Isaiah Crowell

#26
#26
wildemanvol said:
Crowell is fluid, has good vision, and very good speed. He's not a run over people type of player. He sees the hole and plants his foot and goes. Perhaps running behind a line that would make any back look good is helping, but the Crowell and Thomas combo is going to be tough to stop.

IMO, we're going to have to sell out to stopping the run and containing Murray by loading the box and bringing heavy pressure. This will leave us somewhat vulnerable to the UGA recievers which are also pretty good, but Murray can and has been prone to over throw his recievers. I'm thinking a cover 2 zone with over the top help from the safties -especially on Mitchel- could lead to a couple of picks. But Wilcox may try using the nickel packages he's been working on to bring blitzes from all around the formation to create the pressure on Murray.

This is going to be one of the biggest tests of Coach Wilcox's vaunted defensive genius. I think this game is going to more of a coaching duel than it will be about player match ups. The guys have to execute, but the coaches have to put them in the right positions to start with. This year the base 4 3 will not get it done. UGA is just a little too big, strong, fast, and talented at every layer of the offense.

All that being said, I think UT wins 31-24.

GO VOLS!
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Back in the summer, several posters on here were talking about GA'a problems on the OL. Sure doesn't look like they have a problem. Just curious where/why that rumor got started in the first place.
 
#27
#27
Poole doesn't trust his Oline for obvious reasons. He "thinks" too much while he's in motion, always dancing looking for a hole or a cutback. CDD is wanting him to run with more violence is his way of telling Poole to stop thinking about it and just run over people. Poole doesn't have the ELITE speed -or burst- to run away from or around people so he needs to learn to run through them. Look at trent richardson and how he runs. I think Poole could be a very similar type of runner if he could get a little meaner. The way he ran in the second half against Cincy. Just plain pissed off. Not saying he could be exactly like richardson because trent is a freakin beast and strong as 2 oxes and he has speed, but Poole could be a similar bowling ball style of back. Of course it would help if his Oline and fullbacks were opening up huge gaps for him.

If someone gives Poole a shot in the pros and they can coach him up a little I think he has the ability to have a career similar to what Foster is doing thus far.

I think we need to hire a top notch running backs coach and a top notch kicking coach. We obviously don't have the people to develope the talent we're getting. Not sure if there is space on the staff due to ncaa restrictions. We can't keep getting supposedly top rated guys that then don't prove out while they're here and we say they're busts and we keep thinking it's always bad recruiting. That's the deffinition of insanity. If a guy is a 4 star top 50 running back, evaluated and judged to be such by the supposed experts, then he's got to be pretty naturally talented. It then has to fall on the staff to continue his developement while he's at UT.
 
#28
#28
Poole doesn't ever have a nice run unless he is untouched through the line of scrimmage. He almost always goes down on contact, and he'll often go down before even fighting for extra yards if someone is coming up to tackle him. It drives me crazy, because he clearly has a solid stiff arm and can make people miss and break tackles, but he has been running scared a lot this year.

That being said, I don't see much similarity between Poole and Foster. While Foster couldn't hold onto the ball here, he had great moves and the ability to break tackles.

Also, when is the last 4 star top 50 running back we got? Bryce Brown doesn't count because he's a nutjob. Gerald Riggs?
 
#30
#30
PACKERVOL said:
Back in the summer, several posters on here were talking about GA'a problems on the OL. Sure doesn't look like they have a problem. Just curious where/why that rumor got started in the first place.
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It's no rumor. Their o-line massively underachieved last year and really hasn't knocked around good teams this year.
 
#31
#31
wildemanvol said:
Poole doesn't trust his Oline for obvious reasons. He "thinks" too much while he's in motion, always dancing looking for a hole or a cutback. CDD is wanting him to run with more violence is his way of telling Poole to stop thinking about it and just run over people. Poole doesn't have the ELITE speed -or burst- to run away from or around people so he needs to learn to run through them. Look at trent richardson and how he runs. I think Poole could be a very similar type of runner if he could get a little meaner. The way he ran in the second half against Cincy. Just plain pissed off. Not saying he could be exactly like richardson because trent is a freakin beast and strong as 2 oxes and he has speed, but Poole could be a similar bowling ball style of back. Of course it would help if his Oline and fullbacks were opening up huge gaps for him.

If someone gives Poole a shot in the pros and they can coach him up a little I think he has the ability to have a career similar to what Foster is doing thus far.

I think we need to hire a top notch running backs coach and a top notch kicking coach. We obviously don't have the people to develope the talent we're getting. Not sure if there is space on the staff due to ncaa restrictions. We can't keep getting supposedly top rated guys that then don't prove out while they're here and we say they're busts and we keep thinking it's always bad recruiting. That's the deffinition of insanity. If a guy is a 4 star top 50 running back, evaluated and judged to be such by the supposed experts, then he's got to be pretty naturally talented. It then has to fall on the staff to continue his developement while he's at UT.
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I disagree with a lot of the things you said. I don't think Poole has the makeup to be a bruiser. He lacks the strength to be a bruiser, he lacks the speed to be a burner, and he lacks the vision to be a productive tweener.

I don't think he'll ever come close to leading the NFL in rushing no matter who coaches him. Even the best coaches can't make any average player a great player.

We may need to look into adding a RB coach but I don't think any of our guys have underachieved. I think the problem is that our running backs just aren't good enough. The RB position is the least coachable position on the field IMO. Sure there is some technique involved but there's a reason why you see more freshman RBs making impacts in the SEC than any other position.
 
#32
#32
PACKERVOL said:
Back in the summer, several posters on here were talking about GA'a problems on the OL. Sure doesn't look like they have a problem. Just curious where/why that rumor got started in the first place.
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Don't know the answer to that. Seems like I remember reading something about a tackel being academically ineligible around the same time as one of their running backs back in the summer. I've also seen people post things about injuries and depth issues, but I don't track stuff like this for other teams so I can't speak to it with any confidence or certainty.

(I'm going on a rant here so stop reading now if you don't care. :good!:)

UGA doesn't seem to be having too many issues at the moment with either their oline or their running game, BUT they haven't exactly faced the best teams and kicked butt this year either. Their 2 loses where 1- to a good top ranked team in Bosie St. that has been elevated by having one of the best QBs in the country, and 2- to an overrated, but still pretty good USCe. USCe is being carried this year by their defense which is what made the difference in the georgia game. UGA's 2 wins have been over 1- a really bad Ole Miss team that UGA didn't even stomp into mush with their hobnailed boots due to some inconsistant play from Murray, and 2- over a Miss St. team that is pretty good, but was way overhyped coming into this season and again UGA didn't beat them soundly due to inconsistant QB play. Murray is a good QB, but has been overhyped. The surrounding players make him look better than he truly is. This includes a very good oline. Finding a running game this year is making all of the difference. If UGA had had more confidence in Crowell and Thomas in the Bosie St. game it might have been a bit closer. They still would've lost it, imo. They should've beat USCe, but the cocks defense was the X factor and the game changer in that one.

(Rant over. Thanks for reading.)
 
#35
#35
MSU kept shooting themselves in the foot, inaccurate passes, dropped balls, not securing the football. UGA wasn't that impressive, watched the replay and at the end of 3rd quarter they had either 19 total or 19 rush yards for the quarter. Couldn't score the last 20 min. of the ballgame.
 
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#38
#38
volfan_28 said:
I disagree with a lot of the things you said. I don't think Poole has the makeup to be a bruiser. He lacks the strength to be a bruiser, he lacks the speed to be a burner, and he lacks the vision to be a productive tweener.

I don't think he'll ever come close to leading the NFL in rushing no matter who coaches him. Even the best coaches can't make any average player a great player.

We may need to look into adding a RB coach but I don't think any of our guys have underachieved. I think the problem is that our running backs just aren't good enough. The RB position is the least coachable position on the field IMO. Sure there is some technique involved but there's a reason why you see more freshman RBs making impacts in the SEC than any other position.
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I don't think Poole is as bad as you suggest. No one gets to be a 1000 yard rusher behind a not so good oline in the SEC and not have some ability. I think he has been under coached, under developed, and he's under achieved due to these things.

"I don't think he'll ever come close to leading the NFL in rushing no matter who coaches him."

I agree with this. What I was trying to say when I said "similar to Foster" was that he will do far better in the NFL than he's done at UT. With better coaching I believe he can take strides to be a better performer just like Foster has. He may not be a league leading rusher, but he has the ability to be a quality back. And certainly more productive than he's been in college.

You can't coach speed, but there are a lot of things that can be coached at every position and at every level. Good coaches will teach him things at the pro level that will help him to improve.

If I have one big issue with Poole it's his seeming inablity/unwillingness to grasp the basic idea of just running hard every time he touches the ball. Maybe it's in his nature to be tentative and "dance around" and maybe that's something you just can't coach out of a guy.

I'm willing to admitt that I like him a lot as a Vol and as a player so perhaps I'm allowing my hope for him to cloud what he is actually capable of. But he's got 1000 yards in the books and many so called experts and professionals have claimed he's got the goods. I guess we'll see.

"I think the problem is that our running backs just aren't good enough."

Sorry, I disagree. Raw talent only gets you so far and then you have to know what to do with it. That takes coaching. But that aside, if we aren't getting the best talent there has to be a reason. A lack of a running backs coach with the reputation for turning young raw talent into top notch players might be part of the issue.
 
#40
#40
The line doesnt seem to be having any issues with blocking....any back with vision could run like he does with those holes....nice patient back though..
 
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#41
#41
We may need to look into adding a RB coach but I don't think any of our guys have underachieved. I think the problem is that our running backs just aren't good enough. The RB position is the least coachable position on the field IMO. Sure there is some technique involved but there's a reason why you see more freshman RBs making impacts in the SEC than any other position.
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Also, getting that elite 10% back like a lattimore or richardson is a rare thing. Most schools get the guys who make up the other 90%. I think UT has had it's fair share of backs that come from the best of that 90%, but you've got to coach those guys up once they're in the program and get them to their next level. The elite 10% you can stick the ball in their gut and say RUN! and they will do amazing things.

UT can't rely on getting that elite guy year in and year out. Maybe that is part of the issue as well, so I'm willing to say that you made a fair point that our running back talent hasn't been GOOD ENOUGH. I still say we've had some good backs, like Poole, and they've been underdeveloped, but maybe good just isn't good enough.
 
#43
#43
I think Poole, while I don't think he's terrible by any means, is easily the worst starting RB we've had in the last decade. I'd take Hardesty, Foster, Coker, Houston, Riggs, etc over him pretty quickly.
 
#44
#44
If you care to do the reading here are links to info about Foster. I'll post the relevant info about his junior and senior seasons. Pay attention to what is said about changing coaches and schemes at the begining of his senior season in reference to what kind of impact coaching can have on a player. I'm not trying to make a point here. Just found it interesting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arian_Foster

His junior season of 2007 saw Foster take over as the main back, with Montario Hardesty coming in as a substitute. Against Florida, Foster fumbled a left-handed hand-off from injured quarterback Erik Ainge which was recovered by linebacker Dustin Doe and returned eighteen yards for a touchdown.[12] Up to that point Tennessee had been gaining momentum and pulled to within eight points of tying the game, but the botched play made the score 35-20 and triggered a 24-point Florida run to close out the contest.[12] Foster surpassed the 1,000-yard mark with a 118-yard performance in a 52-50 win at Kentucky, and finished his junior season with 245 carries for 1,193 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also catching 39 passes for 340 yards and an additional two scores.[9]

Foster's breakout junior season resulted in a second-round grade from the draft advisory board and led him to consider leaving school. However, head coach Phillip Fulmer persuaded him to stay for his senior season, a decision Foster would later deeply regret.[13] Playing under the third position coach and offensive coordinator of his tenure,[7] Foster was utilized in a rotation following the installation of a new offensive scheme that the Tennessee coaches thought was a better fit for some of the other running backs on the roster.[9] For his part, Fulmer would attribute Foster's diminished workload to knee and thigh injuries which would later be disputed.[7] In the end, Foster compiled just 570 yards on 131 carries with only one touchdown in his senior season.[9]
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Arian Foster
Junior season
2007-2008 TENN ATT:245 YDs:1193 Rec:39 YDs:340 Total TDs:14

Tauren Poole
Junior season
2010-2011 TENN ATT:204 YDs:1034 Rec:22 YDs:171 Total TDs:12

Take what you will from this info.
 
#45
#45
I thought Poole had a very nice season last year behind a pitiful offensive line and even more pitiful QB the first half of the season. That's why I have found this year so disappointing thus far given the improvements in those areas (definitely at QB, supposedly at OL). He needs to step up and run harder, no doubt.
 
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#46
#46
SeanJean said:
I think Poole, while I don't think he's terrible by any means, is easily the worst starting RB we've had in the last decade. I'd take Hardesty, Foster, Coker, Houston, Riggs, etc over him pretty quickly.
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Btw, if a 1000 yard rusher is our worst rusher of the last decade then we really shouldn't be too POed. Lol... some might say we've got "rich man's problems".

I'm more bothered by what's been going on with our coaches, fullbacks, and our Oline.

IMO, we've fixed the big coaching issues with CDD, CJC, and CJW as well as the rest of the staff. I think our only deficencies are the lack of a RB coach and perhaps a kicking coach -assuming that the ST coach that CDD brought from LA Tech isn't able to get it done.

Now if we can just get the Oline and fullbacks back up to the level we've become used to this team will be back to championship quality.
 
#47
#47
I like that Poole hasn't had his breakout games yet he usually saves them for Neyland under the lights.(see Oregon and Bammer night games) Outside the Florida game we really didn't need him and he played hurt. I really believe he is finally due for some big runs and the kid dogs himself as much as Volnation. He is our lone Senior and a leader for the team expecting a big night for our #1 tailback. I will be there to yell my azz off anyway. GBO!! Beat the Dawgs!
 
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#48
#48
SeanJean said:
I thought Poole had a very nice season last year behind a pitiful offensive line and even more pitiful QB the first half of the season. That's why I have found this year so disappointing thus far given the improvements in those areas (definitely at QB, supposedly at OL). He needs to step up and run harder, no doubt.
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I agree. Pretty disappointing thus far, but it's been my belief that the coaches have schemed this team during the off season to be a pass first to set up play action and then support the passing game with the run style of offense. I think they spent so much time on pass blocking and getting the passing game strong that the running game hasn't been given sufficient attention. That would've been okay, but now that Hunter is hurt it's throwing the scheme into a mess. Poor risk management by the coaches in hindsight. If we had another reciever that could come off of the bench and do what Hunter can do then it would've been okay, but with our recieving corps being so young and under developed it was a big risk to take -putting all of our eggs in that basket. That being said, I like that CDD and CJC are willing to reinvent this team and be so dynamic. Ride til the wheels fall off! It's a real dumpster fire when it fails, but when it works it's epic!
 
#49
#49
MY3*CANBEATUPUR5* said:
I like that Poole hasn't had his breakout games yet he usually saves them for Neyland under the lights.(see Oregon and Bammer night games) Outside the Florida game we really didn't need him and he played hurt. I really believe he is finally due for some big runs and the kid dogs himself as much as Volnation. He is our lone Senior and a leader for the team expecting a big night for our #1 tailback. I will be there to yell my azz off anyway. GBO!! Beat the Dawgs!
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I like this and I truly hope you're correct. Either way, I'll be cheering him and my VOLS! GBO!
 
#50
#50
volfan_28 said:
I disagree with a lot of the things you said. I don't think Poole has the makeup to be a bruiser. He lacks the strength to be a bruiser, he lacks the speed to be a burner, and he lacks the vision to be a productive tweener.

I don't think he'll ever come close to leading the NFL in rushing no matter who coaches him. Even the best coaches can't make any average player a great player.

We may need to look into adding a RB coach but I don't think any of our guys have underachieved. I think the problem is that our running backs just aren't good enough. The RB position is the least coachable position on the field IMO. Sure there is some technique involved but there's a reason why you see more freshman RBs making impacts in the SEC than any other position.
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How does a thread about an opposing teams RB turn into yet another Poole bash?
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