Recruiting Football Talk VIII

[DD4ME]

Did Nico really try all that hard during the playoffs or did the players turn on him?

IMO - any underperformance stemmed less from Nico and more from realization of the squad once Sampson could not go. They all saw and knew what we did that Sampson was 50% of our offense.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Who is the governing body that makes rules to prevent that from happening with software engineers?

Initech. There's a guy there, Tom Spikowski. He's good at dealing with people, so the damn software Engineers dont have too.

 

[25vol]

Who is the governing body that makes rules to prevent that from happening with software engineers?

Non-compete agreements kind of serve this purpose imo

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Yeah...Heupel doesn't prepare QBs for the NFL.

Yet he's had 2 QBs graduate and both get drafted. Joe got to play for one game and looked amazing, Dallas was quick to trade to pick him up too.

Maybe Nico should've stuck with volleyball...we got a full season of him playing with arguably the best RB in Vol history (for sure the best season by a RB). And a WR group full of talent with an OL that could have 2-3 NFL guys off it. But somehow there wasn't enough talent around him.

 

[Rishvol]

Nic is silent. A ghost. The whole outspoken camp is. Someone told them they messed up, I'm guessing.

It wasn't Nico being thrown out on his face that silenced them?

 

[DD4ME]

For the record AP says he doesn’t believe that Nico threatened to sit out the playoff

Gray on purpose imo - Now ask AP directly if they might have asked for more money at that time... there are always ways to phrase this that can provide plausible deniability. One is to have VQ leak program level info to ON3 but then say program did not release info. The reverse to that is VQ deny knowing about an overt threat to sit even if you do know his team had their hand out during the playoffs. All the parties can claim certain knowledge while the rest of us can easily see the likely truths.

 

[DD4ME]

 

[DD4ME]

Bummer

 

[Enki_Amenra]

Gray - Now ask AP directly if they might have asked for more money at that time... there are always ways to phrase this that can provide plausible deniability. One is to have VQ leak program level info to ON3 but then say program did not release info. The reverse to that is VQ deny knowing about an overt threat to sit even if you do know his team had their hand out during the playoffs. All the parties can claim certain knowledge while the rest of us can easily see the likely truths.

I believe he got about a $350k bump around playoff time and then wanted more afterward.

 

[LaagerVol]

But he didn't...so? Burns post is stupid and pointless...everybody would have been good with a raise if he deserved one, that's no big secret, and I think he would have gotten one had he played better.

All that being said...he was obviously being a massive mercenary pain in the ass the whole time...and I don't give a about his "people"...ultimately he is responsible.

I hope we stay away from slimy dishonest scum like him AND his scum "people" from now on.

I’m NOT absolving Nico of responsibility, I’m a huge believer in personal accountability. It’s the whole design God has for the world.

However, I have learned to give more grace and be more understanding of people’s circumstances. He was raised how he was raised. You can’t divorce that fact from the conversation. His dad runs the show. It’s obviously a family thing, and evidently a cultural thing also, although I have a hard time believing most Polynesian patriarchs are so wreckless with their families and have such poor morals as big nic. Should nico have made better decisions? Yep. But it isn’t that simple, when all you have known your entire life is to defer big decisions to your dad. He trusted his dad to lead him the right direction. Unfortunately dad isn’t the best role model.

Like I said before, Hopefully he learns a lesson

I’m glad so many of y’all had life all figured out when you were 20 and knew exactly when to, and when not to take your dads counsel, and always made good decisions.

 

[jp1]

Interesting take from TJ Houshmandzadeh. BLUF: Nico and family say TN is lying, and that Heupel promised to tweak offense to better prepare Nico for the NFL, then didn't do it.

We obviously do not know all the facts here, but T.J's story doesn't hold very much water in my mind. He goes home the day before the O&W game because he didn't see the tweaks he was promised in January? Would it have made more sense to finish the spring and say "coach you didn't deliver on your promise of change, I'm entering the transfer portal next week" , if what he was saying is true?

Nico would have come out looking a lot better if that were the case. The timing of his departure screams leverage from a financial standpoint.

 

[Orange.]

So Nico got his balls deflated big time, and immediately Belichick got interested.

 

[Jackcrevol]

Bummer

Makes no sense.

 

[knoxvol52]

 

[MoCo_Vol]

Bummer

I mean...free trip to Southern California in April, I'd take that visit too.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

Don’t sleep on GMac, he is our wild card.

It may make next year a down year, but I'm honestly fine with running an in house option

 

[PYSCHO]

same family that lied about ongoing negotiations happening after the ON3 story broke?

you think as samoan he would say anything different on the subject.

 

[MoCo_Vol]

It may make next year a down year, but I'm honestly fine with running an in house option

I mean they're going to add a 3rd QB. Really can't risk going into the season with just 2.

But I also would make it open competition and best player plays. If that's Jake, GMac or the new addition. The players/team can even vote on who they want starting. This season could be a huge one for cementing the culture you want moving forward.

 

[Jackcrevol]

View attachment 735245

 

[VolGee4]

Bummer

SF said in the BB forum that Rice and his Dad wanted to commit on their visit, but their agent encouraged them to take more visits. Just be patient.

 

[mr.checkerboards]

I mean they're going to add a 3rd QB. Really can't risk going into the season with just 2.

But I also would make it open competition and best player plays. If that's Jake, GMac or the new addition. The players/team can even vote on who they want starting. This season could be a huge one for cementing the culture you want moving forward.

Your last sentence is why I think an in house option works.
Great transition year to get everyone in one direction.

I'm as hard as they come on coaches, but I'm OK with 7 or 8 wins with Merk or Mc next year as long as it doesn't become the norm

 

[Jackcrevol]

Called UNC earlier in the weekend.

Did think it might be Colorado, or Uckluh at various points. UNC is only eastern team desperate enough.

 

[Vols4us]

It may make next year a down year, but I'm honestly fine with running an in house option

Yup - unless you can nail a no-brainer transfer, you go with who you have and let the best man win the job. No reasonable person was expecting a return to the playoffs this season. Let's build the roster for 2026 forward and make sure Brandon arrives on campus ready to go with some talent around him.

 

[RikidyBones]

It wasn't Nico being thrown out on his face that silenced them?

I'd say not directly. Their instinct was probably to fight back.

 

[UTK]

“This baseball team just isn’t that good”

Are they just pity ranking Vandy at this point lmao