ESPN Sportscenter segment on the "Trash Talking Oklahoma Sooners"

[The_Red_Patriot]

Have you seen it yet? The whole thing is slanted on Oklahoma talking smack and now Tebow is extra super motivated. Tebow even said "I always get amped up for teams who talk a lot" then Kirk Herpes dropped "you can't smack talk Tim Tebow, its like tugging on Superman's cape."

Why was there no mention of Brandon Spikes, Tim Tebow or Charlie Strong's trash talk on Oklahoma?

Spikes and their defensive coordinator Charlie strong even said Big 12 defenses are a joke while the god Tim Tebow just implied it.....hell Spikes said Florida will "roll" Oklahoma.

ESPN....what a joke...but I still watch this crap

[fadada1]

i turned it off about 5 seconds into the segment. you explained exactly what i thought would happen. one of our guys says something - defending his conference and what he's seen, and it becomes a story. 4 (or more) of the uf guys say something about our defense (or offense), and it's buried between the words "teaxs", "usc" or "utah".

[Breadburner]

It just goes to show what espin is all about and thats being The National Enquirer of sports reporting....

[olevetonahill]

Why do Yall care ?:confused:

[adoniijahsooner]

Why do Yall care ?:confused:

Trash talk is the new compliment.:D Stay up to speed.

[olevetonahill]

Trash talk is the new compliment.:D Stay up to speed.

I see Us Old ****ers Aint so swift No MO .
How Bout I just Shoot Folks that want to Diss Me Or MY Sooners ;)

[Partial Qualifier]

Stoops is snubbing ESPN left & right lately (God bless him) so get used to more of this in the future.

ESPN's a joke. We are the program; they are -- as BreadBurner said earlier -- the National Enquirer of sports reporting. Screw 'em.

[oupride]

Stoops has gotta be snubbin them. I never see the similiar coverage as I see on the gaytors.

[OUmillenium]

I quit watching Sportscenter years ago. Their "journalism" has devolved into biased bs and I don't consider them legit.

Once again, did you guys notice how professional the FOX crew was in last night's UT/OSU game? Very refreshing.

It has been a blessing to have so many bowl games NOT on ABC or ESPiN. Maybe the rest of the country will get the message we Sooners fans have been on to.

[TopDawg]

Have you seen it yet? The whole thing is slanted on Oklahoma talking smack and now Tebow is extra super motivated. Tebow even said "I always get amped up for teams who talk a lot" then Kirk Herpes dropped "you can't smack talk Tim Tebow, its like tugging on Superman's cape."

Why was there no mention of Brandon Spikes, Tim Tebow or Charlie Strong's trash talk on Oklahoma?

I'm not sure about the timing of the trash talk...Franks said his stuff on Sunday and the Gators replied on Monday, right?

But the fact that Franks singled out Tim Tebow is different from the stuff I've heard from the Gators. No doubt the Gators are saying stuff, but it's mostly about the Big XII, not about Oklahoma. I may not have seen all of it going around, but I haven't seen them say anything slighting Bradford or any other players...but Franks fired a shot at one of their players. That's a little different, isn't it?

[BillyBall]

Franks comments were taken completely out of context as well.

He said as far as his position is concerned (CB), Tebow would probably be the 4th hardest QB to get ready to play against.

You are talking about a conference where TT and Mizzou throw the ball 50 times a game and Colt McCoy is a superior passer.

As far as his position is concerned, he is probably correct.

I dont think that is talking ****, I think thats realistic.

[The_Red_Patriot]

I'm not sure about the timing of the trash talk...Franks said his stuff on Sunday and the Gators replied on Monday, right?

But the fact that Franks singled out Tim Tebow is different from the stuff I've heard from the Gators. No doubt the Gators are saying stuff, but it's mostly about the Big XII, not about Oklahoma. I may not have seen all of it going around, but I haven't seen them say anything slighting Bradford or any other players...but Franks fired a shot at one of their players. That's a little different, isn't it?


"Florida's Spikes calls Big 12 defenses a joke
January 5, 2009 4:28 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Just when you thought most of the smack talk
was over between the teams leading up to the FedEx BCS National
Championship Game, Florida middle linebacker Brandon Spikes unloaded
on Oklahoma during Monday's Media Day at Dolphin Stadium.
Clearly, he's not a big fan of the Sooners' defense, and that's
putting it mildly.

"If they can stop our offense, hey, my hat goes off to them," Spikes
said. "But I really don't think they can. As long as we play well on
defense, give the ball back to Tim (Tebow) and the rest of those guys,
we should roll."

And with that, Spikes took off the gloves -- probably telling you a
couple of things. One, he's pretty confident about Thursday's game.
Two, he's probably headed to the NFL after this game, because he sure
didn't seem very concerned about the ramifications of saying too much
to the media.

"You keep hearing they've done this and scored all these points in the
last five games," Spikes said. "But I really feel like they haven't
faced a defense like ours, and Big 12 defenses are a joke. It's always
like a bunch of basketball scores when I watch SportsCenter. So we'll
see."

Spikes said the Sooners are "living in a fantasy world" with some of
the things they've said about Tebow not even being among the top
quarterbacks if he played in the Big 12.

"Deep down, they know what they're going to get," Spikes said. "I
don't know if they're trying to pump each other up or what. That's
just crazy to say something like that."

Florida running back Jeffery Demps went one better. He said the
Sooners "must be on something" to suggest that Tebow would be no
better than the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12.

Hey, if the game's this good Thursday, we should be in for a treat.

[CobraKai]

I'm not sure about the timing of the trash talk...Franks said his stuff on Sunday and the Gators replied on Monday, right?

But the fact that Franks singled out Tim Tebow is different from the stuff I've heard from the Gators. No doubt the Gators are saying stuff, but it's mostly about the Big XII, not about Oklahoma. I may not have seen all of it going around, but I haven't seen them say anything slighting Bradford or any other players...but Franks fired a shot at one of their players. That's a little different, isn't it?

Spikes' comments about how our defense is a step slow came prior to Franks' comments. Spikes' comments that our RBs are not SEC caliber did as well. Their DB's comments that we would score no more than 16 points also came prior to anyone opening their mouths. Tebow's generic comment that his numbers would also be better if he got to play against Big 12 defenses (a clear shot at Big 12 QBs, including Sam), was actually the first bit of trash talk. It started right after the Heisman stuff.

[StoopTroup]

Might be Dawg....but One Comment?

Seriously...they are hyping this as hard as they can.

I find it hard to believe that any of our players think that talking it up is going to put rings on their fingers. It's been to long since we were in a position to hoist a Crystal Ball in the air and our last losses in Bowls are fresh in the mind of everyone on this Team. It's a different approach going into this one and ESPN knows it, phlorida knows it and late Thursday Evening...everyone will know it.

[Boomer_Sooner_sax]

I cannot wait for this game. I have completely lost all respect for Florida in the past month between their players and coaches taking shots at the Big XII and Oklahoma and the trolls on this board. They are quickly reaching USC status in my book.

[TopDawg]

Well, I still think a lot of panties are being waded up over nothing.

We singled out their Heisman-winning QB. It may've been taken out of context, but you could argue that the stuff they've said has been taken out of context too. Patriot, a third of the stuff you underlined is about Big XII defenses, not Oklahoma...just like I said. The other third says "I don't think they can stop our offense" and the other third is in response to Franks' comments...which seems to refute the timeline CobraKai gave.

At any rate...it's a lot different when you start mentioning names. There's a big difference between saying, essentially, "The defenses they've gone up against are worse than ours" and saying, essentially, "Their Heisman-winning quarterback isn't as good as the ones we've gone up against."

[TopDawg]

Tebow's generic comment that his numbers would also be better if he got to play against Big 12 defenses (a clear shot at Big 12 QBs, including Sam), was actually the first bit of trash talk. It started right after the Heisman stuff.

Yeah, that was definitely the first shot and I can see how you can take that as a shot against Sam.

And ya know what...I saw it pointed out yesterday on ESPN.

[IBleedCrimson]

Dbl post

[IBleedCrimson]

if I see one more "ESPN is so unfair" thread I'm going to the zoo, kidnapping a monkey, shaving it, and unleashing it in skybar on a friday night. I don't Kno what that'll accomplish but I'm desperate

[Widescreen]

Well, I still think a lot of panties are being waded up over nothing.

We singled out their Heisman-winning QB. It may've been taken out of context, but you could argue that the stuff they've said has been taken out of context too. Patriot, a third of the stuff you underlined is about Big XII defenses, not Oklahoma...just like I said. The other third says "I don't think they can stop our offense" and the other third is in response to Franks' comments...which seems to refute the timeline CobraKai gave.

At any rate...it's a lot different when you start mentioning names. There's a big difference between saying, essentially, "The defenses they've gone up against are worse than ours" and saying, essentially, "Their Heisman-winning quarterback isn't as good as the ones we've gone up against."

I'm pretty sure it was stated (by Spikes) that SEC running back were "by far" better than OU's. That's a pretty specific claim against Brown and Madu.

[TheUnnamedSooner]

Yeah, that was definitely the first shot and I can see how you can take that as a shot against Sam.

And ya know what...I saw it pointed out yesterday on ESPN.

So, how much did they pay you? ;)

[CarolinaSoonerFan]

I see Us Old ****ers Aint so swift No MO .
How Bout I just Shoot Folks that want to Diss Me Or MY Sooners ;)

Sound like a plan...better go get more ammo though

[TopDawg]

I'm pretty sure it was stated (by Spikes) that SEC running back were "by far" better than OU's. That's a pretty specific claim against Brown and Madu.

Well, if you look at the interviews...both players (Spikes and Franks) were asked questions specifically asking them to rate those guys (Tebow and our running backs).

Franks said that former Heisman winner Tebow would be the fourth best QB in the Big XII.

Spikes said that our backup running backs are not as good as the SEC running backs.

Tell me which is the bigger story. I mean, both stories are ridiculous, but one is clearly bigger.

[Widescreen]

You were saying that Florida players weren't be specific toward OU players. I merely pointed out an example of them being specific.

[TopDawg]

which seems to refute the timeline CobraKai gave.

Also, I stand corrected. The Spikes interview Patriot quoted was a different one than the one CobraKai was referring to.

[TopDawg]

You were saying that Florida players weren't be specific toward OU players. I merely pointed out an example of them being specific.

Fair enough. Like I said, I didn't think I'd seen it all...just that what I'd seen hadn't singled out anybody. And even though it's a smaller group Spikes is talking about, nobody's name was mentioned in that interview. Murray, Brown and Madu weren't mentioned by name. Tebow was mentioned by name in the Franks interview. It's a small difference, but it's a significant one. It's part of the art form that is trash talk. Just ask any official. They'll let a coach get away with "That was an idiotic call" much more than "You are an idiot." Small, but significant, difference.

Anyway, the point remains that if you're looking for the bigger story, Franks' trash talk is bigger than Spikes'. It's not part of ESPN's agenda to see the demise of OU, it's part of ESPN's agenda to report the biggest headlines of the day.

[Widescreen]

I would argue that it IS part of an agenda to report what Franks said and largely ignore everything else. Florida's been talking for a month now but the way it's being reported you'd think OU's been the team laying down the smack. I don't mind them reporting what Franks said or even headlining it. I do mind that they're treating what Florida players and coaches say as fact and therefore not controversial and what OU players say as crazy-talk.

[TopDawg]

I do mind that they're treating what Florida players and coaches say as fact and therefore not controversial and what OU players say as crazy-talk.

Let me put it this way. If you ask me which one of these statements is closer to the truth:

(A) SEC running backs are by far better than OU's
(B) Tebow ranks behind McCoy, Harrell and Daniel as toughest quarterback to prepare for

I'd certainly say that I think (B) is much closer to the truth than (A). There's really no doubt in my mind. But, at the same time, I can EASILY see how (B) is much more controversial than (A) and, as a result, worthy of more coverage.

If we flipped the tables and made it so that Franks was saying that Big XII running backs are by far better than Florida's and it was Spikes saying that Bradford ranks behind Matthew Stafford and Jevan Snead, you can bet your arse the Spikes thing would be the headline and Franks' comments would go largely unnoticed.

[cheezyq]

Ok, this is ridiculous. All this last month FU players have been talking MAJOR trash about OU and the Big 12. Franks made his one, ONE, comment...the ONLY comment that has come out of OU, right?

I've had several people say to me today (I live in KC) that OU is too cocky because they're talking trash about FU. I hate ESPN and the sheep that watch them/believe what they say. It would be nice if ESPN would REPORT the news, rather than INVENT it.

[birddog]

if florida doesn't back up all the crap they've been talking, they won't ever live it down.

whatever happened to being humble and respecting your opponent? it all starts at the top at florida and it sure seems that they take after their coach in the arrogance dept.

[HiFiGator]

I don't see the media bias that you all see. ESPN is giving as much hype to the game as possible. They are really caught between a rock and a hard place, since they want as much viewership and interest as they can get for the next 48 plus hours, but only have National Radio coverage rights, with Fox having Television rights. In any case, I do think that more of their journalists have picked Florida, but that isn't anything to get too worked up about. We have always liked it when they would pick against us ... as they did against Georgia this year and Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Ohio State 2 years ago.

As for the particular comments, you all know that Tebow's comments some weeks ago weren't a dig at the Sooners in particular but rather a comment on the style of games the Big 12 plays by and large. Someone mentioned it being like a style of basketball, and I think that is aprepos. When you guys had Wayman Tisdale, for instance, your scores were often up in the 80's or 90's. Compare that to a Georgetown game for example. Both are quality teams, but Hoya games are often in the high 50's or 60's. That isn't a dig on either team. I think Tebow's comments were essentially that he would like the opportunity to play in a system like that as well, and see what kind of numbers he could put up. Sure, it was a general dig at Big 12 defenses overall, but nothing to get worked up about. Franks comments, however, were very directed at Tebow and essentially were that he isn't "all that." The comments that were even more shocking were by Harris, who said that Tebow would probably be the 7th best QB in the Big 12. Heath Kline, who is the NFL sideline reporter for the Jaguars and has a sportstalk show now in Columbia, S.C., had heard that comment second hand and he wanted to hear it first hand. He apparently asked Harris the question in the TV/Media room and he repeated his answer that Tebow would probably be the 7th best QB in the Big 12. Off hand, I'm not even sure who he is counting. Obviously, he would put Bradford, McCoy and Harrell up there, and probably Robinson and Daniel. But even the Big 12 homer would have a tough time finding another Big 12 QB that should be thought of above the former Heisman winner and one of this year's finalists. I think suggesting otherwise is patently silly.

[TopDawg]

Obviously, he would put Bradford, McCoy and Harrell up there, and probably Robinson and Daniel. But even the Big 12 homer would have a tough time finding another Big 12 QB that should be thought of above the former Heisman winner and one of this year's finalists.

Maybe he was counting Landry Jones. If so, I hope he's right. :D

[HiFiGator]

Look, when your very own coach has to come to the defense of his own player by explaining away that what he said wasn't really what he meant, then I think it is pretty clear that we aren't seeing some sort of media bias against the player. That is just plain silly. Has there been some talk from both sides? Absolutely. Should there be some? I would say yes. This game is for all the marbles and we have some 5 weeks to dredge our way through before it finally gets here. Various comments by everyone from journalists, to involved players to players of other teams have had assorted comments over the past few weeks. Most of them centered on the relative strengths of Big 12 offenses and SEC defenses compared to the relative weaknesses of Big 12 defenses and SEC offenses. Virtually all of the questionable comments by players on either side are natural follow ups to previous comments on that very subject. It is natural for a defensive player from the Big 12 to get offended. In fact, I would be more concerned if such comments didn't offend him. Similarly, if an SEC player's statistics are knocked as not being that impressive, it is only natural to defend the strengths of the SEC defenses and question the strengths of the Big 12 defenses.

One last comment on this: thusfar into the Bowl season, the argument that the Big 12 defenses are suspect has a little more validity than the argument that the SEC defenses aren't very good, but just padded statistics from playing inferior offenses.

In the primary head-to-head matchup, Ole Miss dominated Texas Tech. They shredded their defense and held their offense mostly in check. Northwestern, although they lost the game, gave Missouri everything they could ask for. It took overtime for Mizzou to get to 30 and win the game. And Northwestern wasn't an offensive OR defensive powerhouse. Really, Kansas is really the only Big 12 team that dominated as statistics would have suggested. And that's because they got to play a dreadfully outmatched Minnesota team that lost its last 5 games. In similar fashion, Iowa manhandled SEC team South Carolina, who also stumbled tremendously down the stretch and really didn't deserve the bowl they were selected for. Even your friends from down south -- the Longhorns -- struggled quite a bit to get by the Buckeyes.

The bottom line is the Big 12 on average has underperformed in their bowl games, while the SEC on average has performed better than their regular season statistics would indicate. Obviously that doesn't guarantee that the trend will continue, but it would certainly suggest such an outcome.

I close with this: don't look at it as losing the National Championship or even losing a football game. Look at it as a chance to enjoy your brush with greatness.

[GOGATORS]

the gators are going to beat the sooners! if you dont beleive me look here http://www.freethefan.com/headline//2658
click that and talk smack try to change my mind sooner punks!

[Hot Rod]

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[jwlynn64]

If we flipped the tables and made it so that Franks was saying that Big XII running backs are by far better than Florida's and it was Spikes saying that Bradford ranks behind Matthew Stafford and Jevan Snead, you can bet your arse the Spikes thing would be the headline and Franks' comments would go largely unnoticed.

Except that Stafford and Snead were never even considered for the Heisman and are not near the threat that McCoy and Harrell are. Competent Quarterbacks, yes. Game planning threats, no.

Your analogy doesn't hold water.

[Breadburner]

Christ I hope we make jEboW wear his *** for a hat....

[KaleoHolley]

FORT WORTH, Texas (December 11, 2008) – The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award&#174; (The O’Brien) today proudly announced Sam Bradford as the 2008 O’Brien Winner. Bradford, a sophomore, competed against O’Brien Finalists Graham Harrell, senior, of Texas Tech and Colt McCoy, junior, of Texas for the award honoring the nation’s best quarterback.

I guess Dom isn't alone..... I don't see Tim Tebow on that list. I see 3 big 12 south qbs however.


In addition to former O’Brien winners, the following representatives served on the 2008 O’Brien Nation Selection Committee:



Erin Andrews, ESPN/ABC

Greg Archuleta, Albuquerque Journal

Jack Arute, ESPN/ABC

Wendell Barnhouse, Big 12 Conference

Sammy Batten, Fayetteville Observer

Bonnie Bernstein, ESPN/ABC

Kirk Bohls, Austin American-Statesman

Don Borst, Lindy’s Football Annuals

Terry Bowden, Westwood One Radio

Olin Buchanan, Rivals.com

Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Jordan Burchette, Maxim

Bobby Burton, Rivals.com

David Campbell, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

Richard Cirminiello, College Football News

Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Lee Corso, ESPN/ABC

Eric Crawford, The Courier-Journal

Glen Crevier, The Star Tribune

Brian Curtis, College Sports Television

Tom Dienhart, Yahoo/Rivals

Heather Dinich, ESPN.com

Dennis Dodd, CBS SportsLine

Jim Donnan, ESPN/ABC

Steve Ellis, Tallahassee Democrat

Mark Faller, The Arizona Republic

Bruce Feldman, ESPN The Magazine

Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pete Fiutak, CollegeFootballNews.com

Pat Forde, ESPN.com

Ron Franklin, ESPN/ABC

Ken Goe, The Oregonian

Teddy Greenstein, Chicago Tribune

Vahe Gregorian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Bob Griese, ESPN/ABC

Tim Griffin, ESPN.com

Tom Hart, CBS College Sports

Steve Hatchell, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame

Matt Hayes, The Sporting News

John Henderson, Denver Post

Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN/ABC

Mark Hester, The Oregonian

Norm Hitzges, KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket

Lou Hotlz, ESPN/ABC

Desmond Howard, ESPN/ABC

Keith Jackson, ABC Sports – retired

Dan Jenkins, Term Themes

Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star

Mike Kern, Philadelphia Daily News

Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

Tom Luicci, Newark Star-Ledger

Verne Lundquist, CBS Sports

Ivan Maisel, ESPN.com

Stewart Mandel, SI.com

Cory McCartney, SportsIllustrated.com

Jeff Metcalfe, Arizona Republic

Austin Murphy, Sports Illustrated

Brent Musburger, ESPN/ABC

Brad Nessler, ESPN/ABC

Thomas O’Toole, USA Today

Randy Peterson, Des Moines Register

Steve Richardson, Football Writers Association of America

Lenn Robbins, New York Post

Holly Rowe, ESPN/ABC

Lisa Salters, ESPN/ABC

Gregg Sarra, Newsday

Joe Schad, ESPN/ABC

George Schroeder, The Register-Guard

Jeff Shain, The Miami Herald

Mark Snyder, Detroit Free Press

Phil Steele, Phil Steele Publications

Mark Stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Phil Stukenborg, The Commercial Appeal

Bob Sturm, KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket

Mitch Vingle, Charleston Gazette

Graham Watson, ESPN.com

Dick Weiss, New York Daily News

Kelly Whiteside, USA Today

Steve Wieberg, USA Today

Bud Withers, Seattle Times

Tracy Wolfson, CBS Sports

Doug Zaleski, Muncie Star Press


i guess they agree as well. Weird.

[TopDawg]

Except that Stafford and Snead were never even considered for the Heisman and are not near the threat that McCoy and Harrell are. Competent Quarterbacks, yes. Game planning threats, no.

Your analogy doesn't hold water.

The fact that they were never even considered for the Heisman means jack. If "Heisman consideration" is the measuring stick, then Franks was wrong for putting Tebow behind Harrell, because Tebow got more Heisman votes than Harrell.

But if you think it's a worse crime to put Bradford behind Snead than it is to put Tebow behind Harrell...it's probably also a worse crime to say Big XII RBs are by far better than Florida's (of which Harvin is basically one) than to say SEC RBs are by far better than Brown and Madu. So you have to look at the entire analogy. Look, the analogy isn't perfect, but I think you can still get the point.

[Cam]

Couple things on this:

1) I believe Tebow's comment about wishing he could play against Big 12 D's was after the SEC Championship game. I remember seeing and there is zero doubt in my mind that he was taking a shot. He can spin it any way he wants, but he's full of chit.
2) As far as being a pure QB, Dom's right. Which order would you put those four if they were just going to hang in the pocket?
3) Why do the Fla players get free passes on talking chit? Cause they're the media darlings. Not a damn thing any of us can do about it.

[MojoRisen]

Where does the great Tebow match up statistically with Big 12 QB's.. The media is and has been dead to me...

Any Florida fan or OU fan that thinks what Dom Franks said was any worse than what P Diddy said is out of their minds. 4th in the big 12 hell he doesn't even rank 4th - Facts vs opinion and who is talking trash???

Look I know Tebow is a different kind of Animal and player and All American - but statistically he doesn't even rank 4th.

[OU-HSV]

F*ck ESPN. All this means is some more motivation for OUr Sooners. Yes it's annoying, yes ESPN would obviously like Florida to win. But all this stuff does is get on our players nerves and Bob Stoops as well I'm sure (whether he'd admit it or not, I bet this crap is starting to get under his skin too). I hope we win...and I hope we end up being in a position to post 80 points on them, and I hope Bob won't let off the gas pedal....maybe then that will shut people up.

[OU-HSV]

Where does the great Tebow match up statistically with Big 12 QB's.. The media is and has been dead to me...

Any Florida fan or OU fan that thinks what Dom Franks said was any worse than what P Diddy said is out of their minds. 4th in the big 12 hell he doesn't even rank 4th - Facts vs opinion and who is talking trash???

Look I know Tebow is a different kind of Animal and player and All American - but statistically he doesn't even rank 4th.

Exactly, so what Franks said is a bit out of the ordinary...but he was answering a question as honestly as he could.

[P3 Gator]

Have you seen it yet? The whole thing is slanted on Oklahoma talking smack and now Tebow is extra super motivated. Tebow even said "I always get amped up for teams who talk a lot" then Kirk Herpes dropped "you can't smack talk Tim Tebow, its like tugging on Superman's cape."

Why was there no mention of Brandon Spikes, Tim Tebow or Charlie Strong's trash talk on Oklahoma?

Spikes and their defensive coordinator Charlie strong even said Big 12 defenses are a joke while the god Tim Tebow just implied it.....hell Spikes said Florida will "roll" Oklahoma.

ESPN....what a joke...but I still watch this crap

I find this interesting too. Spikes has talked a lot of smack. A lot of it probably has to do with him declaring for the NFL so he probably doesn't care. But, Franks is getting roasted about what he said fro some reason.

[TopDawg]

Exactly, so what Franks said is a bit out of the ordinary...but he was answering a question as honestly as he could.

I agree. Like I said earlier...I think what Franks said was more true than what Spikes said........but it was also more stupid.

Don't talk trash about the other team's quarterback. Even if you're speaking honestly and you don't mean for it to sound like trash talk. Don't say it. Don't say things like "the right person won the Heisman" (one of our other players said that...or maybe it was Dom too). Just don't do it. Shut up. Otherwise you get a guy like Spikes (or Torrance Marshall) even more fired up than they would've been otherwise.

Fortunately, Florida's returning the favor by saying things that are helping motivate our guys...

I'll be glad when it's all over.

[jwlynn64]

But if you think it's a worse crime to put Bradford behind Snead than it is to put Tebow behind Harrell...it's probably also a worse crime to say Big XII RBs are by far better than Florida's (of which Harvin is basically one) than to say SEC RBs are by far better than Brown and Madu. So you have to look at the entire analogy. Look, the analogy isn't perfect, but I think you can still get the point.

The "crime" that you are speaking of is one that you made up. I'm not going to argue against something that was never said except by you. Your analogy of switching teams doesn't hold water because there is not any quarterback in the SEC that can hold Sam's water.

It's OK to try and defend Florida if you want to (and I'm not sure why you have appointed yourself that role) but don't think that we have to put up with your faulty logic and analogies. Sometimes you just can't win an argument because you are on the wrong side of it.

[SoonerMom2]

the gators are going to beat the sooners! if you dont beleive me look here http://www.freethefan.com/headline//2658
click that and talk smack try to change my mind sooner punks!

You come on our board and call us punks? Don't know what drives you Gator fans but class is not part of the equation. Last year the AR running back should have won the Heisman. Seems to me a quarterback who lost all those games last year and the Bowl Game had no business being the Heisman winner IMHO. With all the hype by ESPN mouthpieces about Tebow, they swayed the votes but this year it didn't work.

ESPN has an agenda and it includes pushing FL because some of their mouthpieces like Herbstreidt picked them to win and Tebow for Heisman. Anyone saying ESPN doesn't have an agenda didn't see halftime tonight where the FL segment talked about how fast FL was and the OU segment talked about Tebow and how they are using an OU quarterback to simulate Tebow and how hard it was.

Agree with some others that have said on several boards that ESPN is filled with jocks and ex-coaches with agendas who do not have one iota of journalistic integrity because they are NOT a journalist but a mouthpiece who likes to hear themselves talk. Imagine how bad it is going to be when ESPN takes over the BCS.

[jwlynn64]

Could it be worse than last night where they Fox crew would just put up shots of the Gatoraid Coolers for no apparent reason. I can't say with any certainty why that was done but I have to think that it had something to do with the Gators? Just my opinion.

[mhackl]

Just read an article about this on Bleacher report.

LINK:
Did Dominique Franks Get Baited and Switched By the Media? (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/107460-did-dominique-franks-get-baited-and-switched-by-the-media/show_full)


"Sam ain't even close to him in ability. Or character. Did you see that piece with him going to the Philippines or whatever? Sam never did that. Sam's just some Indian. Tebow is out there saving lives with sutures and circumcisions and whatnot."

[ouwasp]

Mercy, the piece on Florida's speed has been all over ESPN this evening.

How can ESPN possibly spin this if and when the Sooners win? Because it's just not possible, according to the conventional wisdom of ESPN...

[TopDawg]

The "crime" that you are speaking of is one that you made up. I'm not going to argue against something that was never said except by you. Your analogy of switching teams doesn't hold water because there is not any quarterback in the SEC that can hold Sam's water.

But in the analogy, you could also say that the running backs in the Big XII can't hold Harvin, Demps and Rainey's water. Those guys all have over 60 carries and average 8.8, 8.4 and 7.9 YPC. There's not one player in the entire Big XII with more than 10 carries who averages even 7 YPC.

So the analogy is a more dramatic look at each player's comment...taking each comment and ratcheting it up a few notches...but their relative absurdity stays about the same. Sure it's much more ridiculous to say Stafford and Snead are better than Bradford than it is to say Bradford, McCoy and Harrell are better than Tebow. But it's also much more ridiculous to say that the Big XII's rushers are by far better than Florida's best rushers than it is to say that the SEC's rushers are by far better than Brown and Madu.


It's OK to try and defend Florida if you want to (and I'm not sure why you have appointed yourself that role) but don't think that we have to put up with your faulty logic and analogies. Sometimes you just can't win an argument because you are on the wrong side of it.

Well the analogy isn't even important. If you still insist it doesn't make sense I will bow down to your superior logic and analogy-critiquing skills.

The important thing is that I'm not trying to defend Florida, I'm trying to get people to see that maybe...JUST MAYBE...ESPN is making a bigger deal out of Franks' comments than Spikes' because Franks' comments are a bigger story and not because ESPN has some sort of hidden agenda to make sure that OU crumbles beneath their beloved Gators. ESPN may think Franks' comments are a bigger story because they think Florida is a better team but, ya know what, so does most of the rest of the nation.

I hope against all hope that we're able to prove them all wrong...but I don't think we're on the wrong end of some devious ESPN agenda just because I happen to disagree with some of their analysts.

[TopDawg]

Could it be worse than last night where they Fox crew would just put up shots of the Gatoraid Coolers for no apparent reason. I can't say with any certainty why that was done but I have to think that it had something to do with the Gators? Just my opinion.

:D