Pre-Spring Rankings

[Blake25p]

4th in the East is reasonable, disagree that “Total Offense” is the biggest issue that would be the O-Line, fix that and you fix the offense IMO.

 

[Boca Vol]

4th in the East is reasonable, disagree that “Total Offense” is the biggest issue that would be the O-Line, fix that and you fix the offense IMO.

As a Vol fan that's 46 years old...I just can't accept 4th in the East and reasonable mentioned together. Shams!

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

As a Vol fan that's 46 years old...I just can't accept 4th in the East and reasonable mentioned together. Shams!

I agree it's unpalatable to those of us in our 40's and unacceptable in the long term, but sadly it's reasonable.

 

[Boca Vol]

I agree it's unpalatable to those of us in our 40's and unacceptable in the long term, but sadly it's reasonable.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

Lol. We literally lose to Florida every year and still about 95% of Tennessee fans think, even predict Tennessee will beat Florida, year after year after year. It’s truly bizarre. Florida is every bit the 100% certain loss as Alabama is, book it.

I don't like your negative and defeatist attitude....real fans don't come and say these things.....you are obviously accustomed to losing in your own life, hence your reasons to think UT will as well........jmo

 

[Behr]

Lol. We literally lose to Florida every year and still about 95% of Tennessee fans think, even predict Tennessee will beat Florida, year after year after year. It’s truly bizarre. Florida is every bit the 100% certain loss as Alabama is, book it.

Lol, you're goofy.

 

[Remy]

So Georgia has beat bama 118 minutes out of 120 but we have no chance with bama but can possibly beat Georgia? Georgia could have Butch coaching and still win on talent. They were the youngest team in the conference last year. They will be better this year. Florida is a loss until proven otherwise. They're recruiting well also

LOL, UGA is going backwards on defense and staffs around the country know it. They gave up 8 rushing TDs in 2017 gave up 18 rushing TDs in 2018. Their secondary is solid but their defense against the run is going backwards and their pass rush is one of the worst in the conference. What is it about :

12th in sacks in the SEC
5th in the SEC in points and TDs allowed (18 rushing TDs allowed in 2018, just sayin' in 2017 they had 8)
7th in the SEC in rushing yds per attempt at 4.0

that you can't grasp? The stats came from THEIR url.

 

[JacketVol]

Not happening. Disappointment for those that haven’t watched this team in years or are delusional.

8 could happen but would have to get a ton of breaks but 7 wins would not be a disappointment to me and is what I hope for and predict. Got to be better than five wins period.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

Florida is losing almost their whole OL, couple that with a so-so QB and I'm not sold on them being world beaters next year. Whether we are a team who can take advantage of this of course is an entirely different question.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

LOL, UGA is going backwards on defense and staffs around the country know it. They gave up 8 rushing TDs in 2017 gave up 18 rushing TDs in 2018. Their secondary is solid but their defense against the run is going backwards and their pass rush is one of the worst in the conference. What is it about :

12th in sacks in the SEC
5th in the SEC in points and TDs allowed (18 rushing TDs allowed in 2018, just sayin' in 2017 they had 8)
7th in the SEC in rushing yds per attempt at 4.0

that you can't grasp? The stats came from THEIR url.

They replaced most of their front 7 between 2017 and 2018 though that's the genesis for the step back, and will return a lot of experience there in 2019 so those stats will likely improve. Their defense as a whole I think will be better. Their offense is losing a lot of depth at wide receiver, but they are returning most of their OL and Fromm and Swift. They may not get better on offense but it's hard to see them taking too much of a step back unless Fromm gets hurt. If Fromm gets hurt I think they are very beatable as their backups next year are going to be very raw and unproven.

 

[Atlanta917]

They replaced most of their front 7 between 2017 and 2018 though that's the genesis for the step back, and will return a lot of experience there in 2019 so those stats will likely improve. Their defense as a whole I think will be better. Their offense is losing a lot of depth at wide receiver, but they are returning most of their OL and Fromm and Swift. They may not get better on offense but it's hard to see them taking too much of a step back unless Fromm gets hurt. If Fromm gets hurt I think they are very beatable as their backups next year are going to be very raw and unproven.

You pretty much nailed it. UGA lost basically their entire front 7 after the 2017 season and took a big step back in rush defense. The front 7 outside of d’andre walker was young and inexperienced and it showed. I’d assume UGA takes a step forward this year in rush defense and probably a step back in pass defense with the loss of Baker. Other than him they bring back most of their starters. The offense should be fine unless fromm goes down. If that happens I could see UGA being a 4 loss team.

 

[hUTch2002]

You did not give one legit example of someone with a BAD line who made it better.

Of course TB does thoses things better than 99.9% of qbs ever. But Brady' struggles vs pressure are well documented. When the line or backs miss blocks, no matter how good the qb, it causes problems.

Bill Belichick won’t pin Patriots’ struggles vs. blitz on Tom Brady

PFF: Brady Still Struggles When Pressured

Pressure is impacting Tom Brady more than it has in a while



The same with Tua.
Alabama must show it can protect Tua Tagovailoa better after struggles vs. Mississippi State

Most of us saw what happened in the NC game when pressured.

And what happens when he played good teams who actually put pressure on him.





There is a reason for all the cliches about line play. It starts up front. It doesn't matter how well you read the defense or set the blocking if they fail to block.




Lets not ignore the start of the article you agree with either.

"QB Jarrett Guarantano needs to become something special after a promising year."

Most agree he had a promising year except for a few.

He needs to take the next step this year and become dynamic. Hopefully Chaney and Tee get him there. The line and wrs have to step up also.

I’m not going to anoint JG the next great UT QB by any stretch. He does appear to have issues reading the blitz, has zero pocket prescence (or presents as I’ve seen on here a lot), and tends to hold the ball too long when he actually does get time. I’m sure there are other issues and there are a lot of positives about him too that I won’t list. My point is that no QB would have done well given the same situation last year. Maybe Tua would’ve done a little better but he would not have been a good QB if he had been our starting QB instead of JG. We had too many factors others than JG that impacted our overall offensive performance to point out one individual as the primary reason for our subpar offense. I do think JG will continue to improve and there’s little doubt the job is his. It’s perfectly fine to critique the young man but at the end of the day we should all be supporting him as a member of our beloved Tennessee Volunteers.

 

[hUTch2002]

They replaced most of their front 7 between 2017 and 2018 though that's the genesis for the step back, and will return a lot of experience there in 2019 so those stats will likely improve. Their defense as a whole I think will be better. Their offense is losing a lot of depth at wide receiver, but they are returning most of their OL and Fromm and Swift. They may not get better on offense but it's hard to see them taking too much of a step back unless Fromm gets hurt. If Fromm gets hurt I think they are very beatable as their backups next year are going to be very raw and unproven.

You beat me to it. I totally agree on UGA’s D. They will definitely be better than last year as they had an inexperienced group last year and it seems like they had some injury issues too. They will likely be favored in all 12 games. They won’t run the table though. It will be very bad for Smart if they lose more than 1 game and Fromm is healthy. I really hope they do.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

You beat me to it. I totally agree on UGA’s D. They will definitely be better than last year as they had an inexperienced group last year and it seems like they had some injury issues too. They will likely be favored in all 12 games. They won’t run the table though. It will be very bad for Smart if they lose more than 1 game and Fromm is healthy. I really hope they do.

I was surprised they went 11-1 in the regular season. After we played them I figured them for a couple of losses and a beat down from Bama in the SEC championship.

 

[Atlanta917]

You beat me to it. I totally agree on UGA’s D. They will definitely be better than last year as they had an inexperienced group last year and it seems like they had some injury issues too. They will likely be favored in all 12 games. They won’t run the table though. It will be very bad for Smart if they lose more than 1 game and Fromm is healthy. I really hope they do.

It’s certainly possible UGA loses 1-2 in the regular season. They have Notre Dame early, Florida is better and it’s a rivalry game, Texas a&m is looking better with jimbo, and auburn always seems to do well after a disappointing year. Other than that, UT is improving and Missouri will be a wild card if Kelly Bryant stays. I’m kind of split on scheduling decent non conference opponents. On one hand it’ll help if your team does slip up, but it also puts you at a disadvantage when teams like Florida only play bad teams from their own state. Generally UGA, bama, auburn, LSU, and UT play good non conference opponents while the rest of the SEC schedule cupcakes.

 

[hUTch2002]

It’s certainly possible UGA loses 1-2 in the regular season. They have Notre Dame early, Florida is better and it’s a rivalry game, Texas a&m is looking better with jimbo, and auburn always seems to do well after a disappointing year. Other than that, UT is improving and Missouri will be a wild card if Kelly Bryant stays. I’m kind of split on scheduling decent non conference opponents. On one hand it’ll help if your team does slip up, but it also puts you at a disadvantage when teams like Florida only play bad teams from their own state. Generally UGA, bama, auburn, LSU, and UT play good non conference opponents while the rest of the SEC schedule cupcakes.

Florida does have FSU every year so I won’t hate on them for scheduling. They also open with Miami next year.

 

[kbear01]

Tennessee will beat Vandy, KY, MSU, Missouri, USC..........toss up is Florida and UGA and winning our out of conference games I could see 8-10 wins.........jmo

You are an eternal optimist. 8 wins is a big stretch. 10? I am not feeling it. But, I hope you are correct.

 

[Atlanta917]

Florida does have FSU every year so I won’t hate on them for scheduling. They also open with Miami next year.

FSU hasn’t been good since Jameis left. Miami showed some life then richt blew it up. UGA plays tech every year, but we’ve also recently played ND and Clemson and have an upcoming game with Clemson. Seems like bama, LSU, auburn, and UT also routinely play quality OOC teams. Sometimes it’s difficult because teams like Louisville go from respectable to awful, but you generally can’t go wrong scheduling teams like Oklahoma and Clemson. Imo more props should be given to teams that do home and homes instead of chick fil a kick off games at Mercedes Benz.

 

[hUTch2002]

FSU hasn’t been good since Jameis left. Miami showed some life then richt blew it up. UGA plays tech every year, but we’ve also recently played ND and Clemson and have an upcoming game with Clemson. Seems like bama, LSU, auburn, and UT also routinely play quality OOC teams. Sometimes it’s difficult because teams like Louisville go from respectable to awful, but you generally can’t go wrong scheduling teams like Oklahoma and Clemson. Imo more props should be given to teams that do home and homes instead of chick fil a kick off games at Mercedes Benz.

Scheduling is a fluid situation with good and bad years but I agree that it seems certain teams tend to generally schedule more aggressively than others. You certainly can’t complain about anyone playing 2 Power 5 teams or one and ND. As far as FSU, they are usually at least decent. The last 2 years have been rough but most of the prior 30 were pretty good.

 

[sjt18]

I’m not going to anoint JG the next great UT QB by any stretch. He does appear to have issues reading the blitz, has zero pocket prescence (or presents as I’ve seen on here a lot), and tends to hold the ball too long when he actually does get time. I’m sure there are other issues and there are a lot of positives about him too that I won’t list. My point is that no QB would have done well given the same situation last year. Maybe Tua would’ve done a little better but he would not have been a good QB if he had been our starting QB instead of JG. We had too many factors others than JG that impacted our overall offensive performance to point out one individual as the primary reason for our subpar offense. I do think JG will continue to improve and there’s little doubt the job is his. It’s perfectly fine to critique the young man but at the end of the day we should all be supporting him as a member of our beloved Tennessee Volunteers.

You need to understand the context. Most of us acknowledge the OL issues. Most of us accept that there were other development and systems issues. k-town king however rejects any and all blame assigned to JG. He's cultic in his obsession.

JG struggles with reads and makes decisions too slow. In 3 years, the game hasn't "slowed down" for him. I wish it would. He's got great physical talent and the team needs much better play from the position as well as the OL. If the OL were "very good" by SEC standards... JG would still struggle to read D's pre-snap and with decision making and with timing routes.

Challenge. Go back over the last two seasons and notice how many slants, skinny posts, and hitches he's thrown. He has the arm. Those are pressure killing patterns that could have forced D's to adjust away from the pressure that's plagued him. But two different staffs now haven't allowed him to throw those routes... why?

 

[hUTch2002]

You need to understand the context. Most of us acknowledge the OL issues. Most of us accept that there were other development and systems issues. k-town king however rejects any and all blame assigned to JG. He's cultic in his obsession.

JG struggles with reads and makes decisions too slow. In 3 years, the game hasn't "slowed down" for him. I wish it would. He's got great physical talent and the team needs much better play from the position as well as the OL. If the OL were "very good" by SEC standards... JG would still struggle to read D's pre-snap and with decision making and with timing routes.

Challenge. Go back over the last two seasons and notice how many slants, skinny posts, and hitches he's thrown. He has the arm. Those are pressure killing patterns that could have forced D's to adjust away from the pressure that's plagued him. But two different staffs now haven't allowed him to throw those routes... why?

I’ve seen a lot of the back and forth between k-town and others. At times it does appear JG is late and once in a blue moon he will hit a slant but, as you said, it is rarely called. I can’t for sure say why they aren’t calling it more. You certainly may be correct on the reason. I do feel pretty certain he will be starting this year though so I’m curious to see if anything looks different this year. If not then he likely won’t be starting the whole year. If he doesn’t improve those things and does start the whole year we may be in for a rough one. I think Chaney and Tee can do some good things for JG but I wish this was year 2 for all of them together.

 

[DC_Vol]

I guess we’re a basketball school now.

 

[sjt18]

I’ve seen a lot of the back and forth between k-town and others. At times it does appear JG is late and once in a blue moon he will hit a slant but, as you said, it is rarely called. I can’t for sure say why they aren’t calling it more. You certainly may be correct on the reason. I do feel pretty certain he will be starting this year though so I’m curious to see if anything looks different this year. If not then he likely won’t be starting the whole year. If he doesn’t improve those things and does start the whole year we may be in for a rough one. I think Chaney and Tee can do some good things for JG but I wish this was year 2 for all of them together.

Chaney favors good decision makers. JG has to improve or he won't start.

Considering what Chaney did with Peterman... This is by far JG's best shot at becoming a good QB.

 

[hUTch2002]

Chaney favors good decision makers. JG has to improve or he won't start.

Considering what Chaney did with Peterman... This is by far JG's best shot at becoming a good QB.

A good coach can certainly do wonders. After Ainge’s sophomore year I thought he was done. He was broken between the ears. Cutcliffe got him drafted. Peterman didn’t look like he was capable of gaining an offensive yard let alone playing in the NFL. What’s your prediction on regular season wins next year? I’m thinking 7 at the moment.

 

[sjt18]

A good coach can certainly do wonders. After Ainge’s sophomore year I thought he was done. He was broken between the ears. Cutcliffe got him drafted. Peterman didn’t look like he was capable of gaining an offensive yard let alone playing in the NFL. What’s your prediction on regular season wins next year? I’m thinking 7 at the moment.

I'm usually wrong so don't bet on me... but if they get good QB play then I think 8. I think the OL's who played too early last year will gain bulk and power to go with the experience. Guys like Jahmir Johnson had no business playing. I doubt he weighed more the 270. Even with everything else, the OL did improve on mental mistakes over the course of the season. By the end, they were mostly getting beat IMO because they were overmatched physically. Another year in S&C should do wonders.

Disclaimer: I'm counting on Pruitt being as good a coach of the game as I think he is.