Cocktail Party Hangover

by mlmintampa on Nov 1, 2009 9:39 PM EST in Florida Football

- Tim Tebow and Brandon Spikes yelling at each other following the Mississippi State game would be like watching your parents fight, if your parents were a large black man with dreds and an equally large Bible-thumping white guy. The impact of the two leaders of the team challenging each other is a trickle down effect with the results coming in 41 points against Georgia. As Tebow and Spikes yelled at each other, imagine a guy like A.J. Jones or David Nelson sitting there, wondering how they can play better. Florida's unit-by-unit victory was a direct result of UF's team leaders challenging each other.

- In a dark arts kind of way, Spikes going for the eye gouge is hilarious. (When I first saw the video, I thought he was going for a strip. I am a huge homer.) He might get suspended, since college players can't just pay a $10,000 fine and move on. But, if you had to pick out a guy to commit a dirty act at the bottom of the pile, how far do you go before you get to Spikes? Isn't he the first pick? I mentioned on Saturday that he brings an extra level of aggressiveness, and that has a dark side too. That Spikes would try to do something in a rivalry game and retaliate is almost acceptable, until the possibility of the whole "blinding a guy" thing is considered.

- When Tebow walked into the end zone for the SEC rushing TD record, it got a little dusty in the Alligator Army Luxury Box. The extended ovation for Tebow was a neat touch, like we expected him to come out of the dugout and tip his hat to the crowd.

- Urban Meyer continues to push the right buttons in terms of motivating this team. Last week's circling the wagons, combined with a mean Tebow and Spikes has set this team on a much steadier course than before Mississippi State. Contrast this with Mark Richt's black helmets, black pants and jump around after Georgia made it 14-10. Meyer does not rely on gimmicks.

- Speaking of Georgia's attempts to get noticed by Tim Gunn, regular readers of Uni Watch probably thought of writer Paul Lukas' "Is it good or is it stupid?" when UGA came out looking like Grambling. I liked the black pants, but the black helmet replaced an iconic helmet. UGA has worn a red helmet since the 1960s. To do a one-off against your rival is pretty lame.

- As for drinking fun, the highlight was seeing a drunk guy fall off an escalator at the Landings Saturday night. He flipped off about halfway up, landed on his back, and got up apparently uninjured after a 15 foot fall. Remember kids, drink responsibly.

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A rational UGA fan thought

Mimi, I’ve been here before and would like to think I come across as a rational, insightful fan and try to keep my biases put aside when discussing general college football happenings. With that said, if Brandon Spikes is not suspended I lose all respect I had for Urban Meyer as a coach (who I think is a great coach, FWIW). That’s just inexcusable to seriously threaten a guy’s vision and I find it very disturbing that you refer to it as:

In a dark arts kind of way, Spikes going for the eye gouge is hilarious.

I understand that might just be tongue-in-cheek as you clarify at the end of the paragraph, but please take your Gator colored glasses off and see the situation for what it is. I think the word “thug” gets thrown around too loosely when discussing football players and I won’t use it here. However, that might be the dirtiest play I’ve ever seen on a football field and I would have felt the same way if it were a UGA defender doing it to a UF running back and wouldn’t have made some comment about how it might be “hilarious”.

I hope you certainly change your tone in the future regarding this incident as I consider you to be fairly level headed and not the typical arrogant/jerkish Gator fan.

http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/

by AuditDawg on Nov 2, 2009 9:57 AM EST reply actions

It is most definitely tongue-in-cheek. I’m not condoning Spikes, but he’s not the first or the last guy to respond to getting poked in the eye (accidental or intentional) by attempting to do the same. To be highly critical is to go back and rip every player who engages in a dirty play in a game with four personal foul calls (3 for UGA, 1 for UF). If you’re in a pile, you know someone is going for an eye or your nuts. I also say this as a formerly undersized center that would “accidentally” punch guys in chin and neck. If an eye gouge is the dirtiest play you’ve seen on a football field, you have never seen interior linemen try to blow up ACLs of defensive tackles. Auburn and the 1980’s 49ers turned that into an art. (To the SEC’s credit, I think I’ve seen more chop block calls this season than in all previous seasons combined.)
I think Meyer leaves the question of suspension because that’s the SEC’s responsibility. Plays on the field should not be under the coach’s supervision, at least in a Conference game. If Mike Slive can discipline Kiffin, he can tell Spikes to sit out too. If Spikes getting suspended sets a precedent for the SEC reviewing plays and making other players sit out for called and uncalled personal fouls, I’m all for it.

mlmintampa
UF C/O 06

by mlmintampa on Nov 2, 2009 11:04 AM EST up reply actions

You may be right about not being the coach's decision

However, I have to agree with tankertoad below. Passing it as “just football” is a cop out. Do that outside the confines of the football field and it’s a felony assault charge. It’s one thing to be chop blocking and such within the confines of the game (although dirty), but that crossed the line IMHO. I don’t bring this up to sugarcoat the fact thate Georgia was outplayed and outclassed in virtually every phase of the game (they were). I bring it up because I see too many Gator fans passing that off as “just football” when I know they would be screaming bloody murder if the shoe was on the other foot. I’m not defending the Georgia player who teed off on Tebow after he had handed the ball off to the RB nor should you be defending Spikes when he was clearly in the wrong. Hypothetically speaking, if Spikes had blinded that young man for the rest of his life, would you be passing this off as “just football”?

http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/

by AuditDawg on Nov 2, 2009 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

I mention in the most recent story that if Ealey was seriously injured, Spikes would not be defended. I didn’t go further into that because, to my knowledge, Ealey wasn’t hurt. (He had 17 carries against UF.) And I would expect Florida fans (or Georgia or Bama or anyone) to scream bloody murder when they feel they are the victim of a blown call or a dirty play. Hell, any time Tebow is hit hard we want a flag.
I understand your criticism in that I’m not taking it as seriously in “passing this off as "just football"”. Half of that is in the way I write. Half is in that I tend to give players the benefit of the doubt. In my case, if it was a UGA player doing the same to a UF player of equal stature, I’d note it on here (because of the attention) while the comments scream bloody murder.

mlmintampa
UF C/O 06

by mlmintampa on Nov 2, 2009 12:57 PM EST up reply actions

Last thing I'll say on it

Look, I understand that Ealey wasn’t hurt, but that doesn’t change the intent. You are rationalizing this. This is a very bad analogy, but you still go to jail for attempted robbery even if you didn’t succeed in stealing anything. How is this any different? That’s my last say, but I do feel you are a voice in the Gator nation and you are rationalizing what is a foul act because he’s one of your guys. I assure you T. Kyle and the other Georgia representatives would not be rationalizing this if Ealey had done that to Spikes. We would be calling for the kid to be suspended.

http://hobnailboot.wordpress.com/

by AuditDawg on Nov 2, 2009 3:50 PM EST up reply actions

If it was meant to be tounge-in-check, it's a weak attempt, and rather sickening

There is nothing funny at all about a player getting a potential long term injury, especially in the eye. I don’t see Florida fans condemning the behavior, I see them rationalizing it. The number of PFs UGA had has absolutely no correlation to justification of what spikes did. I don’t care who did what where and when in the past or other schools. Saying "this is football" is a weak attempt to make a pass at a flagrant wrong act. It’s football, yes, they have rules, and this violates them. Spike was blatantly wrong, defending his action is wrong, and being a fan doesn’t mean you check your integrity at the door.

by tankertoad on Nov 2, 2009 12:10 PM EST reply actions

"I don’t see Florida fans condemning the behavior, I see them rationalizing it."

That’s what fans and players do. As fans or as teammates, we have every right to defend our player, even when they are in the wrong. Throwing at a batter is wrong, but I guarantee a lot of Yankees fans wanted payback for A-Rod getting hit for the third time in two games last night. Wrecking a guy is wrong, but I know a lot of NASCAR fans who love to see Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart get fish tailed. Your own fandom is the reason why you’ve come on to this board and been critical of a guy. Had Spikes been playing for FSU against Georgia Tech, I doubt you’re on the Tech boards, ripping Spikes for violating rules. Fans of a player who is in the wrong will try to rationalize it. If you expected different, you are a better man than all of us and probably a man of the cloth.
If these games were played with 100% honor and integrity, there would be no need for rules. Spikes committed a penalty and he should be punished. But if you think it was unprovoked or it is something out of the ordinary, you’re wrong.

mlmintampa
UF C/O 06

by mlmintampa on Nov 2, 2009 12:47 PM EST up reply actions