Guitar Shots to the Head 5-6

The countdown to kickoff continues, and along with that comes a warning to the Volnation. Prepare yourself for an earful of prognostications declaring Georgia and Florida the heirs to the SEC throne for the upcoming football season. Yes we have seen and heard it all before. It seems eerily similar to the hype surrounding both of those programs last year. Meanwhile, in Knoxville, UT is quietly toiling away….installing a new offense and propping the confidence of a defensive front seven which was a very shaky unit last year.

For a fan base that just watched their team compete for an SEC championship the Florida and Georgia even deserved hype can be hard to swallow. Sometimes it simply leaves us jumping up and down in Knoxville screaming, “What about us?” at the top of our lungs.

The harsh reality of the situation is this. The perception in the dark corners of press rooms and ESPN studios is that the Vols don’t have the athletes to compete with Florida and Georgia this year, and that could be true. With Tebow and Harvin returning and Stafford and Moreno waiting to unleash Georgia’s offensive juggernaut, UT has more questions than answers when it comes to matching up with those offensive units. As I look for those answers, frankly they are few and far between.

Before I allowed the doom and gloom to firmly set in I decided that I wanted something to be excited about. Refusing to give into the darker side of the off season, I searched the Volnation for answers to UT’s match up problems for the upcoming season. It wasn’t easy, but I have arrived at two reasons to be optimistic amidst the inevitable onslaught of the Florida and Georgia media love fest.

I am excited about Dave Clawson. There, I said it. It is nice to get that out there. Not only has Clawson installed a new offense, but he has also convinced Fulmer to play with an interchangeable offensive line; no I do not mean interchangeable in the sense of substitutions. Clawson plans to move offensive linemen in the same way he would use other skill players to create mismatches along the defensive line. Whether we agree with the actual philosophical approach or not, it should tell us one thing about Dave Clawson’s role on this team. Phil Fulmer has given him the reigns.

It is one thing for a coach to come in and pick his players. It is an entirely different ballgame when Phil Fulmer allows a coach to come in and tinker with the way the offensive line is used. With that in mind I am quite confident that Clawson will do what he has done everywhere else he has been. He will get the football to playmakers in space.

The second, and possible more important point of optimism for me is summed up in two words: Gerald Williams. Before you ask, I do not have an update on his status with this football team. What I do know is that Williams has signed his letter of intent. For a moment suspend your thoughts about our coach’s inclinations about playing newcomers early. These coaches are searching far and wide for a player that will provide consistent pressure to opposing QBs. Run stopping is a definite issue to address, but with the potential of the Vol’s secondary, finding one player that can consistently hound opposing quarterbacks is a key for this coaching staff. For me, Gerald Williams has the look of an ultimate “disruptor”.

Here is a look at his career numbers from the UT sports website. In 2007 he finished the season at the City College of San Francisco with 147 tackles. The year before at Hargrave he had 96 stops. In his senior season in Florida, arguably the most competitive high school football state in the country he finished the season with 115 stops. Those numbers don’t include interceptions or sacks (there were quite a few).

Say what you will about the competition he has played against. I realize that those are not against SEC caliber opponents, but I know football players when I see them. Gerald Williams should positively impact this defensive team immediately.

The media will continue to bang the Georgia and Florida drum for obvious reasons, but if Clawson has control of this UT offense, and Gerald Williams shows up to play perhaps by the end of the season we will all be marching to a different beat. Until Next time, Go Vols!