Just to clear up the dissatisfaction...

[Chickenfarmer]

And another

 

[Chickenfarmer]

Again

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Look at the QB, the so called leader. He is cool Joe all the time. Doesn’t really look like he cares.

Yeah, I like Joe, but I haven’t been impressed with the whole “go sit by myself with a towel on my head” routine. What the tv cameras give us is a small glimpse though I’m sure.

 

[cherokeeeVOL]

How many years now have we talked about “next year”, or the year after that? They need to just keep this guy for the foreseeable future if he’ll stay, and we need to be OK with 8-9 win seasons with the occasional 10-11 win year, when we catch lightning in a bottle. Either that or recruiting jumps several notches to Bama and Georgia level which hasn’t been the case since maybe mid-2000s under Fulmer. It is what it is.

 

[Vfl2407]

How many years now have we talked about “next year”, or the year after that? They need to just keep this guy for the foreseeable future if he’ll stay, and we need to be OK with 8-9 win seasons with the occasional 10-11 win year, when we catch lightning in a bottle. Either that or recruiting jumps several notches to Bama and Georgia level which hasn’t been the case since maybe mid-2000s under Fulmer. It is what it is.

Accepting your premise, the good news is that a 10 win (and maybe even a 9 win) regular season will be good enough to get us into the new 12 team playoffs.

 

[OrangeTsar]

I

I wonder if not playing Nico is by prior agreement. Because, loyalty is not really part of the formula for playing the guys that give you the best chance to win AND putting the players in a position to succeed. Loyalty, while admirable, is not part of the art of war.

I have heard some rumors that Nico’s family was pushing for a redshirt. This would fit what we have seen quite well

 

[cherokeeeVOL]

Accepting your premise, the good news is that a 10 win (and maybe even a 9 win) regular season will be good enough to get us into the new 12 team playoffs.

One thing is for sure. No one can accuse us of being fair-weather fans! But yeah, I do have a slight hope in the new playoff format. Maybe we can squeak in there at some point even if recruiting doesn't reach Bama, UGA, or Ohio State levels.

 

[Undercs]

From what I am seeing, the outrage and dissatisfaction is not because of a 7-4 record. It is because of the effort or lack thereof and not even being competitive in those 4 losses.

more the disappointment of following up a season where people were ecstatic with last year and thought the Vols had reached the top tier of the sport. Look at the pre season hype about Squirrel and Joe, people were saying Squirrel would surpass Hyatt’s stats and Joe with the scheme would be in the Heisman conversation. How many times did people talk about how far Joe could throw it? Joe is a great athlete not a great qb he couldn’t play at Michigan and he can’t play here. The Joe train started after the Clemson win, Clemson was not a good team last year but were trading on the past several years of success. Expectations were so far beyond reality.

 

[tbh]

The effort is pitiful on both sides of the ball.

Yep, overall. With McCoy out with his injury, the only bright spots I've seen on offense this year are the RBs, and Mays.

 

[EastTNVol423]

Definitely the biggest disappointment of the year. Even feels like the coaches gave up on the season.

 

[volbound1700]

I think everyone would have taken 8-4 coming into the season and we are there right now. The problem with everyone is how the season played out.

We laid a goose egg at Florida after a quick TD strike to open the game.

We had a 20-7 lead at Bama with our defensive line getting at Milroe the entire half….


The dissatisfaction with the most probable record expectation for the season is much like Butch’s two 8-4 years. We were so close to being a 11-1/10-2 team that it feels like a let down.

If Heupel goes 9-4 after an 11-2 season, I’m stoked.

I don’t care what anyone says I’m a realist. And with the roster situation he walked into (recruiting and transfer exodus) plus scholarship reductions, him needing 5 years to completely turn the roster over while getting out of the reductions is a must. Him going 11-2 and 9-4 in years 2 and 3 just means he’s going to get those 5 years.

8-4 was a disaster, you need to win more to keep program going in right direction.

Alabama and Georgia games went about like expected and frankly, even I knew we couldn't beat them.

Losing both Florida and Missouri hurt. Missouri was better than advertise but to be beat down wasn't great.

Florida loss is really the one that sticks out like a sore thumb. They needed to win that. That was a MAJOR step back for the program.

You have to follow-up a 11-2 year with at least a 9-3 or so year to show you are not a 1-year wonder. Right now, we just look like a 1-year wonder that went back to being a mediocre program.

I do think there are some stuff that happened that made 8-4 not seem that bad (notably a lot of tough injuries this year). The road schedule was rougher than last year, even though schedule was, on paper, a lighter schedule. Apparently, Heupel's teams have issues winning on the road and that is apparent.

Defense has really one major frustrating point that I notice and it is why it is hard pressed to win. Our DBs play too far off the wide receivers. I kept watching it this year, why isn't our DB closer. It isn't that they are getting burnt either, they are playing that way. Maybe it is the fear of getting burnt but frankly, I would rather risk giving up a TD or 2 on a long player than to keep giving up these constant 3rd and long pass plays.

 

[Smokey7]

Ridiculous

 

[JRich]

This all goes back to the offense not getting first downs, and that responsibility falls upon Joe. I think the staff has tried to adjust to the level of talent, but Joe is just incapable.

It's demoralizing to play defense and have your offense constantly go 3 and out, especially when you make a few stops against a good team with better players. Eventually you just get sick of getting your ass beat, and I think that is what happened against Mizzou and UGA. I think many of us would be in the same space mentally as those guys. Although noble, the "don't ever quit" mentality is not realistic. I guess you can pat yourself on the back for it when it is all said and done, but you still lost.

Edit: When I say defense, I mean the front seven. The secondary is absolute garbage, and has been all year, which demoralizes you further. "I got to the QB in 2 seconds, you can't cover for 3 seconds?"

 

[The Tall Gguy]

Here is a pretty good article asking some difficult questions about Saturday.

https://atozsports.com/nashville/tennessee-josh-heupel-news-vols-second-blowout-football/

 

[Deathandtaxes]

Look, everyone wants to throw shade when we are losing. These are still the facts.

1.) Joe Milton ain’t it.
2.) Martinez needs to go…

The fact that these dudes have bounced around that much should tell you something.

All the other stuff will work itself out.

The team knows Joe ain’t it. The coaches know Joe ain’t it. But they have a freshman QB that wasn’t ready.
So, we finish this year with two more wins and look to next year which I think could be our best team we have had here.

I know it stings but we had to bank on Joe and he didn’t deliver so we cut our losses and move on.

Hopefully we will start Nico for the bowl game.

 

[ZZ13]

Look, everyone wants to throw shade when we are losing. These are still the facts.

1.) Joe Milton ain’t it.
2.) Martinez needs to go…

The fact that these dudes have bounced around that much should tell you something.

All the other stuff will work itself out.

The team knows Joe ain’t it. The coaches know Joe ain’t it. But they have a freshman QB that wasn’t ready.
So, we finish this year with two more wins and look to next year which I think could be our best team we have had here.

I know it stings but we had to bank on Joe and he didn’t deliver so we cut our losses and move on.

Hopefully we will start Nico for the bowl game.

What does everyone mean by Nico “isn’t ready”? Are you all attending practices and talking to the coaches? Heck, Joe “isn’t ready” at all and he’s playing.

 

[JMSqb11]

8-4 was a disaster, you need to win more to keep program going in right direction.

Alabama and Georgia games went about like expected and frankly, even I knew we couldn't beat them.

Losing both Florida and Missouri hurt. Missouri was better than advertise but to be beat down wasn't great.

Florida loss is really the one that sticks out like a sore thumb. They needed to win that. That was a MAJOR step back for the program.

You have to follow-up a 11-2 year with at least a 9-3 or so year to show you are not a 1-year wonder. Right now, we just look like a 1-year wonder that went back to being a mediocre program.

I do think there are some stuff that happened that made 8-4 not seem that bad (notably a lot of tough injuries this year). The road schedule was rougher than last year, even though schedule was, on paper, a lighter schedule. Apparently, Heupel's teams have issues winning on the road and that is apparent.

Defense has really one major frustrating point that I notice and it is why it is hard pressed to win. Our DBs play too far off the wide receivers. I kept watching it this year, why isn't our DB closer. It isn't that they are getting burnt either, they are playing that way. Maybe it is the fear of getting burnt but frankly, I would rather risk giving up a TD or 2 on a long player than to keep giving up these constant 3rd and long pass plays.

If you think 8-4 off the back of 10-2 after losing tons of talent is a “disaster”, I’m convinced you just started following Tennessee recently.

We haven’t even played a full 3 seasons under Heupel and he’s already won over half as many games as 8 years of Butch/Pruitt.

This year is not a disaster as we went the record we expected.

You can pout all you want but if we finish 8-4, that will be considered meeting the expectations of the majority from the preseason.

 

[GVol1966]

Is it really a lack.of effort as much as we were simply worn down on defense? Sure, there were some lapses where players showed poor effort. But generally speaking I think our offense was inefficient, and our defense could not hold up over the course of the game. And unfortunately, we were also outmatched in the trenches the last two games. But, I wouldn't put it as an effort issue. Maybe a lack of discipline and focus st times.

I don’t see a lack of effort.
I see on both sides of the ball a lack of being able to get the job done, and eventually wearing down.
Injuries played a big part, confidence fades quickly when things go downhill.
We scored quick against UF, UGA, and Bama, so it’s hard to say they didn’t come out ready. We led in all.

 

[Firebirdparts]

I don’t think those 3-and-outs were really about effort. The offense is just not that good. On defense, that is where you feel like you’re watching an “effort” that can be critiqued. If the offense had been good then the efforts might have sufficed.

 

[SpookyAction]

I am concerned about a drop-off in LOS play on both sides of the ball next season.
I may be missing some rising underclassmen, but there are a lot of holes to fill.

Our D-Line became very blockable during the UF game and never seemed to get back on track. Yes, lots of examples of obvious holds, but no SEC QB was pressured, except the A&M game. It led to the D being on the field far too many new sets of downs. We don't have enough quality DBs (still) to play that many downs. When two get hurt, we are reeling. I expect DBs to look better next year, but we are still not deep enough.

O-Line is going to be a crap shoot next season. Lots of question marks. I predict next year's O-Line will be the reason Wright goes pro. It will be a big dip in experience. Small and Sampson are both good and we have rising backfield talent.

WRs, ... surely they can catch better next season. Not one WR stepped up to be the Man this season, and TEs should be even better next season too. I am excited to see Bru McCoy back for one more season. Thornton has to come in playing good football. Bru and Thronton could really make each other much better. Easier to succeed with two big time WRs than one. I thought Nimrod, White, or Keyton, or some other underclassman might carry the team a bit, but it never happened.

They will have to throw a lot of RB screens to compensate for less pass blocking talent.

 

[Sea Ray]

Does Bru McCoy have another year of eligibility?

 

[volbound1700]

I don’t think those 3-and-outs were really about effort. The offense is just not that good. On defense, that is where you feel like you’re watching an “effort” that can be critiqued. If the offense had been good then the efforts might have sufficed.

I am not sure it is "effort" on defense. The players are playing too far off the WRs. I am not sure why that is but it is looking like coaching. I think it is a zone defense because players move into certain strategic spots instead of staying on WRs. We need to go to man and get rid of these zone stuff.

Banks is banking on the blitz. We aren't landing enough blitzes for a variety of reasons. His tactics are clever and this is why I am such a mixed bag about him as a DC because he is the best we have had in a while but the giving up the long 3rd down pass plays constantly keeps hurting us. He is banking (pun not intended ) on the blitz landing or rattling QB enough that they throw inaccurate passes. This just isn't happening. If you mix it with a man defense that stays on WR, that would help.

I think our DBs maybe slower and that maybe the reasoning behind the calls but, at this point, we would be better off going into tight coverages to try to stop those long pass conversions and giving up dumb plays here and there, than what we are doing.

Granted, that doesn't fix our offensive woes from this year but it would have helped at critical times last year such as the Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina games and is something that needs to happen in the future.

Maybe once we get in more talent at DB, we get more aggressive at coverage, who knows.

 

[volbound1700]

If you think 8-4 off the back of 10-2 after losing tons of talent is a “disaster”, I’m convinced you just started following Tennessee recently.

We haven’t even played a full 3 seasons under Heupel and he’s already won over half as many games as 8 years of Butch/Pruitt.

This year is not a disaster as we went the record we expected.

You can pout all you want but if we finish 8-4, that will be considered meeting the expectations of the majority from the preseason.

I get what your saying and agree it looks good compared to last years but it didn't allow us to take off.

Say that Saban had a 8-4 season in 2009 after following up his great 2008 campaign at Alabama, would Alabama fans be like, well it was better than Mike Shula or Mike Dubose era?

You need to follow-up great seasons by showing you are competitive.

We lost to a far inferior opponent (Florida) on the road in a critical game. That hurt us all season. This is what caused Fulmer's downfall, losing to a 3-9 UCLA team in the opener. You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat and you also don't need to get blown out 35-7 by Missouri. If we had beaten Florida (even if it was 21-20 or something) and perhaps only lost to Missouri 28-14 or been in the game, I would say this year is a success. Our effort against Alabama was great, had we put in a similar first half effort against Florida and Missouri, I think this season would have been different (I don't think Florida rebounds like Alabama did; not sure about Missouri).

Those two games (Florida and Missouri) defined Tennessee's season as not being successful. We still also need to beat Vanderbilt.

 

[JMSqb11]

I get what your saying and agree it looks good compared to last years but it didn't allow us to take off.

Say that Saban had a 8-4 season in 2009 after following up his great 2008 campaign at Alabama, would Alabama fans be like, well it was better than Mike Shula or Mike Dubose era?

You need to follow-up great seasons by showing you are competitive.

We lost to a far inferior opponent (Florida) on the road in a critical game. That hurt us all season. This is what caused Fulmer's downfall, losing to a 3-9 UCLA team in the opener. You have to beat the teams you are supposed to beat and you also don't need to get blown out 35-7 by Missouri. If we had beaten Florida (even if it was 21-20 or something) and perhaps only lost to Missouri 28-14 or been in the game, I would say this year is a success. Our effort against Alabama was great, had we put in a similar first half effort against Florida and Missouri, I think this season would have been different (I don't think Florida rebounds like Alabama did; not sure about Missouri).

Those two games (Florida and Missouri) defined Tennessee's season as not being successful. We still also need to beat Vanderbilt.

Nick Saban was a national title winning coach and told Bama his terms for coming.

Also Saban will go down as the GOAT. Quit comparing Heupel to him.

 

[titansvolsfaninga]

And Memphis scored 27 points on Missouri...

Did Memphis lose 1 of their starting WRs against Missouri after already being down 1 starting WR? I mean, you can be a fan of the Tiger football team. There is always an open seat at the game.