Meyer never should have admitted that Tebow has a sore right shoulder. If he had said "upper body injury" like a hockey coach, we wouldn't have to be concerned about things like this;
"Oh, definitely," Miller said. "In piles, people are grabbing . . . it's just the way it is. They are trying to get any edge that they can have.
"You can't blame them, a guy like that who makes so many plays for us, they're going to do anything they can to get him off the field."
Now, the team heads into the Georgia game with a very real possibility of Tebow getting piled on and hit low. The rest of the team has been concerned with the punishment Tebow is taking and it's clear the offensive line cannot be the enforcers.
That's why we nominate Eric Rutledge as Tebow's personal protector. Just like in hockey when Wayne Gretzky had Marty McSorley, the 70's and 80's Islanders had Clark Gillies, and the Lightning now have Andre Roy.
The links go to youtube video of their fights. You could spend a whole day watching Gillies fights.
The thing is that Rutledge is out there. But he's not being used as a battering ram like a Lorenzo Neal. Instead he's kicking out and taking a LB or DB coming around the edge. If you're going to send Tebow into the hole, send Rutledge in there first. Plus, as a fullback, he's not as valuable as another back in this offense. Let him take the punishment.
That may sound horrible, but the time has come for our offensive players to be ones smacking people senseless. This started against Ohio State last year and continued with Western Kentucky in the opener. If Meyer and Mullen are not willing to protect Tebow, then the players have to do it.
Sometimes I wonder if Meyer believes he will have Tebow for four seasons. Meyer has to use Tebow to his maximum before he leaves Gainesville, even if that means sending him into danger 17 times a game. We have all drank the kool-aid on Tebow being a damn tank. But, Meyer shouldn't be one of those people.