Could Guarantano surprise us? (Merged)

JG is a better qb than most of these guys are going to give him credit for. I look at it like this, if most other teams in the SEC had to play with JG as their quarterback, would they be better or worse than they are now? JG would not take Alabama to a national championship. However he could step in at almost any other school and be as good as their current quarterback if not better. The biggest knock is him holding the ball too long. The offensive line has allowed him to get molested in almost every game. You mix those two together and you've got real problems brother. My gut tells me that if our o-line could get their Collective crap together and play better than a Sun Belt Conference team, JG could make a little something out of that time he's holding the ball. If the other quarterbacks around the nation who are so highly touted had the small time window that he has to throw the ball, would they be considered as good as they are? I don't think so.
They do. But they have the ability to read D's pre-snap and hit the right receiver making some of the rush packages ineffective.

You can look at it from the exact opposite perspective. If JG knew how to read D's and get rid of the ball on time then that would take tremendous pressure off the OL and maybe they would be more effective.

I believe BOTH are true. He has weaknesses that need to improve as does the OL.

We can't really judge this coming season since several teams have new QB's. But IMO... UF, Bama, UGA, USCe, Auburn, Ole Miss, MSU, LSU, TAM, Vandy, and Mizzou for certain get WORSE with JG at QB as he played last fall. UK and Arkansas might have been better off with JG though UK depended on their QB being mobile.


JG MUST get better at reading D's and getting the ball out quicker and that's true regardless of improvements on the OL. He MUST get better at passes where he has to lead a receiver to a spot and timing passes... especially those in the middle of the field.
 
Not really but whatever.


No. It is his fault that he doesn't throw receivers open including BJ. It is especially difficult for guys who depend on running a route well and having the QB throw to a spot. Jennings is another guy who isn't going to outrun anyone but can be pretty good if the ball is thrown on time.
If JG doesn't know when or can't throw to the right spot how is it that his interception numbers are so low?
 
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Who said that? Totally disingenuous misrepresentation of what I’m saying.


Missing the point here.

Is the lack of WR production partly JG’s fault? Duh.

Is it JG’s fault that BJ is smaller, slower, and/or a worse blocker than the WRs ahead of him on the depth chart? Nope.

Johnson didn’t produce much in 2019 because he was buried on the depth chart behind better athletes who bring more to the table athletically. Better QB would mean more production for all of our WRs, but how much production would that translate to for the 5th best WR on the team? Probably not too much.


This is some bs..Name one wide receiver on this roster who put up numbers in 2018? Brandon as a sophomore led the team and catches and yards but he never gets credit..News flash Brandon is the second biggest wide reciever on the team..He is at 203 pounds..Brandon is only 20 years old..This new staff has already taking notice..Dont sleep on Brandon this year..
 
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If JG doesn't know when or can't throw to the right spot how is it that his interception numbers are so low?

Probably has a bit to do with this:
jgattempts.png


And the fact that he was prone to dump passes to his check-down man at or behind the LOS, or take a sack rather than throw the ball down field
 
This is some bs..Name one wide receiver on this roster who put up numbers in 2018? Brandon as a sophomore led the team and catches and yards but he never gets credit..News flash Brandon is the second biggest wide reciever on the team..He is at 203 pounds..Brandon is only 20 years old..This new staff has already taking notice..Dont sleep on Brandon this year..
When BJ was a sophomore JJ was out and Palmer was still extremely raw. We had very little competition or depth at WR. And our TEs didn’t add much to the passing game either. In 2018, he was 7th in receptions because we were closer to having an SEC caliber WR/TE unit.

Also highly doubt BJ is the second biggest WR on the team. Our roster listed Callaway, Byrd, JJ, Palmer, and Tillman all as 200 lbs or heavier during the 2018 season. Tillman and JJ both weighed in over 210. Good on BJ for finally catching up to all of them, I guess. Hopefully the added bulk will allow him to contribute as a blocker and won’t slow him down even more.


I am glad we have him on the team, though. If our starters like Callaway or Palmer get banged up (or JJ gets himself in some sort of trouble again) and guys like Keyton and Tillman aren’t ready yet, BJ has shown he can be a serviceable backup. He might still get a chance to make some sort of contribution if he manages to stick around until the Fall and we see some injuries.

Edit: also if you wanna talk numbers, Callaway and Palmer both had more productive years in 2018 than Brandon in 2017. And JJ was close with only about 50 fewer yards, but 2 more TDS.
 
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Will I be surprised when Oline improvements, a new and better OC, and another year of development under a competent coaching staff result in better performance at the QB position? Nope.
 
If JG doesn't know when or can't throw to the right spot how is it that his interception numbers are so low?
Because he IS NOT ALLOWED TO THROW THOSE THROWS.

Go back and watch then tell us how many times he leads a receiver on a long throw or throws timing hitches, slants, or drags across the middle. The vast majority of his completions are either designed "no read" plays where one guys is schemed open, screens, and back shoulder throws. They also use the sideline A LOT with him. Both staffs have. The reason you do that is to use the sideline to protect him from bad decisions because he's weak reading the D post snap also.

He doesn't "stretch" defenses. He is NOT difficult to defend which is why UT scores so few points behind him. D's can "give" him certain things knowing that drives cannot be sustained by what he is able to do well if they defend it well. Auburn and UK could not defend the back shoulder, jump ball type throws to the sideline. He gets credit for throwing that well... but it can't be to the near exclusion of using the space between the hashes.
 
I hope JG has a strong 2019 season because if he does Tennessee will surprise a lot of people this season
I hope he has a great season. I hope Chaney is able to improve his ability to make reads and timely decisions.

If not... I hope Chaney replaces him. Of all the people UT could have hired to make this kind of decision, Chaney would be near the top. He made Peterman a credible QB. He got the best out of Crompton. He helped UGA to the NC with a true Fr at QB... and iirc injuries across the OL. Chaney was an outstanding hire IMO and JG's best chance of turning into a good SEC QB.
 
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Because he IS NOT ALLOWED TO THROW THOSE THROWS.

Go back and watch then tell us how many times he leads a receiver on a long throw or throws timing hitches, slants, or drags across the middle. The vast majority of his completions are either designed "no read" plays where one guys is schemed open, screens, and back shoulder throws. They also use the sideline A LOT with him. Both staffs have. The reason you do that is to use the sideline to protect him from bad decisions because he's weak reading the D post snap also.

He doesn't "stretch" defenses. He is NOT difficult to defend which is why UT scores so few points behind him. D's can "give" him certain things knowing that drives cannot be sustained by what he is able to do well if they defend it well. Auburn and UK could not defend the back shoulder, jump ball type throws to the sideline. He gets credit for throwing that well... but it can't be to the near exclusion of using the space between the hashes.

JG's mid-season highlights are more of a showcase of our receivers' abilities to catch high, behind, over and under-thrown balls than they are of his abilities as a QB. There are a few really well-thrown passes in there, but they are few are far between. I hope Chaney can get more of those out of him in 2019.
 
Probably has a bit to do with this:
jgattempts.png


And the fact that he was prone to dump passes to his check-down man at or behind the LOS, or take a sack rather than throw the ball down field
So basically he was 50% of Vandy's QB. That's just ****ing great.
 
So basically he was 50% of Vandy's QB. That's just ****ing great.

I think you have to look at the entirety of the stats to get the full picture. Last season in the SEC JG was a better passer the Terry Wilson,Ty Storey, and Nick Fitzgerald and that's about it. Kentucky was a run first team with Snell, and Storey is transferring out of Arkansas most likely to a non-P5 conference, and Fitzgerald had 13 rushing TDs to go along with his 16 passing TDs. It's just laughable to see posters touting JGs low interception rate and his QB rating when you see him listed with his peers in the SEC, but that's when all of the blame gets shifted to the o-line, Helton's play calling, the absence of evidence of the Loch Ness monster etc... Sam Ehlinger at Texas was behind a similar performing oline on passing downs in 2018 and managed to put up significantly better passing numbers than JG. For as bad as the oline is, the sacks allowed stats just don't support the fallacy that they are completely responsible for JG's shortcomings.

He might be able to get better, but this is his fourth OC, so it's still up in the air whether or not the game is going to become more manageable or not.
 
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Probably has a bit to do with this:
jgattempts.png


And the fact that he was prone to dump passes to his check-down man at or behind the LOS, or take a sack rather than throw the ball down field
LoL when you show that stat! Give him 200 more attempts and if he just throws his average on those attempts he ends up leading the SEC in nearly every category. According to your brilliant use of stats it looks like all he needs are more opportunities to throw.
 
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LoL when you show that stat! Give him 200 more attempts and if he just throws his average on those attempts he ends up leading the SEC in nearly every category. According to your brilliant use of stats it looks like all he needs are more opportunities to throw.
To throw more passes... he'd have to use the whole field. He'd have to be ABLE to use the whole field. When two different staffs make the choice NOT to let him throw medium risk passes... he has a weakness that's being covered.
 
LoL when you show that stat! Give him 200 more attempts and if he just throws his average on those attempts he ends up leading the SEC in nearly every category. According to your brilliant use of stats it looks like all he needs are more opportunities to throw.

You are assuming he'd maintain the same ratios with additional attempts, he most likely would not. No one is arguing that his low interceptions and his QB ratings aren't 'good', but unfortunately those two stats aren't the only two that a QB is judged on.
 
To throw more passes... he'd have to use the whole field. He'd have to be ABLE to use the whole field. When two different staffs make the choice NOT to let him throw medium risk passes... he has a weakness that's being covered.
Just a ridiculous statement. He didn't have the attempts because of the style of play Pruitt is running and because our offense as a whole stunk a bit last season. If it was like you say and they were not allowing him to throw then we would have 200 more attempts running the football than every team in the conference. You must not understand the law of averages as JG rates in the top half of the SEC in nearly every category and shines in some of the trendy new matrix that the pro scouts are starting to use. Is JG the Best in the conference, not a chance but he's definitely top half and with experience and a veteran team that can often lead to success and it's one of the reasons, alongside our weak schedule next season, why the Vols are getting some love in the way to early preseason ratings.
 
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Even if our line improves drastically, its not going to help JG much unless he improves drastically.

The line sucked, but if JG was "All That", he'd done better. Just would have, man. How can you not agree with that?

The o-line is NOT the only drastic improvement needed for JG to be what we really need him to be.

Now, I think with the changes in staff things look to be favorable for JG, and us. But it I sure don't see it as a guarantee.

Some of you need to lay off JG. IMO. Both sides. Lulz.

Just my 2 cents.
 
Even if our line improves drastically, its not going to help JG much unless he improves drastically.

The line sucked, but if JG was "All That", he'd done better. Just would have, man. How can you not agree with that?

The o-line is NOT the only drastic improvement needed for JG to be what we really need him to be.

Now, I think with the changes in staff things look to be favorable for JG, and us. But it I sure don't see it as a guarantee.

Some of you need to lay off JG. IMO. Both sides. Lulz.

Just my 2 cents.
Simply go look at his stats above, add 200 more attempts which would nearly double his output last season. His yards would go to around 3500, TDs would nearly double to somewhere in the low 20s and Ints would be 5 or 6. All of those numbers would be exceptional in the toughest league in the country. Do you really believe his averages would drop with more attempts as he's shown improvement from year 1 to year 2?Just not sure how folks don't see that an experienced JR QB with those numbers isn't seen as a plus for the Vols.
 
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You are assuming he'd maintain the same ratios with additional attempts, he most likely would not. No one is arguing that his low interceptions and his QB ratings aren't 'good', but unfortunately those two stats aren't the only two that a QB is judged on.
Why would he most likely not continue to put up the same numbers? He's shown improvement from year1 to year2 and no reason that would not continue. His projection is really high considering he's just a JR if he continues to improve. Why would he not improve as most young QBs with talent improve considerably from there SO to SR seasons. You put up his numbers and then say well they would be worse if he had more chances does not make any sense at all.
 
Lol, what else you want me to add...that didn't happen, while I'm adding crap?
200 more attempts = 120 more completions
120 completions × 8 yards = 960 more passing yards.
246 attempts- 12 TDs, with 446 attempts he'd have 20 + TDs

Add those attempts and numbers to last season and Vols win 8-10 games. Our offense stunk it up last year and our defense faced a number of veteran QBs, all disastrous for our results and one of the reasons he only had 246 pass attempts. It'll be a different scenario this year where we'll be the veteran team, his attempts will go up as will yards and TDs. I believe it'll translate into wins and JG will go into his SR seasons as one of the top 10 QBs in the country, we shall see.
 
Just a ridiculous statement. He didn't have the attempts because of the style of play Pruitt is running and because our offense as a whole stunk a bit last season.
But NOT the leader and most important player on the O... right? Just everyone else. He has no flaws that you are willing to admit, right? This is true in spite of two different OC's protecting him with low risk play calls.

And you really think that Pruitt wouldn't have turned him loose to produce more O if he could have? Really? Pruitt seems like a guy pretty willing to adjust in order to win.

If it was like you say and they were not allowing him to throw then we would have 200 more attempts running the football than every team in the conference.
The offense was ineffective. I think the RB's are OK but they're not dominant. The OL was not good... and the QB was not "scary" to opposing DC's.

You must not understand the law of averages as JG rates in the top half of the SEC in nearly every category and shines in some of the trendy new matrix that the pro scouts are starting to use.
JG is one of the few UT QB's in my lifetime to have a losing record over two seasons as the starter. The offense behind him has been anemic and easy do defend. If these "great" stats meant what you think they mean then UT would have been credible on O. They weren't. And he was part of the problem.

Is JG the Best in the conference, not a chance but he's definitely top half
He has that physical ability if he can learn to read D's and make good decisions. He wasn't "top half" of the SEC last fall... and not really very close. He was spoon fed easy throws and was not respected by opposing DC's. A guy who struggles with reads and decisions is easy meat for a good DC. UT has averaged 18 ppg in JG's SEC starts. Different players around him. Different coaches. Different OL's... and the O simply does not score points behind him.

The good news is that Chaney will either fix him... or move on. Chaney has a history of fixing guys like JG AND of starting Fr.

and with experience and a veteran team that can often lead to success and it's one of the reasons, alongside our weak schedule next season, why the Vols are getting some love in the way to early preseason ratings.
The OL should improve. JG still needs to improve because A LOT of the problems with pass protection and the ineffective pass game are on him.
 
Why would he most likely not continue to put up the same numbers? He's shown improvement from year1 to year2 and no reason that would not continue. His projection is really high considering he's just a JR if he continues to improve. Why would he not improve as most young QBs with talent improve considerably from there SO to SR seasons. You put up his numbers and then say well they would be worse if he had more chances does not make any sense at all.

If JG threw at or above the SEC average number of attempts in 2018, 346, he most likely would not have maintained his low interception numbers or his QB rating. Has nothing to do with 2019, he's got an entire off season to try and improve, but he ends 2019 with <250 attempts, then he'll most likely have similarly low passing TDs, and we'll have won a similar number of games, and just like in 2018 his QB rating and his low number of interceptions still won't have mattered as far as the success of the team is concerned.

In spite of JG's stats we were 121st in total offense, only ran 716 plays, 3906 total offensive yards, averaged 330 YPG. QB-play has more affect on the game than any other position on the field, and it's a good part of the reason that our offense was stagnant in most games during the 2018 season.
 
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