Nico will be an improvement but…

#26
#26
I hate to admit this but I am a pessimist by nature. However, I have seen lots of videos of Nico showing how he is so good at hitting his receivers while he is scrambling (not stationary). Also, he will not have to be told when it is his turn to run the ball. His comes by natural instinct !!!! I am hoping to get help for a decent O line from the transfer portal. If not we may be at least average. Even I am trying hard to be optimistic with Nico on the way !!!! What I am most worried about is Nico's small/thin frame. I am afraid he will be broken in half. He needs lots of cream potatoes and double cheeseburgers ! Plus, pumping lots of iron for his thin neck !!!! Looks mighty frail.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodlawn VOL and sami
#28
#28
dillyo51 said:
Without a much improved OL, I don’t think we’ll see what fans expect from Nico. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Volhoops said:
By improvement do you mean a QB that can look past the first read ? A QB that doesn't stair down his first read before he throws only to the first read ? A QB that can hopefully extend plays and make throws out of the pocket ? If Nicco can do any of this he has improved the QB play by 100%. It's time he prove he is the $8million dollar man. I'm pretty sure he didn't reject the money until he could become the starter.
Click to expand...
Well, I think some of that staring down is by design. TN receivers run option routes from my understanding. Therefore the QB "stares" down the receiver in order to decidez based on the WR decision, where to throw it. Have you ever noticed that ½ the WRs just stop running routes after 1 or 2 steps? The play picks a side and the receiver makes a decision during the route to determine which route to run. The QB watches(stares) for the cue to decide which route to throw to. There is no "survey the entire field" and throw to the 5th progression all the time as many offenses.
 
#29
#29
livefaith said:
Well, I think some of that staring down is by design. TN receivers run option routes from my understanding. Therefore the QB "stares" down the receiver in order to decidez based on the WR decision, where to throw it. Have you ever noticed that ½ the WRs just stop running routes after 1 or 2 steps? The play picks a side and the receiver makes a decision during the route to determine which route to run. The QB watches(stares) for the cue to decide which route to throw to. There is no "survey the entire field" and throw to the 5th progression all the time as many offenses.
Click to expand...
Doesn't matter because he still is looking at only one receiver. The head never turns to the other side of the field
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodlawn VOL and TN1111
#35
#35
Pointless to speculate at this point about next year--but the OL could be an issue. Time to hit the portal--and hard.
 
#36
#36
Berry4Heisman14 said:
The expectations for next year need to be pretty low. We are losing a lot of players after this season, if we don’t hit a homerun with the portal we are in trouble.
Click to expand...
Respectfully disagree. If player development is where it should be, we should have a good crop of ready replacements for what we’re losing.
 
#37
#37
Berry4Heisman14 said:
The expectations for next year need to be pretty low. We are losing a lot of players after this season, if we don’t hit a homerun with the portal we are in trouble.
Click to expand...

"Losing" players may not be a bad thing, our secondary is full of SRs.. the younger talent that we've been able to recruit there cant be much worse.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Mtnvol80, Big Al Orange and Woodlawn VOL
#38
#38
TNVOLnTX said:
Mark my words. If Nico struggles at any point in his 1st season, at least 10% of this fanbase will say "bust" and call for the backup OB. We have the emotional maturity of toddlers amongst us.
Click to expand...
Please don't insult toddlers like that.
 
#39
#39
VFL-82-JP said:
It always takes 11 pulling together in football.

The OL doesn't have to be improved, necessarily. They were abysmal against Mizzou (as were most of the position groups), but actually protected Joe and gave him time pretty well yesterday against UGa. And opened lanes for runs about half the time.

So next year's OL doesn't really have to be tons better. But they do need to avoid taking a step back, which some people foresee given the seniors we're about to lose. We'll have to wait and see. Sometimes you get addition by subtraction.

But the big thing I'm hoping Nico brings is a hunger to win. A fierce competitive spirit, unwillingness to be beaten, that he can infect the rest of the offense, and the rest of the team, with. We're missing that kind of driven leadership this year.

If he does that, he can raise the quality of all his teammates' game as well.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
Very well said. Milton has been in too good of a mood on the sidelines even when we’re losing bad.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VFL-82-JP, Woodlawn VOL and norrislakevol
#40
#40
90 Vol said:
Respectfully disagree. If player development is where it should be, we should have a good crop of ready replacements for what we’re losing.
Click to expand...
Have you seen any development especially on defense? What makes you think banks and martinez will suddenly start developing the players? If anything they’ve gotten worse
 
#41
#41
Just having a quarterback with presence and instinct and talent of Nico changes everything. Teams have trouble scheming quarterbacks that are very talented and can beat you so many ways. Our secondary should be improved if we truly have coaches that can coach players up. We should be more talented at linebacker, Carter,Telander and Smith should all be ready to contribute. Our D-end development should start showing up next year. Bradley needs to find the rotation next year. Hopefully a few senior DT’s come back next year it would help a lot. But we also have West and Hobbs that should be more developed. Eason,Bailey and Simmons are likely to return I think. As a whole my biggest worries on D is still the backend next year. But while we will be young we have some higher rated guys that should be ready to contend for starters. Matthews and Gibson need to emerge, our young players are really going to have to work very hard in off season. Now back to offense, I think it will be Sampson and Seldon at running back. I think Seldon is the one player that can really help in getting not only tough yards moving the chains running the ball. He is powerful and has a big frame. If he works his butt off this off season he could be the breakout player for UT. Sampson has great speed and vision and has the ability to help in the passing game as well. As for the O-line hopefully we get a few that can help stay next year. We do have some good young talent at O-line and we are bringing in a good group this year as well. Maybe we get a couple OLine in the portal. Hopefully we land Seaton as well. I still fell like with Nico it is going to help the O line, and the competition for playing time up there should be fierce and that always helps situations. Addison Nichols seems to be getting more comfortable at guard. He should make a very good guard. Nico and the receivers really need to work hard this spring and the off season. There is time for them to get sync if they are willing to put it end. I also expect us to go hard at the few Juco DT’s we are currently recruiting down the stretch. It’s time to hit the strength and conditioning room hard and often. It needs to turn into a love affair. GBO!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MemphisVol77, volbound1700 and knox73
#42
#42
BruiserVol said:
Why do we expect a kid getting his first playing time against anyone other than three or four mop up plays to be so awesome next year lol? Next year will be major growing pains and we will be set back again.
Click to expand...
Can’t speak for anyone else but for me it’s because I trust Heupel’s QB evaluations and he thought Nico was good enough to earn the NIL
 
#43
#43
TNVOLnTX said:
Mark my words. If Nico struggles at any point in his 1st season, at least 10% of this fanbase will say "bust" and call for the backup OB. We have the emotional maturity of toddlers amongst us.
Click to expand...

Anyone who doubts that didn't try to weed through the childish tantrum threads started last night.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Woodlawn VOL
#44
#44
TNVOLnTX said:
Mark my words. If Nico struggles at any point in his 1st season, at least 10% of this fanbase will say "bust" and call for the backup OB. We have the emotional maturity of toddlers amongst us.
Click to expand...
Are any fanbases different? I honestly don’t know but would assume patience is thin all across the country.
 
  • Like
Reactions: volbound1700, Woodlawn VOL and sami
#45
#45
ReelfootVol said:
I hate to admit this but I am a pessimist by nature. However, I have seen lots of videos of Nico showing how he is so good at hitting his receivers while he is scrambling (not stationary). Also, he will not have to be told when it is his turn to run the ball. His comes by natural instinct !!!! I am hoping to get help for a decent O line from the transfer portal. If not we may be at least average. Even I am trying hard to be optimistic with Nico on the way !!!! What I am most worried about is Nico's small/thin frame. I am afraid he will be broken in half. He needs lots of cream potatoes and double cheeseburgers ! Plus, pumping lots of iron for his thin neck !!!! Looks mighty frail.
Click to expand...

I believe a big reason he didn't see the field a lot this year and the red shirt was preserved was his skinny frame. The kid has immense talent, but to last a season in this league he seriously needs to put on 15-20 lbs. of muscle, which will hopefully get done in the next six months.

We have a lot of young talent in the pipeline, and hopefully CJH hits the portal hard for some added depth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ReelfootVol and Woodlawn VOL
#46
#46
VolunteerVandiver said:
Joe had 4 and 5 seconds in the pocket at times yesterday. He also had the opportunity to tuck it and run for 7 easy yards. He just has no awareness. Nico looks to have the same hyper awareness that Hooker and Dobbs have.

We will see significantly improved QB play next year.
Click to expand...
Joe makes our O-line look worse than it is. He holds the ball too long, he doesn’t move well in the pocket nor have good pocket presence. Several times this year Joe could have either ran and thrown the ball but he Was too indecisive to do either and waits too long and gets sacked. Joe has gotten himself sacked more than he has just got drilled right off the bat. He has got hit fast a few times but many times it’s his indecisiveness that’s gets him sacked. His timing with his receivers is horrible. I have seen quarterbacks bring transformations with offenses. He just doesn’t have the qualities to be a good quarterback. Nothing against Joe, I have pulled for him but it’s still the same things that it was 3-4 years ago. Time to move on after Vandy. Joe gets the start at Vandy, but Nico needs to play as well. The bowl game needs to be all Nico’s. Getting the winter reps before spring will help. On to the future after next Saturday. GBO
 
  • Like
Reactions: sami and ReelfootVol
#47
#47
Rebuilding yr next yr. All the transfers out & the disaster of the 2021 recruiting class has to be paid for. 7-5 might be a good season.

Heupel is here at least till 2027. He’ll get it straight before then.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ReelfootVol
#49
#49
Last year’s roster made us think this sun belt offense would work in the SEC. This year’s roster said “hold my beer”.
 
#50
#50
TNVOLnTX said:
Mark my words. If Nico struggles at any point in his 1st season, at least 10% of this fanbase will say "bust" and call for the backup OB. We have the emotional maturity of toddlers amongst us.
Click to expand...
What makes you say that? It’s not like we have people already wanting Heupel fired? 😂

You’re right we have some of the dumbest fans in the country.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Snapper58 and sami
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top