Should he have still been in there?

[MahxFahn]

3rd quarter no evidence that uk can come back against us. Your studs are ill why keep them in? Do you think UM will be second guessing himself?

 

[Escambia94]

I dare not second-guess the man who gets paid millions to make these decisions with lots more experience and lots more information than any of us armchair quarterbacks. I hate armchair quarterbacks in my job, and I sure as hell think it's disrespectful when people do it.

I dare not denigrate Tim Tebow's love for the game. If I know Tebow as well as I think I can know him as a fan, he would not have wanted it any other way. He wants to play, whether he is ahead by 23 points, or behind by 50, whether he has the flu, or whether he is healthy. If I were Tebow, I would not have wanted to be yanked out of the game, even if I had a time machine and saw what would have happened. This is part of the game.

I've been ignoring the temptation to post my opinion on all the other sports blogs, but here is my opinion here--this sh!t with second-guess the coach should not come from the Gator Nation. It's great to be a Florida Gator, and with that comes good and bad.

Tim Tebow needs to know how to take a hit. If he gets schwacked in the NFL, they are not going to be as nice about it. The players are not going to go on record that they are praying for him and that he is the leader of the team--they are going to watch him be dragged off the field, the next QB will come in, and the game will continue. Then, Tebow will be added to the long list of QBs that get concussions in the NFL.

 

[Ufgatorfan]

I'm tired of people saying he should know how to take a hit. I believe the man has proven he can take a hit and keep on ticken. The hit is not what gave him the concussion, it was the blow to the back of the head by his own teammates knee. If it were not for that I believe he would of gotten right back up, maybe alittle bit shakened. When watching the video it was clearly a good hit yet Tebow maintaines control of the ball then gets hit in the head and falls out on the ground. I would like to see anyone take a knee to the head with a helmet and not get a concussion or better yet your bell rung.

 

[gatorsare#1]

It was still the 3rd quarter and UF was only up 31-7. Yes, he still should have been in the game.

There's no one to blame for this. It's football. There's always going to be an inherent risk of injury. It's simply part of the game.

 

[CinciGator]

Tim Tebow needs to know how to take a hit.

How do you "learn to take a hit" from a 6'4" 230lb man hitting you from your blind side? What a ridiculous statement. I don't care who your are, that's a hardcore hit.

 

[mjfan23]

cinci gator - agreed. you from the nati? I made the trip down yesterday, wasnt a bad drive at all.

Tim wa released from the hospital and rumored to be in good spirits. A couple days will still be needed to figure out how long this is going to keep in out.

 

[CinciGator]

cinci gator - agreed. you from the nati?

Sure am. The local Gator club did a bus trip.

I saw a few Red Tide fans saying Tebow should sit out the 'bama game just to be safe..hey how come there is no laughing smilie on here?

 

[Escambia94]

How do you "learn to take a hit" from a 6'4" 230lb man hitting you from your blind side? What a ridiculous statement. I don't care who your are, that's a hardcore hit.

You learn by taking your hits, regardless of where they come from--opposing linebackers, your own linemen, your own backs trying to cover your fumble, or whatever. It does not matter whether the injury came from the linebacker or his own lineman, he needs to know how to rebound from any hit that he will be expected to take. It's part of the game.

Does it matter if the injury turns out to have been caused by his head hitting the knee of his own lineman? Nope. Who gets credit for the sack? Who gets credit for the hit? Who gets to brag about taking out Superman?

It was a good hit. I applaud that man. I love Tim Tebow, but I also love defense. That was a good defensive play. If anything, I am upset that Gilbert was out of position.

 

[Leakfan12]

I'm guessing Meyer planned to put in the second stringers in the fourth quarter. Hey injuries happen just ask Oklahoma, USF, and Baylor.

 

[O-town Gator]

On "Breakfast with the Gators" yesterday (even though I watch the game the day before, I make it a habit to watch BWTG the day after and try to catch things I may have overlooked the night before), during his halftime interview Steve Babik asked Coach Meyer about all the guys who were playing sick, and Meyer responded by stating that they were there to play a game.

Dumb question on Babik's part; you mean to tell me that he doesn't realize after five years that Meyer has no tolerance for crybabies? Sheesh!

Timmy's taken his share of hits; let's not forget that he was nailed hard on a hit before the 2007 WLOCP and needed to be outfitted with a set of shoulder pads to protect his right side - also, it was revealed that he played a good deal of the 2008 season in pain. For somebody to keep on going in spite of injuries, that shows how mentally tough Tebow is.

And back during a game in 2006, Chris Leak had played with a slight concussion, which he hadn't revealed to Coach Meyer until later on.

If those aren't two good examples of "suffering in silence", I don't know what are.

Urban Meyer may have inherited a "soft" team from Ron Zook back in 2005, but he hardly has a team of softies now. He demands physical and mental toughness from any player deemed to be game-ready on his roster. If you're not up to that level, you don't see gametime action.

 

[Gretzky_99]

Escambia,
Yes, Tebow should learn to NOT receive a concussion when taking a blow to the head. What???? He has no control over what his brain does inside his skull.. it's pretty much up to physics at that point.

No, i don't fault Meyer for keeping Tebow in the game. It's unfortunate in the BCS that rankings partially depend on style points. Larger point margin means more votes...you have no choice but to keep in your starters to get more points..

 

[leakbrewergator]

People are acting like it was a blowout. We were up 31-7 and our offense was struggling since the first. Every coach in America would have kept their starters in.

 

[CinciGator]

Also don't forget that Tebow is a Heisman candidate. Taking him out too early could hurt his overall stats and his Heisman chances. Not that I think that it was the reason he was still in...just sayin'

 

[O-town Gator]

No, i don't fault Meyer for keeping Tebow in the game. It's unfortunate in the BCS that rankings partially depend on style points. Larger point margin means more votes...you have no choice but to keep in your starters to get more points..

Gretzky, I couldn't have said it better. Because we have deficiencies on offense right now, especially where our wide receivers are concerned, we need as much power out there as we can muster - that, and kindness of the BCS system we have in place right now that weighs "style points" (a/k/a quality of a win) in calculating the rankings.

As controversial and as much of a "flip-flopper" as Mike Bianchi can be, he also backs Meyer in his gametime decision:

"Or should our Dud of the Week be the clanging cymbals in the media who are trying to blame Urban Meyer for Tim Tebow's injury by saying Tebow should not even have been in the game at the time? Good grief, Tebow got hurt in a football game. It happens. Why do we have to blame somebody? For crying out loud, you don't take your starting quarterback out of the game midway through the third quarter. Yes, the game was in hand (31-7) at the time, but it wasn't over by any means." (Link: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_bianchi/2009/09/studs-and-duds-usf-is-a-stud-fsu-coaches-urban-meyer-haters-are-duds.html)

If some of these nincompoops in the media think they can do a better job than Urban Meyer can of coaching this team, let them get their sorry behinds out there on the sidelines and prove they can - otherwise, they need to knock off all their nonsense.

 

[Escambia94]

You learn by taking your hits, regardless of where they come from--opposing linebackers, your own linemen, your own backs trying to cover your fumble, or whatever. It does not matter whether the injury came from the linebacker or his own lineman, he needs to know how to rebound from any hit that he will be expected to take. It's part of the game.
...

Escambia,
Yes, Tebow should learn to NOT receive a concussion when taking a blow to the head. What???? He has no control over what his brain does inside his skull.. it's pretty much up to physics at that point.....

My answer is in bold. I've been deployed to the Middle East and shot at. Do you want to know how I learned how to survive getting shot at? I got shot at! The guy next to me? Well, he was actually hit, and he got a medal for it. Nowhere in there did I imply that I learn how to absorb bullet wounds or mortar blasts--I just learned how to get in there knowing that it was a possibility that I could get shot. Likewise, I did not imply Tebow needed to learn how to bend the laws of physics. Tebow needs to remember that collisions are part of the game, especially with his offense and his playing style. My statement in bold implies that Tim Tebow needs to learn how to take hit as well by simply taking hits in the natural course of the game and getting back up again. It's part of the game!

I am not going to get caught up in the emotion of the game just because I love watching Tebow. I love the game of football, collisions and all, more than I love watching any single player. Most of all, I love watching hits. When playing football, I love getting hit. When I stop enjoying the hits, then I move on to a sissy sport, like bowling or golf. Tebow will be fine, regardless if he plays at LSU. If he plans to be an NFL QB, he had better get accustomed to the idea of having 275-lb linemen tackling him, and not these 230-pounders. If he still suits up and shows no ill effects, then he will have learned to take a hit. If he is gun shy or hesitant for several games, then he has not learned how to take a hit. By no means is he able to learn how to bend the laws of physics.

 

[GatorBa!t]

My answer is in bold. I've been deployed to the Middle East and shot at. Do you want to know how I learned how to survive getting shot at? I got shot at! The guy next to me? Well, he was actually hit, and he got a medal for it. Nowhere in there did I imply that I learn how to absorb bullet wounds or mortar blasts--I just learned how to get in there knowing that it was a possibility that I could get shot. Likewise, I did not imply Tebow needed to learn how to bend the laws of physics. Tebow needs to remember that collisions are part of the game, especially with his offense and his playing style. My statement in bold implies that Tim Tebow needs to learn how to take hit as well by simply taking hits in the natural course of the game and getting back up again. It's part of the game!

I am not going to get caught up in the emotion of the game just because I love watching Tebow. I love the game of football, collisions and all, more than I love watching any single player. Most of all, I love watching hits. When playing football, I love getting hit. When I stop enjoying the hits, then I move on to a sissy sport, like bowling or golf. Tebow will be fine, regardless if he plays at LSU. If he plans to be an NFL QB, he had better get accustomed to the idea of having 275-lb linemen tackling him, and not these 230-pounders. If he still suits up and shows no ill effects, then he will have learned to take a hit. If he is gun shy or hesitant for several games, then he has not learned how to take a hit. By no means is he able to learn how to bend the laws of physics.

your scenario does not apply to every facet of life though, getting blind sided 20 times doesn't make you more able to take that type of hit or rebound from it..the key is bracing your body for impact...now taking straight up hits does however help you brace for impact which Tebow already knows how to do (see Eric Berry, Tebow Clash)....point is there is no way to take a blind side hit...and if you get a concussion you get a concussion...no way of walking that type of thing off

 

[CaliZona_Gator]

People are acting like it was a blowout. We were up 31-7 and our offense was struggling since the first. Every coach in America would have kept their starters in.

I agree completely. The only reason people are saying anything is because it's Tebow and the media drools over him... any other starter goes down and you would hardly here about the starters being in the game.

 

[Escambia94]

your scenario does not apply to every facet of life though, getting blind sided 20 times doesn't make you more able to take that type of hit or rebound from it..the key is bracing your body for impact...now taking straight up hits does however help you brace for impact which Tebow already knows how to do (see Eric Berry, Tebow Clash)....point is there is no way to take a blind side hit...and if you get a concussion you get a concussion...no way of walking that type of thing off

Again, you are misreading my words. I am not saying one learns how to take hits by bending the laws of physics or even bracing for hits. You learn how to take hits by taking hits and then coming back despite the hit. (Read my earlier posts if you think I am changing my position.)

If you take a hit in week 3 and then become gun shy and never recover, you have not learned how to take a hit. If you are gun shy for a week and then regain comfort in that situation by week 5 or 6, you have learned how to take a hit. Now take another hit. Keep taking hits until you are done taking hits. If that point where you are done occurs in 5+ years (Merril Hoge, Troy Aikman, Steve Young), then you go down in history as one of those guys who suffered numerous concussions but continued to play long enough to retire. Plenty of athletes do it, which is why certain positions can demand more salary--they need the money for medical bills for concussions, broken bones, and torn muscles.

Again, learning to take a hit has nothing to do with bracing for impact. Learning to take a hit has more to do with coming back after a hit.

 

[O-town Gator]

Sounds like Timmy's improving, according to the "Slantinel": http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_uf/2009/09/update-tebows-status-improved-tests-positive.html#more

On one of the sidebars, the Slantinel's Twitter page is reporting that OC Steve Addazio is shouldering the blame for the hit on Tebow because of the play that was called. It was a noble gesture on Addazio's part, but really nobody is to blame for what happened. It's part of the game we all know as football, and I still say that no fingers should be pointed at anyone, despite the media's knack for playing the "blame game" everytime something negative happens that concerns this team. (Read more from the Alligator here: http://www.alligator.org/articles/2009/09/29/sports/football/090929_notes.txt)

 

[Gretzky_99]

The hit itself was not the cause of Tebow's concusion, it was bouncing off the guards knee that i would say caused it. Not the first time Tebow has been sacked in his career..