Strengths and weaknesses

#26
#26
Did pretty well against Florida on the road given the personnel he had.

I agree. I think Monty had struggles when the spread option was based on speed. Tebow was Florida's spread and his spread is a power game.

When we faced the spread offense against teams with speed Monty struggled. Part of this was due to the roster and part of it due to his lack of experience with it in the NFL.
 
#27
#27
Did pretty well against Florida on the road given the personnel he had.

Did he do well against it.....or did Florida just do enough not to lose given they were not sure of his schemes yet....as the season went on.....not impressive at all against the spread....I give him props against Pro-Style but not the spread.

What is really funny.....all of the U.S.C. fans I work with out here said the same thing....he can't defend the spread....now he is their cross to bare.
 
#28
#28
I just don't see secondary as a strength this year. With the exception of Janzen and possibly Waggner I see very little experience and or talent. Even Janzen has a lot to prove with no Berry around IMO. We know he hits hard but can he be the total package we need him to be?

I was thinking the same thing after reading how many ppl put the secondary as a strength? Myles and Clark/Oliver/Gordon will have to play really well for the secondary to be a strength...

The DL will surprise some fans this year as long as we don't get plagued with injuries...
 
#29
#29
The DL will surprise some fans this year as long as we don't get plagued with injuries...

The odds of the DL going an entire season without injury are very slim. If either Walls or Hughes has to miss an extended period of time, we are in serious trouble.
 
#30
#30
The odds of the DL going an entire season without injury are very slim. If either Walls or Hughes has to miss an extended period of time, we are in serious trouble.

wasn't saying otherwise...just simply stating our starting DL is underrated...

Your point of certain players missing extended time can be said about both D and O lines...
 
#32
#32
I think linebackers are a strong point, just have to get and stay healthy ( big if)

and weakness would be the lines
 
#33
#33
I hope we represent better than we have recently but I think between the product on the field and economic factors empty seats are likely for the next year or two.

Well atleast I can get tickets once I get to Knoxville on the strip for cheap then.
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#34
#34
I just don't see secondary as a strength this year. With the exception of Janzen and possibly Waggner I see very little experience and or talent. Even Janzen has a lot to prove with no Berry around IMO. We know he hits hard but can he be the total package we need him to be?

I think Myles jr will fit in seamlessly, Janzen IMO is the complete package and will see that even more so this year. Clark in my mind will get one of the starting CB roles, maybe Oliver the other. Plus there is Gordon, Waggner as you mentioned.. there are many more talented cats I'm sure I left out
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#35
#35
I think Myles jr will fit in seamlessly, Janzen IMO is the complete package and will see that even more so this year. Clark in my mind will get one of the starting CB roles, maybe Oliver the other. Plus there is Gordon, Waggner as you mentioned.. there are many more talented cats I'm sure I left out
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Janzen had some good hits last year but often got lost in coverage. Perhaps that is due to his youth and inexperience at the college level, this is why I say he has a lot to prove. He was nowhere near the complete package last year. He showed promise but with no anchor in Berry there are just too many questions we don't know the answers to at this point.

I agree Myles will be a productive player but he is in the same position as Janzen was last year. If we have too many young guys getting lost in coverage it will bite us in the rear. This is why I have reservations about our DB's.

Not trying to argue, just want you to understand why I feel the way I do. Maybe my orange tinted sunglasses will wash away some of my skepticism as this season approaches.
 
#36
#36
The odds of the DL going an entire season without injury are very slim. If either Walls or Hughes has to miss an extended period of time, we are in serious trouble.

True. Fulmer certainly failed on DT's over his last few years... and for all the talk about how great a DL coach and recruiter O was he failed miserably in attracting DT's. This was a developing problem even before the coaching change. The old staff was in on great recruits in other positions... but not DT.
 
#37
#37
The biggest weakness on this team is easily at the QB position.

Everything else is a general unknown honestly. We have potential every where - potential to be anywhere between above average and poor.

The college game is for the most part about the QB position - and ours is a weakness. We have three choices:
1. Couldn't beat out arguably the worst QB at UT in 20 years last season
2. Putting on his third different school color in three years, for a reason
3. Was thinking about his prom date this time last season
 
#38
#38
The biggest weakness on this team is easily at the QB position.

Everything else is a general unknown honestly. We have potential every where - potential to be anywhere between above average and poor.

The college game is for the most part about the QB position - and ours is a weakness. We have three choices:
1. Couldn't beat out arguably the worst QB at UT in 20 years last season
2. Putting on his third different school color in three years, for a reason
3. Was thinking about his prom date this time last season
I could agree with that. What do you think about everywhere else? We have some talent around, but what do you expect as far as their performance. I'm still concerned about our lines.
 
#39
#39
Did he do well against it.....or did Florida just do enough not to lose given they were not sure of his schemes yet....as the season went on.....not impressive at all against the spread....I give him props against Pro-Style but not the spread.

What is really funny.....all of the U.S.C. fans I work with out here said the same thing....he can't defend the spread....now he is their cross to bare.

Hard to defend the spread when your OLB's play as bad as ours did. Rico was always overpursuing and Thompson I just don't think was that good... although he was banged up a lot. It didn't help when Chris Walker got hurt and then we lost Nick Reveiz. And Florida was definitely trying to score in that game. Urban's MO is to crush teams and Lane Kiffin had clearly gotten under his skin. A 10-point win was not what he was looking for.
 
#41
#41
I could agree with that. What do you think about everywhere else? We have some talent around, but what do you expect as far as their performance. I'm still concerned about our lines.

I think we'll be very pleasantly surprised by the line play this season on both sides. We have the talent, the unknown is can this staff get them ready - and quick. The general consensus is that linemen on either side need two years of development before being ready for the SEC (with a few exceptions). That's why you see a lot schools building lines with juco players.

RB and LB will be fine. You can really use those skill positions to control a game. It'll be interesting to see this staff utilize them.

WR is a question. For the last 5 seasons I've been excited about that group only to see them disappoint. I'm not big on them this season simply due to the problems we'll have at QB. They should be servicable, but not much more.

DB is a question as well. Rogan leaving really left us in a pinch. He brought leadership and experience. We have talent, but if the DL and LB underperform this group may have more responsibility than they can handle. And that is bad, real bad.
 
#42
#42
Disagree about JC being the worst QB in the last 20 years. It isn't even close. FWIW, he has/had more physical ability than any except for Manning and Shuler. One of the things that CLK has to get props for is gettting JC turned around.

JC was always a good practice player but fell apart when the lights came on. According to CLK, the race was close between him and NS.

I'm not ready to write either NS or Simms off yet. Both have physical talent.
 
#43
#43
Hard to defend the spread when your OLB's play as bad as ours did. Rico was always overpursuing and Thompson I just don't think was that good... although he was banged up a lot. It didn't help when Chris Walker got hurt and then we lost Nick Reveiz. And Florida was definitely trying to score in that game. Urban's MO is to crush teams and Lane Kiffin had clearly gotten under his skin. A 10-point win was not what he was looking for.

I feel you dogg....but at the same time I felt like Chump Lane Kiffin wasn't trying to win the game at any point....he was trying to milk the clock and slow the game way down to NOT get blown out....if Florida had Percy Harvin we would have lost by 24 easy....hurts to say that but we were lucky he wasn't on their team last year.
 
#44
#44
I feel you dogg....but at the same time I felt like Chump Lane Kiffin wasn't trying to win the game at any point....he was trying to milk the clock and slow the game way down to NOT get blown out....if Florida had Percy Harvin we would have lost by 24 easy....hurts to say that but we were lucky he wasn't on their team last year.

Clearly they sucked without Harvin. I mean, what did they go, 13-1? Terrible. You don't beat an offensive guru that has a five star player at every offensive position by trading punches. Lane played that game smart. We were in a position at the end to score and kick onsides to win or tie. Sadly, that's the best we've managed in years.
 
#45
#45
WR- Strength: talent and experience, Weakness: the talented guys don't have experience and the experienced guys aren't as talented

OL- Strength: reportedly great size and athleticism, Weakness: NO experience whatsoever and no one really knows the true level of raw talent

RB- Strength: good blend of talent, Weakness: No experience or proven producers

TE- Strength: Stocker will be one of the best in the country, Weakness: there's no one behind him

LB- Strength: Only deep group on the team, experienced quality players Weakness: no particular standouts at this point, no one with experience is the caliber or someone like Mayo

DB- Strength: deep talent pool Weakness: very little experience, questionable at CB

DE- Strength: deep enough, great speed, proven producers Weakness: small

DT- Strength: Walls/Hughes have as much talent as any pair UT has had at DT in a long time, Weakness: there's no one else.

GREAT JOB bro! I agree totally. It sucks Rogan left and hurt us at CB when he shouldn't have. Losing him,Douglas,and Bryce really takes a hit at each of their positions. I'd add that at LB recovering from major injuries to some key experienced guys while installing the new system could be a factor in weakness as well.

And as far as QB? Strength? We have plenty! Weakness? Not sure if any can be the 1 yet lol
 
#46
#46
I definetly think safety is going to be the biggest strength when the season rolls around with myles jr and JJ. And people mark my words JJ will be just as good of a safety as Eric Berry was. But O-line is the weakness right now. I am not going to say qb because atleast Stephens has seen some SEC defenses these O-lineman we got this year have hardly seen the field!
 
#47
#47
I think the staff Dooley put together is a strength.
The glaring weakness is a team that needs an identity. We need some kids to step up and tell the college football world who Tennessee is and what you can expect when you play them.
 
#48
#48
WR- Strength: talent and experience, Weakness: the talented guys don't have experience and the experienced guys aren't as talented

OL- Strength: reportedly great size and athleticism, Weakness: NO experience whatsoever and no one really knows the true level of raw talent

RB- Strength: good blend of talent, Weakness: No experience or proven producers

TE- Strength: Stocker will be one of the best in the country, Weakness: there's no one behind him

LB- Strength: Only deep group on the team, experienced quality players Weakness: no particular standouts at this point, no one with experience is the caliber or someone like Mayo

DB- Strength: deep talent pool Weakness: very little experience, questionable at CB

DE- Strength: deep enough, great speed, proven producers Weakness: small

DT- Strength: Walls/Hughes have as much talent as any pair UT has had at DT in a long time, Weakness: there's no one else.

You left some out...

QB: Strength: Nick Stephens should prove to be a servicable senior qb and provide good leadership. There's also a lot of talent/potential behind him. Weakness: No one behind him has any SEC experience whatsoever.

Kicker: Strength: We have the #1 kicker in the country coming in. Weakness: Daniel Lincoln sucks.
 
#49
#49
Clearly they sucked without Harvin. I mean, what did they go, 13-1? Terrible. You don't beat an offensive guru that has a five star player at every offensive position by trading punches. Lane played that game smart. We were in a position at the end to score and kick onsides to win or tie. Sadly, that's the best we've managed in years.

I'm not saying he didn't play it smart....but he played it to lose.....and if Percy Harvin had played....it would have been the Ole Miss game all over again.
 
#50
#50
I think the staff Dooley put together is a strength.
The glaring weakness is a team that needs an identity. We need some kids to step up and tell the college football world who Tennessee is and what you can expect when you play them.

I would love for them to find an identity this season.
 
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