Nico likes playing on the road

[DaddyChad]

Why go out of your way starting a thread to kick a player while hes down

Some “fans” are just douche bags. I don’t get it.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Y’all gotta stop the Nico hate. It’s getting absurd. Kids a freshman with the highest ceiling we have had at the position since the 90s.

Who is hating on him? The fact is he just isn’t that good right now. Also, how do you know he has the highest ceiling of any QB we have had in a long time? Seriously. What have you seen that makes you think that? Is it just his ranking coming out of HS?

Look I get he is a RS FR. But you can’t tell me you didn’t expect a lot better play from him than what we have seen. I mean for crying out loud Vandys QB is playing better than Nico.

 

[Rocky Top T]

Who is hating on him? The fact is he just isn’t that good right now. Also, how do you know he has the highest ceiling of any QB we have had in a long time? Seriously. What have you seen that makes you think that? Is it just his ranking coming out of HS?

Look I get he is a RS FR. But you can’t tell me you didn’t expect a lot better play from him than what we have seen. I mean for crying out loud Vandys QB is playing better than Nico.

Agree, the Vanderbilt QB has some dog in him, Nico doesn't

 

[VolRage]

Who is hating on him? The fact is he just isn’t that good right now. Also, how do you know he has the highest ceiling of any QB we have had in a long time? Seriously. What have you seen that makes you think that? Is it just his ranking coming out of HS?

Look I get he is a RS FR. But you can’t tell me you didn’t expect a lot better play from him than what we have seen. I mean for crying out loud Vandys QB is playing better than Nico.

$8 million dollar man. Generational QB they say. LOL. As I’ve said many times already, I’ve seen significantly better freshmen QB’s over the last 10 years so no, Nico is NOT a generational QB so the talking heads should shut up about that. Maybe the difference is their HC wasn’t handicapping them by calling a chickensheet game. Sure Huepel is better than Dooley, Jones and Pruitt but I’ve seen nothing that says he’s better than Lane Kiffin or Fulmer with Cutt as OC.

I don’t know. I’m tired of the baseless hype and then excuses after the Vols crap the bed.

 

[vol94]

Nobody will listen to me and most won’t read this post. But here it goes.

I was ticked off during and after the game. And to be honest, angry today as no excuse to lose on the rd to Arkansas. Nico played bad. The o line played bad. The DBs, horrible!

And I admit it was too angry when I posted last nt. And was ticked at Nico the player, not the person. Shame on me.

But we are 4-1 and #8 in the country. We must beat FL & split Bama/ GA.

FLorida, Bama, KY, UTEP, & MS State are at home. Only UGA and Vandy on the rd. And Vandy will be like a neutral game @ worst.

So let’s turn the page, be positive & see what happens.

Nico feels like crap now. His confidence is shaken though he won’t admit it. I will be at the game Sat screaming my head off to watch us get a dub!

10-2 = high % chance of playoff.

 

[UTK]

Pass protection was bad. But I watched some all 22 tape, he had some receiver open and waited to late to throw

Absolutely. You can live with a freshman missing that and watching it on tape to improve vs a senior like Milton. Main difference

 

[UTK]

Not sure yet about that. He's talented and I don't think he's done just yet, but man that last play of the game last night really has me doubting at the moment whether he can play at this level. Hope he figures it out.

He’s a freshman. If he does something that dumb again, fair. Freshman make mistakes. The great ones learn from them. You can argue from a talent position alone, it’s up to our coaches to get the most out of him. Guy will be a NFL QB regardless of what he accomplishes here, let’s not waste him.

 

[OrangeInKy]

Yep. Right now Nico and this team needs every positive vibe the staff and fans can send their way. Things are going to get a lot harder starting Saturday. The margin for error is now razor thin. We'd better have one helluva week in practice.

If positive vibes and message board adoration helped them, they’d have won by 50 yesterday

 

[OrangeInKy]

Agree, the Vanderbilt QB has some dog in him, Nico doesn't

Not so sure about that. Still early in his career, but it’s the same Nico fans were saying had to learn to slide and not willing to take the hits, as he seemed willing to do

 

[Jimmyandjoes]

Who is hating on him? The fact is he just isn’t that good right now. Also, how do you know he has the highest ceiling of any QB we have had in a long time? Seriously. What have you seen that makes you think that? Is it just his ranking coming out of HS?

Look I get he is a RS FR. But you can’t tell me you didn’t expect a lot better play from him than what we have seen. I mean for crying out loud Vandys QB is playing better than Nico

Vandys' QB Diego Pavia has already graduated and been playing football since 2020. Started every game last year at New Mexico State. It's not a powerhouse but it's experience. Experience is a great teacher

 

[BigOrangeFanatic]

He’s a freshman. If he does something that dumb again, fair. Freshman make mistakes. The great ones learn from them. You can argue from a talent position alone, it’s up to our coaches to get the most out of him. Guy will be a NFL QB regardless of what he accomplishes here, let’s not waste him.

He's got time to figure it out. But he has a loooong way to go. Like a lot longer than I thought he would for a supposed 5 star QB playing for a so called QB guru. And it's not all on him, the OL has not helped. That's what's been more concerning to me. They run block okay, but you can't run it 75% of the time and win in this conference. Nico has to be able to make some plays to stretch the defens and keep them honest to allow the run game to not get bogged down by them loading the box. But we'll see how they respond.

 

[MemphisVolFan1978]

Joe Burrow and Hendon Hooker didn’t find success at their first colleges. I hope the same thing doesn’t end up happening with Nico. I hope he doesn’t hit the transfer portal and become a stud quarterback for another team.

 

[OHvol40]

Nico is still an unknown and just a part of a much larger problem. CJH teams are historically poorly prepared for road games. Sam P's crew looked at the OU game, had a smart plan to drag the pace down expecting exactly what he got, a hyper-conservative offense from Tennessee.

Teams will ebb and flow through a season but elite teams can execute when they are not on their a-game. Tennessee might be a top 17-25 team but not an elite great one.

Elite teams are player lead and those players set the tone and enforce discipline.

I see a lot of social media BS and entitlement but not much grit or leadership (and this is not just UT) look across several top teams, Miami was fortunate to pull it out and OSU, Oregon and Texas have yet to face quality competition.

Saturday's game plan and execution was garbage.

There will be no playoff spot, 9-3 is the ceiling and 7-5 is absolutely possible.

Sucks but its reality.

If they come out and smoke UF, there is a little hope left for anything special.

But honestly at this level of investment, if you don't make the playoff what's the point?

I’m glad your stream of consciousness has pre-determined the rest of the season for everyone. Now we can all rest easy knowing the character of this team has been nailed down as fact, and we can spend our Saturdays doing more productive things.

 

[volanatic]

Y'all think he still feels that way???

I hope he does still feel that way and I suspect he does. Love that "Bring It" mentality. Kind of a stupid question to ask honestly unless you aren't really that competitive of a person. But if that's the case it wouldn't make sense to you anyway. Anytime I ever lost anything in sports growing up, the only thing I wanted to do was go back out and compete. I couldn't wait to prove that I could get it done and that I was better than the other guy. And guess what? If I lost the next time? Same thing. "Bring it on again then!" was the mentality. It's how I was raised to compete and it's forever a part of my competitive make up. I'd actually be more concerned if he regretted saying it. Would you not consider him to be afraid of playing on the road if he came out publicly and said "Hey guys I need to back up here. I don't really like playing away from Neyland". Is that who you want steering the ship?!?!

 

[volanatic]

Agree, the Vanderbilt QB has some dog in him, Nico doesn't

Love the dog in Vandy's QB and no doubt he has it but it's so unbelievably obvious that Nico has a higher ceiling. Who knows if he'll achieve what everyone has decided he should be but he's so much more gifted than Vandy QB it's really not even close.

 

[Rocky Top T]

I hope he does still feel that way and IQ suspect he does. Love that "Bring It" mentality. Kind of a stupid question to ask honestly unless you aren't really that competitive of a person. But if that's the case it wouldn't make sense to you anyway. Anytime I ever lost anything in sports growing up, the only thing I wanted to do was go back out and compete. I couldn't wait to prove that I could get it done and that I was better than the other guy. And guess what? If I lost the next time? Same thing. "Bring it on again then!" was the mentality. It's how I was raised to compete and it's forever a part of my competitive make up. I'd actually be more concerned if he regretted saying it. Would you not consider him to be afraid of playing on the road if he came out publicly and said "Hey guys I need to back up here. I don't really like playing away from Neyland". Is that who you want steering the ship?!?!

Didn't mean for you to type a letter. He said he would rather play on the road, I bet he doesn't feel that way now.

 

[SonOfGodVolforlife]

Why go out of your way starting a thread to kick a player while hes down

I know right. Some fans we have. The kid is a freshman, he may very well end up being a better player on the road it’s waaaay to early to tell.

 

[volanatic]

Didn't mean for you to type a letter. He said he would rather play on the road, I bet he doesn't feel that way now.

Ok let me shorten it for you:

I hope he does.

 

[barrylee]

I think he now realizes that going to opponents’ houses in high school not the same as going in to a rabid SEC stadium!

 

[Rocky Top T]

I think he now realizes that going to opponents’ houses in high school not the same as going in to a rabid SEC stadium!

Thank you very much. Correct

 

[RockyTop140]

Didn't mean for you to type a letter. He said he would rather play on the road, I bet he doesn't feel that way now.

And you betting he doesn’t feel that way matters because…? Nobody on this board gives a crap about what you bet our players are thinking. There’s legitimate discussion, and then there’s this.

 

[CAVPUT]

Agree, the Vanderbilt QB has some dog in him, Nico doesn't

Well, Nico is far younger isn't he? Wonder how "doggish" the Vandy QB was when he was a freshman. And let's not forget Nico didn't get the luxury of starting at those lower levels. He got tossed into the deep end from the jump...well...he actually chose it, but the point remains valid. There's a learning curve. I'm not ready to pass judgment on him yet. Let's see what he looks like with an OL worth a crap and some playmakers at WR.

 

[wmcovol]

thought Nico might be another Joe burrow or Hendon hooker. Guess not. He is young though. We will see. Josh heupels offense has been reliant on run game. But when you shut it down it’s over. Unlike 2022 where you can be burnt. Ahhhhhh. Football is stressful.

Joe Burrow was safety buried on the bench at OSU as a RS freshman. Nico didn’t ask for all these outrageous expectations & I doubt he held a gun on anyone at Spire.

 

[igotworms]

I am not a liar, I will be there for Florida and Bama game. Where you want to meet at so I can show you that you don't know what you're talking about. Oh wait, you are probably the one without tickets

So you're somehow special bc you have tickets?

So do 102000 others?
So other than you being a borderline d!psh!t i do see how you're special?

 

[Rocky Top T]

So you're somehow special bc you have tickets?

So do 102000 others?
So other than you being a borderline d!psh!t i do see how you're special?

You don't know me. But I am not a filthy mouth like you seem to be. No, I'm not special, just replied to someone said I didn't have tickets, that's all.