Spring ball is officially over, the NFL Draft is over, and so is Tennessee’s quarterback debate….for now anyway. It has been an interesting off season so far, and it didn’t require any off field antics by our coach(es) or a quarterback defection for that to be the case. Those things just made it more so.
Last week after the Orange and White game I posted a thread about my thoughts on B.J. Coleman’s attributes as a leader on this team. They were made not in the context of his skills as a quarterback, rather with how he carried himself, and the confidence he supposedly had heading to the final leg of the quarterback race for the up coming season. A week later, and all I got is….I was wrong. As I peruse the various opinions on B.J.’s departure, I’m only left with one emotion. Disappointment. No, I’m not from Chattanooga. No, I wasn’t a 2nd string QB in high school. I just remember reading articles about how he and Eric Berry were the ones that were getting guys to go to work outs, film sessions, trying to make sure everyone was on time to study sessions etc.., and how B.J. approached the competition he faced to be the QB at Tennessee. I’m disappointed because, whether or not he ever started a single down for us at Tennessee, he was a guy that I believed would be good for this team. He would push Jonathon Crompton. He would have the respect of his teammates. He would be ready to go play if and when his number was called. And yes, I’m disappointed because apparently I was wrong to boot.
But such is life when so much has changed over the last three years. B.J. was brought in by David Cutcliffe. David Clawson didn’t share his opinion. Lane Kiffin offered him a shot. And at the first sign it wasn’t going to go his way, he bolted. On some level I can understand. He wants to play, bottom line. In the end, that means more than simply being on his childhood’s favorite team.
Big picture wise, it think this is a big blow to our 2009 team simply because our options at quarterback fall off dramatically. I’m just not confident that Nick Stevens is going to significantly push Crompton for serious playing time, and with the incoming Mike Rozier, I’m equally not as confident that we’ve really added any depth to the position. The only possible good to come of this situation is that for every elite QB that is available for this next class, the promise of a legit shot at playing time can be believed starting next year. The rebuilding process continues……and now Kiffin and company have a real task at hand, find a quarterback that can come in and play, immediately. Building up the O line now has to be a priority and adding some serious threats outside. This incoming class of QB, OL and WR needs to be impact players right off the bat. So, get ready elite recruits, you’re going to have visitors soon!
As for the NFL draft, congratulations to Robert Ayers. Another 1st rounder from Tennessee. And then…..not another single pick from Tennessee. I can’t say that I’m all that surprised; it wasn’t like there was a plethora of elite talent coming out this year. I do think there will be more NFL bound talent in up coming drafts. But hey, what are you gonna do when UConn had 4 picks on “day 1”? It was just one of those drafts, and even with some of the recruiting that went on the past 4 years, there’s a good portion of that so called top level -talent that just washed out UT, much less had a chance at the NFL. If Eric Berry decides to forgo his senior season at UT he will no doubt be a top 10 pick as an underclassman, and will likely be the headline pick of what could be a decent Vol class heading to the NFL next year. So don’t fret Tennessee fans, there will be more Vols heading to the NFL in the near future.
Until then though, let’s continue to focus on their time on The Hill.
In the meantime, it’s time to settle in to the dog days of summer. A summer that just got a lot longer with no QB controversy to mull over for the next 5 months. On second thought, that might actually be a good thing….
GO VOLS.