Power 5 Opponents 2 Deep Returnees 2015

#51
#51
I think we can win a lot of games if the line situation is fixed. I actually think it will be a decent line next year, if it exceeds my expectations we will be in it for the east title.
 
#52
#52
Tennessee should win 8 next year IMO with potential for 9 or even 10 if we get all the breaks.

The only thing that will excuse less than 7 wins would be if Dobbs has a major injury early in the season. Otherwise 7 or less would be disappointing.
 
#53
#53
Declaring early for the draft...my predictions:

Ark 2-3 players
UGA 3-4
Bama- 4-5
UK- 1-3
Mizzou- 1-3
OK 3-5
FL 2-4

TN 0-2 (Von, Maggitt, Pig and Randolph) are the only ones I see even thinking about it.
 
#55
#55
sjt18 said:
I personally doubt Kerbyson plays LT again. I'm not saying I know who will... only that I have more faith in Jones than to believe that he'll go that route. IMO, the OL will be:

RT- Kerbyson
RG- Robertson
C- Crowder
LG- Jackson
LT- ?

I personally believe those 4 positions are manned by SEC caliber players who now have a year of starting experience or more. They will have had 3 full off-seasons of development in Jones' S&C program. The questions is if the staff after 3 years and recruiting classes will have come up with a solution at LT.

The other question which most don't want to consider is if the staff is capable of getting the most out of OL talent. They didn't last year and it was excused in various ways... to include throwing the players under the bus as being "overrated". This year was excused by youth et al. This is very much an open question whether some want to face it or not. Is the OL recruiting, development, and coaching good enough to win in the SEC?
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I thought the O-line actually got worse in many respects as the year rolled along (self-fulfilling prophecy?). Mizzu was the wake-up call many of us needed here on VN. Some of us said at the time that CBJ shouldn't have let Pittman go (he was the one assistant that should have been kept). Time has proved our point and he should have been retained. Many of last year's OL are starting in the NFL - apparently no talent problem there. This year....well...you saw it too. If there is no noticeable difference in the O-line for the Iowa game, Butch needs to go shopping.
 
#56
#56
sjt18 said:
Allowed more sacks than the year before. Ranked 9th in the SEC in rushing yards. Ranked 7th in yds per attempt. Sorry but avg or slightly below avg with 5 NFL caliber talents including 3 who would start as rookies...
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It isnt really fair to look at sacks from the year before. We went from Bray and having 2 1st round draft pick WRs and a TE who is also starting in the NFL to having Worley and basically 1 WR. Bray never had to take sacks because someone was always open, Worley never had that luxury. Not to mention the line was learning brand new, more complex blocking schemes. You could argue that learning those schemes their senior year led to them being more prepared for the NFL.
 
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#58
#58
K-town Vol Fan said:
It isnt really fair to look at sacks from the year before. We went from Bray and having 2 1st round draft pick WRs and a TE who is also starting in the NFL to having Worley and basically 1 WR. Bray never had to take sacks because someone was always open, Worley never had that luxury. Not to mention the line was learning brand new, more complex blocking schemes. You could argue that learning those schemes their senior year led to them being more prepared for the NFL.
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Not if you're rational. Who said they were more complex? Chaney coached OL in the NFL. I seem to remember one of their other OL coaches having had NFL experience. Besides that... if it so complex that guys who would the next year learn an NFL scheme quickly enough to become rookie starters couldn't learn and perform it then it is probably too complex to be effective.

There's really not much use in us continuing. You'll rationalize everything to avoid any suggestion that the staff should be accountable or has been at fault for anything.... and I simply won't close my eyes and mind like that.
 
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#59
#59
sjt18 said:
Not if you're rational. Who said they were more complex? Chaney coached OL in the NFL. I seem to remember one of their other OL coaches having had NFL experience. Besides that... if it so complex that guys who would the next year learn an NFL scheme quickly enough to become rookie starters couldn't learn and perform it then it is probably too complex to be effective.

There's really not much use in us continuing. You'll rationalize everything to avoid any suggestion that the staff should be accountable or has been at fault for anything.... and I simply won't close my eyes and mind like that.
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The schemes are more complex. Its a fact. The offense uses gap scheme blocking which the OL saw for the first time last year.

Im not going to bash the coaches and doubt them because the OL is bad. We ALL knew our OL was going to be a huge problem this year. The coaches aren't miracle workers. We are playing guards at tackle and one only has 1 ACL. Its ridiculous to blame the coaches.
 
#60
#60
K-town Vol Fan said:
The schemes are more complex. Its a fact. The offense uses gap scheme blocking which the OL saw for the first time last year.

Im not going to bash the coaches and doubt them because the OL is bad. We ALL knew our OL was going to be a huge problem this year. The coaches aren't miracle workers. We are playing guards at tackle and one only has 1 ACL. Its ridiculous to blame the coaches.
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Did you notice any improvement throughout the year? I didn't, and that screams coaching. But hey, keep on doing what Dooley did; blame the players.
 
#61
#61
Vol_is_Lyfe18 said:
Did you notice any improvement throughout the year? I didn't, and that screams coaching. But hey, keep on doing what Dooley did; blame the players.
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Yes, I did. Until Crowder went down. I seem to remember Dobbs being sacked only a few times in 2 or 3 games. But no one was talking about how the coaches made them better then, not surprisingly.
 
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#63
#63
K-town Vol Fan said:
The schemes are more complex. Its a fact. The offense uses gap scheme blocking which the OL saw for the first time last year.
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You saying so is fine.... for you. I need something more than your say so. You may be right. But you are also trying to excuse coaches of responsibility for poor performance. I suspect you are biased.

Im not going to bash the coaches and doubt them because the OL is bad. We ALL knew our OL was going to be a huge problem this year. The coaches aren't miracle workers. We are playing guards at tackle and one only has 1 ACL. Its ridiculous to blame the coaches.
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Whose responsibility is it to make the best unit they can out of the available parts?

There was every reason for UT's OL to be middling in the SEC this year... maybe a tad below. There was NO reason from a personnel standpoint for it to be as bad as it was when they had two years to prepare.

The coaches CHOSE who to play and where they would play. DO you really not understand that or do you think the players took a vote? It doesn't take a "miracle worker" to recognize that poor ol' Kyler isn't a LT. IIRC, A Douglas as a former HS TE and RS Fr weighing maybe 280 became a Fr AA for UT. He didn't match up in strength but Kiffin and Chaney understood that quickness and execution could make up for a lot of that. IOW's, you don't have to weight 300+ to be a successful SEC LT. Could they have switched Downs? He weighed about as much as AD and was a very good blocker.

I'm not saying I have the specific answer... I AM saying that there probably was a better answer than playing KK at LT.

Bash? Doubt? Your capacity for blind faith is impressive... but counterproductive. Mahoney has not EARNED faith. And pointing out the shortcomings in performance of the group HE is responsible for isn't "bashing".
 
#64
#64
Take one off of our total. I had a dream last night that Ethan Wolf "transferred" to the Oakland Raiders. The worst part about it is that it took a little while after waking up this morning to convince myself that that wasn't possible. I was actually upset about it for a minute or two LOL
 
#65
#65
sjt18 said:
UT if you include AJ will still return 39 of its 44 players in the offensive and defensive two deeps. AJ, Coleman, and J Williams were lost on D. All were contributors but only AJ looks to be replaced by someone with less talent/ability. Gilliam and Lane will be lost on O. They should be replaced by better players.

So how does that stack up against the opposition? The following does not include players like Fowler who may leave early or transfer. Only Sr's are subtracted from the current depth charts. Here are the numbers of returning players according to their latest published depth charts:

OU- 33 (they also lose 4 of 5 starting OL's)
UF- 32 (Fowler is likely to leave too)
Arkansas- 32 (corrected per omghulkhands)
UGA- 30
Bama- 29
UK- 30
USCe- 33
Mizzou- 33 (almost sure to lose Ray as well, includes 4 of the top 6 WR's)
Vandy- 38

If experience and starts are truly the factors that so many claimed to explain UT's struggles this year... then that situation reverses next year. UT returns more of their top players than any of their opponents.

What kind of impact do you this will/should have on '15?
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There is now way who ever replaces AJ will have less talent.
 
#66
#66
BACKDOC said:
There is now way who ever replaces AJ will have less talent.
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Not true at all.

His perceived problem was speed. But the real problem was the one they mostly resolved this year. He tried to play more than his responsibility. He chased plays rather than filling lanes to give others a play to make.

AJ has sufficient speed and very good strength. He gets off blocks well. He has great instincts and tackles well.

One player won't replace him unless they decide to slide Maggitt inside.... and he's been doing it since he was a true Fr.

AJ made a stupid... tragic mistake with that girl regardless of the legal outcome. But he didn't stop being a great LB.
 
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#68
#68
LittleCat said:
UK pretty much keeps everyone important on offense, losing one OL and the TE's (who didn't do much anyway overall). We do lose a lot of defensive guys. Lowery, Dupree, Z. Smith, etc. v

Crazy that UT keeps 39. And even more I don't see a single position other than that mlb spot where a player wouldn't be an improvement. UT is scary.
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I'd agree with you if we had an improving OL (it's not) But even if all other areas are improved and the OL still sucks we are not going to be so scary.
 
#69
#69
Catbone said:
I'd agree with you if we had an improving OL (it's not) But even if all other areas are improved and the OL still sucks we are not going to be so scary.
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The OL will improve dramatically.

The EE freshmen will add some depth. They will be healthier because of that.

This year's freshmen will have another year in the weight room and learning the gap blocking scheme and assignments.

We will have a LT who has done nothing but improve physically, learn the playbook, and stay healthy since he got on campus. He'll be a physcially and mentally ready RS Junior.

They won't be All-World, but top half of the SEC next year is very reasonable.
 
#70
#70
Face said:
The OL will improve dramatically.

The EE freshmen will add some depth. They will be healthier because of that.

This year's freshmen will have another year in the weight room and learning the gap blocking scheme and assignments.

We will have a LT who has done nothing but improve physically, learn the playbook, and stay healthy since he got on campus. He'll be a physcially and mentally ready RS Junior.

They won't be All-World, but top half of the SEC next year is very reasonable.
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I hope you are right but the last trusted source I read on the subject said that they had moved Blair to RT.

An avg OL this year would have been worth at least two wins. Again, I hope we see that improvement but Mahoney hasn't done anything since arriving at UT to inspire confidence that he's the guy who can get it done.
 
#72
#72
chargervol said:
Not getting involved in where the finger should be pointed on the OL.
I will say that I was disappointed during the Mizzou game.
The guys had almost a full season under their belt and a good D still rips them apart.
I am well aware of the importance of injuries but I'm talking about those that were healthy, still making the same mistakes.
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You do realize we faced the two best defensive lineman in all of college football in that game right?

Don't get me wrong, we played like crap most of that game as we did against Florida and the first half of Bama, but you've got guys who are making what there 11th start ever, maybe playing significant snaps in there 15th game in college? I'm not digging you and your worries, but with two totally different styles at QB, the injuries forcing guys to play different positions and going against the SEC defensive player of the year and another solid DE opposite him with a team as a whole that was very set and knowledgable in their system and style with their D scheme... This young team didn't have much of a chance to look much better or really work on those mistakes, they were playing big boy football, not the BIG Ten or ACC where two or three games in a row AFTER gaining some experience they could work on things and develop.
 
#73
#73
ButchBallVFL said:
You do realize we faced the two best defensive lineman in all of college football in that game right?
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Nope. When you strip away their weak OOC schedule and just consider their results vs SEC opponents... Maggitt and Barnett were better. UT's OL play was just horrible. It was WORSE than the sum of the talent of their players. That's why it is totally ignorant not to consider coaching a big factor.

Don't get me wrong, we played like crap most of that game as we did against Florida and the first half of Bama, but you've got guys who are making what there 11th start ever, maybe playing significant snaps in there 15th game in college?
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AND? You'd have a point if they looked better in game 11 than they did in game 3... they didn't.

I'm not digging you and your worries, but with two totally different styles at QB, the injuries forcing guys to play different positions and going against the SEC defensive player of the year and another solid DE opposite him with a team as a whole that was very set and knowledgable in their system and style with their D scheme... This young team didn't have much of a chance to look much better or really work on those mistakes, they were playing big boy football, not the BIG Ten or ACC where two or three games in a row AFTER gaining some experience they could work on things and develop.
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If you are determined to rationalize away a coach's responsibility... then you'll find a way to do it.

The OL play was the worst I've seen from UT in at least 25 years... including Dooley's three teams... two of which were YOUNGER than this OL and no more experienced. They MUST improve and whether you like it or not... they coaches are responsible for getting it done.
 
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