Next year means everything

#53
#53
If Nico is a great qb, then we will be much more competitive next year. The qb position has the most impact on any team's performance. Insert a great qb and everything changes. This is not to hate on Milton. He did all he could which is all we can ask for. This year, if Milton was our best qb, then CJH should have just turned him loose to throw downfield and lived with the consequences, for better or worse.
 
#54
#54
VFL-82-JP said:
That argument isn't bad. But it misses one huge piece: team chemistry/personality.

The 2022 squad was driven. They were hungry. They were out to prove something. It started with Hendon, his ferocious dislike of losing, and spread through the whole team. They just WANTED it.

The 2023 lads, they're more relaxed. Calm. Relaxed. Cool. There are some go-getters among them, like Beasley and Pili and Pearce and Wright and Sampson ... but there are plenty who have adopted the "it's all good" persona of our QB.

That makes them two hugely different teams. And the results show it.

Go Vols!
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I agree with this. The 2022 team had some for lack of a better term dawgs on it. When we needed a play last season Hooker had multiple targets he could count and Banks for all his downside stepped up for the D when we needed it. This team lacks that alpha that makes the play at critical times and Joe doesn‘t seem to have what it takes to overcome adversity when it happens.

I have watched the last two games from home and Joe IMO seems to play better when this team plays fast and for some reason the staff has slowed them down through out the game.
 
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#55
#55
GoVols64 said:
Agree with you. Next year is important but we as fans need to stop thinking in absolutes. This year, next year, whichever year isn’t “the year” but a marker. If, over time, we improve and get competitive annually with UGA and Bama we are in good shape. If we see a couple years like this one then I’d agree it’s time to be concerned.

Keep in mind we will be starting a Redshirt Freshman at QB. May be a stud but will still need time to grow. I’m more interested in the development of returning players. Are DBs getting better? WRs and LBs? That’s the indicator we are on the path.
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As Bama and Georgia show every year, you can replace skill players year in and year out as long as you maintain a deep supply of talent at the OL and DL. Even in 2023, it still all ultimately comes down to the battle in the trenches
 
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#57
#57
UTFranklinVol said:
This is a bad argument though. "Hooker and Hyatt and Tillman weren't good before Heupel worked his magic on them" but wait why didn't Heupels magic wand work on Milton or Keyton or White? Since he apparently has the hand of God that turns players into NFL draft picks. Lol pass.

Hooker and Hyatt were all time good players.
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Because every person is the same? Maybe the talent level is different and Heupel was able to find a way to harness it. Hell, Hooker was replaced at Virginia Tech. People still have to put in the work. Carry on w/ your little thread w/ your canned answers already ready to go. It’s very obvious the direction people like yourself want to take. People like you are the guys that just follow the ball and look at stats to uphold an argument, when it’s clear to others how the game is played and the calls that are made that impact the game.
 
#58
#58
RDU VOL#14 said:
Because every person is the same? Maybe the talent level is different and Heupel was able to find a way to harness it. Hell, Hooker was replaced at Virginia Tech. People still have to put in the work. Carry on w/ your little thread w/ your canned answers already ready to go. It’s very obvious the direction people like yourself want to take. People like you are the guys that just follow the ball and look at stats to uphold an argument, when it’s clear to others how the game is played and the calls that are made that impact the game.
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"OK, CHIEF"

I will in fact carry on. I didn't need your encouragement or your comment.
 
#60
#60
GoVols64 said:
Agree with you. Next year is important but we as fans need to stop thinking in absolutes. This year, next year, whichever year isn’t “the year” but a marker. If, over time, we improve and get competitive annually with UGA and Bama we are in good shape. If we see a couple years like this one then I’d agree it’s time to be concerned.

Keep in mind we will be starting a Redshirt Freshman at QB. May be a stud but will still need time to grow. I’m more interested in the development of returning players. Are DBs getting better? WRs and LBs? That’s the indicator we are on the path.
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.
 
#62
#62
UTFranklinVol said:
Yes our OL has given up 10 fewer sacks than last year and produced a better running game. Regardless of Darnell, this year's OL has been better, sorry you got star struck and didn't look at the actual numbers
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Did we run the ball a lot more this year thus limiting our exposure to sacks??
 
#64
#64
UTFranklinVol said:
Except the stats don't bear that out.

This year we have more yards per carry on the ground, more running yards per game and 50% fewer sacks. Joe Milton has had TONS of time to throw the ball and read the defense but sucks at it all.

Oh by the way the OL is doing all that while every defense in the country knows Joe Milton is no threat at all to throw the ball.

Also don't forget that last year we gave up 10 more sacks with a QB who knew how to scramble and not get caught and this year we have a statue at QB.

I'm just sorry but NO! This year's OL has done better and done it under much worse conditions given the QB. I don't care how many big "names" we had last year.
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Just curious, was the 22 offense much better than the 23 offense?? I mean, the OL plays all offensive plays...LOL
 
#65
#65
UTFranklinVol said:
Yes our OL has given up 10 fewer sacks than last year and produced a better running game. Regardless of Darnell, this year's OL has been better, sorry you got star struck and didn't look at the actual numbers
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Not arguing with you because I do think our interior offensive line is better this year, just our tackles took a step back.....in your statistical analysis you left out total passing attempt on the season and total rushing attempts. We had nearly 200 more rushing attempts last season, which by default means the avg per attempt will go down, you're not going to break 50-70 yard runs multiple times a game except vs vandy 2022 lol. We also had around 100 more passing attempts in 2022 vs 2023, more opportunities for sacks. Probably not going to have the 1 per 10 plays required to match the sacks of this year but the play calling on said plays matter as well, where as last year we called more plays that took a bit longer to develop. overall we ran a lot more plays in 2022 than we did in 2023 and your stats don't tell the full story of what you're trying to portray. I don't totally disagree with you in some of your analysis, but your stats just arn't the end all be all.
 
#66
#66
Here we are almost a year from the end of the 2022 season and some people are still downplaying the significance of playmakers like Hooker and Hyatt on offense. Not to mention Tillman, Bru, Fant, and Wright… smh
 
#67
#67
malibuvol said:
Did we run the ball a lot more this year thus limiting our exposure to sacks??
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No sir. Last year we had 523 rushing attempts or 40 attempts per game. This year we have 403 rushing attempts or 36 per game.

People confuse our success with running the ball with the idea that we run the ball more. No. We are just better at it which has a lot to do with the OL and our RBs, but mainly our OL.

People are also forgetting that we ran the ball a lot last year but then Hooker would hit Hyatt for a 60 yard TD and end the drive. It made them think we were a passing team, but we ran the ball more than we passed, we just had way more success passing

We have almost as many pass attempts in 2023 per game as last year but Joe Milton sucks and goes 3 and out so it makes it seem like we run the ball a lot more because that's where our success was in comparison but it's not true that we run the ball more this year.
 
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#68
#68
And no, next year does not mean everything. Even the greatest coaches miss on QBs every once in a while. Meyer missed on Burrow. Dabo missed on Ugalali and maybe Klunik, Smart let Fields get away. Saban appears to have missed on Simpson.

If Heupel happens to have missed on Nico he won’t be crucified.
 
#69
#69
2022 had the 10th,73,74,77 players picked in the draft and has Fant on the cowboys practice squad,and Carvin being released with injury designation from the chiefs. Thats 5 players on active teams with a 6th maybe if not for injury.
Does this team have 5-6 players on teams at this time next year? Time will tell. I don't see 5-6 players but that's prob why I'm not an evaluator.
Who makes NFL teams, not who gets drafted?
 
#70
#70
UTFranklinVol said:
UT won 11 games last year which was our best showing in a very long time. Some people think that is a reason not to question the results this year because Heupel is the best coach we have had since Fulmer.

I think it's worth asking the question though... Which year was the outlier? Was Heupel really a genius coach that got us to 11 wins or did he get extremely lucky to have Hooker and Hyatt on the same team?

Because this year I saw the same coach with basically the same team as last year but with a better OL and better rushing game but minus Hooker and Hyatt and the results were much different. Like, A LOT different we didn't compete against any of the tough teams on our schedule.

So was 2023 the "norm" and 2022 the "outlier"? Or should I expect more out of this team in 2024?

Heupel now has "his guy" at QB and IMO next year will tell the story of which year was the real outlier and who was REALLY responsible for the success last year. I hope Heupel is the real deal and not "in the right place at the right time" guy.
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This year's team is not basically 'the same team'. The OL was unquestionably better last year and no, you can't simply look at sack numbers and rushing yards. One, this was a down year for most SEC teams. Two, your QB impacts those numbers tremendously. The OL stayed largely healthy last year. This year? We got a struggling Ollie Lane and an outmatched Karick.

Next year? Let's see what happens in the Portal and with who stays/leaves. Add to that a largely untested QB and I'd say there's a decent chance we still won't have solid answers.
 
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#71
#71
Great coaches take what they have and optimize. I think Heupel has done that in his first three seasons so far. We are now getting into Heupel's recruited and developed players. That coupled with how they do in the portal to address needs will make the next couple of years very good measuring sticks.

That said, UT is going to be younger next fall. Maybe more talented but definitely younger.

IMO, he has proven he can coach. He's earned a little time. I think he has to make some serious noise by year 5 though.
 
#72
#72
I would argue to say we were competitive against Alabama and Missouri. Not better, but hung around on the road. Georgia is just hitting on all cylinders right now. A 3 peat is an almost certainty unless Alabama has something to say about it.
 
#73
#73
volfan_28 said:
And no, next year does not mean everything. Even the greatest coaches miss on QBs every once in a while. Meyer missed on Burrow. Dabo missed on Ugalali and maybe Klunik, Smart let Fields get away. Saban appears to have missed on Simpson.

If Heupel happens to have missed on Nico he won’t be crucified.
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Not sure I agree with the premise. OSU did not "miss" on Burrow. They already had JTBarrett who threw for 9400 yards at OSU and owns several Big10 passing records and was a Heisman candidate. Burrow was not a "miss" OSU simply didn't need him and he transferred. They were loaded with QB talent. Same thing with Ugalali, Clemson has Tevor Lawrence and did amazingly.

Heupel is not going to be choosing from a stable of amazing QBs. It's Nico or disaster. We don't have any other amazing QBs.
 
#74
#74
I’ll use Bama is an example of OL play.
Vols gave up 34 sacks, Bama 33
Vols average rushing is over 200 per game, Bama 176
Vols yards per attempt is almost a yard more than bama
Vols total offense per game is higher than bama.

Is the OL worse than last year? Stats say production better than bama’s
Only problem is Vols didn’t beat any ranked teams this year
 
#75
#75
sjt18 said:
Great coaches take what they have and optimize. I think Heupel has done that in his first three seasons so far. We are now getting into Heupel's recruited and developed players. That coupled with how they do in the portal to address needs will make the next couple of years very good measuring sticks.

That said, UT is going to be younger next fall. Maybe more talented but definitely younger.

IMO, he has proven he can coach. He's earned a little time. I think he has to make some serious noise by year 5 though.
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Youngness is no longer an excuse in the modern day NCAA. Saban and Smart and many other coaches can lose half their team in a year to the draft or graduation and not miss a beat. We HAVE to have that because the days of grooming players for years and making them steadily better are way over. We have to draft better or be able to take middle of the road talent and make them all American in a single year. Otherwise Heupel will get stuck in a loop of losing his star QB and having to "rebuild" like this year. But we need to reload not rebuild under Heupel. That is the measure of a great coach.
 
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