Spring Practice: What We Know

The annoying thing about spring practice being closed to the media and fans is that it takes a while for any information to leak out. Plus we can't see pictures of players and say "Holy cow, he is ripped!" or "Nice catch!" and while we all love to see the pictures and videos of the Gators in pads, I still think that it was the right decision.

But what do we know so far? Well, the answer is, not much. We only know what the players and coaches have said thus far. But hey, isn't that all we ever know, just without the pictures and videos? Okay, maybe the pictures (while there are some, it isn't the same) and videos tell us a lot as to who looks good, who looks bad and so on.

What matters this year however, is how well the players understand their new roles, their new playbooks and most of all, trust each other in the new system. Which leads me to say...

The good news isn't that I saved 15% by switching to Geico (I don't have Geico, nor do I plan on switching to Geico), but the good news is that Ronald Powell says he is ready for his new role. That should be music to everyone's ears, except of course Tennessee fans, LSU fans, FSU fans, well you get the idea. Ronald Powell sums up his new position known as "The Buck" position. 

"I’m loving it," Powell said. "It’s more freedom. You don’t have to have your hand on the ground all the time. You can stand up, and it’s kind of my choice. … It’s the best position for me. If I could have picked any position, it would be the buck."

Ronald Powell having some freedom on what he wants to do, how he wants to line-up during play...now that is what I wanted to hear, give me more please.

John Brantley is even having some fun in Charlie Weis' offense. Hopefully that "fun" and "enjoyment" carries over through the spring game, fall practice, the regular season, in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game, and then within the confines of the Louisiana Superdome next January 9th for the BCS National Championship.

On another note, former tight end recruit and Elijah Williams 2.0 player Gerald Christian is excited about his switch to linebacker.

"It's not definite. I'm No. 1 on the depth chart, but I've still got to earn the position," Christian said. "Honestly, I would have felt better being at the bottom and working to the top, trying to earn it more. I'm going to work hard anyway."

Other quotes, courtesy of the Gainesville Sun from the players about what is going on behind the scenes at spring practice include:

Lerentee McCray (LB): "I love the new defense." "I really can't explain how it is. You've just got to see it on the field. It's a different concept, a different style of defense."

Jon Bostic (LB): "Our whole defense, everybody is eager to learn. Everyone wants to work." "I like it. There's a lot of carryover from last year, but we're blitzing a lot and have a lot of different looks. "That's what I'm excited about, a lot of different looks."

Janoris Jenkins (CB): "Everything is different." "We've got a whole new playbook. Every day we get new plays, and we're just learning. A lot of it is different. Some stuff is carryover. But every day we get new stuff."

William Green (DE): "I like it a lot." "I'm real excited with what we're doing. I'm just enjoying the scheme a lot better.

So it seems that everything is going smoothly for new head coach Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. I'm not going to say the "i" word, because I don't want to jinx anybody and everyone knows we've struggled with that in the past, especially last year when it seemed that every other day a player...yep.

Hope this good news continues for so long that we get sick and tired of hearing nothing but good news. You know what, on second thought, I don't think it is possible to become tired of good news.

Carry on and Go Gators!