TAF
Oh Yeah...I mean it!
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CP didn't have the stats because he wasn't here long enough. Had he played 3 years here, he'd probably hold an insane amount of school records. Just because he didn't have the stats doesn't mean he wasn't the most talented. He was definitely more talented than Sutton, Velus, and Berry.Willie Gault, Terry Fair, Cam Sutton, Dale Carter, Velus Jones and Evan Berry. I put almost all of those guys over CP and their stats show it. Its kinda hard with returners though because to put up good kick return numbers you kinda have to be on a team that gives up a lot of points and to put up good numbers on punt returns you have to be on a team that forces a lot of 4th downs. CP had a better career as a returner in the NFL but he only had one season here kinda hard to put him over guys that played multiple years here and contributed more on main units.
I don't think the kick return will go away forever from college because the NFL is actually putting more emphasis on it.
I agree maybe if he stayed a few more years he would easily go down as the best we ever had.. but he didn't. UT was a pitstop for CP his plan was always one and done. I never thought of him as a Vol more a merc. I have never heard of him repping the school since his time in the NFL but then again I haven't followed him much since he was in Minnesota. He has played for 6 different NFL teams and still plays the same role he did at UT, a change of pace type of guy never the focal point or a regular starter. Amazing kick returner though. he's not big enough to be a full-time RB and cant run routes to save his life with the ball in his hands he is a terror.. but you gotta get it in his hands. Best returns we had was 2015 Evan Berry returned 3 kicks (38 yards average for the year) in one year Cam Sutton returned 2 punts and AK returned one. CP averaged 28 yards per kick return.. Evan berry averaged over 30 his worst year was 29.5. he was also cursed to play on better teams so got less opportunities.CP didn't have the stats because he wasn't here long enough. Had he played 3 years here, he'd probably hold an insane amount of school records. Just because he didn't have the stats doesn't mean he wasn't the most talented. He was definitely more talented than Sutton, Velus, and Berry.
I played 9 years with a 2 bar facemask helmet with webbing and about 1/8 inch thick… I played 9 years with a 2 facemask bar about I webbing….I was playing at the bar with 9 helmets…A great kick return is the most exciting play in football, but as a man who has had far too many concussions in my lifetime, I have to let it go.
I had numerous concussions playing high school football. I recall playing several games with ears ringing and double vision after blind side hits. I received a bad one in a car wreck in 2001. I was diagnosed with four concussions during deployments in the late 2000's. I have fallen in my home eight times in the past 2 years. Six concussions from those falls. Concussions seems to be a self-fulfilling prophecy for me.
Shaky hands, poor short-term memory at times, PTSD symptoms from multiple injuries and recoveries, Anxiety and Depression; long-term symptoms are terrible.
I don't wish it on anyone.
The good rules protect player safety first and foremost.
Technology can improve helmets and protection, but it can never protect the brain enough for these impacts to have acceptable safety.
The game has to move past kick returns with high speed collisions. The rules have gotten better, but can never offer enough mitigation of risk.