Where are the freshman DBs?

#27
#27
TNStudMuffin said:
That baloney they put out on the field is some sort of advanced defensive strategy? lol
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It is confusing because it is disorganized crap. The way this defense deals with motion and TEs is a joke. Missouri and Florida both exposed this on us over and over again.
 
#28
#28
UT has a long-held tradition of squandering freshman talent. Heck, UGA played a freshman middle linebacker on Saturday. For YEARS AND YEARS...UF, BAMA etc. have started freshmen in the defensive backfield and they all seem to do quite well. UT? Hardly ever.

Just another anomaly of UT I don't understand.
 
#30
#30
utvols74 said:
UT has a long-held tradition of squandering freshman talent. Heck, UGA played a freshman middle linebacker on Saturday. For YEARS AND YEARS...UF, BAMA etc. have started freshmen in the defensive backfield and they all seem to do quite well. UT? Hardly ever.

Just another anomaly of UT I don't understand.
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Does UT have a freshman anywhere on the defense that possesses the same level of athleticism as CJ Allen? Answer that question, and that may help you understand.
 
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#31
#31
Just like WRs, DBs must be strong enough physically to play in the SEC…we signed several in last years class who have potential but without being an insider I can’t say which ones were physically ready to play. I believe Jordon Matthews was the highest rated but he’s played the least. Not sure if he got hurt or just isn’t ready yet. Ricky Gibson and John Slaughter have both played in all 11 games and Cristian Conyer has played in 8 games. Of course special teams count so I don’t how many snaps they’ve taken as DBs.
 
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#32
#32
We cannot exactly blame Martinez for being able to develop talent. Hadden was never my favorite player. One he never turned his head to make a play on the ball and he never stopped running his mouth. This year by game three he was playing extremely better. His injury really set our secondary back. Maybe his athleticism shined through or he simply learned how to cover WRs. Regardless, as a group our DBs get burned more than toast at Waffle House! Need to improve and replace.
 
#34
#34
volfan_28 said:
Georgia and Bama both have freshmen starting in their secondary, although Bama's is a redshirt freshman I think. They both earned freshman all-sec honors.
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Bama has Caleb Downs starting but if he stays healthy he will go down as one of their best safeties ever. He’s a special player that doesn’t come around every class. The only people I can really remember in recent history coming in as freshmen and making a big impact in the secondary are Berry, Janzen Jackson, and Cam Sutton. I’m sure I’ve missed some but it doesn’t seem like freshmen come in and make an impact unless they’re truly elite
 
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#36
#36
volnbama_ said:
Bama has Caleb Downs starting but if he stays healthy he will go down as one of their best safeties ever. He’s a special player that doesn’t come around every class. The only people I can really remember in recent history coming in as freshmen and making a big impact in the secondary are Berry, Janzen Jackson, and Cam Sutton. I’m sure I’ve missed some but it doesn’t seem like freshmen come in and make an impact unless they’re truly elite
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Good points and glad you mentioned it because in the back of mind one of reasons I think I’ve been wanting to see Gibson and Matthews get a chance is because I remember how much I enjoyed watching Roshaun Fellows and Jonathan Hefney compete in 2004. They both started as freshmen in 2004 and did pretty dang good jobs considering. It was one of the major storylines that year. In addition to the freshman DBs we had two freshman QBs competing for the starting job and a certain sophomore kicker who gave me one of my best football memories that year…
 
#38
#38
njvols said:
This is probably true, but usually when we have top level DBs through the years, those talented individuals have found their way on the field early in their careers, many times as freshmen.

Not entirely sure if it's scheme or talent, but in our four losses, any time we've had a third and long (7+ yards), it's been almost an automatic first down. So frustrating to see us give huge cushions on critical downs. You could argue when we're averaging 35 points/game, that you can play safer and make teams drive the distance of the field...but when you're not scoring at that clip like this year, then more aggressiveness is needed...in my opinion.
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I have always figured our CBs play softer because they play so many downs.
Is it a planned cushion or a sign of fatigue?
 
#39
#39
UT_Tix79 said:
Freshman might have more natural talent, but they are freshman, and our defensive game plan is tough to pick up supposedly. They can play in limited roles, but we’d have to dumb down the defense for them to play full time
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On the other hand, if the old guys are not getting it done, why not get the better athlete more experience for next year and beyond? That is assuming they are physically ready for combat.
 
#40
#40
BruisedOrange said:
The great thing about football is that it can be enjoyed by anyone, even kids or wives who don't yet know the rules.

You can also enjoy it at any level of appreciation for technique, play calling, or strategy.

Without messing with your enjoyment, I'd bet you and me both would be lost within 10 seconds, sitting-in on a conversation between Tennessee defensive backs or coaches, even if we'd studied the glossary and knew what all the terminology meant.

In the 3 seconds before snap through 3 seconds after snap, our DBs go through more mental processing than a family of 6 looking at a TGI Friday's menu for the first time.
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No doubt, but it isn't an excuse for the ones that want to make a career at it to be poor at it. At the end of the day it's physical ability and instincts and it's you and the guy across from you making a play on the ball.
 
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#41
#41
BruisedOrange said:
The great thing about football is that it can be enjoyed by anyone, even kids or wives who don't yet know the rules.

You can also enjoy it at any level of appreciation for technique, play calling, or strategy.

Without messing with your enjoyment, I'd bet you and me both would be lost within 10 seconds, sitting-in on a conversation between Tennessee defensive backs or coaches, even if we'd studied the glossary and knew what all the terminology meant.

In the 3 seconds before snap through 3 seconds after snap, our DBs go through more mental processing than a family of 6 looking at a TGI Friday's menu for the first time.
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I think most of us know enough football to mentally follow the planning with some practice and mentoring from the coaching staff. I also agree with you that most of us do not appreciate the depth of planning and abstract thinking needed to plan and then practice the defense.

The physical ability to defend against great athletes and still execute the plan at a high level is where almost all of us will be unable to function at a high level, or even an acceptable level. I would be turned around and leaning the wrong way in a step or two.
That body control combined with mental focus, toughness, and correctly reading and anticipating the next moves from receivers, runners, and QBs is what sets elite DBs apart from good and average DBs. Great DBs are rarely found ready to go. They are usually long-term projects when they enter the program.

I have become an uncoordinated mess as I have gotten older.
Hard to believe the body I have now was once well practiced at executing choreographed physical moves as a Left Tackle (HS was as far as I could go), and I could also dance back then too.
 
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#42
#42
The upperclassman play soft zone better than the super athletic underclassmen. The staff wouldn’t want them in there playing tight coverage and breaking up plays. That would throw everything off.
 
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