We are missing a unique play maker.

#26
#26
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
You aren’t winning championships without elite players. Nobody has ever done that in college football, in recent memory at least. So if you decide you aren’t going to play that game because it’s difficult to attain and retain those types of players, you’re putting a very hard ceiling on your program that will prevent you from ever winning big. If you’re content winning 8-10 games a year and getting the occasional first round playoff exit, you can do that, but you’ll never do more.
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I won't disagree.
 
#28
#28
VFL-82-JP said:
You're looking for the wrong thing.

You seek a star. But football is a team sport. Truly. Team.

You want Eric Berry. But remember how our teams did when Eric Berry was here? We sucked. Even though Eric was awesome, we went 5-7 and 7-6 his two best years.

Point is, a star doesn't make a team championship caliber. A lot of really good no-name players working together toward a common goal (championships) are far more valuable than one or two stars.

Go Vols!
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Eric Berry's tenure had more to do with bad coaching. Elite players like that are exactly what you need to win championships.
 
#30
#30
I agree in a sense that we are missing an X Factor on the offense. It doesn’t have to be one guy, but last year we just didn’t have guys or a guy that could be a “go and get it” type player. Sampson was good and had a few breakout runs, but he was more of a grinder than a breakout. Nico had a few sparks, but didn’t have many Hooker type runs where he made a 30 yard run out of nothing. Nor did he make a lot of deep ball throws. WRs barely made any splash plays either.
 
#31
#31
BreatheUT said:
People misunderstand gamebreaker sometimes. It could mean your QB makes all the throws or finds a way to convert on crucial 3rd downs that make fans on the other side throw their bowl of cheetos at the television set.
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Yep...high level QB's are the great equalizers. Hooker was one example, when we probably had mid-upper tier talent, but unique QB skills lifted us to a stellar season.
 
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#32
#32
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
You aren’t winning championships without elite players. Nobody has ever done that in college football, in recent memory at least. So if you decide you aren’t going to play that game because it’s difficult to attain and retain those types of players, you’re putting a very hard ceiling on your program that will prevent you from ever winning big. If you’re content winning 8-10 games a year and getting the occasional first round playoff exit, you can do that, but you’ll never do more.
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Go look at all the national champions going back to 98 when we won it and see where their recruiting ranking were. All near the top is what you will see. Folks want to say the stats don't lie then they say stars don't really matter when it's proven it does.

Very seldom will you see a NC that recruits outside the top part of the rankings.
 
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#36
#36
Tnphil said:
Go look at all the national champions going back to 98 when we won it and see where their recruiting ranking were. All near the top is what you will see. Folks want to say the stats don't lie then they say stars don't really matter when it's proven it does.

Very seldom will you see a NC that recruits outside the top part of the rankings.
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Yeah, Stars don’t matter on an individual basis. A 5 star can suck, a 3 star can become a Heisman winner and a NFL MVP. But anyone who wants to argue that team recruiting rankings don’t matter is either dumb or desperately avoiding the fact their team can’t compete for title.
 
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#38
#38
VFL-82-JP said:
You're looking for the wrong thing.

You seek a star. But football is a team sport. Truly. Team.

You want Eric Berry. But remember how our teams did when Eric Berry was here? We sucked. Even though Eric was awesome, we went 5-7 and 7-6 his two best years.

Point is, a star doesn't make a team championship caliber. A lot of really good no-name players working together toward a common goal (championships) are far more valuable than one or two stars.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...

Do I need to list the team records when we had other “star” players? If you don’t think they make a difference then I can’t help you.
 
#40
#40
We need receivers that have funny nicknames, we can chant when they make a 5 yard or a screen pass catches. Which gives the impression their over performing and helps their NIL i.e. a player named maybe Squirrel or a player whose name rhymes with the word boo, that would keep the fans happy. Who needs 5 star game changers, we just need awesome nicknames. 🤔 🤣
 
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#41
#41
Qb is the most important position. Lead by example and elevate everyone around you. Yes Tennessee needs a burner or two on the outside. If the QB doesn't see them or overthrows them it doesn't matter anyway.
 
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#43
#43
VFL-82-JP said:
You're looking for the wrong thing.

You seek a star. But football is a team sport. Truly. Team.

You want Eric Berry. But remember how our teams did when Eric Berry was here? We sucked. Even though Eric was awesome, we went 5-7 and 7-6 his two best years.

Point is, a star doesn't make a team championship caliber. A lot of really good no-name players working together toward a common goal (championships) are far more valuable than one or two stars.

Go Vols!
Click to expand...
This is a nice warm and fuzzy story you tell. It would make a great movie. In college, the teams with the “stars” are in the top conversation every year. You need playmakers at skill positions to be relevant. We don’t have them.
 
#46
#46
I never felt Hyatt was "unique".
This isn't a knock on the guy. He deserved his award, just saying we don't need anything spectacular. He was fast and had good hands but that's not "unique" in my mind. Nico was never ready, the LTs were below average and hurt early on, Bru hasn't been the same since the injury and Squirrel was never healthy.
If all the players mentioned were just above average I think this team is possibly 12-0.
 
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