Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXV

[HialeahGator]

Can't wait. Can finally enjoy a CBS game without having to hear "WOWWWW" every time Alabama runs for a first down. Gary's not much better either though...

A friend of my family is close to Spencer Tilman and he says that CBS isn't done with additions. Also this is supposedly Tracey Wolfson last year doing SEC games. They want Lauara Rutledge from SECN for anchor. Jenn Brown name is floating out there as well to replace Tracey.

 

[WallyBalls]

Anybody hear Barrett Sallee finally snap regarding the "Tennessee are perpetual offseason champions" narrative? Went so far as to call people who believe that idiots. It was glorious.

Oooooh. Where was this?

 

[Aesius]

Anybody hear Barrett Sallee finally snap regarding the "Tennessee are perpetual offseason champions" narrative? Went so far as to call people who believe that idiots. It was glorious.

About as dumb of a narrative as people who think the Vols have been loaded with talent since the late 00s and somehow 4 coaches in a row have squandered all of it.

 

[VolNectar]

Oooooh. Where was this?

Here ya go - Tennessee Deserves Pre-Season Hype - Vol Sports Radio

 

[Odiodin]

About as dumb of a narrative as people who think the Vols have been loaded with talent since the late 00s and somehow 4 coaches in a row have squandered all of it.

We are usually someone's dark horse candidate to win the east lately, but this year is far beyond that ...

Currently stuck at home after wisdom tooth removal. It's given me some time to watch some of last years games again. I can't remember the team being this full of potential, even in the 90s. If Dobbs can complete a few more passes of 10+ per game we should go undefeated.

 

[snowvols]

Anybody hear Barrett Sallee finally snap regarding the "Tennessee are perpetual offseason champions" narrative? Went so far as to call people who believe that idiots. It was glorious.

I missed him on the radio in ATL yesterday, but heard the recap and apparently he thinks the Vols are heavy favorites. Chuck Oliver also said a few weeks ago that if the Vols fail to win the East it will be the biggest fail in all of college football this year.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

We are usually someone's dark horse candidate to win the east lately, but this year is far beyond that ...

Currently stuck at home after wisdom tooth removal. It's given me some time to watch some of last years games again. I can't remember the team being this full of potential, even in the 90s. If Dobbs can complete a few more passes of 10+ per game we should go undefeated.

Dooley's last season and last year are the only times anyone with half a brain would have predicted that, over the last decade

 

[vol72]

Can't wait. Can finally enjoy a CBS game without having to hear "WOWWWW" every time Alabama runs for a first down. Gary's not much better either though...

Why listen to any of these A holes? If you cannot attend a game, turn the game on the tube and turn down the sound. Rarely do I need these talking heads to tell me what is happening. Since I cannot see the whole field like I do in person, occasionally I will turn the sound up, but like I said - Rarely.

 

[Outofmyvolcanmind]

Why listen to any of these A holes? If you cannot attend a game, turn the game on the tube and turn down the sound. Rarely do I need these talking heads to tell me what is happening. Since I cannot see the whole field like I do in person, occasionally I will turn the sound up, but like I said - Rarely.

Do you at least pipe fake crowd noise in?

 

[Vols4us]

Why listen to any of these A holes? If you cannot attend a game, turn the game on the tube and turn down the sound. Rarely do I need these talking heads to tell me what is happening. Since I cannot see the whole field like I do in person, occasionally I will turn the sound up, but like I said - Rarely.

The only time I listen to Uncle Verne is Masters week where he makes a complete idiot out of himself at the game of golf as well. But he usually does it in solitude and I have the option of turning it down and observing without missing much.

As to the rest - I also mute it much of the time. I don't need them telling me what my eyes can see and I already understand.

 

[jave36]

I missed him on the radio in ATL yesterday, but heard the recap and apparently he thinks the Vols are heavy favorites. Chuck Oliver also said a few weeks ago that if the Vols fail to win the East it will be the biggest fail in all of college football this year.

Lots of arky radio guests saying the same thing.

 

[85SugarVol]

Seriously though, has anyone seen a class number floated?

Edit: may be too early for that :dunno:

 

[Aesius]

A few things we've got going for us it terms of winning the East:

-The East is pathetic. It really is. UGA has a lot of talent, but a freshman QB and a first-year head coach. Their situation is similar to UF's last year when Grier and McElwain shot UF up the polls, but A) McElwain honed his craft as a head coach in Ft. Collins for a few years and had a built-in top 10 defense waiting for him, and B) Grier was a redshirt freshman, which makes a HUGE difference for QBs. UF remains the albatross for the Vols, but goodness...can Tennessee seriously lose to them again with THIS team? Surely lightning doesn't strike twice and Jake del Rio isn't some superstar QB waiting in the wings. Besides those two, no other team in the East is even worth mentioning.

-Our non-Bama West opponent is Charmin Soft Texas A&M. We will flat out bully them at the line of scrimmage. They have speed and talent, but Sumlin is squandering it. They are a soft, soft team, and the Vols are, well, pretty much the exact opposite of that. Plus, there's a decent chance the Aggies are 3-2 or even 2-3 when we play them.

-We can take injuries at every position except DT, MLB, and QB. We will not be able to say that in 2017 due to the sheer volume of production we lose and we haven't been able to say it in more than a decade due to poor recruiting and coaching turnover. And even at positions where we are (relatively) thin, there's enough talent on the field to make up for those losses. Dobbs is the guy we can't afford to lose the most, but again, there is at least some talented depth behind him. If the defense is Shoop-solid and Hurd+Kamara stay healthy, I believe Dormady could lead this team to Atlanta.

-Team 120 is essentially Team 119's chance at a do-over of last season. Team 118 got a chance to right the wrongs of Butch's first team here by making a bowl. Low expectations, but they did it. Then, we returned essentially that entire team in 2015 with fairly high expectations. Turns out it was a great team that had some early misfires and flaws (new OC, still young OL, no one stepping up at WR), but it found its identity in the second half of the season and turned into a potential juggernaut for 2016. Now we have the same team that tasted the first UT bowl victory since 2007 and then was a a few inches from going to Atlanta back for what is basically their third season in a row (while remaining about 70% intact from 2014) and a chance to redeem their bad losses from last year.

-Senior leadership. We've lacked it for a long, LONG time. Now it's abundant. Dobbs, Sutton, Kamara, JRM. You can't ask for better leaders than those 4. Add in juniors who are essentially seniors from a snaps played perspective in Hurd, Barnett, Wolf, Robertson, Thomas, Medley, etc.

-At least 10 potential breakout stars. Think of the studs we have who haven't even scratched the surface of their potential. KMack, Tuttle, Williams, Smith, Taylor, Martin, Gaulden, Sapp, Hall, Richmond. Tuttle and Martin were the closest to breaking out as freshmen, and KMack was coming along at the end of the season, but literally all of those guys have NFL potential but they haven't had a chance to show it yet. What happens if even 5 of them break out this year in addition to the "known" quantities we have on this team?

-Help is on the way. We've established that the team is stacked. We've established that there are guys on the roster who are potential superstars who haven't even broken out yet. But in true Billy Mays fashion, WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Kongbo isn't even here yet! Neither is Byrd, Warrior, Callaway, CFA, etc. If even ONE of those guys cracks the two deep, it's just icing on the cake and a sign that they are a stud due to the level of depth and competition at every position.

IMO, the Vols losing the East would be the equivalent to Bama winning only 9 games in 2010. That required Stephen Garcia having the game of his life, Cam Newton leading Auburn on a miracle comeback, and the Tide turning the ball over at critical times against LSU.

It's happening folks.

 

[Rishvol]

*slow clap*

 

[Mullins2010]

Who cares about her voice..those legs though

 

[UTProf]

I'm not saying Eason won't be good, but his transition may be tough than it was for Rosen. Rosen played at a California power and played a ridiculously tough high school schedule. Eason played very poor competition. I think it was Buck Belue that was saying he talked to some of the Buford coaches about Eason and his film and they pointed out how terrible his competition was and that he was throwing to guys that were wide open. Not saying he won't be great, but the learning curve will be much steeper. Look at how much Jake Heaps was hyped coming out of Washington and he was terrible.

I was impressed the first time I saw him in UGA's spring game but when I re-watched the highlights, it was pretty much the same deal. He was throwing to wide open receivers and more passes than I initially thought were short easy throws. In retrospect, it seemed pretty well choreographed to make Eason look good (throwing against 2s and very soft coverage) and make UGA fans excited. Nothing wrong with that strategy either as Kirby wants to get fans excited and also get his young QB confidence and that was a very good way of doing it but there's a reason spring games don't often reveal all that much about how a QB will perform in a real game.

That said, he throws a pretty ball and obviously has the arm strength. It's just a matter of whether or not he can put together the rest of the equation and if so, when. There's no doubt in my mind that he has a lot of physical talent but that alone doesn't make a successful QB by itself. He could be as productive and as unsuccessful as Bray or less productive and more successful or any other combination. You just don't know until you see him live action.

 

[UTProf]

Here ya go - Tennessee Deserves Pre-Season Hype - Vol Sports Radio

Thanks for posting that. And I'm glad someone in the media finally went off about it. Given the reactions I've seen I can't say I blame them. I've heard the same 'offseason champs' bullsheet everywhere this offseason and am always baffled by where in the hell that narrative came from when we haven't been picked to do squat in years (the exception being last season when we were picked second and *drum roll* finished second).

 

[edyeary]

While I believe we should temper expectations and especially the rhetoric that goes with it I do firmly believe for the first time in a long time the the Vols are capable of beating anyone on next years schedule. Not saying they will beat everyone but they are capable.

 

[SouthKnoxVOL]

While I believe we should temper expectations and especially the rhetoric that goes with it I do firmly believe for the first time in a long time the the Vols are capable of beating anyone on next years schedule. Not saying they will beat everyone but they are capable.

They were obviously capable of doing that last season also.

 

[BruinVol]

Couldn't fight them off


@darrenrovell: MUST WATCH: Gatorade wraps up Peyton's career by chasing down the people who received his handwritten letters https://t.co/EuyjG6FhwE

 

[LA Vol]

We should raise expectations, not temper them. We have the most experienced, quality talent we've had in more than a decade. We have the most returning starters in the SEC and a stable coaching staff, with key upgrades, entering Year 4. We have an elite RB and a skilled dual-threat QB who are among the best in the SEC. Our backfield is strong, our return guys are the best in the country, our D will be stellar, and we have talent all over the field. If this team, with all this talent, can't get to the SECCG-- and hopefully beyond-- then when?

Cam Sutton, JRM and Kamara returned for their senior season to help the Vols win championships. They believe they can do what they came here to do. Fans should, too.

 

[Orange And Garnet]

We should raise expectations, not temper them. We have the most experienced, quality talent we've had in more than a decade. We have the most returning starters in the SEC and a stable coaching staff, with key upgrades, entering Year 4. We have an elite RB and a skilled dual-threat QB who are among the best in the SEC. Our backfield is strong, our return guys are the best in the country, our D will be stellar, and we have talent all over the field. If this team, with all this talent, can't get to the SECCG-- and hopefully beyond-- then when?

Cam Sutton, JRM and Kamara returned for their senior season to help the Vols win championships. They believe they can do what they came here to do. Fans should, too.

I'll say why our expectations aren't as high as they should be. The last 7-10 years everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. I think some of us are still just waiting on the next bad thing to happen. The good news, however, is it seems our players and coaches are out of that mindset which is all that matters. I think this team can win 10-11 games but I'm nearly scared to even say it.

 

[LA Vol]

I'll say why our expectations aren't as high as they should be. The last 7-10 years everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. I think some of us are still just waiting on the next bad thing to happen. The good news, however, is it seems our players and coaches are out of that mindset which is all that matters. I think this team can win 10-11 games but I'm nearly scared to even say it.

That's true. And like many of us, I tempered expectations last year. But not this year. We have too much talent and too much promise to expect less than what Team 120 is capable of achieving.

Defeatism is self-fulfilling. Hopefully, we snapped that last year, and the team's confidence seems high. The Vols will probably be favored in every game but the Bama game-- and if the Vols go into that game undefeated and Bama has a L, who knows?

 

[mrorange211]

While I believe we should temper expectations and especially the rhetoric that goes with it I do firmly believe for the first time in a long time the the Vols are capable of beating anyone on next years schedule. Not saying they will beat everyone but they are capable.

15-0 National Champions. This. Is. The. Year.

 

[OGbabyaviVol]

I'll say why our expectations aren't as high as they should be. The last 7-10 years everything that could have gone wrong has gone wrong. I think some of us are still just waiting on the next bad thing to happen. The good news, however, is it seems our players and coaches are out of that mindset which is all that matters. I think this team can win 10-11 games but I'm nearly scared to even say it.

This just means it's time for us to have a long stretch of things going right. That starts this season. #VolstotheATL