Middle of the Tennessee Passing Defense

#52
#52
I'm not sure how much y'all should be realistically expecting with this being literally the third week of practice since the bowl victory, and maybe first with full participation. We're one half of bad football away from being 3-0.
After rewatching this game we really were lucky to not be 10 to 14 points behind in the 1st half. The bad snap by Georgia and Kirby’s terrible game decisions in the first half gifted us at least two touchdowns.
 
#54
#54
Banks is lost in pass coverage. That much is obvious.

Crouch rarely makes an appearance anywhere on my TV screen. That cannot be good.
Crouch appears on mine, but he's usually getting beat. So does Banks. Maybe it's just cause I automatically look out for them during a play. The others that stand out in a more positive light are Flowers, Taylor, To'o-To'o, Johnson, McCollough, and recently Baron and Joseph.
 
#56
#56
I really liked how Crouch ran at the goal line last year and Banks ( excluding the fumbles) the year before. I certainly would like to see Crouch back on offense.
Me too. The Crouch situation is more his decision tho. You probably already know that tho. Does make you wonder if the coaches have recognized going into his 2nd yr defense may not work out for him if he wants to have a career in the NFL. Maybe he should consider making the switch back.
 
#59
#59
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he make the play every time his # was called at rb? I understand his reasoning for wanting career longevity, but there's no denying he's a beast with a football in his hand.
Yes to first statement and he did believe he would have a longer career on defense. He had some leg injuries his senior year in HS which caused his ranking slide from the No. 1 recruit overall to a 4-star. I guess I can understand but his best value is at Rb.
 
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#60
#60
Crouch and Banks are better suited for upfield play, run coverage, and the occasional pressure on the QB. They aren't natural coverage LBs.

Maybe they are the reason JG looks so good at practice, he must really eat them up. Or could it be, they don't have to learn to play more effectively with him behind center, they just have to read his eyes and know where the ball is going and don't know how to play when opposing QBs don't do that.
 
#61
#61
Yes to first statement and he did believe he would have a longer career on defense. He had some leg injuries his senior year in HS which caused his ranking slide from the No. 1 recruit overall to a 4-star. I guess I can understand but his best value is at Rb.
Ok that's what I thought.
 
#62
#62
Pass defense and poor LB play from Banks & Crouch are the biggest concerns on defense right now.
Biggest concern in whole team really. Lowest graded part anyway. When ya give up over 300 yards to a stetson bennett led offense in just 1 half, there are issues.

I'm thinking it's more a star/lb issue than cb1/cb2. We are focused so much on run D and having run LBs, that we don't have as much pass def imo.
 
#63
#63
Crouch and Banks are inconsistent which is hurting us right now. I think they get better with more reps. Shamburger getting back up to game speed will help tremendously. GA had a great game plan to confuse our inexperienced LBs with window dressing to get 10 open. It’s a concern but not the biggest IMO
 
#64
#64
So maybe trying to turn RB's into LB's isn't working 🤷
I think in more old school run heavy days it made more sense for big lbs. Rpos and slants and such have changed things, to some degree. There is a tradeoff, maybe one pruitt is willing to risk.
 
#65
#65
I think in more old school run heavy days it made more sense for big lbs. Rpos and slants and such have changed things, to some degree. There is a tradeoff, maybe one pruitt is willing to risk.
Banks is a junior and Crouch is a SO. Both going into their 2nd year at lb, do you think they can make enough of an impact? Especially Banks it being his Junior yr and all.
 
#66
#66
our linebackers seem to be always out of position & play action gets them torched with either the pass or QB run.
 
#67
#67
And the KY game is coming at the perfect time to correct the errors on defense.

To be quite honest I feel more comfortable with Crouch in this upcoming game than Banks. Banks has a great upside but is more likely to get tricked or do something dumb to keep a drive going. I think Crouch is stronger as well. I do wonder if he's still playing a little stiff.
 
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#68
#68
The obvious thing is that it is hard for any LB to cover a slot receiver or a RB in the middle of the field. A lot of these passes were in obvious passing situations. Maybe CJP can whip up a defense that gets an extra DB on the field that isn't afraid to hit i.e. Fields or Lawrence to play the second ILB in that situation. Could be wrong but they really need work
 
#69
#69
-UT has given up 15 passes longer than 20 yards. LSU is the only SEC team that has given up more.
-UT gave up 30 of these plays in 13 games last season.
-Opposition has thrown just 7 times to the left side of the D, completing 3 for 23 yds
-Middle and right side, not good. Vols have given up 428 yards on 33/47 passing.
-Middle against USCj, targeted 17 times with 11 completions for 176 yards and a touchdown. With Shamburger back, D targeted six times for five completions and 111 yards — 57 coming after the catch.
-Banks targeted 8 times for 7 catches/77 yds and a TD.

David Ubben, The Athletic
With the exception of Ga. All the D's in the SEC haven't set the woods on fire.
I'm alot more worried about the Offense
 
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