Objective look at the difference in offensive production

[HooahVol]

NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com

As you can see from the list above we are now 40th in the country in total offense even though our first two games were against some pretty poor teams. As a reminder we finished last season #1 in the nation. To have such a dramatic drop has to be the culmination of multiple issues. Alex Golesh gone. Hendon Hooker gone. One of the best WR's in Tennessee history is gone. Our O-line decimated with injuries. It all adds up to what we have.

 

[DonDiego]

Do you really think it's Golesh being gone? Imagine if we had last year's team, but our current OC and. of course, CJH at the helm. I'm thinking we'd have similar results as last year.

 

[Boston_Vol]

The jury is still out on QB development. We can all say and see Hendon Hooker was a "gamer" and have skills you can't teach. Joe on the other hand is a 3 x practice All-American who's development doesn't transfer to game time. I'm hoping Nico develops but seeing where Joe is going into his 3rd season as a veteran is concerning.

Play Calling & QB development is what we need to lookout for.

 

[HooahVol]

Do you really think it's Golesh being gone? Imagine if we had last year's team, but our current OC and. of course, CJH at the helm. I'm thinking we'd have similar results as last year.

I definitely can see our playcalling has slowed down with Hazle. I am confident Golesh could read the defenses and call in plays more quickly.

 

[loosecannon]

The jury is still out on QB development. We can all say and see Hendon Hooker was a "gamer" and have skills you can't teach. Joe on the other hand is a 3 x practice All-American who's development doesn't transfer to game time. I'm hoping Nico develops but seeing where Joe is going into his 3rd season as a veteran is concerning.

Play Calling & QB development is what we need to lookout for.

Some people love the lights and some don’t. My brother was a lights on gamer at qb. He was a really good practice player, but once in a game, he would just transform into a better player. He was jumping over people, running through guys that played on Saturdays, and could throw balls that he couldn’t in Fridays.
His backup looked as good as him in practice, he was a freak too. Both were D-I physically gifted and both played D-I, but in games he never was as good as he was at practice.

It’s just how some people are mentally built. My brother would tell me all of the things he noticed happening or about to happen while a play was going on and why he did certain things, and it was insane because it was like he was processing things at hyper speed and playing at super slow mode while the other guy couldn’t tell you what was going on most of the time.

Mentally, some guys are different. Watch what Aaron Rodgers vs Zach Wilson discuss and talk about on Hard Knocks. Different levels of awareness and understanding.

 

[Fullfillmer]

Some people love the lights and some don’t. My brother was a lights on gamer at qb. He was a really good practice player, but once in a game, he would just transform into a better player. He was jumping over people, running through guys that played on Saturdays, and could throw balls that he couldn’t in Fridays.
His backup looked as good as him in practice, he was a freak too. Both were D-I physically gifted and both played D-I, but in games he never was as good as he was at practice.

It’s just how some people are mentally built. My brother would tell me all of the things he noticed happening or about to happen while a play was going on and why he did certain things, and it was insane because it was like he was processing things at hyper speed and playing at super slow mode while the other guy couldn’t tell you what was going on most of the time.

Mentally, some guys are different. Watch what Aaron Rodgers vs Zach Wilson discuss and talk about on Hard Knocks. Different levels of awareness and understanding.

Agree - people don't always understand that the mental aspect of playing qb is of critical importance. Hooker and spaghetti armed Peyton Manning ( later years ) are playing chess, while others are playing checkers.

Hooker made a play last year that was just insane. It was supposed to be a quick screen pass to the flat - somehow he realized the db had jumped the route - he followed through with his throwing motion, somehow was able to hang onto the ball when he sensed the defender. He tucked it and gained 1 or 2 yards, but that was a pick 6 with anyone else at qb. He had and I am sure has great instincts like you have described your brother had.

 

[loosecannon]

Agree - people don't always understand that the mental aspect of playing qb is of critical importance. Hooker and spaghetti armed Peyton Manning ( later years ) are playing chess, while others are playing checkers.

Hooker made a play last year that was just insane. It was supposed to be a quick screen pass to the flat - somehow he realized the db had jumped the route - he followed through with his throwing motion, somehow was able to hang onto the ball when he sensed the defender. He tucked it and gained 1 or 2 yards, but that was a pick 6 with anyone else at qb. He had and I am sure has great instincts like you have described your brother had.

Bingo. All greats are that way. Listening to top players is usually about knowledge more than physical skill. Peyton, Brady, Rogers, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed etc all were so far ahead mentally that they played faster even if they weren’t faster. Hooker was like that. Milton goes slow. He is a one read HS qb with the greatest arm EVER. He has the most arm talent ever. There has never been a more gifted thrower, but qb isn’t just throwing the ball. Somebody should have moved him to a pitcher’s mound and made him rich because he isn’t going to make it any further in FB. He does not have the processing for it.

 

[OrangeBloodinTN]

Bingo. All greats are that way. Listening to top players is usually about knowledge more than physical skill. Peyton, Brady, Rogers, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed etc all were so far ahead mentally that they played faster even if they weren’t faster. Hooker was like that. Milton goes slow. He is a one read HS qb with the greatest arm EVER. He has the most arm talent ever. There has never been a more gifted thrower, but qb isn’t just throwing the ball. Somebody should have moved him to a pitcher’s mound and made him rich because he isn’t going to make it any further in FB. He does not have the processing for it.

He could still transition to baseball. Bo Jackson is a very gifted athlete who successfully made the switch.

 

[vegasvolfan]

NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com

As you can see from the list above we are now 40th in the country in total offense even though our first two games were against some pretty poor teams. As a reminder we finished last season #1 in the nation. To have such a dramatic drop has to be the culmination of multiple issues. Alex Golesh gone. Hendon Hooker gone. One of the best WR's in Tennessee history is gone. Our O-line decimated with injuries. It all adds up to what we have.

Did Mincey play against FL?

 

[wmcovol]

Weak OL- goes without saying the OL isnt up to last year's level. Heupel may have to consider some sets where the TE stays in to block iin the run game and instead of the RB in passing situations.

New OC- Tennessee isnt throwing the ball downfield near as much as they did last year. Maybe the defense is dicating that but the opportunity was there every time they did throw it deep Sat night. The organization of the offense isnt near as crisp, play calls late, etc. I think the OC deserves some of the heat.

Milton- Joe isnt Hooker running the ball but he has to put the fear in the defense throwing deep. Thats what he does best. Even if incomplete, they have to make the defense respect the deep ball. Tennessee is like 84th in the country in pass plays over 30 yds. That HAS to change.

 

[LWSVOL]

NCAA College Football FBS current team Stats | NCAA.com

As you can see from the list above we are now 40th in the country in total offense even though our first two games were against some pretty poor teams. As a reminder we finished last season #1 in the nation. To have such a dramatic drop has to be the culmination of multiple issues. Alex Golesh gone. Hendon Hooker gone. One of the best WR's in Tennessee history is gone. Our O-line decimated with injuries. It all adds up to what we have.

Josh Heupel is very involved with calling plays. Always has been. Always will be. Now, he may miss Golesh's eyes telling him things..

 

[vegasvolfan]

Weak OL- goes without saying the OL isnt up to last year's level. Heupel may have to consider some sets where the TE stays in to block iin the run game and instead of the RB in passing situations.

New OC- Tennessee isnt throwing the ball downfield near as much as they did last year. Maybe the defense is dicating that but the opportunity was there every time they did throw it deep Sat night. The organization of the offense isnt near as crisp, play calls late, etc. I think the OC deserves some of the heat.

Milton- Joe isnt Hooker running the ball but he has to put the fear in the defense throwing deep. Thats what he does best. Even if incomplete, they have to make the defense respect the deep ball. Tennessee is like 84th in the country in pass plays over 30 yds. That HAS to change.

Might as well say OL play. If you don’t have time to get downfield or to make a pass downfield, that’s all OL. OC isn’t going to dial up downfield passes when the OL is collapsing almost immediately. That is why we threw the out patterns and went to the run game. The out patterns are the only thing that you have time to throw. Maybe some more cross field patterns and use the tight ends more, but I’m not going to pretend I know better than a guy like Heupel. SEC defenses will eat a repeated out pattern alive though. If we didn’t have a stud like Wright who is powerful enough to carry 5 linemen on his back when he has been stopped for a couple of yards only to get a first down, our run game would have been terrible as well. We absolutely have to improve at OL. I called losing Wright as a concern. Losing Mays is also a concern. Missing Mincey was just too much.

If we can get Mays and Mincey back, we will do better. We will have fewer penalties, more holes for running backs, more time to throw the ball and that will allow Heuepel/not Hazle to open up the playbook.

https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/football/offensive-line-struggles-highlighted-in-florida-loss

 

[wmcovol]

getting Mays and Mincey back will help but we need to remember Mays has struggled vs big NTs like UF had Sat night and Mincey has been barely above Crawford since LY