Former Player's Opinion on Current Program

Talent is the issue, I agree, but Dooley is the one who recruited all of the freshmen and most of the sophomores, so the talent differential in the youth is a reflection of losing recruiting battles, not youth itself.
We're talking less than halfway through year 2. How do you really know that until you actually see if the young talent develops?
 
We're talking less than halfway through year 2. How do you really know that until you actually see if the young talent develops?

You don't. That's obvious to everyone. Vegas can't possibly be objective about anything related to UT football. That's equally obvious.
 
Florida has more freshmen and sophomore starters than we do. Georgia is very close as well. The youth shows up in the 2010 class having to play more players than the 2009 class, but otherwise, our numbers are on par for the rest of the SEC. We're not that much younger compared to our competitors.

But take just one senior out of flooriduhs offense,,,and what are they left with? Take two seniors out (Rainy and Demps) and they are very poor on offense. Take one senior out of our offense and we are still a damn good team. Take two seniors out of our offense, well, crap, we only have one senior on offense that starts - and Poole is not having a stellar year. At key positions, UT is younger than flooriduh, younger than SC, and younger than GA. Yes, it makes a difference.
 
We're talking less than halfway through year 2. How do you really know that until you actually see if the young talent develops?

May turn out better than it currently is; my point is that people saying "we're not as good because we're young" are ignoring the fact we're really not all that much younger. The reality is that our talent is less, especially on defense, and that has more to do with recruiting battles than youth. Crowell is a true freshman; Mitchell was a true freshman. Murray is a redshirt sophomore. Florida is riddled with very young players. Both teams beat us pretty easily.
 
But take just one senior out of flooriduhs offense,,,and what are they left with? Take two seniors out (Rainy and Demps) and they are very poor on offense. Take one senior out of our offense and we are still a damn good team. Take two seniors out of our offense, well, crap, we only have one senior on offense that starts - and Poole is not having a stellar year. At key positions, UT is younger than flooriduh, younger than SC, and younger than GA. Yes, it makes a difference.

So DL is not a "key position"; CB is not a "key position"? Georgia's key players all return next year, and they our-recruited us in 2011. Florida's key players all return next year, and they out-recruit us every year of late. I don't see how age alone (when it is mostly even) is going to flip the script on those match-ups.
 
You keep saying that we're not much younger, but 30 seconds of looking at the 2 deep will tell you otherwise.
 
The reality is that our talent is less, especially on defense, and that has more to do with recruiting battles than youth.

That's exactly right. It has to do with the recruitment of our upperclassmen who should be playing the bulk of the snaps right now. That's just a fact, Vegas. I know you're in love with Fulmer, and he had a good run. It's just a fact that he left us with nothing. I know that pains you, but it's true.
 
Talent is the issue, I agree, but Dooley is the one who recruited all of the freshmen and most of the sophomores, so the talent differential in the youth is a reflection of losing recruiting battles, not youth itself.

What? Their freshman and sophomores are playing because they've beaten out other players on a mature team with plenty of juniors of seniors on it; it's a matter of cream rising to the top. Our freshman and sophomores are playing without having beaten out anybody. We're playing young guys by default. There's no way to compare the talent differential when we have so few contributing upperclassmen anywhere.

Again: I am not exactly bullish on Dooley's prospects as an SEC coach. But it's just impossible to evaluate him right now when all his important games are against guys who've been racking up top 10-15 recruiting classes every year for years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 people
No; but we did so by letting our corners get beat all night in solo coverage, and that ultimately burnt us.

I might be wrong, but our corners are a converted wideout and a converted safety that had to come over because of the lack of depth left by the departure and negligence of two coaching staffs.

Of course they're going to get burned. But it's not like we really had much of a choice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
What? Their freshman and sophomores are playing because they've beaten out other players on a mature team with plenty of juniors of seniors on it; it's a matter of cream rising to the top. Our freshman and sophomores are playing without having beaten out anybody. We're playing young guys by default. There's no way to compare the talent differential when we have so few contributing upperclassmen anywhere.

Again: I am not exactly bullish on Dooley's prospects as an SEC coach. But it's just impossible to evaluate him right now when all his important games are against guys who've been racking up top 10-15 recruiting classes every year for years.
The bolded part is about as concise as it gets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
I might be wrong, but our corners are a converted wideout and a converted safety that had to come over because of the lack of depth left by the departure and negligence of two coaching staffs.

Of course they're going to get burned. But it's not like we really had much of a choice.

Those damn facts.
 
What? Their freshman and sophomores are playing because they've beaten out other players on a mature team with plenty of juniors of seniors on it; it's a matter of cream rising to the top. Our freshman and sophomores are playing without having beaten out anybody. We're playing young guys by default. There's no way to compare the talent differential when we have so few contributing upperclassmen anywhere.

Again: I am not exactly bullish on Dooley's prospects as an SEC coach. But it's just impossible to evaluate him right now when all his important games are against guys who've been racking up top 10-15 recruiting classes every year for years.

This is an excellent post.
 
Which, if correct, means our younger players aren't as talented as theirs; that's the problem -- talent, not youth.

Good job. I wouldn't even address the fact that your hero has left us with nothing as far as upperclassmen. That's exactly why no one takes you seriously.
 
Another thing to note is this. VV, the teams you have posted got stomped this weekend (except for Georgia). Florida isn't as good without Brantley. Auburn isn't as...well, they're just not as good as they were. Georgia beat us, but looked unimpressive in their first two games. It's not like the other teams you posted are on beast mode this year.

We rely on freshman and sophomores at important positions more than any other team in the league, I'd say.
 
Another thing to note is this. VV, the teams you have posted got stomped this weekend (except for Georgia). Florida isn't as good without Brantley. Auburn isn't as...well, they're just not as good as they were. Georgia beat us, but looked unimpressive in their first two games. It's not like the other teams you posted are on beast mode this year.

We rely on freshman and sophomores at important positions more than any other team in the league, I'd say.

What? Are you suggesting Florida isn't as good without their upperclassmen? You're kidding me? That can't be true. Brissett should have gone in there and thrown for 300 yards; hell, he's talented isn't he? Experience is totally irrelevant.
 
We rely on freshman and sophomores at important positions more than any other team in the league, I'd say.

On defense, we're less youth-dependent than Florida, and not that different than Georgia. On offense, Georgia's key players -- Crowell, Mitchell and Murray are all freshmen and sophomores. Youth is a factor, it's not the governing one. Talent is the key, and we lack it in the running game and defensively across the board.
 

Advertisement



Back
Top