Let's talk about the OL for a minute, shall we?

#27
#27
I think the talent is lacking. Richmond is a complete bust. Great tools no heart. Most of the time he either joins in a half hearted double team or actually moves out of the way of his man. And Richmond isn’t alone.
If Tennessee lands Wright along with Morris my money says Richmond doesn't see the field next year.
 
#28
#28
If Tennessee lands Wright along with Morris my money says Richmond doesn't see the field next year.

That's putting a lot of faith in the prospect that two true freshmen lineman are going to come in and shore up the mess of an oline that we currently have. It's possible I guess.
 
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#29
#29
Recruiting better is a given. Lyle was too stupid and arrogant to ever understand this is a line of scrimmage league.

These guys are just fundamentally unsound across the board and have not gotten one iota better over the course of the season.

Playing too high, bad footwork, continually whiffing on assignments, not remotely physical even against inferior teams like ETSU or UNCC. They are just awful and that falls a the feet of Friend.

No one here gets to make hiring and firing decisions but I would show him the door next week if I could. Blaming every coach that's ever worn 0range only gets the current coaches a pass for so long. One season in and there is one player group that stands out like a sore thumb for all the wrong reasons.
 
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#30
#30
Recruit, recruit, recruit. If, and it’s big if, Smith returns, to me he’s better suited at G. Hope Kennedy comes back strong and Johnson has some dawg in him, just needs to get bigger and stronger. Carvin has the size and could step up with some time in the weight room and coaching. Hope that Morris and/or Wright is ready to go. Morris being an EE will be big. Richmond showed more quickness running to greet to Missouri players at the end of the game than he did during it. Sure he’s a good kid but had been one of the biggest disappointments.
 
#31
#31
That's putting a lot of faith in the prospect that two true freshmen lineman are going to come in and shore up the mess of an oline that we currently have. It's possible I guess.
I believe both are EE's, also both have the size to play immediately. There will be a learning curve of course but it couldn't be any worse than what we have in Richmond or Tatum currently.
 
#32
#32
The guys we have will improve with more S&C and learning system. Also, we will bring in a very good batch of OL recruits, possibly two 5-star OTs and 2-3 4 stars OL.

Pretty sure Morris will be early enrollee, hopefully a few more of those OL as well.

Big if, but if we get Trey Smith and Kennedy back and healthy, that will make things much better.

Oh and did I mention: S&C, S&C, S&C, S&C, S&C!

Meanness pills and Deer Antler Spray too! lol
 
#33
#33
CPF was loyal to a fault with his assistants so I don’t see him pressuring for a change after one year. Perhaps he would look over Friend’s shoulder which could be annoying. I get the sense CPF is willing to be patient to let this thing get built correctly and that’s probably the smartest way to go.
 
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#34
#34
That's putting a lot of faith in the prospect that two true freshmen lineman are going to come in and shore up the mess of an oline that we currently have. It's possible I guess.


That is asking alot.
 
#35
#35
I just don't get it.. we recruit higher ranked o linemen every year than these other teams we are struggling against. Why are ours so bad every single year? Why was mizzou's oline handling our dline full of 4 and 5 stars? It never freaking fails. How did charlotte have a chance?? I just don't understand how we could miss on so many prospects living up to their billing over and over..
Player development
 
#36
#36
That's putting a lot of faith in the prospect that two true freshmen lineman are going to come in and shore up the mess of an oline that we currently have. It's possible I guess.


I agree but Chance Hall and Jack Jones stepped in a few years ago and did a pretty dang good job before they both went down with injuries
 
#41
#41
We'll need 3 recruiting classes before the line is 'fixed'. You can't just plug a highly rated recruit or two into the line and have it work.


I would like to respectfully disagree. I remember the impact true freshmen Hall and Jones had on the O-line and we were all excited about their futures before their unfortunate injuries. Trey Smith was a rockstar on here as a true freshman and we all were so excited to have a dominant left tackle back on the field. So I believe the O-line will look very much improved with what we are able to put on the field now vs what could potentially come in and contribute next year.
 
#42
#42
There is not much to talk about. The OLine is weak and lousy. Our total offense is 14th, dead last in conference mostly due to them. Until some actual sec linemen are recruited and developed, not much can be said other than this. In my opinion, this group of linemen could remain in school for another 7 years and never compete with most of the teams in the sec. They are soft, unable to stand up on their own hind legs and physically challenge an opposing lineman. If they were allowed to remain eligible to play until they were 30 yrs old, they would still be overmatched against the better teams.

But let's be fair in assessments. The Defense that was out there yesterday was even more fragile and incompetent in skills and ability. Lock had a field day, plenty of time to throw and even run if he so desired. He looked left and shot perfect throws to the opposite side of the field. Our LBers give no assistance to the front down linemen and none to the secondary in coverage either. They are just out there taking up space. Our DBs got torched all afternoon and the Dline didn't do jack squat to apply an ounce of pressure to make it fairer for them.

Most glaring of all is the despondence with which they play. One rather obvious advantage Vandy has next week is that they can play with emotion and pride. They always play us with an added fever and have the incentive of a bowl game and what is sadly becoming dominance over the Vols (4 of past 6 and counting). Recruit some real athletes, instill them with a winning and kind of nasty attitude, and don't let the sissies of the current squad be a negative influence on them after they arrive.
 
#43
#43
Wright and Morris would come in here with some unrealistic and probably unfair expectations given how big a need we have on ol.

Future is uncertain fur Smith.

We get Kennedy back and every other oline men.

The only thing we'll really have next year vs this year is a true rotation.

Ol is a developmental position. Morris looks like he'll be an ee. Wright won't be. There'll be 3 other freshmen coming that could be asked to contribute as well.

We get the infusion of talent, yes.

Not sure production changes greatly unless the current group really takes advantage of this off season... And Smith is able to come back
 
#44
#44
no quick fix, even if we land our freshmen guys and JUCO maybe, but still we're a couple years to compete at a high level...two cents worth...no quick fix...

GO VOLS...BEAT VANDY!
That's true.

But also not the question that was asked.

Quickest was the word of choice.
 
#49
#49
Strength and conditioning times 100! Our guys are soft and weak. After an off season with this S&C program they should all improve. Let's hope we land Morris and Wright and they come in ready to play. We need more team speed too. Even Mizzou looked faster than us. Our DB's looked lost but are freshmen.

Bituli not return for Sr. Season?? Where would he go? He's no where close to being an NFL player yet.
 
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#50
#50
Richmond is a bust, but why? 2 years absent adult supervision, leadership, and coaching.

No Kid gets the ratings he got and fails this miserably without the absence of above.
 
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