Open Practice discussion thread

[PotS]

I love this picture. I want the sky photoshopped orange.

 

[omghulkhands]

Why is he my "boy"? Because I recognized that the guy getting the most 1st team reps was probably going to be the starter? I'd have done the same if it had been any of the others.

I've said nothing about favoring any one QB over the others. I like both of the others and am very impressed with Peterman's come back. If Worley falters I hope Nate can complete his turnaround.

That said, it is always going to be tough to judge your own team playing your own team in mid-August. They know each other and are used to defending the O. The advantage SHOULD have shifted to the DB's by now. Add to that a purely vanilla O to avoid giving opponents too much info... and "very average" becomes a bit of a speculation. Could be true... could be false.

Physically, there's no Bray on this team. But Casey Clausen set records at UT and had no more talent than these guys.

I'm merely referencing your wildly irrational defense of Worley's poor play last year when you said things like that he was "a very good QB". Not any predictions of who would be the starter this year. I never made such predictions, but always assumed it would be Worley as well merely based on 1st team reps in practice.

Last year I remember much of your Worley defense was based on having a young, inexperienced group of receivers. Well, I hope they have improved mightly since we were in the pits of the SEC in every passing statistics no matter who was behind center.

 

[sjt18]

I'm merely referencing your wildly irrational defense of Worley's poor play last year when you said things like that he was "a very good QB".

Not sure where I said that he was. I said that he has talent and can be a very good QB. He was hurt by having a bunch of WR's last year that had no idea what they were doing. Jones himself alluded to that.

Last year I remember much of your Worley defense was based on having a young, inexperienced group of receivers. Well, I hope they have improved mightly since we were in the pits of the SEC in every passing statistics no matter who was behind center.

I hope so too. The potential is certainly there... and the question still stands. How long do folks keep blaming players for underperforming before questioning the coaches?

Last year it was the DL and OL that underperformed. Again, I don't think we see the same thing from the WR's this year but you have suggested that they could be overhyped.

 

[sjt18]

I'm merely referencing your wildly irrational defense of Worley's poor play last year .

It is wildly irrational to point out that it is near impossible to play the QB position well if you can't trust your WR's to run the right routes correctly?

I guess Jones was "wildly irrational" too?

 

[sjt18]

I guess I would say that it is "wildly irrational" to take the easy route and blame everything on the QB rather than thinking a little more deeply.

 

[Vol Revolver]

You gotta understand that this is merely objective based on how some people have really, really hyped this unit. Like, this could be a good unit and still not meet some of the superlatives we have all seen thrown around this year.

I've seen multiple posters say that we have the best unit in the conference, and I'm just not ready to annoint them yet. When the starters lined up tonight it was North, Smith and Pig, same as last year. If that is the best unit in the SEC then 2 of those guys have vastly improved. Vastly.

Since the most experienced WR on the team is a Sophmore, I don't think anyone can realistically say either way. Some of these guys were very highly rated coming in so I can see exactly why some people (including me) are very exited about the potential they bring. I haven't heard any unrealistic expectations yet but I'm expecting great things in the next couple of years.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

The pick Worley threw was a great play by Gaulden.

Thought Worley played ok, didn't hit enough big plays and his receivers didn't help him.

I gotta say peterman is athletic and throws a really pretty ball. Not to mention he provides most danger as far as a downfield passing threat by far IMO.

If your last 2 sentences were true then he would be the starter.

 

[omghulkhands]

I guess I would say that it is "wildly irrational" to take the easy route and blame everything on the QB rather than thinking a little more deeply.

You have now insinuated that the WR's and possibly the coaches are to blame for Worley and his lackluster career and statistics. Who else can we blame but him for his woes? Got anyone else in mind? Or do you think finishing on a per game basis in the 10-14 range of SEC quarterbacks is pretty good?

I honestly love getting you riled up on this because eventually, one day, you might have a moment of self-awareness and admit that you are irrational about Worley. Maybe you will even figure out what that reason is someday as well.

 

[Certifiedhands11]

And since you love to bring up your boy Worley so much, yes, he still looks very much like a very average QB, at best. The other guys on the roster look even more mediocre.

Hey, Nancy... Ever tried looking at something subjectively without circling around only to put a negative connotation on it? I understand not trying to get your hopes up, not drinking the kool-aid, don't count your chickens and all that jazz.... But you just poop all over everything. I just watched a 20 min practice video (only because I played WR for a couple years in JUCO down in MS before catching the "Malfunctioning-Maggitt Disorder" and had to hang it up) that showed VAST improvement in a lot of areas. Am I saying we have arrived and UT will be winning championships again soon? No, no I'm not. What's that midget down in Tuscaloosa always talk about? Dislike him immensely, but he always preaches of "the process". You don't build champions over night. Everything is pointing in the right direction, all we need to see now is the play on the field to start improving each year, heck, each week, and we'll climb that mountain, Nancy.

Here's what jumped out at me:

• Worley isn't going to win the Heisman, which I know let's a lot of you down to hear, but it's night and day the way he is running that offense compared to last year (I know it's just a practice, but that's where it starts). He was decisive, he went through his progressions/looked off coverages more times in this one video than he did all last season, and his arm strength is VASTLY improved. He's no Favre, but I saw him put some zing on it tonight that I didn't think he had.

• The receivers looked much, much more crisp on their routes, which also comes with becoming more comfortable /confident in the offense. We should all enjoy North while we can, cause that kid is the real deal, and it's not even a maybe if he will be a star. He is the complete and total package, and it's a thing of beauty to see him run past a DB then turn around and abuse him when they try to press. If you're big and strong, USE IT! Which leads me to Croom. He made a couple of nice catches, but he's just a every-now-and-then type guy that blows my mind. He's 6'5" 235.... Just go look at the size of the corners on this team. Every time they try to put a hand on him he should rip their arm off and beat them with it. He should be bullying those kids. Classic case of looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane. It seems like a mental thing for him, and I hope the light comes on and STAYS ON, because right now he's workin with a short circuit. Love how Pig fights for every ball even though he's the smallest one out there. Josh Smith is hands down the best route runner on that team, and it's not close. If he can lose the gator arms during games, he could be very effective for them. Pearson makes it all look easy. He jogs at 4.4 speed it seems like. Very fluid athlete. If Malone's work ethic gets to the level of his natural athletic ability, he's gonna be following North in the 1st round some day.

•Helm and Wolfe are the type of tight ends the game of football is steamrolling towards, and they give that position a dynamic that was completely non-existent last season. Creamer has the size/frame/speed to be a major problem for opposing defenses if he can learn this position and get more consistent with his hands. He's a freak athlete.

• The DB's look so much quicker/aggressive/physical. They have the catch 22 of covering one of the BEST receiving cores in the nation (I'm kidding, Nancy, calm down). But no, they are one of the largest in the nation for sure, and that makes these DB's have to come out and play physical every. single. day. (and that you can't deny) Josh Smith is 6'1" and he looks like a 4th grader up next to those guys.

• There ya have it. I read every website, all the message boards, every magazine, you name it... But I rarely post on these things, so when I do, I got a lot to get out. I apologize for this monster post, but sometimes.... You just gotta let it all go, guys.

Ain't that right, Nancy? Go Vols, baby

 

[Falcons02]

Why is he my "boy"? Because I recognized that the guy getting the most 1st team reps was probably going to be the starter? I'd have done the same if it had been any of the others.

I've said nothing about favoring any one QB over the others. I like both of the others and am very impressed with Peterman's come back. If Worley falters I hope Nate can comnplete his turnaround.

That said, it is always going to be tough to judge your own team playing your own team in mid-August. They know each other and are used to defending the O. The advantage SHOULD have shifted to the DB's by now. Add to that a purely vanilla O to avoid giving opponents too much info... and "very average" becomes a bit of a speculation. Could be true... could be false.

Physically, there's no Bray on this team. But Casey Clausen set records at UT and had no more talent than these guys.

Clausen may not have had an NFL arm but the dude had ice water in his veins and was a stone cold competitor.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Justin stepped into just about as bad a situation as any quarterback could inherit at the beginning of last season. His receiving corps was, at that time, completely depleted of experienced playmakers. If you took the '97 senior version of Peyton Manning and put him on the field with a brand new receiving corps, one with which he had no established chemistry, even the Great One's productivity as a quarterback would have been compromised severely.

By all accounts, there have been significant upgrades in talent and, consequently, depth at both the wide receiver and tight end positions. At this point in time, it remains, however, largely unproven on SEC battlefields.

 

[omghulkhands]

Not sure where I said that he was. I said that he has talent and can be a very good QB. He was hurt by having a bunch of WR's last year that had no idea what they were doing. Jones himself alluded to that.

Well this didn't take long looking back through your post history http://www.volnation.com/forum/9400433-post138.html

so yeah, you did. Maybe I can find one with a "very" in there too if I wanted to keep looking, since I am sure you will attack the semantics of that as well.

 

[Certifiedhands11]

Justin stepped into just about as bad a situation as any quarterback could inherit at the beginning of last season. His receiving corps was, at that time, completely depleted of experienced playmakers. If you took the '97 senior version of Peyton Manning and put him on the field with a brand new receiving corps, one with which he had no established chemistry, even the Great One's productivity as a quarterback would have been compromised severely.

By all accounts, there have been significant upgrades in talent and, consequently, depth at both the wide receiver and tight end positions. At this point in time, it remains, however, largely unproven on SEC battlefields.

Good point, except for one.... You could put 3-5 grandmaw's out there with Peyton and he would throw them open. He makes average players look like game breakers on a weekly basis and that's a trait so rare, you'd be better off finding a pot of gold to buy a unicorn and riding it to search for Bigfoot, than to come across a player like that again.

 

[omghulkhands]

Good point, except for one.... You could put 3-5 grandmaw's out there with Peyton and he would throw them open. He makes average players look like game breakers on a weekly basis and that's a trait so rare, you'd be better off finding a pot of gold to buy a unicorn and riding it to search for Bigfoot, than to come across a player like that again.

Everyone thought we had a bunch of big time, NFL stud type WR's back in the mid 90s. Come to find out after those guys quickly wash out of the league was what we actually had was a Peyton Manning. A player who transcended his position.

 

[Falcons02]

Good point, except for one.... You could put 3-5 grandmaw's out there with Peyton and he would throw them open. He makes average players look like game breakers on a weekly basis and that's a trait so rare, you'd be better off finding a pot of gold to buy a unicorn and riding it to search for Bigfoot, than to come across a player like that again.

I did that yesterday, only I was riding the Loch Ness Monster searching for Manbearpig.

/bleu cheese font

 

[omghulkhands]

Hey, Nancy... Ever tried looking at something subjectively without circling around only to put a negative connotation on it? I understand not trying to get your hopes up, not drinking the kool-aid, don't count your chickens and all that jazz.... But you just poop all over everything. I just watched a 20 min practice video (only because I played WR for a couple years in JUCO down in MS before catching the "Malfunctioning-Maggitt Disorder" and had to hang it up) that showed VAST improvement in a lot of areas. Am I saying we have arrived and UT will be winning championships again soon? No, no I'm not. What's that midget down in Tuscaloosa always talk about? Dislike him immensely, but he always preaches of "the process". You don't build champions over night. Everything is pointing in the right direction, all we need to see now is the play on the field to start improving each year, heck, each week, and we'll climb that mountain, Nancy.

Here's what jumped out at me:

• Worley isn't going to win the Heisman, which I know let's a lot of you down to hear, but it's night and day the way he is running that offense compared to last year (I know it's just a practice, but that's where it starts). He was decisive, he went through his progressions/looked off coverages more times in this one video than he did all last season, and his arm strength is VASTLY improved. He's no Favre, but I saw him put some zing on it tonight that I didn't think he had.

• The receivers looked much, much more crisp on their routes, which also comes with becoming more comfortable /confident in the offense. We should all enjoy North while we can, cause that kid is the real deal, and it's not even a maybe if he will be a star. He is the complete and total package, and it's a thing of beauty to see him run past a DB then turn around and abuse him when they try to press. If you're big and strong, USE IT! Which leads me to Croom. He made a couple of nice catches, but he's just a every-now-and-then type guy that blows my mind. He's 6'5" 235.... Just go look at the size of the corners on this team. Every time they try to put a hand on him he should rip their arm off and beat them with it. He should be bullying those kids. Classic case of looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane. It seems like a mental thing for him, and I hope the light comes on and STAYS ON, because right now he's workin with a short circuit. Love how Pig fights for every ball even though he's the smallest one out there. Josh Smith is hands down the best route runner on that team, and it's not close. If he can lose the gator arms during games, he could be very effective for them. Pearson makes it all look easy. He jogs at 4.4 speed it seems like. Very fluid athlete. If Malone's work ethic gets to the level of his natural athletic ability, he's gonna be following North in the 1st round some day.

•Helm and Wolfe are the type of tight ends the game of football is steamrolling towards, and they give that position a dynamic that was completely non-existent last season. Creamer has the size/frame/speed to be a major problem for opposing defenses if he can learn this position and get more consistent with his hands. He's a freak athlete.

• The DB's look so much quicker/aggressive/physical. They have the catch 22 of covering one of the BEST receiving cores in the nation (I'm kidding, Nancy, calm down). But no, they are one of the largest in the nation for sure, and that makes these DB's have to come out and play physical every. single. day. (and that you can't deny) Josh Smith is 6'1" and he looks like a 4th grader up next to those guys.

• There ya have it. I read every website, all the message boards, every magazine, you name it... But I rarely post on these things, so when I do, I got a lot to get out. I apologize for this monster post, but sometimes.... You just gotta let it all go, guys.

Ain't that right, Nancy? Go Vols, baby

Somewhere between your humble-brag about playing JUCO football and talking about a bunch of things that have little to do with what you quoted me over, I think I figured out what you were trying to say.

That you think I am a Negative Nancy because I said Worley was average at best.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Good point, except for one.... You could put 3-5 grandmaw's out there with Peyton and he would throw them open. He makes average players look like game breakers on a weekly basis and that's a trait so rare, you'd be better off finding a pot of gold to buy a unicorn and riding it to search for Bigfoot, than to come across a player like that again.

I agree completely with respect to your characterization of Peyton's ability to elevate the play of his receivers, but let me illustrate statistically what I mean by "severely compromising his productivity as a quarterback." In 1997, Peyton had the most prolific single season in Tennessee history for a quarterback, finishing with 3819 yards and 36 touchdowns. However, he had a far more experienced receiving corps than Justin began last season with, not to mention a far better stable of running backs. If Peyton entered 1997 with a receiver corps that was as depleted of talent and experience as ours did last year, I have no doubt that he would have maximized the available talent but passing stats on the order of, say, 2500-2800 yards and 25 touchdowns, with far fewer "splash" plays, would have been a more likely outcome for the season, with significant improvement demonstrated in the second half of the season.

 

[Other_Guy]

And since you love to bring up your boy Worley so much, yes, he still looks very much like a very average QB, at best. The other guys on the roster look even more mediocre.

That's just it. The other QBs are average. Worley is VERY average. Its why he's starting.

 

[Certifiedhands11]

Somewhere between your humble-brag about playing JUCO football and talking about a bunch of things that have little to do with what you quoted me over, I think I figured out what you were trying to say.

That you think I am a Negative Nancy because I said Worley was average at best.

No humble brag here, however I'm not surprised at all you took it that way. It was merely to try and justify the opinions I was about to share with what I saw in the film in order to try and add credibility to said opinions, coming from someone with a tad bit of experience at the position at the college level. But of course, you couldn't help but look at it in a negative light and try to be Mr. Big Guy and try to "call me out". I'm sure you have a great athletic background as well and were the star of your pee-wee water boy team, cause it'd be real hard to play sports if you have "omghulkhands"

And my initial remarks towards you weren't based off that one quote, but I wasn't gonna go attach all 20 of them from this thread alone. That was just the last one posted.

In all seriousness, I don't know how you live your fandom like this. We all feel the same pain and want the same thing, but I see more negative posts on this board than any other one, BY FAR. How dare we have faith or hope in our team? There are a lot of people with unrealistic views of current UT football, and those ppl are better off being ignored honestly because all it does is scream "I DONT KNOW JACK CRAP ABOUT SPORTS!". But constantly attacking ppl that are pointing out positive things, which have been few, far, and between for the better part of a decade...... Give em a break, man. We don't need you to pee in our Cheerios, we can handle that just fine without ya.

And Nancy, when UT does make it back, try to enjoy it with the rest of us.

Go. Vols.

 

[omghulkhands]

No humble brag here, however I'm not surprised at all you took it that way. It was merely to try and justify the opinions I was about to share with what I saw in the film in order to try and add credibility to said opinions, coming from someone with a tad bit of experience at the position at the college level. But of course, you couldn't help but look at it in a negative light and try to be Mr. Big Guy and try to "call me out". I'm sure you have a great athletic background as well and were the star of your pee-wee water boy team, cause it's be real hard to play sports if you have "omghulkhands"

And my initial remarks towards you weren't based off that one quote, but I wasn't gonna go attach all 20 of them from this thread alone. That was just the last one posted.

In all seriousness, I don't know how you live your fandom like this. We all feel the same pain and want the same thing, but I see more negative posts on the board than any other one, BY FAR. How dare we have faith or hope in our team? There are a lot of people with unrealistic views of current UT football, and those ppl are better off being ignored honestly because all it does is scream "I DONT KNOW JACK CRAP ABOUT SPORTS!". But constantly attacking ppl that are pointing out positive things, which have been few, far, and between for the better part of a decade...... Give em a break, man. We don't need you to pee in our Cheerios, we can handle brag just fine without ya.

And Nancy, when UT does make it back, try to enjoy it with the rest of us.

Go. Vols.

Was terrible in athletics. 5"7, 130 lb, Jewish kids don't usually amount to much athletically in HS, but thanks for asking.

Secondly, I just call em like I see em. You might think I'm negative, but I think I'm fair, objective and unbiased. Different strokes and so on and so on.

 

[Volosaurus rex]

Certifiedhands11, come on over and visit us in the Recruiting Forum; you will find the atmosphere there to be characterized by far less negativity and acrimony.

 

[Certifiedhands11]

I agree completely with respect to your characterization of Peyton's ability to elevate the play of his receivers, but let me illustrate statistically what I mean by "severely compromising his productivity as a quarterback." In 1997, Peyton had the most prolific single season in Tennessee history for a quarterback, finishing with 3819 yards and 36 touchdowns. However, he had a far more experienced receiving corps than Justin began last season with, not to mention a far better stable of running backs. If Peyton entered 1997 with a receiver corps that was as depleted of talent and experience as ours did last year, I have no doubt that he would have maximized the available talent but passing stats on the order of, say, 2500-2800 yards and 25 touchdowns, with far fewer "splash" plays, would have been a more likely outcome for the season, with significant improvement demonstrated in the second half of the season.

Oh I am with you on that 100%, V-Rex. Just trying to accurately portray as closely as possible the ridiculousness that was/is Peyton Manning. Those teams he had around him in the 90's were absolutely stacked (not just the skill players at his disposal, but he was protected by some of the best OL that this school has ever seen. Not to mention those nasty defenses we had back then to take some pressure off him), and without being given that situation there is no way he puts up those monster numbers. You are absolutely correct.

Thinking back on those days makes me really miss that feeling of almost knowing, or at least having a pretty good feeling, that we would beat whoever we were playing (with the exception of those season-wrecking Gators). Now I wake up on Saturday's and hope for a miracle. The fact that we even mention teams like WKU, USU, Ark. St., Cincy, and the like as "potential threats" is not something a fanbase of a program like UT is used to. What's worse? Those worries are becoming more commonplace for us..... That's for a fanbase like Vandy to deal with, not us.

 

[orange parmejohn]

Certifiedhands11, I don't really care for your calling the guy Nancy over and over and the ridicule, but I really like the way you word information and your fan philosophy. I hope you continue to post more.

 

[KnoxRealtorVOL]

Oh I am with you on that 100%, V-Rex. Just trying to accurately portray as closely as possible the ridiculousness that was/is Peyton Manning. Those teams he had around him in the 90's were absolutely stacked (not just the skill players at his disposal, but he was protected by some of the best OL that this school has ever seen. Not to mention those nasty defenses we had back then to take some pressure off him), and without being given that situation there is no way he puts up those monster numbers. You are absolutely correct.

Thinking back on those days makes me really miss that feeling of almost knowing, or at least having a pretty good feeling, that we would beat whoever we were playing (with the exception of those season-wrecking Gators). Now I wake up on Saturday's and hope for a miracle. The fact that we even mention teams like WKU, USU, Ark. St., Cincy, and the like as "potential threats" is not something a fanbase of a program like UT is used to. What's worse? Those worries are becoming more commonplace for us..... That's for a fanbase like Vandy to deal with, not us.

They actually brought this subject up on ESPN after Ga Southen beat Florida, and honestly it isn't Tennessee-specific. Almost a decade ago Appy State beat Michigan and it turned the world upside down. Now it's becoming more and more common. The smaller teams are becoming more competitive, essentially the pups are growing fangs. I think it stems from recruits seeing the Khalil Macks and the Jimmy Garoppolos of the world. Highly rated recruits, or even not-so-highly rated but extremely talented recruits, know they can go to a small, irrelevant program and stand out. Standing out will get them more attention from the NFL.

It's still the exception that a Ga Southern beats a Florida, but it is becoming more common.

 

[Certifiedhands11]

Was terrible in athletics. 5"7, 130 lb, Jewish kids don't usually amount to much athletically in HS, but thanks for asking.

Secondly, I just call em like I see em. You might think I'm negative, but I think I'm fair, objective and unbiased. Different strokes and so on and so on.

Well..... I see you obviously aren't in the business of humble bragging. You just cleared everything up for me realllll quick. And you may be all three of those things, Hulkster, but your delivery in getting your points across makes it seem like you are fair, objective, and unbiased to YOUR opinions, not anyone else's.. Small, yet significant difference.

** The More You Know **