Not much talk but how do we....

#26
#26
InstrumentalVol said:
We get better players.
/thread
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Not only that, frankly we have to get lucky. We need to hope that some of the young guys coming in are developed beyond their years and can be impact players from day one. We need some Eric Berry types who can be difference makers as soon as they step on campus. We also need to win the lottery on a few JUCO's as well like we used to do with guys like Leonard Little, Jesse Mahelona (RIP), Charlie Garner, etc.
 
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#27
#27
BigOrangeTrain said:
No it most certainly is not disingenuous. Is it all Butchs fault? No. But how do you explain us going from an extremely physical team to one of the weakest in 2 short years? Now, answer me this, would a consistent S&C program helped at all in the past 2 years?

So lets say we blame Fitz. Ok if we will take that stance then we have to blame Pruitt right? It would be like Shoop. Shoop had success everywhere but TN. So Fitz is very well respected with a great resume. PSU guys applauded him. So he has had success at almost every other spot but TN. Ok then, Pruitt, a Saban disciple, just doesnt know what a true S&C program should be then? Even though he witnessed what a world class S&C program was for years.

Again, if Fitz just isnt doing a good job, then whats the solution?
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If you are going to lay the problems of the 2018 team, at the feet of S&C, then Fitzgerald has to shoulder some of the blame. After 11 months in his program, other than a decrease in injuries resulting from swapping back to free-weight-based training, there were no significant on-the-field gains from the S&C program, and that has to fall on Fitz. You can't deflect from every single coach all the time, and spin excuse after excuse for coaches getting paid literal millions of dollars to do their jobs, just because you want to believe that they are doing a good job.

"what you put on the field as a coach is really who you are right now.”
- Jeremy Pruitt
 
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#28
#28
BeardedVol said:
If you are going to lay the problems of the 2018 team, at the feet of S&C, then Fitzgerald has to shoulder some of the blame. After 11 months in his program, other than a decrease in injuries resulting from swapping back to free-weight-based training, there were no significant on-the-field gains from the S&C program, and that has to fall on Fitz. You can't deflect from every single coach all the time, and spin excuse after excuse for coaches getting paid literal millions of dollars to do their jobs, just because you want to believe that they are doing a good job.

"what you put on the field as a coach is really who you are right now.”
- Jeremy Pruitt
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Suer Fitz deserves some blame. As does all of our coaches for what transpired this season. But how much? For this year, I dont place a huge amount of blame on the coaching staff. Next year is different.
 
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#29
#29
kcartledge85 said:
Kevin Burnett and Jarod Mayo were fantastic LBs
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Yeah, I was going to mention Mayo, he was solid. Rico Mccoy was decent as was Gaither and Overstreet. None of the 3 were elite or on the level of a Wilson, Mayo, or Johnson but Gaither and Overstreet were both good enough to have careers in the NFL.
 
#30
#30
jerseydevilvol said:
Yeah, I was going to mention Mayo, he was solid. Rico Mccoy was decent as was Gaither and Overstreet. None of the 3 were elite or on the level of a Wilson, Mayo, or Johnson but Gaither and Overstreet were both good enough to have careers in the NFL.
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Overstreet was a DE.
 
#31
#31
PulaskiVolFan said:
improve our DEFENSE between now and next year? We've been as bad defensively the last 10 years as anyone in the SEC, and there have been lots of theories as to why. LINEBACKER PLAY has not been up to par! Last dominating MLB we had was AJ and we all know how that story goes, before him Wilson/Little and before that probably Hacksaw!! I know we've had some really good ones in the past, guys like Reeves-Maybin, Westmoreland but right now we are nowhere close to the elites at the lb position. We'll need big improvement out of Bituli and need JJ to be as good as advertised. I'm curious as to what our depth chart looks like next year at the LB position and look to see a few newcomers competing for time there.

We need some headknockers on defense! Big, mean, fast, strong and intimidating types like Reggie, Barnett, Wilson, Little, Jason Allen, Dale Carter, AJ and Berry!! Go find em coach!

This post is just my opinion, I did not use or source any famous ex VFL either living or dead whilst developing my own personal thoughts.
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AJ was a poor example, UT has had many LB's much much better, AJ was a far cry from an SEC LB, unfortunately
He was a fairly good LB, but that's about it
 
#35
#35
I don't think the D has been as bad as it has looked at times. An offense that can run the ball on a reg basis and eat up some clock will go a long way in making the D look better. Too many 3 and outs and putting the D right back out there this season. The D just seemed gassed at the end of games.
 
#36
#36
I hope Pruitt takes some flash cards with him recruiting. Might be useful to determine who might jump offsides or something.
 
#38
#38
VolGuyAllYear said:
Spot on post, everyone talks about our Oline and QB, when CJP puts his type of guys on the field on D, we will be nasty.
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Thats because without some miracle improvement in that department 3 and 4 win seasons are the norm unless the team pulls off a miracle upset (like Auburn/Kentucky).
 
#39
#39
You could have put Saban and his entire staff on the sidelines in Knoxville this year but they wouldn’t win either when guys lay down and quit playing, which I believe we all saw happen at times this year (Mizzou and Vandy especially). Most of those 5 star hearts that the other guy recruited turned out to be busts on multiple levels. When CJP gets a team full of his guys that play his brand of football in here we shouldn’t be talking about this anymore and I think that will happen sooner versus later. Orange koolaid...maybe, but I’m willing to give him a chance.
 
#40
#40
VOLanooga said:
You could have put Saban and his entire staff on the sidelines in Knoxville this year but they wouldn’t win either when guys lay down and quit playing, which I believe we all saw happen at times this year (Mizzou and Vandy especially). Most of those 5 star hearts that the other guy recruited turned out to be busts on multiple levels. When CJP gets a team full of his guys that play his brand of football in here we shouldn’t be talking about this anymore and I think that will happen sooner versus later. Orange koolaid...maybe, but I’m willing to give him a chance.
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You very well may be right. Then again, I seem to remember hearing very similar things 5 years ago. The truth is we have no earthly idea one way or another. Its all a crapshoot anyway.

I would like to pose this question. When was the last time a first time AD hired a first time head coach and turned out to be successful?
 
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#41
#41
BeardedVol said:
If you are going to lay the problems of the 2018 team, at the feet of S&C, then Fitzgerald has to shoulder some of the blame. After 11 months in his program, other than a decrease in injuries resulting from swapping back to free-weight-based training, there were no significant on-the-field gains from the S&C program, and that has to fall on Fitz. You can't deflect from every single coach all the time, and spin excuse after excuse for coaches getting paid literal millions of dollars to do their jobs, just because you want to believe that they are doing a good job.

"what you put on the field as a coach is really who you are right now.”
- Jeremy Pruitt
Click to expand...
The players, from what I have seen in other posts, didn't have a regimented S & C program for two years. Don't know for sure but I would bet that 'bama and Georgia have S & C programs that are very structured and these guys haven't been on the honor system like Tennessee players were. Can Fitz get these guys up to par with teams who were structured for years in eleven months? Simple answer, no. I spent quite a bit of time in the gym but guys who had been doing it for years before me were far more developed than I was, and I wasn't to there level in eleven months.
 
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#43
#43
bigorangepoppa said:
The players, from what I have seen in other posts, didn't have a regimented S & C program for two years. Don't know for sure but I would bet that 'bama and Georgia have S & C programs that are very structured and these guys haven't been on the honor system like Tennessee players were. Can Fitz get these guys up to par with teams who were structured for years in eleven months? Simple answer, no. I spent quite a bit of time in the gym but guys who had been doing it for years before me were far more developed than I was, and I wasn't to there level in eleven months.
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You spent 11 months in an NFL/Division I college football S&C program supported by a Division I athletic nutritional program?
 
#44
#44
Maybe it's just me, but I thought the defense showed improvement this season. They had some games where they were a dominant force.

We didn't see any of that in the past season (Butch's last season).

I'm looking forward to seeing what they do next year. I hope we can fill that defensive line.
 
#46
#46
For a quick fix, we are going to have to raid the Juco and Grad transfer ranks hard. The long-term fix is has been said above...recruit better players, teach, coach, strengthen, and for pete’s sake work on getting everyone faster...our chief problem is we are too slow in just about every position. Fix this and we have a good season!
 
#49
#49
BeardedVol said:
So, the average human starts to see results from consistent strength training in 4-8 weeks, but we shouldn't expect results from Fitzgerald's NFL/college S&C program in our sophomores, juniors, and seniors after 11 months in the program, which for the first time in their collegiate careers at UT, included in-season strength training?

The team looked weak in the spring, they looked weak at the beginning of the season, and they looked weak at the end of the season.
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You don’t stop making progress after 8 weeks though. If our guys were 2 years behind there’s only so much you can make up in 11 months
 
#50
#50
BigOrangeTrain said:
No it most certainly is not disingenuous. Is it all Butchs fault? No. But how do you explain us going from an extremely physical team to one of the weakest in 2 short years? Now, answer me this, would a consistent S&C program helped at all in the past 2 years?

So lets say we blame Fitz. Ok if we will take that stance then we have to blame Pruitt right? It would be like Shoop. Shoop had success everywhere but TN. So Fitz is very well respected with a great resume. PSU guys applauded him. So he has had success at almost every other spot but TN. Ok then, Pruitt, a Saban disciple, just doesnt know what a true S&C program should be then? Even though he witnessed what a world class S&C program was for years.

Again, if Fitz just isnt doing a good job, then whats the solution?
Click to expand...
Do you know how to have a conversation without all this straw man nonsense?
 
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