Our Secondary

[bpalmer28]

1. We are 3 games in and I’m still waiting on our DBs to make a play. They do not anticipate throws. They do not jump routes. They do not play the ball well when it’s in the air. This is a problem.

2. It seems like all of our DBs have the same skill set and it is that of a below average safety. Who is evaluating these guys? Where are the true corners? Where is the speed? Where is the length? And I don’t mean height… I mean length.

3. Where are Jordan Mathews and Ricky Gibson III? Cornerback is one of our weakest positions. How have these kids not played yet?

Behind each of these concerns is a snowball of other concerns but I don’t want to be too doom and gloom. If our coaching staff doesn’t figure out how to produce playmakers in the secondary, they will not bring a championship to Knoxville. I don’t care how high powered the offense is or isn’t. Championship teams have playmakers in the secondary.

 

[bpalmer28]

Oh yeah. How could I forget:

4. 8 of 10 players in our two-deep are seniors. Recruiting?

 

[77' Vol]

Doesn't know how to tackle

 

[bpalmer28]

Doen't know how to tackle

Oh you weren’t impressed with Hadden’s shoulder bump on the long TD run???

 

[Caz]

Thread reads “secondary”.
My question is what secondary?

 

[orchidvol]

Interceptions are as rare as bigfoot sightings too.

 

[norriscraftbasser]

This secondary wouldn't be any good at an FCS school. It is pitiful, they get no better. That is coaching development issues and overall bad recruiting!

 

[bpalmer28]

Seems like interceptions are about as rare as bigfoot sightings too.

And always the result of a bad throw… never the result of a great play by the DB.

 

[66volfan]

Hadden certainly didn’t look too good and that little bump tackle attempt on the 60 yd TD had me screaming a lot of words Mr. Webster didn’t see fit to add to his book, but that was a total team loss. Should have put up three times as many points against that D as we did. Got out coached out played and out officiated.

 

[CAVPUT]

1. We are 3 games in and I’m still waiting on our DBs to make a play. They do not anticipate throws. They do not jump routes. They do not play the ball well when it’s in the air. This is a problem.

2. It seems like all of our DBs have the same skill set and it is that of a below average safety. Who is evaluating these guys? Where are the true corners? Where is the speed? Where is the length? And I don’t mean height… I mean length.

3. Where are Jordan Mathews and Ricky Gibson III? Cornerback is one of our weakest positions. How have these kids not played yet?

Behind each of these concerns is a snowball of other concerns but I don’t want to be too doom and gloom. If our coaching staff doesn’t figure out how to produce playmakers in the secondary, they will not bring a championship to Knoxville. I don’t care how high powered the offense is or isn’t. Championship teams have playmakers in the secondary.

I'm no coach, but our secondary may have experience, but they simply don't have the physical or mental tools to make the plays. At some point, you'd think we'd try something different and let the more athletic, gifted players get a shot. Maybe they make a mistake, but is it any worse than being incapable of making a play even when you know what to do and you're in the right place? At least with the youngsters, you have room for improvement as the game slows down for them. With these vets, you're just beating your head against a wall. It's never going to get better. The old definition of insanity leaps to mind.

 

[tbh]

By and large, the secondary is softer than dogsh*t in the rain - mentally, physically, and from a coaching standpoint as well (which feeds into the first two).

 

[CAVPUT]

Doesn't know how to tackle

Because no one hits in practice anymore. Petrified of injury. Can't hit 'em high or it's targeting. Can't grab a shoulder pad from behind or it's a horse collar. These days it's a wussy bump or shove like Hadden did or you throw your body down and hope they trip over you. Gone are the days of putting your facemask in a guys chest or putting your helmet between the ball carrier and the goal line and wrapping up. It's flag football with shoulder pads and shorts these days.

 

[bpalmer28]

We can fix this by offering Kevin Mathis $1.5M to be our DB coach. Heck I wouldn’t mind giving him the DC position if it means producing playmakers in the secondary.