & only 5 touchdowns, to go along with 2 rushing td’s & 3 td’s on special teams. I don’t know about you but I would say that is terrible production for a top 10 receiver. In my opinion, Ted Ginn was one of the worst draft picks for Miami over the last decade.  

            Omar Kelly, one of the best known beat writers for the Dolphins & a man that I follow on Twitter, thinks he wasn’t too bad. Last week, a discussion was brought up on Twitter about his top 3 Dolphins busts in the last 10 years. He said John Beck, Pat White, & Patrick Turner. All those players came in with high expectations but they didn’t last long in Miami so I agree. Another follower stated Ted Ginn, which Kelly replied: “Ted Ginn has had a productive NFL career & he’s still playing.” He offers his definition on a bust in the NFL: “a player your team selected high who not only didn’t live up to expectation, but was pushed out the league quickly.” So because Ginn is about to play his 9^th season in the league while scoring over 20 touchdowns in his career, Omar Kelly believes he is far from a bust.

            My definition of a bust is simple. It all depends on your investment on a player & the value you’re getting back. So a top 5 quarterback with expectations of becoming the long-term starter but ends up being a career backup is a bust. On the other hand, Tom Brady, a 6^th round pick by the Patriots but ended up becoming one of the best QB’s in the NFL with 4 Super Bowl rings, is a steal. Ted Ginn is a bust because he didn’t come close to reaching top 10 expectations. I hated that pick & I could’ve told the Dolphins Ted Ginn was a terrible pick, and Pat White. They basically reached for a 4.2 return specialist in the top 10. White, a West Virginia prospect who had the record for most career rushing yards for a QB at the time, was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009 to pretty much be a sub-in for the Dolphins Wildcat formation. Omar Kelly then explains his reasoning why Ted Ginn didn’t succeed with the Dolphins & this is where he lost me. He said the Dolphins forced him out onto the field when he wasn’t ready & all he did was make mistakes. So I’m thinking about last year’s receiver class, which was probably the best in NFL history. You had Odell Beckham Jr., who went to the Giants with the 12^th pick & missed the first 4 games, but still ended up with 1,305 yards & 12 td’s on 91 catches. Then you had Allen Hurns, who went UNDRAFTED, put up 677 yards & 6 td’s for the Jaguars. You also had Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, Jordan Matthews, Brandin Cooks, Josh Brown, Martavis Bryant, & Jarvis Landry (2^nd round pick for the Dolphins, would you look at that.) So you telling me that Ted Ginn, the 9^th overall pick, wasn’t even ready to play. That’s crazy.     

              

University of Florida: A Track & Field Powerhouse

By: Jimbo Brown

Dedric Dukes bringing home a 1st place finish

University of Florida is considered one of the best schools to attend in the world. Being one of the top-ranked public schools, UF has one of the biggest fan bases. This wonderful institution has excelled both academically and athletically. The Warrington Business School just won 1st place at the national case competition and the girl’s gymnastics team took home a National Championship in 2014. The track program has had the most consistency since Coach Mike Holloway took over about a decade ago.  The Gators are coming off of a successful weekend at Florida Relays track meet. The men and women teams finished with 20 individual personal records and 17 top-five finishes.

Coach Holloway aka “Mouse” a UF graduate is the nucleus that makes the machine produce greatness and consistency. He was an assistant coach on the 2012 USA Olympic team. Through his 8-year career with the Gators he has develop 12 individual national champions. The men’s and women’s programs has won multiple of indoor and outdoor SEC conference championships. If the teams didn't win out right, they either tied with another powerhouse or finished in the top-three. The men’s program has had more success overall bringing 5 team national championships; 3 indoor and 2 outdoor. The program wouldn't be as successful if it wasn't for the talent coach Holloway is able to recruit throughout the year.

Holloway is a mastermind when it comes to recruiting. He has always been able to get the most talented runners in the nation. Both teams are stacked with runners, jumpers and throwers from across the nation. Even though the Gators can have any student-athlete in the country, Holloway focuses on the talent in the state of Florida. Ebony Eutsey and Robin Reynolds two of the most decorated Florida High School athletes. They have contributed to the success of the women program, along with many others. On behalf of the men programs, the athletes that have come through have went on to represent the university and the country all over the world. Will Claye, Tony McQuay, Christian Taylor and Jeff Demps have contributed to our countries Olympic success. Coach Holloway has modeled many athletes to NCAA legends. The track & field program has produced 47 All-Americans and 141 All-American Honors. To have a great program at any level of competition you have to have a great leader.

This past indoor season yielded great results for the University of Florida Men’s program, with them winning the SEC championship this year. Najee Glass posted the second fastest 400m time in the nation this year and the 8^th fastest time in school history. With this early success, he will do nothing but progress. Coach Holloway is one of the best coaches in the nation and has built a program that will continuously  grow.

Al Golden: GTFOH

By: Jimbo Brown 

Since the UM/FIU brawl in the Orange Bowl, The U has unintentionally turned back into just The University of Miami. You may be thinking to yourself, "These are the same school". To me these are two different types of programs. Growing up in the era of The U, I got to see legends such as Sean Taylor, Andre Johnson and Carol City bred Santana Moss. They just didn't bring talent to the program but the same swag that greats before them possessed. Now,the kids only get to see a few of these players come through the program now, like Allen Hurns, Duke Johnson and Sean Spence. There has been other players that represents The U but they are just a small percentage of the players. The culture of the program has vastly changed once the coaching changes became more frequent.

Al Golden has been the coach for a couple years now and the program haven't lived up to expectations of the core fans. I have lost hope for this coaching staff because they have had enough talent on to compete with the new king of the Florida, Florida State Seminoles. Golden has yet to deliver an 8-win season at the University of Miami. He has yet to produce a bowl win to the campus and only season he has had is destroying a already dying legacy. 

The main reason I would like to see Al Golden leave because he let great high school players fall to the waist side. Injured 5-star athletes were forgotten about because they wasn't the players he recruited. Players like Eduardo Clements, who once had offers on top of offers, was forgotten about after a neck injury. Even though he was cleared to play, Golden relied on a talented but inexperienced Dallas Crawford. If Eduardo was used in more often, when Duke went out with the ankle injury in 2013, the season would have went down the drain. This past season wasn't successful either which leads me to believe he is on a short leash.

The leash the Alumni is holding on Al Golden before they start to snap is shorter than Kevin Hart and Wee Man fighting. He has to produce a 10-win season, a respectable bowl appearance and develop his players. He has no excuses this season; its his system, coaches and players HE recruited. You can say he is on the HOT SEAT.

Madness in March

            In this year’s tournament, it’s Kentucky & everybody else. With the Wildcats having a perfect season & sliding past their first 2 tourney games with ease, they are this much closer to becoming the first NCAA Men’s basketball team to go undefeated since Bob Knight’s 1976 Indiana squad. #1 seeds Wisconsin & Duke are the most competitive teams in the field with the best chance to knock off Kentucky. #1 seed Villanova was up there too but got exposed by North Carolina State in the round of 32. Duke, with Jahlil Okafor & one of the best backcourts in the nation, cruised past Robert Morris & San Diego State. They have a Sweet 16 matchup with #5 Utah this Friday. Wisconsin beat Coastal Carolina & Oregon to earn their way into the Sweet 16, where they will face #4 North Carolina. 

            The 2^nd round of the tournament played out last Thursday & Friday with plenty of upsets & tight games. Rule #1 about upsets: they’re unpredictable. Many people liked lower-seeded Eastern Washington, Ole Miss, Buffalo & Valparaiso to advance to the next round. But it was the teams no one expected that completed the upset bid. #14 seeds Georgia State & UAB defeated Baylor & Iowa State, who were expected to make deep runs in the tourney, by 1 point to advance. UCLA, a team that many thought didn’t deserve a spot among the 64 teams, surprised SMU on a controversial goaltending call and ended up beating UAB in the next round. In the 3^nd round over the weekend, the biggest games were #7 against #2 matchups, Wichita State vs. Kansas & Michigan State vs. Virginia. The lower seeds beat the higher seeds for a spot in the Sweet 16. Louisville & Northern Iowa was another exciting game that saw Louisville hold off a UNI comeback to beat them by double digits. Notre Dame beat Butler by 3 and Dayton blew a lead against Oklahoma to lose by 6.

            The 8 Sweet 16 matchups are Wisconsin & North Carolina, Arizona & Xavier, Gonzaga & UCLA, Duke & Utah, Kentucky & West Virginia, Notre Dame & Wichita State, Louisville & North Carolina State, and Oklahoma & Michigan State. I predict Louisville & Michigan State to advance with the Spartans winning that matchup to play in the Final Four. I picked Notre Dame to beat Wichita State in my bracket but I want to see a Wildcats & Shockers rematch of last year’s tourney game when Kentucky beat an undefeated Wichita State team. The Shockers can’t look ahead but I bet they would want to avenge that loss by ruining Kentucky’s perfect season. Wisconsin & Arizona will meet in the Elite 8 along with Duke & Gonzaga. Arizona will advance but lose to Kentucky in the Final Four. Duke will advance & beat Michigan State to face Kentucky in the championship game. For all the marbles, Kentucky will beat Duke for their 9^th championship.

Free Tim Tebow: Why isn't he in the NFL?

by: Sole Mentality 

​

2 BCS National Championships, 2 SEC Championships, 2x First-team All-American, 3x First-team All-SEC, 2x Maxwell Award, 2007 AP Player of the Year, 2007 Quarterback of the Year, 2008 SEC Offensive Player of the Year, 2008 Manning Award, and the first sophomore ever to win the Heisman Trophy. With a resume like this, one would think that any college football player would find instant success in the NFL. But this wasn’t the case for University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. 

 

Despite starting his college career as a second string to Chris Leaks, Tebow took every opportunity given to make significant contributions to his Florida Gator team. Game after game, Tebow rushed for more yards and even managed to finish against the LSU Tigers accounting for every Florida touchdown. Tebow’s outstanding performance helped secure the 2007 BCS National Title for the Florida Gators. Hard work definitely paid off for Tebow as he was named Florida’s starting quarterback for the 2007 season. In their season opener against Western Kentucky, he led his Gator team to a 49-3 victory over the Hilltoppers. Completing 13 of 17 passes, Tebow threw 300 yards and 3 touchdowns before the game was called to an end due to inclement weather. In their yearly matchup with long-standing rival Florida State, Tebow and the Gators defeated the Seminoles 45-12. That night he scored a total of five touchdowns, two of which were in the first quarter. Although the Gators finished the season with a 9-4 record, Tebow had the second highest passing efficiency in the country at 177.8 and of course, the Heisman. Tebow’s college career came to a close at the end of the 2009 season, where the Gators finished 13-1. He held 5 NCAA, 14 SEC, and 28 UF stat records. In 2010, Tim Tebow entered the 2010 NFL Draft.

 

Many critics remained skeptical of Tebow’s ability to perform in the league, but in April, the Denver Broncos drafted him in the first-round. There was undoubtedly something about Tebow that somehow crowned him “comeback king,” rescuing his team from deficits week after week. You might even think it earned him a bit of security with the Denver Broncos considering he helped them win their first AFC West title since 2005, but it didn’t. After all, can you really blame the Broncos for wanting Peyton Manning? They took a huge risk in signing him while recovering from a serious spinal surgery, and in retrospect, it was a risk worth taking for Denver. There isn’t much else to say about Tim Tebow’s NFL career after being cutfrom the Broncos. I think Tebow fans and his critics would agree that his career was short-lived and disappointing. But this shouldn’t really be a surprise to anyone that knows football. Let’s face it, Tim Tebowisn’t an NFL quarterback, he’s an NCAA quarterback at best. 

 

By definition, a quarterback serves as the leader of the offensive line and more importantly, distributor of the ball. He studies film, knows the game, controls the pocket, can read defensive plays, stays calm under pressure, and motivates his team. But the skillset required to succeed in the NCAA differs greatly from that of the NFL and is probably one of the biggest reasons Tebow never found the success most people expected him to. While Tebow has demonstrated that he can lead and motivate his team, he lacks the essential mechanics that truly make up an NFL quarterback: pocket presence and passing accuracy. These are arguably two of the most needed qualities to even consider a career as an NFL quarterback. From the moment the ball is snapped, the quarterback usually has less than 3 seconds til his pressure starts breaks down; he has to make a move. He needs impeccable timing paired with a keen sense of awareness to ensure passing accuracy and avoid being sacked. If you’ve ever seen Tebow in the pocket, you can see the confusion and frustration in his face. He has a hard time reading defenses and it explains why he is so easily sacked. What’s probably most frustrating for any coach is accepting his lack of quarterback skills despite his athletic ability. Compare Tebow against a QB like Peyton Manning and he is definitely more athletic. But what makes Peyton the quarterback we love and respect is his ability to get the ball to his receivers consistently and efficiently. By no means am I saying that Tebow shouldn’t be in the league. He has a build and athleticism that would make him highly competitive on the field, but not as a quarterback. When scouts show up at combines and pro-days, they look for collegiate players that show promise when analyzing their technique. The professional league is about refining your skill, not finding it. Coaches want players with skills and techniques that can be built upon through great coaching and training. Of course some people will argue, probably Gator fans, “but Tebow scores points!” and he has an extensive record of doing so. There are plenty of QB’s in the league that have abandoned the historically pocket dominating style of most QB’s in favor of rushing the ball. Mike Vick is a perfect example. When he started with the Atlanta Falcons, he was one of, if not the, most mobile QBbut he struggled to pass in the pocket. In time he developed the ability to watch the field while maintaining accurate releases. All these skills fit together like pieces of a puzzle and that’s what makes a great pro quarterback. If Tebow really wanted to play professional football, he would be open to playing in other positions. He could build a great career at HB or tight end. But Tebow’s dream is to bean NFL quarterback, and that’s really why he isn’t in the league.

While the future of Tim Tebow’s career as an NFL quarterback remains unclear, one thing is for certain, the media frenzy surrounding him does not help his case. Since college, his faith has been a hot topic for every media outlet. In fact, much of his professional shortcomings were overshadowed by the godly pedestal society placed him on. In 2009, reporter Clay Travis asked Tebow on national television about his virginity, a question that stirred up quite a controversy. Tebow’s faith ultimately became more important than the aspects of his life that actually mattered, like why his passing accuracy was so poor and what he was doing to strengthen his weaknesses. This week alone, Tebow’s attendance at a Philadelphia Eagles workout generated as much noise as Jameis Winston’s decision to skip out on the NFL Draft And for that reason, signing Tebow could create a major headache for any PR team. That may not be a risk an NFL team is willing to take considering what he brings to the table.

 

With all of the speculations surrounding Tebow’sslim chance of getting picked up by a team, there’s still no guarantee that he’ll be signed. Although yesterday’s workout session didn’t end in his favor, at least he’s getting something he hasn’t had – a chance. We’ll see exactly what he does with it in the weeks to come.