Recruiting Forum: Football Talk XI

#10,826
#10,826
I will just trust the eyes of the coaching staff that makes the decisions and the eyes of VFL alum that have coached the game. They tell me that Ferguson is 1(b). Again - as POA aptly pointed out there are more factors than just stats or good plays against your own teammates from spring practice at play here. To develop talent you have to test the weaknesses with live rounds being fired around them. With a year under their belts in the system the staff already has a handle on their strengths.

On Dobbs - it is the release. Same as Worley. Once they read and make progressions they require a split second longer to get the pass off due to their footwork and release. The velocity is fine, but not top end. The faster they read the D the more time they have to get it out. Worley is going to read it faster than Dobbs due to experience at this point. Ferguson has the Bray thing going - just more athletic. He can get the ball to the right spot quickly once he makes the read. The problem has been getting him to make the right read and not force balls - which is experience related.

IMO if Worley falters there is no question you give the guy with more talent the ball to learn how to play the game on a big stage - Ferguson. This next season is the right time to do it.
 
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#10,827
#10,827
All we need is a smart QB period. He does not have to be a playmaker. The coaches took care of that in recruiting. Play safe ball, read the coverages, identify your matchups, when there's singe coverage let your WRs make a play downfield for you. If it's not there dump it off. YAC yardage will be there this year.
 
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#10,828
#10,828
Vols4us said:
I will just trust the eyes of the coaching staff that makes the decisions and the eyes of VFL alum that have coached the game. They tell me that Ferguson is 1(b). Again - as POA aptly pointed out there are more factors than just stats or good plays against your own teammates from spring practice at play here. To develop talent you have to test the weaknesses with live rounds being fired around them. With a year under their belts in the system the staff already has a handle on their strengths.

On Dobbs - it is the release. Same as Worley. Once they read and make progressions they require a split second longer to get the pass off due to their footwork and release. The velocity is fine, but not top end. The faster they read the D the more time they have to get it out. Worley is going to read it faster than Dobbs due to experience at this point. Ferguson has the Bray thing going - just more athletic. He can get the ball to the right spot quickly once he makes the read. The problem has been getting him to make the right read and not force balls - which is experience related.

IMO if Worley falters there is no question you give the guy with more talent the ball to learn how to play the game on a big stage - Ferguson. This next season is the right time to do it.
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I partially agree with this. I think Worley starts the season and Ferguson gets some garbage time. It will be an attempt to get Dobbs a redshirt and an extra year, while at the same time getting Ferguson some experience. If something happens to Worley, you make the decision of Dobbs vs Ferguson. If Ferguson did well in garbage time, you give him the chance so Dobbs can keep on the redshirt train. If Ferguson didnt do so well in garbage time, you burn Dobbs' redshirt again.
 
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#10,829
#10,829
The Breakerboy said:
All we need is a smart QB period. He does not have to be a playmaker. The coaches took care of that in recruiting. Play safe ball, read the coverages, identify your matchups, when there's singe coverage let your WRs make a play downfield for you. If it's not there dump it off. YAC yardage will be there this year.
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This. Debate over. :good!:
 
#10,831
#10,831
StoVol said:
Wth? Players struggling against 1st team d and succeeding against 2nd team is irrelevant? I saw stunts and blitzes against ferg and vanilla against Dobbs. Arm strength. Look at the trajectory of the football when ferg throws an out to the opposite hash as opposed to Dobbs. Rewatch that and tell me you see no diff in arm strength
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As Bray proved, arm strength isn't enough. Fergus may prove to be a great QB but I personally think he needs more time to learn how to read coverages or he will not exceed Bray's "accomplishes".
 
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#10,832
#10,832
UTProf said:
I don't know about the spring game being any total measure of anything for any player but Worley's actually a better runner than he's given credit for but he's awkward as hell when he runs. The few times he kept it last year he made some plays.
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Indeed. He's a big ole boy and defenses never expect him to take off, so when he actually does he can do some damage. You can tell he's trying not to get clobbered though (maybe hesitant from a past injury), and it just looks so, so goofy - dinosaur arms and all. Like no one really taught him how to run with a football, almost.
 
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#10,833
#10,833
tomq_123 said:
As Bray proved, arm strength isn't enough. Fergus may prove to be a great QB but I personally think he needs more time to learn how to read coverages or he will not exceed Bray's "accomplishes".
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Although, if we had some defense, we wouldve won a lot more games. In 2012 we scored 44 points against UGA.... and still lost. 48 points against Mizzou and still lost. With a legit D, we couldve won 11 games in 2012 and Bray's accomplishments wouldve looked 10x better
 
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#10,834
#10,834
ChattaTNVol said:
I think Saban hired Kiffin because he needed a proven QB coach with the departure of AJ. I actually hope Kiffin effs it up because living with Saban for a year under those circumstance could be pure hell.

Let me ask this question regarding our situation. Which QB do you think has the potential to have the highest scoring offense? And how many ppg do you think we will give up on defense? I think you take the QB that gets you as many offensive points as possible and I think that's either Dobbs or Ferguson, probably Riley.

Are Dobbs/Riley going to make mistakes? Yeah, probably, but at this point I think it's as much the responsibility of the QB coach as it is the player which is why the QB coach may want to play it safe even if it doesn't give us that much of a chance to win more games. jmo.
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I'm always curious as to how people come up with these assumptions that working for Saban is hell. He has consistent top recruiting classes, championships and low staff turnover. We have Butch now so the jealousy and making up stories about Bama can stop now.
 
#10,835
#10,835
NashVOL93 said:
Indeed. He's a big ole boy and defenses never expect him to take off, so when he actually does he can do some damage. You can tell he's trying not to get clobbered though (maybe hesitant from a past injury), and it just looks so, so goofy - dinosaur arms and all. Like no one really taught him how to run with a football, almost.
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In fairness, I don't think anyone ever did teach him until maybe last year. Worley has had a tendency to be overly cautious since he became starter last season and I think that personality trait might've limited his running - he was so concerned with protecting the ball and other things he was already used to that he forgot to run.

Once he did remember to run, he did pretty good for a big guy. Worley's also shown he's tough as nails in more than one instance I admire that characteristic. When he threw his body trying to make that tackle after the Bama INT he threw himself at that player like a LB (not a strong as an LB but just as determined).
 
#10,836
#10,836
StoVol said:
Wth? Players struggling against 1st team d and succeeding against 2nd team is irrelevant? I saw stunts and blitzes against ferg and vanilla against Dobbs. Arm strength. Look at the trajectory of the football when ferg throws an out to the opposite hash as opposed to Dobbs. Rewatch that and tell me you see no diff in arm strength
Click to expand...

Rewatch what? I am not being a smart azz, but is there a full replay of the O&W game or are you talking about practice footage?
 
#10,837
#10,837
The Breakerboy said:
All we need is a smart QB period. He does not have to be a playmaker. The coaches took care of that in recruiting. Play safe ball, read the coverages, identify your matchups, when there's singe coverage let your WRs make a play downfield for you. If it's not there dump it off. YAC yardage will be there this year.
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Very true. Great post.
 
#10,840
#10,840
Some great quotes from Pete Roussel's trip to several football programs recently (free read from CoachingSearch). Here's the ones about Tennessee:

In two years, Butch Jones has completely changed the Tennessee football facility.
I visited Knoxville shortly after Butch Jones accepted the job two years ago and I left hardly impressed by the décor and interior design of the football facility. In fact, though some parts of the new facility were not yet finished at the time, parts that were completed left much to be desired. Last week, I was unbelievably impressed. There is a ‘wow’ factor everywhere you turn in the facility. Tennessee director of football operations Chris Spognardi, an extremely sharp individual who has worked alongside Butch Jones for the last seven years, said that Jones never stops thinking about facility enhancements that appeal to high school recruits. Even more importantly, he wants the UT football facility to be different. I agree: You can’t just do what everyone else is doing and try to do a little bit better. That’s wasting time. The latest project is coming this summer when a “Rockefeller Center” type of media center is constructed inside the Tennessee football facility.
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Did that really just happen?
Butch Jones greets me by saying, “Pete, I’m Butch Jones. Really glad you’re here. I love your website, check it all the time. I love what you do and what you stand for.” It’s amazing how the smallest things go a long way. In addition, I sat with Jones in his office for 35-40 minutes, pardon the interruption by Dave Hart to introduce Jones to the Vols new head basketball coach Donnie Tyndall, and Jones proceeded to ask me 8-10 questions about my perspective from covering coaches and walking through facilities over the last six years. In doing so, he took two pages of notes. For me, it was an honor. But what got me really fired up was that just as any great leader, Jones was thirsty for information, anything to gain a competitive edge for Tennessee. Sleep easy, Knoxville. You’ve got a real leader now.
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6 more observations from 14-day college football tour
 
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#10,842
#10,842
I think our fans are used to seeing less talent than what we have so they want this savior at QB. This is the best talent we've had at the skill positions in a while. If Pig is truly back I expect him to play some RB too. Would be even more matchup problems. Hurd and the other young RBs provide a dynamic we haven't had in a while. We'll be able to create some big runs even when the play isn't blocked just right. I'm extremely excited about the upcoming season.
 
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#10,843
#10,843
The Breakerboy said:
I think our fans are used to seeing less talent than what we have so they want this savior at QB. This is the best talent we've had at the skill positions in a while. If Pig is truly back I expect him to play some RB too. Would be even more matchup problems. Hurd and the other young RBs provide a dynamic we haven't had in a while. We'll be able to create some big runs even when the play isn't blocked just right. I'm extremely excited about the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

Speaking of this...
wU, where did you get the info that the team voted him back? if you are able to tell us. TIA
 
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#10,844
#10,844
The Breakerboy said:
I think our fans are used to seeing less talent than what we have so they want this savior at QB. This is the best talent we've had at the skill positions in a while. If Pig is truly back I expect him to play some RB too. Would be even more matchup problems. Hurd and the other young RBs provide a dynamic we haven't had in a while. We'll be able to create some big runs even when the play isn't blocked just right. I'm extremely excited about the upcoming season.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. We just need a smart QB who makes the right decisions. We have all the horses at the skill positions...just let 'em do their thing. I'm as excited as I've been for a season in a really long time...probably since early 00's.
 
#10,845
#10,845
PassedOutAwake said:
Speaking of this...
wU, where did you get the info that the team voted him back? if you are able to tell us. TIA
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I know a guy that knows a guy who is close to the team. (Not joking lol) but he has been right on a lot of stuff before it comes out. Then, a poster on scout also said the same thing. So, as always tifwiw, but it looks good
 
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#10,848
#10,848
I cant wait until this season either, but the next season is the one I'm looking forward to the most. We will have just about everyone we have now (minus Worley, AJ and a few more) plus more great talent. We will still have guys like Randolph and Maggit if they dont leave early
 
#10,849
#10,849
wU-Tang Vol said:
I know a guy that knows a guy who is close to the team. (Not joking lol) but he has been right on a lot of stuff before it comes out. Then, a poster on scout also said the same thing. So, as always tifwiw, but it looks good
Click to expand...

I know the team reinstated him, but have the coaches? Or was the team 100% of the equation?
 
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