Phil Steele seems bullish on Tennessee

[Freak]

Comments from a radio interview I listened to the other day.

I'm pretty bullish on Tennessee this year. I like the way they played for the most part last year. You go to that Auburn game where they went on the road and knocked off the No. 21 Tigers in that one. I thought that showed a great deal of confidence. And then coming up just short of a bowl game. They went into the final two games needing one win and didn't quite happen, but this year 16 returning starters coming back.

You go back to last year, they were only no. 87 on my experience chart. Generally when you get a first year head coach there's a learning curve. They have to learn the players strengths and weaknesses. Players have to learn new schemes, and I think Tennessee went through that learning curve last year with a rather inexperienced group.

Now, I'll say this, Jeremy Pruitt's recruiting classes are a big improvement over the recruiting classes they had been getting and now he's got two of them under his belt. Plus they move up to no. 15 on my experience chart. Guarantano is back at quarterback is a big plus. You look at running backs led by Ty Chandler.

At receiver, I like this group. I've got them 13th in the country. They're complete. They have three quality receivers and a dominant tight end as well. The offensive line looks solid.

The biggest question mark I have on the team is probably the defensive line but there is some talent there.

And then you factor in the schedule this year. I've got them favored against Georgia State, home against BYU, Chattanooga, home against Mississippi State, home against South Carolina, home against UAB. I think the Kentucky game looks like a tossup. So, I'm looking at 7 or 8 wins. I did put them at No. 7 on my most improved list this year. I'm expecting a pretty good jump in play from Tennessee. Something we haven't seen for a couple of years.

 

[jakez4ut]

sounds like he's been reading this board all off season lol. hard to argue, except that part where he said "solid OL". hope he's right there. to me, that's still an unanswered question. but i do think they improve....the talent infusion from wright and morris will help, and if Kennedy can stay healthy, that'll help. J Johnson should be a good player. and if Smith can play, well that's a game changer too.

a lot depends on how game ready the two freshmen really are. the closer they are to it, the better off we'll be....

 

[OrangeByBirth]

I think most of us expect significant improvement. I even look forward to a big win being something besides an upset.

GO BIG ORANGE!

 

[jakez4ut]

I think most of us expect significant improvement. I even look forward to a big win being something besides an upset.

GO BIG ORANGE!

hate to tell you, any big win we get this year, will be an upset...unless you believe in the FPI that is.

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

I wasn’t sure at first, but With Pruitts familiarity with the SEC West, I do expect ms st to be a win. The man got us our first sec west win since 2007 at Auburn last year. Now if we can just beat those eastern teams.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

sounds like he's been reading this board all off season lol. hard to argue, except that part where he said "solid OL". hope he's right there. to me, that's still an unanswered question. but i do think they improve....the talent infusion from wright and morris will help, and if Kennedy can stay healthy, that'll help. J Johnson should be a good player. and if Smith can play, well that's a game changer too.

a lot depends on how game ready the two freshmen really are. the closer they are to it, the better off we'll be....

Maybe he knows something that you don't?

 

[XknoxvolsX]

Boy, I sure do like the color of the tint on his glasses. I'm all in!

 

[jakez4ut]

Maybe he knows something that you don't?

psht. doubtful.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

hate to tell you, any big win we get this year, will be an upset...unless you believe in the FPI that is.

I do expect about a lot of close games with most being wins (BYU, MissSt, SCAR, UK, and perhaps UAB even). For some reason, I feel when Vandy comes to town we will be rolling and we go ballistic on them.

We will play Florida, Georgia and Mizzou a lot closer than most expect and may very well pull off an upset there as well. FL and Mizzou better look out!

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Boy, I sure do like the color of the tint on his glasses. I'm all in!

The tint of his glasses is green in order to sell more magazines......

 

[jakez4ut]

I do expect about a lot of close games with most being wins (BYU, MissSt, SCAR, UK, and perhaps UAB even). For some reason, I feel when Vandy comes to town we will be rolling and we go ballistic on them.

We will play Florida, Georgia and Mizzou a lot closer than most expect and may very well pull off an upset there as well. FL and Mizzou better look out!

hope so. i think after GA and Bama, and FL just on the fringe of that group imo, you've got a group of teams after that that will really define the season...USCe, MSU, KY, MO, Vandy, BYU...and then the other 3 ooc games that should be wins.

3-3 to start the season. need to go 4-2 or better against the other 6, or steal one out of the FL, GA, Bama group.

any/all possible i guess. every season has it's ups/downs. just want to see more ups than downs this year.

 

[Skullbone]

 

[RollerVol]

he's been talking us up for several weeks...he definitely thinks we'll do better than other "experts"...sure hope he's right...

GO BIG ORANGE!

 

[AF_VOL]

I've followed Phil Steele for a long time now and he tends to lean more favorably towards UT than most.

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

I've followed Phil Steele for a long time now and he tends to lean more favorably towards UT than most.

I think Marcus Spears is usually a little more optimistic than most about us too, esp in relation to finebaum and Tebow

 

[Jack Burton]

Steele may be putting too much stock in his returning experience factor. It doesn’t really account for talent level. If we’re returning average SEC players I’m not sure how significant the overall impact can really be.

 

[HooahVol]

I like Steele. He used to be dang near a prophet of Biblical proportions but as he got more popular and started doing the rounds on radio and TV I think he started making too many unfounded predictions and hurt his credibility some.

That being said Steele does know the SEC and now that he is with ESPN has access to all the inside info coming out of training camps. If he says 8 wins I would bank on it more than almost anyone else in the country.

 

[livefaith]

Steele may be putting too much stock in his returning experience factor. It doesn’t really account for talent level. If we’re returning average SEC players I’m not sure how significant the overall impact can really be.

I'd take average on the OL all day long!

 

[jakez4ut]

Steele may be putting too much stock in his returning experience factor. It doesn’t really account for talent level. If we’re returning average SEC players I’m not sure how significant the overall impact can really be.

yeah. that's where the math and eyeball test part ways imo.

that said.....experience does matter, and that it's year 2 of the staff and s&c, that factors in as well. as a predictor, im sure it's probably fairly reliable.

pluse, he's not talking about going from 5 to 10 wins.... 5 to 7 or 8 seems reasonable; accounting for the overall talent level + some developmental improvement.

 

[Sarms58]

I’m glad the OL has improved...

 

[05_never_again]

Steele may be putting too much stock in his returning experience factor. It doesn’t really account for talent level. If we’re returning average SEC players I’m not sure how significant the overall impact can really be.

I'd argue that having players return is a bigger deal precisely for the teams that don't have great talent. Having a really experienced team seems to help the programs that don't recruit well on a consistent basis, like Kentucky last year. They don't pull tons of elite recruits every year, so they don't have a high number of talented freshmen, but if they have lots of 3 or 4 year starters on a team in any given year, it can be an indicator they'll outperform.

He does discount this factor if the team in question recruits really well. For example Alabama is almost always is really low on his "experience chart" but cautions against reading too much into that because they recruit so well.

I like Steele. He used to be dang near a prophet of Biblical proportions but as he got more popular and started doing the rounds on radio and TV I think he started making too many unfounded predictions and hurt his credibility some.

That being said Steele does know the SEC and now that he is with ESPN has access to all the inside info coming out of training camps. If he says 8 wins I would bank on it more than almost anyone else in the country.

Agree with this. He stretches his lists out way too far (e.g., his 10 most improved teams or his 10 teams outside the top 25 who can make the playoff). His #1 or #2 teams in those lists might be a good pick, but he's way off on most of the others. His magazine is great because of all the information he has in one place, not because of the predictions (but he does tout his prediction accuracy often). I think it is worth noting that Tennessee was not on his "most improved" list last year, and it would have been really easy to slap us on there purely because of the 4-8 (0-8) the previous season.

 

[KBVol]

Comments from a radio interview I listened to the other day.

I'm pretty bullish on Tennessee this year. I like the way they played for the most part last year. You go to that Auburn game where they went on the road and knocked off the No. 21 Tigers in that one. I thought that showed a great deal of confidence. And then coming up just short of a bowl game. They went into the final two games needing one win and didn't quite happen, but this year 16 returning starters coming back.

You go back to last year, they were only no. 87 on my experience chart. Generally when you get a first year head coach there's a learning curve. They have to learn the players strengths and weaknesses. Players have to learn new schemes, and I think Tennessee went through that learning curve last year with a rather inexperienced group.

Now, I'll say this, Jeremy Pruitt's recruiting classes are a big improvement over the recruiting classes they had been getting and now he's got two of them under his belt. Plus they move up to no. 15 on my experience chart. Guarantano is back at quarterback is a big plus. You look at running backs led by Ty Chandler.

At receiver, I like this group. I've got them 13th in the country. They're complete. They have three quality receivers and a dominant tight end as well. The offensive line looks solid.

The biggest question mark I have on the team is probably the defensive line but there is some talent there.

And then you factor in the schedule this year. I've got them favored against Georgia State, home against BYU, Chattanooga, home against Mississippi State, home against South Carolina, home against UAB. I think the Kentucky game looks like a tossup. So, I'm looking at 7 or 8 wins. I did put them at No. 7 on my most improved list this year. I'm expecting a pretty good jump in play from Tennessee. Something we haven't seen for a couple of years.

I think I or most fans could argue the opposite of most every point he made and make a more compelling argument for why there are questions and concerns at those positions. (For example, DWA is a “dominant TE”? Do what? I think he has the physical tools and potential to maybe get there, but nothing he did last year, in both blocking and catching the football says he’s a dominant tight end).

That said, for the sake of getting excited for the season and praying to God that Tennessee is turning a significant corner in year 2 of the Pruitt regime, I think I’m just gonna take Steele’s comments/platitudes at face value and hope that he’s spot on here.

 

[KBVol]

Steele may be putting too much stock in his returning experience factor. It doesn’t really account for talent level. If we’re returning average SEC players I’m not sure how significant the overall impact can really be.

100% agree. Tried to make this exact point to Swain on his show a few weeks back and acted like this thought is 100% wrong and void of reason. I understand there is some inherent value in players with experience and more time in the program. But if the overwhelming majority of the players you return don’t have the physical abilities to play at s high SEC level, how does that help to any appreciable level going forward? I contend that that lack of physical talent negates, to a very large extent, the value that the experience would normally yield.

 

[barrylee]

I think I or most fans could argue the opposite of most every point he made and make a more compelling argument for why there are questions and concerns at those positions. (For example, DWA is a “dominant TE”? Do what? I think he has the physical tools and potential to maybe get there, but nothing he did last year, in both blocking and catching the football says he’s a dominant tight end).

That said, for the sake of getting excited for the season and praying to God that Tennessee is turning a significant corner in year 2 of the Pruitt regime, I think I’m just gonna take Steele’s comments/platitudes at face value and hope that he’s spot on here.

Thanks for not disappointing!!

 

[Vfl2407]

100% agree. Tried to make this exact point to Swain on his show a few weeks back and acted like this thought is 100% wrong and void of reason. I understand there is some inherent value in players with experience and more time in the program. But if the overwhelming majority of the players you return don’t have the physical abilities to play at s high SEC level, how does that help to any appreciable level going forward? I contend that that lack of physical talent negates, to a very large extent, the value that the experience would normally yield.

Reminds me of the old line:
The good news is that we have almost everybody coming back, the bad news is that none of them are any good.