Recruiting Forum Football Talk II

[Smyrna ATL Vol]

I did not mean to quote. It should have been a reply.

 

[UT4LIFE86]

Yeah, we definitely win big this Saturday. I guarantee it.

I bet we don’t win big this Saturday!!!

 

[GojiraVol17]

When did I imply that? We could have won the game with Jimmy Holiday starting and handing it off every play.

He’s referring to your seeming know it all personality that doesn’t know the boundary of your ego. You always have the answer for everything. I bet you’d make a great coach

 

[GojiraVol17]

I bet we don’t win big this Saturday!!!

Don’t bet much. Lol

 

[MarcoVol]

The defense was the problem last game.

I get it basically everyone wants JG replaced but let’s not try to pin every single thing the team does poorly on him.

JG isn’t a game changer. But he was far from being the problem vs Bama.

 

[Girth Brooks]

If accurate, and I haven’t checked, this is a damning indictment.....

 

[UT = Checkmate]

Damning indictment.....

These stats are unfair. Dooley and butch went up against much less inferior sec East teams. Providing some context would show this is a flawed stat.

 

[VolInDayton]

Alabama has the best offense in the country so I'm not surprised they whooped us, but it's extremely concerning how bad our defense is. I though Pruitt and Ansley were DB specialist. Our DBs are worst this year than last year. Bryce Thompson is barely better than the time he stepped foot on campus. Alontae is an athele that still hasn't picked up the position. Our safety's seem to leave wide receivers run open. And we cant cover a slot receiver or TE across the middle.

 

[KPT_VFL]

If accurate, and I haven’t checked, this is a damning indictment.....

I’d argue Pruitt has had the worst QB out of all those too.

 

[Skizer41]

barring something off the field that would have expedited a firing, i think it's safe to assume Pruitt was gonna get 5 years....

coming in to 2018, 1st year of the ESD, basically made recruiting that first class a nightmare, as we found out.....so you're talking at least 3 years, w/2full cycles to start to see the pruitt players in the program.

here we are.

at least another year to get his classes to upper classmen...and year 5...that's a "pruitt built" program at that point....

2020 was a bad year to be in year 3. lol....such a critical off season developmentally....and switching to the all conf schedule, kinda sucked in that we missed some confidence builder type games, and i think we missed an opportunity to go to Norman and see what we got for a big game on the road....who knows.

anyway...........we need a quarterback. we need some stability on the staff. and we need to find a way to get more guys more reps so we can improve depth and find kids that can help us win...faster.

i see a lot of phil fulmer in jeremy pruitt. some of that is really good. some of it, not as good.....but one thing i think he can do to help himself is not get caught in the "we do what we do" mentality.

for us, as fans, unfortunately, there was no quick fix....no easy button, and for this program to turn a corner as big as it needs to, that is going to be the result of a process......which im fine with.

that doesn't mean i like what i see along the way all the time. i've liked a good bit of what i've seen so far. i've not liked much of what ive seen latley at all....

i'll be really surprised, and very disappointed, maybe even moreso than i am right now, if we see what we've seen so far repeat itself the 2nd half of the season. i think the hill to climb is still pretty steep. and with @Auburn, aTm and UF still on the schedule......the chances it gets worse, before it gets better...still pretty high...

that said, that kind of schedule also offers redemption....even moreso than the redemption they earned the 2nd half of last season.

and it starts in Fayetteville, AR.

This is a great post. Spot on.

 

[VolGee4]

This might be too simple of a way of looking at it... but we have the talent to beat every opponent outside of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia every single year. 9-3 should be the standard, yet we haven't gone 9-3 since 2007.

That's 13 years of piss poor coaching .

That is too simple. Dooley and Butch inherited terrible rosters that were not better than other teams we played. We played ranked west opponents (not Bama) 5 straight years from 2010-2014 (played both top 10 Arkansas and LSU in 2011). Also played ranked west opponents in 2016, 2017, 2018.

You also have to remember that we play solid OOC teams- played a top 10 Oregon in 2010 and 2013. Played a ranked OU in 2014 and 2015. Those were 2 of the premier programs at the time.

 

[VolInDayton]

Jeremy Pruitt's reasoning for not playing young players is a good sign for Vols

So Pruitt's saying there are bigger stronger and faster players on our team, but he won't play them because they haven't earned it.

Well not winning games and not playing better players because they are younger probably doesn't help recruiting.

 

[VolGee4]

Alabama has the best offense in the country so I'm not surprised they whooped us, but it's extremely concerning how bad our defense is. I though Pruitt and Ansley were DB specialist. Our DBs are worst this year than last year. Bryce Thompson is barely better than the time he stepped foot on campus. Alontae is an athele that still hasn't picked up the position. Our safety's seem to leave wide receivers run open. And we cant cover a slot receiver or TE across the middle.

I believe Thompson is playing out of position. He is used to just covering his man as opposed to diagnosing who else needs help.

 

[Girth Brooks]

These stats are unfair. Dooley and butch went up against much less inferior sec East teams. Providing some context would show this is a flawed stat.

Florida has been kryptonite for us since Spurrier and SC was pretty good then, so, who do you want to trade? UGA and SC?

Carrying water gets tiring....



As for the QB comment made in another post, who is responsible for developing players and making decisions on who plays? If patience was preached 12 years ago like it is now, instead of taking to the streets with torches and unholstered pitchforks, we are not in this position. Place blame wherever you choose, it doesn’t change the fact we’ve had an intellectual lapse in administration since Dickey retired. I don’t fault Fulmer because of the hand he was dealt, but he has a chance to correct course. Will he? The inevitable will happen. The question is, how long is UT willing to bleed out? Make all the excuses you please. Hell, a virus with >99.5% survivability and buyouts won’t touch the bottom line if this continues for too long.

Lose the games
Lose the team
Lose the coaching staff
Lose the fans <we are approaching this>
Lose your job

 

[ClasslessVol]

Alabama has the best offense in the country so I'm not surprised they whooped us, but it's extremely concerning how bad our defense is. I though Pruitt and Ansley were DB specialist. Our DBs are worst this year than last year. Bryce Thompson is barely better than the time he stepped foot on campus. Alontae is an athele that still hasn't picked up the position. Our safety's seem to leave wide receivers run open. And we cant cover a slot receiver or TE across the middle.

We have our fair share of issues on that side of the ball no doubt but yesterday was 100% on the offense. Alabama will score 30/40+ on every team and they proved that in the Georgia game. It doesn’t matter how good of a defense you have, you gotta score a lot of points. When your gameplan is run the ball with two small backs and wear the defense down with a QB that is not above average at worst, you will not compete with them, period.

 

[Jwbvol]

That is too simple. Dooley and Butch inherited terrible rosters that were not better than other teams we played. We played ranked west opponents (not Bama) 5 straight years from 2010-2014 (played both top 10 Arkansas and LSU in 2011). Also played ranked west opponents in 2016, 2017, 2018.

You also have to remember that we play solid OOC teams- played a top 10 Oregon in 2010 and 2013. Played a ranked OU in 2014 and 2015. Those were 2 of the premier programs at the time.

Fair enough but it doesn't help much at all. Drop the number to 8-4 then. Only 2 of the past 13 years we have gone 8-4.

 

[butchna]

Alabama has the best offense in the country so I'm not surprised they whooped us, but it's extremely concerning how bad our defense is. I though Pruitt and Ansley were DB specialist. Our DBs are worst this year than last year. Bryce Thompson is barely better than the time he stepped foot on campus. Alontae is an athele that still hasn't picked up the position. Our safety's seem to leave wide receivers run open. And we cant cover a slot receiver or TE across the middle.

I don’t like that we had several potential TFL’s and whiffed. Two notable ones by Middleton on Najee. That’s fundamentals and is on the coaches. His position coach gets high praise from the HC.

 

[Tennessee Golfer]

We are 6th in the SEC in total defense (ahead of Alabama) and have already played the two best teams in the conference. Defense hasn’t been great but it’s far from our biggest issue. Offense wins championships now.

 

[ClasslessVol]

We have our fair share of issues on that side of the ball no doubt but yesterday was 100% on the offense. Alabama will score 30/40+ on every team and they proved that in the Georgia game. It doesn’t matter how good of a defense you have, you gotta score a lot of points. When your gameplan is run the ball with two small backs and wear the defense down with a QB that is not above average at worst, you will not compete with them, period.

Just noticed I said yesterday lol. obviously meant Saturday

 

[BleedorangeinGA]

If accurate, and I haven’t checked, this is a damning indictment.....

Well that % certainly has been trending in the wrong way over the years.

 

[rjd970]

So we are probably never beating Bama while Saban is there. The gap is too big and he is too far ahead of the curve with being willing to adapt and change.

I’m ready for the nightmare to be over. I hate Bama and all their inbred, rammer jammer, spoiled fans. The conference or NCAA really needs to step in and check the corruption and cheating going on down there.

This is the way I feel this Monday morning.

 

[VolGee4]

Fair enough but it doesn't help much at all. Drop the number to 8-4 then. Only 2 of the past 13 years we have gone 8-4.

Yea, I am not saying the coaching has been good. But, the schedule we have been dealt has been ridiculous and has played into it. Should have been 8-4 last year, and Kiffin lost a game or two that he should have won.

The Dooley and Butch rosters were the two worst I have ever seen as a fan.

 

[Skizer41]

It’s year 3. If a coach is still changing the culture as it comes to expectations as you say that coach failed miserable in the first two years.

Ah I don't know about that. Most of the upperclassmen, who SHOULD be leaders, didn't come here to play for Pruitt. Granted most of the problems have transfered out by now. There are probably still a few who haven't bought in and for whatever reason decided to stay and not transfer out. And they might just be going through the motions. When I read that article about CJP's bigger, faster, stronger comment I took it as saying we aren't cutting corners to get to where we want to be. And to a degree I understand and respect that mentality.

I may not like his performance the last few games. But I think its way to early, especially considering Covid and where that has left us financially, to say we need to cut bait and fire up the coaching search.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

Eric Gray and Ty Chandler have been ass this year.

Just wanted to get that off my chest.

 

[KPT_VFL]

Well not winning games and not playing better players because they are younger probably doesn't help recruiting.

I understand what he’s saying but if you’re not playing the players that give you the best chance to win you’re not doing your job. This isn’t Bama where you have 5th year 5 stars who have earned and are good.