State of the Football Program

[SWS22]

As convincing as your guarantee is... I'd like to see the evidence that any of them have 10 times more NFL draft picks over the last 4 years than UT. It was your claim. You should back it up. I agree. What I don't agree with is that UT is now poorly coached or that they haven't done a good job of recruiting. You said Meyer should be allowed a few years to get his system right. I would submit that the mess Cut inherited from Sanders was about as bad if not worse. I actually agree with this too. Sanders had no discipline on his offense. He was creative and probably a great game planner and teacher. But he didn't have a clue as to how to get players to execute. Cut does. Give him some time before saying that losing by one point to a top 10 UF team means the program is falling into utter disarray.

Do you really think he has been as demanding of Ainge and the receivers so that poor o-line play can sink the offense?

I'll break it down even further than that. I love the Frogg story... but that guy got thoroughly whipped on virtually every play. If you are going to lay that loss at the feet of one guy. He, unfortunately, is the guy. Had he won even a small percentage of the time, UT at least could have run off the left side behind Sears. UF's plan was simple and it worked. Cover Frogg and push him into the backfield on every play. He couldn't even set a post for an effective double team. Let's maybe see before we start talking about needing to replace Fulmer... who's been one of the best recruiters in football for years.

Pete Carroll, Mack Brown and Jim Tressell have been the best recruiters in the last few years. Their teams U.S.C , Texas and Ohio State have been doing well. Would'nt you say so?

 

[sjt18]

Tennessee is not big state population wise. The city of Atlanta has almost as many people as the entire state of Tennessee.

It is larger population wise than MS, LA, AL, SC, and AR... but all of these seem to produce better players year-in, year-out.

I lived in SC for awhile. They're HS athletics system seems to be designed around making the competition as strong as it can be.

 

[utvol0427]

It is larger population wise than MS, LA, AL, SC, and AR... but all of these seem to produce better players year-in, year-out.

I lived in SC for awhile. They're HS athletics system seems to be designed around making the competition as strong as it can be.

I have heard people say they think that HS athletics are down in Tennessee because there aren't organized Middle School sports. I don't know if this is true or if other states have this. I know we have little league here, but not organized middle school teams(with the exception of B-Ball).

 

[sjt18]

Pete Carroll, Mack Brown and Jim Tressell have been the best recruiters in the last few years. Their teams U.S.C , Texas and Ohio State have been doing well. Would'nt you say so?

Best according to who? Not Scout and probably not according to Rivals either.

Carroll has had several #1 ranked classes but neither Brown nor Tressell have. They have all had good solid top 25 classes that they have coached up. I'm not denying that coaching has been the difference. I am denying that with Cut's replacement of Sanders it has ceased to be the difference.

UT played UF down to the wire. We all would have rather they won. Mistakes were made by both players and coaches. But the coaching was not incompetent and the players are talented enough to have won.

 

[SWS22]

That looks about right. Do you know what the average "stars" were for the players that were left?

The rankings are actually based on points. You get more points the bigger the class is.

Since those guys are gone but their scholarships are not... that actually bodes very well for the future. UT is pursuing and very much in contention for several of the best JC players in the country. These open scholarships might help them get players that are more proven without selling out the future.

Depending on juco players to help your program is only a quick fix. The great program don't depend on juco players. Do you think U.S.C, Ohio State, Texas depend on juco players. I don't think so.

 

[sjt18]

I have heard people say they think that HS athletics are down in Tennessee because there aren't organized Middle School sports. I don't know if this is true or if other states have this. I know we have little league here, but not organized middle school teams(with the exception of B-Ball).

I live in MO now.

It has the worst set up for HS football I have ever seen. A significant number of counties have 3-6 50-100 student HS's instead of one larger school. One county has enrollments of 500, 300, 50, 100, and 100 all within easy driving distance of a central building site.

Only a few of the small schools play 8 man fb. Most don't have fb at all.

 

[SWS22]

I have heard people say they think that HS athletics are down in Tennessee because there aren't organized Middle School sports. I don't know if this is true or if other states have this. I know we have little league here, but not organized middle school teams(with the exception of B-Ball).

I live in Clarksville tennessee. That is true here. The middle school football is poorly organized.

 

[sjt18]

Depending on juco players to help your program is only a quick fix. The great program don't depend on juco players. Do you think U.S.C, Ohio State, Texas depend on juco players. I don't think so.

JUCO players can help you. Mahelona was JUCO. Some players go to JUCO and grow more or get alot bigger and faster.

My point was there will be a smaller, weaker class for UT now. Filling some of those vacancies with JUCO players will even things out and put some potential stars in the program.

I really have no idea whether those schools ever recruit JUCO's or not. I do know that Tennessee doesn't have as much talent as Texas, Ohio, or California in HS.

 

[SWS22]

JUCO players can help you. Mahelona was JUCO. Some players go to JUCO and grow more or get alot bigger and faster.

My point was there will be a smaller, weaker class for UT now. Filling some of those vacancies with JUCO players will even things out and put some potential stars in the program.

I really have no idea whether those schools ever recruit JUCO's or not. I do know that Tennessee doesn't have as much talent as Texas, Ohio, or California in HS.

I have a friend who works for the Titans. He knows and likes Jessee Mahelona. Jesse told him that he wanted to go to U.S.C after juco. However U.S.C. refused to offer him due to was a juco player. He did say that he enjoyed his short stay at Tennessee

 

[SWS22]

JUCO players can help you. Mahelona was JUCO. Some players go to JUCO and grow more or get alot bigger and faster.

My point was there will be a smaller, weaker class for UT now. Filling some of those vacancies with JUCO players will even things out and put some potential stars in the program.

I really have no idea whether those schools ever recruit JUCO's or not. I do know that Tennessee doesn't have as much talent as Texas, Ohio, or California in HS.

Do you know who is considered the best player to ever come out of the juco ranks. Answer: O.J. Simpson Of course he went to U.S.C. How funny!

 

[jaybird_1981]

JUCO players can help you. Mahelona was JUCO. Some players go to JUCO and grow more or get alot bigger and faster.

My point was there will be a smaller, weaker class for UT now. Filling some of those vacancies with JUCO players will even things out and put some potential stars in the program.

I really have no idea whether those schools ever recruit JUCO's or not. I do know that Tennessee doesn't have as much talent as Texas, Ohio, or California in HS.

Gibril Wilson :good!:

 

[SWS22]

Gibril Wilson :good!:

I'll help you out. Lenoard Little was juco player. I'll bet you didn't know that

 

[milohimself]

Milo the kid is on track to be the comeback player of the year. His game is getting better with each outing. He now makes much better decisions than ever. I was actually proud of him (not our O line) for throwing the ball away when he did against UF. If his progress continues he will be a first round draft choice.

In the eyes of the country, we will need a division title this season to cleanse ourselves of last season. Ainge most definitley is an NFL-level talent. Not many people know it, but I can make a guarantee his arm is at least in the 5-10 best in D-IA. His problem as evidenced from last season was poor decision-making and pocket presence. He has displayed that in spades this season, but I don't get a sense from the Tennessee fan base that the Vols get exactly how bad last season looked. The Vols were ranked #2 going into 2005, and everybody and their mother knew it. Players draft stock went down simply because they were on that team.

west coast bias mostly. ainge is always short on his throws, just like casey. casey was the more accurate passer. ainge has more upside and a better arm he just doesnt read the defense as well as casey did. ainge has tons of work to do to play on sundays. ainge is not that mobile he showed that against a speedy florida defense saturday. he's no t-martin back there scaring teams with his legs. CUT is a hell of a QB caoch and as long as he stays there is always hope, but his job is huge.

Oi vey... Live out here, watch national football coverage (it's about all you get, local coverage is pretty minimal), and tell me where this west coast bias is. I always hear SEC and Big XII fans complaining about it, but I never see it. Yeah, USC gets a ton of run. But I think you've earned that when you post a 50-4 record with two national championships since 2002.

Back to Ainge, I think he displayed fine mobility against Florida. He doesn't have the foward acceleration to cary him out of the pocket and make big runs, but he has shown great ability to move around in the pocket, roll out and make the throw on the run.

Still, as good as he's looked this season, 2005 is still embedded in people's minds when it comes to Erik Ainge, the quarterback. Tennessee is going to have to win the SEC East this year to cast off the shadows, retake the spotlight and display all the great talent that is here.

NFL prospects and winning go hand in hand...

k:

 

[TennVols423]

State of the program- Good and on the rise.

UT has young talent. I'm not sure how you label UT mid-echelon at this point having lost only to UF in a very evenly played game.

UT didn't have a running game at all and was still in a position to win. One turn in their favor anywhere would have done it. They probably would have won if they'd continued to pass even with a 10 point lead considering the ground futility.

If they lose to both LSU and UGA then it would be appropriate to call them "mid-echelon"... but let's see what happens. They were fully competitive with UF.

AMEN

 

[Lexvol]

Right now Eric is a serviceable QB. He makes good plays and bad plays. Regardless, I saw his armstrength in the Florida game, but I also saw him lose a bit of composure even when he had time to throw. I would say he has improved, but must also continue to improve to make it to the next level.

 

[SWS22]

In the eyes of the country, we will need a division title this season to cleanse ourselves of last season. Ainge most definitley is an NFL-level talent. Not many people know it, but I can make a guarantee his arm is at least in the 5-10 best in D-IA. His problem as evidenced from last season was poor decision-making and pocket presence. He has displayed that in spades this season, but I don't get a sense from the Tennessee fan base that the Vols get exactly how bad last season looked. The Vols were ranked #2 going into 2005, and everybody and their mother knew it. Players draft stock went down simply because they were on that team.


Oi vey... Live out here, watch national football coverage (it's about all you get, local coverage is pretty minimal), and tell me where this west coast bias is. I always hear SEC and Big XII fans complaining about it, but I never see it. Yeah, USC gets a ton of run. But I think you've earned that when you post a 50-4 record with two national championships since 2002.

Back to Ainge, I think he displayed fine mobility against Florida. He doesn't have the foward acceleration to cary him out of the pocket and make big runs, but he has shown great ability to move around in the pocket, roll out and make the throw on the run.

Still, as good as he's looked this season, 2005 is still embedded in people's minds when it comes to Erik Ainge, the quarterback. Tennessee is going to have to win the SEC East this year to cast off the shadows, retake the spotlight and display all the great talent that is here.


k:

I hope you right about Tennessee winning the SEC East. However I would'nt bet on it. We can beat LSU and Bama. Georgia is a major problem.

 

[no1g8r]

Since you prefer Scout, here are the respective rankings since 2002:

UF- 20, 4, 8, 11, 2 Avg- 9
UT- 5, 7, 9, 1, 24 Avg- 9.2
UGA- 9, 11, 6, 4, 4 Avg- 6.8
LSU- 15, 2, 2, 19, 7 Avg- 9

According to this UGA should've won several SEC titles and been thumping on UF. Instead, they're 1 of the last 4.

Drop each team's bad year- UT avg: 5.4, UF avg: 6.2

The bottom line is that these rankings have alot of subjectivity in them. They tell the relative strength of a class... but there isn't alot of difference between two teams that average in the top ten.

UT had one bad recruiting year following a bad season. If it is repeated this year then your point becomes a little more tenable.

Personally I think this comparing a recruiting service's ratings of each teams recruiting class is overrated, but perhaps you can get a glimpse into the state of the team from it.

When I look at Florida's two worst ratings years, those are both years when Florida was at the start of a coaching change, and both times the new coach was brought into the picture too late to establish a relationship with enough recruits to get a top class. This is to be expected in a coaching transition.

Throw those out and you end up with a 4.66 average due.

The punch line -due to the "on the rise" peception of UF football, whenever a coach has had the full year to recruit he's done well. UT's down year was not due to a coaching change (although whomever Sanders was recruiting might have gone elsewhere - who knows?), but due to a poor year by the current coaching staff.

With all of that said, it's really irrelevant. A team can afford a down recruiting year. A team cannot afford multiple down recruiting years. For UT to stay in the upper echelon of the SEC East they need to have a good year this year to prove to recruits that the program is moving forwards, not backwards. A bad year on the field could equal a bad year in recruiting, which could take a few years to overcome.

This year's performance is very important for the future of UT football.

 

[milohimself]

I hope you right about Tennessee winning the SEC East. However I would'nt bet on it. We can beat LSU and Bama. Georgia is a major problem.

Georgia has been the Vols downfall as of late, but I can guarantee you LSU will be the toughest game on our schedule.

 

[SWS22]

Right now Eric is a serviceable QB. He makes good plays and bad plays. Regardless, I saw his armstrength in the Florida game, but I also saw him lose a bit of composure even when he had time to throw. I would say he has improved, but must also continue to improve to make it to the next level.

Both Ainge and Leak had problems in that game. However Erik Ainge is not the reason Tennessee lost that.

 

[SWS22]

Georgia has been the Vols downfall as of late, but I can guarantee you LSU will be the toughest game on our schedule.

I don't so. Georgia is better coached than LSU and plus we play at Georgia compared to LSU coming here.

 

[SWS22]

In the eyes of the country, we will need a division title this season to cleanse ourselves of last season. Ainge most definitley is an NFL-level talent. Not many people know it, but I can make a guarantee his arm is at least in the 5-10 best in D-IA. His problem as evidenced from last season was poor decision-making and pocket presence. He has displayed that in spades this season, but I don't get a sense from the Tennessee fan base that the Vols get exactly how bad last season looked. The Vols were ranked #2 going into 2005, and everybody and their mother knew it. Players draft stock went down simply because they were on that team.


Oi vey... Live out here, watch national football coverage (it's about all you get, local coverage is pretty minimal), and tell me where this west coast bias is. I always hear SEC and Big XII fans complaining about it, but I never see it. Yeah, USC gets a ton of run. But I think you've earned that when you post a 50-4 record with two national championships since 2002.

Back to Ainge, I think he displayed fine mobility against Florida. He doesn't have the foward acceleration to cary him out of the pocket and make big runs, but he has shown great ability to move around in the pocket, roll out and make the throw on the run.

Still, as good as he's looked this season, 2005 is still embedded in people's minds when it comes to Erik Ainge, the quarterback. Tennessee is going to have to win the SEC East this year to cast off the shadows, retake the spotlight and display all the great talent that is here.


k:

I heard Reggie Bush had to take a pay cut since coming to the Saints. Ha! Ha!

 

[SWS22]

Georgia has been the Vols downfall as of late, but I can guarantee you LSU will be the toughest game on our schedule.

Do you think Les Miles is that good of coach for LSU?

 

[milohimself]

I don't so. Georgia is better coached than LSU and plus we play at Georgia compared to LSU coming here.

Richt is suddenly gonna coach a bunch more talent into his team? Georgia's offense sucks. They've only made one long scoring drive this season, and that was against a pitiful bunch from South Carolina. All it will take to beat Georgia...

1. Defense: Bring 6 guys down on Stafford. His head will spin, Georgia's offense will implode.

2. Offense: Play steady for the win. Avoid turnovers on our own side of the 50, although the Bulldogs offense is awful, they aren't incapable of scoring if given a short field.

3. Special teams: Discipline. Once again, make the field long for them.

LSU, on the other hand, is probably the class of the SEC, talent-wise. We all know they lost to Auburn, but that game was, for all intents and purposes, even. Both teams looked about the same. Somebody had to come away the winner. Not to mention them being hungry for a win after we embarassed them in Knoxville last year.

Seriously, can somebody tell me how our 2005 offense did that in the second half? I know LSU's D layed down, but damn...

 

[milohimself]

Do you think Les Miles is that good of coach for LSU?

No, and I see LSU slipping to mediocrity if he stays there for any extended period of time. He got outrecruited at Oklahoma State, he's going to get outrecruited at LSU. Right now, I firmly believe he's getting by on the immense talent that Saban brought to Baton Rouge. I would even go so far as to say LSU and Ohio State are neck-and-neck the most talented teams in the country.

 

[Lexvol]

Richt is suddenly gonna coach a bunch more talent into his team? Georgia's offense sucks. They've only made one long scoring drive this season, and that was against a pitiful bunch from South Carolina. All it will take to beat Georgia...

1. Defense: Bring 6 guys down on Stafford. His head will spin, Georgia's offense will implode.

2. Offense: Play steady for the win. Avoid turnovers on our own side of the 50, although the Bulldogs offense is awful, they aren't incapable of scoring if given a short field.

3. Special teams: Discipline. Once again, make the field long for them.

LSU, on the other hand, is probably the class of the SEC, talent-wise. We all know they lost to Auburn, but that game was, for all intents and purposes, even. Both teams looked about the same. Somebody had to come away the winner. Not to mention them being hungry for a win after we embarassed them in Knoxville last year.

Seriously, can somebody tell me how our 2005 offense did that in the second half? I know LSU's D layed down, but damn...

Actually the LSU game was away last year. At least we get them in Neyland. Your assessment of talent is correct. Ga's defense will be tougher than you think, but I cannot imagine them putting more than 17 points on the board.