I Have a Hot Take

#77
#77
Brazzel has turned unreliable after not dropping anything early on. I trust Bru in the most crucial moments.
White is a liability when unhealthy (as everyone is) yet they keep going to him.
But I said before the season started that Thornton would have the most big plays. I don't think theres a bad combo of any of the top 6. No combo is spectacular tho, unfortunately.
 
#78
#78
rocytop2624 said:
I am with you. Home playoff then neutral site games. I like our odds.

National Champs!

Pals aren't easy to come by.
Click to expand...
Listening to the Dave Hooker show today, Calhoun says OSU's resume is a little better but the politics favor Tenn right now. I think the committee SHOULD give it to the Vols (when you lose still matters, right?), however I feel like they're going to want to give OSU the home game...
 
#81
#81
tennesseeduke said:
Agreed however I believe MM is better!
Click to expand...
Not yet imo. Donte hasn’t been healthy in a while but he’s still our most dangerous receiver. I do think Matthews is really good and he’s a true freshman so he has plenty of time to be elite.
 
#83
#83
DT is always running wide open and scoring TDs but people want to say MM is the best on the team...based on what exactly?....

DT is the most explosive WR we have right now. outside of that everybody is just kind of the same. A big group of guys that are pretty good.

MM definitely seems to have a high ceiling but don't expect his snap count to sky rocket suddenly in the playoffs unless we have several injuries.
 
  • Like
Reactions: marcusluvsvols
#86
#86
*Wide Receiver Corps.

Same as the Marine Corps or the Press Corps. A group of folks dedicated to the same activity.

FWIW, Matthews is getting more PT now because of his dedication OFF the field. Thats per Hubbs and the VQ guys. He is incredibly talented and is gonna be a star IMO...but it sounds like he had a little growing up to do. Makes sense for an 18 or 19yo kid.

Staley is gonna be a star in the slot too when his time comes. Right now hes a freshman buried behind Squirrel and Nimrod, but when he gets it together and its his time...he is very, very talented. Watch his HS film. I greatly admire Squirrel and his toughness...but he should have taken a medical redshirt this season with his torn labrum. I think the guys behind him with 2 good shoulders could have helped the team more than he did playing with 1 working shoulder. Not his fault though.

We have some ballers coming in this 25 class as well. Coach Pope has done a great job with these WRs, as a recruiter and a coach. I think we probably lose some guys at WR in the portal this year like Webb, and Leacock that never see the field. Were 4* guys in HS but haven't been able to crack the lineup. Those guys likely leave for somewhere they get playing time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vol in Buckeye Land
#87
#87
Batman1948 said:
They only rushed 3 most of the night and saying "rushed" is a bit misleading. Nico will not see that again this year. He better learn to read quickly and get the ball out much quicker or he'll be toast. Candy was pathetic
Click to expand...

This is true. I think he will be fine though. Since the Bama game, Nico has been a different QB. His stats are impressive. That includes all games being SEC except UTEP.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Batman1948
#88
#88
HuntlandVolinColo said:
First off, we rotate to keep them fresh legs and wear out the CBs.

Second, Bru and Squirrel are great possession receivers. Good hands. They also don't make as mental mistakes like running the wrong routes.

Third, Matthews will continue to get better as he learns the routes and timing and shedding blocks etc.

Fourth, Donte is our best receiver this year, he needs to get healthy as does Squirrel and Bru.

Fifth, I hope we get another year to really unleash Brazzell II in this system.

2025: Brazzell II, Matthews, Squirrel, Nimrod, Webb...thats a pretty darn good WR corp, and we can add a few top notch recruits to that list as well.
Click to expand...
Here’s hoping we can snag Kevin Concepcion from NC State and/or OSU is actually stupid enough to let Hartline slip through the cracks when they fire Day and we can grab Tate or (long shot) Smith. Braylon Staley will also be a sophomore and we got some freshmen coming in who can end up being certified dudes, Travis Smith in particular.
 
#89
#89
ntxVOL said:
Complaining about the redshirt freshman argument being used as an excuse for a poor performance.

Yes, he played well Saturday but, it was Vandy, not pressure much all game. We shall how he performs in the playoffs.
Click to expand...
I am so confused by your definition of "poor" performance. Here is a comparison between the QB considered to be the benchmark QB at UT (Peyton Manning) versus this apparent bust of a 5-star high dollar NIL QB (Nico Iamaleava). To prevent any "He isn't a freshman because he was here last year and got to practice" pathetic statements, I am basing my comparison off Peyton's sophomore season.

QB Games Completions Attempts CMPL% Yards TDs INTs Yards/Att AY/A Yards/Completion Yards/Game Rating
Peyton 11 244 380 64.2 2954 22 4 7.8 8.46 12.1 268.5 146.5
Nico 12 199 303 65.7 2512 19 5 8.3 8.8 12.6 209.3 152.7

As you can see, the comparison between the two is a lot closer than a lot of you seem to realize. Everyone wants to say that Peyton's numbers are skewed because it was a different era and we didn't throw the ball as much. Well, Peyton actually threw it 73 more times in one fewer game. The thing that stands out the most to me is the QB rating. I didn't expect Nico's to be as much higher than Peyton's than it was. I simply don't feel his performance is anywhere near poor overall. Hopefully, we see as much improvement from the Redshirt Freshman year to Redshirt Sophomore year in Nico that we did from Freshman to Sophomore year in Peyton.

P.S. we won't even bother with the comparisons of the freshman season.
 
#90
#90
Pride85 said:
I am so confused by your definition of "poor" performance. Here is a comparison between the QB considered to be the benchmark QB at UT (Peyton Manning) versus this apparent bust of a 5-star high dollar NIL QB (Nico Iamaleava). To prevent any "He isn't a freshman because he was here last year and got to practice" pathetic statements, I am basing my comparison off Peyton's sophomore season.

QB Games Completions Attempts CMPL% Yards TDs INTs Yards/Att AY/A Yards/Completion Yards/Game Rating
Peyton 11 244 380 64.2 2954 22 4 7.8 8.46 12.1 268.5 146.5
Nico 12 199 303 65.7 2512 19 5 8.3 8.8 12.6 209.3 152.7

As you can see, the comparison between the two is a lot closer than a lot of you seem to realize. Everyone wants to say that Peyton's numbers are skewed because it was a different era and we didn't throw the ball as much. Well, Peyton actually threw it 73 more times in one fewer game. The thing that stands out the most to me is the QB rating. I didn't expect Nico's to be as much higher than Peyton's than it was. I simply don't feel his performance is anywhere near poor overall. Hopefully, we see as much improvement from the Redshirt Freshman year to Redshirt Sophomore year in Nico that we did from Freshman to Sophomore year in Peyton.

P.S. we won't even bother with the comparisons of the freshman season.
Click to expand...
I get what you are saying, but the "different era" reply is still valid. The schemes are more advanced compared to what worked in the 90s. QBs today have to be a lot better than they were in the 90s. The stats don't paint that picture: the film does. Peyton was throwing over or around stacked boxes, getting a lot of 1:1s on the perimeter, and seeing pretty predictable blitz packages. Mixed zone and man concepts were rudimentary at best. Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 concepts hadn't cycled down into college yet. Cover 2 was novel as it left you open to a lot of power run schemes (I formation, wishbone counter, etc.).

Look at what QB's face today: you have Venerables disguising 3 man blitz schemes back into rotating zone into deep man concepts. That would have been unheard of back in Peyton's college days. Look at what Ole Miss does on the line too: crazy twists and stunts to get isolated 1:1s against the weakest link on the OL from film.

Also worth mentioning: every college has a professional strength and conditioning program now. The kids are just bigger and stronger than they used to be. Nothing against the previous eras when it comes to the difficulty of playing college ball, but that is the reality of what Nico is facing now compared to Peyton.
 
#91
#91
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
I get what you are saying, but the "different era" reply is still valid. The schemes are more advanced compared to what worked in the 90s. QBs today have to be a lot better than they were in the 90s. The stats don't paint that picture: the film does. Peyton was throwing over or around stacked boxes, getting a lot of 1:1s on the perimeter, and seeing pretty predictable blitz packages. Mixed zone and man concepts were rudimentary at best. Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 concepts hadn't cycled down into college yet. Cover 2 was novel as it left you open to a lot of power run schemes (I formation, wishbone counter, etc.).

Look at what QB's face today: you have Venerables disguising 3 man blitz schemes back into rotating zone into deep man concepts. That would have been unheard of back in Peyton's college days. Look at what Ole Miss does on the line too: crazy twists and stunts to get isolated 1:1s against the weakest link on the OL from film.

Also worth mentioning: every college has a professional strength and conditioning program now. The kids are just bigger and stronger than they used to be. Nothing against the previous eras when it comes to the difficulty of playing college ball, but that is the reality of what Nico is facing now compared to Peyton.
Click to expand...
I agree with what you are saying, but my original post was pointed toward an individual who was stating that Nico was playing poorly. My post was to show that his stats shows he is almost the same level as Peyton was from a statistics standpoint, which is most assuredly not "poor play". Your post definitely reinforces my hypothesis. My statements were that Peyton actually threw it far more often that Nico has, even though our offense is supposed to be more open than the one that Peyton was in.

Your evaluation was exceptionally nice from a mechanics of the defensive schemes that Nico faces versus what Peyton did for certain. It really emphasizes that Nico is on pace for his experience level.
 
#92
#92
Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va said:
I get what you are saying, but the "different era" reply is still valid. The schemes are more advanced compared to what worked in the 90s. QBs today have to be a lot better than they were in the 90s. The stats don't paint that picture: the film does. Peyton was throwing over or around stacked boxes, getting a lot of 1:1s on the perimeter, and seeing pretty predictable blitz packages. Mixed zone and man concepts were rudimentary at best. Monte Kiffin's Tampa 2 concepts hadn't cycled down into college yet. Cover 2 was novel as it left you open to a lot of power run schemes (I formation, wishbone counter, etc.).

Look at what QB's face today: you have Venerables disguising 3 man blitz schemes back into rotating zone into deep man concepts. That would have been unheard of back in Peyton's college days. Look at what Ole Miss does on the line too: crazy twists and stunts to get isolated 1:1s against the weakest link on the OL from film.

Also worth mentioning: every college has a professional strength and conditioning program now. The kids are just bigger and stronger than they used to be. Nothing against the previous eras when it comes to the difficulty of playing college ball, but that is the reality of what Nico is facing now compared to Peyton.
Click to expand...
I have never said Nico was playing poorly. Our offense, however, has struggled to score points against SEC opponents. One of the many excuses for this has been that Nico is still a freshman. That excuse isn't going to work anymore.

I don't blame Nico for the offensive struggles, I blame Heupel. 2022 was the high water mark for his offense. 2 years in a row of sub par performance is starting to look like a pattern. But everyone likes to make excuses for why that is and it's getting old.
 
#94
#94
Bru brings a lot to the table, especially as a blocker. But I've been pretty confused about our lineup at that spot. Squirrel should not be getting as many snaps, especially when he can't lift an arm over his shoulder imo.
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top