McClain was an animal. Showed fantastic range and diagnostic skills. He's the closest thing to Patrick Willis I've seen since he came out, and would be absolutely terrifying next to Mayo in the 3-4. He's going in the top 10 next year sadly.
The Gators showed a lot of respect to Cody and rarely ran up the middle - they simply tried to bounce just about everything to the outside if they did try to run it, but with them being behind early on, they had to pass more. I thought the Pouncey boys did well from what I could see, but then as I said, it was rare the play went in Cody's direction.
Haden's an elite cornerback waiting to happen, reminded me a lot of Darelle Revis. His coverage on Jones was a thing of beauty. Top 15 pick next April, maybe top 10 if he lights up the Combine.
Say what you want about Dunlap, but the Gators missed him badly last night. They got zero pressure on McElroy, and when he began tearing them apart they started leaving running lanes open. I just don;t think that would have happened had he played.
Was very disappointed by Spikes, he seemed to spend a lot of his time being taken for a ride by one of the 'Bama O-linemen. You're no good in a BB defense if you can't stack and shed.
Ingram's the first RB off the board whether he comes out next year or the year after. And he might well win the Heisman after last night.
My friend, you are too nice. I watched Spikes like his first name was Brenda. Why? Because that's how he played. The moment a man touched him he went walk backwards. He was virtually non existent. Alabama didn't even seem to game plan for him. They just got their big guys to the next level. When ever they succeeded at this, it worked in a big way.
That guy belongs on a team like the Giants. A team that can protect him with a strong front and allow him to flow to the action.
Mr. Rolando McClain, however, stepped up BIG. His performance practically conveyed: This is how men play linebacker.
He was everywhere. He did everything he could. This guy should have a great future. He really is a talent. I doubt we get anywhere near him.
Speaking of distance, the Pouncey brothers kept Mt. Cody far from Tebow. Tebow could step up in the pocket, if necessary, all throughout the game. Those two were able to do everything but allow their team to run on Cody. Few people run on Cody. There is no shame in their performance.
Tebow, on the other hand, should be ashamed. I can understand why he was on the sidelines blubbering and sobbing for almost five minutes: he blew the game. For all the time and space that his line gave him, he could only give them a sub-par performance. His defense may not have been able to do much to slow down Alabama, but he didn't do his part either. He made some bad throws (the goal line interception in particular).
But there's a bright side. I call Mr. Bright Side: Joe Haden. He shut down Julio Jones. You barely heard from him all night because McElroy was too afraid to go near him. That kid is going to be very good. The good news is that McClain's rising stock is going to cause someone to slide in the draft. One person is going to fall. Who knows who that may be, but keep your fingers crossed Patfans. Keep your fingers crossed.
Edit: One person on the Florida Gators team really deserves a shout out: Carlos Dunlap. You sorry, sorry fool. You picked the worst place to do two things that you should never do in a car: drunk and pass out. You cost your team a game. More importantly, you cost your team a championship. Texas is going to get beaten badly. If Nebraska had any offense, they would have beaten them on Saturday.
Some people said that Dunlap's stock should rise because of this. They said that Florida's defense looked uninspiring after loosing Dunlap. But let me ask everyone this: Who's team wouldn't look less than spectacular after receiving terrible news only days before the game? The Pats sure did days before the Superbowl. I can't fault the Gators for trying to play their best without him. Instead, that kids stock should fall. This is because every team should have a gut check moment every time they look at that film. They should fear abandonment because that's what he did: abandon his brothers. He hung them out to dry and they drifted in the wind. I hope every team sees that and remembers that. I just hope it won't be the Patriots that ends up in that position.
