Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXVI

[Catbone]

Question: Has the presence of Josh Dobbs hurt our QB and/or WR recruiting the past two years? I saw the Jack Sears commitment to Duke and it seems like another head-scratching case of QBs and WRs steering clear of UT. I think a case could be made that 4 years of Dobbs has been a blessing and a curse.

On one hand, he's one of the top 3-5 QBs in the SEC and a great leader. He's shifty and moves our offense efficiently with screens and short runs. On the other hand, he'll give us a another year of up and down passing with few chances to stretch the field and (in turn) mediocre receiving numbers from our high profile, impact receivers. Recruiters from other schools surely use this against us as an indictment of our offensive system.

Opinions?

Disclaimer: I love Dobbs. He's a great kid who does everything the right way. We needed that kind of stability and character in our program and he's delivered. A VFL in my book.

Dobbs is a class act and I am proud to have him be the face of Tennessee football. However I don't think it is unfair to say that the combination of his poor down field passing and lack of WR production and growth has hurt us in that regard.

 

[jspvol76]

Dobbs is a class act and I am proud to have him be the face of Tennessee football. However I don't think it is unfair to say that the combination of his poor down field passing and lack of WR production and growth has hurt us in that regard.

That is about to change.

 

[Catbone]

That is about to change.

Early reports suggest you're correct!

 

[Glitch]

He retweeted this

VN after reading this:

 

[LA Vol]

It's on Malone and Williams to change the narrative about receivers. If they are as talented as they were rated, there should be no excuse and nothing for Clemson or anybody else to say about receivers in our offense. I believe they will thrive this year because they both appear much better this season

That's exactly right, but thus far, Malone has bolstered Clemson's narrative. Clemson uses Malone's slow development and lack of performance to recruit against us. It's harder to get 5* WRs to choose UT when Dabo and Kirby point to Malone and say he would have been a star in our offense, but is floundering and underutilized in an ineffective rotation at UT. A WR resurgence and less of a platoon rotation would help dispel this narrative, so let's hope we get it.

 

[VolGBO6]

So on the vol football snapchat theres a snap of the fastest mph and Tyler Byrd was first at 23.7 😳

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

so on the vol football snapchat theres a snap of the fastest mph and tyler byrd was first at 23.7 😳

elite

 

[Mike4Vols]

That's exactly right, but thus far, Malone has bolstered Clemson's narrative. Clemson uses Malone's slow development and lack of performance to recruit against us. It's harder to get 5* WRs to choose UT when Dabo and Kirby point to Malone and say he would have been a star in our offense, but is floundering and underutilized in an ineffective rotation at UT. A WR resurgence and less of a platoon rotation would help dispel this narrative, so let's hope we get it.

But what came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Malone's maturation and growth a problem with the system and his skills? Or is he not getting receptions and yards because the QB can't deliver the ball? I'm sure it's a little of both. Example: What if Malone and Williams had Jared Goff or Carson Wentz passing the ball to them last year? Do you think their numbers would be dramatically different? I do. And I believe that's the heart of the argument other teams are making against us.

I don't think you can pin this entirely on the system. We have a QB with obvious deficiencies in the deep passing game and we're paying for it with new recruits.

 

[Catbone]

*

 

[theutvolunteers]

Kmack in there with the run of DEs

 

[LA Vol]

But what came first, the chicken or the egg? Is Malone's maturation and growth a problem with the system and his skills? Or is he not getting receptions and yards because the QB can't deliver the ball? I'm sure it's a little of both. Example: What if Malone and Williams had Jared Goff or Carson Wentz passing the ball to them last year? Do you think their numbers would be dramatically different? I do. And I believe that's the heart of the argument other teams are making against us.

I don't think you can pin this entirely on the system. We have a QB with obvious deficiencies in the deep passing game and we're paying for it with new recruits.

Everything factors in. The net result is other schools are using Malone's lack of performance against CBJ and UT. That narrative is very effective in convincing recruits that their talents will be more successfully developed and used elsewhere.

I do think a platoon rotation is not all that appealing to elite WRs. They want to be on the field making plays, not watching from the sidelines half the game.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

Kongbo at 18! Good luck QBs

 

[Catbone]

How is JRM faster than Cam lol

 

[Mike4Vols]

Everything factors in. The net result is other schools are using Malone's lack of performance against CBJ and UT. That narrative is very effective in convincing recruits that their talents will be more successfully developed and used elsewhere.

I do think a platoon rotation is not all that appealing to elite WRs. They want to be on the field making plays, not watching from the sidelines half the game.

Does anybody think we'll see significant snaps from a QB OTHER then Josh Dobbs? Maybe as a change of pace to provide a better passing option?

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

Does anybody think we'll see significant snaps from a QB OTHER then Josh Dobbs? Maybe as a change of pace to provide a better passing option?

Yes. Dormady and Jones will see many 4th quarter snaps this year

 

[volfanCLT]

Byrd: Dat boy fast

Kongbo too!

 

[bluegrasser]

*

That's a lot of speed.

Wonder if they had kept a similar chart during the Dooley era?

We had CB's and RB's running as fast as our big boy Dlinemen do now.

 

[Catbone]

I'm guessing Berry wasn't recorded because he would be top 5

 

[VolGee4]

Does anybody think we'll see significant snaps from a QB OTHER then Josh Dobbs? Maybe as a change of pace to provide a better passing option?

No, unless it's mop-up duty. I think we, as fans, and others just have to be resigned to the fact that Dobbs brings a different dyanamic to the game, and it's with his feet. It is truly a triple threat offense when he is in the game.

If Dobbs could improve just 7-8% on his completions and hit a half dozen vertical passes this year, then our offense will be scary good. We went 9-4 with all close losses without much of a passing game. We are going to be run heavy again.

You should see the offense change some with another QB.

 

[Bassmaster_Vol]

I'm guessing Berry wasn't recorded because he would be top 5

Or Kamara?

 

[Catbone]

Or Kamara?

Yeah for sure

 

[LA Vol]

Does anybody think we'll see significant snaps from a QB OTHER then Josh Dobbs? Maybe as a change of pace to provide a better passing option?

Not me. Other than garbage time, I think we ride with Dobbs. But our big WRs can go up and get the ball more than they have in the past. If Dobbs is a little more accurate and our WRs are a little more aggressive, our passing game should improve.

 

[Dust10]

I would imagine only a few guys wear the monitor each practice.

 

[LotteryPick]

JRM scootin'

 

[Mike4Vols]

Yes. Dormady and Jones will see many 4th quarter snaps this year

I should have defined my question a little more clearly. When I said meaningful snaps, that doesn't include 4th quarter mop-up duty.

I meant series-to-series QB changes in the middle of the game. I've never seen that scenario work very well --- no wait --- the Florida combination of Tebow and Leak was damn effective. But otherwise, I can think of far more failures than successes.

If Dobbs is still a liability in the downfield passing game, I could see some gain in getting the #2 QB prepared for next year AND providing a spark to the offense.