In a few hours, Florida will begin spring practice. But, how much can and should we take away from what happens in the next few weeks?
I don't believe spring practice can tell you much about who will replace Percy Harvin or his evil twin, Percey Harvey. What we need to look for is intensity. Position battles in March are worthless for August. A lot can change between now and then (injuries from carrying 30 Filipino children, suspensions from gun play). But, if someone is taking practice seriously now, they will take it seriously in a few months too. Watch to see what Brandon Spikes does, considering he came back to school with winning another National Championship as his only concern.
Other than looking for who is intense and who is enjoying a nice Gainesville spring day, watch out for what the offense is doing. Urban Meyer has said he'd like to try the Oklahoma fast break offense which scored 14 points on UF last season and 702 on everyone else. The fast break is similar to the spread in that it creates the appearence of speed. Oklahoma's players were not faster than anyone else's. But, the fast break means less time for the defense to think. After a few series, defenses think individual players are moving faster because the defender is still moving the same speed in terms of recognition.
Personally, I want to see what new QB coach Scot Loeffler and new offensive coordinator Steve Addazio do to the Tebow War Machine. If Tebow starts going under center, and is successful, that would be awesome. If Tebow can build a quicker release and still keep his strength, the Ultimate Weapon would be complete.