High Hopes

[jackaro]

I am beginning to hope Guarantano starts playing better to stop these endless debates about him much more than how it will help the team. Sheesh. Unless you have a superstar at quarterback the backup quarterback will always be the most popular guy on the team.

 

[LTVol]

I had high hopes we would beat Bama, Fla Or Georgia at least 1 of the three, but with what I saw last nite we are just average again. And can someone explain Pruitts obsession with JG to me. You cant make silk out of a sows ear.

I dont think Pruitt's obsessed with JG, just doesn't think he has any other QB whom he trusts to run the offense at this pt in time, especially with the extreme lack of practice reps in spring and fall due to COVID. In post game interview he mentioned JGs problems, "looking confused", and throwing high. I suspect we'll see other QBs playing by end of Oct.

 

[Carl Pickens]

Not straws just basing my opinion on the fact that while a QB with years of college playtime couldnt put points on the board vs our top 25 games but a true freshman with 13 passes total could......there is a option that CJP trusts beside JG right now..

So he made a few plays against Georgia..... other than the long td... what did he do? He got yanked every other time he got an opportunity

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

My sample size was was over half your size. 75 vs 46....both small..difference is i dont see agame where he attempted 3 passes or less as a good indication of ability...thats why i went top 25.....both played all 3 teams....the toughest we faced all season and who played better
.....what is your daughter the one the broke up with BM so now tou dont like him too..see i can be a childish fool too

Give us the stats for last season games vs Miss St and Ky as they played similar minutes in those 2 games.

 

[Tnman1]

Well, no matter what has happened in the past.........

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I had high hopes we would beat Bama, Fla Or Georgia at least 1 of the three, but with what I saw last nite we are just average again. And can someone explain Pruitts obsession with JG to me. You cant make silk out of a sows ear.

Maybe just maybe your assessment is just plain wrong and Pruitt's is right. He's regarded as one of the best in the business at evaluating players and maybe he feels JG is our best option. Regardless I'm going with him and not you.

 

[whodeycin85]

Maybe just maybe your assessment is just plain wrong and Pruitt's is right. He's regarded as one of the best in the business at evaluating players and maybe he feels JG is our best option. Regardless I'm going with him and not you.

Yes JG produced better stats vs the # 40 and #68 ranked defense efficiency teams. Congrats....sad thing he he was still more inconsistent then a true freshman..in the 9 drives both players got. JG only led them into the 3 times...BM. 4....lol...

Truly sadder part is how much of a woody you get comparing a true freshman and a RS JR QB...there should be no comparison....

Also i know youll ignore this or try to make up some BS about your opinion being fact...but in high scholl againsy equal competition JG was scouted as inconsistent and inaccurate......5 years later he is still inconsistent and inaccurate.....and a a head case....there has been minimal improvement...but he does protect the ball amazingly well...

 

[901 Orange]

Which 3 overthrows would have been TDs? Talk about hyperbole at its finest, wow.

I thought JG played ok. I know that deep one to Keyton was off target. If he leads him to the inside its a for sure TD. Even the announcers said he put the ball on the wrong shoulder.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Maybe just maybe your assessment is just plain wrong and Pruitt's is right. He's regarded as one of the best in the business at evaluating players and maybe he feels JG is our best option. Regardless I'm going with him and not you.

After th first week, he is ranked in the top four in QB rankings. Could he have done better; yes, but he is the best best we have to put on the field at this time this year.

 

[whodeycin85]

After th first week, he is ranked in the top four in QB rankings. Could he have done better; yes, but he is the best best we have to put on the field at this time this year.

JG issues have never been stats...it inaccuracy and inconsistency...and it feel like he kills more drives then he helps..

 

[chrismc1000]

Who said

COVID only in Tennessee? Hmmm, I thought it was the whole country that was effected.
Must not of been in Florida or Mississippi St because they set records????
Cause they set records after missing practice for weeks on in

Chinese virus was only in TN besides you? I'm not sorry you don't like the fact that Vols had 50+ people out because of it and injuries. Those teams had less people miss practice than we did though. Why the butt hurt from you?

 

[chrismc1000]

I've personally never seen a QB improve to the point where they are accurate, when before they were not..overnight.

This is year 4.

People's resignation about JG is no knee jerk reaction.

We're tired of it...

This is game 1 let's see what happens in game two when him and his main receivers have more than two weeks worth working together. There was two receivers he got to work with a lot and what's crazy I'd they caught the balls more than the others. Imagine how that worked out lol

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I thought JG played ok. I know that deep one to Keyton was off target. If he leads him to the inside its a for sure TD. Even the announcers said he put the ball on the wrong shoulder.

Once again the announcers also said Gray scored when it was Chandler and lots of fans disagree and think it was the WR who went wrong there. Doesn't matter really to me because I think had he just picked it up a bit earlier he would have caught it and I also believe you guys calling a bomb that touched the WRs hands a bad throw is comical as well, I'm pretty sure that every QB in the country has more long passes hit the ground than they do that are completed.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

JG issues have never been stats...it inaccuracy and inconsistency...and it feel like he kills more drives then he helps..

And the stats say he is accurate more than 60% of the time. We all know he he should and can be more accurate, but he is still we have at this time. Who knows by the first of November? If Trey is out for a spell and C. Mays is not approved to play, JG may be on the injured reserve and we will have to play someone else. Maybe we go to a WR, Holiday, and we do what Kentucky did last year. Maybe HB comes in at sets the World on fire and we go undefeated. With everything that is going on, I just hope we play all 10 game and no one suffers a serious injury.

As it stands now, I think we win 7 games give or take 1 on either side of 7.

 

[whodeycin85]

And the stats say he is accurate more than 60% of the time. We all know he he should and can be more accurate, but he is still we have at this time. Who knows by the first of November? If Trey is out for a spell and C. Mays is not approved to play, JG may be on the injured reserve and we will have to play someone else. Maybe we go to a WR, Holiday, and we do what Kentucky did last year. Maybe HB comes in at sets the World on fire and we go undefeated. With everything that is going on, I just hope we play all 10 game and no one suffers a serious injury.

As it stands now, I think we win 7 games give or take 1 on either side of 7.

His 1st pass it what i mean by accuracy....slant. low on thr wr back hip....thats not accurate but still a completion....and bump to velus is a completion and counts in the 60%.....as far record anything less then 5-5 especially is no changes are made..asa fan base we should be upset aInd CJP seat should be warming up..IMO

 

[GVol1966]

Who said

Chinese virus was only in TN besides you? I'm not sorry you don't like the fact that Vols had 50+ people out because of it and injuries. Those teams had less people miss practice than we did though. Why the butt hurt from you?

No but hurt from me, just the nonstop excuse machine from some on here gets old.

 

[901 Orange]

Once again the announcers also said Gray scored when it was Chandler and lots of fans disagree and think it was the WR who went wrong there. Doesn't matter really to me because I think had he just picked it up a bit earlier he would have caught it and I also believe you guys calling a bomb that touched the WRs hands a bad throw is comical as well, I'm pretty sure that every QB in the country has more long passes hit the ground than they do that are completed.

u asked a simple question " which bad pass should have been a TD" and I gave u a simple answer. The deep ball to Keyton. If he leads him its a TD. Having actually played the position i knew as soon as Keyton initially looked for the ball that it was an inaccurate throw. The commentators just confirmed what i saw with my own eyes. There are only a couple routes Keyton could be running that deep down the field. The ball location suggests corner route but Keyton's initial reaction is seam or post. Keyton being able to adjust to the ball at that speed just means the guy is a really good athlete and had he caught it no one would say a word but that dnt mean it wasnt a bad throw. U talking about other Qb's across the country is irrelevant to this bc those deep balls were the least of our worries. I thought JG played decent but i also saw 3-4 3rd and shorts go unconverted bc of horrible passes. A couple were to wide open guys. If he hits Palmer on the crossing route on 3rd down who knows if he scores or not but its a for sure big gain. Again im not here to bash the guy he obviously got the W which is all that really matters. I just think he needs to be more accurate especially on the money down.

 

[theFallGuy]

I had high hopes we would beat Bama, Fla Or Georgia at least 1 of the three, but with what I saw last nite we are just average again. And can someone explain Pruitts obsession with JG to me. You cant make silk out of a sows ear.

but have u ever really tried making the silk??

 

[chrismc1000]

No but hurt from me, just the nonstop excuse machine from some on here gets old.

Good thing I stated facts

 

[ATLVols]

QB is still average at best. If we had someone better than JG (and ready), they would be playing by now. HB will be better, but he’s not ready.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

The team that makes the fewest mistake wins.
JG is our QB because he does not turn the ball over as much as the coaches think the others would. The haters will not accept that.

JG had a least two overthrows which could of been intercepted. He was a little bit lucky with the turnovers

 

[sjt18]

I had high hopes we would beat Bama, Fla Or Georgia at least 1 of the three, but with what I saw last nite we are just average again. And can someone explain Pruitts obsession with JG to me. You cant make silk out of a sows ear.

One game doesn't make a season. I'm skeptical but let's not throw in the towel completely yet.

I've been very critical of JG including things in this game. But @LittleVol pointed out something I had missed that does represent improvement. JG actually went through his progression and found the right receiver more often than in the past. He has been very slow in his reads. He is still too slow as shown by rushed overthrows and throwing behind guys. He still has issues anticipating receivers. However his TD to Palmer was the best pass he's thrown as a Vol IMO specifically because he anticipated then perfectly placed that throw.

He did NOT play well enough in that game. I think he is limited by some issues that are innate and not a matter of effort or development. But I hope to be proven wrong. I need to see him play better and do it against a good D.

What troubles me is that USCe isn't an extraordinarily talented D. My guess is that UK, Aub, Bama, TAM, and UF will field better, more talented D's. Many of the throws that were behind the receivers but caught or incomplete vs USCe will be defended by better D's. We have to have better QB play.

All of that said.... I'm personally growing more concerned about the OL and specifically the run game. Yes, you can lay some of that at JG's feet because he doesn't throw some routes well that set up the run game. However, UT's talented OL should have absolutely mauled USCe's front 7... and they didn't for most of the game. If you are going to have a "game manager" for your QB... your OL has to dominate in the run game. I didn't see that kind of performance from any of them.

 

[GAVol]

All of that said.... I'm personally growing more concerned about the OL and specifically the run game. Yes, you can lay some of that at JG's feet because he doesn't throw some routes well that set up the run game. However, UT's talented OL should have absolutely mauled USCe's front 7... and they didn't for most of the game. If you are going to have a "game manager" for your QB... your OL has to dominate in the run game. I didn't see that kind of performance from any of them.

Could not agree more. I've been harping on that for awhile now. Nobody lines up and pounds the running game anymore, but running for 10 yards in the 1st half and then getting 60 yards rushing on the opening drive of the 2nd half tells me that the gameplan was suspect.

 

[sjt18]

Could not agree more. Some of it is Cheney's pass happy playcalling, but 10 yards rushing in the 1st half was just completely unacceptable. Picking up 10 yards in the 1st half and then getting 60 yards rushing on the opening drive of the 2nd half tells me that the gameplan was suspect.

I just don't know. My impression from the brief interview with Pruitt at the half was that the OL was about to get lit up.

One of my complaints with JG's misses of open guys was that it stopped drives. Plus if he hits those throws then the safeties have to play back... helping the run game. Even so... UT's OL should have controlled the LOS from the first snap. Really troubling that they didn't.

 

[GAVol]

I just don't know. My impression from the brief interview with Pruitt at the half was that the OL was about to get lit up.

One of my complaints with JG's misses of open guys was that it stopped drives. Plus if he hits those throws then the safeties have to play back... helping the run game. Even so... UT's OL should have controlled the LOS from the first snap. Really troubling that they didn't.

It was a vicious cycle. JG kept missing 3rd down throws to keep the offense on the field and help the running game . . . but he was having to make 3rd down throws because we didn't run it well enough to stay out of 3rd and long.

...but somehow we moved the ball enough. Think about how nuts it is that we picked up 21 1st downs on a night when we were 1/12 on 3rd down??