Kodi Burns

#2
#2
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, and the receivers have been getting great separation. I think ALL coaches have done a great job of owning their group and fixing the mistakes.

Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.
 
#3
#3
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, and the receivers have been getting great separation. I think ALL coaches have done a great job of owning their group and fixing the mistakes.

Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.
They did consistently get good separation in the first few games as well, just didn't have a QB that could hit him. Also, Hooker throws are far more catchable ball, which does help with the drops. Milton can sling it, but it is either too hard to too far. The blocking is very true, how many times has Velus caught a ball at the line of scrimmage and housed it?
 
#4
#4
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, ….

Go watch last weeks game again, first 3 incompletions were balls hit in the hands and dropped. It just isn’t glaring in blow out wins of conference bottom feeders. If there are drops this week, it will be glaring again.
 
#6
#6
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, and the receivers have been getting great separation. I think ALL coaches have done a great job of owning their group and fixing the mistakes.

Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.

Can we get Alontae Taylor to spend just 5 minutes with Burns? I'm kind of joking but kind of not. I agree though, these coaches seem to be doing a great job COACHING and developing. It's great to see.
 
#7
#7
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, and the receivers have been getting great separation. I think ALL coaches have done a great job of owning their group and fixing the mistakes.

Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.

Exactly right. I can't remember the last time I saw so much of this from TN.
 
#8
#8
They did consistently get good separation in the first few games as well, just didn't have a QB that could hit him. Also, Hooker throws are far more catchable ball, which does help with the drops. Milton can sling it, but it is either too hard to too far. The blocking is very true, how many times has Velus caught a ball at the line of scrimmage and housed it?
There were multiple game impacting drops of catchable balls in the first three games..that has stopped the last 3
 
#9
#9
Nothing like gaining confidence in oneself and ones team as the season progresses. The coaching has a great deal with that. Teaching with encouragement is something UT coaches in the recent past have been sorely lacking.
 
#10
#10
After the first 3 games, I would have disagreed with you. Receivers were dropping balls left and right. However, I have hardly seen any drops the past few games, and the receivers have been getting great separation. I think ALL coaches have done a great job of owning their group and fixing the mistakes.

Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.


True, you really see this on these screens that they are turning into big gains. Can’t happen without good blocking
 
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#11
#11
It probably took the receivers this long to get used to the catchable ball coming to them. Confidence matters for execution.
 
#12
#12
Players are maturing, growing stronger and tougher, learning what winning means and the effort required. Your gonna get hit so might as well hang on to the ball. Coaching good technique and reps in practice helps making catches while avoiding those ball separating hits. I dig the improvements. Ole Miss game will be a gut check. We desperately need depth.
 
#13
#13
Football | Kodi Burns Media Availability (10.12.21) - University of Tennessee Athletics (utsports.com)

On if Velus Jones moving to the slot gave him more confidence and what makes him so hard to tackle…
"Confidence for Velus is not an issue, at all. He really does believe he's good and he is a really good player. A veteran guy that you can move from outside to inside, like I spoke about earlier in the spring and summer as well. He's been very productive in the slot, and like you said, he's almost like a running back with the ball in his hands. He's really hard to tackle. He's strong, he plays through contact, he has really good ball skills. Once again, just a veteran guy who's played a lot of football, and really excited to see his role continue to grow and build."

On the emergence of the veteran receivers this year…
"For sure. I think a lot of times you just have to have an opportunity and a chance. I think (Cedric) Tillman – I heard a crazy stat – I think he's been here three years and only had eight receptions up until this year. You just see his growth and instill confidence in Tillman – and he was a guy I've been talking about since the spring – that he could be problem for defenses. Whenever you're that big, you can run and have good ball skills, he's a good player. I think it just came down to him getting reps, time on task in games and he's a confident player right now. JaVonta Payton, another guy that was at another school, didn't really get the opportunities that he wanted to. Now, just instilling confidence into him, that's why I recruited the kid. I thought he was a good player, good ball skills, explosive, can run. He just needed that opportunity, and he has it, and he sees the moment. You see him each week, I think he's scored a touchdown in the last four games, so he's a really good player and starting to improve every single week. Really excited about these veteran guys."

On what role the younger receivers have played the last couple weeks and what led to pairing down the amount of reps for receivers since SEC play…
"We have some talented young players that have to really grow up. It's all about an opportunity. When those guys get the opportunity to play, you have to capitalize. I think you saw Jalin Hyatt do that this past game. And then really, you talk about getting into SEC play, one thing that I do know about the SEC, it's a big boy league and you really want to go with experience, and we've done that the last few weeks. I think it's paid off. At the same time, those young guys get a chance to still play a little bit and truly grow, and they're going to be good players. You just have to make sure to seize the opportunity when your time is called."

On JaVonta Payton's early success in games then lack of touches after and the importance of Jalin Hyatt's touchdown catch after early season struggles…
"JaVonta early in games, obviously has made some big-time plays. Every game just transpires different. I think the last couple games the ball was really pushed more to (Cedric) Tillman, which is fine. Tillman was making plays. Then JaVonta, these last six or seven weeks, very well could be him being the guy. So, you just have to be ready when the opportunity presents itself and I think he will be. I think you'll continue to see JaVonta make plays and not just a one touchdown deal and kind of goes missing. We're going to try and find ways to get him the ball because he's a really good player. Then you talk about Jalin Hyatt, the few drops he had early in the season, just really have to work on his ball skills and grip strength. I think that you see him growing because that catch in the end zone is not something that a normal, every single day receiver makes. You have to really work on those things, and he's put that extra work in as far as working on his ball skills and making those competitive catches. That's one thing about this league, in the SEC you have to be able to make competitive catches and if he continues to do that, he's the fastest guy we have on the team, so it will be very, very hard to cover."

On how quick it took to see that JaVonta Payton was a guy that could play well for this team…
"Not very long. Part of the reason we recruited him was because I saw a skillset. I saw an explosive player with really good ball skills that was twitchy and can really run. One thing that we like in this offense is we like receivers that can run and really blow the top of the coverage. I think you've seen that in these games, all of his touchdowns have been big, big plays where he's getting behind the defense. So, it didn't take long when he stepped on campus to know JaVonta can be a big-time playmaker for us, and he's done that so far. So, it's our job to put him in positions to continue to do that."
 
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#14
#14
I don't claim to be any type of expert in breaking down the game or film or what have you, but something I've noticed this year (and maybe I just overlooked it before) is that our WRs seem more physical than years past. The blocking was already mentioned in this thread and that seems materially different than years past, but I also love the WRs seeking out contact to gain a few more yards after they catch the ball. It seems to me that our WRs, when they catch the ball on a screen or out or what have you near the sideline and there is a DB waiting a yard or two away, that our WRs are initiating contact to drive the DB down the field. It may be a small thing but it seems to add a couple yards on most of those plays because the WRs are being aggressive and not doing anything too cute.
 
#15
#15
True, you really see this on these screens that they are turning into big gains. Can’t happen without good blocking
Yup - past 10 years or so of the screen passing game hasn't been great. The blocking helps a lot but I think the big thing that's helping those plays this year is the offensive scheme. We're calling plays that all have multiple options, the defense is read at the line of scrimmage - & we attack the weak spots. If the weak spot is the screen that's what happens.

Where before it was likely just a screen getting called & it would generally be ran regardless of how the defense lined up.
 
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#16
#16
I don't claim to be any type of expert in breaking down the game or film or what have you, but something I've noticed this year (and maybe I just overlooked it before) is that our WRs seem more physical than years past. The blocking was already mentioned in this thread and that seems materially different than years past, but I also love the WRs seeking out contact to gain a few more yards after they catch the ball. It seems to me that our WRs, when they catch the ball on a screen or out or what have you near the sideline and there is a DB waiting a yard or two away, that our WRs are initiating contact to drive the DB down the field. It may be a small thing but it seems to add a couple yards on most of those plays because the WRs are being aggressive and not doing anything too cute.
I think that's called "hidden yardage", right? And it can be a game changer. Not to mention, I think that the one who initiates the contact will absorb less destruction, for lack of a better word.
 
#17
#17
They did consistently get good separation in the first few games as well, just didn't have a QB that could hit him. Also, Hooker throws are far more catchable ball, which does help with the drops. Milton can sling it, but it is either too hard to too far. The blocking is very true, how many times has Velus caught a ball at the line of scrimmage and housed it?

He ant no passer!!!!
 
#19
#19
The next thing I'm excited to see is how much our players improve with this staff after a full season and with a full offseason. We lose Velus Jones and Javonta Payton, so we will need some improvement from guys like Hyatt, Calloway, and Keyton. Also, if Tillman could gain a half step in speed, he'll be a star.

Same for other positions. Will RJ Perry come close to his upside at OT? Same for other OLmen like Spraggins, Crawford, and Robinson. Cam Beckwith develop at RB? Can guys like Christian Charles, Tamarion McDonald, and Doneiko Slaughter become stars as DBs? Will Aaron Mitchell become the 4* he was recruited to be? Can DLinemen like Bryson Eason, Roman Harrison, Morvyn Joseph, and Byron Young take the next step under Garner?

We have a staff who can develop these guys and I'm excited to watch it happen.
 
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#21
#21
Where the WR's need to really be praised is not in their catching, but in their perimeter blocking. They have paved the way for MANY touchdowns and big plays, even though it wasn't their hands that the ball was in. That's what you want to see, and shows total buy in.

This is where I thought UT had failed for years and it was something UF excelled for years. I am glad to see the roles reversed.
 
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#22
#22
I really like this staff. I haven't "bought" into either of the last two guys. I gave Dooley more of a benefit of the doubt than I should have. But Heupel and his staff are making it hard for me. The team is improving. The leadership looks to be a different universe from the previous two staffs.

The missing component from my perspective is can they bring in talent.

All of this could change for all of us... we could be looking at an illusion that someone will expose. But I like what I've seen so far.
 
#23
#23
I think the fact that him and Heupel were both great as players, and won at the college level themselves— carries a lot of weight in the locker room. Butch wasn’t a great player. Dooley wasn’t a great player. Kodi Burns and Josh Heupel were big time players and won huge games in the player role. It matters to players. When Burns was talking about how he works on grip pressure and “competitive catches”, I actually feel like the players believe in what he’s selling.
 

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