After the Florida game, our d-line will be the talk of college football

[volballs1]

The overconfidence on this site never ceases to amaze me. I'm going to Costanza it this year. Think the lot of you should follow suit seeing as how we've done against UF the last 11 years. We lose. Book it.

 

[Swamp_Thang]

Gotta admit, The prospect of the Vol D-line against our O-line is a bit worrisome to me and i'm a Gator.

 

[VonVol]

I guess you didn't watch him miss an easy FG against Kentucky by a mile.

With the way you talk about Florida, you would think we have no chance.

I'll tell you this. We've scored 50 on Kentucky the last 2 years and it hasn't meant a thing cause Kentucky sucks.

I don't know why some of you are fearing Florida after they defeated a bad team that has already given up on the season.

Florida is worse than they were last year. We're better.

They will get DESTROYED September 24.

I did see him hit a 53 yarder with about 10 yards to spare too. He's a very big weapon so far, but we will see how he does with 100,000 pulling against him.

 

[Swamp_Thang]

I guess you didn't watch him miss an easy FG against Kentucky by a mile.

With the way you talk about Florida, you would think we have no chance.

I'll tell you this. We've scored 50 on Kentucky the last 2 years and it hasn't meant a thing cause Kentucky sucks.

I don't know why some of you are fearing Florida after they defeated a bad team that has already given up on the season.

Florida is worse than they were last year. We're better.

They will get DESTROYED September 24.

How are we worse? We lost VH3 and Bullard on defense, but now we have arguably one of the best defenses in the country with Wilson & Tabor on the outside and Davis & Anzalone at Linebacker. O-line is worse ill give you that but i definitely like the way Del Rio carries himself and understands the game over Treons throw and Pray mentality.

 

[sameolvol]

I don't know if you have time but Eric Ainge addressed this on his RTI podcast this week. Basically, he said we have to give these "superstars" time to develop. Guys like Richmond, KMac, etc. are use to being the best/strongest guys in HS and it takes them a bit to get that edge in the SEC. He rattled off a number of VFLs still playing in the NFL that didn't "develop" until their 3rd or 4th year in the program. He also agreed with you on Shy but went further and said Shy is the best player on our football team.

Pat Ryan on the pregame show before the App State game said that the DLine had dominated our OLine in fall camp. Eric and the guys at RTI think the staff was surprised by the poor performance of our OLine this year. I think there are times when our DLine could have done a lot better. So, I'm considering the possibility that we overestimated where we were as far as having our DLine ready because in fall camp they looked so good against what turned out to be a weak performing OLine.

We should have a better OLine this year than last. This OLine unit came into the season with 71 starts. It's possible we haven't put in enough work to be ready to play this season yet. That is why I think all this is fixable. We saw some improvement week 1 to week 2. We should improve a bit more this week and even more next week as we get ready for Florida. We've just got to put in the work to get caught up to where we need to be and where we should have been on Sept 1. We're getting there. jmo.

PODCAST: RTI Radio 9-12-16 with Erik Ainge Fueled by Amerigas | RTI

Excellent input, Chatt. You're absolutely right on about the combination of talent and the time needed to develop such talent. I'd like to add that, since our guys employ a zone blocking scheme, which is the prevalent setup of most NFL OLs, they require more time to (1) learn then (2) instinctually act as opposed to having to think first. That's why these fellas appeared to "wake up" near season's end in '14, then in the middle of last season and...hopefully for this season...last weekend. Starting at the other end of the LOS, notice how our talented DL began to dominate VT after initially being run over. It's not simply adjustments. When this (somewhat veteran) OL started just playing, both the run game and the throw game began to click. At some point these fellas start letting 'er rip as opposed to pausing to make sure they're responding correctly. It's not just those of us who've played football, but even the non-players/avid fans should recognize the monstrous talent that's on team 120's roster. I think the VT game was the timely awakening 120 needed to make this, indeed, a very special season. We'll find out on Sept 24th. AMIRIGHT?:yes:

 

[Ancient Reptile]

And I disagree with your disagreement. Florida's D-Line is bigger AND faster than anything we faced. They just are. They are a true SEC powerhouse defensive line. It's the one clear strength they have in matchups over us. Unless our OLine continues to improve drastically over the next two weeks, Butch is going to have to come up with a gameplan that offsets and counters the clear advantage Florida has there. If App State and Va Tech can get in our backfield and give us trouble, then Florida will do it with ease.

I think it likely that both D-lines will dominate both O-lines.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

FWIW, I did see KMAC get double teamed at least twice...frees up a LB or end!

If we can limit FL to 2 or 3 big plays, then I think we take them going away. Resiliency is the key. That is why CBJ is putting us in these situations the first 3 games.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

I think it likely that both D-lines will dominate both O-lines.

There is a CHANCE that doesn't happen JACK!

 

[Godfatha]

Gotta admit, The prospect of the Vol D-line against our O-line is a bit worrisome to me and i'm a Gator.

Your DL hell a high school DL gives me cause for concern. I expect it to be an ugly offensive game.

 

[Nationdom]

I did see him hit a 53 yarder with about 10 yards to spare too. He's a very big weapon so far, but we will see how he does with 100,000 pulling against him.

106k

 

[Godfatha]

Hope you're right D4H

 

[Nationdom]

Hope you're right D4H

He's dead on.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

I did see him hit a 53 yarder with about 10 yards to spare too. He's a very big weapon so far, but we will see how he does with 100,000 pulling against him.

He has a leg but so does Medley.

Accuracy and mentality are what makes a great kicker not leg strength. I saw the Pinero kid shank a easy FG really badly last week. It wasn't lack of leg strength it was accuracy and mentality.

And he's never experienced being on the road in front of 100k rabid fans in a game will lots on the line.

No one will know anything about that kid until September 24. Not even him, his coaches, or teammates.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

How are we worse? We lost VH3 and Bullard on defense, but now we have arguably one of the best defenses in the country with Wilson & Tabor on the outside and Davis & Anzalone at Linebacker. O-line is worse ill give you that but i definitely like the way Del Rio carries himself and understands the game over Treons throw and Pray mentality.

That's why.

You lost 2 of your 3 best players.

You sound like some fans around here who think we'll be better next year even though we'll lose Dobbs, Hurd, Kamara, Sutton, Barnett, and JRM.

You don't lose 2 of your best players and GET BETTER.

Don't get it twisted I still have loads of respect for the Florida defense which is still top 3 in the SEC. But you're not BETTER.

 

[Nationdom]

That's why.

You lost 2 of your 3 best players.

You sound like some fans around here who think we'll be better next year even though we'll lose Dobbs, Hurd, Kamara, Sutton, Barnett, and JRM.

You don't lose 2 of your best players and GET BETTER.

Don't get it twisted I still have loads of respect for the Florida defense which is still top 3 in the SEC. But you're not BETTER.

We will better next year at running back, QB, and o line. The players you mention on defense will be harder to replace especially Sutton and JRM but I'm not worried about defensive line.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Disagree completely.

What? I mean....what? Let me get this straight, you think that the athletes on App state and VTs defense are comparable to Floridas???

If you honestly believe that, then that may be the most misinformed and ignorant thing I have ever seen on here. And thats saying A LOT.

 

[tallyho]

Here's what I'm hoping is the story on the Vols O line. Appy State for sure and Va. Tech to some degree didn't like their chances in a one on one match up with our o-line so they ran a lot of different fronts, stunted, blitzed, ran a lot of slants, etc. The issue with that is when you guess wrong (slant the wrong way, over run the play, etc.) you give up a big play. I look for Florida, Georgia, Bama and A&M to play straight up and man their gaps and let the best man win. This should make it easier for our O line to get a hat on a hat. It remains to be seen if they can win those match ups with big time SEC D linemen.

You are acting like the Vols OLine is a bunch of newbies. Three were starters last year and Kendrick and Jones were regular subs. Hall is the only person missing from the equation of the returnees. All is needed is to find out who is best LT and put him there. Probably this week it will be Kendrick, LT, Robertson, LG, Wiesman, C, Jones, RG and Sanders RT, although you could move Richmond to the right side to see how he does there. When they are hitting on all cylinders they didn't have any trouble with any of the big boy SEC and OU last year.

 

[UTandUNC]

I guess you didn't watch him miss an easy FG against Kentucky by a mile.

With the way you talk about Florida, you would think we have no chance.

I'll tell you this. We've scored 50 on Kentucky the last 2 years and it hasn't meant a thing cause Kentucky sucks.

I don't know why some of you are fearing Florida after they defeated a bad team that has already given up on the season.

Florida is worse than they were last year. We're better.

They will get DESTROYED September 24.

Just like our DB last year who you said would be a 3rd round pick. Just like Dobbs who will shock the world and win the Heisman. Your picks suck. So please stop saying stupid stuff that makes no sense. And where the hell where you the last 2 weeks when Dobbs struggled???

 

[swchandler1988]

I know that Florida is Florida, but I really don't know why anyone would think they're better after two games into the season. Florida beat UMass, a team that was 3-9 last year and had a defense ranked 103# in the nation, by 14 points and struggled. We struggled to beat a team that was 11-2 last season and had the #11 ranked defense.

Next up, Florida beat UK by 38 points. I'm not going to go into UK's rankings since they're UK. We beat a Vtech team by 21 with one of the better defenses in the country, a mobile talented QB and a coach who is obviously very talented. Some would point out that Tech fumbled the ball 5 times. The game was out of their reach after they fumbled once and we forced another. In the UK Florida game, UK fumbled once and threw 3 interceptions. It wasn't like UF defense was just making UK go 3 and out every series.

I'm not implying that UF defense is bad, more so that UK offense really blows. The point I'm after is that while our games have been a little harder to watch, we have most certainly had more difficult opponents and as a result I feel we'll be much more prepared for tougher SEC teams like Florida.

 

[MyBloodRunnethOrange]

Gotta admit, The prospect of the Vol D-line against our O-line is a bit worrisome to me and i'm a Gator.

I never would've guessed from the username.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

I know that Florida is Florida, but I really don't know why anyone would think they're better after two games into the season. Florida beat UMass, a team that was 3-9 last year and had a defense ranked 103# in the nation, by 14 points and struggled. We struggled to beat a team that was 11-2 last season and had the #11 ranked defense.

Next up, Florida beat UK by 38 points. I'm not going to go into UK's rankings since they're UK. We beat a Vtech team by 21 with one of the better defenses in the country, a mobile talented QB and a coach who is obviously very talented. Some would point out that Tech fumbled the ball 5 times. The game was out of their reach after they fumbled once and we forced another. In the UK Florida game, UK fumbled once and threw 3 interceptions. It wasn't like UF defense was just making UK go 3 and out every series.

I'm not implying that UF defense is bad, more so that UK offense really blows. The point I'm after is that while our games have been a little harder to watch, we have most certainly had more difficult opponents and as a result I feel we'll be much more prepared for tougher SEC teams like Florida.

I can see your point but there are some other things you are not considering. Even though we have faced the tougher competition, UF was not picked to win the East and be a playoff contender. UF does not have the most experienced OL in the SEC. They dont have a SR QB, SR, MLB, SR DB. They dont have as many veterans as we do. But also from the highlights I have seen the last 2 weeks, their OL didnt get creamed by these lesser opponents only rushing 3 guys. Ours have been, multiple times.

UF improved pretty dramatically from week 1 to 2. LDR went from basically nothing to looking pretty good. Now that builds confidence. While that was at UK, thats still against an SEC school. And honestly, LDR doesnt have to be a world beater with that defense. And thats the problem. I am not so worried about our defense, even if Calloway is there. Its our offense thats got me worried. UF has the #1 defense in the SEC right now and their front 7 are right up there with Alabamas. Now if you are going to use the competition argument it has to be used both ways. There is no logical reason as to why AS and VT abused our OL. None. UF has a much better DL that has NFL talent on it.

If we are talking about the two teams right this second, UF has the advantage. Why? Defense wins championships.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

I've said it all offseason and I'll say it again: I see this game playing out pretty much the way it did in 2015, minus the defensive meltdown at the end. Tennessee will struggle to maintain a 7-13 point lead for the majority of the game (in which we fans will be biting our nails the entire time).

The difference this year will be our depth on defense and the fact that Shoop's unit seems to get stronger as the game goes on (where Jancek's got weaker).


That's how I see it playing out at least.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

Just like our DB last year who you said would be a 3rd round pick. Just like Dobbs who will shock the world and win the Heisman. Your picks suck. So please stop saying stupid stuff that makes no sense. And where the hell where you the last 2 weeks when Dobbs struggled???

There ain't a QB alive who wouldn't struggle behind that o-line.

What did you expect Dobbs to do? Dodge 3 rushers every down to buy time for his receivers to run their routes?

Anyone who criticizes Dobbs hasn't been watching the games. What's he's done so far has been miraculous given the lack of protection.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

I know that Florida is Florida, but I really don't know why anyone would think they're better after two games into the season. Florida beat UMass, a team that was 3-9 last year and had a defense ranked 103# in the nation, by 14 points and struggled. We struggled to beat a team that was 11-2 last season and had the #11 ranked defense.

Next up, Florida beat UK by 38 points. I'm not going to go into UK's rankings since they're UK. We beat a Vtech team by 21 with one of the better defenses in the country, a mobile talented QB and a coach who is obviously very talented. Some would point out that Tech fumbled the ball 5 times. The game was out of their reach after they fumbled once and we forced another. In the UK Florida game, UK fumbled once and threw 3 interceptions. It wasn't like UF defense was just making UK go 3 and out every series.

I'm not implying that UF defense is bad, more so that UK offense really blows. The point I'm after is that while our games have been a little harder to watch, we have most certainly had more difficult opponents and as a result I feel we'll be much more prepared for tougher SEC teams like Florida.

All good points but the most important is we're home. That makes a huge difference. Especially if we get up on them with this defense.

Del Rio is also not mobile. Our d-lineman should feast on him.

I think our defense causes lots of turnovers. And we win it going away because of that.

 

[Dobbs 4 Heisman]

I've said it all offseason and I'll say it again: I see this game playing out pretty much the way it did in 2015, minus the defensive meltdown at the end. Tennessee will struggle to maintain a 7-13 point lead for the majority of the game (in which we fans will be biting our nails the entire time).

The difference this year will be our depth on defense and the fact that Shoop's unit seems to get stronger as the game goes on (where Jancek's got weaker).


That's how I see it playing out at least.

Del Rio can't run like Grier. That'll be the difference. Grier made a lot of plays with his legs. He was able to run out of some sure sacks.

I don't see Del Rio doing that. More sacks means more drives where Florida gets behind the sticks. If we go up 13-14 points we'll force them to abandon the run game. More drop back passes equals more rushing the passer.

Del Rio will be exposed for the walk-on he is.