2019 Season -- Bold Predictions

[photovol]

7-5 is more realistic but we are a decent O-Line away from 9-3. We return 18 starters and have a much easier schedule. Add the gains in the weight room and the time to digest and learn Pruitt's system and 2019 is shaping up to be a very good year. If the O-Line gels and the D-Line stays healthy we are going to shock some people mark my words.

decent Oline and decent Dline away
fingers crossed and double crossed
a little luck and the ball bouncing our way and not getting outed by the officials will help considerably, No?
Go Vols

 

[photovol]

OL performs above average

What, above average, you say
if so then another 2 wins possibly

 

[Fayettvol]

Feels like 98 again ill hang up and listen

 

[KeyVol14]

If that's what you took from my post, you should sue whatever school system gave you a diploma.

"We need to be significantly better just to not get embarrassed"...already foreshadowing doubt that we will improve am I wrong?

 

[volgrad500]

"We need to be significantly better just to not get embarrassed"...already foreshadowing doubt that we will improve am I wrong?

The teams on our schedule have a wide gap in talent on us. Pruitt can do a great job and still lose. Hopefully people don't thing that just because we don't post a "W" it doesn't mean we haven't improved. We can improve and still lose. No foreshadowing here.

 

[KeyVol14]

The teams on our schedule have a wide gap in talent on us. Pruitt can do a great job and still lose. Hopefully people don't thing that just because we don't post a "W" it doesn't mean we haven't improved. We can improve and still lose. No foreshadowing here.

I agree with that. As long as we can make them earn it if we get beat then I know we are making improvements

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

Feels like 98 again ill hang up and listen

I think some people said the same thing at the end of the 2016 season after Dobbs left. But we went 4-8 instead with the worst record in program history.

This doesn’t feel like that.

 

[sjt18]

"We need to be significantly better just to not get embarrassed"...already foreshadowing doubt that we will improve am I wrong?

Last year was embarrassing, wasn't it? Thumped by a WVU team that ended up being more or less what many of us thought... nowhere near a "NC contender". Thumped by UF. Thumped by Bama. Thumped by UGA. Thumped by a typically bad Vandy team. Thumped by a mediocre Mizzou team. Beaten by a pretty bad USCe team. Struggled to beat Charlotte 14-3.

UT has to improve pretty significantly for the results not to be embarrassing. Half of the above would be embarrassing.

Hopefully... UT will improve that much. I'm holding out hope that JG's issues will be resolved, the OL will get better, and the O as a whole will produce. My biggest concern is the DL. I think UT only returns 4 guys with a tackle last year. That's scary. Gooden leads with 33 total tackles.

 

[sjt18]

The teams on our schedule have a wide gap in talent on us. Pruitt can do a great job and still lose. Hopefully people don't thing that just because we don't post a "W" it doesn't mean we haven't improved. We can improve and still lose. No foreshadowing here.

Improvement should make Vandy, BYU, and probably Mizzou wins. I'd be tickled with 8 regular season wins as "progress"... and especially if they're more competitive in other games.

 

[KBVol]

Last year was embarrassing, wasn't it? Thumped by a WVU team that ended up being more or less what many of us thought... nowhere near a "NC contender". Thumped by UF. Thumped by Bama. Thumped by UGA. Thumped by a typically bad Vandy team. Thumped by a mediocre Mizzou team. Beaten by a pretty bad USCe team. Struggled to beat Charlotte 14-3.

UT has to improve pretty significantly for the results not to be embarrassing. Half of the above would be embarrassing.

Hopefully... UT will improve that much. I'm holding out hope that JG's issues will be resolved, the OL will get better, and the O as a whole will produce. My biggest concern is the DL. I think UT only returns 4 guys with a tackle last year. That's scary. Gooden leads with 33 total tackles.

Lol. You just can’t do it can you? You just can’t help yourself. Ok, we get it.

 

[GAVol]

My biggest concern is the DL. I think UT only returns 4 guys with a tackle last year. That's scary. Gooden leads with 33 total tackles.

Agree 100%. Everybody gets hung up on discussing offense. But If you can't slow down the other team's running game and occasionally bother their QB, it doesn't matter much what you're doing offensively.

 

[bigdaddy]

Man it’s so hard to predict these things when we are this bad. Last season at this time there is no way in hell I would believe we would beat AU on the road but lose to Vandy and barley beat Charlotte. I really have no idea. I agree with the defense being scary/unknown. But then can we score more with Chaney? I don’t know. So I’ll say 7 wins is a pretty decent year at this point. And for Gods sake, beat Vandy.

 

[KeyVol14]

Agree 100%. Everybody gets hung up on discussing offense. But If you can't slow down the other team's running game and occasionally bother their QB, it doesn't matter much what you're doing offensively.

Yea and none of those guys on that DL got drafted....not exactly losing talent there

 

[GAVol]

Yea and none of those guys on that DL got drafted....not exactly losing talent there

Maybe not, but still, they had some experience.

 

[KeyVol14]

Maybe not, but still, they had some experience.

Experience is nice but I've been high on hooden ever since recruiting him out of last year. Savion Williams is my fav player in this class and if Solomon is eligible he will be a nice addition. Depth will be our only issue

 

[sjt18]

Lol. You just can’t do it can you? You just can’t help yourself. Ok, we get it.

You mean discussing legitimate concerns that folks like you would rather ignore in a thread talking about predictions for the upcoming season?

How many people, including you, struggle to make a post on a topic like this without mentioning the OL? But somehow it is OK to talk incessantly about how bad the OL is, right?

 

[KBVol]

Last year was embarrassing, wasn't it? Thumped by a WVU team that ended up being more or less what many of us thought... nowhere near a "NC contender". Thumped by UF. Thumped by Bama. Thumped by UGA. Thumped by a typically bad Vandy team. Thumped by a mediocre Mizzou team. Beaten by a pretty bad USCe team. Struggled to beat Charlotte 14-3.

UT has to improve pretty significantly for the results not to be embarrassing. Half of the above would be embarrassing.

Hopefully... UT will improve that much. I'm holding out hope that JG's issues will be resolved, the OL will get better, and the O as a whole will produce. My biggest concern is the DL. I think UT only returns 4 guys with a tackle last year. That's scary. Gooden leads with 33 total tackles.

Your biggest concern is the DL? Did you slip up and forget that the lowly, dreadful, useless JG still on the roster?

 

[Remy]

Maybe not, but still, they had some experience.

They were so experienced some of them had zero interest in continuing to practice after the regular season was over and playing in a nobody ever heard of it meaningless bowl in a very cold place. They laid down and mailed it in against Mizzou and Vandy.

 

[kbear01]

You’re saying Bailey is the starter first day he steps on campus? No. Matter of fact, he won’t start the first game of the year and, unless there are injuries and something has gone horribly wrong, he won’t start a single game as a true freshman. book it.

Peyton Manning was "The starter" from game 1. He didn't actually start until the MSU game. But, Phil knew, hell, we all knew it, and he was grooming him, from day one. That is what I'm saying. Bailey will start his first game, some point, mid-season. After JG is injured, or doesn't get results. This will eventually be Bailey's team. Watch the videos. He's a natural. A larger version of Heath Shuler. Athletic, big, fast, and a cannon arm. With impressive pocket presence, accuracy and poise. A leader.

 

[1vol8]

Peyton Manning was "The starter" from game 1. He didn't actually start until the MSU game. But, Phil knew, hell, we all knew it, and he was grooming him, from day one. That is what I'm saying. Bailey will start his first game, some point, mid-season. After JG is injured, or doesn't get results. This will eventually be Bailey's team. Watch the videos. He's a natural. A larger version of Heath Shuler. Athletic, big, fast, and a cannon arm. With impressive pocket presence, accuracy and poise. A leader.

You're obviusly solid on Bailey. A lot of people are. One thing you're not talking into account is the fact that he's a pure pocket passer. He may move some but he can't run. In fact upon his arrival he's the least athletic of all 4 qbs. Ive read somewhere that this o line needs work....... if that's the case why would you start the least mobile qb on your roster behind that o line? Makes no sense especially after the preview we got last yr of the beating he'll take

 

[sjt18]

Your biggest concern is the DL? Did you slip up and forget that the lowly, dreadful, useless JG still on the roster?

Nope. I trust Chaney. JG will either step up and be a complete QB or Chaney will replace him. The OL will either step up or they'll play young guys... which could force a move to one of the younger, more instinctive runner QB's.

The reason I talk about JG as much as I do is that so many here either overstate how "great" he already is or else they throw the OL under the bus at every turn. The OL wasn't good. JG's issues didn't help.

 

[sjt18]

Peyton Manning was "The starter" from game 1. He didn't actually start until the MSU game. But, Phil knew, hell, we all knew it, and he was grooming him, from day one. That is what I'm saying. Bailey will start his first game, some point, mid-season. After JG is injured, or doesn't get results. This will eventually be Bailey's team. Watch the videos. He's a natural. A larger version of Heath Shuler. Athletic, big, fast, and a cannon arm. With impressive pocket presence, accuracy and poise. A leader.

That's not even close to being true. If Colquitt doesn't get injured, Manning doesn't play that first year. Jerry Colquitt was a very good QB. In fact, Helton probably would have remained the starter if he had not gotten hurt. By no stretch was Manning the starter from game 1. He wasn't even the back up.

 

[sjt18]

I think it is silly to claim a guy who hasn't yet played his senior season in HS a Fr starter... HS success sometimes doesn't translate at all. It usually takes a year or two to translate.

 

[KBVol]

Peyton Manning was "The starter" from game 1. He didn't actually start until the MSU game. But, Phil knew, hell, we all knew it, and he was grooming him, from day one. That is what I'm saying. Bailey will start his first game, some point, mid-season. After JG is injured, or doesn't get results. This will eventually be Bailey's team. Watch the videos. He's a natural. A larger version of Heath Shuler. Athletic, big, fast, and a cannon arm. With impressive pocket presence, accuracy and poise. A leader.

Lol. Peyton was NOT the starter from day 1. He didn’t play until both Colquitt and Helton we’re injure and even then he split time with another true freshman Brannon Stewart. Being groomed to start “one day” and starting “from day 1” are 2 entirely different things.

I love Bailey and the talent and potential he brings and I hope he is special and every bit the player we hope he is. But he ain’t starting from day or day 50 next year, unless injuries force him into the starting lineup....the same way they did Peyton back in ‘94.

 

[chargervol]

I think it is silly to claim a guy who hasn't yet played his senior season in HS a Fr starter... HS success sometimes doesn't translate at all. It usually takes a year or two to translate.

Interestingly enough, we're now a/the leader for another elite QB in the same class.

Number 2 dual threat in the nation

Going into these four visits, my gut based on the intel says the Vols are in the best shape. We'll see how this shakes out.

Wiltfong

Haynes King, Longview, Dual-Threat Quarterback