Recruiting Football Talk VII

[drvenner]

Just move on to Vanderbilt, flush this loss get a win vs Vanderbilt...get Nico ready for the Bowl game and look at what's coming next season....a few major changes may be made in off-season....by roster changes and eventually coaching changes .....major decisions coming for CJH....do I think he should be on hot seat HELL NO..but when your home stadium of fans start booing your offense as it trots off field it's not a good sign...

People who boo their own team need to stfu.

 

[drvenner]

Where are we on Kelsey Pope? I know losing Tillman and Hyatt hurt, but the WR unit hurt this offense. Keyton absolutely regressed.

Well, he did recruit that Matthews feller.

 

[drvenner]

They have zero confidence in their QB to actually get them the ball. You can see it in their body language.

Same things were said the first time Milton was starting QB. Then Hooker replaces him and the offense started to click and the receivers were good.

I think it is a good point about their confidence level in Joe to get them the ball. There were a number of drops early, but those have gone way down as the year has progressed.

 

[LA Vol]

Nico is already a way better QB than Milton and it’s coaching malpractice and a slap to fans faces continuing to play Milton when he has played awful. Any boos he gets or loud chants for Nico are on him. You can’t be blown out two weeks in a row and not make any changes.

That’s on him.

CJH dug in on this long ago. This staff values experience-- you see it all over the field. And CJH has been loyal to Joe, despite his inconsistency and limitations. I agree that CJH owns his decisions -- those he has made and will continue to make.

 

[volbeast33]

Well, he did recruit that Matthews feller.

i vote that we fire the position coach…..Whenever one of his players makes a mistake.

 

[drvenner]

The coaches did not plan on redshirting Nico. There was no promise made as a condition of his recruitment. They planned to get him game experience throughout the season, but things did not go as planned. Opportunities to play him were missed, and now that the season is almost over, the risk-reward scenario has changed. He'll get a RS because that's how the season unfolded. Nobody's thrilled about how the QB situation or the offense played out this year.

@BisonVol I should have kept my mouth shut. Kudos.

 

[drvenner]

Nico has a 50% completion percentage this year in mop up duty. It's absolutely true.

LOL, no it's not. You cannot possibly have enough data to know if he is as good as advertised or not.

 

[Jackcrevol]

i vote that we fire the position coach…..Whenever one of his players makes a mistake.

linebackers!!!

michigan... fahhred thurs!

 

[knoxvol52]

People who boo their own team need to stfu.

I agree...question though do you boo the Cubs or Raiders...?

 

[Jackcrevol]

Nico has a 50% completion percentage this year in mop up duty. It's absolutely true.

 

[Glitch]

The coaches did not plan on redshirting Nico. There was no promise made as a condition of his recruitment. They planned to get him game experience throughout the season, but things did not go as planned. Opportunities to play him were missed, and now that the season is almost over, the risk-reward scenario has changed. He'll get a RS because that's how the season unfolded. Nobody's thrilled about how the QB situation or the offense played out this year.

Thanks LA. Your post makes a ton of sense. Hopefully they have already started game planning for next year to get the train back fully on the tracks.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

CJH dug in on this long ago. This staff values experience-- you see it all over the field. And CJH has been loyal to Joe, despite his inconsistency and limitations. I agree that CJH owns his decisions -- those he has made and will continue to make.

Don't you think that them valuing experience might have something to do with simply trying to have a full roster? All those super seniors that are starting probably would have left if they weren't starting this season, and then the roster would be in really bad shape. Heupel seems to be having to walk a tightrope on managing this roster until he has at least three full recruiting classes.

 

[Glitch]

How has Webb and Nimrod looked to everyone?

Hard to accurately judge with this qb but are they flashing/impressing you guys?

I see a lot of potential. Not sure either will be #1s, but I’m curious what others think.

I don't think it is fair to judge any or the WRs this year based solely on the limitations that Joe has brought to the QB spot.

I blame Hendon Hooker for hyping his buddy up so much! Down with Hendon!



PS. I am just kidding about Hendon. If Heup couldn't fix Joe after three years in the program then I don't know that he is fixable.

 

[Glitch]

It probably hasn’t been mentioned but aside from having a mediocre QB, mediocre left guard and right tackle, catastrophic injuries to our receivers….. but having such inexperienced coaches at WR, TE and OC have to hurt.

Don’t get me wrong - I’m a huge fan of Hazle, Pope and our tight end coach whose name escapes me… but having three very prominent position coaches in their first or second year in their respective position isn’t a good thing.

Growing pains for sure.

This is a reasonable post. Ed has been hacked.

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

Nico has a 50% completion percentage this year in mop up duty. It's absolutely true. I do think he will eventually be as good as advertised though.

Keep in mind that he was playing with backups and walk-ons except for that TD drive against UConn.

 

[Jackcrevol]

I agree...question though do you boo the Cubs or Raiders...?

Yes.

 

[drvenner]

I’m good with this season overall. Games like yesterday expose the roster depletion caused by the chaotic Pruitt exit and NCAA sanctions.

My only advice for Heupel is do NOT overlook the Vanderbilt game. That has been the kiss of death for each of his predecessors. That is NOT an automatic win, I don’t care how bad they are…

I am good with the overall record, but that is close because at Florida was definitely a missed opportunity. I am not good with the lack of competitiveness against Missouri and Georgia or the second half meltdown against Bama. Have to figure something out there. And, yes, while I don't think we lose to Vandy, we have to come ready to play.

 

[LA Vol]

I think it is a good point about their confidence level in Joe to get them the ball. There were a number of drops early, but those have gone way down as the year has progressed.

Confidence grows with success. In practice, Joe's throws are more predictable. Receivers know what's coming, and they connect. In games, the adrenaline spikes. Joe throws harder, higher and more erratically. The receivers expect one thing and get another. Sometimes they could adjust and don't; sometimes it's an uncatchable ball. But they're out of sync. It is what it is now. The pressure is a lot less, so things could go differently these last two games. Or not. That's the thing about inconsistency: you just don't know what's coming.

 

[drvenner]

When: Sunday, November 19 at 12:30 p.m. ET

Where: ESPNU

I will pull for the Govs. They are a Tennessee team.

 

[Glitch]

So brackets come out today....

Govs got their braces off! Yay!

 

[Vols4us]

Maybe I’m just delusional. I choose not to specifically pull out the worst stretch in modern UT football era and set the bar for acceptance as better than that.

I mean the season is/was over a couple of games ago so just a lost cause of arguments and opinions now.

It was a travesty that we didn’t pick up a QB in the portal. Very clear that, whether planned or unplanned, Nico wasn’t going to be a factor whatsoever. We really only had 1 QB this year that had a really good bowl game last year over a team that wasn’t nearly as talented as people thought and that pulled the wool over most peoples’ eyes. Josh couldn’t do anything during the season because they put all their eggs into the Overthrow Joe basket. CJH isn’t a QB whisperer that’s for sure.

Every one of our opponents was beatable this year. Even Bama and UGA. Preseason I was not counting Bama and UGA as wins but in-season expectations can change and was certainly optimistic about competing with them. Well, we didn’t. Vandy was more competitive vs UGA than us. With the talent we had, and knowing that we could possibly have added to it with a portal QB (that part is hypothetical at this point), and definitely with how all of our opponents looked…. 8-4 is definitely a disappointment. We didn’t show up and play a competitive 4 full Qtrs vs any ranked opponents. Didn’t beat anyone with a pulse. And got worse in every facet as the year went on.

Again, maybe I’m just living in another unrealistic realm. Call me a nega or whatever but I’m not going to be happy just because we matched the best of the worst in UT football.

There is zero doubt in my mind that he should have. It tells me he overvalued Joe as he always has.

The choices made by any HC today concerning the transfer portal portend the future decisions a coach will make as the season plays out. Heup told us his plan without being forced to tell us his plan. He has always said Joe. He said Joe three seasons ago. Joe blew it and got hurt as well. HH saved their bacon. He believed in Joe as the HC at UCF as he came out of HS and wanted him. Joe went to Michigan. So Joe fails two previous times and Heup still goes with Joe again this season. It's OK to say he has been irrational about his belief in Joe.

It's like the homecoming queen you wanted to date in HS that went with other guys through the years. You are still not over the crush on her and given the opportunity you date her. She was not into you when it mattered most, now you are just the backup dude and she has baggage. You date and she messes up. You let some time go by and reconcile. You try it again and it fails, yet you keep trying anyway.

The difference Heup married his career at UT to Joe for a few years. Joe had proven baggage that could not be addressed. It will be over soon, thankfully. But the damage the relationship caused the family (team) and friends (fans) is going to leave a mark that will need time to heal.

So Heup has to begin with fixes that heal this offseason to get the program back on track. he needs to learn the lessons about player fixation and hiring high quality coaches. The money is there for the later, so do it. Saban, Smart, Day, etc. do. So should UT.

 

[volbeast33]

I don't think it is fair to judge any or the WRs this year based solely on the limitations that Joe has brought to the QB spot.

I blame Hendon Hooker for hyping his buddy up so much! Down with Hendon!



PS. I am just kidding about Hendon. If Heup couldn't fix Joe after three years in the program then I don't know that he is fixable.

Joe was bad in high school…. bad at Michigan….. Heup did an amazing job getting him to the level that Joe played at.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

That's absurd. For one thing, Joe was ahead of Nico "day 1". You can make an argument for Nico to replace Joe a few games into the season, but not from the start. Secondly, you start Nico on "day 1" and Joe might've transferred so he could play his last season of college ball. Then you would have one freshman scholarship QB and two walk-ons.

I think some of you don't understand the type of problem Heupel had to face in managing the roster. A lot of older guys would've left if they knew they wouldn't play much during their last season and it would've destroyed our depth at several positions. Hooker's play was good enough to cover up several roster issues and many can't seem to grasp the reality that those issues (while improving) still exist. The last two classes are starting to show up on the field and the current class seems to have more guys capable of contributing earlier. Add in some key portal additions and we're looking at a totally different team next year. That being said, it would really help if most of the older linemen that can return decide to come back.

Those upper classmen arent good, we wouldve done better starting the younger guys, and Moore is better than Joe, it wouldve been better with him on the field.

 

[volbeast33]

Those upper classmen arent good, we wouldve done better starting the younger guys, and Moore is better than Joe, it wouldve been better with him on the field.

Moore is not better than Joe

 

[Jackcrevol]

Confidence grows with success. In practice, Joe's throws are more predictable. Receivers know what's coming, and they connect. In games, the adrenaline spikes. Joe throws harder, higher and more erratically. The receivers expect one thing and get another. Sometimes they could adjust and don't; sometimes it's an uncatchable ball. But they're out of sync. It is what it is now. The pressure is a lot less, so things could go differently these last two games. Or not. That's the thing about inconsistency: you just don't know what's coming.

QB is so much about personality, temperament. Why Peyton is so good with Camera on. He's just a relaxed dude.