Mike Matthews to portal? [He’s staying]

[C-south]

lol 100% is hilarious we only went 10-2 as a first year starter in the sec… how much production was taken off the board because of penalties post snap ie holding or illegal man down field??? Then how much we stopped because of drops? The tempo offense requires execution from all members… was nico perfect ? Not at all but to act like he was the biggest issue is pure hate… he played helped win 10 games as a freshman starter get some perspective…

You are certainly entitled to your opinion as well. For the money and hype he was an extremely underwhelming disappointment. I’ve said before, people that just call him a “freshman” are being disingenuous. He was an early enrollee and had the luxury of sitting back for a year and a half and learning a lot more than what he showed. From the inaccuracy, overthrows, refusing to throw the ball, lack of basic game management, and having to dumb down the entire offense to save him from disaster showed he was a huge part of the problem. That’s not to say there weren’t other issues but you would expect more from a guy so overly hyped up when the opportunities were there. Yea 10-3 was a pretty good year but realistically we had a pretty favorable schedule and the sec was far from being the powerhouse some like to make out.

 

[Mator]

Yup and that aint good.

I don't know what to think anymore. Enjoy the wins while you're on top, it's going to be a rollercoaster for a while, not sure how it levels out from here.

 

[iuvol]

It’s going to destroy the game

If it already hasn’t!!

 

[volsgb95]

Hey stat licker. I’m not deeming anything. Him getting separation and running good routes doesn’t mean they threw him the ball frequently. If you can’t see that he’s a different level of athlete, you aren’t going to find it in the box score.

Appreciate all the insight you bring about the team Stoerner, been accurate and insightful for years. Sorry for some of the fans you have to put up with, appreciate your perseverance on this board over the years.

 

[OrangeInKy]

Lol. If you had me on ignore you wouldn’t see this.

He could see who the other poster was replying to without seeing your post. Just would show your name.

 

[vol_smoothie]

Except MM is lazy at practice and is too dumb to learn the playbook

And how is it that you are privy to this information ? Do you have an actual, reliable source from inside the team ?

 

[TheFlash1971]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion as well. For the money and hype he was an extremely underwhelming disappointment. I’ve said before, people that just call him a “freshman” are being disingenuous. He was an early enrollee and had the luxury of sitting back for a year and a half and learning a lot more than what he showed. From the inaccuracy, overthrows, refusing to throw the ball, lack of basic game management, and having to dumb down the entire offense to save him from disaster showed he was a huge part of the problem. That’s not to say there weren’t other issues but you would expect more from a guy so overly hyped up when the opportunities were there. Yea 10-3 was a pretty good year but realistically we had a pretty favorable schedule and the sec was far from being the powerhouse some like to make out.

Yep, just like everybody was talking how SC was a hot team that should be in the playoff. Brett Biliema and Illinois laughed at them.

 

[Sudden Impact]

And how is it that you are privy to this information ? Do you have an actual, reliable source from inside the team ?

If it is a source then it is hearsay. The comments made by the poster are words one would expect of a troll.

 

[JMSqb11]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion as well. For the money and hype he was an extremely underwhelming disappointment. I’ve said before, people that just call him a “freshman” are being disingenuous. He was an early enrollee and had the luxury of sitting back for a year and a half and learning a lot more than what he showed. From the inaccuracy, overthrows, refusing to throw the ball, lack of basic game management, and having to dumb down the entire offense to save him from disaster showed he was a huge part of the problem. That’s not to say there weren’t other issues but you would expect more from a guy so overly hyped up when the opportunities were there. Yea 10-3 was a pretty good year but realistically we had a pretty favorable schedule and the sec was far from being the powerhouse some like to make out.

Anyone who was expecting Nico to put up top in the country numbers and contend for Heisman in his first year is delusional... That is all.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Appreciate all the insight you bring about the team Stoerner, been accurate and insightful for years. Sorry for some of the fans you have to put up with, appreciate your perseverance on this board over the years.

The football forum is a dangerous place. We should at least have a “no shirt, no shoes, no service” sign.

 

[m1al]

Alabama having all the players for 15-20 years. Then steamrolling this so called tough conference for 15-20 years. Winning 6 national championships Being in it and losing few times on top of it. That is what RUINS college football . Now with NIL and Transfer portal . Different winners is great for the game. Alabama was paying before paying was legal.

Saban and Bama weren't the lone rangers, most everybody was paying before paying was legal. Saban, Bama, Bama boosters, hell the whole state of Alabama worked together like no one else to turn their operation into a machine. Like it or not, they just did it better than everyone else.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion as well. For the money and hype he was an extremely underwhelming disappointment. I’ve said before, people that just call him a “freshman” are being disingenuous. He was an early enrollee and had the luxury of sitting back for a year and a half and learning a lot more than what he showed. From the inaccuracy, overthrows, refusing to throw the ball, lack of basic game management, and having to dumb down the entire offense to save him from disaster showed he was a huge part of the problem. That’s not to say there weren’t other issues but you would expect more from a guy so overly hyped up when the opportunities were there. Yea 10-3 was a pretty good year but realistically we had a pretty favorable schedule and the sec was far from being the powerhouse some like to make out.

All you can ask a player to do is prepare, practice, and play their best. He does those things. Expectations are out of his control. The danger with a young quarterback under pressure is that they start to make safe reads and throws to avoid sacks. This leads to a lot of bad outcomes. He needs the protection to grow confidence and make the reads with out telegraphing.

 

[OrangeBeachVol]

Anyone who was expecting Nico to put up top in the country numbers and contend for Heisman in his first year is delusional... That is all.

I agree but if a lot of us are being honest, we were expecting him to look much better than a true freshman QB and he didn't. He looked lost at times. Reasons are many and not all his fault. But Nico does not deserve the unrealistic criticisms of C-south.

 

[volnbama_]

Anyone who was expecting Nico to put up top in the country numbers and contend for Heisman in his first year is delusional... That is all.

I would agree with that but it was also reasonable to expect to him to do more than he did this year. The accuracy issues are a big concern. I definitely thought he would be more accurate pushing the ball down the field but that is a huge hole in his game currently. He certainly flashes tools that NFL scouts love but he really hasnt put together a complete game yet

 

[Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va]

Alabama having all the players for 15-20 years. Then steamrolling this so called tough conference for 15-20 years. Winning 6 national championships Being in it and losing few times on top of it. That is what RUINS college football . Now with NIL and Transfer portal . Different winners is great for the game. Alabama was paying before paying was legal.

Don’t try to tell that fact to Saban though. A comedian named Shane Gillis did on Gameday and you could tell Saban was fuming.

And people want to make him the college football commissioner. All he ever cared about was winning and enriching young men’s lives (with $$$ and cheap-as-free Hellcat leases).

 

[m1al]

All you can ask a player to do is prepare, practice, and play their best. He does those things. Expectations are out of his control. The danger with a young quarterback under pressure is that they start to make safe reads and throws to avoid sacks. This leads to a lot of bad outcomes. He needs the protection to grow confidence and make the reads with out telegraphing.

I would argue that Heupel coaching "safe" i.e. not to lose, tends to breed that mentality in his players especially his QB..

 

[Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va]

I would agree with that but it was also reasonable to expect to him to do more than he did this year. The accuracy issues are a big concern. I definitely thought he would be more accurate pushing the ball down the field but that is a huge hole in his game currently. He certainly flashes tools that NFL scouts love but he really hasnt put together a complete game yet

You are spot on. Nico has the touch and accuracy in short and mid range throws, but struggles once he tries to uncork a 30+ yard bomb.

Combine Nico and Joe Milton and you would get the perfect QB

 

[Delmar]

He could see who the other poster was replying to without seeing your post. Just would show your name.

Correct. All you have to do is see the name. Got a long list like that on Ignore. No interest whatsoever in what they have to say.

 

[Nico ee-ah-MAH-LAY-ah-va]

I would argue that Heupel coaching "safe" i.e. not to lose, tends to breed that mentality in his players especially his QB..

I think this was only this year. Go back to 22 and Heupel was having the O go full speed until 00:00 in the 4th quarter.

It’s a reaction to how poor the offense has been. Also helps when you have a D can can close most games too.

 

[VolForLife83]

I think this was only this year. Go back to 22 and Heupel was having the O go full speed until 00:00 in the 4th quarter.

It’s a reaction to how poor the offense has been. Also helps when you have a D can can close most games too.

Ive been wondering if the slower paced offense has helped the defense?

 

[UTK]

The same WR coach who developed Jalin Hyatt

Did he though? Out scheme got Hyatt open consistently, Golesh and CJH had more to do with his success here and ot course Hyatt himself who put in the work over the summer to fix his dropping issues

 

[miket4god]

I think Bishop will be very good.

Payton Lewis will be better.

 

[wmcovol]

Ive been wondering if the slower paced offense has helped the defense?

Not scoring on offense sure doesn’t help the defense.

 

[m1al]

Ive been wondering if the slower paced offense has helped the defense?

"Three and outs" definitely don't help.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

Saban and Bama weren't the lone rangers, most everybody was paying before paying was legal. Saban, Bama, Bama boosters, hell the whole state of Alabama worked together like no one else to turn their operation into a machine. Like it or not, they just did it better than everyone else.

This is the truth. Everyone cheated and Bama cheated better than everyone else. Saban retired because he didn't want to build a new system once his system stopped working.

Someone IS going to build that new system for the portal and NIL era. Certainly UT has adapted well. Oregon, Ohio State, and Texas have adapted well.

Rather than bitch that "football is ruined," the emphasis needs to be on how we can build a system and adapt to the changes.

Certainly at the top is having the money to pay, but that hasn't really changed. Getting good at tampering to lure the players from other teams into the portal and onto our roster is key. Getting a plan in place to counter tampering by other schools would be very helpful. Making sure that Knoxville, not just the campus, is somewhere players want to be: a decent nightlife, relationships with the local police that are positive, and..... honestly, I'm not young enough to know what the kids are doing but I'd think access to weed, women, and whatever should be as safe as possible for them.

Basically, all the programs need to run like the Florida programs used to run. Work hard, play hard, win.