Mr. Thigpen

#26
#26
I dont see Thig considering leaving UT for other offers after the season. He hasn't been a guy that has moved around from school to school very often and if it comes down to money I dont see any way Butch doesn't match or exceed whatever offers Thig may get. IMO, he should be the highest paid asst coach on this staff that isn't a coordinator even if some think he's an average position coach, which I don't agree with. What he's done on the recruiting trail is incredible and deserves a raise if for his recruiting only. Kids absolutely love the guy.

I think a good indicator that he's happy here and intends on staying came this week when Butch offered him the weekend off from being out on the road recruiting bc he's been out more than any other asst coach so far and he basically told Butch "Thanks, but no thanks, there's work to be done." He wouldn't have done that if he's not committed to what Butch is building here, imo. Thig gon Thig......at UT for years to come.
 
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#27
#27
Thigpen has a reputation as an elite recruiter, Stripling on the other hand has been a nice surprise.
 
#28
#28
wU-Tang Vol said:
What does AJ do well other than make tackles 5 yards down the field?
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He's struggled this season and should return but he's better than just "a very avg LB".

Strengths:
Quick first step
Good hands
Nose for the 'ball
Strong at the point of attack (better N-S player)

Weaknesses:
Avg speed and lateral pursuit
Drops
Shedding blocks
Too often tackles too high
 
#29
#29
Neyland2nd2none said:
I dont see Thig considering leaving UT for other offers after the season. He hasn't been a guy that has moved around from school to school very often and if it comes down to money I dont see any way Butch doesn't match or exceed whatever offers Thig may get. IMO, he should be the highest paid asst coach on this staff that isn't a coordinator even if some think he's an average position coach, which I don't agree with. What he's done on the recruiting trail is incredible and deserves a raise if for his recruiting only. Kids absolutely love the guy.

I think a good indicator that he's happy here and intends on staying came this week when Butch offered him the weekend off from being out on the road recruiting bc he's been out more than any other asst coach so far and he basically told Butch "Thanks, but no thanks, there's work to be done." He wouldn't have done that if he's not committed to what Butch is building here, imo. Thig gon Thig......at UT for years to come.
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I like coach Thig bc he seems like a very even keel, blue collar, go work for it type of guy. Also, one thing to consider, Tennessee has got alot of momentum on the recruiting trail. I don't think he'll walk away from that. Personally, I think coach Jones's success as a HC has largely been bc of his ability to keep his staff together through the years. At Tennessee, that will be no exception. In relation to Thig's coaching ability, having top tier talent to work with has a way of improving an individual's "coaching" ability. Que Les Miles for an example of this.
 
#30
#30
H2O Vol said:
He's struggled this season and should return but he's better than just "a very avg LB".

Strengths:
Quick first step
Good hands
Nose for the 'ball
Strong at the point of attack (better N-S player)

Weaknesses:
Avg speed and lateral pursuit
Drops
Shedding blocks
Too often tackles too high
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Accurate evaluation. His weaknesses lead to being poor in space, unable to cover in passing situations. He's limited in what he can do as a result.... but very good in doing those limited things.

Tackling way too high way too often is my pet peeve about him. Leads to not finishing tackles well, giving up additional yards, incurring potential unnecessary penalties IMO.
 
#31
#31
H2O Vol said:
Thigpen has a reputation as an elite recruiter, Stripling on the other hand has been a nice surprise.
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Stripling is a hell of a coach too, You'll see it in effect in the next year and on. It's noticeable with a couple of the guys, it's sad big Dan doesn't have that mean attitude, he could have been amazing this year
 
#32
#32
I don't see Thig leaving anytime soon, unless it's for an elite position. Coaches are in the business long enough to know what a championship program looks like and I think that's the direction Butch has this team and program headed. There's a reason why Dooley had to hire an entirely new staff in the 2012 offseason: his assistants could tell that, under Dooley's direction, Tennessee was a program that was heading nowhere.
 
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#33
#33
wU-Tang Vol said:
What does AJ do well other than make tackles 5 yards down the field?
Click to expand...

He plays in the second level of a bad defense. By that logic he's stopping nearly every play that gets near him. In a good defense at the NFL level he will be a very good linebacker for 2 downs and short yardage situations.
 
#34
#34
This might not be the most popular opinion, but....

I don't think that AJ is really "that slow". The place he is slow is in how he reacts. When you couple that with his not very aggressive style of tackling can make for some frustrations
 
#35
#35
AJ will look a lot better when they have more LBs, like next year. He can't make up for all the deficiencies of the other LBs. That will allow Thig to show his abilities.

The ranking system for recruiters is terrible. Dameyune Craig is the third highest rated recruiter with 4 4stars and 4 3 stars. Thig has nine 4 stars, but 7 three stars. 247 uses a weird logarithmic system to rank the recruiters, and it involves averaging the recruits. It's stupid. How can you have Thig with 9 4 stars to Craig's 4 4 stars, and Craig is higher.

Regardless, his reputation is undoubtedly very good, and there will be many colleges trying to get Thig. I am sure Thig sees where we are going and won't want to leave now.
 
#36
#36
Daloth said:
He plays in the second level of a bad defense. By that logic he's stopping nearly every play that gets near him. In a good defense at the NFL level he will be a very good linebacker for 2 downs and short yardage situations.
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How? Look, I like AJ, but not team will tale him higher than the 4th round. He makes tackles, but has terrible speed, doesn't take on blocks well or sheds them well. He isn't very good in space. He's a special teams player and decent backup at the next level
 
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#38
#38
All_Vol5 said:
I don't see Thig leaving anytime soon, unless it's for an elite position. Coaches are in the business long enough to know what a championship program looks like and I think that's the direction Butch has this team and program headed. There's a reason why Dooley had to hire an entirely new staff in the 2012 offseason: his assistants could tell that, under Dooley's direction, Tennessee was a program that was heading nowhere.
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solid 1st post. come back often. we need more logical Vol fans on here..
 
#39
#39
Not sure why everyone keeps saying Coach Thig needs to get paid. According to 247, he makes a little under $350K. As a college line backer coach that is incredible and probably ranks extremely high nationally... Not many schools will up that. Thig will go Thig for a long time here.
 
#40
#40
#1Volfaninmo said:
Or, maybe the talent level isn't there to coach yet.
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I agree. Let's face it, AJ just isn't a very good all around SEC linebacker IMO, can't cover or run sideline to sideline. Brewer and Sapp are both converted safeties, one an unknown 2 star or 3 star and the other a former minor league baseball player. And Maggitt has been out for the season... Not much left on the roster as far as linebacker goes after those guys.
 
#41
#41
Stevorino said:
2014 Football Recruiter Rankings

One Nice thing I noticed the other day... he's the highest paid non-coordinator up through his ranking. I still think he deserves a raise, but at least he's getting paid relatively well for the time being.
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Thanks for posting the link. That list is a joke. He should be #1 on the list. Craig from auburn really sticks out. In what universe is anyone on the list doing a better job than Thig? There has to be an explanation of how they evaluate.
 
#42
#42
Michael barrow -3 four stars, zero 5's.

Thig -9 four stars, also zero 5's.

Barrow is rated higher. Am I in the damn twilight zone?
 
#43
#43
Daloth said:
I don't see how you call a guy predicted as a late first/second rounder as average. Otherwise I agree completely.
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He's a middle rounder at best. Nobody wants a slow lb who doesn't use much leverage. He should of been a DE here not an LB.
 
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#44
#44
NapTownVol9 said:
Stripling is a hell of a coach too, You'll see it in effect in the next year and on. It's noticeable with a couple of the guys, it's sad big Dan doesn't have that mean attitude, he could have been amazing this year
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Stripling puts guys in the NFL every year he coaches it seems like. He's the best coach on our staff with Mahoney in second. I love our line coaches.
 
#45
#45
kw3953 said:
Not sure why everyone keeps saying Coach Thig needs to get paid. According to 247, he makes a little under $350K. As a college line backer coach that is incredible and probably ranks extremely high nationally... Not many schools will up that. Thig will go Thig for a long time here.
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I can handle that!:rock:
 
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