Florida wants Tebow ready for Georgia
Hoover, Ala.-One of the neat things about SEC Media Days is that you finally get a glimpse of what players and coaches actually like about their team and what still concerns them going into preseason practice. Sometimes you have to read between the lines but there are some nuggets of information to be had. Here are a few from Wednesday’s first session.
1. Gators want Tebow healthy for Georgia: It is a fact that in 2007 Florida quarterback Tim Tebow had one of the greatest individual seasons ever (32 touchdowns passing, 23 rushing). But it is also a fact that Florida feels it lost to Georgia (42-30) not because of the motivational lift the Bulldogs got from storming the field, but because Tebow was banged up and nowhere close to 100 percent.
Only time will tell if the Georgia-Florida game on Nov. 1 will be the Top 5 showdown that many anticipate. But this much is certain. The Gators want a rested and healthy Tebow when they get to Jacksonville.
Florida coach Urban Meyer told me that his Heisman Trophy winner won’t have to carry the ball 210 times as he did during the 2007 season. Keeping Tebow healthy and fresh will be a priority in 2008.
“The good news is that we now have some options,” Meyer said. “Tim ran the ball as much as he did last season because that is what gave us the best chance to win.”
ajc.com
7/24/08
