Tennessee's Butch Jones: 'We have absolutely zero depth'

[JFBanicki]

Sadly he is right. Were forced to start players that would simply be depth, give your starters a break, type players on most teams. Dooleys recruiting is showing its true colors and should be an example of why you should always go for the guy that has the speed over the guy with size or technique and not take the guy with size or solid technique and hope he can keep up with or contain the guys with speed.

 

[JFBanicki]

Yes, but they'll be much faster, quicker more talented players than most of what we have now. Plus, current freshmen like Dobbs, North, Vereen, Reeves-Maybin and Sutton will take huge jumps IMO. Not to mention the sophomores like Randolph, Coleman and Pig who will be upperclassmen with tons of experience. I think we're a much better team next year... much better.

I don't know about much better. We won't be worse and we'll probably be better, but I don't see it being a whole lot better. Like the other guy said we will have alot of inexperienced players playing and we still won't have muh depth so injuries will be still be alot more devastating to us than they would be to alot of other teams. Most teams have upper classmen starting and if they get hurt then they play their 4star SO, RS FR, or FR.
Unfortunately I think it will be another couple of years before we see alot of improvement in our team.

 

[kw3953]

One can only hope with this upcoming recruiting cycle that the light is at the end of the tunnel! :thumbsup:

 

[seerob22]

A. He's right.

B. Where are all the guys that get all upset at posters on here criticizing players? That is essentially what CBJ just did.

He wasnt criticizing players he was criticizing the lack of players.

 

[TennesseeFan07]

Let's just call this "Year Zero."

 

[Rockytoptalker]

We looked pretty sorry against S Bama at home. Who knows how we'll play after two back to back biblical beat downs

I'll have you know we handed South Alabama their largest margin of defeat this year.

 

[OldLofter]

one thing for people to remember,it is going to be a crap load of freshmen next year and that usually doesn't work good in the SEC

In addition to a "crap load of freshmen" we will be without the most experienced - the seniors.

Next year will be tough also.

 

[Boca Vol]

So Dooley's recruiting classes were top 15-20 and there is no talent on the team?

Dooley says, "We're not a very good team, right now." and he is crucified on here.

So Jones says that UT has no depth and a lot of you are in complete agreement.

Prior to the season anyone that said UT wasn't a very good team was immediately called a negavol or troll. Those same posters predicted wins over Oregon and Mizzou while putting Bama on upset notice.

So the same people that called others trolls or negavols and predicted crazy wins are now blaming the shortcomings of the team on talent????

 

[vol-un-tear]

Sucks to hear it from the coach! I know but don't want it to be true!

 

[livefaith]

Lol! I guess after making a statement like that, Butch is a negavol like myself.

Bingo!

Except he's rich and knows something @ football.








Sorry man, just had too. :whistling:

 

[onevolfan]

I find it very difficult to believe this is what Butch said. Who interviewed him? Why would he say this to AL.com but not anywhere else?

This is trash!!!

They also say that Tennessee is playing 7 rank teams, SOME of which have dropped out. Who is SOME -- Florida?

This article is pure trash!!!

I tend to agree. Even though this is true, it just doesn't sound like something CBJ would come out and say. Also since this is coming from an AL paper, or website, I'm not so sure I completely trust that this is exactly what he said.

 

[photovol]

Butch is trying to prepare the fans for the game Saturday against Auburn. I do hope we keep it close, but we're probably looking at another rout.

 

[Oskie Volum]

You are well beyond ignorant. There isn't even a word for it.

What CBJ has, is a team full of players that aren't SEC caliber, thanks to your favorite coach.

Please stop posting.

Ahhh very typical stupid responses from all yall.

Can't argue or have a discussion so let's be cool and call the person who's comments go over ur head ignorant. Ur pretty cool bro!

All this zero depth that's not SEC caliber, tough schedule, etc etc stuff can be said during the dooley yrs. So if CBJ is worth as much as he is getting pd then he should have these players ready to play every Saturday. At least score a TD in the final mins vs 2nd teamers.

I don't know if CBJ is going to pull it off eventually or not but IMO he is in no way a worse situation than what dooley walked into. He's making "no excuse get things done now" type of money. If we as a fan base don't hold his feet to the fire now we will be in the same position in 3 yrs and we can't afford that. We need him to learn how to get it done in the SEC NOW!!! Or at least show he can compete and sustain it and not win when teams lose key players due to injury.

Dooley rebuilt the burnt down house and now CBJ is adding the fixures and decorating. Pretty simple it's time to get it done.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

 

[BanditVol]

So Dooley's recruiting classes were top 15-20 and there is no talent on the team?

Dooley says, "We're not a very good team, right now." and he is crucified on here.

So Jones says that UT has no depth and a lot of you are in complete agreement.

Prior to the season anyone that said UT wasn't a very good team was immediately called a negavol or troll. Those same posters predicted wins over Oregon and Mizzou while putting Bama on upset notice.

So the same people that called others trolls or negavols and predicted crazy wins are now blaming the shortcomings of the team on talent????

I never criticized Dooley for saying "we are not a very good team right now" after they just got their arses whipped. He was just stating the obvious.

There is...again...a world of difference between saying that and "I told you...these guys are not any good" which is a direct shot at the players. It also has the implication of trying to put all the blame ON the players.

I didn't like the first statement either...again, it sounds like an excuse, but at least he isn't putting it ALL on the players, because HE is part of the team too. Arguably the most important member, in fact.

So see...there is a BIG difference.

 

[majic73]

Should have added "....and damn near absolutely zero team speed, especially on defense."

that is so hard to gauge right now. I can tell you that we are not the fastest Defense on the planet. However , the secondary and backers in coverage have no kind of pass rush up front ( back to that depth issue) . Coverage on a good team holds for 3-4 seconds . We are in coverage far longer than that. any secondary is gonna look bad in that situation.

 

[onevolfan]

Butch is trying to prepare the fans for the game Saturday against Auburn. I do hope we keep it close, but we're probably looking at another rout.

I don't think so, and I'm sure he fully expects his team to win the game Saturday, as do I. He is just not the type of coach to be defeated before he even plays the game, unlike our previous coach.

 

[BanditVol]

You are well beyond ignorant. There isn't even a word for it.

What CBJ has, is a team full of players that aren't SEC caliber, thanks to your favorite coach.

Please stop posting.

I'm going to push back on this a bit. Recruiting rankings are not perfect, but we averaged 15th in the country per Rivals the last 4 years. That isn't bad at all.

And with a few exceptions, there has been almost no turnover...by which I mean players leaving, between Jones and Dooley.

What Kiffin did was deliberately run off several Fulmer players, some of whom were pretty good, and then recruit an unfortunate number (not ALL of his players, but a good many) of players that washed out like Nukeese Richardson and Bryce Brown, to name just two.

So that when Kiffin left there was even more turnover.

The person you responded to is correct and not "ignorant" at all....we DID have only 65 scholarship players left at the start of Dooley's term. We might as well have been on major probation. And it can be laid squarely on Kiffin.

But where I will agree with you is that even with the situation that bad, Dooley still completely under-performed as a coach. No question about that at all.

 

[majic73]

So Dooley's recruiting classes were top 15-20 and there is no talent on the team?

Dooley says, "We're not a very good team, right now." and he is crucified on here.

So Jones says that UT has no depth and a lot of you are in complete agreement.

Prior to the season anyone that said UT wasn't a very good team was immediately called a negavol or troll. Those same posters predicted wins over Oregon and Mizzou while putting Bama on upset notice.

So the same people that called others trolls or negavols and predicted crazy wins are now blaming the shortcomings of the team on talent????

Dooley made these statements while he had two 1st round NFL receivers , an NFL TE , a QB with a quick release and cannon arm , and all the same guys we have now.

Butch is saying that we have no depth ...because we have no depth. In the secondary we are backing up freshmen with freshmen. QBs ...1 serviceable guy , backed up by a not so good guy , backed up by 2 freshmen. DL and LBs ? Do they even have backups ...wouldnt shock me if they subbed in parking lot attendants . Receivers have 'depth' ...freshmen , walk-on , or two guys that were running backs last season. Take your pick !

Not sure how you would not agree with Butch's statement on 'depth' ...it is not a trick .

 

[NashVOL93]

How many scholarship players were on the roster when Dooley got to UT??..65ish??

So all yall complaining about bad depth that's bad depth. He had a hole to dig out of that was hard to do. He had the NCAA and was on the hot seat real early. So all these excuses and whining really is pointless. The guy is getting pd 3 mil a year and was handed 2 solid QBs that had been on campus to work with a full offseason and he doesn't have enough depth??? Dooley had a true freshman and a JUCO transfer starting the season, a depleted team full of issues. Many had to leave. CBJ doesn't have anything near that.

Oh yeah to yall toughest schedule folks...he had to play OR, Bama, LSU. So hold the guy who is getting pd what...40%+ a year than the guy who actually cleaned up a lot of crap.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

Two solid QBs? Are you referring to Worley and Peterman?

Put down the booze, or move to Texas where you can watch your main man Dools in person.

 

[LotteryPick]

Ahhh very typical stupid responses from all yall.

Can't argue or have a discussion so let's be cool and call the person who's comments go over ur head ignorant. Ur pretty cool bro!

All this zero depth that's not SEC caliber, tough schedule, etc etc stuff can be said during the dooley yrs. So if CBJ is worth as much as he is getting pd then he should have these players ready to play every Saturday. At least score a TD in the final mins vs 2nd teamers.

I don't know if CBJ is going to pull it off eventually or not but IMO he is in no way a worse situation than what dooley walked into. He's making "no excuse get things done now" type of money. If we as a fan base don't hold his feet to the fire now we will be in the same position in 3 yrs and we can't afford that. We need him to learn how to get it done in the SEC NOW!!! Or at least show he can compete and sustain it and not win when teams lose key players due to injury.

Dooley rebuilt the burnt down house and now CBJ is adding the fixures and decorating. Pretty simple it's time to get it done.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

1. Your responses aren't going over anyone's head. I can assure you that.

2. What you aren't understanding is Dooley did nothing to further the roster. One bit. He also had six cupcakes his first year, which got him to a bowl game.

3. Dooley rebuilt absolutely nothing. We still have walkons in the two deep, freshmen starting, and upperclassmen who don't know how to win on the road because they've never done it.

If it's time for anything, it's time for you to hope off the Dooley train or relocate to Dallas where it now resides.

 

[Catbone]

So Dooley's recruiting classes were top 15-20 and there is no talent on the team?

Dooley says, "We're not a very good team, right now." and he is crucified on here.

So Jones says that UT has no depth and a lot of you are in complete agreement.

Prior to the season anyone that said UT wasn't a very good team was immediately called a negavol or troll. Those same posters predicted wins over Oregon and Mizzou while putting Bama on upset notice.

So the same people that called others trolls or negavols and predicted crazy wins are now blaming the shortcomings of the team on talent????

Preach it brother

 

[Aday25]

Uh, I don't think CBJ was criticizing players. He is simply stating the obvious.

this^ he didn't point out any particular players, or say our players were not very good. He said we lacked depth. This could mean a lot of things. Such as, we have a lot of young freshmen playing in positions because we lack the right personnel to fill those spots with upperclassmen. Or we lack a lot of players who can contribute in certain positions- some positions are worse then others.

 

[Aday25]

I'm going to push back on this a bit. Recruiting rankings are not perfect, but we averaged 15th in the country per Rivals the last 4 years. That isn't bad at all.

And with a few exceptions, there has been almost no turnover...by which I mean players leaving, between Jones and Dooley.

What Kiffin did was deliberately run off several Fulmer players, some of whom were pretty good, and then recruit an unfortunate number (not ALL of his players, but a good many) of players that washed out like Nukeese Richardson and Bryce Brown, to name just two.

So that when Kiffin left there was even more turnover.

The person you responded to is correct and not "ignorant" at all....we DID have only 65 scholarship players left at the start of Dooley's term. We might as well have been on major probation. And it can be laid squarely on Kiffin.

But where I will agree with you is that even with the situation that bad, Dooley still completely under-performed as a coach. No question about that at all.

While not only underperforming, one could say his lack of developing players and ability to "coach" up players, for lack of a better word, has contributed to what seems to be a disparaging lack of overall talent- putting recruiting stars and rankings aside (because it matters little at this point). Also the complete exodus of some of most talent offensive weapons from last year certainly has not helped. We are playing a ton of freshmen on both sides of the ball- (which are typically inconsistent in terms of production) this is not by accident. Jones is playing freshmen because of the lack of depth. This should be a clear sign as to our talent problem. Relying on freshmen does not typically produce a consistent winning football team. But what it does is allow for experience- with that along with good development this group of young players should improve greatly over the next few years. Dooley's ultimate problem was no improvement. This lack of depth was created by the past few coaches.

 

[DD4ME]

The issue is and has been lack of depth along standard curves. We have multiple receivers but mostly all Freshmen because 4 of our best got booted or went early. That kind of crap happens. Our issue is it's at multiple positions. The lines will be the same next year. If Maggit were playing this year and doing well you'd have to include linebackers too.

 

[BanditVol]

Oh yeah to yall toughest schedule folks...he had to play OR, Bama, LSU. So hold the guy who is getting pd what...40%+ a year than the guy who actually cleaned up a lot of crap.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

I'm glad you brought that up. Even though we had, as you point out, a depleted roster in 2010 in terms of numbers, many of the players were still very talented. Many of them went on to NFL careers.

And as such, if I recall correctly, we were actually leading Oregon AND bammer that year at halftime, and only trailed LSU by a bit. The very three teams you mention.

Wanna actually compare halftime scores to final scores?

Here we go!

2010 Oregon game at half: UT 13 Oregon 13
Final: UT 13 Oregon 48

2010 Bammer game at half: UT 10 Bammer 13
Final: UT 10 Bammer 41

2010 LSU game at half: UT 7 LSU 7
Final: UT 14 LSU 16

See a pattern? How we were close at half in the first two and then just got embarassed? And do you recall the complete cluster-f at the end of the LSU game, a game we should have won?

Let me also state for the record that Bammer was 8th when we played them, Oregon 7th, and LSU 12th.


Now look how Jones has done against similar competition.

2013 Oregon at half UT 7 Oregon 38
Final UT 14 Oregon 59

2013 Bammer at half UT 0 Bammer 35
Final UT 10 Bammer 45

Who to pick in place of LSU? USC is a good analogy because they were ranked 11 when we played them, one notch ahead of LSU and it came down to a play at the end, but we WON this time and LOST to LSU in one of the biggest screwups in the history of Tennessee football...having 13 players on the field in a situation where we would have won easily!

Oregon is a bit of an exception as is SOLA, but in EVERY OTHER GAME THIS YEAR, the Vols have gotten BETTER as the game rolled on.

That is coaching my friend. No adjustments at halftime and no inspiration from coaches means teams that QUIT in the second half. As bad as we have been beaten in some games, Tennesse this year has played hard to the end.

I don't want to hear that we "quit" against Mizzou. If we had quit they would have scored way more than 7 in the second half.