OL Improvement

#26
#26
sjt18 said:
Dooley signed 10 OL's in 3 years. Jones signed 17 in 5 years. 3.3 per year vs 3.4 per year.

Dooley's ship had already sunk by that 3rd year with it being openly rumored that he wanted to negotiate a way out. He wasn't nearly as "energetic" as Jones in recruiting... but there's more to him failing to sign OL's in that last class than just not wanting/trying to.

Dooley is/was a guy who knew the game. He's a guy who under the right starting conditions might have been able to sustain someone else's work. He was never a guy who could build a program at the SEC level. He didn't have the leadership or the understanding to do it. I personally view him with more pity than contempt.

Jones on the other hand doesn't know the game and resorted to used car salesman tactics to get players... which cost both the player and the program later. I think he's a fraud. I think he destroyed the careers of several good prospects who trusted him. I think he's very much worthy of contempt.
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Jones was a bully with the media and his players, and a true liar. “Best staff in America.” “This system is infallible.” He took attrition to a new level.
 
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#28
#28
ThreatLevelOrange said:
Imagine how bad we would have been without Dobbs? Jones won 1 SEC game in 5 years by someone other than him at QB.
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I can imagine that Butch would’ve been three and out like Dooley and we would’ve ended up getting another jackleg coach..

In hindsight...it worked out perfect. I’m convinced we now have the coach and administrators to get us back to the top..
 
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#30
#30
L
savannahfan said:
I agree "b by b" makes me sick also. I think of the "butch" commercial with him laying bricks in a mailbox base. He couldn't do that any better than he built football programs.
How bout "man by man"??
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Like it. Maybe I need to be well into the 2nd cup of coffee before posting.
 
#33
#33
I was DONE with Botch in 2015 when mid week of the Florida game he said 60% or some such of his team traveling to FL had never flown on a plane before and then he laid a big stinking egg in the swamp 3 days later.

Botch was a master at making excuses for failure before failure occurred.
 
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#34
#34
Zues1 said:
Right on Threatlevel. I been preaching this for years. The lack of a quality SEC OL has been the main culprit of UT's decline. You can thank Dooley and Jones for that.
Once you start stacking the hogs 2-3 deep you got it rolling.
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True on both sides of the ball. Line play is key.
 
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#35
#35
Tnphil said:
I was DONE with Botch in 2015 when mid week of the Florida game he said 60% or some such of his team traveling to FL had never flown on a plane before and then he laid a big stinking egg in the swamp 3 days later.

Botch was a master at making excuses for failure before failure occurred.
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His coaching actually cost us in each of the 4 games he lost to Florida. And he had a different excuse each time. Don’t forget the chart!
 
#36
#36
BigOrangeVols said:
There is some star power on the line this year. I hope they mesh well though, they haven't played together all that much.
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Well they are only really adding Mays if he is eligible. Kennedy, Trey, Wanya, & Darnell were together last year. The improvement we are expecting isnt just from adding Mays its the development of Morris/Wright and the fact that u could have. Carvin, Johnson, & Calbert all as reserves with games started under their belts.
 
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#37
#37
We should be better simply based on being a year older and stronger (and the addition of Mays) BUT we aren’t getting to practice or workout so the level of improvement is going to be hindered. With a normal offseason I think the line would have seen a massive jump but now I’m not so sure.
 
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#38
#38
ThreatLevelOrange said:
The drop off in this program post 2007 coincides with our massive inability to field a strong offensive line.

Kiffin/Cregg had a few good players on that line, but we had 2 undersized walkons starting. Aaron Douglass was going to be the guy, then transferred.

Dooley salvaged a really good 2010 class and had to start 3 true freshman OL. We did develop them under two good coaches. But there was nothing in reserve.

Jones had no idea how to recruit nor develop SEC caliber linemen. In his 1st 4 recruiting classes, these are the only OL to complete their eligibility at UT: Kendrick, Robertson, and Thomas. Everyone else transferred, was an injury hardship, or was dismissed. His final class yielded Trey Smith, Calvert, and Locklear. We will see if those last 2 finish their eligibility on the hill.

This is the situation Pruitt walked into. OL strength makes it all go. Majors and Fulmer had it rolling with an all SEC candidate every season. Almost every starter got a look by the NFL. But we’ve been so weak in this area, particularly under Jones. In his last year vs Kentucky, he trotted Kendrick out there with a concussion, because he had no one else to play. That’s a disgrace.

Chaney and Friend aren’t recruiting injury risks or oversized TE for the job. They are recruiting grown men, and stacking enough depth to allow some of them up to 2 full years to develop before they see the field. We aren’t going to run as a result of trickeration or a scrambling QB. It will be by moving the line of scrimmage, setting up a vertical passing game. I can’t wait to see it happen.
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The definition of "Tennessee Football". Win in the trenches. We beat Bama, 9 times, in 10 years, by kicking their asses, in the trenches!!! Oh, and then running a 230 lb truck throw the hole. :p
 
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#39
#39
ThreatLevelOrange said:
The drop off in this program post 2007 coincides with our massive inability to field a strong offensive line.

Kiffin/Cregg had a few good players on that line, but we had 2 undersized walkons starting. Aaron Douglass was going to be the guy, then transferred.

Dooley salvaged a really good 2010 class and had to start 3 true freshman OL. We did develop them under two good coaches. But there was nothing in reserve.

Jones had no idea how to recruit nor develop SEC caliber linemen. In his 1st 4 recruiting classes, these are the only OL to complete their eligibility at UT: Kendrick, Robertson, and Thomas. Everyone else transferred, was an injury hardship, or was dismissed. His final class yielded Trey Smith, Calvert, and Locklear. We will see if those last 2 finish their eligibility on the hill.

This is the situation Pruitt walked into. OL strength makes it all go. Majors and Fulmer had it rolling with an all SEC candidate every season. Almost every starter got a look by the NFL. But we’ve been so weak in this area, particularly under Jones. In his last year vs Kentucky, he trotted Kendrick out there with a concussion, because he had no one else to play. That’s a disgrace.

Chaney and Friend aren’t recruiting injury risks or oversized TE for the job. They are recruiting grown men, and stacking enough depth to allow some of them up to 2 full years to develop before they see the field. We aren’t going to run as a result of trickeration or a scrambling QB. It will be by moving the line of scrimmage, setting up a vertical passing game. I can’t wait to see it happen.
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I think it's been the biggest problem we've had since 07 as well. Bad OL and DL play has been a huge reason for our last 10 years of misery!
 
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#40
#40
I want us to be far enough ahead and dominating Bama so bad that Trey gets to take a 15 yarder for splashing the Bama defense.
 
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