goodolerockytop2
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dumped the ball off on 3rd an 15.......courage yes, hurt his team hell yeah.......
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge had to fight through pain to start the season opener against Cal. Then, he had to fight again just to stay in the game.
The senior was nearly pulled from last Saturdays 45-31 loss to Cal after taking a hard hit on the sideline in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said on Tuesday.
My intention was to take him out, Cutcliffe said, then he waved us off.
In retrospect, Cutcliffe said he should have taken Ainge out for sophomore Jonathan Crompton.
When Ainge rolled out near the sideline, he took a staggering hit.
Cutcliffe said it was a dumb hit because Ainge should have thrown the ball away. Ainge banged up his shoulder and his broken right pinky finger on his throwing hand. It was the same finger that caused a stir leading up to preparations for the game.
On the next play, Cutcliffe called a downfield pass. Instead of following the directive, Ainge dumped the ball off into the flat. Cutcliffe knew right away that Ainge was hurting. On the next play, UT was forced to punt.
Ainge said tests revealed no further damage to the pinkie. Ainge participated, albeit cautiously, in Tuesdays practice.
Cutcliffe certainly didnt begrudge Ainge for wanting to stay in the game.
The right kind arent going to back off, Cutcliffe said. Theyre going to try to go out there with one arm cut off.
Ainge said he would have remained on the bench had UTs offense been immediately called to the field. Instead, Ainge had the five or 10 minutes he needed to allow the pain to pass.
Ainge said the key to avoiding pain in his pinkie is to be fundamentally sound.
If my feet are set and Im throwing the ball, then I couldnt even tell that anything is wrong with me, he said.
However, that piece of advice wont help Ainge on the run when he cant set his feet to throw.
Ainge said he readjusted his hands to accept snaps from the center, in order to have the ball make contact with the region of his palm closest to the ring and middle finger, not the pinkie.
Ainge said he was a bit overly conscious of the injury early in the game, which caused him to throw off balance.
Ainge chose not to comment when asked if he was receiving any pain injections to numb the finger. He also said he needed some practice this week for Saturdays game against Southern Miss, but didnt specify how much.
I need to practice, Ainge said. I could just go play, but thats not ideal.
Cutcliffe said Ainges injury has certainly affected his play calling.
I had to think a little bit more, Cutcliffe said. I had about ten notes in front of me that I kept to remember.
Encouraged by his fingers progress, Ainge said, It doesnt feel any worse.
Said Cutcliffe, He looks much better than he did when he just freshly did it last week (on Monday).
Cut Cuts: Cutcliffe said the most disappointing aspect of the Cal game was how the Vols finished the game.
If we do something special, we might win the game, he said. We didnt do anything special.
Cutcliffe also said UT planned to control the ball, keeping it away from Cals explosive offense. That might have worked, had UT been able to convert on key third downs.
It blew up in our face, Cutcliffe said. Had we played well offensively, we could have scored a lot of points.
UT scored 31, but Cutcliffe said the total could have been much higher.
I dont think theyll be one of the best defenses we play and thats no disrespect to Cal, he said.
Too Fast: Ryan Karl had a theory as to why the Vols missed several tackles on Saturday against Cal.
We were just flying around too fast, out of control and missing tackles, the senior linebacker said. Its not just a physical game. You cant just be fast and not have the mental part to it. You have to know when to breakdown and when you can make that big hit.
The concept of being too fast didnt seem like that should be a problem for UTs defense, which is predicated on speed.
You want to be a fast defense, Karl said. You can still fly around but at the point of contact, you have to be under control. I just think a lot of times, we werent under control.
Asking Ainge: Ainge said he expected UTs defensive tackling to improve greatly this week. Part of the missed tackles, Ainge said, had to do with Cal as much as UT.
We have a lot of good players on our team but we have different kinds of players, he said. We dont have a guy like (Cal receiver) DeSean Jackson, whos hopping left and right and left and right and making guys miss.
Injury Report: Senior Xavier Mitchell only ran on the sidelines as he overcomes a concussion suffered against Cal. Mitchell was not wearing shoulder pads and is being evaluated daily to determine if he can play Saturday.
Freshman defensive end Ben Martin ran alongside Mitchell as he rehabilitates a bone bruise in his left knee he suffered in UTs final preseason scrimmage on Aug. 18. Martin was only expected to miss two to four weeks meaning he could return later this month.
Junior punter Britton Colquitt did not practice. Colquitt and Fulmer spent the afternoon working with backup freshman punter Chad Cunningham.
Hills Climb: Ryan Hill, a lifelong UT fan from Kingston High School, recalled what went through his mind as he was inserted into the Cal game.
I cant believe its finally here, Hill said.
Hill, a walk-on junior, played three plays in UTs goal line package.
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge had to fight through pain to start the season opener against Cal. Then, he had to fight again just to stay in the game.
The senior was nearly pulled from last Saturdays 45-31 loss to Cal after taking a hard hit on the sideline in the fourth quarter, offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said on Tuesday.
My intention was to take him out, Cutcliffe said, then he waved us off.
In retrospect, Cutcliffe said he should have taken Ainge out for sophomore Jonathan Crompton.
When Ainge rolled out near the sideline, he took a staggering hit.
Cutcliffe said it was a dumb hit because Ainge should have thrown the ball away. Ainge banged up his shoulder and his broken right pinky finger on his throwing hand. It was the same finger that caused a stir leading up to preparations for the game.
On the next play, Cutcliffe called a downfield pass. Instead of following the directive, Ainge dumped the ball off into the flat. Cutcliffe knew right away that Ainge was hurting. On the next play, UT was forced to punt.
Ainge said tests revealed no further damage to the pinkie. Ainge participated, albeit cautiously, in Tuesdays practice.
Cutcliffe certainly didnt begrudge Ainge for wanting to stay in the game.
The right kind arent going to back off, Cutcliffe said. Theyre going to try to go out there with one arm cut off.
Ainge said he would have remained on the bench had UTs offense been immediately called to the field. Instead, Ainge had the five or 10 minutes he needed to allow the pain to pass.
Ainge said the key to avoiding pain in his pinkie is to be fundamentally sound.
If my feet are set and Im throwing the ball, then I couldnt even tell that anything is wrong with me, he said.
However, that piece of advice wont help Ainge on the run when he cant set his feet to throw.
Ainge said he readjusted his hands to accept snaps from the center, in order to have the ball make contact with the region of his palm closest to the ring and middle finger, not the pinkie.
Ainge said he was a bit overly conscious of the injury early in the game, which caused him to throw off balance.
Ainge chose not to comment when asked if he was receiving any pain injections to numb the finger. He also said he needed some practice this week for Saturdays game against Southern Miss, but didnt specify how much.
I need to practice, Ainge said. I could just go play, but thats not ideal.
Cutcliffe said Ainges injury has certainly affected his play calling.
I had to think a little bit more, Cutcliffe said. I had about ten notes in front of me that I kept to remember.
Encouraged by his fingers progress, Ainge said, It doesnt feel any worse.
Said Cutcliffe, He looks much better than he did when he just freshly did it last week (on Monday).
Cut Cuts: Cutcliffe said the most disappointing aspect of the Cal game was how the Vols finished the game.
If we do something special, we might win the game, he said. We didnt do anything special.
Cutcliffe also said UT planned to control the ball, keeping it away from Cals explosive offense. That might have worked, had UT been able to convert on key third downs.
It blew up in our face, Cutcliffe said. Had we played well offensively, we could have scored a lot of points.
UT scored 31, but Cutcliffe said the total could have been much higher.
I dont think theyll be one of the best defenses we play and thats no disrespect to Cal, he said.
Too Fast: Ryan Karl had a theory as to why the Vols missed several tackles on Saturday against Cal.
We were just flying around too fast, out of control and missing tackles, the senior linebacker said. Its not just a physical game. You cant just be fast and not have the mental part to it. You have to know when to breakdown and when you can make that big hit.
The concept of being too fast didnt seem like that should be a problem for UTs defense, which is predicated on speed.
You want to be a fast defense, Karl said. You can still fly around but at the point of contact, you have to be under control. I just think a lot of times, we werent under control.
Asking Ainge: Ainge said he expected UTs defensive tackling to improve greatly this week. Part of the missed tackles, Ainge said, had to do with Cal as much as UT.
We have a lot of good players on our team but we have different kinds of players, he said. We dont have a guy like (Cal receiver) DeSean Jackson, whos hopping left and right and left and right and making guys miss.
Injury Report: Senior Xavier Mitchell only ran on the sidelines as he overcomes a concussion suffered against Cal. Mitchell was not wearing shoulder pads and is being evaluated daily to determine if he can play Saturday.
Freshman defensive end Ben Martin ran alongside Mitchell as he rehabilitates a bone bruise in his left knee he suffered in UTs final preseason scrimmage on Aug. 18. Martin was only expected to miss two to four weeks meaning he could return later this month.
Junior punter Britton Colquitt did not practice. Colquitt and Fulmer spent the afternoon working with backup freshman punter Chad Cunningham.
Hills Climb: Ryan Hill, a lifelong UT fan from Kingston High School, recalled what went through his mind as he was inserted into the Cal game.
I cant believe its finally here, Hill said.
Hill, a walk-on junior, played three plays in UTs goal line package.
hmy:
