For those throwing the DB's under the bus...

[sjt18]

No he hasn't. And he couldn't do any football activity for 3 weeks after the injury. You don't weigh 300, sprain a knee ligament, miss weeks of practice, then be healthy automatically.

OK. Maybe you know more than those reporting on injuries.

 

[sjt18]

Sorry but I have got to ask. Would you consider that good scheme then and give the coaches credit for it?

To some extent, yes. They are covering some liabilities back there.

I am not being smart but the defensive coaches have took a lot of heat the last few weeks and I do not believe you put out numbers like that if there is not some coaching and effort from the players.

Agreed and Martinez should get a thumbs up for that part too.

I agree it starts up front and goes down hill from there. Once the d-line is blown off the ball the linebackers have to be there to fill the gap if they are not due to either being to slow or slow to react then a big run is given up. I have been complaining about the d-line all season and not just McCullers. Smith has had the chance to make several big plays and just whiffs on the tackle.

Nothing personal but Smith and McCullers are IMO the two most underperforming players on the team and should be benched.

 

[sjt18]

Okay, sparky--let me tell you something. DEs are NOT responsible for setting the edge on wide running plays...they are responsible to hold their position, not get turned "in", and "string" the play out towards the sidelines which allows time for the OLBs or ILBs to pursue and make the tackle. But they can only make the tacke if either the CB or the S reads and reacts as the "force" on the edge to turn the play back in to the pursuit. Watch any game this year and see how many times they failed (DBs) to get this done.

Want to explain why you suddenly turned smart a$$?

DE's have failed... particularly Smith... over and over. I never said the secondary was great overall or in the run game. I said they get WAY too much blame for what's wrong.

A LOT of it is because Jancek has had us playing man coverage and teams just ran our CBs out of position. And Jancek has NOT adjusted for this ALL year (but that's another discussion).

Agreed. Interesting that its the DB's fault for not stopping the run game when you acknowledge he's had them in man a lot.

Now granted our DEs haven't done a great job--but that's no excuse for the CB or Safeties failing to read and get their job done. It has been EXTREMELY poor play from the CBs inside the 10 yds line that has allowed every team to just waltz into the end-zone on wide running plays.

You mean the ones where the goal line LB's on the edge have flown up into the middle with no DB even on that side?

Murray's 50+ yd run up the middle of the field in the UGA game is the best example of just how pathetic BOTH of our starting Safeties are--and that includes Randolph...watch the tape--it's ALL on the Safeties!

Hmmm. That's interesting. The DL parts like the Red Sea, AJ is nowhere to be found, S's are 25 yds down field defending the pass, yet it is their fault... that's interesting. Not saying that SOMEONE didn't have to come up and make a play or that they shouldn't have gotten off blocks... but "ALL" is a bit much.

3. I was actually at the Auburn game and our Safeties are TERRIBLE...terrible technique, terrible reads, terrible footwork....It was pathetic to actually watch...McNeil didn't even react on one play until Harris was running by him..

So the blame goes to S's 10 yds downfield after runners break the LOS through gaping holes? Gotcha.

5. What about Mizzou--how many pass plays for > 30 yards with no DB in sight???

How many "straight"? I would have to go back and check... and it hardly seems worth it since it really proves nothing relevant to the point that they haven't been as horrible as many want to say while the DL has been far worse than most seem to want to acknowledge.

I am on record as having said that the DC has not done a good job BTW. The D has underperformed its talent level and has not improved to date. If anything, they've regressed.

Look, my friend....I'm not trying to be offensive to you. But you're wasting time trying to convince ANYONE who knows ANYTHING about FB that our DBs are even "middle of the SEC" good. (everyone but Sutton--He good!).

The "middle of the SEC" includes teams with just as many roster issues as UT like USCe. Their D is getting coached up. MSU's D is coached up. Even Arkansas' D appears to be getting a little better over time.

Yet we have guys here just saying, as you have, "these guys suck and everything gets better with a bunch of Fr next year". I need to see that before believing it.

FWIW, McNeil was considered an absolute stud recruit, remember? Many predicted him to be the next great safety at UT. He supposedly had it all... now?

 

[volfan411]

To some extent, yes. They are covering some liabilities back there.

Agreed and Martinez should get a thumbs up for that part too.



Nothing personal but Smith and McCullers are IMO the two most underperforming players on the team and should be benched.

IMO Smith has been a bust since he stepped on campus. I think McCullers is a good DT and maybe the fall off we have seen from him is due to him playing to many snaps per game. We really need him to step it up tonight if we are to have any chance of winning. As I said earlier with the lack of pass rush we have had it is remarkable that the secondaries numbers are as good as they are.

 

[volfan411]

FWIW, McNeil was considered an absolute stud recruit, remember? Many predicted him to be the next great safety at UT. He supposedly had it all... now?

I agree McNeil was a big time recruit but I always questioned why was he not recruited by LSU, Alabama, Texas or Florida. Was it because they seen something they did not like.

 

[sjt18]

I agree McNeil was a big time recruit but I always questioned why was he not recruited by LSU, Alabama, Texas or Florida. Was it because they seen something they did not like.

His offer list was pretty solid.

 

[MikeVol44]

Want to explain why you suddenly turned smart a$$?

I wasn't trying to be a smart azz...please forgive me for offending you--but also check my last statement at the bottom: wasn't trying nor attempting to offend--actual intent was to be comical with the word "sparky"--as Robin Williams is one of my favorite comedians and he uses that term much in comedy.

I think we agree on way more than we disagree on...However, I do absolutely disagree with what I think you were trying to say in the original post: And I believe you were attempting to communicate that our DBs are not as bad as it seems--citing statistics to back up your premise.

I don't accept your premise--and think that we only have 1 true SEC caliber DB--Sutton--for obvious reasons that have played out over 10 games this season.

I will make a few last comments:

1) there's NEVER been a situation in goal-line D where we don't have a CB or S lined up on the weak side of the formation--if I'm wrong--show me. My point concerning this was that these DB's, while playing tight to the LOS--MUST know their assignment. Their assignment is to maintain outside leverage and always turn the play back in to the pursuit--something so simple and that is coached in middle school. But they haven't done that--and speed isn't the issue--knowing your assignment is. Speed helps, and can help to COVER a blatant mental error, but our guys make mental errors and do not have the speed to recover.

2) Thinking that McNeil was a stud in recruiting WAS and still IS the MISTAKE! I do read the recruiting threads, but hardly ever comment because I simply don't take the time to watch their films. In honesty, I was glad we signed him as EVERYONE said that he was good, but he really has NEVER displayed an ability to cover, or SEC speed. It's evident that CDD and his staff constantly missed on QUALITY SEC talent.

3) Your reply to comments about pathetic Safety play concerning Murray's run ILLUSTRATES exactly what I said earlier about not knowing how to evaluate what you are seeing!

Sure--the DTs get moved out of their lanes, but that is not all that uncommon. We are in a 4-2-5 in man-under coverage and AJ gets run out of the play because he's attempting to cover the TE. Sapp has the RB in man and runs out of the middle to cover him on the flare route the RB is running.

That brings us to the two Safeties...Randolph is one and I think McNeil was the other...They're over the top in Zone--responsible to back-pedal, read the routes quickly, and watch the QB, and react to the ball...What do they do? They get out of position, fail to read and react to the QB run--and then whiff on the tackle and knock each other down. It's the SAME THING that happened last year against TROY! And they haven't improved--2 coaching staffs--and they haven't improved!

Same against Auburn--they shouldn't have been 10 yds deep on the QB keepers because reading their KEYS would have led them to recognize RUN and they must react and come up quickly and physically to stop the run. Randolph whiffed on several occasions in that game and McNeil looked like he didn't have a clue what to do all game.

This is where I step off with you as we are both strong-willed and opinionated people. We may kindly agree to disagree concerning the premise of your original post.

GO VOLS! :salute:

 

[volfan411]

Another TD blamed on Sapp by the commentators.