Next Year's Roster

#1
cotton

cotton

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#1
The thread about NFL talent on our roster, combined wtih some assertions (at least before the Arkansas game,) that we will be national contenders next year, got me thinking about how next year's team will look. The list is compiled of underclassmen that I can recall getting significant time this year, and doesn't include any newcomers. Also, I believe that Meacham will be a huge difference-maker next year. For the San Francisco 49ers.

QB Ainge
Wr Rogers
Wr Taylor
Wr Hancock?
TE Cottam
TB Coker or Foster
C McNeil
G Foster
G Parker
T Young
T ??

T Bolden
T Mapu
E Fisher
E Reynolds
LB Karl
LB Mayo
LB Myers-White?
DB Fellows
DB Heffney
DB Morley
DB Gaines? Wardlow?

At first glance, it appears that we downgrade at WR, stay the same at QB and RB and, without some significant improvement in the offseason to make up for the loss of Sears, will do no better than stay the same on the O-line.

The defense should be better as those younger guys improve but will have some questions in the secondary. We really need one of those D-linemen to get exposed to gamma rays and become a monster by September.

So, does that roster look like a conference or national contender? Have I missed something?
 
#2
#2
cotton said:
Also, I believe that Meacham will be a huge difference-maker next year. For the San Francisco 49ers.


quote]

Is this implyng he will be a first rounder if he comes out early.

Don't know why people keep saying this. The NFL is not in desperate need of receivers that get run down from behind, don't catch with their hands, and go absent because of physical play by a DB.
Click to expand...
 
#3
#3
UT has a lot of key players to replace off this team:

3 starting WR's
Swain
Smith
Meachem (?)

OL (best 2 lineman)
Sears
Ligon

Both DT
McBride
McGothlin

LB (leading tackler)
Mitchell

CB's (both starters)
Wade
Stewart
 
#4
#4
maybe as a darkhorse we are a conference contender, but i doubt it. not unless the players we have coming back show me something i havent seen.
 
#5
#5
I think O-line could improve if we realize the talent recognized during the recruiting process. McClenden (?) should make an impact next year.

I think if Ainge continues to play well we won't miss the WRs as much as we think. Meach has had some great plays, but he has also had many drops - honestly, he should stick around and work on his game or he'll be lost in the NFL. Swain has been hampered much of the year with injuries.

RBs will be an improvement if they stay healthy, Coker is my real hope here, the only one who has shown game breaking ability - maybe the others will come on...

Linebackers will be our strongest D unit, followed closely by DBs... but again, its the D-line I worry about. We need a Darwin Walker, John Henderson, Albert Haynesworth, Justin Harrel type to emerge - and stay heathy.

Special teams will continue to be mediocre, with the exception of Hefney on punt returns. Unfortunately I have no reason to believe they will improve over this year (which at least was noticably better than last year).

So I would agree we're a darkhorse. If the ball bounces our way we could compete. LSU drops off and we pick up Miss St, but we have to travel to Gainesville and Tuscaloosa - and playing Georgia at home has been bad news.
 
#7
#7
Next years team needs to be locked in the Athletic Center with Weights and Footballs. At night they need to let in pissed off dogs to chase them around and they need to belittled daily.

What would this breed?

A bunch of pissed off, strong, fast, football minded ball players.

I'm kidding, but in a way I'm kinda not.
 
#8
#8
I think Ellix Wilson will probably be playing quite a bit. The starting three will be Mayo, McCoy, and Karl.
 
#13
#13
jaybird_1981 said:
Ligon is in no way our second best lineman. Young is definitely better and McNeil is as good if not better right now as a freshman.
Click to expand...

Young is a tackle, Ligon is a guard. Most teams always plays their best tackle and guard on the left side to protect the QB blind side. Thats where UT has Sears and Ligon.
 
#16
#16
On a sidebar who is ths most disappointing player on the vols this year?

I would probably go with Mapu. Considering he started as a freshmen I expected him to be a big contributor when he returned.
 
#18
#18
oklavol said:
Young is a tackle, Ligon is a guard. Most teams always plays their best tackle and guard on the left side to protect the QB blind side. Thats where UT has Sears and Ligon.
Click to expand...

That just means that Sears is better than Young, not necessarily that Ligon is also better than Young. I don't pretend to have the knowledge to evaluate offensive linemen, but prior to the Arkansas game Young seemed to be getting a lot of praise for his play this year.
 
#20
#20
This roster looks... I don't know man. I just wonder why we always have excuses every year for not achieving? This is year is injury and talent, next year will be no experience. In the next 3 or 4 years, we are going to be in the deep trouble, talent with the poor player development will put us badly behind LSU, Florida and Georgia. I think we lost pretty bad 3 times this year, and we will see more and more these kinds of game in the next few years if we don't have some serious change. By the way, I don't believe we will have some big changes though.
 
#21
#21
oklavol said:
On a sidebar who is ths most disappointing player on the vols this year?
Click to expand...
I would have to go with Foster. With all of the preseason hype he was getting, he has severly underachieved. Other than that I can't think of anyone that was supposed to have a great year that hasn't.
 
#22
#22
utvol0427 said:
I would have to go with Foster. With all of the preseason hype he was getting, he has severly underachieved. Other than that I can't think of anyone that was supposed to have a great year that hasn't.
Click to expand...

I agree with all the Foster comments.

After the arrest last weekend, he is mostly likely in Fulmer's doghouse anyways.

I expect to see a lot more Coker and less Foster for the rest of the year.
 
#23
#23
On defense, I can see a scenario where some of those D-lineman improve, an we field a pretty good squad.

On offense...man, I just don't know. I don't see the line play improving enough to make us a juggernaught, and we lose all of our playmakers at WR. I hope these guys prove me wrong, but my confidence is starting to get a little shakey.
 
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