Swain Podcast from yesterday

[sjt18]

It's not an either-or proposition-- we have a QB who has accuracy and consistency issues and an OLine that is playing worse this year than last year. Combine the two and both look worse. We'll be in a lot of dogfights this year.

The OL is probably a fixable problem. As much as we all like Dobbs.... he's probably not going to become a very good passer even if protection is perfect.

 

[LA Vol]

The OL is probably a fixable problem. As much as we all like Dobbs.... he's probably not going to become a very good passer even if protection is perfect.

Looks like we're going to have to scheme around both short-term and recruit out of our OL issues going forward. We could retain consultants to help us figure out fixes and address immediate issues... but the coaches don't seem to be pursuing that.

 

[pimo1]

Dobbs is inaccurate. So unfair to blame coaches for a sputtering offense in year 4. Got it.

I get so tired of hearing this. Every time I have seen Dobbs throw from a clean pocket he is on target. The guy spends most of his time throwing on the run and almost no one is accurate doing that. I mean seriously in the average game you can count on one hand how many times the guy gets to throw from a clean pocket.. not just this season his entire career. Even worse the clean pocket is only ever established if the running game and the threat of him running gets established. His clean pockets are rarely a product of good o-line play they are products of the other teams defense having to bear down and respect his threat to take off.

For the past 2 games the opposing team was consistently able to apply pressure with a 3-4 man rush.... think about that a second. If you can rush 3-4 every play and still get pressure any team is gonna look good on defense dropping 7-8 guys and any QB is gonna look terrible throwing. This is an unassailable fact. No QB on the planet can throw into 7-8 man coverage while running for his life.

 

[sjt18]

Looks like we're going to have to scheme around both short-term and recruit out of our OL issues going forward. We could retain consultants to help us figure out fixes and address immediate issues... but the coaches don't seem to be pursuing that.

Right now based on what we saw when Thomas and Richmond were rotated out.... I think it is a personnel issue. Jack Jones needs to be in. One or both of those two need to be out. IMO, Kendrick appears to be quick enough to play LT but not powerful enough to play RT as good. Wiesman stabilized things in the middle.

As far as recruiting, there are strong indications that Jones has been getting exactly what he wanted in OL recruiting. If that's the problem then it may remain a problem for a while.

 

[sjt18]

I get so tired of hearing this. Every time I have seen Dobbs throw from a clean pocket he is on target. The guy spends most of his time throwing on the run and almost no one is accurate doing that.

None of this is factually true. He does NOT spend "most" of his time throwing on the run.... and he is OFTEN inaccurate even when the pocket is clean.

BUT even arguing from your false premise, the good passers are accurate even when the pocket isn't "clean".

Dobbs is a great kid. He is a great running QB. He has some ability as a passer. But he is FAR from being accurate. That is reflected as much in the passes he tries or is allowed to try as it is in the ones he misses. UT does not run their slant package. They do not run quick outs to the WR's or hitches. They very seldom hit the mid and deep middle.

ALL of these require a QB who delivers the ball accurately and on time.

 

[VolFootballlover]

You obviously didn't see the pass to Jennings in the corner endzone.

lmao you keep thinking what you will I know what I see ,and every one Else that has eyes can see Dobbs has more 50/50 balls and more under,over,late throws than good ones.

 

[ALLVOL 4LIFE]

Have you ever seen Dobbs successfully execute the quick passing game.... quick outs, hitches, slants, skinny posts,...?

And UT can STILL fix a lot of the problems by getting Jones on the field and Thomas, Richmond, or both off the field.

I have never seen this team even attempt a quick passing game! Even when Worley was getting slaughtered.

 

[sjt18]

I have never seen this team even attempt a quick passing game! Even when Worley was getting slaughtered.

I honestly think they did give Worley some slants but they don't seem to know what a hitch or quick out are.

As simple as it is, the hitch can be one of the most effective patterns in football.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Dobbs is inaccurate. So unfair to blame coaches for a sputtering offense in year 4. Got it.

I would liken it trying to be an expert marksmen when 10 guys within 30 feet of your are firing away at you!

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Swain is correct.

He's taking an unpopular position, but it's the right one. For whatever reason, the fans want to blame EVERY SINGLE PROBLEM with the offense on the O-line. The O-line has struggled at times, but the issue is that even when it's providing great pass protection, Dobbs' accuracy on medium- and long- passes has been suspect.

Fans who think our "O-LINE IS TERRIBLE!" are in denial. At the end of last season, our O-line was fantastic. Our O-line absolutely destroyed Northwestern. We dominated against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. Dobbs still struggled with accuracy on deep balls. Sure, the O-line struggled with pass protection during parts of the App State and VT games, but even when the O-line gave Dobbs 8 seconds to throw, Dobbs still had troubles. Yet, there are so many people here at VN who continue to blame every single problem with the offense on the O-line.

It's very simple: Dobbs is not a very good medium- and long- range passer. That's all there is to it. It doesn't mean he doesn't give us the best chance to win. It doesn't mean he's not a great player. It just means that he does not thrive as a "pocket passer" who "airs it out". Dobbs is more Tim Tebow than Peyton Manning. Let's accept that.

However, Dobbs' passing struggles are one reason why I think a 2-QB system (similar to what Texas is doing) with Dobbs and Dormady would be intriguing. Dormady is a much better passer than Dobbs, but Dobbs creates an intangible element with his running abilities. Regardless, the worst mistake we could make is turning Dobbs into something he isn't (which is what it looked like we tried to do versus App State).

So I agree with Swain. Fans are in denial, but look at Dobbs' career stats. He's always had issues with accuracy on medium and long range throws. It's not "the O-line." Our pass protection has been poor in a few games over the past few seasons, but Dobbs has struggled throwing even when pass protection has been great.

In denial? Wrong partner. Its fact. Why is that many other media guys like McElroy, Spears, Booger, Tebow, Herbstriet and other guys have consistently talked about how bad our OL is? I guess Swain's opinion is somehow more valid because he is a former Vol right?

Is Dobbs the most accurate passer? No he is not. BUT, can you honestly tell me since he became the starter, has he ever really had what would be considered a good SEC caliber OL? I would argue that he hasnt. I think we can all agree that we have seen Dobbs running for his life much, much more than him being able to sit back and survey the field. Look at Hurd, how many times has he been hit in the backfield? What does that say? The OL is not doing its job.
I mean we have seen Dobbs have to avoid pressure in games against BG and even freaking North Texas for crying out loud. I would be willing to bet that he will be getting pressured against Ohio as well.

Is it ALL the OLs fault? No. Just like its not ALL Dobbs fault.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

I honestly think they did give Worley some slants but they don't seem to know what a hitch or quick out are.

As simple as it is, the hitch can be one of the most effective patterns in football.

Your last sentence is spot on. Those already ng with quick slants should be a staple of any passing game. Seems like Butch and Debord havent figured that out.

 

[benholt06]

Your last sentence is spot on. Those already ng with quick slants should be a staple of any passing game. Seems like Butch and Debord havent figured that out.

I really liked the quick hitting passes DeBord was calling to start out the App State game, but he quit when Dobbs nearly threw a pick 6 to that Frosh corner after he telegraphed one.

Fact is, Dobbs just doesn't excel at throwing the ball down the field. Our offensive playcalling is hamstrung by that, but we do need to protect him better. I expect Chance Hall coming back and Drew Richmond developing will improve the pass pro.

 

[VolDaddy61]

Dobb thinks too much IMO. Which usually translates of thinking twice.. which translates to a turnover.

We don't have a QB coach/guru. That's the problem.

If we don't already have one, bringing in a qb coach for next year and beyond would be a sound investment.

 

[sjt18]

Your last sentence is spot on. Those already ng with quick slants should be a staple of any passing game. Seems like Butch and Debord havent figured that out.

I haven't done much research to see if Cincy ran slants but they could interfere with Jones' run game concepts. I hope not but... could be.

I'm not sure how a hitch wouldn't be a perfect compliment to what UT does in the run game unless Dobbs flat out doesn't have the arm strength and accuracy to throw it. UT has several WR's I'd like to see isolated on a hitch. We'd see a lot of scores like was saw from Meachem vs Cal.

 

[paige_09]

I've been saying this all along as to Dobbs passing ability. Over 15 yards it's 50/50 as to whether it will be caught or intercepted, not great odds if you're trying to stretch the field to keep the defense honest and also trying to prevent turnovers which can be game-changers. Yes, the O-line could help him. Also, if Dobbs starts scrambling to run 90% of the time he's going to run to his right--too predictable.

Question: is this based off actual data that you've collected ,or are you just throwing percentages out there ?

 

[MWAVolfan]

Our o line looks worse this year because opposing defenses know they don't have to respect our passing game and go all-out for the backfield because Tennessee will run one of the following plays:

1. A run up the gut with Hard
2. A jet sweep or other run to the sideline with Kamara or Hurd or Dobbs
3. A 5 yard pass to the flat
4. A wildly inaccurate deep throw (2 to 3 times a game)

 

[jarnol32]

The TD pass to Williams was a very nice pass. The TD to Malone was good enough to get us a TD. I'm not buying this notion that Dobbs can't pass--I've seen plenty of his passes: He's not Manning but he throws a lot of perfect decent passes. Are we to believe that Dobbs' passing is the reason we don't throw enough to the TE? I think our passing issues start with DeBord and our WR coach.

Answer this question: If Spurrier was running our offense, would we have a better passing game--and a better offense? The obvious answer is yes, which means that coaching is the biggest part of the problem. With better coaches we'd have a better passing game--and, yea, better blocking up front would help, too.

If spurrier was running our offense Josh Dobbs would be holding a clipboard end of story.