Mark Bradley: Austin Pope more athletic than Jason Witten

#1

kamoshika

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...Mark Bradley, a former Tennessee assistant coach (1992-2000) who helped build and recruit UT’s 1998 national championship team under Phillip Fulmer, said Pope has more upside than most realize.

“Austin has more athletic ability than Jason Witten, and Jason is special because he works his way to being special,’ said Bradley, who recruited and coached Witten when the 10-time Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowler was in the Tennessee program (2000-03).

Just one thing: Bradley believes Pope is better-suited to play linebacker for the Vols than tight end, where he was recruited to line up.

https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/former-tennessee-coach-says-austin-pope-more-athletic-than-jason-witten
 
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#2
#2
Wow that's high praise. I can see him being a good special teams addition this year and then he can hopefully take over Ethan's role after he leaves.
 
#3
#3
Wow that's high praise. I can see him being a good special teams addition this year and then he can hopefully take over Ethan's role after he leaves.

Or, according to the article, possibly JRM's role.
 
#4
#4
Feels great to be deep everywhere on the roster. Kids like Pope can lineup wherever they will play best rather than where we need them to lineup. In the past I think depth issues caused guys like Marsalis Teague, Jordan Williams and Raijon Neal to spend time at positions that weren't necessarily their best fit simply due to team needs. We got a top 5 team in Knoxville again.

#VolLivesMatter
 
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#5
#5
Feels great to be deep everywhere on the roster. Kids like Pope can lineup wherever they will play best rather than where we need them to lineup. In the past I think depth issues caused guys like Marsalis Teague, Jordan Williams and Raijon Neal to spend time at positions that weren't necessarily their best fit simply due to team needs. We got a top 5 team in Knoxville again.

#VolLivesMatter

"Feels great to be deep everywhere"

:lolabove:
 
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#7
#7
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE statistical wise. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.
 
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#8
#8
I'm always for an "athletic" TE or LB. I see his future at TE personally.

I think Dobbs and Debord using our TEs more would help the passing game a LOT. Jmo
 
#9
#9
It amazes me that NFL DBs have so much trouble covering TEs. I mean, pro TEs are big and athletic for their size, I get that, but they are not WRs, and you'd think that DBs, including safeties and even LBs, would be able to cover them. But we constantly see TEs run 10 yards, cut across the middle of the field or somesuch and they are wide open.
 
#10
#10
It's a lot easier from an athletic perspective to run your route than to mirror a guy running a route. Also, most NFL DBs aren't sub 4.5 guys. Finally 4 inches of height ends up being like 7 inches of reach. Its hard for DBs to handle big guys.
 
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#11
#11
It's a lot easier from an athletic perspective to run your route than to mirror a guy running a route. Also, most NFL DBs aren't sub 4.5 guys. Finally 4 inches of height ends up being like 7 inches of reach. Its hard for DBs to handle big guys.

Correct! And..........the defense is already at a disadvantage not knowing the route/play.
 
#12
#12
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.


Oh lord.
 
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#13
#13
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.

I stopped reading after the first sentence in the second paragraph. You are full of Bologna, Tony.
 
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#14
#14
to be honest witten never has been an athletic te. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running te's that has ever played the game.

At ut witten wasn't that great of a te. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the te position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at ut. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at ut. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan wolf is pretty athletic as well.



baloney......
 
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#15
#15
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.

For a guy his size, yes he's plenty fast. Go re-watch the play vs Michigan where he literally ran away from the DBs. And just because he wasn't utilized as much as he probably should have been doesn't mean he is somehow a lesser player.

The guy is statistically the 2nd best TE to lace up cleats in the NFL and our own fans find a way to marginalize his college contributions. Only at UT.
 
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#17
#17
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.

Tennessee under Majors/Walt Harris and Fulmer/Cutcliffe famously deemphasized TEs as receivers. In hindsight that's even more interesting because Cut has changed in that mindset and employs them very effectively at Duke. The way Peyton flourished using Dallas Clark, Marcus Pollard et al at the next level always made me wonder what if? Always puzzled me. (Jeff Smith was vastly underutilized for that Sugar Bowl Vols squad too). Witten was the beginning of the switch. Compared to Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham types he may not be considered "athletic" but tell that to the Michigan linebackers and safeties who still cry in their sleep from that Citrus Bowl...they've never caught him. :) He is a wily veteran nowadays with a sixth sense connection with Romo, but those HOF stats weren't achieved with minimum athletic ability. Best COMPLETE TE to come down the block in the last 20 years IMO.
 
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#19
#19
It amazes me that NFL DBs have so much trouble covering TEs. I mean, pro TEs are big and athletic for their size, I get that, but they are not WRs, and you'd think that DBs, including safeties and even LBs, would be able to cover them. But we constantly see TEs run 10 yards, cut across the middle of the field or somesuch and they are wide open.

TEs usually get the ball relatively close to the line of scrimmage, so there isn't as much time to react prior to the pass. Once caught, DBs are trying to tackle a big beefy dude with decent speed.

WRs get a fair share of their passes thrown to them that are 15+ yards beyond line of scrimmage, so DBs have a chance to lock on.

Also, DBs are always supposed to cover WRs. TEs are only covered on passing routes but they often stay in to block, so a decision must be made to cover TEs...and it is easier to make a coverage mistake, especially if it is a delayed route (block and release).
 
#22
#22
I meant that his "stats" weren't great. Not that he himself wasn't a great player. Boy, one wrong word around here & you guys are on it like flies on turds! :)



We're not the only 2 to call you on that absurd comment. Wait a minute, you never saw Witten play at UT, thats it! You're probably one of
these millenials that looks at Pro Football Reference and declares Johnny Unitas a $hit QB, you know.... because of his stats.
 
#23
#23
To be honest Witten never has been an athletic TE. He is just a workaholic & uses his strength & knowledge to his game. He's never been fast. He's always been one of the best route running TE's that has ever played the game.

At UT Witten wasn't that great of a TE. Let's just be honest. We also have to be honest that back then we didn't utilize the TE position very much in the passing game.

Witten changed that for us here at UT. However, he never had any great statistical seasons here at UT. His junior year was his best & he made some great plays to win games including the marathon Arkansas game. Good to see we have an athletic one headed our way. Ethan Wolf is pretty athletic as well.
I'm logging off before lightning strikes thru my mouse!!!!:no:
 
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#24
#24
It's a lot easier from an athletic perspective to run your route than to mirror a guy running a route. Also, most NFL DBs aren't sub 4.5 guys. Finally 4 inches of height ends up being like 7 inches of reach. Its hard for DBs to handle big guys.

This and DBs move as the QBs eyes move, many of them are in zone coverage, worried about fast guys coming in to their zone off the perimeter, looked off for a second by the QB, athletic TE runs a good route, pop, appears wide open. Why opposing DCs do not cover the Patriots Gronkowski with freak defenses where he always draws man coverage is beyond me to fathom. Witten IS a wily veteran these days, playing against the best for that long does not leave you stagnant.
 
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#25
#25
This and DBs move as the QBs eyes move, many of them are in zone coverage, worried about fast guys coming in to their zone off the perimeter, looked off for a second by the QB, athletic TE runs a good route, pop, appears wide open. Why opposing DCs do not cover the Patriots Gronkowski with freak defenses where he always draws man coverage is beyond me to fathom. Witten IS a wily veteran these days, playing against the best for that long does not leave you stagnant.

How do you propose the NFL cover Gronkowski? Nobody has figured it out yet. And while you're at it, how do you cover Gronk AND Bennett? LOL

Nevermind, I already know the answer.
 

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