AJ Suspension Effect?

#1

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#1
I know everyone is disappointed with last nights results. Many are accusing Butch, Coach Jake, and various players.

I attended the game and I believe the wear and tear of the AJ suspension and all the media attention had a great effect on the game.

Fans seemed apprehensive and were not really into the game. There was not the normal buzz and excitement you would expect for such a big game. Even the Vol Walk lacked intensity. I have attended many high profile games at Neyland and last night I did not feel we had the total home field advantage we should have every week.

Maybe the events of AJ suspension did not play a role in this , but I am curious what any of you think about the crowd last night and the possibility that losing AJ negatively effected the enthusiasm of the crowd.


BTW, I am not blaming AJ. Innocent until proven guilty
 
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#2
#2
Even at home you could feel it was lacking. The team seemed hungover, the coaches seemed hungover, injuries have taken their toll. Marquez out, Worley done, Mack Crowder, AJ Johnson.

The team still fought hard but seemed the emotion was gone.


I don't think it was just the AJ thing I just think that was the straw ontop of an injury laden emotional roller coaster of a season.


Oh yeah and SEC officiating is horrible too.
 
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#3
#3
I know everyone is disappointed with last nights results. Many are accusing Butch, Coach Jake, and various players.

I attended the game and I believe the wear and tear of the AJ suspension and all the media attention had a great effect on the game.

Fans seemed apprehensive and were not really into the game. There was not the normal buzz and excitement you would expect for such a big game. Even the Vol Walk lacked intensity. I have attended many high profile games at Neyland and last night I did not feel we had the total home field advantage we should have every week.

Maybe the events of AJ suspension did not play a role in this , but I am curious what any of you think about the crowd last night and the possibility that losing AJ negatively effected the enthusiasm of the crowd.


BTW, I am not blaming AJ. Innocent until proven guilty


I can't tell you for sure the effect it had on fans and the team, but my eyes told me it sure had an effect on the field. We cut down some of those outside runs with AJ playing sideline to sideline.
 
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#4
#4
I am glad AJ came back for his Sr season. He will be remembered along with team 118 as the beginning of the new decade of dominance.
 
#7
#7
I talked to two guys at the Vol Walk attending their first game. I felt like apologizing to them after the Vol Walk was over.
 
#8
#8
It sucked to watch but yes I believe it got the best of our team. People need to realize most of these kids are a year out of high school, playing in the sec, and to top it off they have seen injuries kill this team. Our thin roster has taken a hit and now with AJ gone it is frustrating. They have fought their butts off and I'll support this team and their efforts. I can only imagine how they feel.
 
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#9
#9
Our defense played well enough to win until the end with the two long passes that I don't think having AJ on the field would have made a difference on those two plays. To me, this really came down to the battle of the trenches and we definitely lost that battle. Mizzou's defense was stellar and we had no answer.

I'm sure having AJ on the field would have been a huge help on run plays and leadership, but I'm not convinced it would have been enough of a difference for us to win. Maybe, but who knows. If he's innocent, it sucks he missed has last home game and senior night, if he's guilty, then he deserves everything he gets. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge AJ fan and will continue to be one as long as the allegations are false.
 
#11
#11
The part of him not even being honored on senior night is what sucks the most. JMO

Yes even if he is completely exonerated of all accusations that is one moment in his life that he can never have back. I sincerely hope AJ is innocent but I don't know, nor does anybody else. If he is my heart breaks for him because he didn't deserve to lose this one moment in time. If he is not innocent well then he deserves the consequences that he gets.
 
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#12
#12
Well the D didn't tackle like they had most of the year, and the team just seemed flat.
 
#13
#13
Our defense played well enough to win until the end with the two long passes that I don't think having AJ on the field would have made a difference on those two plays. To me, this really came down to the battle of the trenches and we definitely lost that battle. Mizzou's defense was stellar and we had no answer.

I'm sure having AJ on the field would have been a huge help on run plays and leadership, but I'm not convinced it would have been enough of a difference for us to win. Maybe, but who knows. If he's innocent, it sucks he missed has last home game and senior night, if he's guilty, then he deserves everything he gets. Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge AJ fan and will continue to be one as long as the allegations are false.

I think AJ not being on the field effected the X's and O's of our defense greatly. I think players were put in very tough positions due to the need to protect JJ. I think the first drive was all the coaches needed to see and from that point on the plan was to protect JJ and basically take the lesser of 2 evils with putting our DBs on islands. I don't know this for sure, but we just looked to play a very different scheme from what we had been playing and I think that was to protect JJ.
 
#14
#14
Curt Maggitt tried to fire up the crowd last night and I think the defense will be a lot better against Vanderbilt.
 
#15
#15
I think AJ not being on the field effected the X's and O's of our defense greatly. I think players were put in very tough positions due to the need to protect JJ. I think the first drive was all the coaches needed to see and from that point on the plan was to protect JJ and basically take the lesser of 2 evils with putting our DBs on islands. I don't know this for sure, but we just looked to play a very different scheme from what we had been playing and I think that was to protect JJ.

I'll grant you not having him on the field affects the X's and O's. But that's ridiculous to think our coaches called the whole game to protect JJ. He is a capable player and is expected to play his position and assignments. I didn't see anything he did that made me go wow, he needs to come out of the game because he isn't getting it done. Is he as good as AJ, of course not. But the coaches did not scheme to protect JJ.
 
#17
#17
I know everyone is disappointed with last nights results. Many are accusing Butch, Coach Jake, and various players.

I attended the game and I believe the wear and tear of the AJ suspension and all the media attention had a great effect on the game.

Fans seemed apprehensive and were not really into the game. There was not the normal buzz and excitement you would expect for such a big game. Even the Vol Walk lacked intensity. I have attended many high profile games at Neyland and last night I did not feel we had the total home field advantage we should have every week.

Maybe the events of AJ suspension did not play a role in this , but I am curious what any of you think about the crowd last night and the possibility that losing AJ negatively effected the enthusiasm of the crowd.


BTW, I am not blaming AJ. Innocent until proven guilty

I was at the game as well, not sure which crowd you was in, but to only have 95k on hand, Neyland was loud, and we as fans brought it all night!
 
#18
#18
I know everyone is disappointed with last nights results. Many are accusing Butch, Coach Jake, and various players.

I attended the game and I believe the wear and tear of the AJ suspension and all the media attention had a great effect on the game.

Fans seemed apprehensive and were not really into the game. There was not the normal buzz and excitement you would expect for such a big game. Even the Vol Walk lacked intensity. I have attended many high profile games at Neyland and last night I did not feel we had the total home field advantage we should have every week.

Maybe the events of AJ suspension did not play a role in this , but I am curious what any of you think about the crowd last night and the possibility that losing AJ negatively effected the enthusiasm of the crowd.


BTW, I am not blaming AJ. Innocent until proven guilty
I watched on TV and felt the same way. The team just didn't seem to have a lot of pumped up energy to start the game.

And you couldn't hear the crowd. Which may be due to the way Fowler and HerbStreet don't want to have their clothes get dirty and didn't want to have the crowd noise in their booth.

So I think the AJ situation hurt. But also look at this the middle of the whole team was out. Mack, AJ, Brian and also Worley.

This is the 2nd game this year they didn't play at a peak level the other being Florida.

But 6-6 and a Bowl win will be a successful season and a springboard to a challenge for the SEC East next year.
 
#20
#20
IMO the defense wasn't the problem. This line from the St. Louis Dispatch pretty much sums it up imo:
"The Vols operated from Missouri territory on five of their first six possessions. Three drives started at Mizzou’s 40-yard line or closer. If not for the second-quarter trickeration, Tennessee would have entered halftime without a touchdown."
 
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#21
#21
I was at the game as well, not sure which crowd you was in, but to only have 95k on hand, Neyland was loud, and we as fans brought it all night!

Yes, I agree!!! The crowd was the loudest I can ever remember in the 10 games I've been to, including the 2010 Oregon game. I know my ears were ringing all night. The fans were really into it so I'm not sure what this guy was seeing. I was at the Kentucky game the week before in the same section with more people around and I thought it was loud, but not even 1/8th as loud as Saturday night.
 
#22
#22
I mean, the crowd was definitely into it. It seemed like Mizzou had 4 or 5 false starts and a delay of game as well. The crowd was electric. I don't know what it sounded like on TV, but it was super loud in person.
 
#23
#23
AJ avg'd over 10 tpg. JJ put in a good effort but he could not be expected to be as active. He had 3.

With AJ, maybe you take a few more chances with safety help over the top?

Hard to say how much impact it was... foolish to say it was none.
 
#24
#24
Very poor tackling...looked like some Dooley-coached teams...also bad O line play! I thought the crowd was pretty loud & into the game....
 
#25
#25
45 was the heart and soul of our defense you just don't replace a player like that in a week.

I tend to agree after watching the game. I thought it wouldn't matter as much as it did personally. It definitely had an effect on the fans. I guess it's possible that the weather and the mounting losses or even anxiety about playing Mizzou deflated the fanbase. Maybe even a combination of all of these things, but Neyland was not an impressive place on Saturday.

Good to see Worley and Gilliam get a loud cheer from the crowd though.
 

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