How do you feel now vs February?

#52
#52
I still have the same exact feeling. Looking for results on the field before judging anything

This is exactly where my head is as well. I'll go further and have said it previously in other\ threads, I'll NOT be calling for Heupel's head if he loses every game this season as long as his product plays good solid football on the field.
 
#53
#53
I’m in Missouri (show me) mode, hoping it doesn’t turn into misery mode by Halloween.
 
#55
#55
The main issues still remain. A few months did not eliminate those questions

No proven pass rush to speak of
Not enough speed or high end talent on defense
Having to spend time with remedial coaching due to prior staff's incompetence at certain spots. Instead of giving the team reps with new scheme, our coaches will have to spend time teaching our OL how to line up, how to cover a slant, how to line up on defense, etc.
Switching from outdated schemes (which Pruitt recruited towards) to more modern "playing in space" football
Losing talented players to the portal

This isn't going to be an easy or quick fix. What we can hope for is the team addresses its weaknesses, looks properly prepared/coached this year and they buy in fully. We can't see the crap we saw during the WVU game or the constant meltdowns at beginning and end of halves, no OL improvement, no QB improvement, and a team that checked out at the end of the season. That will be the ultimate sign of success this year.
I liked Pruitt, but this is one of the things that told me it was time for him to go. Terrible clock management at the end of half/game and terrible half time adjustments. Haven't looked it up, but I bet we lost almost every third quarter last season as the other teams made half time adjustments and we never seemed to.

ETA: Just looked it up. We won the third quarter against Missouri and Vanderbilt. That's it.
 
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#56
#56
It's the life cycle of football fandom.

However the previous season went, at some point between the national championship game and the end of March, there's a let-down that comes with the realization: no more football until fall. A featureless empty plain of 6, 7, even 8 months stretches to the horizon. Yes, springtime is nice, and getting out of school for the year is great, and there's a lot to do in the summer, but...no football. It's a general malaise that lies just beneath the surface of life being lived, for the true football fan.

But an end to that trek across the vast expanse of nothingness becomes visible around the first of August. Fall camp kicks in, and it really feels like a return to life. Things start happening. It's like coming out of a trance. Just a few weeks to go!

Regardless of how the previous season went, and irrespective of the prognostications for the coming year, for fans of the sport there's an excitement tied to the return of the game.

In short, I'm psyched.

Go Vols!
 
#57
#57
Excited and hopeful … but not really optimistic. The last three coaching staffs beat that out of me year after year.

In any case, I’ll be my usual rowdy self as I watch the VOLS this year, just like every year.
 
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#58
#58
i-believe-in-this-team-johnny.gif
 
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#62
#62
I’m always excited this time of year, even the Beldar years. I hope my excitement doesn’t get a wet blanket thrown on it after week 2.
 
#64
#64
You still way down & not excited or do you have a postive outlook & excited ?

I'm more excited, but that's just because football is weeks away and we are about to see a new and better product on the field. I am keeping expectations low mainly to be fair to Huepel, staff and team. We lost 25 players from a 3 win team. Yes, he has brought in some people and good coaches, but we didn't bring in as many as we lost and you need depth in the SEC.

it would be a miracle to do anything 8 wins or more. I'm hoping for 6 and will not be surprised if we only win 5 or less.
 
#65
#65
I was trying to be realistic about the good and bad then... and still am. There's more information and the QB picture is clearer than it was. I never bought into the D being predestined to disaster but feel even better about them now. Sounds like they've culled some guys who were dead weight on the DL and have created some depth across the board.

Kind of assumed the WR talent would be an automatic. Not so sure now. I think you have something in Jones and Tillman. After that, it seems like someone needs to step up and learn to catch the ball.
 
#68
#68
I feel better. It was a bit depressing to see us lose some very talented players and with sanctions looming I wondered if we’d be able to attract anyone. But we have made some nice additions in some keep spots (LB, DB, and DL) and I think the staff is very capable. I believe we can field a competitive team in 9-10 games this year. Only Bama and Georgia will have an extreme talent advantage. Florida will have more talent but we won’t be too far behind them (But it is a early game in the swamp). We probably out talent 4 teams (Vandy and 3 OOC foes) enough to win unless we just give them the game (Georgia State) and the other 5 games will go to the team that executes the best.

If the team culture is positive and they get excited about playing these guys could win 9 games.
 
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