The coaches always have a lot to say this time of year. They are excited about the new season and can’t wait to get to work on all of the plans and ideas they’ve had during the summer. Just how much weight do we put in all we are being told right now? If everything we are hearing holds true, I’m not sure that any of us will recognize the Vols this season.
1. The 3-4 defense.
This one seems to be one that we’ve heard for a while now but I’m not sure that it’s ever been discussed to the level that it has so far this year. Linebacker seems to always be a strength for Chavis coached defenses and moving to a 3-4 would allow us to have another one on the field. The down side is that it has always been argued that you need a dominant nose guard to be effective in a 3-4 and we don’t have one.
Coaches and players alike have assured us that it’s something we are going to see. No one is suggesting that we are moving away from the 4-3 but rather just adding the 3-4 as a package for certain situations. Ryan Karl, for one, is not convinced. He made a comment today that putting in a 3-4 defense in 2 1/2 weeks was not something he was real confident in.
2. The no huddle offense.
We have been hearing about this one since the spring and Coach Cut still insists that the no huddle offense will be part of our normal game plan. I’ve always understood that the no huddle limits the defense by not allowing them to substitute personnel between running and passing downs. Today, however, Cutcliffe insisted that one of the biggest reasons for implementing the no huddle is to allow us to run the football better. I like the thought of us using a no huddle but I’m not sure I like the fact that we believe we need it to be able to run the football effectively.
3. The new quarterback package.
The fan favorite, a quarterback package that’s going to feature a guy like Lucas Taylor, Gerald Jones, or Eric Berry. Do you believe it? Let’s just say for a second that it’s true and the staff really does have this ready to go. Do you think we will see it? Just because we have the package doesn’t necessarily mean that we use it. And even if we use it is it likely that we will use it at the right time?
In addition to that, today there has been talk from Cutcliffe of a system where the tailback can slide into a role at quarterback. Remember Darren McFadden last year? I think most Vol fans may have stricken that from their memory. It seems our coaches must still be seeing it in their sleep because they have determined that it worked so well against us, we should probably install it in our offense. I’m not sure we have a Darren McFadden on our team so that leaves us with a McFadden package with no McFadden.