I’m calling on all you Atari gurus out there. How many of you remember playing Astroids and Space Invader on your Atari 2600? I wore my reset button out on those two games alone. Things weren’t going just right…just hit reset and start over. Well, that pretty much sums up the situation on the hill.
Here we are VolNation. This is the time of the year that we get to move in circles with the old argument. What comes first, the chicken or the egg? This is not to be confused with Chicken Little. Though there are some that would argue that the sky started falling a long time ago.
Usually I try to keep Guitar shots to a short, succinct theme. This time around it might seem like I’m rambling.
First, I would like to clarify something and say something that needs to be said. Most reasonable Vol fans knew Lane Kiffin was a short term fix. He was here to recruit against Saban and Meyer. With Lane and Orgeron on the hill it was possible for UT to avoid the historical lull that accompanies the dismissal of a coaching legend. Before you begin the argument in your head, Phil Fulmer won a national championship at UT. Therefore he is a legend.
If you follow college football at all, you know that regardless of the program, you don’t fire an established, tenured coach without risking sending your team into the world of inconsistency and mediocrity. Yes, we were heading in that direction anyway, but Lane Kiffin and Co. gave Vol fans the hope that we would not wander in the desert for too long waiting for a miracle. The talent was on the way.
It didn’t work out. So now we are left with Derek Dooley salvaging what is left of a decent signing class.
Chicken Little says that we need depth on the offensive line and on the defensive line while the commit ticker is lighting up with defensive backs and linebackers. So what comes first: speed at the skill positions or solid depth on the offensive and defensive line? What do you do when you desperately need both?
Tennessee needs more team speed today. How do I know? Just look at the special teams play. On a deep SEC team your kick off coverage teams should be your fastest and most talented reserves. The Vol’s special teams play is much less a reflection on coaching, and a much bigger indicator of the depth of speed currently on the roster.
On the return side, while I enjoyed hearing the Vol fans say Nu’keese’s name, he didn’t look anything like Percy Harvin when he had the ball in his hands. It has been a while since we have had a burner receiving punts and kicks.
The argument gets a little cloudier when you realize how the last four BCS National Championships have been won. It has been in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball. While I wouldn’t consider Alabama’s offense explosive last year, they could run the ball when they had to. They beat Florida because Florida could not.
To win in the SEC you simply have to control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. (Told you I’d be rambling).
So, we have established that we need the chicken and the egg.
Yet, in the back of my mind, I’m also beginning to wonder how close {or far} the Vols may be from competing in the SEC. Kiffin and company took what most would consider a ragtag group of players and stared Alabama in the eyeballs.
Maybe it is blind “homerism”, but I do find it ironic that recruiting sites exploded in popularity once the scholarship limits were in place. This year UT will likely sign 27 players. That will be roughly 32% of the scholarship players on the team. In a good recruiting class about half of those players will contribute over the long term… if you are lucky. So we spend hours worried about 15% of the team. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy it as much as the next guy or gal, but there are no guarantees on signing day.
We also have to take the rest of the SEC into account. Just like last year, every team in the SEC has serious personnel issues to address. History also tells us that it isn’t always that easy to recruit the next Tim Tebow or Terrence Cody no matter who is signing on the dotted line.
Often one or two exceptional players can be a building block for a championship run. In the end it makes a lot of what has transpired in Knoxville and California a little silly. Two athletic directors made quick decisions based on “saving” signing classes.
So I won’t complain about anything that happens on Wednesday. It would be nice to sign a few more offensive and defensive lineman. On the other hand a little speed an infusion of speed would be good too. Maybe the Vols will find one or two exceptional players that they can build and offense and a defense around. That would be a nice “reset”.
Happy signing day week, and Go Vols!