Ranking Vol QB's - Andy Kelly to present day

[njvols]

1. Peyton
2. Dobbs
3. Casey Clausen
4. Shuler
5. Kelly
6. Ainge
7. Tee
8. Bray
9. Crompton
10. Worley

Now why did I rate Dobbs right under Manning? Because of what he did and what he had to work with. No QB on this list had to operate behind an OL that was even close to as bad as what Dobbs had. He basically carried the entire team to wins. Add into that sirry WR play and Butch Jones and its a wonder he was as good as he was. I honestly think Dobbs is the most under appreciated QB we have had in the last 25 years.

Dobbs had too much of tendency to disappear at times. SC on the road in Columbia is one example. Clawson lost ONE time (Aub) on the road his entire career. Some of those, he put us on his back. Dobbs did too, but not enough regularity to elevate him over Clawson, Shuler or Tee. Dobbs did have less supporting cast, but wasn't devoid of talent...just devoid of good coaches.

 

[MyBloodRunnethOrange]

Tee won the whole darn thing!!! Only reason he is not #1 is his skin color

Smdh!

 

[jarnol32]

Tee won the whole darn thing!!! Only reason he is not #1 is his skin color

Or it could be the fact that he threw for 168 yards per game that year. Face it he was a Trent dilfer with wheels, but that’s what we needed with all the talent he had around him. If your playing the skin color game Dobbs was a much better qb...

 

[livefaith]

Time, nostalgia and Butch being a distant memory will make Dobbs shoot up the list someday.

I remember how far down these lists Clausen was right after he graduated.

Why is it that Casey Clausen seem to not improve after his Sophomore year? Was it him or the talent drop-off after 01'?

 

[a vol n tears]

Great post for discussion. It's all subjective to each one's criteria of what makes a great QB. I'm going to base mine on how long they play / played in the NFL. As such I have Bray much higher than most anyone else would. He could throw the long ball as good as any including Manning. Biggest winning QB is swayed by the amount or lack of talent on each team. Manning is easy as #1 regardless of criteria.

 

[thehill98]

This is a valid point. Casey certainly had better teams. He also threw for almost 10,000 yards and 75 TDS though...Dobbs is a great athlete, and a great guy. I dont think he could throw for that many yards and scores if he had peerless price and Joey Kent. Some games, Dobbs just couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, and the other teams knew it. So they stacked the defense and dared us to beat them over the top. We couldn't. Oklahoma wad a great example. Love the kid, great off the field. Casey didn't have games where he couldn't throw the ball. 14 and 1 as a starter on the road is much better than Peyton...he also beat the gators, more than once. Hard to put any of those guys above him, but I love em all...they are all VOLS, so they have my respect and thanks.

Well Casey did have that 02 Florida game where he couldn’t even get the snap. I’d call Dobbs slightly over Casey, but very close. They both had some great comebacks and both had some games that hurt.

 

[BowlBrother85]

1. Andy Kelly. he's not better than Peyton, but he's the guy that really set up the run we had in the 90's, from a QB standpoint. those teams he was the qb for were fun as hell to watch....and they won a lot. back to back SEC titles, miracle at SB, Cotton bowl, Sugar bowl....
2. Manning
3. Shuler
4. Clausen
5. Dobbs
6. Martin
7. Ainge
9. Bray
9. Crompton (could have been higher, really glad he had the year he had in 09)
10. Worley

I addressed this earlier but Andy Kelly was an interception machine. Consider that Casey Clausen threw 7 fewer career interceptions despite having over 400 more career pass attempts than Kelly... and Kelly never threw more than 15 TD passes in a single season which is hard to fathom when you play in an offense that was throwing the ball 30 times a game and also had 2 future NFL starters at WR - Pickens was a 2nd team All Pro twice ('95 and '96) and Harper was the deep threat for back to back Super Bowl champions ('92 and '93).

The best deep ball thrown to Carl Pickens in college was from a tight end (Von Reeves in the '90 Florida game). What does that say?

 

[Roustabout]

Had Shuler returned for his senior season this would all be moot. He was the best college level QB we’ve had. Ran like Dobbs but much better passer. As great as Cut was I’m not sure his offense maximized HS’s ability.

In today’s read option style offenses he would have exploded.

 

[GAVol]

Had Shuler returned for his senior season this would all be moot. He was the best college level QB we’ve had. Ran like Dobbs but much better passer. As great as Cut was I’m not sure his offense maximized HS’s ability.

In today’s read option style offenses he would have exploded.

Shuler probably was miscast to some degree in a dropback offense. He was basically Tim Tebow with a better arm.

 

[Rudy123]

Here's the thing...Tee Martin didn't win a NC...the Vols did. As a matter of sheer talent Tee wasn't close to the best player on that team or even in the discussion. Obviously it's speculative opinion in any such conversation but I don't think Tee does as much with the same team as Dobbs. That's not a knock on Tee of course but watching just Dobbs it looked like he did more for his team as far as making an individual difference.

I am just a casual observer BUT I think that the defense made the difference in 1998.
Yes, plays were made by the offense, like the fade pass against Syracuse, like the last 20 plays against Arkansas with Travis Henry. Also, special teams made plays. Peerless Price's return against Alabama & the Jeff Hall field goal against Syracuse.
However; the defense played killer against Auburn & Alabama, & Florida that year.

 

[Rudy123]

1. Peyton
2. Dobbs
3. Casey Clausen
4. Shuler
5. Kelly
6. Ainge
7. Tee
8. Bray
9. Crompton
10. Worley

Now why did I rate Dobbs right under Manning? Because of what he did and what he had to work with. No QB on this list had to operate behind an OL that was even close to as bad as what Dobbs had. He basically carried the entire team to wins. Add into that sirry WR play and Butch Jones and its a wonder he was as good as he was. I honestly think Dobbs is the most under appreciated QB we have had in the last 25 years.

Wide Receiver Play???? In 2007, our main receivers were Brad Cottom & A Foster.
Josh Briscoe, Bram Cannon, Quinton Hancock, Kenny O'Neal, Lucas Taylor, Casey Woods.
Denarius Moore was a freshman. Gerald Jones was a freshman and played sparingly until the Ky. game, when he made a super athletic play for a t.d. that was our last score of the game.
Also, Austin Rogers was a dependable receiver.

With all of these short coming at receiver, we still made it to the SEC Championship game.

 

[BigOrange15]

Tee won the whole darn thing!!! Only reason he is not #1 is his skin color

Please let the adults have a discussion. Thanks.

 

[Rudy123]

Had Shuler returned for his senior season this would all be moot. He was the best college level QB we’ve had. Ran like Dobbs but much better passer. As great as Cut was I’m not sure his offense maximized HS’s ability.

In today’s read option style offenses he would have exploded.

I believe that had Shuler returned for his senior year, we would have beaten Alabama.
Manning made a freshman mistake and forced the ball in the end zone to a receiver that wasn't open, Shuler would have found Little Man Stewart in the opposite side of the end zone, Touch Down, we beat Bama at home.
Would have beaten MSU & UCLA that year also.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Had Shuler returned for his senior season this would all be moot. He was the best college level QB we’ve had. Ran like Dobbs but much better passer. As great as Cut was I’m not sure his offense maximized HS’s ability.

In today’s read option style offenses he would have exploded.

I'm not sure what to make of this. I loved Shuler but come on... he wasn't as good at Tennessee as Manning.

 

[dcm3w]

Winning isn't everything or Tee would be number one which he doesn't deserve to be in the top 5 of best QBs. Not taking away what he did but from purely a QB standpoint, I wouldny say he is a great.

My list would be:

1. Manning
2. Clausen
3. Ainge
4. Dobbs
5. Shuler
6. Bray

Dobbs and Ainge can interchange because while Ainge was obviously the better pure passer, Dobbs was just as amazing on the ground which worse teams.

 

[utvolpj]

Todd Helton for quitting and telling fulmer he should focus on baseball.

Second pick, Brandon Stewart bc he beat k state to allow us to play in NC game.

UT was #1 ranked for the final month and in the title game regardless.

 

[dcm3w]

Another good topic would be whether Josh or Casey was more under appreciated while they were here.

Great question because it involves two sides of the spectrum. You have Clausen trying to follow the previous NC contention while Dobbs was trying to get us into contention.

I vote Clausen just because the expectations where higher and we had just won a NC. He was expected to deliver and he came up short. He did so much but he seems to be barely remembered even though he posted an impressive record and stats. He was the last quarterback that we were at a dominant level with

 

[Sin City Vol]

1. Manning (no doubt)
2. Martin (the guy won the only NC most of us have ever seen)
3. Dobbs (carried Jones and the team for 2 years)
4. C. Clausen (won quite a few big games for us)
5. Shuler (all the talent in the world)
6. Kelly (we were never out of the game with him)
7. Ainge (won 2 east titles)
8. Bray (would've liked to see him with a competent defense)
9. Crompton (drastic improvement under Kiffin)
10. Rick Clausen (I put him ahead of Worley based on the LSU comeback)

I have a hard time putting Tee that high. Was he good? Yes...he did win a Natty but the talent he had around him was unreal. I think talent wise he’s probably #5, importance wise he’s #2...can’t take away being the QB of a NC team

 

[Boca Vol]

UT was #1 ranked for the final month and in the title game regardless.

I thought there was a chance the computer polls could move UT to 3rd because UT was playing Miss St. and the whole SOS calculation back then. Had KSU beaten aTm and UCLA beaten Miami it would've been close.

 

[smokey0625]

UT was #1 ranked for the final month and in the title game regardless.

Not in bcs. If I remember correctly, FSU and k state started year ranked higher. The bcs took that into account where you started the season. Both schools were at a point if all 3 went undefeated we would have been left out, potentially.

All I know is I was pumped Texas am won bc it guaranteed us the national championship game.

Thank you Brandon Stewart to losing out you peyton then beating k state.

 

[BowlBrother85]

Not in bcs. If I remember correctly, FSU and k state started year ranked higher. The bcs took that into account where you started the season. Both schools were at a point if all 3 went undefeated we would have been left out, potentially.

All I know is I was pumped Texas am won bc it guaranteed us the national championship game.

Thank you Brandon Stewart to losing out you peyton then beating k state.

I remember that day pretty well. Miami had already upset UCLA 49-45 before the Big 12 Championship Game ended, so it didn't really matter who won. I do remember Kansas State fans holding up signs like "Bring on Tennessee" while they were up 27-12. K-State's QB Michael Bishop fumbled away that game similar to how Stoerner had done.

 

[utvolpj]

Not in bcs. If I remember correctly, FSU and k state started year ranked higher. The bcs took that into account where you started the season. Both schools were at a point if all 3 went undefeated we would have been left out, potentially.

All I know is I was pumped Texas am won bc it guaranteed us the national championship game.

Thank you Brandon Stewart to losing out you peyton then beating k state.

yes, UT took over the top spot in the BCS on Nov 11. K State was the most likely loser if all won out

NCAA Football Bowl Rankings: October 26

AP
1998 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

 

[photovol]

I am interested to see the opinions on this one. Please limit your rankings to guys who logged significant starts if you don't mind. Just list your top 10.

My personal ranking looks like this:
1. Peyton Manning
2. Heath Shuler
3. Tee Martin
4. Casey Clausen
5. Andy Kelly
6. Joshua Dobbs
7. Erik Ainge
8. Tyler Bray
9. Jonathan Crompton
10. Justin Worley

Kelly deserves to be ahead of TMartin

 

[peaygolf]

I'd have Kelly #3

 

[orbs son]

1. Manning
2. Dobbs
3. Clausen
4. Shuler
5. Martin
6. Ainge
7. Kelly
8. Bray
9. Crompton
10. R Clausen