Thanks to you and to the OP for these insights. It sounds like Lawson might become to today's teams what John Stuckey was to Vols teams of a past era. If memory serves, maxing out was a thing of pride in Stuckey's weight room and I don't recall his teams ever running out of gas. But I might be wrong.
Thanks for the insights and views. My hope is that we start seeing the strongest, fastest, most athletic and best-conditioned teams of the modern Big Orange era.
I can't say that I know Dave very well as a coach. I try not to talk about football when I'm around him. I figure he's sick of talking about it. But I am pleased to say that I do know him as a man, and if he is half the strength coach as he is a man, then he will be every bit and more of what Stuckey is. Dave is a fantastic guy, with a fantastic family. Has been nothing but kind to me every time I've spoken with him.
That being said, yes, I think that too often people try to focus on "What do we need to teach, and what do we need to already have?"
Some coaches bring in size, and then try to add strength, speed and quickness. Some coaches bring in strength, and try to add speed and quickness and size.
I think the reason you're seeing not as much talk about conditioning (though there has been a lot, I know, the late night Neyland conditioning from the early summer is one example), is because Butch and company brought in guys who have natural speed, and who already had great conditioning. ALSO, bringing in 14 EE's, means that these guys went straight from their senior year of high school to a College S&C program. Conditioning wouldn't have been a huge issue for them. But getting stronger and bigger, and working on their quickness would be. Those are things that you have to continually get better on in the SEC.
But I think that's why you haven't seen AS much conditioning this year.
Another Dave quote. He said that when he was at Cincinnati, they'd recruit guys who had a lot of potential, but he had to turn them in to athletes. But here, at Tennessee, he says they bring in athletes already, and he just gets to help them reach their potential. He says it's a whole new world.
Next time I see him, I'll ask him how excited he is to get a player like Kahlil McKenzie in the weight room in December.
Anyways, this team will be well conditioned. We will be deep and well conditioned, and we won't be pushed around on either line. That's one thing I do not at all worry about. We won't be the biggest on the field. But football is not about being the biggest. Or the quickest. Or the fastest. But if you can be the biggest and quickest and fastest all at the same time, and you can do it consistently, then you have DRAMATICALLY increased your chances of winning every single football game you play.
