My Concerns about the VOLS Football Team

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Tennessee Football

The White Level
I have several major concerns about the Tennessee VOLS football team:

1) We do not have a clear, star-quality running back. I do not see John Kelly in that role---based on the great VOLS running backs of the past. If he wants to be that, he needs to step up and show that he is a 140-200 yard per game back or get out of the way and let one of the younger backs take on that role early. As a team in the modern era, Tennessee does not become a championship quality team without a star-quality running back.

2) Our defensive line and linebackers need to get their act together. I have not kept up with this issue closely---maybe someone else here knows more up-to-date information. However, at some point in the summer it came to our attention that Penn State has a $500,000 lawsuit going against one of our key defensive coaches. To my way of thinking, no one could do a good coaching job with a Sword of Damocles like that hanging constantly over their head day-in and day-out. I am wondering if a persistent failure in defensive coaching is at work and if this lawsuit is the primary reason for it---wasting a coach's emotional energy that should be going into improving the defense.

3) Our pass defenders have a very hard time keeping up with great wide receivers man-to-man. Similarly, our own VOLS wide receivers have a very hard time getting open downfield---meaning they cannot beat coverage against a 4-star or higher cover man. Our great wide receivers of the past, like Peerless Price and Willie Gault, left even the best cover men behind in a blinding cloud of dust. We need to get that quality back again. Maybe the guy with the dreadlocks that stepped up out of almost nowhere against Georgia Tech can inspire our receivers to move in that direction. Note the video clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMQtEyhI9j0

Those are the three major problems I see so far on VOLS Team 121. If the Sycamores have the talent and willpower to exploit these weaknesses, they have a chance of winning. I am also concerned that our team may be looking forward to Florida too much and treat this as a "rest game." That would be a horrible mistake to make---because in this day and time when even Vanderbilt or MTSU can beat a good team---there is no such thing as a "rest game" in college football.
 
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John Kelly not a quality running back?

Bob Shoop's civil law suit with Penn State over pay having an impact on how well our linebackers play on the field?

And did you not know Bob Shoop or Marquez Callaway's names? "the guy with the dreadlocks"? Really?

Are you blowing smoke at the Sycamore fans, brother? I mean, we've certainly got faults they can attempt to exploit, but your list...?

This all seems very "tin foil hat" to me...or as if you're trying to mess with them.
 
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You have 22 more scholarships and your recruiting budget for football is what we spend on our entire program.

My only concern with the Vols is I wish we could have gotten more than $500k out of you guys.
 
Yeah, this playing field is definitely not level.

*shrug* It is what is is: our program giving your program a hefty financial shot in the arm in exchange for an extra home game and a likely (not for sure, but certainly more likely than not) W.

As cynical as some may see that, I personally think it's healthy. The cash infusion helps smaller programs grow and expand, until one day maybe they're in Div I. And the opportunity to maybe, just maybe pull off the upset highlights that there's really not all that much difference between Bama and Wofford, after all. It keeps the football world churning. And that's healthy for the sport.

As Coach Mallory said this week (hoping I'm paraphrasing him well enough), the focus is to go in and play to be the best player you can, play the game for yourself and your teammates, make the most out of it, gain from it what we can.
 
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JP-82-VFL said:
John Kelly not a quality running back?

Bob Shoop's civil law suit with Penn State over pay having an impact on how well our linebackers play on the field?

And did you not know Bob Shoop or Marquez Callaway's names? "the guy with the dreadlocks"? Really?

Are you blowing smoke at the Sycamore fans, brother? I mean, we've certainly got faults they can attempt to exploit, but your list...?

This all seems very "tin foil hat" to me...or as if you're trying to mess with them.
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These are all honest concerns of mine. I do not mess with people:

I said "star-quality" running back. A 500, 600, or 700 yards per season running back is not star-quality. Star Quality is Jamal Lewis, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, etc.

No. I could not recall the Shoop or Calloway names. Just wait until you get old, and we will see how well you recall names. If you are some UTK undergrad student, you still have a lot to learn son.

I used to work in professional training. The state of mind of any teacher, trainer, or coach impacts the students/players in training. Just consult the students in my 6th grade class. Her husband got killed in a plane crash, and she took her anger and grief out on the class in spades all year, and it affected all of us. I can still see Patty crying and running out of the classroom and down the hall in sheer terror.

No tin hat bro. Our defense sucks---our receivers drop passes thrown right into their hands---pass coverage is poor---receivers down field have trouble getting open. Shoop was hemming and hawing about our poor defense today---and saying it might not even be fixed for the Sycamores game---just read it in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. From the article, he sounds like a worn out old man who is not fully engaged in what he is doing.
 
Jason. I am not surprised. One of the biggest problems I saw at UTK in my student years long ago was a university-wide attitude, beginning at the top with the President and Chancellor, that the world existed only to give UTK money---while UTK existed only to take money---as much money as it could get---and give out as little of it as possible. So, yes. I suspect "stingy" is the proper word. I'm just being honest here---from my own perspective.
 

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JP-82-VFL said:
John Kelly not a quality running back?

Bob Shoop's civil law suit with Penn State over pay having an impact on how well our linebackers play on the field?

And did you not know Bob Shoop or Marquez Callaway's names? "the guy with the dreadlocks"? Really?

Are you blowing smoke at the Sycamore fans, brother? I mean, we've certainly got faults they can attempt to exploit, but your list...?

This all seems very "tin foil hat" to me...or as if you're trying to mess with them.
Click to expand...


These are all honest concerns of mine. I do not mess with people:

I said "star-quality" running back. A 500, 600, or 700 yards per season running back is not star-quality. Star Quality is Jamal Lewis, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, etc.

No. I could not recall the Shoop or Calloway names. Just wait until you get old, and we will see how well you recall names. If you are some UTK undergrad student, you still have a lot to learn son.

I used to work in professional training. The state of mind of any teacher, trainer, or coach impacts the students/players in training. Just consult the students in my 6th grade class. Her husband got killed in a plane crash, and she took her anger and grief out on the class in spades all year, and it affected all of us. I can still see Patty crying and running out of the classroom and down the hall in sheer terror.

No tin hat bro. Our defense sucks---our receivers drop passes thrown right into their hands---pass coverage is poor---receivers down field have trouble getting open. Shoop was hemming and hawing about our poor defense today---and saying it might not even be fixed for the Sycamores game---just read it in the Knoxville News-Sentinel. From the article, he sounds like a worn out old man who is not fully engaged in what he is doing.
 
Tennessee Football said:
I said "star-quality" running back. A 500, 600, or 700 yards per season running back is not star-quality. Star Quality is Jamal Lewis, Herschel Walker, Bo Jackson, etc.

No. I could not recall the Shoop or Calloway names. Just wait until you get old, and we will see how well you recall names. If you are some UTK undergrad student, you still have a lot to learn son.
Click to expand...

Heh, okay, interesting that you see things through that lens. Can't say I agree with you.

As a Tennessee fan, you know that John Kelly's 681 all-purpose yards last fall came pretty much in seven games: he played A&M because Hurd was injury-sidelined, and then came in for the South Carolina game and on, with Kamara's injury and Hurd out. So 681 yards in 7 games...that extrapolates to about 1,250 yards in a 13-game season. You knew all that about him, I'm sure. I'm still not clear why you think he's not a quality running back.

As for my age, heh, I may be older than you. But appreciate you playing the "son" card. It's very convincing, and adds to your argument brilliantly.

I still think you're trying to troll the Indiana State fans here with misinformation, but *shrug* you do what you like.
 
Jason Svoboda said:
You have 22 more scholarships and your recruiting budget for football is what we spend on our entire program.

My only concern with the Vols is I wish we could have gotten more than $500k out of you guys.
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I posted that we were playing TN, I believe in 07. So the $500,000 negotiated that long ago...looked good then.

Anything and everythings negotiable, it's too bad that the Terms don't ever include an escalation, or payout increase based on inflation.

This really should be a $700,000 to $800,000 game for us. Heck, don't we receive $500,000 from Purdue and IU?

I learned we were playing TN from Ron Prettyman (my source) when he came to FW and played in an Alumni Golf Outing. Lou West, was also at that outing.
 

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