Halftime adjustments

[kbutler]

I have been going to Tennessee games for over 30 years and have really been preoccupied for the last two seasons with the following thought.

When we've been at our best recently, say from the mid 90's to early 00's, I always had a great feeling when the 3rd quarter started. I knew that halftime adjustments, especially on defense, would create major havoc for the other team, for at least a little while. We just came out a different team. What I want to know why it is that to even assess what we need to fix now takes "watching the film" after the game.

Do we not have the personnel to make those adjustments anymore (players or coaches)? Are we lacking creativity? Is the game that much more complex? Are the halftime speeches not there or just not working? Is it locker room leadership?

Look, I know its a chess match, but we seem to come out a play the second half the same way we did the first and it just didn't used to be like that. Any ideas? This is NOT meant to be an attack on the Coaches. I know they have accountability but if it was that simple I think they'd have done it already. They may not be stellar but they're not idiots either.

I'm seriously trying to figure this out for my own peace of mind.

 

[Donvolson]

The other team always adjusts to our adjustments and we have not had enough talent or depth to make our adjustments work anyway. One adjustment is to stop abandoning the running game. Down 14 is not a reason to give up. That Florida team is ok , but not great. they will go 8-4, just like the vols. All about the individual match ups. Our secondary is slow

 

[ETSU VOL]

I feel as if though Dooley and Co. try to get too creative on offense. The run was there on Saturday night and we abandoned it in the second half. Neal was so very close to breaking the big one several times and was consistently gaining 3-5 yards. After the stop on the fake punt Chaney chose to air it out to get a quick strike to demoralize the gators and they knew he would try that, its his mo. I miss the days when we would demoralize the opposing team with our run game.

 

[Wardie]

Adjustments. . .Ha, we had NONE!

 

[RangerVol]

Great question. The more troubling issue is that I am left pondering why these professional (paid) coaches do not see what we see.

On D- I thought our linebackers lined up too close to the line to stop the inside run and for this and other reasons were left hurting on the edges. I noticed in the first half and thought Sal would fix our vulnerabilities on the edges at halftime or during the game. It also appeared our corners and safeties appeared did not care in the 4th quarter. Where was the in your face motivation? I saw Herman running till the whistle on every play. I don't believe it was a wholesale quitting but a quick on the fly, in your face, tobacco spitting adjustment by Sal could have changed that (I would hope anyway).

On O- I thought everyone and their momma (including JC in an interview before this game) had pointed out we run better out of two back sets- esp. when JC actually runs some pass plays out of it as well. We did not do that enough. One back sets are not getting it done. Even daddy Saban has gone back to using a lot of 2 back sets.

Bottom line- If everyone is mentioning it, why are we not making the adjustments?

Forget halftime, these adjustments can be made on the fly.

 

[TNfaninMS]

Adjustments. . .Ha, we had NONE!

THIS!!! :hi:

 

[Advol]

Half Time............the least of our worries.
Adjustments should be made continously as the game is in progress.
Bigger issue is WHY the team quit on him again.!!

 

[Wardie]

Half Time............the least of our worries.
Adjustments should be made continously as the game is in progress.
Bigger issue is WHY the team quit on him again.!!

When he believes in his team then they will believe in him and know they can trust him. Until then the players are fed up with Dooley.

 

[EZE]

Our coaches must be making adjustments, because they are getting results. They just seem to have it backwards. They stop doing whatever it was that made us competituve in the first half. How else can you explain the routine meltdowns and 25+ point shellackings in the second half?

 

[EZE]

Half Time............the least of our worries.
Adjustments should be made continously as the game is in progress.
Bigger issue is WHY the team quit on him again.!!

And the even bigger question, because I can understand that at least some players never like the head coach. Why do they routinely quit on themselves and each other? That is the real head-scratcher to me.

 

[Jax_Vol]

In the Dooley years, imho, the third quarter stats are the most disturbing of all. I didn't get to watch the game on Saturday, so I can't speak to this specific incident. However, in general, last year, I blamed the majority of their problems on a lack of halftime adjustments. To answer the second question....I don't think the coaching staff has the skills needed to adjust on the fly. Or perhaps, Dooley limits what they can change. Or perhaps the coaches know that adjustments will lead to further confusion for the players. I do not know.

Does anyone know.....has Coach Dooley ever been asked in a press conference about "halftime adjustments"?

 

[vol_in_ar]

Great question. The more troubling issue is that I am left pondering why these professional (paid) coaches do not see what we see.

On D- I thought our linebackers lined up too close to the line to stop the inside run and for this and other reasons were left hurting on the edges. I noticed in the first half and thought Sal would fix our vulnerabilities on the edges at halftime or during the game. It also appeared our corners and safeties appeared did not care in the 4th quarter. Where was the in your face motivation? I saw Herman running till the whistle on every play. I don't believe it was a wholesale quitting but a quick on the fly, in your face, tobacco spitting adjustment by Sal could have changed that (I would hope anyway).

On O- I thought everyone and their momma (including JC in an interview before this game) had pointed out we run better out of two back sets- esp. when JC actually runs some pass plays out of it as well. We did not do that enough. One back sets are not getting it done. Even daddy Saban has gone back to using a lot of 2 back sets.

Bottom line- If everyone is mentioning it, why are we not making the adjustments?

Forget halftime, these adjustments can be made on the fly.

With Chaney, I don't ever see us getting a running game established
it just seems he has no interest

 

[ncargat1]

The other team always adjusts to our adjustments and we have not had enough talent or depth to make our adjustments work anyway. One adjustment is to stop abandoning the running game. Down 14 is not a reason to give up. That Florida team is ok , but not great. they will go 8-4, just like the vols. All about the individual match ups. Our secondary is slow

I used to think Gator fans were brutal toward our coaches until I came over here. Holy Cow.

Honestly, the only differences I saw tonight between UF and UT were the speed of the LB's on defense and quality of depth, especially on defense. Also, the UF players have started buying in to the mental toughness that Muschamp, crazy as he is, brings. Honestly, after watching UF beat UT for the better part of 20 years, when I look at you guys and us, it looks like we expect to win this game and the UT players hope to win, play hard, but just almost expect to lose. As a result, the little tiny mistakes that cost games creep in on the UT side: one of the SEC's top QBs taking an obsurd intentional grounding flag after stuffing a fake punt, an all-american type receiver dropping a deep ball, missing the coverage assignment on a 3rd and 7 to give up a 75 yd TD, etc, etc....

But, trying to be as objective (as a Gator fan can be)I thought UT played fairly well for most of the game. And, I agree with this post, both UF and UT probably end up going about 8-4 or with some good fortune 9-3.