Tatumdawg

From the Times-Union Jacksonville:

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow said Friday he has submitted paperwork to the NFL’s draft advisory committee, asking it to evaluate his potential draft status.

Tebow, who spoke after the Gators landed in Fort Lauderdale to begin preparations for the Jan. 8 BCS National Championship Game against Oklahoma, is considering leaving after his junior season but wants to wait and see where the committee projects he will be drafted.

Several draft experts – notably Mel Kiper, Jr., and ESPN.com’s Todd McShay – have said Tebow is likely a third-round pick. They have questions about his ability to read defenses, his footwork, his delivery, and his ability to take snaps under center.

Tebow has thrown for 2,515 yards and 28 touchdowns

Heck Yeah!! So long Tebow!! Wonderful time to announce this too, nothing will boost your teams spirit like telling them you're leaving!

His fur is as white as a south Georgia cotton field. His shoulders are broad, like the hood ornament on a Mack truck.

While the Bulldog Nation has sweated, the Dog Almighty has been vetted. We do take our bulldogs seriously. He comes from the most scrutinized bloodline of mascots this side of the hedges. Not just any bulldog can be ordained as Uga, the "demidog" of this religion in the South we know as college football.

Friday, the University of Georgia's athletic department will release the first official photograph of Uga VII. There won't be any 3 a.m. text messages. Georgia fans have been waiting with belated breath.

After all, it has been 61 days since Uga VI died of heart failure. The suspense behind naming his successor has been nail-biting. The new pup has been kept under lock and key. It has prompted a few rumors of a possible black dog candidate. Photographs of imposters have been circulating on the Internet. It also has created a paparazzi-like buzz around the family of owner Frank "Sonny" Seiler.

"Stakeouts," said Seiler's daughter, Swann, laughing. "Daddy has told Mama to make sure she has on a nice nightgown when she goes out to get the morning paper."

Uga VII is putting on his game face. He has been pronounced ready to knock the slobber out of Georgia Southern. He will make his field debut in a "passing of the bone" ceremony Saturday, when he finally gets to see where his father worked on all those sun-splashed autumn afternoons.

Sonny is confident Uga VII is equal to the task, even though he's going where no dawg has gone before. He will be a "true freshman" on the nation's top-ranked college football team.

"I'm concerned about how he will react to the crowd noise," Sonny said.

He has some big paws to fill. His pop was the school's all-time winningest dog, and perhaps its most personable. Uga VI also was the heaviest (65 pounds) and the loudest (he barked so much opposing fans often begged him to shut up).

Still, his bark was never as loud as his bite. He had a reputation for chewing up everything from TV cables on the sideline to wicker baskets in the living room. He once emerged from a hotel room at 6 a.m. with Swann's orthodontic retainer in his mouth.

And he hated to dress in his game jersey. "Once he had it on, he was fine. But he didn't like for you to pull it over his head and legs," Swann said. "It was always a battle. He would draw blood. We used to flip a coin to see who had to dress him."

Swann, the oldest of the four Seiler children, grew up with every bulldog mascot as the family pet. She was born in 1956, the year Uga I - a wedding gift to her parents - made his stage debut. As a student at Georgia, she would often keep Uga III at her apartment and chauffeur him around in her red AMC Pacer.

Uga VI's untimely death stunned the Seilers, but they were nevertheless prepared.

Dogs go four-deep on the depth chart.

"We always have an heir and a spare," Swann said. "My family has been doing this for a long time. The line is secure."

Sonny is proud of the "orderly change" that has taken place.

"It wasn't a beauty contest," he said. "We had three to choose from, and we took our time. We've got an excellent dog. We're not going to put a puppy out there to fill that collar. He is 3 years old. He is Uga VI's son. And he is almost full-grown (56.5 pounds)."

The world won't see his mug until this weekend. In the meantime, the best sneak peek is a picture of his famous daddy.

"He's the spitting image of VI," Sonny said.

A chip off the old dog.

The Dog Walk for Saturday's game will be at 10:45.
There will be two pre-game ceremonies associated with Uga, the University of Georgia's mascot.
At approximately 12:15, Uga VI, who died during the summer, will be honored.
At approximately 12:19, Uga VII will be officially introduced to the Bulldog Nation.