There was an exchange between Rob Lewis and Coach Pruitt after the Bama game that is interesting...

[LAVol1]

Pruitt's answer does not make a lot of sense. Pruitt's answer tells me that the way in which he frames his approach to coaching is built upon an outdated mindset where we value seniority over ability and talent. when you look at the programs that are winning consistently, they have accelerated or abandoned this old fashioned notion, which I would maintain relies upon the old rules that A - students commit to a school, cannot transfer, and persist to graduation, and B - transfer students is a rarity and not dignified. You have to earn your playing time.

This framework for understanding coaching in the SEC will result in Pruitt circling back to DC job in a few years.

Ability and talent does not always translate to competence. Knowledge of what the offense or defense is trying to do every play is a very important factor, in most every case more important than talent. When a player doesn't earn playing time, the players know it and it creates discord. Pruitt's answer makes perfect sense to me. It is the right approach to building a team.

When I coached, we had a player that had more talent than almost all the other players, but he didn't play as much as others because he was lazy, didn't take coaching well, and didn't demonstrate that he was a team player. The team was much better for it because they understood if they didn't work hard and put the team first, they would sit on the bench a lot more. The team was better because he didn't play as much. We won the state championship, not because we were the most talented team, but because we had the best TEAM.

 

[LAVol1]

So Pruett is basically say it would send the wrong message to the team to play Bailey at quarterback because JG has been here for five years working hard. That’s his perspective. Here’s the other thing that sends a terrible message to the team… Playing a very bad player at the most important position. The entire team suffers. Clemson’s players seem to get over it when Kelly Bryant was replace with Trevor Lawrence. Bama’s players seemed to get over it when they named Jalen hurts starter as a true freshman and again...those Bama players hung in there when hurts was replaced by Tua. Either Bama has the most emotionally resilient group of players ever or Pruett is wrong. One or the other. Lol

Bailey has not had enough reps to get him ready to assume the team leadership position. Had we had spring and full fall practice, he might be our QB. But, it would probably be foolish to burn his redshirt when he's not ready to win. I would not be surprised to see Bailey start 3 games near the end of the season. But, maybe not. He did not look good in his lone opportunity, so, like many highly touted QBs, he might not pan out. I'm very much in favor of giving him a shot when he's ready, but not at the expense of a year of eligibility.

 

[VolPack22]

At the same time, players also know who the most talented players on the team are, and they know the most talented players should be playing. If you want a long career as a coach you better put the talent on the field or everyone will start questioning you.

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

We have so many with such amazing football knowledge around here, somebody needs to let Phil know. He can come to the message boards and hire a coach and salvage our football program and save the University millions!

You seriously got triggered by fans on a fan message board sharing their opinions about the team they are a fan of?

Might want to limit your Interwebs activity to the online catalog search engine for your local library. That's about the only safe space out there.

Some of y'all would change players just to say you changed something. Doesn't mean its a good idea.

What everyone forgets about bigger, faster, stronger is that it doesn't mean better.

1) When something is hurting you, you can fix it or remove it. It makes no sense to do nothing. QB1 is hurting this team, so much so that when he takes a break from hurting the team certain people think that's "playing great." That problem has had 4 years to be fixed, and appears to be unfixable, so it's time to try removing it. I don't understand why you would criticize people who want that.

2) Bigger, faster, stronger are in fact attributes of "better". You're right that it isn't an automatic conclusion, but those will get you 3/4 of the way there.

 

[VolArmy74]

Bailey has not had enough reps to get him ready to assume the team leadership position. Had we had spring and full fall practice, he might be our QB. But, it would probably be foolish to burn his redshirt when he's not ready to win. I would not be surprised to see Bailey start 3 games near the end of the season. But, maybe not. He did not look good in his lone opportunity, so, like many highly touted QBs, he might not pan out. I'm very much in favor of giving him a shot when he's ready, but not at the expense of a year of eligibility.

There are no eligibility issues this year. Bailey will be a true freshman from day 1 next season. Even in a covid free world you can play 4 games and still redshirt. We only have 5 left.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Some of y’all need to re-read Pruitt’s answer. He said nothing about playing a guy just because he’s older.

His answer makes a lot of sense and it’s huge differentiator from Butch Jones. He’s building a culture. The young guys aren’t ready. COVID had a lot to do with that.

 

[hexnut]

Maybe his young guys are not ready because Pruitt is not getting them ready.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

At the same time, players also know who the most talented players on the team are, and they know the most talented players should be playing. If you want a long career as a coach you better put the talent on the field or everyone will start questioning you.

If the player doesn't have the attitude or discipline to be a team layer/leader, he hasn't earned the right to start. It is the best avenue to build ta strong competitive team. It is also the best way to build character and strength in the individual player and the team. Butch tried the other approach and that is why he is carrying the phone line for Saban. He could recruit very well but he had no control of the football team which led to his firing. He would make an outstanding used car salesman.

 

[MADISONGAVOL]

Well the players we are playing right now especially at QB aren’t cutting it

Agree with that as well some folks are just gamers like dobbs. This is well documented as well

 

[GVF]

Wasn't that one of the criticisms of Fulmer too? That he would play a senior over a soph regardless?

I read it as saying that even if there is a younger, maybe more talented player, frosh or whatever, and his work ethic in not where it needs to be during the week, then he won't jump over a slightly lesser talent, regardless of class rank, that works hard, plays hard, and show discipline in their position on the field. Stated briefly >> Talent got you a scholly, work ethic and discipline gets you on the field.

 

[TGVol]

1) When something is hurting you, you can fix it or remove it. It makes no sense to do nothing. QB1 is hurting this team, so much so that when he takes a break from hurting the team certain people think that's "playing great." That problem has had 4 years to be fixed, and appears to be unfixable, so it's time to try removing it. I don't understand why you would criticize people who want that.

That same problem with JG appeared unfixable last year as well when we started 1-4 (and even at times later in the year as JG kept getting pulled out and thrown back in). But it's definitely unfair to say he did not contribute to that winning streak we had going until 3 weeks ago (so the truth is that JG was at least fixable enough to be able to come in and participate in that winning streak). That is what Pruitt has to balance now and he probably feels he is more likely to win a few more games this year with JG (hoping for similar turnaround as last year) as opposed to any other of our QB's. And Pruitt knows he has to win a few games this year for sure if he wants to keep his job and continue recruiting momentum. Therefore he is not going to throw his hands up and just turn eveyyting over to young players who are not ready just because disapointed fans have run out of patience and want to see them right now. In my opinion we have to assume that coaches know who is ready to play among the players they are coaching - they are far more qualified to make those calls than any experts on this forum.

 

[jonnon111]

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that this may be why Bama and UGA beat us

JG is bigger (by 16 lbs and taller), faster and probably stronger than Mac Jones. So there ya go.

 

[Russdaddy2027]

At what point does lack of performance during a game outweigh the ability to successfully complete drills in practice/

 

[Big151Orange]

2027, that’s my thought as well. Yes, the players know who is working hard in practice, and that should come into play. But they also watch the game film and see who isn’t performing in the games. If a player is consistently failing to perform in games, it’s time to look at the younger guys you recruited and start developing them. Yes, they will make mistakes, but do they learn from them and improve, or do they continue making the same mistakes? Any player that continues to make the same mistakes, regardless of seniority, should understand their playing time is going to be reduced.

It’s not like we have a small sample size from JG, we know what we have. Time to find out if HB can develop into the player we need to compete at the highest level in the SEC.

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

That same problem with JG appeared unfixable last year as well when we started 1-4 (and even at times later in the year as JG kept getting pulled out and thrown back in). But it's definitely unfair to say he did not contribute to that winning streak we had going until 3 weeks ago (so the truth is that JG was at least fixable enough to be able to come in and participate in that winning streak). That is what Pruitt has to balance now and he probably feels he is more likely to win a few more games this year with JG (hoping for similar turnaround as last year) as opposed to any other of our QB's. And Pruitt knows he has to win a few games this year for sure if he wants to keep his job and continue recruiting momentum. Therefore he is not going to throw his hands up and just turn eveyyting over to young players who are not ready just because disapointed fans have run out of patience and want to see them right now. In my opinion we have to assume that coaches know who is ready to play among the players they are coaching - they are far more qualified to make those calls than any experts on this forum.

So if my car won't start, but I slapped the dash and it suddenly starts and runs for 5 minutes before going dead again, and we repeat this cycle over and over again for 4 years...was my car fixed? Fixable enough?

Don't sit here and pretend like during the winning streak that JG was the reason we were winning those games, or that he improved dramatically. Go back and watch the bowl game versus indiana. We may have won the game, but that was the worst quarterback performance that I can remember in the last 40 years of me watching the Vols. We didn't win because of him, we specifically won in spite of him. It was embarrassing. The fact that they didn't bring in a grad transfer following that game speaks volumes about this coaching staff.

 

[Vol Main]

his approach to coaching is built upon an outdated mindset where we value seniority over ability and talent.

But these are your words -- not what Pruitt said in the interview. There are seniors who do not play because they do not perform at the level expected by the coaches. There are seniors who do play, because they do perform at the expected level.

 

[VolArmy74]

So if my car won't start, but I slapped the dash and it suddenly starts and runs for 5 minutes before going dead again, and we repeat this cycle over and over again for 4 years...was my car fixed? Fixable enough?

Don't sit here and pretend like during the winning streak that JG was the reason we were winning those games, or that he improved dramatically. Go back and watch the bowl game versus indiana. We may have won the game, but that was the worst quarterback performance that I can remember in the last 40 years of me watching the Vols. We didn't win because of him, we specifically won in spite of him. It was embarrassing. The fact that they didn't bring in a grad transfer following that game speaks volumes about this coaching staff.

He was actually worse the game before vs Vanderbilt.

 

[lexkyvol]

That was Cut’s call. Protection responsibilities and lack of TE involvement in the passing scheme were his big hangups back in the day...it got better.

and JG is Chaney's call, but the majority will NEVER get nor understand this. it doesn't fit their agenda

 

[VolPack22]

If the player doesn't have the attitude or discipline to be a team layer/leader, he hasn't earned the right to start. It is the best avenue to build ta strong competitive team. It is also the best way to build character and strength in the individual player and the team. Butch tried the other approach and that is why he is carrying the phone line for Saban. He could recruit very well but he had no control of the football team which led to his firing. He would make an outstanding used car salesman.

I mentioned nothing about attitude. That’s a completely different discussion. I’m just talking about putting the best players on the field that give you the best possible chance of winning. Some guys just don’t practice well because it’s not the same adrenaline rush as playing in front of 100,000 fans. Dobbs and Tim Tebow are prime examples. They were not very good in practice by all accounts but whenever it was game time they shined. Also, Butch didn’t try it the other way. I would scream for him to put the talent on the field. He was always late to put the talent out there. He played Colton Jumper at linebacker and he single handily cost us the game against Oklahoma because of defensive breakdowns and not being fast enough to keep up with their receivers. I could be wrong but I think I remember him having 3 defensive holding or pass interference penalties in one drive that basically gifted them a touchdown. After the second one I’m taking his butt off the field and getting someone out there that can keep up. Butch didn’t utilize Kamara on the field until he absolutely had to out of necessity against Texas A&M. He started Worley over Dobbs and that cost us a couple games like the Florida game where we were in field goal range after we just picked them off, he throws the pick in the end zone on 1st down off his back foot instead of throwing it away. You’re trying to tell me Dobbs couldn’t score more than 9 points against them? That was one of the worst Florida teams of the modern football era with them having a 4 win season the year before. It was remarkable they even won 7 games that year. We have a history of gifted games away and a lot of it has to do with either not putting the most talented players on the field or horrible game management.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

I don't see how any college qb with 2 years into a system would not understand the the offensive scheme. Our offensive scheme looks pretty simple to me. jg may understand the scheme but he cannot do it on game day. In practice it is at the most 75% of game speed, jg probably excels in practice but at game speed he just cannot do it. And one last thing, with just a few weeks of practice a person with just average iq should know the playbook. So it is then up to their physical abilities to carry it out.

I agree, it's the other QBs that are not performing at practice that concerns me.

 

[TGVol]

So if my car won't start, but I slapped the dash and it suddenly starts and runs for 5 minutes before going dead again, and we repeat this cycle over and over again for 4 years...was my car fixed? Fixable enough?

Don't sit here and pretend like during the winning streak that JG was the reason we were winning those games, or that he improved dramatically. Go back and watch the bowl game versus indiana. We may have won the game, but that was the worst quarterback performance that I can remember in the last 40 years of me watching the Vols. We didn't win because of him, we specifically won in spite of him. It was embarrassing. The fact that they didn't bring in a grad transfer following that game speaks volumes about this coaching staff.

I never said we won because of JG - actually I said we did not lose because of him (I said his mistakes were fixable enough so that we did not lose). That was good enough for me since we did not have any better options last year, and if the coaches feel this is still the case then I believe them because they are experts. Actually, I think Pruitt and Chaney are the best DC/OC coaches in all of CF (defense and offense gurus of the highest order). We are extremely fortunate to have them here during the rebuild of this program (there will be ups and downs along the way but short of total meldown where we lose all the remaining games this year Fulmer will certainly stick with them - he know this is what is needed to rebuild the program - we are extremely fortunate to have him in AD position as well).

 

[ShoalCreekVol]

I never said we won because of JG - actually I said we did not lose because of him (I said his mistakes were fixable enough so that we did not lose). That was good enough for me since we did not have any better options last year, and if the coaches feel this is still the case then I believe them because they are experts. Actually, I think Pruitt and Chaney are the best DC/OC coaches in all of CF (defense and offense gurus of the highest order). We are extremely fortunate to have them here during the rebuild of this program (there will be ups and downs along the way but short of total meldown where we lose all the remaining games this year Fulmer will certainly stick with them - he know this is what is needed to rebuild the program - we are extremely fortunate to have him in AD position as well).

I got you. I think we're just hung up on a semantic difference. To me, the word fixed means permanent, or at least long-term. I think the idea you're presenting is more likely that they were able to account for or cover up his shortcomings to get the wins.

Also agree on Pruitt, Chaney, and Fulmer. We are certainly fortunate to have all three. However, Jeremy is no longer a DC, he's an HC . That means he doesn't get a pass for the failure to develop or recruit better options. In contrast, he's actually fully responsible and accountable for that. It can't be an excuse when it's his responsibility.

 

[MeanOrange]

No I’m pretty sure it’s true. I remember reading practice reports of him missing throws like crazy. How else do you explain the fact that it took Worley going down and Peterman getting benched before we put Dobbs on the field in 2014, only to discover he was by far our best option?

I was told that Butch wanted to red shirt Dobbs another year but when what you stated happened, he had no other choice but to put Dobbs in.

 

[rusty11]

Funny how Priutt doesn't seem to remember that at the end of the NC game in 2018, there were 2 Freshman QBs at the reigns of both teams.

 

[TGVol]

I got you. I think we're just hung up on a semantic difference. To me, the word fixed means permanent, or at least long-term. I think the idea you're presenting is more likely that they were able to account for or cover up his shortcomings to get the wins.

Also agree on Pruitt, Chaney, and Fulmer. We are certainly fortunate to have all three. However, Jeremy is no longer a DC, he's an HC . That means he doesn't get a pass for the failure to develop or recruit better options. In contrast, he's actually fully responsible and accountable for that. It can't be an excuse when it's his responsibility.

I agree with all this. Pruitt definitely has to prove himself as HC. However I like his chances to succeed because he has extremely experienced HOF UT legendary coach as his AD, and also he can rely on Chaney who himself has a ton of experience (and Tee has a lot to offer there as well) to cover the offense. Isn't Chaney actually 1-0 as our HC? I though he was the HC for the final game after Dooley was fired and won that game.