Vols and fans get reality check

#1
M

MikeVol44

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#1
I want to beat Bama as bad as anyone, but HYPE and HEART only take you so far when you lack talent in the 2-Deep in the skill positions...and that's all that was exposed today.

I wouldn't panic about this game--fellow Vol fans!!

Why?

1. We still on course to finish 10-2 and win the East. Losing last week to aTm and the WAY we lost was truly disappointing because we are better than they are.

2. We need the rest to heal up and FINISH STRONG!

3. We should win out and make it to Atlanta with a rematch against Alabama. Anyone who honestly thinks aTm will beat Alabama is just wishful thinking. Bama will hang 45 on aTm, too!

4. We really must recruit and develop better talent at LB and DBs. Shoop said he couldn't afford to lose his starters at LB and Sutton at CB....Today's game really exposed the reasons why he made that statement.

I really hope we keep Bituli at LB and develop him there. I know you guys love Jumper, and Danielson had some very nice things to say about him today--but he is not SEC caliber!!! And neither are the rest of our LBs at this point....but Bituli truly has promise....Where is Gavin Bryant????

Shoop also spent a lot of time in preseason camp coaching our Safeties--and today's game showed why he invested his time back there--they simply are NOT GOOD ENOUGH to play with the Elite in this league.

24 and 22 do make some plays against lesser competition, but always get exposed against better players. Knight's long TD last week and Hurts running the ball at will and with ease against our D is a factor of both POOR LB and PATHETIC Safety play--and that's all there is to it!!! Gaulden is really the only player we have back there now that Sutton is injured.

5. Picou appeared to play well on DL, but what happened to Big Mac??? I didn't see him much on the field in the 2nd half...did he get hurt? Otherwise, I think we will be okay at DL.

6. OL needs a week to rest up and recover. I hope we can get Wiesman back in 2 weeks, and don't know what happened to Hall today--other than thinking he tried to play hurt because he was dominated, and that's not like him.

7. Yeah--I thought Debord stunk it up today....I have NO idea why he didn't keep our Offense in the 2-Back set with Hurd and Kamara on the field. We could've attacked Bama's OLBs consistently like we did on our first drive from that formation--ate up some clock....and ran some play action with throws across the middle and to the TEs more.

I will KEEP SCREAMING that we need to put Dobbs under center and run some off-set I formation to get some misdirection going and Dobbs on bootlegs to better utilize his, Hurd's, and Kamara's talents better. Bama is susceptible to misdirection, and they had 9 within 5-7 yds of the LOS all day looking to shut down those short curls and slants. You gotta make 'em pay by getting them running one way and throwing or running it back to their weak-side.

Winning out and getting to Atlanta and making an improved showing against Bama will go a LONG way in keeping our recruiting momentum going.

We hopefully will have enough talent in the 2-Deep by 2018 to make a legitimate run at the FINAL FOUR!

And, as Walter Cronkite used to say--that's the way it is!!!!

GO VOLS! Rest and heal up and get ready to FINISH STRONG!!! We all still behind this team 100% :salute:
 
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#3
#3
This team is hurting.........you can tell how stiff they look from the get go. Deborg did not scheme very well, the middle of the field was open, Dobbs kept throwing to his #1, 1st and 13 and he throw short.......he had time some of those downs, but he looked......hate to say this........but scared to make a mistake.
 
#4
#4
FlyFishnVol said:
This team is hurting.........you can tell how stiff they look from the get go. Deborg did not scheme very well, the middle of the field was open, Dobbs kept throwing to his #1, 1st and 13 and he throw short.......he had time some of those downs, but he looked......hate to say this........but scared to make a mistake.
Click to expand...

Dobbs still making some very immature and Freshman mistakes....I think Dobbs is second only to Manning in being a GREAT AMBASSADOR for the UT Volunteers....

But--he is not an elite QB, and he makes up his mind where he's gonna throw the ball before the snap and doesn't deviate.

aTm OT last week cost us, and pic-6 today was a stupid throw on his part...A sack on that play would've been a good play....the Screen pass just wasn't there. It wasn't his fault--as Debord called a very poor play (just like last week against aTm), but Dobbs made it much worse by not taking the sack. A punt is a still a very good play there.

I don't know why, but his intelligence in the classroom certainly hasn't translated to the field as a QB who can read defenses and make his progressions...and he was under a lot of pressure today, too.

I just wish he was as good at playing QB as he seems to be as a person--definitely LOVE THE KID, but he's an athlete playing QB....
 
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#6
#6
All hell will break loose if Jones doesn't finish 10-2, I'll tell you that. Still on course for it, but we just looked like a bad football team in every way today other than Kamara and Berry returning kicks. Unfortunately, we no longer have any control/say about who plays Bama in the SECCG since Florida is now in the driver's seat. Today was a giant step back for Butch and this program.....a good bit of the goodwill and equity he had built up over the last 3 weeks was lost today IMO.
 
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#8
#8
I suspect that many of them are like me, in that they realistically knew the odds weren't good for an upset and suspected a loss was coming. But they were not prepared to get rolled on our homefield by our oldest bitter rival. We lost last week but few were upset at all, because we threw the ball over 45 times and attacked the defense and played 2 OTs with a lot of heart.

Today.........sigh...who could be happy after a 39 point beatdown to Bama where we were getting stuffed with our run plays and refused to throw the ball downfield.

Then our QB tosses a 3 yard interception, seldom used his running skills, and continued this habit of throwing out passes to a lone receiver with no blockers who gets killed as soon as he catches the pitch.

No attempt to attack the defense. Instead just accept they were better and play as conservatively as possible. We'll just remind the fans of the many injuries and lie down for this one. The bye week and the softies are coming up. They won't care since it's Bama.

Yeah they will care because it was Bama. Vols don't quit on Bama. But today....I'm not pleased at all. Not because we lost so much as how badly we lost. Even on the scoreboard shows, they are saying we were embarrassed by Alabama today at Neyland. And we sure were.
 
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#9
#9
FlVols said:
OP what makes you think we will be in ATL? If UF wins out they will be in ATL. So sad.
Click to expand...

We were the WALKING DEAD on Defense today with ALL of our injuries! And having 2 WEEKS before our next game is gonna do wonders for our guys....

It's an extremely physical sport--and we just finished our TOUGHEST portion of our schedule.

Florida will NOT WIN OUT--NO WAY! My money is on a LOSS to LSU, but would not be surprised AT ALL if they don't lose to both Arky and UGA!

:salute:
 
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#10
#10
UT was bad today, rrally bad. not just get beat by Bama bad, but get beat by any SEC team bad. Sure, injuries, but I don't see this team getting magically healthy in one bye week. a whole new rash of fresh injuries today. literally have to replace your whole Oline. Robertson, Jones, Hall, Kendrick and Weisman all injured. I've never seen that happen, ever. That was your best functuning Oline and now, literally, every single one is injured. That's bat **** crazy.

defensively it's just as bad with KMAC going to locker room, to add to long list.

No way this team wins out under the's conditions.
 
#11
#11
KBVol said:
All hell will break loose if Jones doesn't finish 10-2, I'll tell you that. Still on course for it, but we just looked like a bad football team in every way today other than Kamara and Berry returning kicks. Unfortunately, we no longer have any control/say about who plays Bama in the SECCG since Florida is now in the driver's seat. Today was a giant step back for Butch and this program.....a good bit of the goodwill and equity he had built up over the last 3 weeks was lost today IMO.
Click to expand...

I would agree that we looked bad today in all phases of the game--but what did anyone really expect?

I expected us to get dominated and for Bama to put up 49 points on our Defense....I did think we would score a couple of TDs late to keep it to a 14 point loss, but I honestly predicted a Bama beat-down!

And, yes, I will go so far as to say that ANYONE who didn't see Bama's OFFENSIVE DOMINATION of our D today was just lost in the splendor of emotional dreamland!

Texas A&M put up almost 600 yds against us--and a lot of fools think that aTm is better than BAMA--again, wishful thinking.

Good will & Equity Lost????? Come on, KB....you're smarter than that....

I am old enough to remember back to the 1980 Bama game when EVERYONE who was a UT fan thought '80 was the year to end the streak....We had a 17-0 lead in Bham before losing to them in '79....but we had them at home in '80 and would surely win! But they beat the He&^% out of us 27-0....and we were still 2 years away from being able to beat them....Same as now!

This team is beaten to a pulp--almost EVERYWHERE on the field....Hall was hurt more than we thought, we finished with a True Freshman at RT. Kendrick got hurt--we've not had a steady and trustworthy OL for a complete game all year....

And--I know people hate me for saying it--but our LBs and Safeties are absolutely out-matched and not SEC caliber.

Alabama is #1 and defending NC for a REASON....and too many people have been reading ESPN and trying to dream up their vulnerability.....and that's just CRAP...

Whatever happened today will be wiped away when our team takes the time to rest and heal over the next two weeks...We will finish 10-2....and get to Atlanta....

And Florida will lose another SEC game, if not 2 more.

10-2, undefeated in the EAST, and getting to Atlanta were realistic goals for this team...and I expect us to finish strong!

What about you???
 
#12
#12
We all know that we are to the point in which we have depth,. The players believe that they can win and never quit. We are beating teams that we are predicted to beat. We are going to bowl games and winning. We are starting to put players in the N.F.L. We are beating teams that are in the top 25.. We can go to any living room and have a very good chance to recruit against FSU, TOSU, or Alabama.

WE ARE NOT YET TO TEH POINT IN WHICH WECAN BEAT TOP # 5 TEAMS YET. That is our next step in building the program.
Be patient. It will come.
 
#13
#13
maotai said:
When you are four years into a coaching tenure that is not a legitimate excuse but a cause for concern.
Click to expand...

If we can't at least keep it competitive with Alabama in year four, which we didn't, then our prospects for the next few years will be grim.
 
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#14
#14
Rudy123 said:
We all know that we are to the point in which we have depth

WE ARE NOT YET TO TEH POINT IN WHICH WECAN BEAT TOP # 5 TEAMS YET. That is our next step in building the program.
Be patient. It will come.
Click to expand...


NO--we are not at the point of having quality SEC depth except at RB, DE, and DT (and our depth at DT is thin!).

And that is why we are not yet to the point of being capable of beating top 5 teams--yet....

And I do agree, it will come, but not until 2018! :salute:
 
#16
#16
illinoisvolfan1 said:
We should win out. Florida will lose at least one. We are in Atlanta. Bama and aTm will be good game next week.
Click to expand...

Florida hung 40 on Mizzou,LSU was struggling against SMU for half the game, and Arkansas is about as spotty as it gets when it comes to offense.

I won't count Florida out in any of those games until they Tabor themselves into a loss.
 
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