Tennessee Football: Strengths, Weaknesses and Secret Weapons

#1
dduncan4163

dduncan4163

Have at it Hoss
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#1
Tennessee Football: Strengths, Weaknesses and Secret Weapons | Bleacher Report

Really good write up and of the many listed I believe these will be are biggest Strength, weakness, and Wild Card


Number One Strength

Talent/experience mix
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Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

So much has been made of all the Vols' talent, and they've got an abundance of it.
A bigger reason for the excitement, however, should be just how many snaps they've got returning. This isn't just an exciting team; it's an experienced one. According to Phil Steele's experience ratings, the Vols are third nationally behind Kent State and Charlotte with 76.9 percent experience points.
No matter how complex the rating is to calculate, the bottom line is this: UT has a lot of players returning who've played a lot of football.
Guys like Reeves-Maybin, Dobbs, Hurd, Kamara, cornerback Cameron Sutton and defensive end Corey Vereen, among others, have started a lot of games.
Even players like junior Todd Kelly Jr. told CampusInsiders.com's Mark Nagi how important it is for him to show leadership qualities to the younger players:
Throughout his tenure in Knoxville, Jones hammered home points about forgetting the losing culture that permeated the program and planting seeds of winning. It seems there are a lot of players on this team who understand that, and it should pay huge dividends.
Once some upperclassmen called a players-only meeting following last year's loss to Arkansas, things changed. Just how much? Everybody will have to find out this year if the Vols can carry over the winning mentality.
 
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#2
#2
Passing inconsistency
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Jamie Squire/Getty Images

There isn't just one thing that's broken about Tennessee's passing game; there's a lot.
That aspect of the Vols offense isn't in disrepair, and DeBord, Dobbs and others have set out to fix it this spring and offseason. But just how much better can Tennessee be in the throw game in 2016? The answer to that question may wind up determining how good the Vols can be.
A season ago, Dobbs' passing statistics weren't horrible. He completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,291 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. But there were few dynamic plays, and there were even fewer big completions downfield.
Defenses could draw a 10-yard circle to defend, and they didn't have to fear being burned by the long play. That must change.
Dobbs' consistency issues and accuracy struggles were prevalent at inopportune times, such as in losses to Oklahoma and Alabama as well as the second half against South Carolina. At times, he couldn't even hit the routine passes, stemming from his inability to repeat his mechanics.
On top of that, Tennessee couldn't rely on a dependable receiver. Injuries, inconsistencies and just downright poor play have plagued the Vols during Jones' (and passing game coordinator Zach Azzanni's) tenure, and those deficiencies are being felt both on the field and in recruiting.
Tennessee lost local 5-star receiver Tee Higgins to Clemson this week (committing in an epic B/R video), and though he didn't mention the passing game in particular, the Vols' struggles in that area couldn't have helped.
But if Dobbs can turn around the passing game, there's still time for Higgins or other star receivers to see the turnaround. It would also be huge for UT's on-field product. Dobbs told VolQuest.com's Brent Hubbs he believes the offense will progress the second year under DeBord:
This will be a big jump I think just seeing similar things on the field. Obviously, you don't know what you are going to get till the first game and really the first season together. As the season progressed we got a lot better. This off-season watching a lot of film together, spring was huge and fall camp will be huge. All of that will definitely help us for this season.
​
Again, elements are in place for Tennessee to turn this weakness into a strength. Dobbs is a senior, and there is more diversity in the receiving corps with a mixture of bigger guys (Preston Williams, Jeff George and Josh Malone) along with some new speedsters like Latrell Williams and Marquez Callaway.
Maybe UT can turn around its passing fortunes.
 
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#3
#3
Secret Weapons

Preston Williams

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Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

After this spring, Williams—Tennessee's 6'4", 209-pound sophomore wideout—isn't quite a secret around the SEC.
Everybody recruited him, first of all. Secondly, he got tons of headlines during spring drills with a breakout performance that had his coaches, teammates and anybody who watched a practice raving.
Jones told RockyTopInsider.com's Daniel Lewis that Williams made "tremendous strides" this spring, which is a big reason why he liked the overall unit's progress. Following a spring game where George showed out, B/R's Barrett Sallee tweeted that he liked the thought of that duo's ability:
 
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#4
#4
Brad'S list many others in each category but in this Vols opinion those are the 3 that have me the most excited, worried, and intrigued Nation.

What's yours?

GO VOLS
 
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#6
#6
About the experience. I was wondering today if Dobbs has more starts at qb than the rest of the East combined. I'm guessing he probably does.
 
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#8
#8
Somebody needs to tell the author that Williams is not a secret anymore since he gave it away.
Dang. Media hates us.




Thanks for the link op.
 
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#9
#9
So who is getting left out of the NCG Kent St or Charlotte?
Jk this article sounds pretty spot on.
 
#14
#14
P. Will should be a breakout star next year, but with the way we rotate our WRs he probably will only see the field for 33% of our offensive snaps. Can you imagine rotating Hurd out after every play?
 
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#17
#17
Duncan, saw a pic of you in the pics thread,
Any eligibility left? Can always use qb protection
:)
 
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#18
#18
08Vol said:
P. Will should be a breakout star next year, but with the way we rotate our WRs he probably will only see the field for 33% of our offensive snaps. Can you imagine rotating Hurd out after every play?
Click to expand...
If he gets hot and him and Dobbs finds consistent rhythm you can bet he will be on the field as much as he can handle.
 
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#20
#20
Hopefully Williams will bring consistency to the passing game. If the Vols have a consistent passing game, this offense can be one of the best in the country. Here’s to a great season!! GBO!!
 
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#21
#21
Thanks, Duncan. I really appreciate your recent posts the past couple of weeks.

You're bringing some quality content to the forum.












....for a change. :)
 
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#22
#22
NoogaVol423 said:
Hopefully Williams will bring consistency to the passing game. If the Vols have a consistent passing game, this offense can be one of the best in the country. Here’s to a great season!! GBO!!
Click to expand...

Consistency has to come from the Qb. Williams can make him look better with his ability, but the pass has to be near the receiver.
 
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#23
#23
Malone and Williams could be huge deep threats for us. Also, don't sleep on Jennings. He impressed me with his production from a late position switch. He has great toughness and a high motor.

It'll be interesting to see if J Smith will get back into form before his injury a couple of years ago.
 
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#24
#24
McDad said:
Thanks, Duncan. I really appreciate your recent posts the past couple of weeks.

You're bringing some quality content to the forum.












....for a change. :)
Click to expand...
Thanks a bunch Hoss you're good people you sumb**ch :thumbsup:
 
#25
#25
dcm3w said:
Malone and Williams could be huge deep threats for us. Also, don't sleep on Jennings. He impressed me with his production from a late position switch. He has great toughness and a high motor.

It'll be interesting to see if J Smith will get back into form before his injury a couple of years ago.
Click to expand...
Yup Jennings hasn't been mentioned much at all, and the kid has all the tools to be a superstar in this league. Damn we are filthy with talent.
 
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