Recruiting Forum Football Talk LVII

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#3,227
#3,227
Darth_Shiveman said:
I’m sure Pruitt is bringing that mindset and I’m hoping it pays off pretty quickly. At the same time, though, I’ve gotta see it to believe it. There are enough holes on the roster (specifically OL, CB, and depth at a few other spots) that 2018 could get ugly quick if we have crappy luck with injuries again and/or the team doesn’t take to the transition as quickly as hoped.
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I was looking at our history over the past decade and trying to be realistic about what Pruitt and Co. might be able to accomplish in 2018. I'm thinking 2009 maybe but Kiffin really only had to fix the offense. Pruitt has to fix both sides of the ball. I don't think this is like getting Bray back from injury in 2012 on offense; I think it's more like 2009 or 2014 for offense but 2014 was a second year staff. IMO, we are most talented on the defensive side and could see a lot of improvement there if we can cover the corners. I'm wondering if we're being fair if we set expectations for him to get the team in 2015 performance condition in his first year. I guess it may not matter.

The two keys to our success this year I think hang on how fast he can get our kids to get their heads out of their asses and regain some competitive pride and how fast the kids can get comfortable with the new coordinators and their schemes/play-calling. jmo.

These were our national rankings over the past decade and my guess for 2018. I'm probably trying to set a low bar for us to get over, creating a sort of under promise and over deliver opportunity. :)

ScreenHunter_03 Apr. 02 01.39.gif
 
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#3,228
#3,228
ChattaTNVol said:
I was looking at our history over the past decade and trying to be realistic about what Pruitt and Co. might be able to accomplish in 2018. I'm thinking 2009 maybe but Kiffin really only had to fix the offense. Pruitt has to fix both sides of the ball. I don't think this is like getting Bray back from injury in 2012 on offense; I think it's more like 2009 or 2014 for offense but 2014 was a second year staff. IMO, we are most talented on the defensive side and could see a lot of improvement there if we can cover the corners. I'm wondering if we're being fair if we set expectations for him to get the team in 2015 performance condition in his first year. I guess it may not matter.

The two keys to our success this year I think hang on how fast he can get our kids to get their heads out of their asses and regain some competitive pride and how fast the kids can get comfortable with the new coordinators and their schemes/play-calling. jmo.

These were our national rankings over the past decade and my guess for 2018. I'm probably trying to set a low bar for us to get over, creating a sort of under promise and over deliver opportunity. :)

View attachment 155360
Click to expand...

With that estimation what would the record project at? 6.5 wins?
 
#3,229
#3,229
ChattaTNVol said:
I was looking at our history over the past decade and trying to be realistic about what Pruitt and Co. might be able to accomplish in 2018. I'm thinking 2009 maybe but Kiffin really only had to fix the offense. Pruitt has to fix both sides of the ball. I don't think this is like getting Bray back from injury in 2012 on offense; I think it's more like 2009 or 2014 for offense but 2014 was a second year staff. IMO, we are most talented on the defensive side and could see a lot of improvement there if we can cover the corners. I'm wondering if we're being fair if we set expectations for him to get the team in 2015 performance condition in his first year. I guess it may not matter.

The two keys to our success this year I think hang on how fast he can get our kids to get their heads out of their asses and regain some competitive pride and how fast the kids can get comfortable with the new coordinators and their schemes/play-calling. jmo.

These were our national rankings over the past decade and my guess for 2018. I'm probably trying to set a low bar for us to get over, creating a sort of under promise and over deliver opportunity. :)

View attachment 155360
Click to expand...

I pretty much agree with all of this and think 2014 isn’t a bad comparison for our offense. I’m not sure we have someone like Dobbs in the backfield who can make the OL appear better than it actually is and erase their mistakes, though.
 
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#3,230
#3,230
Darth_Shiveman said:
I’m sure Pruitt is bringing that mindset and I’m hoping it pays off pretty quickly. At the same time, though, I’ve gotta see it to believe it. There are enough holes on the roster (specifically OL, CB, and depth at a few other spots) that 2018 could get ugly quick if we have crappy luck with injuries again and/or the team doesn’t take to the transition as quickly as hoped.
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Correct. First, The Vols need to buy in to what the new coaches are asking them to do. Second, they certainly must stay away from the injury bug this season because they aren’t as deep as they need to be in places. Pruitt will NOT make excuses to media and fans for NOT winning or being competitive (like Butch is famous for doing). Pruitt expects to win and win now, they players will have to adapt to that mindset or they won’t be around very long.
 
#3,231
#3,231
gunner said:
Pruitt expects to win. I expect him to win 7 or 8 games next season. The days of UT losing to Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Mizzou are over.
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Throw USCjr in there as well. I bet Muschamp cried when they fired Butch. Winning the east should hinge on the Florida and Georgia games for UT.
 
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#3,233
#3,233
rekinhavoc said:
Throw USCjr in there as well. I bet Muschamp cried when they fired Butch. Winning the east should hinge on the Florida and Georgia games for UT.
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Agreed, but SC has more talent and better coaching than they other three overcoming them won't be as easy. But, your completely right the SECE should come down to beating UF and UGA every season for the Vols.
 
#3,235
#3,235
nicksjuzunk said:
With that estimation what would the record project at? 6.5 wins?
Click to expand...

That's what I figure. I've been trying to look at our opponents this year and see if we have opportunities for more wins. I think maybe we do but then probably some our opponent's fans are looking at us and figuring we're an easy win for them this year.

I really like reading all of our practice reports. I make up depth charts and study the projection models and try to find examples of teams that overperform general expectations and why. It doesn't make me any smarter but I have fun with it. In fact, I enjoy it so much yesterday I did a forum search in the football forum for thread titles that had the word "practice" and were authored by Fingers. From one season to the next, spring or fall, it seems like many of our local writers may use the same stories, only with an updated crop of names.

This is where I'm at right now in best case:

(N) WVa = Maybe a Tossup
(H) ETSU = Definite Win
(H) UTEP = Definite Win
(H) Florida = Maybe a Tossup
(A( Georgia = Most likely a Loss
(A) Auburn = Likely a Loss
(H) Alabama = Almost certainly a Loss (but not yet definite) :)
(A) USCe = Maybe a Tossup
(H) Charlotte = Definite Win
(H) Kentucky = Likely Win
(H) Missouri = Maybe a Win
(A) Vanderbilt = Likely Win

So in my view right now its still possible we can win them all. I'm just not sure how yet - need to read more practice reports to figure that out. jmo.
 
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#3,238
#3,238
ChattaTNVol said:
I was looking at our history over the past decade and trying to be realistic about what Pruitt and Co. might be able to accomplish in 2018. I'm thinking 2009 maybe but Kiffin really only had to fix the offense. Pruitt has to fix both sides of the ball. I don't think this is like getting Bray back from injury in 2012 on offense; I think it's more like 2009 or 2014 for offense but 2014 was a second year staff. IMO, we are most talented on the defensive side and could see a lot of improvement there if we can cover the corners. I'm wondering if we're being fair if we set expectations for him to get the team in 2015 performance condition in his first year. I guess it may not matter.

The two keys to our success this year I think hang on how fast he can get our kids to get their heads out of their asses and regain some competitive pride and how fast the kids can get comfortable with the new coordinators and their schemes/play-calling. jmo.

These were our national rankings over the past decade and my guess for 2018. I'm probably trying to set a low bar for us to get over, creating a sort of under promise and over deliver opportunity. :)

View attachment 155360
Click to expand...

Good stuff as usual, Chatt.
 
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#3,243
#3,243
Don’t particularly like Finebaum but I do like this:

“I really like him a lot… And listen, I’m an adult and it’s not my place to pick on young interns, so I don’t want to trash last year’s coach at Tennessee because I realize he’s trying to work his way back at a lower salary working for the master in Tuscaloosa; but I think Jeremy Pruitt has taken that town and that state by storm,” Finebaum said on the show. “He’s done it by not really doing anything other than his job.

“He’s not a carney barker, he’s not going door to door to try to sell something to someone they don’t want, need or like — Butch Jones did for the last five years. He looks you in the eye, gives you a straight answer and that has resonated very well.”

It’s pretty clear by his comments the SEC Network host had grown tired of the way Butch Jones carried himself and spoke to the media during his time in Knoxville. With the cliches and slogans now gone from Knoxville and the focus of the program’s leader now on teaching, building and recruiting, Finebaum noted the new tone immediately during his recent interview with Pruitt.

“I talked to him the other day, and I don’t think he cracked a smile during the entire interview, but he resonates very well,” Finebaum continued. “Now that’s all good, can he win on the field? I think he can. I think it’s going to be a slow process because Butch Jones, again, not to turn him into a pinata — although it wouldn’t disappoint me if I did — he left that program in a complete mess. He left it in a complete disastrous situation. That will be difficult for Jeremy to get over those bumps.”
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#3,246
#3,246
gunner said:
Correct. First, The Vols need to buy in to what the new coaches are asking them to do. Second, they certainly must stay away from the injury bug this season because they aren’t as deep as they need to be in places. Pruitt will NOT make excuses to media and fans for NOT winning or being competitive (like Butch is famous for doing). Pruitt expects to win and win now, they players will have to adapt to that mindset or they won’t be around very long.
Click to expand...

Hyams was on 104.5 this morning and they were talking about Pruitt trying to lower expectations because he doesn’t praise the players a lot. I was thinking, you guys are seriously not paying attention if you think Pruitt is that type of coach.
 
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#3,247
#3,247
LaagerVol said:
Hyams was on 104.5 this morning and they were talking about Pruitt trying to lower expectations because he doesn’t praise the players a lot. I was thinking, you guys are seriously not paying attention if you think Pruitt is that type of coach.
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Hyams has been nothing but a down hill trainwreck ever since he attacked Hurds mom and the arrest months after we knew about it here. Just low bs over and over.
 
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#3,248
#3,248
ChattaTNVol said:
That's what I figure. I've been trying to look at our opponents this year and see if we have opportunities for more wins. I think maybe we do but then probably some our opponent's fans are looking at us and figuring we're an easy win for them this year.

I really like reading all of our practice reports. I make up depth charts and study the projection models and try to find examples of teams that overperform general expectations and why. It doesn't make me any smarter but I have fun with it. In fact, I enjoy it so much yesterday I did a forum search in the football forum for thread titles that had the word "practice" and were authored by Fingers. From one season to the next, spring or fall, it seems like many of our local writers may use the same stories, only with an updated crop of names.

This is where I'm at right now in best case:

(N) WVa = Maybe a Tossup
(H) ETSU = Definite Win
(H) UTEP = Definite Win
(H) Florida = Maybe a Tossup
(A( Georgia = Most likely a Loss
(A) Auburn = Likely a Loss
(H) Alabama = Almost certainly a Loss (but not yet definite) :)
(A) USCe = Maybe a Tossup
(H) Charlotte = Definite Win
(H) Kentucky = Likely Win
(H) Missouri = Maybe a Win
(A) Vanderbilt = Likely Win

So in my view right now its still possible we can win them all. I'm just not sure how yet - need to read more practice reports to figure that out. jmo.
Click to expand...

Gave you a like. Really enjoy your posts.
 
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#3,249
#3,249
LaagerVol said:
Hyams was on 104.5 this morning and they were talking about Pruitt trying to lower expectations because he doesn’t praise the players a lot. I was thinking, you guys are seriously not paying attention if you think Pruitt is that type of coach.
Click to expand...

He just won't talk about individual players at all. I listed to Pruitt's interview on 1045 the other day and he absolutely would not say a player's name lol. Has nothing to do with lowering expectations.
 
#3,250
#3,250
Chief Vol 13 said:
He just won't talk about individual players at all. I listed to Pruitt's interview on 1045 the other day and he absolutely would not say a player's name lol. Has nothing to do with lowering expectations.
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Yeah, I don't see anything to suggest he's lowering expectations but I'm thinking the consensus expectation in the media is probably going to be just enough to get to a bowl game. CJP's comment about beginning to like this team could have been taken as raising expectations. In fact for the first couple days after his remark I was flirting with the notion of 10 wins after taking down Auburn on the plains. If he has another comment like that Georgia is in trouble. jmo.
 
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