Why the heck not?

#51
#51
You may be forgetting the heupel and co get to watch nico every day. So they know what we have and they must not believe he’s ready. If it starts getting out of hand that’s when we may see him to give us a spark.
I totally agree with you, but to be fair, they watched Hooker and Joe every day leading up to 2021 and chose Joe. There are many times a player doesn't win over the coach until he is thrust into action and shows he's a player. Having said that, being a 5 star doesn't mean the kid just plugs right in and starts on the road against a perennial SEC powerhouse. It's an insane idea for a team that is 5-1. We can sit here and cite many examples where it is disastrous, and few where it isn't. This is a top 25 team playing another top 25 team on the road, you don't just throw a freshman QB in right now if you don't have to. If the D and running game can give you a chance to win (it can, imo), then you run with that. There is so much more to the game/offense than just having a guy with raw talent.
As far as Nico's NIL, it was an investment in the future. If he learns this year and is ready to go next year, paying him to sit and learn is worth every penny. Rushing him can do more harm that good, for all involved.
 
#53
#53
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think Joe earned himself a short leash last week. I have no clue who will back him up, but I know based on play calling our coaches did not trust Joe after his decision making last week. Play calling blatantly showed us that. I hope he proves me wrong next week.
That's my entire thing in this, IF Nico is better, we've got far, far, far bigger problems than this season.

We've all seen it before. Coaches who can't do what coaches need to do won't take us anywhere.

If that's how you feel about Heupel, just say so. There's none of this "just give the kid a shot" without Heupel saying "I don't trust Joe" and Heupel knows that.

It's obvious he doesn't think that risk is appropriate. If you do, you're questioning Heupel, not Milton.
 
#54
#54
That's my entire thing in this, IF Nico is better, we've got far, far, far bigger problems than this season.

We've all seen it before. Coaches who can't do what coaches need to do won't take us anywhere.

If that's how you feel about Heupel, just say so. There's none of this "just give the kid a shot" without Heupel saying "I don't trust Joe" and Heupel knows that.

It's obvious he doesn't think that risk is appropriate. If you do, you're questioning Heupel, not Milton.
I believe we’re hanging on joe bc he’s shown some flashes. He can be great. The bowl game was great. However, I can’t think of 1 game this year where I felt good about QB play when the game was over. He’s really starting to show his inconsistencies and bad decision making consistently. How far we hang on to the hope of progression and consistency will be on the coaching staff.
 
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#55
#55
You may be forgetting the heupel and co get to watch nico every day. So they know what we have and they must not believe he’s ready. If it starts getting out of hand that’s when we may see him to give us a spark.
You mean the same guys that were seeing Hooker every day in practice two years ago and thought Milton was better? Those infallible perfect coaches?
 
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#56
#56
If you have any suspicions that Heupel wouldn’t play whatever player gave us the best chance to win, you don’t know the competitor that Heupel is. He is still that Heisman runner up NC QB at heart.
Well, he did start Milton over Hooker. I think we all know how that turned out. Not saying Huepel is not a good coach, just he does make mistakes like everyone else.
 
#57
#57
Idk man they're 7-1 with Joe and they didn't lose to Florida because of him. They lost because of Mays out and the defense.
So Milton didn’t throw one of the two or three worst interceptions in Vol history in that game, at a point when we were still in it? Who threw that pass?
 
#58
#58
I believe we’re hanging on joe bc he’s shown some flashes. He can be great. The bowl game was great. However, I can’t think of 1 game this year where I felt good about QB play when the game was over. He’s really starting to show his inconsistencies and bad decision making consistently. How far we hang on to the hope of progression and consistency will be on the coaching staff.
Exactly. And our particular coach has dang near won a Heisman, did win a Natty as QB, and was the QB coach of a Heisman winner.

C'mon. We've not seen beyond the games and what Fingers shows us. If Heupel sticks with him too long, we've got a massive coaching problem because that's what Coach Heupel has done for 20+ years....... look at QBs.
 
#60
#60
Also our loud and very vocal fan base can be rough on players. The last thing Heupel needs is for Nico to make a bad throw or two and 102k booing him as a freshman. I'm sure he hears and see how Milton is talked about. Could be something to what I am saying. Maybe not.
Another HORRIBLE take.

There is 2 plus seasons of REASON why the fans boo Milton.

You honestly think they would boo Nico if he had a bad game??? As a true freshman.

Get real dude...
 
#61
#61
If Nico cant beat out JM in practice right now... he must have MILES to go. I wouldnt count on Nico being any kind of "savior" for the program. Hype may need to bring in a dynamic transfer.
 
#62
#62
Well, he did start Milton over Hooker. I think we all know how that turned out. Not saying Huepel is not a good coach, just he does make mistakes like everyone else.
He does make mistakes. Thankfully he owns up to them like he did after the game when discussing his decisions on 4th down
 
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#63
#63
Heuple won't bench Milton period. He's waited his turn again.That's the wrong message to QB recruits. Our receivers aren't helping at all.
Yeah because Milton is more important than the other eighty-five players. Definitely wouldn’t want Heupel to think about them and whether they might want the best chance possible of winning the most games.
 
#64
#64
Worley was awful QB for trying to run a RPO offense. 98% he handed it off and he couldn’t throw it deep. He was the SC player of the year over Clowney and never got recruited by SC or Clemson.
Yeah, I get all that 100%. But, he was Tom Bradyesque once Butch pulled the plug on that ill-advised Peterman experiment, at the Swamp that one day.
 
#66
#66
Y
Bingo
It really is such a stupid take
Yeah he sure was playing the best QB the first couple games two years ago. Faultless assessment on his and the staff’s part. Hooker was twenty levels below Milton.

I wonder if anybody here posting this same mindless argument over and over ever stops to think how asinine it is? It really isn’t possible to make a dumber argument.

“No way the back-up is ready because coach sees him every day in practice and it’s impossible the coach could be keeping the player on the bench that would transform our season.”

This staff already made that exact mistake once, and they made it in a major way.

If you want say you support the coach no matter what because that’s what your dad taught you, or because you met him once and he was nice, or because he beat Alabama and gave us a good season last year, okay. But the whole Nico must not be ready because he’s not playing is just as mindless as an argument can ever be.
 
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#67
#67
And YOU conveniently forget he started Milton over a guy that's now in the NFL....

No it's really NOT that bad of a take when you consider that.
Nobody forgot that.

We were so lucky with HH. Based on what he did at VPI and the fact he committed to Beldar, there was no clear indication he would be what he became here. When he got his chance, he stepped up in a big way.

The fact that Milton is 7-1 as a starter and that this year's team is a run-first team with a very good defense (still in a position to possibly play in the SECCG) makes the take we are discussing (like many of the posts I've seen from you): horrendously awful.
 
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#69
#69
Just a thought. Sabin played Hurts over Tua right up to half time of the NC game. Hurts never started again. Great coaches change starters. Actually he has twice this year. Don’t think it killed team chemistry or killed Milroe’s confidence.
 
#70
#70
Another HORRIBLE take.

There is 2 plus seasons of REASON why the fans boo Milton.

You honestly think they would boo Nico if he had a bad game??? As a true freshman.

Get real dude...

Don't kid yourself, they absolutely would. And folks on here would be calling for the backup of the backup. First game this year at home I heard the "fire the coach" chants behind me with the first bad series on both defense and offense. I was like, what the heck - we had the best season in a really long-time last year and was 1-0. I don't know if someone said something to them or if the dirty looks sunk in, but they did stop with the stupidity shortly after that. Some fans unfortunately seem to like the drama and would prefer the drama over winning.
 
#71
#71
Just a thought. Sabin played Hurts over Tua right up to half time of the NC game. Hurts never started again. Great coaches change starters. Actually he has twice this year. Don’t think it killed team chemistry or killed Milroe’s confidence.

Too bad the transfer rules were what they were back then, because there is no doubt Hurts would have transferred earlier.
 
#72
#72
Nobody forgot that.

We were so lucky with HH. Based on what he did at VPI and the fact he committed to Beldar, there was no clear indication he would be what he became here. When he got his chance, he stepped up in a big way.

The fact that Milton is 7-1 as a starter and that this year's team is a run-first team with a very good defense (still in a position to possibly play in the SECCG) makes the take we are discussing (like many of the posts I've seen from you): horrendously awful.
Exactly. My understanding is that Hendon wasn’t all that impressive in preseason practice last year and that’s why Joe beat him out. Hendon was a gamer and at the start at least, not a great practice player. Can’t compare that to thinking a raw freshman would be any better than Milton. No sane coach in this world is going to replace the starter of a 5 and 1 top 20 team with an unproven freshman and that’s the way it is. Got to love our couch coaches.
 
#73
#73
You may be forgetting the heupel and co get to watch nico every day. So they know what we have and they must not believe he’s ready. If it starts getting out of hand that’s when we may see him to give us a spark.
You may be forgetting that Heupel and company once had a guy named Hendon Hooker on the bench while starting until he got hurt. The rest is history...It's time to play Nico.
 
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#74
#74
I keep hearing everyone say that it would be foolish to start a true freshman in Tuscaloosa and my question is "Why?" He is a 5 Star and he is getting paid big money to deliver big performances like SEC road wins. The truth is we have no clue what he is capable of playing meaningful snaps with the starters. What would it hurt to roll the dice and start him the first drive and see what he can do? We know what we have with Joe. He is struggling. It is what it is. But Nico is still an intriguing mystery.
Other than him being 5* and $$$, there is no solid reason to start Nico. There is a reason CJH hasn't put him in games. I trust this coaching staff. Nicole is not going to start unless Milton gets hurt...jmo
 
#75
#75
Not defending Joe anymore after the performance Saturday; but just because he is not getting it done doesn’t automatically mean that Nico would necessarily ball out. We are in a transitional window between the recruits Heupel had to work with in 2021 and the recruits he really wanted long term. We all knew that Milton was a high risk/high reward proposition. Unfortunately he hasn’t lived up to our high hopes, fortunately he had only one loss since taking over for Hendon. The three picks in the last two games are troubling but they haven’t cost us a game so far.
If we can get serviceable numbers from Joe (including some of the hard hitting runs he finally started uncorking in the second half) and continue a bruising ground attack, we should be able to finish a decent season and set the groundwork for the next era of Tennessee football
Just had a convo with my dad and this was my point. Most can agree Joe is not going to be what everyone had hoped but this does not mean Nico is better right now. How quick we as fans become accustomed to a top notch quarterback. We had exactly one from like 2010 to 2020 then enter Hendon Hooker and we now think exceptional quarterback play is normal.

This team should be successful with Joe Milton as long as coaching is where it should be as far as preparation and in game decision making/play calling.
 
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