Just something to think about and consider.

[DrTNT]

Crazy loves to be heard....

Amen! That is sooooooo true!

 

[Clad in Big Orange]

We need ELITE recruiters. That’s the only way out of this mess. Obviously Heupel can’t scheme beyond what his talent is. This year with Milton proved that on offense. He’s not the play calling savant that Hooker made him look like. And the staff is not recruiting at an elite level.

 

[89 VOLS grad]

No need in trying to get Nico hurt when we've only got 1 game left, except for the bowl game (which doesn't count against a red-shirt if taken). We need to draw a toilet-bowl team otherwise we might not be able to get out of our own way come bowl time. I certainly wouldn't be betting on TN in a bowl game; too thin depth-wise, play-calling has been bad IMO, and I'm no longer confident Joe can get it done. Yeah, it's not all his fault, I know that, but at this stage just beat Vanderbilt.

You should learn to read before commenting. I said the team had the pieces to win 10 games with Nico at QB. That means Nico starts all 12 games, not finally starting Nico vs VU. It is too late. Tell Heupel you did a lame job of defending him.

 

[chuck0303]

You should learn to read before commenting. I said the team had the pieces to win 10 games with Nico at QB. That means Nico starts all 12 games, not finally starting Nico vs VU. It is too late. Tell Heupel you did a lame job of defending him.

I'm, not defending him. So you want Nico to start against Vandy & in the bowl game? I'm all for him getting the real time experience he needs. I just want him healthy for next season.

 

[Alto1]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.


I'm not trying to make excuses, but our dept still needs to grow up and learn to play the game!
We have a great Coach, let's be a little patient and let the man work. If this was happening in Nico's third year, it would be different. The season has gone just about as expected and I for one am happy with coach Hype!
Only bad loss was Florida and it's always hard to win at the swamp with their swamp voodoo.
Be blessed, enjoy these young men giving their all for your beloved Vols!

I know we have a lack of depth, but it seems like we have some strength and conditioning issues that need to be addressed as well……

 

[BobbyMcGee]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.


I'm not trying to make excuses, but our dept still needs to grow up and learn to play the game!
We have a great Coach, let's be a little patient and let the man work. If this was happening in Nico's third year, it would be different. The season has gone just about as expected and I for one am happy with coach Hype!
Only bad loss was Florida and it's always hard to win at the swamp with their swamp voodoo.
Be blessed, enjoy these young men giving their all for your beloved Vols!

You stated excuses and then said, "I'm not trying to make excuses". I hate it when people do that type of thing. Just start it off with: "Hey, here are my excuses for this team sucking". Then state your excuses. On top of that I can't stand this Kumbaya talking crap. Very few of us will settle for mediocrity. Obviously, you do. I worry about hiring someone like you by accident.

 

[Mccage]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.


I'm not trying to make excuses, but our dept still needs to grow up and learn to play the game!
We have a great Coach, let's be a little patient and let the man work. If this was happening in Nico's third year, it would be different. The season has gone just about as expected and I for one am happy with coach Hype!
Only bad loss was Florida and it's always hard to win at the swamp with their swamp voodoo.
Be blessed, enjoy these young men giving their all for your beloved Vols!

Easy to think about…. Unless your a Joe hater

 

[BigO95]

You stated excuses and then said, "I'm not trying to make excuses". I hate it when people do that type of thing. Just start it off with: "Hey, here are my excuses for this team sucking". Then state your excuses. On top of that I can't stand this Kumbaya talking crap. Very few of us will settle for mediocrity. Obviously, you do. I worry about hiring someone like you by accident.

Those aren't excuses, they're legit reasons.

 

[sjt18]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.


I'm not trying to make excuses, but our dept still needs to grow up and learn to play the game!
We have a great Coach, let's be a little patient and let the man work. If this was happening in Nico's third year, it would be different. The season has gone just about as expected and I for one am happy with coach Hype!
Only bad loss was Florida and it's always hard to win at the swamp with their swamp voodoo.
Be blessed, enjoy these young men giving their all for your beloved Vols!

Not an excuse. Heupel is still trying to build the roster after inheriting that mess. If things had gone "great" injury wise then maybe UT wins a game or two more. But some years you get hit harder than others. They need to take a look at S&C to make sure there's nothing missing... and go back to work.

To your point, there are DBs currently out plus I think Slaughter missed part of camp or the early part of the season. At LB, Carter is out and others have missed time in addition to the Pili injury.

If you count Kuric as a starter then 4 of the original starting 5 are now out and Mays missed half the season.

Out of the two deep it seems that at least half have missed 3 or more games. Just a really tough year that way. They have guys playing who aren't ready to play and some who never needed to be more than scout team.

 

[sjt18]

Going to be tough to get that depth when Florida, Georgia, and Alabama are all lapping us in recruiting.

Except... they're not. The recruiting services aren't accurate enough to separate the #1 class from #6 or #6 from #10. The Vols are signing players who with development can compete with anyone. They have to have depth though. If you average in or around the top 10 and can develop and coach... you have enough "Jimmies and Joes"

Case in point is Telander. Outstanding player in GA. Amazing states. Passed the "eye test" for athleticism and being a "football player". But... no UGA love = 3* rating. He has played and played very well as a Fr. He's 12th on the team in tackles with half of them coming in the last 3 games.

 

[LTVol]

We can’t play zone pass defense… should quit trying

except that we can’t cover man to man either

 

[DaddyChad]

All of our safeties are terrible!! The whole secondary is

Hadden made things much better when he was in. He was the closest thing we had to a reliable cb this year. Safety play has been atrocious.

 

[wmcovol]

Going to be tough to get that depth when Florida, Georgia, and Alabama are all lapping us in recruiting.

“Lapping”?

 

[DaddyChad]

You stated excuses and then said, "I'm not trying to make excuses". I hate it when people do that type of thing. Just start it off with: "Hey, here are my excuses for this team sucking". Then state your excuses. On top of that I can't stand this Kumbaya talking crap. Very few of us will settle for mediocrity. Obviously, you do. I worry about hiring someone like you by accident.

Reasons aren’t excuses. What part of anything he said was untrue?

 

[cgrish]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.

You want something to THINK abouT.............ADD Oklahoma and Texas to the mix and UT will be lucky to be in Middle of the Conference standings. This staff cannot get it done. UGA was like watching Men against Boyz. But so what, Mizzou kicked out butt and made us like it.
You want something to think about..............IT is going to be LONG way back.

We can beat both Oklahoma and Texss. If I'm not mistaken Texas will be starting a new qb next season. Okl. wont be having many 10 win seasons in Sec. Bama is a much better team now than when they played Texas. I lime our chances much better against Okl. and Texas, than Ga. and Bama.

 

[cgrish]

I'm, not defending him. So you want Nico to start against Vandy & in the bowl game? I'm all for him getting the real time experience he needs. I just want him healthy for next season.

I suppose the best way for Nico not to get hurt is not play at all. Anytime you play football you take a chance on getting hurt. It could be the girst game of next season, or he could play his whole college cateer snd not get hurt. Imo, you just cannot not play someone becsuse u are afraid they will get hurt. I would like to see Milton start the game, play the first qtr against Vandy and Nico finish the yr out. I think Milton earned the right to start this year, nlbut at some point Nico should have been given much more playing time than he has had.

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

except that we can’t cover man to man either

But you don’t have to cover as long in man with a pass rush. I would rather make them make the perfect well timed throw than playing marshmallow coverage with trying to get there with 4. That type of coverage against Georgia gets 10 minute drives for touchdowns put up on you. And then a 3 and out just sucks the air out of you. Our offense isn’t doing our defense any favors with they can’t even string 2 or 3 first downs together.

 

[TheVolunteer002]

“Lapping”?

Doing better, running circles around us, beating us, greater than, etc.

 

[wmcovol]

Doing better, running circles around us, beating us, greater than, etc.

So 3 or 4 slots ahead 2 weeks away is lapping?

You people need a life.

 

[TheVolunteer002]

So 3 or 4 slots ahead 2 weeks away is lapping?

You people need a life.

Consider when I posted that and what the rankings were at the time. Idk what they are now.

You need to do better than "get a life." That's about the lamest gotcha line one can say.

 

[V0LUNT33R]

1. Our best cornerback out
2. 3 of the 4 best safety's out
3. The o-line with several key injuries
4. A starting linebacker out
5. Two of our best receivers out.


I'm not trying to make excuses, but our dept still needs to grow up and learn to play the game!
We have a great Coach, let's be a little patient and let the man work. If this was happening in Nico's third year, it would be different. The season has gone just about as expected and I for one am happy with coach Hype!
Only bad loss was Florida and it's always hard to win at the swamp with their swamp voodoo.
Be blessed, enjoy these young men giving their all for your beloved Vols!

Florida playing FSU pretty well tonight proves your point.

 

[EZE]

You stated excuses and then said, "I'm not trying to make excuses". I hate it when people do that type of thing. Just start it off with: "Hey, here are my excuses for this team sucking". Then state your excuses. On top of that I can't stand this Kumbaya talking crap. Very few of us will settle for mediocrity. Obviously, you do. I worry about hiring someone like you by accident.

Being ranked in the top-20 at the end of the regular season isn’t sucking. Sucking was the years of winning 1 or 0 conference games and not being bowl eligible.

Of course we all want to compete for SEC and National titles. And I absolutely still believe that CJH will get us there.

 

[The Tall Gguy]

Being ranked in the top-20 at the end of the regular season isn’t sucking. Sucking was the years of winning 1 or 0 conference games and not being bowl eligible.

Of course we all want to compete for SEC and National titles. And I absolutely still believe that CJH will get us there.

Being ranked is a very good thing. Getting blown out in every loss is not. We can be happy with what we did but expect better as well. I promise it's allowed.