Thoughts after three games (long read)

[De La Cloobs]

The more I watch Tennessee the more I realize how important the QB position is.

I'm convinced that if we trade our best QB for Matt Corall, the only teams that beat us are Bama and Georgia.

 

[ThreatLevelOrange]

The more I watch Tennessee the more I realize how important the QB position is.

I'm convinced that if we trade our best QB for Matt Corall, the only teams that beat us are Bama and Georgia.

Our D and special teams are worlds better than last year, which shows we have a competent coaching staff.

 

[Birdie]

I don't think Hooker has looked better.
1. He has had egregious turnovers
2. He runs the offense slower
3. His accuracy is not much better

Milton oozes potential. Runs the offense fast and efficiently. Has thrown the short and intermediate passes really well. If he can connect on the deep ball there's no question who the better QB is. Hooker will not play much better than he has, Milton has the potential to be next level. All things equal, you gotta go with the guy who has a chance to take it next level.

 

[Birdie]

I don't think fans were happy to see Bailey because they think they know better than Heupel. He was a 5-star recruit who a lot of fans hoped would live up to it and be the kind of superstar QB that other teams have, while we have struggled to find anyone competent. Sadly, at this rate, he will probably transfer and only then live up to his recruit ranking -- with some other team NOT named Tennessee. This seems to be our luck lately.

And don't forget that Heupel has said repeatedly that he has confidence in all 3 QBs.

Lol "simplistic high school scheme"

Bama, Lane Kiffin, Arkansas, Oklahoma all run variations of a similar offense genius. Huepel runs a combination of the Air Raid mixed with Briles' offense. This offense has won national championships, made people Heisman winners, and put numerous QB's in the league.

But keep spewing your ignorant BS.

 

[Woke]

Gotta start Milton vs FL bc he’s a legit threat to stretch the field. If he actually hits some of those bombs watch out. If Milton flails, Hooker will try to manage the game from there. Atp IMO forget about Bailey being a contributor this season.

 

[Evergrenevol]

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

+1 Really good post GA

 

[Volprofch05]

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

Appreciate the thoughts!

 

[Fullfillmer]

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

I disagree with your suggestion to go all in with Milton. I think you have Hooker and Milton ready to go against Florida with the idea that you may use them both. Playing or starting Hooker rather than Milton may result in a couple more wins this season - so why tank this year to coach either Milton or Bailey up. Regarding Bailey, people were less enamored with Bailey than they were disheartened and disappointed in Milton's play. Milton never gets his feet set, never goes through progressions, was signaling receivers to " go deep " with his hand against BG - he likely may never turn into the dream qb that you envision. The play calling is the best we have seen in a while - the defense plays hard - but we are super thin and when a starter goes down - we drop off dramatically. If we have competent qb play in Hooker - that may be better than the second coming of JG ( Milton ).

The jury is still out - I doubt either will look very good against Florida, Alabama, and Georgia - I wouldn't be all in on anyone until we see a larger sample size against some of the better teams. If the coaching staff determines Hooker gives us a better chance of beating SC, Ky, Missoui, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
then that's who we should roll with. Hooker has outplayed Milton this far, with Milton getting the most practice snaps.

Playing T Tech, BG, and Pitt - you should average 43 ppg. so nothing to write home about there - I do like the play calling - but the sledding will be much tougher going forward. We won't average 17 ppg against Fla, Ala, and Ga.

 

[knox73]

Nice post and I agree the squad is playing hard for this staff. I think Hooker has 2 years to play so if he beats out Milton there is time left for development of both QBs. Milton may eventually develop but he missed a great opportunity vs. TN Tech and Hooker has seized the reins at the QB position. Heupel obviously can coach and I like what the staff has shown so far.

 

[Hacksaw]

Lol "simplistic high school scheme"

Bama, Lane Kiffin, Arkansas, Oklahoma all run variations of a similar offense genius. Huepel runs a combination of the Air Raid mixed with Briles' offense. This offense has won national championships, made people Heisman winners, and put numerous QB's in the league.

But keep spewing your ignorant BS.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I was your intended target on this (although, I confess to being guilty of spewing ignorant BS from time to time).

 

[NighthawkVol]

The more I watch Tennessee the more I realize how important the QB position is.

I'm convinced that if we trade our best QB for Matt Corall, the only teams that beat us are Bama and Georgia.

Especially in the college game.

 

[BanditVol]

Great post OP. I particularly agree that the offense is much better and that Florida is it's first real test. Agree with numerous other points also, but the other one I will single out is that I agree it's too early to give up on Milton. Two games is not enough. I think Vol fans have "JG syndrome" after literally five years of seeing that guy. If it was possible to track such a thing, JG would have set the record for "undeserved starts after proving he can't get it done". None of us want to live through that again, but its reasonable to see what Milton can do the rest of this season, whether he starts or not.

As for this coming week I'd rather see Hooker get the start. Milton can always come off the bench.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

I think that the QB situation is something that people need to think about in the larger context of the whole roster.

Tennessee has 4 qbs who could have returned this season. Shrout, Maurer, and JG are gone.

Bailey remains and with 3 guys leaving isn’t even 2nd string.

So, think about that roster wide

So, the hand Heupel was dealt is just a difficult one to play.

Also lost Salter as he was a bit too immature.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Nice.

I just wanted to see Bailey play but after yesterday I think he’s actually regressed so now we can move on from that experiment. He will never play in a meaningful game in this offense. The best thing for him is to transfer.

DL / OL aren’t quick fixes. The lack of legitimate coaching on the lines over the past 3 years is killing us.

I don't think he has regressed. I just don't think he has had enough practice to be comfortable. If we need him down the road, he will do fine.

 

[allen phillips]

I see Milton the same way you do. In particular, because he has such a strong arm our running game has a lot more potential with him in, because the defense can’t stop defending deep just because he hasn’t been very accurate. You only have to hit one long bomb to score a touchdown. The thing that Coach Heupel has to be careful with is knowing when investing more time into Milton will no longer bring a return.

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out games I disagree with one of your points. and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

From what I have seen of the first 3 games I disagree with one of your points. I believe that Hooker has been more effective than Milton. Thus far Milton has been a train wreck and I think he lost the Pitt game for us. Hooker has not been lights out but he seems more effective than JM. If I am correct then what you are asking is that CJH take a couple of potential losses this season just to give Milton experience on his way to becoming the quarterback we need. I say no to that. let's finish the year with the QB that gives us the best chance of winning now [Hooker] and let JM reach his best potential after the season is over.

 

[bigl3327]

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

For everyone who has already written off Milton, I just want you to think back to the 2009 season. Kiffin was the new head coach and most fans had already written off Johnathan Crompton as a bust. He didn't look good to start the season, and many said he couldn't be helped because he was a senior and it was too late. They figured out his issues and we went on to have a pretty good season nearly beating the future national champs (Bama). Crompton went from being a bust to being a draft pick. I don't know if this will happen with Joe Milton, but all the tools are there to be a future NFL draft pick if the deep ball accuracy is figured out. In all fairness, they haven't had much time to get it all worked out, and apparently he completes most of these throws in practice and scrimmages. If he completes just half of the missed deep balls, he gives us our best chance to win in SEC play. Right now, none of the QB's have shown the ability to consistently connect deep in game, but patience is nonexistent for most of Volnation.

 

[WoodsmanVol]

Nice.

I just wanted to see Bailey play but after yesterday I think he’s actually regressed so now we can move on from that experiment. He will never play in a meaningful game in this offense. The best thing for him is to transfer.

DL / OL aren’t quick fixes. The lack of legitimate coaching on the lines over the past 3 years is killing us.

Bailey??? It was one minute remaining for mop up duty. No time to get in a groove the way a misfiring Hooker did with Pitts. Perhaps if he had a whole quarter, we'd see what he really is. I'm still in his corner, but I'll take Hooker based on what we HAVE seen so far. Bailey has yet to have the chance Captain Hook or the Milt man has enjoyed yet. So downgrading him is training running off the tracks.

 

[volmoon]

One other point as it pertains to playing Milton right now…he’s a RSSoph. Hooker is a Senior. So if you play Hooker all year, you’re starting over at QB next year with Milton or Bailey. But if you ride out the rough spots with Milton this year, you have an experienced QB next year who has developed (assuming Heupel believes he will…and I have to think he does).

Yes, next year a fifth-year college QB should be ready.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

You shouldn't judge Bailey based off of a clean up stint with mostly 3rd string talent around him. I have said it before, when we made our coaching hire decision our offensive philosophy was decided and the type of quarterback we would be playing and recruiting was decided. We are now committed to his fast moving, simplistic, highschoolish offensive scheme. Talented prostyle quarterbacks need not apply.

He’s not judging Bailey on yesterday’s game alone. No one is. He is also basing it on his play last year and Bailey’s inability to win the starting position when he actually had an inside track to win the job.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Gotta start Milton vs FL bc he’s a legit threat to stretch the field. If he actually hits some of those bombs watch out. If Milton flails, Hooker will try to manage the game from there. Atp IMO forget about Bailey being a contributor this season.

Hooker is hands down the better playmaker. If you want the chance to be competitive you go with him Saturday. Don’t forget that Milton also has some turnovers so the turnover issue between the two is not as great as some are making out to be.

 

[hUTch2002]

Just a collection of my observations on the season so far, 25% through it.

-Obviously, the biggest topic of discussion has been the QB position. The obsession by some of our fans with Bailey is weird. Bizarre. He's not even the backup. He's 3rd string. He hasn't shown anything to make us think he's a savior. He came in at garbage time of some games last year and completed a bunch of 3 yard outlet passes to RBs. I really don't get it. Yes, he was highly rated as a recruit, but that doesn't seem to matter as it pertains to Milton, does it? Furthermore, Heupel has been a GREAT developer of QBs. He knows the position as well as anyone in America. And he knows who is best in HIS offense better than anyone. Nonetheless, we have a bunch of armchair QBs who think Heupel doesn't know what he's doing in not starting Bailey because...hell, I don't know why. They've just decided that based on what they want their reality to be, I guess.

But yesterday, it was obvious why Bailey is 3rd string. He doesn't throw outs with nearly the zip of the other two. He's slow to process. His release is slow. He doesn't look confident. And he's obviously not at athletic. He was 3 for 7 against the Tech scrubs. So...let's drop the Bailey talk and move on to the two QBs who are in actual consideration to start:

Hooker has looked better than Milton at this point. That's obvious. A few of his runs have reminded me of Dobbs. And he has a strong arm, though not as strong as Milton's (who does?). I think Hooker is a solid SEC starting QB who could be pretty good, but not great. A pretty good QB with this surrounding cast won't take us far, but might get us to 6 wins. Maybe 7.

Milton's struggles on the deep ball have been well-documented. What's most maddening is that he's overthrowing these guys when he could just err on the side of under-throwing to give his man a chance to catch it or get a PI call. Of greater concern to me has been his tendency to hold the ball and not spot open WRs. He does hit the outs with precision (and has more than enough arm to get it there quickly). All things considered with Milton, he's not as good as Hooker at this point.

That said, I think there is a decent chance that Milton starts next week. And here's why: our coach (who, again, has forgotten more about coaching the QB position than any of us know) sees upside in this kid that he believes he can help him reach. And that upside is high enough that, if reached by a QB, will help Tennessee win faster (as in Year 2 or 3) than going with a guy who is just "good." A great QB can compensate for a ton of other deficiencies. If Heupel thinks he can get Milton to "special," he might go with him over a guy who is better right now. Remember...this isn't about this season. It's about building this program back to what it once was. Maybe going with Milton means Tennessee only wins 5 games this year (instead of 6 or 7), but wins 8 or 9 next year (instead of 6 or 7). And the faster Tennessee can get to an 8 or 9 win season, the faster recruiting becomes easier and success starts to snowball.

I've seen enough college QBs who looked awful turn into fantastic QBs by coaches who knew how to develop them and be patient with them (Crompton by Kiffin, Ainge by Cutcliffe, Brady Quinn by Weis). Also remember....Milton is the only one of the QBs who wasn't in Knoxville for Spring practice. He's very inexperienced in this offense. As his knowledge and comfort level with the offense grows, he'll process faster, and, I'm guessing, make better, more confident throws. I'll trust Heupel on this one.

-I've seen some of our fans criticize playcalling. That's absurd. Heupel might be the best play-caller I've seen at Tennessee. He's had WRs running wide open in all 3 games. His QBs haven't been hitting (or seeing) them and his WRs haven't been catching them and his OLine hasn't always protected, but he's calling plays to get them open time after time. At one point in the Pitt game, one of the announcers said Heupel was putting on a "playcalling clinic." He was. He's elite. One thing I love about him as a playcaller is that, when he spots a weakness, he keeps going at it, even if it doesn't work the first time. Case in point: Payton had a drop on a deep ball on the first possession yesterday. But it was obvious that that play was there anytime if we just executed it. So he called it again. Overthrow. The third time, it was a TD. The opponent didn't (couldn't) stop it. So keep calling it. Kiffin does that. Spurrier did that. It works. And it sends a message to both your team and your opponent. That's one example, but I've seen it all year.

-In the past 3 years, we went into games wondering if this team would score 20 points. This team has averaged 43 ppg. That's without executing very well. I know the schedule is about to get tougher, but there's no question this offensive staff is light years ahead of the last one (or the one before that, given the relative talent they're working with).

-I like the effort of this team. They seem to play hard for this staff. I've been pleasantly surprised by the defense. They swarm to the ball. The DLine has been solid against the run. The secondary is vastly improved. Special teams have also been special. These are all things this staff has improved.

-We're using the TEs! Warren and Fant (especially Warren) have been very good in the passing game. In future years, Miles Campbell, Julian Nixon, and Trinity Bell will be weapons.

-My biggest concerns: we're shooting ourselves in the foot way too often. Dumb (and numerous) penalties cost us the Pitt game. Dropped balls by the WRs. The DLine has been pretty good against the run, but the pass rush is bad. Lack of takeaways (0 before yesterday). QB's are not seeing open WRs or not hitting them. And the OLine is just not there. Put simply: the execution has been lacking. I understand that we have a new staff, new systems, and a completely turned over roster, so there's no reason to think this team SHOULD be executing at a high level right now or that it won't improve as the year goes on, systems are learned, and players gel. But I don't know that the Oline is going to get much better. Or the pass rush. They may be what they are and that concerns me. I really hope OLine is an area of focus for improvement next year. Crawford, Perry, Spraggins, Robinson, and Lampley really need to get better by next year. Might need to get a good transfer in the portal who can plug and play.

-The stretch we have coming up will be telling. Tennessee won't beat Florida, but if we can avoid a blowout, that would be nice. But we should beat South Carolina. Missouri is beatable, maybe even a tossup. If Tennessee wins those two, 6 wins is probably in the bag. And after Kentucky had to recover an onside to beat Chattanooga by 5, they're suddenly looking beatable on 11/6. Maybe Milton is rolling by then? Remember, Jon Crompton was horrible for 4 games in 2009, then it clicked and he became the 2nd best QB in the SEC. Can Milton do the same? Does Heupel believe he can? Regardless, if Tennessee goes 2-1 in the next 3, we should be very happy. If that stretch also includes Milton turning the corner, we should be over the moon.

Overall, I've seen plenty in 3 games that needs to be cleaned up, but plenty to give me hope for the future. Anyone who expected this team to come out and be "good" in the first 3 games was delusional. Chicken little fans who are already calling this staff a failure simply don't understand how program-building works. I am looking for a team that gets better as the year goes on. Every problem won't be fixed. Tennessee may not have a winning season. And we won't know for 3-4 years if this was a good hire. But I see some reasons to think it was.

I agree with you…that was long.

 

[kckempf]

From what I have seen of the first 3 games I disagree with one of your points. I believe that Hooker has been more effective than Milton. Thus far Milton has been a train wreck and I think he lost the Pitt game for us. Hooker has not been lights out but he seems more effective than JM. If I am correct then what you are asking is that CJH take a couple of potential losses this season just to give Milton experience on his way to becoming the quarterback we need. I say no to that. let's finish the year with the QB that gives us the best chance of winning now [Hooker] and let JM reach his best potential after the season is over.

Blaming Milton for the Pitt loss is pretty arbitrary. Hooker turned it over on consecutive opportunities late by making the wrong read on the 4th down play, then throwing an interception on the next possession. Given that he also led several touchdown drives and dozens of other players were on the field the whole game, I don't think it makes sense to put it on him either.

 

[hUTch2002]

Bunch of garbage that I chose not to read ! As soon as you let us know that you disagreed with Bailey supporters. I’m tired of the crap Hype of the two Qb’s that couldn’t get it done in there own leagues. That crap that they have to offer was against less opponents then what were about to face.! This is the SEC !! I’m tired of the miss throws on deep balls ! I’m tired of all the turnovers and the fumbles !!! I think that our offensive line has a lot to do with the choice of Qb’s. But there not the answer in SEC with bad choices and not hitting the receivers down field PERIOD !!! Oh by the way 11 quarters of football at home against less opponents is all on 1-2 QBs. Yes it’s disconcerting to me and others. But I’m a VFL and hope we win every week like everyone else.

I have news for you, if you’re tired of those things then Bailey isn’t the answer either.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

easiest schedule we've had in years. so easy one of those chickens that used to play tic tac toe in the Opryland petting zoo could go 6-6 with this team just by picking plays with its beak. add to that Dooley-era level recruiting. other than that, everything's looking good.

 

[BigALWiLson]

He hasn’t looked very talented…

To be fair he hasnt earned the chance to prove how talented he is. He isn't ready to show that. He needs to develope and improve some flaws in his game. Little bit premature to write him off. Remember hr has 4 years to play. Physical attributes are not his issue. He looks as if he is thinking to much and not trusting his reads. Making his decision making slow. Its like being a true freshman all over again. The previous staff did nothing to help any qb on this roster. That is proven. Lets give Heupel the year to work eith HB and reevaluate. If he transfers thrn its likely he was asked to move on. If he stays there is a plan in place. Thats the best thing to do for now and I agree we should focus on Hooker and Milton they are the most game ready we have at this time. You know guys it does make a difference hiw you play depending on the talent level around you. Thats not an excuse it is fact. If our first team OL cant block anyone. They have given up 9 sacks collectively numerous QB pressures and that has resulted in some turnovers with mobile qbs. Imagine whats going through your head with an OL like our 3rd team. Let it play out. I wanted to see Bailey play too, he had some positives but he also has game film that the staff can breakdown in this offense.