Volnation on suicide watch?

#1

xpsyclonex2002

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#1
For the most part, VN is taking this season in stride. But a lot of guys on here need to settle down. We get it. We had a shot at winning the big one after years or wandering the desert. We blew it to a garbage team. We also blew it by getting skull drug by GA. We believed our own hype and rightfully so. We were the media darlings. When we look good, we look like world beaters. When we look bad, we look like Dereck Dooley is back at the helm. This team is schizophrenic. We're impatient as a fan base and we have tasted victory. But we have to understand that this rebuild isn't going to be microwaved. It doesn't look like it's going to be done in a crock pot either. We need 2 more years to recruit, portal, and develop our team.

There's a lot of guys on here starting to turn their noses up at CJH saying crap like, "they've figured him out". BS.......no one has figured him out. He's an offensive mind and he's probably the best thing going in college football. What he lacks is strictly on the defensive side. Our efficiency on offense contributes to our defensive woes. Our D stays on the field 80% of the game. The shear number of possessions we give the other team by the nature of our rapid fire offense means that the other teams get just as many chances to score as we do. When we are putting 50 points on people and they are putting 35+ on us, the D looks terrible. But that's statistics. I'm not sure how you stockpile enough talent on the D to cycle fresh legs on the whole game at that pace. We all know the adage "defense wins championships". It's going to take a few more recruiting cycles to get the talent. We may even need to replace the defensive coordinator or at the least, some position coaches. I mean, the run D is looking good and I don't find a lot of fault in the actual play calling. The issue is execution. The secondary is just........bad. You can't hide it and you can't compensate for it. We have the best receiving corps in the nation collectively and GA had the talent to shut it down. GA could flat out cover our guys like a wet blanket. Yet our guys can't cover the receivers for the Northeast Western State School for the Blind and Infirmed. THAT....is a talent gap.

Next year we will likely regress. Hooker has carried this team all season. Milton gonna Milton. He's gonna stare down receivers and overthrow them. He'll likely get replaced early next season with another guy. But maybe we make progress on D to compensate. Instead of hanging 50 on everyone we only put up 35, but we trade that off with only giving up 21 instead of 35. A mild increase in the D's capabilities would pay off heavily. Figure the math on 2 additional Defensive stops per game. That's 2 scores wiped off the other team score with a good chance that we add to more to our side. That could have been a difference maker in both of this years losses.
 
#6
#6
As an older fan not as old as some but since 85 this loss hurts I just haven’t freaked out like my 27 year old son he keeps talking how devastated the loss was and I agree it’s taken 20 plus years for Tennessee to sniff a championship or be in talk .
Then this debacle happened it’s the most Tennessee thing ever. This College football team and our fans are the most resilient group ever I know that. Shouldn’t happen to us but it is what it is Go Vols..
 
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#7
#7
That was a bad loss to a bad team. So bad that two teams that UT beat are now ranked higher. Love CJH, but that’s not the first time this season that UT was woefully unprepared for their opponent. That is a problem that needs to be addressed. There needs to be a bit more maturity in this staff.

Defense was abysmal. It’s like they weren’t even trying. USC is not good.
 
#8
#8
Defense is terrible. It's one thing to get worn down late in the second half and give up some plays, but it's another thing to suck from the opening kickoff. Our fast offense does not make the defense give up 9 touchdowns. Maybe two or three, but not nine. That game was football suicide from the beginning. Our conventional run defense is pretty solid. That's the only bright spot on D all year. That said, we suck at containing the QB on scrambles. We literally cannot catch or tackle a QB once they roll out of the pocket. At all. We also cannot generate any pass rush without an all out blitz. Zero pressure from one on ones. Ever. Most of all, we cannot defend a pass. The only hope we have when a team passes the ball is that it's a bad throw. In my opinion, we'd do better to blitz every play because your DBs aren't going to stop completions even if we have three defenders to one receivers. Having people standing around in open space isn't helping at all. There, I feel better now. Venting complete.
 
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#9
#9
People thought '97 was our year of destiny as soon as Peyton announced he was returning for his senior year.
People were devastated when we once again lost to FL and couldn't make it back to the top.
People thought we blew our best shot and it would take at least a couple of years before we would be back in that position.

But then '98 happened............

Hooker was the next Peyton.
I think Milton will be the next Tee.
 
#10
#10
That was a bad loss to a bad team. So bad that two teams that UT beat are now ranked higher. Love CJH, but that’s not the first time this season that UT was woefully unprepared for their opponent. That is a problem that needs to be addressed. There needs to be a bit more maturity in this staff.

Defense was abysmal. It’s like they weren’t even trying. USC is not good.

Uninspired play has it's cost, just like uninspired posts. You may need to work on your post preparation. To have covered up the defensive weaknesses to enter this game with one loss just might be considered pretty darn productive. We talked about them before the season and will talk about them some more. The other shoe just got the opportunity to fall. CJH with his knowledge of ALL factors will assess the defensive coaches and react accordingly. Might be a no-brainer guy wanting to join us, might not. If he is of the opinion that no OTHER coach could have gotten more out of that side of the ball with the players he provided them then so be it.
 
#11
#11
This is a long post as I give my thoughts on the program, defense and the best fan base in the nation.

TN fans are very passionate and starving for a championship in baseball, basketball, and esp football. That’s why this loss hurts as TN was in the mix for a playoff birth, and definitely in with a TCU or USC loss.

Back in early Sep, I anticipated a 8-4 or 9-3 season. Then we knocked off Pitt, FL, LSU and Bama; so my expectations changed to 10-2. UGA wasn’t a close game but TN dominated KY and Mizz so 11-1 was in sight, though I thought USC jr would keep it to a one score game.

I’m not a coach and can’t explain why the defense played so poorly against a suspect USCjr offense. Our offense scored over 30 points but wasn’t as crisp with drops, penalties, etc; but our defense was non existent.

I think Heup can get us to the promise land if he can put together a defensive staff and improved recruiting. I love our offense but TN must develop a defense to be a SEC and playoff contender. My concern is that FL, KY, GA, LSU, Bama, Ole Miss and others will improve. Tn will improve but it’s gong to be even more difficult to land into the SEC title game and receive a bid for the 12 team playoff as the SEC champion and most likely the runner up will receive bids. It will always come down to scheduling but something tells me our perennial games will always be Bama, GA and FL or at least two of three.

The great news is:
1. we are ahead of schedule
2. have an exciting offense
3. have a positive culture
4. Uptick in recruiting (hopefully w the portal, too)
5. Fans have a TASTE of success w/ high expectations. That can be a good thing and a bad thing, though.

I love this university and we have a rabid fan base, second thanks none. We all get emotional, including myself. I actually had to turn off the TV for a bit as I was getting to riled up. And shame on me for allowing a game to impact my mood yesterday (Sunday) as I pouted like a four yr old.


It’s been a great season and thank you to Volnation for allowing me to be a part of conversation, even if we disagree. Go Vols! Beat Vandy!
 
#12
#12
The arc of Heupel's tenure:
Year 1 - get in, install your culture, get buy in from players and fans, make a bowl game...DONE
Year 2 - show marked improvement on the offense, be competitive in the big games, make a bowl, finish with a winning record...DONE
Year 3 - show marked improvement on the defense, win one or two of the 'big ones', be in the discussion for SECCG and CFP...
Year 4 - be in the talk all year about NC aspirations.

In my view, Heupel is ahead of schedule and there are two things to settle in the off-season:
1) Find the replacement for Hendon
2) Get some DBs an LBs that are field gobbling, men among men, nasty summmabeeches that will knock the snot out of anything and everything
 
#13
#13
The biggest problem with our defense, DBs not withstanding, is getting off the field on 3rd down.
How many times have we played well on 1st and 2nd down, getting ourselves into favorable down and distance, only to watch as the opposing offense converts a 3rd and 12, 3rd and 15?
 
#14
#14
The loss is painful but I do believe it creates an opportunity for long term improvement of the program. Meteoric rises are rarely sustainable.

Josh Pate made some interesting statements several weeks ago regarding Josh Heupel and his staff. He talked about the immediate buy-in that some coaches receive from the universities and boosters because of their respect and credibility that already existed. Nick Saban immediately got everything he wanted at Alabama and so did Kirby Smart. Other hires however, receive more of a selective, wait and see response. Josh indicated from what he knows of the situation that Heupel may not have gotten much of what he wanted when he arrived and may have had to settle on some of his staffing hires….

The good news is that Tennessee will be a much more appealing job for many and Heupel now has significant leverage with all involved.

I have a feeling we may see some significant upgrades to the coaching staff this year.

I still believe in Coach Heupel and the vision he has for this football team. This team needs our support now more than ever. I know this fanbase has taken a beating from our rivals since this loss. We still have a lot of be proud of! Keep your heads up, wear your orange with pride! The future is bright! GBO!
 
#16
#16
People thought '97 was our year of destiny as soon as Peyton announced he was returning for his senior year.
People were devastated when we once again lost to FL and couldn't make it back to the top.
People thought we blew our best shot and it would take at least a couple of years before we would be back in that position.

But then '98 happened............

Hooker was the next Peyton.
I think Milton will be the next Tee.
Milton isn’t going to take this team to a title of any kind. He has all the physical talent but he can’t perform under pressure.
 
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#17
#17
As an older fan not as old as some but since 85 this loss hurts I just haven’t freaked out like my 27 year old son he keeps talking how devastated the loss was and I agree it’s taken 20 plus years for Tennessee to sniff a championship or be in talk .
Then this debacle happened it’s the most Tennessee thing ever. This College football team and our fans are the most resilient group ever I know that. Shouldn’t happen to us but it is what it is Go Vols..
I don't know...maybe I'm jaded from last 10+ years and had decided to just enjoy the journey this year w/ much lower preseason expectations. I was more upset about our D's total lack of any execution than I was for the L. I was more upset about W's taken from us last year w/ Ole Miss and Purdue than this game. SC beat us because they were by far the better team on Sat night, they had a better plan and we didn't come to play...so, as long as we take care of Vandy (not a given), I'm still mostly happy with a 10-2 regular season.

Looking at the merry go round this season...we beat UF. We trounce LSU. LSU beats UF. We soundly beat KY. KY beats UF. Vandy beats KY and UF. SC loses to Miz. We beat Miz by historic proportions. UF throttles SC. SC happens to UT...my take away is that, in the SEC if you don't bring your A game, you stand a big chance of taking an L...which we did, and Vandy apparently playing un-Vandy like is something we better watch out for.
 
#20
#20
The arc of Heupel's tenure:
Year 1 - get in, install your culture, get buy in from players and fans, make a bowl game...DONE
Year 2 - show marked improvement on the offense, be competitive in the big games, make a bowl, finish with a winning record...DONE
Year 3 - show marked improvement on the defense, win one or two of the 'big ones', be in the discussion for SECCG and CFP...
Year 4 - be in the talk all year about NC aspirations.

In my view, Heupel is ahead of schedule and there are two things to settle in the off-season:
1) Find the replacement for Hendon
2) Get some DBs an LBs that are field gobbling, men among men, nasty summmabeeches that will knock the snot out of anything and everything
Nicely said, exactly how I feel
 
#21
#21
Not even close. A good team with a good coach played a bad game on the road. Most had us 7-5 we reached #1 this season. Two years in we are in good hands
For those crazies suggesting the season is a failure are only considering it a failure because they thought the team was better than they are.
 
#22
#22
The biggest problem with our defense, DBs not withstanding, is getting off the field on 3rd down.
How many times have we played well on 1st and 2nd down, getting ourselves into favorable down and distance, only to watch as the opposing offense converts a 3rd and 12, 3rd and 15?

I haven’t looked, but we have to be one of the worst defenses in the country on third down. It gives me nightmares back to the Dooley days.

The good news is that upgrading the defense will immediately make this team exponentially better.

Improve the 3rd and 4th down stops by 25% and apply our scoring percentage to that.
 
#23
#23
People thought '97 was our year of destiny as soon as Peyton announced he was returning for his senior year.
People were devastated when we once again lost to FL and couldn't make it back to the top.
People thought we blew our best shot and it would take at least a couple of years before we would be back in that position.

But then '98 happened............

Hooker was the next Peyton.
I think Milton will be the next Tee.
Amazing, but you actually are capable of saying something that makes sense.
 
#24
#24
I remember plenty of similar comments about Tee.
We are each free to pick our view of the future.
I like mine much better.
Honestly I like yours better as well. I hope you’re right but I don’t think he’s going to suddenly pull it together after all these years
 

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