Live-Blogging Urban Meyer and His Esophagus

5:32 p.m. CT -- Reaction to Lane Kiffin and Southern Cal getting hammered by the NCAA? A broad -- is that a smile? "We'll let the commissioner handle that one. No comment."

5:28 p.m. CT -- Meyer's job is to identify the "playmakers." There are seven or eight there, but he couldn't list them in order.

5:24 p.m CT -- Health question, take 15. "That's a great question," Meyer says, and sounds genuine saying it. Maybe this is a new Urban Meyer.

5:23 p.m. CT -- Recruits questioning health? "We're dealing with that all the time."

5:18 p.m. CT -- Parity in the SEC East? Yes, because of inexperienced signal-callers. South Carolina has the only experienced quarterback. In what way, coach? "The East is pretty much wide-open."

5:17 p.m. CT -- Confident the health problem won't bother him again? Before, it was undiagnosed pain. Now, it's been diagnosed. "I don't have that same concern."

5:15 p.m. CT -- "We know what Johnny can do, it's what the cats can do around him." Florida is using cats in its new version of the spread offense? Watch your eyes!

5:14 p.m. CT -- Brantley will be ready and have good personnel around him -- even if they don't know exactly who those personnel will be.

5:09 p.m. CT -- Have the Alabama game circled? Alaba-- let me make sure I get this right, Alabama? "Miami (OH) is in the Mid-American Conference and then we play South Florida the next week."

5:08 p.m. CT -- First heard about Maurkice Pouncy "five or six weeks ago." "I heard his denial today, and we stand by Maurkice Pouncey."

5:06 p.m. CT -- On agents: It's impossible for coaches to police everything with regards to runners and the like; "It's an epidemic.

5:04 p.m. CT -- No regrets about that whole retirement / detirement thing.

5:02 p.m. CT -- Urban Meyer approaches the podium. No word on the rumors that his esophagus will hold a separate press conference. His voice sounds softer this year.