I have a quick question for you. If I had told you in June that this team would enter The Swamp on the third Saturday in September without Justin Hunter and Janzen Jackson, what kind of odds would you have given this team to win. Do yourself a favor and be completely honest.
Football can mirror real life. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons which determine the outcome of a situation. Not all of these reasons equate to excuses. Once the Vols lost Hunter, they had very little hope of beating the Gators IN GAINESVILLE.
There are some things that happened on Saturday that fall into “no excuse” category. The blocked punts and turnovers on the road eventually have to stop. The idea that the special teams unit can lose sight of the fastest opposing players is very concerning. Even more troubling is the rushing statistic. If Hunter was healthy for four quarters on Saturday one has to wonder if we are even talking about this. Now, Justin Hunter is lost for the season.
Losing Hunter for the season is going to require a little bit of ingenuity.
Losing Hunter for the season is going to require a little bit more production from the other receivers.
Losing Hunter for the season is going to require a little more diligence with the game planning.
Losing Hunter for the season is going to require a little more patience on the part of Tyler Bray.
Losing Hunter for the season is going to require a LOT MORE NASTY from this offensive line.
When you play on the offensive line, you like it best when nobody is really talking about you. That typically means that you are doing your job. It is no wonder that this OL is now the talk of Knoxville. From this point forward there will not be a more scrutinized unit on this Tennessee team.
Somebody on the OL has got to get a bee in their bonnet.
Somebody on the OL has to get a stick in their craw.
Somebody on the OL has got to be determined to fire off of the ball and move the man in front of him in a direction predetermined by the play call.
Running the football demands commitment and a real will to do it. Youth continues to rule the day on the offensive line, but let’s be honest again. If the Vols are going to provide Dooley with a signature win, this offensive line must start pushing a few defenses around. The size and talent seems to be in place. It is time to bring on the nasty.
8 responses to “Guitar Shots to the Head: A Little Nasty”
God I hope they do
Great Job! Agree completely!
I agree. If the OL don’t bring the nasty some this year against quality D-lines. Maybe it is time to look for a replacement for Heistand.
O-line needs to find their rage tempo. It’s far less complicated to smack someone long enough to give the QB time to toss the nugget. It’s much more difficult to actually force the opposing defender out of the way during run blocking. The big boys up front need to find some rage. How about we quit feeding them for an hour or two,,,that should pi** them off.
I’m good with all that is said here. I think the biggest thing that sticks out in this that I haven’t even really gave much thought to is “ingenuity”. Lex is right. You still have 80 or so scholarship players. And we just have to figure out how to field the best of them and give them the best and most ingenius plan and we can still win. We took LSU and NC to the wire last year with, let’s face it, a scrapped together team. WE can do it. I like this.
i’d make them push the blocking sled the length of the field about 5x everyday in practice… cmon we gotta get a push! And backs… hit the damn hole!
Ah yes, I remember that thing. I was thinking the same thing after I watched the game. That used to be a staple with us. We pushed that sled all over God’s creation. I was a wide receiver and we were right there with the linemen.
Something has to give with the O line. Although I feel like they are doing a fine job protecting Bray, they arent opening a hole for a mouse to run through. Or is it that Poole and company has lost their vision? I think it is a combination of both. If you are going to win in the SEC, you have to be able to run the ball. We cannot run the ball! So it is all up to Bray now, and unless Arnett shows up big, we are in for a long October folks.