The reason the passing game is not as good this year

[Bluetickdevildog1076]

Bru was good this year. Keyton has been bad. Watch the games. He has had a lot of drops. Way more than last year. Everybody has talked about Joe disappointing the WRs have been. AP, Hubbs, Hooker, Swain, Fred White and Jonathan Crompton have all said how the WRs haven’t been good. Milton hasn’t been really good either but if the WRs had hands like last year things would look different.

Heupel is calling most of the plays.

I have watched the games. Joe is so inconsistent, that affects the receivers. Can't get into a rhythm when you have no idea were the ball will be.

 

[Bryan1]

That's pretty simple qb and receivers last year > this year!

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

Tillman wasn't a 4.3 guy so the only speed we really lost was Hyatt. Thornton is faster than Tillman, and Squirrel is pretty fast himself so I'm not seeing the speed drop off if anything they got faster. Its the drops keeping them from big numbers. Thornton has dropped at least 2 TD's and who knows how many yards. Keyton has dropped like 3 TD's and at least 200 yards. U add in the other 15 no DPI calls on the season and they might be on a record pace in the passing game if we're honest.

Keyton has made a bunch of great catches the past couple of years that excuses the couple of bad drops he's had this year. If Bru heals, he, White and Keyton will all be on NFL opening day rosters

 

[BernardKingGOAT]

The wide recievers were completely different last year. None of them from last year played Saturday. None of the guys who did play this past Saturday really got open. Keyton was not a super star last year and he was not expected to be one this year. McCoy is not a first round type talent either, and now he's gone. You don't have anything at tight-end. You also lost your best linemen to the NFL. That's a completely different offense. No position got an upgrade in talent from the previous year. Recruiting will be the key to this resurgence. As (most) everyone knows.

Keyton made huge plays last year on critical downs. He took all of Tillman's minutes while Tillman was hurt. White had big plays when he got a chance too. It's like everybody in this forum forgets about the Orange Bowl. Bru was the only starting WR receiver playing. Tillman was hurt and Hyatt passed, which was OK. We beat ACC champion Clemson, 31-14, a winner of 2 national championships in recent years

 

[Fletcher3g]

It’s also the same reason we don’t play fast as compared to last year.

Ding ding ding.. this is the reason we are not having open receivers. We went so fast no one was ready. Speed was not that big of a factor.

 

[wmcovol]

Well, Jalin Hyatt too. Ramel was better last year too. Losing Bru hurts bad because he was Mr dependable for the most part.

cmon man. It’s all on Milton. Didn’t you read the post above

 

[cgrish]

When your slowest receiver runs a 4.57 a year ago everyone is open and that was Bru. Tennessee needs speed next year

We have speed this year too. I agree with some dropped passes, I disagree what some have said, that receivers are not getting open, they are, just not hitting them or throwing too late and then they are no longer open. We had receivers open against Bama, either Joe didn't see them or throwed too late.

 

[cgrish]

When did Tillman actually play last year?

He didn't play much because of injury, but I thought we actually played better without him, it seemed it took targets away from Hyatt.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

I have watched the games. Joe is so inconsistent, that affects the receivers. Can't get into a rhythm when you have no idea were the ball will be.

And our WRs are very inconsistent with catching the ball and getting open. Look people that know more football than you and I combined have said how disappointing our WRs have been. Just blaming Milton shows a narrative that’s not based in reality.

 

[cgrish]

I have watched the games. Joe is so inconsistent, that affects the receivers. Can't get into a rhythm when you have no idea were the ball will be.

I have seen drops that were all on the wr. But I have also seen many that at first I though were on the receivers, but when replaying it to watch closer. A lot of them were 100 mph fast balls off target. Yes it hit their hands but when you are say running to your right and the ball is thrown a little behind you, and the wr has to twist around to even get a hand on the ball; those kind of passes are very difficult to catch. But those that hit them in stride right in their hands thats all on the receivers.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

We have speed this year too. I agree with some dropped passes, I disagree what some have said, that receivers are not getting open, they are, just not hitting them or throwing too late and then they are no longer open. We had receivers open against Bama, either Joe didn't see them or throwed too late.

You can disagree all you want but guys who have actually played the game have even said it.

 

[CAVPUT]

The passing game isn't as good? No offense to the OP, but I can't believe this is a surprise considering the talent we lost.

 

[cgrish]

You can disagree all you want but guys who have actually played the game have even said it.

I agree they are not as good as last years, but I wouldn't go as far as to say they are not good. Squirril is having a good year, Bru was doing good, but he is out for the season. I see potential in some of the others, Keyton catches the difficult catches and drops those right in his hands. I wonder if Dee could be a wide receiver? He can certainly run after the catch.

 

[UTwick]

Well, Jalin Hyatt too. Ramel was better last year too. Losing Bru hurts bad because he was Mr dependable for the most part.

Don’t forget Tillman

 

[LWSVOL]

Personal observation. Last year teams were afraid of the deep pass and played five or ten yards off the receivers at the line. This actually gave the receivers time to move and actually get open, even for the deep ball. Last year Georgia did not do that, they jammed the receivers at the line. Everyone hits the receivers at the line, and the refs allow it all the way down the field. Look at the Bama game last year. The receivers were wide open many times, not because they were faster than this year's players but because the way Bama defended.

the players executing it are not as good as the one's that executed it last year.. really easy assessment.

 

[Col_Cathcart]

Hooker and 2022 receivers > Milton and 2023 receivers

end of thread

Line was better last year too

 

[Oldvoldad]

He didn't play much because of injury, but I thought we actually played better without him, it seemed it took targets away from Hyatt.

Agreed.

 

[TucsonVol]

Personal observation. Last year teams were afraid of the deep pass and played five or ten yards off the receivers at the line. This actually gave the receivers time to move and actually get open, even for the deep ball. Last year Georgia did not do that, they jammed the receivers at the line. Everyone hits the receivers at the line, and the refs allow it all the way down the field. Look at the Bama game last year. The receivers were wide open many times, not because they were faster than this year's players but because the way Bama defended.

Simple answer. We have no QB!

 

[TheVolsFrog]

Tired of hearing about the receivers! Bru and Keyton were clutch last year. White really came on at the end. So your telling me all 3 went to sh_t. Two main reasons for the piss poor showing this year. New OC and Joe.

Bru is out but he was grinding when he was in, Keyton has regressed way too many drops, Squirrel isn't getting separation but he does seem to be Milton best go to last year and this year and tends to pull the ball in. Squirrel also benefitted from having Hyatt

 

[TheVolsFrog]

What VN always does. Say he sucks and call for the backup QB. Don’t you know at TN the backup QB is ALWAYS better?

You left out in Nico's case they'll be saying "we" paid $8million for this fire ____________.

 

[lexkyvol]

Its a combination. Different QB, Different go to receivers, dropped passes are abundantly more this year, inaccurate throws ( Hooker had them too ), many many DPI not called. Hard to catch the ball with T-Rex arms.
Something I've noticed though, with the exception of BRU it doesnt seem that our receivers go after the ball and snatch it out of the air. I've always felt the greatest receivers do that. They don't wait till the ball gets to them. You win more challenged catches that way. I still think we have a very dangerous passing game. Drops which end a series, ( catch would be first down) kill this kind of offense. Every game so far has had this happen more than once.

all the average fan knows is its not as good and milton is qb. the in-depth parts dont matter to most. blame the qb. then, if heupel switches and it doesnt work......maybe they will see it starts with the oc, then the wrs, then joe

 

[SpaceCoastVol]

End thread.

Please. There are plenty of Milton hate threads

 

[posivol]

Keep throwing to the TE until they stop it. We have two large bodies in that role.
The NFL lives on the TE.

both are very slow

 

[TheVolsFrog]

both are very slow

They should be used over the middle more and if CJH insists on going for it on 4th&1. Instead of putting Joe in the shotgun, bring him under Center. He's a big dude, put one of the TE in as a Back and help push the Joe. I think it would work with Mays, Joe and one of the TE's. I can kind of see not doing it last year with Hendon and his long gazelle legs but Joe is a big dude

 

[Snapper58]

I have seen drops that were all on the wr. But I have also seen many that at first I though were on the receivers, but when replaying it to watch closer. A lot of them were 100 mph fast balls off target. Yes it hit their hands but when you are say running to your right and the ball is thrown a little behind you, and the wr has to twist around to even get a hand on the ball; those kind of passes are very difficult to catch. But those that hit them in stride right in their hands thats all on the receivers.

So you know what play was called and you know for certain that the reciever was at the proper spot when the pass was thrown? You also know that on earlier plays the reciever did not get off the defender as fast and was slower on thier route? There are many things that go into a pass. There was a pass to Bru early in the season that was a little behind him and he didn't catch the ball. If you know football, the defense was in cover 2 and Bru should have throttled down in that spot. If Milton had hit him in stride, it would have taken Bru right into the safety for a big hit. You can't sit back and say if the throw was off or if the reciever did not run the correct route without actually knowing the play called, and how that play should work against that defense.