Matt Hayes Article

[sjt18]

Didn't see this posted. Merge if necessary. Maybe a little too "rah-rah" for some but a pretty good article IMO.

Hayes: Tennessee is at the doorstep. Now it's time to take the last small step

 

[Other_Guy]

I was going with 9-3 because Im pretty conservative but the more I thought about things, the more I believe 10-2.
I see it being different from last year tho. I don't think they'll have their huge win or slaughter most everyone else, nor do I think they'll pull a USC game. I think Milton will be top 3 or 4 in the conf and the defense will be improved and the OL will hold up enough. Next year who knows. They'll lose a lot of good players.

 

[sjt18]

I was going with 9-3 because Im pretty conservative but the more I thought about things, the more I believe 10-2.
I see it being different from last year tho. I don't think they'll have their huge win or slaughter most everyone else, nor do I think they'll pull a USC game. I think Milton will be top 3 or 4 in the conf and the defense will be improved and the OL will hold up enough. Next year who knows. They'll lose a lot of good players.

Not too much on predictions prior to the season. Every team is a critical injury away from +/- 2 losses.

Every game on UT's schedule is legitimately "winnable". But much of it does come down to Milton and whether he can approximate the production Hooker had. Overall, the Vols are much deeper and more talented than the previous 2 years. So what's left is how much better/worse the opponents got and who has injuries or other things to disrupt their season.

UT's margin for error is much wider than it was two years ago.

 

[cherokeeeVOL]

Enjoyed the article. Not sure I completely agree with the Georgia game assessment but here's hoping the gap is smaller than it looked during last year's game. If the defense really does take a couple steps forward this year and our offense is somewhat comparable then it could be a great game. Love this staff and the team is fun to watch for the first time in a while. Should be another good year!

 

[andydukey]

I'm distracted in the comment section

 

[tobybeast]

It's Inches... TWSS


On a more serious note. The inches seem to be the hardest to pick up. I do think we will see an even more improved UT football team. I think the defense improves big this year.

 

[Orange-U-Glad]

Long time Vol here. This is a fun read. The comments section is crazy. Haters are frothing at the mouth. OP is right about the rah-rah stuff, however, Hayes’ point is that TN is moving in the right direction. If we can close recruiting strong this year, I believe the future is bright orange. T

 

[OrangeTsar]

Long time Vol here. This is a fun read. The comments section is crazy. Haters are frothing at the mouth. OP is right about the rah-rah stuff, however, Hayes’ point is that TN is moving in the right direction. If we can close recruiting strong this year, I believe the future is bright orange. T

The thing anyone who hasn’t lived and breathed Tennessee Football for the last few decades will never understand is just how really devestated this program was after Pruitt was fired and the roster largely abandoned ship. That could have been the death of many a program. Even the most optimistic of us thought we would be three or four years away from being halfway decent AT A MINIMUM, even with good coaching.
Most of the fans from other teams making spectacles of themselves on SDS were proudly proclaiming permanent irrelevance for Tennessee even throughout the 2021 season. Now they are faced with the undeniable evidence of 2022 and their little minds cannot handle the cognitive dissonance. They thought we were down for the count but now we are back and making the otherwise top programs VERY uncomfortable and they are reduced to incoherent babbling about the South Carolina and Georgia games.
Well I am darn past being ready to give those overtaxed psyches something to be REALLY uncomfortable about. SEC East championship this season baby!!! Maybe SEC period.

 

[sjt18]

The thing anyone who hasn’t lived and breathed Tennessee Football for the last few decades will never understand is just how really devestated this program was after Pruitt was fired and the roster largely abandoned ship. That could have been the death of many a program. Even the most optimistic of us thought we would be three or four years away from being halfway decent AT A MINIMUM, even with good coaching.
Most of the fans from other teams making spectacles of themselves on SDS were proudly proclaiming permanent irrelevance for Tennessee even throughout the 2021 season. Now they are faced with the undeniable evidence of 2022 and their little minds cannot handle the cognitive dissonance. They thought we were down for the count but now we are back and making the otherwise top programs VERY uncomfortable and they are reduced to incoherent babbling about the South Carolina and Georgia games.
Well I am darn past being ready to give those overtaxed psyches something to be REALLY uncomfortable about. SEC East championship this season baby!!! Maybe SEC period.

That was almost as much fun as the article itself. Kudos.

 

[BADGER_VOL]

The thing anyone who hasn’t lived and breathed Tennessee Football for the last few decades will never understand is just how really devestated this program was after Pruitt was fired and the roster largely abandoned ship. That could have been the death of many a program. Even the most optimistic of us thought we would be three or four years away from being halfway decent AT A MINIMUM, even with good coaching.
Most of the fans from other teams making spectacles of themselves on SDS were proudly proclaiming permanent irrelevance for Tennessee even throughout the 2021 season. Now they are faced with the undeniable evidence of 2022 and their little minds cannot handle the cognitive dissonance. They thought we were down for the count but now we are back and making the otherwise top programs VERY uncomfortable and they are reduced to incoherent babbling about the South Carolina and Georgia games.
Well I am darn past being ready to give those overtaxed psyches something to be REALLY uncomfortable about. SEC East championship this season baby!!! Maybe SEC period.

Great post!