Recruiting Forum Football Talk [RIP 9.3.2019]

[drvenner]

I should have known better than to come in here. See you guys on Saturday.

 

[KokoBVol]

They’re gonna beat us soundly I’m afriad. They’ve played longer together, have a better QB and OC, and a coach with some defensive merit. And as you said something to play for. In these instances, as of late, the other team gets exponentially more fired up than the Vols.

Agree

 

[EdEcEko77]

Day after thoughts....

• I'm guilty of dismissing the "bad match up." Basically any time we meet up with a QB like that, it doesn't bode well for this defense. Let alone when they have such a big offensive line that's loaded with upper classmen. That was ugly.
• Not to be a jerk, but targeting or not the guy fumbled and we recovered and returned it for a score. It wouldn't have mattered as far as win/loss, but I don't know why that was ignored.
• Also, couldn't/shouldn't the receiver have been called for offensive pass interference when he bumped Bryce Thompson on what otherwise likely would've been a pick six?
• I don't want to be a "blame the ref" guy, because I'm not... but there were a lot of plays where the Mizzou runningback moved or jumped before the snap and false starts weren't called.
• How is it Fil-Aimes has been back on offense for a month now and all we can do with him is the predictable jet sweeps?
• What are we doing with Jeremy Banks? Has he even played since we moved him to LB and then back to RB?
• I thought it was dumb not getting JT Shrout some snaps - even if just the hand offs at the end of the game. Would it have helped him in the future to see such insignificant live action? Probably not - but it wouldn't have hurt him either. Plus I was just sick of seeing Chryst in there at that point.
• Speaking of, we saw yesterday why this coaching staff has stuck with JG, who isn't perfect by any means, as this teams quarterback. Not only the two horrible interceptions... missed DWA in the end zone, missed DWA wide open down the field, throws were high, a few hung up in the air. That said, his strike to Calloway was an impressive pass.
• ... but the catch Calloway made was even more impressive. I think the kid goes pro at years end. Especially after a game where he gets banged up. He wants the NFL money anyways, but getting banged up yesterday probably gives him even more reason to go pro. I don't know what draft grade he'd likely get, but I'd say probably 3-5.
• JG shouldn't have gone back into that game after that hit. He clearly looked concussed, or at least very dazed.
• In Pruitt I trust, but I don't like some of the gambles he takes sometimes. I think all of our onside kicks this year can be questioned. I didn't think it was neccessary to go for two when he wanted to early in the third, either. I like aggressive play, and maybe I'm just bitching because none of them have worked.... idk.
• Horrible game all around. Was this team reading its own clippings after last week? Thinking we turned some mythical corner? The offensive line looked as bad as they have at any point this year, and the front seven was embarrassing. I don't remember the exact situation but there was a fairly important third down, I think right after we scored to open the 2nd half, and Lock threw a dump off pass about 7 yards behind the line to gain, and we had guys rally to the ball and I'm yelling in my living room for a great stop..... and the Mizzou guy just runs through them for the first.
• Can't really fault the secondary for yesterday.... maybe I should, idk. I do know that Lock, like Grier, was placing balls perfectly yesterday. Hard to defend that no matter what, especially with marginal pass rush.
• Hate to be a debbie downer, but I seriously seriously seriously doubt we end up with a top 10 class. I think Wanya, Wright, Pappoe, and Gray are in, maybe even Trezmen Marshall, which is something to be excited about for sure. But no way do guys Pickens or Haselwood, or the other UGA commits come here after that. Same with probably Eboigbe - who seems to be pandering to fan bases on twitter anyways. And I know people are gonna say they'll come because last night showed they can start day one, but if starting day one was what these guys only cared about, there's a lot of **** colleges they could be talking to. They're all committed to perceived or real "winners" now for a reason. They want to win and compete for championships. We're at least 3-5 years away from that IMO.
• Fortunately, I still like everyone in this class and think even potentially under ranked or under the radar guys like Clemmons and Burrell will be very good football players. More than that, I think this staff will maximize what each individual has.
• Hoping beyond all hope we can pull out a win next week at Vandy. And I'll say this.... 2018 will be the last year in a long time we go into the Vandy's and Kentuckys and Mizzous hoping we can pull off an upset win.

 

[vol2002]

I agree.

My point was coaches need players that fit their style of play. We'll be lucky if our boosters show that kind of patience with any coach. No way they were going to with with a personality like Mike Leach.

Yeah those boosters need to stand down. We’ve demanded they get us super coach that lands top 5 classes and wins every game year 1, and they haven’t come through. We even rioted in the streets last November and still no super coach. They just need to stand down and let this thing play out, whether with Pruitt or the next guy (who would have an even harder, longer rebuild than Pruitt is facing if we bail on Pruitt too soon).

 

[drvenner]

Day after thoughts....

• I'm guilty of dismissing the "bad match up." Basically any time we meet up with a QB like that, it doesn't bode well for this defense. Let alone when they have such a big offensive line that's loaded with upper classmen. That was ugly.
• Not to be a jerk, but targeting or not the guy fumbled and we recovered and returned it for a score. It wouldn't have mattered as far as win/loss, but I don't know why that was ignored.
• Also, couldn't/shouldn't the receiver have been called for offensive pass interference when he bumped Bryce Thompson on what otherwise likely would've been a pick six?
• I don't want to be a "blame the ref" guy, because I'm not... but there were a lot of plays where the Mizzou runningback moved or jumped before the snap and false starts weren't called.
• How is it Fil-Aimes has been back on offense for a month now and all we can do with him is the predictable jet sweeps?
• What are we doing with Jeremy Banks? Has he even played since we moved him to LB and then back to RB?
• I thought it was dumb not getting JT Shrout some snaps - even if just the hand offs at the end of the game. Would it have helped him in the future to see such insignificant live action? Probably not - but it wouldn't have hurt him either. Plus I was just sick of seeing Chryst in there at that point.
• Speaking of, we saw yesterday why this coaching staff has stuck with JG, who isn't perfect by any means, as this teams quarterback. Not only the two horrible interceptions... missed DWA in the end zone, missed DWA wide open down the field, throws were high, a few hung up in the air. That said, his strike to Calloway was an impressive pass.
• ... but the catch Calloway made was even more impressive. I think the kid goes pro at years end. Especially after a game where he gets banged up. He wants the NFL money anyways, but getting banged up yesterday probably gives him even more reason to go pro. I don't know what draft grade he'd likely get, but I'd say probably 3-5.
• JG shouldn't have gone back into that game after that hit. He clearly looked concussed, or at least very dazed.
• In Pruitt I trust, but I don't like some of the gambles he takes sometimes. I think all of our onside kicks this year can be questioned. I didn't think it was neccessary to go for two when he wanted to early in the third, either. I like aggressive play, and maybe I'm just bitching because none of them have worked.... idk.
• Horrible game all around. Was this team reading its own clippings after last week? Thinking we turned some mythical corner? The offensive line looked as bad as they have at any point this year, and the front seven was embarrassing. I don't remember the exact situation but there was a fairly important third down, I think right after we scored to open the 2nd half, and Lock threw a dump off pass about 7 yards behind the line to gain, and we had guys rally to the ball and I'm yelling in my living room for a great stop..... and the Mizzou guy just runs through them for the first.
• Can't really fault the secondary for yesterday.... maybe I should, idk. I do know that Lock, like Grier, was placing balls perfectly yesterday. Hard to defend that no matter what, especially with marginal pass rush.
• Hate to be a debbie downer, but I seriously seriously seriously doubt we end up with a top 10 class. I think Wanya, Wright, Pappoe, and Gray are in, maybe even Trezmen Marshall, which is something to be excited about for sure. But no way do guys Pickens or Haselwood, or the other UGA commits come here after that. Same with probably Eboigbe - who seems to be pandering to fan bases on twitter anyways. And I know people are gonna say they'll come because last night showed they can start day one, but if starting day one was what these guys only cared about, there's a lot of **** colleges they could be talking to. They're all committed to perceived or real "winners" now for a reason. They want to win and compete for championships. We're at least 3-5 years away from that IMO.
• Fortunately, I still like everyone in this class and think even potentially under ranked or under the radar guys like Clemmons and Burrell will be very good football players. More than that, I think this staff will maximize what each individual has.
• Hoping beyond all hope we can pull out a win next week at Vandy. And I'll say this.... 2018 will be the last year in a long time we go into the Vandy's and Kentuckys and Mizzous hoping we can pull off an upset win.

Reasonable, well-thought analysis. The officiating sucked, but we know it will every game. I still think that was a penalty on the tackle on JG on the first sack.

 

[vol2002]

And for whatever it’s worth, super coach is sitting in Oakland right now being called the biggest coaching bust in football. We just can’t seem to win with our super coach dreams!

Gotta roll up the sleeves and do it the hard way.

Pruitt should get 6 years to fix this.

 

[rekinhavoc]

I would have liked to see Shrout yesterday. I assume they left Chryst in there in case JG can't go next week.

I am wondering if there will be a shakeup on the offensive coaching staff this offseason.

 

[yoyoyoyo]

Some takeaways from X3:

1. Offensively, we seemingly had no plan other than chuck it up and hope for the best.

2. Defensively, we couldn’t tackle at all and could not get pressure on Lock at all.

3. Every break that went Mizzou’s way they capitalized 100%, which is a sign of a good team.

4. SEC officiating is so inconsistent it is maddening.

5. As an ‘08 UT grad that went to every home game during college and now a 5 consecutive year season ticket holder, I can say with some authority that the game experience in Neyland has declined dramatically since the mid 2000s. For starters, the Jumbotron operator(s) rarelt show replays for whatever reason. So key plays like targeting, you have no idea sitting in the stands what is happening. They’ve reduced the Jumbotron video size to provide more advertising space. They rarely show scores of other games on the stadium banners. The student section has had thousands of empty seats all season. Opposing team fans have bought up a lot of unsold seats on the UT home side. Fans left for the exits very quickly last night — like early third Q. Schools like UT want to complain that attendance is down, but between $5 hot chocolate, 15 minute bathroom waits, 20 minute stadium entrance waits, inability to see replays, inability to see scores of other games, and then on top of that the dismal performance on the field we’ve had the last couple years, it’s honestly amazing to me that we are still getting the 75-80k fans in Neyland every Saturday that we are getting (don’t fall for the fake news numbers you see, it’s been around 80k all year).

Number 5 is spot on. We sit under the overhang. Those TVs don’t play what’s on the Jumbotron half the time. Every play should be replayed regardless if it’s good or bad for UT. Security at the gates is ridiculous now and focused on the wrong things. It seems like they get such a thrill finding someone bringing in a little alcohol. Their focus should be keeping weapons and bombs out of the stadium.

 

[drvenner]

And for whatever it’s worth, super coach is sitting in Oakland right now being called the biggest coaching bust in football. We just can’t seem to win with our super coach dreams!

Gotta roll up the sleeves and do it the hard way.

Pruitt should get 6 years to fix this.

He should, but I still think he won't need it. It is going to take longer than I had hoped.

 

[JCP201]

I would have liked to see Shrout yesterday. I assume they left Chryst in there in case JG can't go next week.

I am wondering if there will be a shakeup on the offensive coaching staff this offseason.

Chryst has played little this year. If JG can't go, he needs all the reps he can get, IMO.

 

[zhangliao04]

Morning-after thoughts:

CBS still sucks.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

Just saw the Reid targeting

No doubt about that. Textbook

 

[EdEcEko77]

For months, a small but boisterous contingent of Tennessee fans have campaigned for the former Stanford quarterback, especially after Chryst threw for a couple of touchdowns against No. 1 Alabama.

He gets the ball out quicker. He sets the protections better. He doesn’t take killer sacks. He sees the whole field.

In fairness, Chryst does do some of those things, but those clamoring fans who finally got their wish didn’t have much to champion Saturday night.

There’s a reason why Jarrett Guarantano is this team’s starting quarterback.

As evidenced by a 50-17 throttling by Missouri, Tennessee has all sorts of problems, but its second-year starter isn’t principal among them.

While Guarantano has his flaws and it’s still unclear if he’s the solution to turning around this program, what unfolded in Neyland Stadium only boosted the New Jersey native’s resume.

In an embarrassing 33-point loss, Chryst threw a pair of interceptions — as many as Guarantano has all season — including a back-breaking turnover just before halftime.

Trailing 19-10, Tennessee was marching towards a score with less than two minutes remaining when Chryst threw a duck in the direction of Marquez Callaway. The pass was easily intercepted by Demarcus Acy, who returned it 76 yards down the sideline to setup another Tigers touchdown.

Ballgame, pretty much.

“It was just a poor throw,” head coach Jeremy Pruitt said.

“That killed us there right before the half. The score is 19-10, we have a good drive going. It’s the whole deal about two-minute (drill) before the half. There are two things that can happen, you can run the clock out or you can punt the football and the run the clock out and go in at the half.

"We had an opportunity with some field position, had a chance to put some points on the board and had a bad throw. They run it all the way back. So it’s at least probably a 10-point swing there.”

Chryst shook off the pick to engineer a touchdown drive to start the third quarter, but the damage was done.

He finished the day 7 of 19 for 173 yards — 98 yards coming from a pair of circus catches by Marquez Callaway. Just before the game-changing interception, Chryst missed Dominick Wood-Anderson deep down the opposite sideline. On the possession before, Tennessee’s backup never saw a wide open Wood-Anderson in the end zone, forcing the Vols to settle for a field goal.

“Keller is a hard worker, he’s been great for our program. Our kids love him. He’s a good leader,” Pruitt said.

“But I know there are a few throws he would like to have back. There are a couple plays there where we turn the ball over, that probably hurt us.”

Chryst has been a model teammate and leader since coming to Tennessee. He didn’t gripe when he lost the job this summer and he’s been ready to go when called upon more than once this season.

Much like the Alabama game, he provided an instant spark when he replaced Guarantano, who exited early in the second quarter Saturday after another big hit.

“We didn’t really change our plans based on the quarterback,” Pruitt said.

And that’s the issue.

Chryst's limitations and accuracy issues were on full display tonight. He looked like a guy who lost his job at Stanford Perhaps he'd be the better quarterback in a different offense, but for what the Vols want to do, with what they have (or don’t have) along the offensive line, Tennessee better hope Guarantano is ready to go in Nashville next Saturday.

Otherwise, the Vols might be home for the holidays for the second straight December.

- Simonton

 

[rekinhavoc]

Just saw the Reid targeting

No doubt about that. Textbook

I can't make heads or tails of targeting. I thought he was trying to lead with his shoulder and the ball carrier was pulled directly in his path at the last second . Tough call .

 

[nicksjuzunk]

I stand by my earlier predictions for progress, which were something along the lines of:

2019 6-7 wins
2020 7-9 wins
2021 TBD

 

[JCP201]

- Simonton

This is all true, but if JG is still addled, then Chryst is the guy to get us to a bowl, or Shrout goes out and plays when he hasn't even seen the field.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

I can't make heads or tails of targeting. I thought he was trying to lead with his shoulder and the ball carrier was pulled directly in his path at the last second . Tough call .

It looked like an old spearing call

Head down, launched at defender, arms to the side like a torpedo and helmet to helmet. No gripe from me

 

[zhangliao04]

Continues to show how bad Butch made this team. Pruitt did everything he could this past off-season to help us win games. The extremely poor coaching, poor mentality, and lack of S&C continues to show even now (some more than others). That's why we have an OL that averages south of 300lbs and who is very inconsistent at blocking as well as an extremely depth deficient DL group.

 

[zhangliao04]

What about this Reid targeting? Can someone point me to it?

 

[Chief Vol 13]

Feels like we're barreling down 5-7 pike. Once again at this time of year, just feels like Vanderbilt has the better football team.

 

[chargervol]

- Simonton

Agree with most of this but it's disappointing the way everyone paints the "other" QB when pointing out their favorite.

I prefer JG but Chryst has had no starts.
JG threw 2 interceptions in 1 game also against Florida. While going 7 of 18, I would add. I see Simonton didn't mention any of that.

JG is better but why our fans and media feel the need to omit facts and trash the other guy, is beyond me.

 

[Chief Vol 13]

Continues to show how bad Butch made this team. Pruitt did everything he could this past off-season to help us win games. The extremely poor coaching, poor mentality, and lack of S&C continues to show even now (some more than others). That's why we have an OL that averages south of 300lbs and who is very inconsistent at blocking as well as an extremely depth deficient DL group.

Looks like we have three tight ends on our line. One of, if not the worst o lines in the power 5. Got news for everyone, they're probably not going to be a whole lot better next year. Both lines of scrimmage will again likely be weaknesses next year.

 

[LargePairOfVols]

They’re gonna beat us soundly I’m afriad. They’ve played longer together, have a better QB and OC, and a coach with some defensive merit. And as you said something to play for. In these instances, as of late, the other team gets exponentially more fired up than the Vols.

I can tell you one thing for sure- we’ll come out and play a terrible, uninspired first quarter.

 

[zhangliao04]

Agree with most of this but it's disappointing the way everyone paints the "other" QB when pointing out their favorite.

I prefer JG but Chryst has had no starts.
JG threw 2 interceptions in 1 game also against Florida. While going 7 of 18, I would add. I see Simonton didn't mention any of that.

JG is better but why our fans and media feel the need to omit facts and trash the other guy, is beyond me.

It's their desire to be right.

 

[volsagain]

People that are naive enough to think that the SEC doesn't try and influence games through officiating needs to watch Alabama play, anybody. By "assisting" in Vandy's win last night, they've assured another SEC bowl team. Had Vandy lost and the beat us next week, then that would have removed bo f2f h Vandy and Tennessee from receiving a bowl.

I believe vandy makes it with a 5 - 7 record