Read this. Sounds like Fulmer had wanted Ainge to be the starter and the offensive coaches wanted Clausen.
Clausen has less talent, more heart
Commentary by DAVID CLIMER
Senior Writer
Sometimes the best decisions are the ones pitched in your lap.
Credit Phillip Fulmer for making the fair catch.
His decision to go solo with Rick Clausen as Tennessee's quarterback is the biggest no-brainer since Coca-Cola shelved New Coke. What was he going to do, wait until Erik Ainge spontaneously combusted in the huddle?
With that said, Fulmer de-serves credit for not stubbornly clinging to the notion that Ainge is the quarterback to lead UT to the promised land. Ainge has been Fulmer's guy all along, even though offensive coaches sided with Clausen in the preseason.
Fulmer's assessment about other positions ("Talent wins out," he said of the safety spot in the preseason) is not always the best way to pick quarterbacks.
Ainge passes the look test. Clausen passes the play test.
And that's the irony of this. The least talented player on the team is the best fit for this offense. If the Vols are performing up to their pedigrees at other positions, they don't need a superstar quarterback.
Yes, it's the other guy the ugly duckling of a quarterback, the one who doesn't go to the Manning family camp, the one they keep trying to replace that led one of the most remarkable comebacks in Tennessee football history on Monday night.
Look, this isn't the NFL Combine. Forty times, arm strength and Wonderlic scores are only part of the equation. Clausen is the least physically talented starting quarterback UT's had since Daryl Dickey replaced an injured Tony Robinson midway through the season 20 years ago.
There are similarities. Dickey got off to a slow start, but then developed a rapport with teammates that culminated with an SEC championship and an MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl.
Having confidence in yourself is one thing. Gaining the confidence of your teammates is the winning edge. And that's what Clausen's done. He was elected a team captain in the offseason even when it appeared doubtful he would play a significant role for UT. That says something.
It's as if his very presence in the second half of the LSU game brought out the best in some UT players that had underachieved so badly in the first 2½ games.
Offensive linemen upgraded their pass protection because they knew Clausen would throw the ball on schedule. The wide receivers started winning one-on-one matchups because they knew they had to. Tailback Gerald Riggs peeled off a couple of big runs because he no longer felt like he had to carry the entire offense on his shoulder pads.
Too, the defense got in LSU's business because it was no longer being forced into terrible field position after turnovers.
And isn't it interesting how offensive coordinator Randy Sanders suddenly started calling really good plays when he had a QB who could execute them?
Meanwhile, what of Erik Ainge? It would be foolish to write him off, although that first-half meltdown at LSU could leave a scar on his psyche.
Frankly, he has not been the same QB since his shoulder was separated on the final play of the first half of the Notre Dame game last year. The shoulder's healed and the arm strength is there, but Ainge has lost something.
One quarterback's loss is another's gain.
Clausen has less talent, more heart
Commentary by DAVID CLIMER
Senior Writer
Sometimes the best decisions are the ones pitched in your lap.
Credit Phillip Fulmer for making the fair catch.
His decision to go solo with Rick Clausen as Tennessee's quarterback is the biggest no-brainer since Coca-Cola shelved New Coke. What was he going to do, wait until Erik Ainge spontaneously combusted in the huddle?
With that said, Fulmer de-serves credit for not stubbornly clinging to the notion that Ainge is the quarterback to lead UT to the promised land. Ainge has been Fulmer's guy all along, even though offensive coaches sided with Clausen in the preseason.
Fulmer's assessment about other positions ("Talent wins out," he said of the safety spot in the preseason) is not always the best way to pick quarterbacks.
Ainge passes the look test. Clausen passes the play test.
And that's the irony of this. The least talented player on the team is the best fit for this offense. If the Vols are performing up to their pedigrees at other positions, they don't need a superstar quarterback.
Yes, it's the other guy the ugly duckling of a quarterback, the one who doesn't go to the Manning family camp, the one they keep trying to replace that led one of the most remarkable comebacks in Tennessee football history on Monday night.
Look, this isn't the NFL Combine. Forty times, arm strength and Wonderlic scores are only part of the equation. Clausen is the least physically talented starting quarterback UT's had since Daryl Dickey replaced an injured Tony Robinson midway through the season 20 years ago.
There are similarities. Dickey got off to a slow start, but then developed a rapport with teammates that culminated with an SEC championship and an MVP performance in the Sugar Bowl.
Having confidence in yourself is one thing. Gaining the confidence of your teammates is the winning edge. And that's what Clausen's done. He was elected a team captain in the offseason even when it appeared doubtful he would play a significant role for UT. That says something.
It's as if his very presence in the second half of the LSU game brought out the best in some UT players that had underachieved so badly in the first 2½ games.
Offensive linemen upgraded their pass protection because they knew Clausen would throw the ball on schedule. The wide receivers started winning one-on-one matchups because they knew they had to. Tailback Gerald Riggs peeled off a couple of big runs because he no longer felt like he had to carry the entire offense on his shoulder pads.
Too, the defense got in LSU's business because it was no longer being forced into terrible field position after turnovers.
And isn't it interesting how offensive coordinator Randy Sanders suddenly started calling really good plays when he had a QB who could execute them?
Meanwhile, what of Erik Ainge? It would be foolish to write him off, although that first-half meltdown at LSU could leave a scar on his psyche.
Frankly, he has not been the same QB since his shoulder was separated on the final play of the first half of the Notre Dame game last year. The shoulder's healed and the arm strength is there, but Ainge has lost something.
One quarterback's loss is another's gain.
