Counting Down using the Maxims!

#1
SkidsisVFL

SkidsisVFL

Vols in your face
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#1
I did this last year on social media (Facebook and Twitter) and decided I wanted to try to expand it to VN this year. I post one of The General's 38 Team Maxims per day, finishing that a week before Gameday. Then, I post the 7 Game Maxims everyday, finishing with #7 on Gameday.

I found it was a good way for me to pass the time, but I always found myself wanting to write more about it, so I thought I'd share it with you guys!

If I need to stop at anytime, mods let me know and I will cease and desist.

44 days left! Go VOLS!
 
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#2
#2
Team Maxim #1: Thou shalt charge a block.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? This almost biblical-sounding phrase is a great one to kick off the countdown. "Charge a block"--whether on offense or defense--that is key to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage, which is ESSENTIAL to winning a drive--ESPECIALLY in the SEC! The General understood this and stressed the importance of blocking and defense in more of his maxims.
 
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#7
#7
Team Maxim 2: Thou shalt charge a fight.

How awesome does that sound? Charge into a fight! You WILL go full-force into a confrontation and not just halfway work at it. This team has been giving half effort for a whole game or a whole effort for half a game for a couple years. With CBJ and the new coaching staff, I sense that Team 117 is hungry enough to and will be properly pushed to give FULL effort and finish games this year!

I predict we will see them give their ALL for Tennessee today and on Gamedays!

43 Days left! Go VOLS!
 
#8
#8
SkidsisVFL said:
Team Maxim #1: Thou shalt charge a block.

Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? This almost biblical-sounding phrase is a great one to kick off the countdown. "Charge a block"--whether on offense or defense--that is key to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage, which is ESSENTIAL to winning a drive--ESPECIALLY in the SEC! The General understood this and stressed the importance of blocking and defense in more of his maxims.
Click to expand...
Touchdowns follow blocking as surely as day follows night.
 
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#13
#13
Team Maxim #3: A good interferer never looks back.

"Blocking follows touchdowns as surely as day follows night." (Another Neyland quote--thanks guys) Blockers cannot do their job if they're facing the wrong way. Once you've blocked out the first guy, you need to keep moving forward and block the next defender you come to. The offensive line is a strength on our team this year, which is ALWAYS a major help on O.

Also, Azzani has made a point of instructing the wideouts on how to block well. If the line and receivers block well enough, the run game will easily take care of itself. When the run game opens up like that, the passing game will run smoothly as well.

42 days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
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#14
#14
Team Maxim #4: One good interferer is worth 3 ball carrying stars.

As good as an elusive tailback or all-purpose back can be, a good blocker that takes away a defender helps the back TREMENDOUSLY. The ball carrier has to eliminate the effect of one defender in order to equalize the playing field. However, a good blocker who can knock down one defender and block another can shift the advantage on the field to the offense without the back doing a THING. The worth of good blocking CANNOT be underestimated and since the line is a strength this year, we will have good blockers to help the running game come to flourishion.

41 Days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
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#16
#16
Team Maxim #5: A team that won't be beat can't be beat.

It's all about the mindset. As Inky Johnson said in his speech to the players in the spring, "At the end of the day, you gotta come across this line to see me. A coach can X and O all day long, but at the end of the day, the game boils down to Mano y Mano, how bad do you want it?"

If each memeber of the team has the mindset of winning his matchup, then the team has an overall mindset of scoring no matter what (on O) or preventing scores at all costs (on D). The team that holds that mindset together and gives their all game in and game out CANNOT be defeated. Like the coach in "We Are Marshall" said, "We may be behind on the scoreboard, but if we play like that, WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED."

40 Days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
#17
#17
SkidsisVFL said:
Team Maxim #5: A team that won't be beat can't be beat.

It's all about the mindset. As Inky Johnson said in his speech to the players in the spring, "At the end of the day, you gotta come across this line to see me. A coach can X and O all day long, but at the end of the day, the game boils down to Mano y Mano, how bad do you want it?"

If each memeber of the team has the mindset of winning his matchup, then the team has an overall mindset of scoring no matter what (on O) or preventing scores at all costs (on D). The team that holds that mindset together and gives their all game in and game out CANNOT be defeated. Like the coach in "We Are Marshall" said, "We may be behind on the scoreboard, but if we play like that, WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED."

40 Days left! Go VOLS!!!
Click to expand...
Best example I can think of is the 86 Sugar Bowl.
Posted via VolNation Mobile
 
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#19
#19
Team Maxim #6: The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.

So important was this quote that it was carried over directly to the Game Maxims. The teams that turn the ball over more often will lose the battle of field position and possession immediately. The maxim goes deeper though, missing blocks, running the wrong routes, making bad reads, losing the press on D, etc are all examples of mistakes that lead to big plays for the other team. If you minimize those mistakes, you can help turn the direction of the game in your favor.

Contrary to popular saying, practice does not make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect. So, in order to eliminate in-game mistakes, you must first eliminate them in practice. It would appear that the previous staff had a problem fixing issues in practice, but--based off the mic'd up videos--this staff is doing a better job of teaching how to fix mistakes. This should translate into better in-game performance and--hopefully--more numbers in the W column.

39 days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
#20
#20
SkidsisVFL said:
Team Maxim #6: The team that makes the fewest mistakes wins.

So important was this quote that it was carried over directly to the Game Maxims. The teams that turn the ball over more often will lose the battle of field position and possession immediately. The maxim goes deeper though, missing blocks, running the wrong routes, making bad reads, losing the press on D, etc are all examples of mistakes that lead to big plays for the other team. If you minimize those mistakes, you can help turn the direction of the game in your favor.

Contrary to popular saying, practice does not make perfect, PERFECT practice makes perfect. So, in order to eliminate in-game mistakes, you must first eliminate them in practice. It would appear that the previous staff had a problem fixing issues in practice, but--based off the mic'd up videos--this staff is doing a better job of teaching how to fix mistakes. This should translate into better in-game performance and--hopefully--more numbers in the W column.

39 days left! Go VOLS!!!
Click to expand...

Exactly! I think this coaching staff "get's this" and will accept nothing less than the players all in practice as well as the games.

btw, great thead! someone needs to sticky it!
 
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#21
#21
Team Maxim #7: Never stop till the referee's whistle blows.

Football 101: The play ends when the whistle blows. If you stop prematurely, the other team gains an advantage. While it does sound pretty basic, it is still extremely important to emphasize this. Any advantage given freely to the other team usually causes a significant change in field position or a score, which increases the chance of a loss. You should be going full-speed AT ALL TIMES on the field until the end of the play is marked by the shrill of the whistle. ("We're running everywhere we're going!!" --CBJ.) To do any less than that is loafing, to do any more is unnecessary roughness. It is definitely something to watch out for when playing football, though every good coach will state this message on day 1.

38 days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
#22
#22
Team Maxim #8: Press the kicking game.

Yes, that IS the whole of team maxim, in case you were wondering. These 4 words say so much in so little. In a game where the teams are evenly matched, the kicking game itself can make a HUGE impact on the outcome. The General emphasized running game, defense, and kicking. Yet one of his famous quotes is "The kicking game rules." So many games come down to the kicking game that you can't help but acknowledge several: Miracle at South Bend, 98 Cuse, 98 Florida, 03 Miami, 04 Florida, 07 Carolina, 07 Vanderbilt, 07 Kentucky, etc.

By either gaining points (FG or return) or changing field position (punts, coverage, or returns), the kicking game adds an advantage to your team. Whether this advantage directly wins the game or not, it is so important to the bigger picture of the game that you can't afford to have a shoddy special teams unit. Our special teams haven't been the same since 2007, IMO, and I believe that this is one if the main reasons that we haven't had much on-field success. Well, Coach Elder, the eyes of UT are on you now. Make us proud.

37 days left! Go VOLS!!!
 
#24
#24
Team Maxim #9: Make and play for the breaks. One comes your way, score.

When a game has the chance to turn to your favor, YOU HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!! The chances to change the game are not over abundant, so when one comes around, DON'T LET IT SLIP!!! The sudden changes shift momentum and score so rapidly that the players MUST own that opportunity or they are setting themselves up for a loss. I'm glad to see the staff emphasize sudden change as you never know when or where it will occur and it will undoubtedly pay dividends later down the road.

36 Days left! Go VOLS!!!

P.S. Sorry it's late, I was a little busy today!

Edit: 11:36 pm EST, still July 26. I made it!
 
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