How Does This Happen?

[JAEvans24]

I was reading an old article (Matt Darr is the newest Vol! | The Tennessee Vols) that was talking about how excited Tennessee was to have both the #1 kicking recruit (Palardy) and the #1 punting recruit (Darr) as they were teammates on the Army All-American Game.

How do the "best" two players in the country regress so horribly? Forget even the lack of development argument about the coaching staff because they have gotten just plain bad! (Please don't lecture me on how scouting isn't an exact science, blah blah blah.)

Darr: Rivals touted him as a 4 star recruit who would dominate D1 football.

• Darr's High School Net Punt Average: 46 yards
• Darr's Tennessee 2011 Net Punt Average: 38.1

That's a regression of 7.9 yards

Let's hit Palardy now who was also a 4 star kicking recruit who Greg Vogt said this about him.

"Palardy has one of the most powerful legs we have seen and it is an accurate leg. He can both place kick and punt, his punts hang up in the air forever. He should have 50 yard range on field goals. He is one of the top kickers in the country."

We should have a top 5 kicking game in the nation but we are easily one of the worst in the BCS conferences and honestly one of the worst in the country. Will the real Darr and Palardy please stand up? But seriously, how does this happen?

[SDV]

It's truly unexplainable

[shyster]

Coaching

[yotebuster]

Originally Posted by shyster

Coaching

Sad but true!

[T.N. Buckingham]

It is especially glaring considering how well Tydlacka punted for Kentucky. Joker played the old Neyland game out of desperation and beat us with it.

[Doyle Hargraves]

Originally Posted by shyster

Lack of coaching

Fyp

[oryankees]

russell should pack his bags. but tbh, i don't see hart or anyone firing anyone on the staff.

[Coastypop]

I like Coach Dooley and hope he can turn it around in 2012.... but TRUTH IS... the only way you can explain the regression of this team on many levels ie O-line, running backs, D-backs, entire kicking game etc. is COACHING... plain and simple BAD COACHING

[Bassmanbruno]

Originally Posted by oryankees

russell should pack his bags. but tbh, i don't see hart or anyone firing anyone on the staff.

Russell doesn't work with the kickers. No one does and that's straight from fuad reveiz's mouth who has been at several practices. They're left to do their own thing. And that's on dooley.

[VolStrom]

Jimmy Hyams on the Sports Source program this morning stated that the special teams coach doesn't work with the kickers, so I guess they are on their own to figure out what they're doing wrong.

[JAEvans24]

Originally Posted by Bassmanbruno

Russell doesn't work with the kickers. No one does and that's straight from fuad reveiz's mouth who has been at several practices. They're left to do their own thing. And that's on dooley.

If that's true then my twitter hash would be #appalled.

[Bassmanbruno]

Originally Posted by VolStrom

Jimmy Hyams on the Sports Source program this morning stated that the special teams coach doesn't work with the kickers, so I guess they are on their own to figure out what they're doing wrong.

They are. The only time coaches work with them is for trick plays and special situations like onside kicks and such.

[shyster]

Originally Posted by Bassmanbruno

They are. The only time coaches work with them is for trick plays and special situations like onside kicks and such.

Is this normal or does our staff do it differently?

[zjcvols]

You can't hire James Wilhoit or Fuad Reviez as a kicking consultant or something?

[UTVOLKeith]

They were using "hot" balls in high school. It is the only explanation.