Vols Chances in 2007

#129
#129
I think our chances next year are as good as any East Team. We will have to most playmakers. We just need our lines to step up.
 
#132
#132
At the beginning of this year, I said the season depended on Ainge. If he had stayed healthy, I believe UT, not LSU, would have clocked ND in the Sugar Bowl.

That said, UT lost to PSU for two reasons. Foster's fumbles and the fact that PSU dominated the bubble. The Vol DT's were undersized due primarily to the loss of Harrell but because of a known lack of depth too. The run game which had been poor all year looked better but Foster put it on the ground leading to 10 PSU points and preventing 7 by UT... a 17 point swing. The game could have and should have been 20-10 the other way without the TO's or worse. It would have been much worse without the 50-100 lb advantage their OL had against the DT's. The D couldn't get off the field.

I know Mitchell was a hero to alot of folks here but he was blocked all day and offered virtually no resistance to the run game.

What are the Vols chances?

They need to find 2 WR's that can catch and block. The TE's will take up the slack from there.

They need a rotation of 4 DT's with size and strength and a MLB that plays with a really bad attitude at 240 to 250 rather than the light weights they normally have.

Ainge should be good. The OL, in spite of the nega's here, is very young and will develop into a very good unit. The OLB's are among the best in the country and the DB's should be better than the Vols have historically had with Hefney, Fellows, Morley, Gaines, Kemp, Wardlow, plus Berry and a bunch of other athletic recruits. The JUCO Willingham looks like a guy who can make a contribution.

I still think Foster needs to become a FB but he will probably fade behind a healthy Coker/Hardesty rotation anyway. The run game's improvement will be the like Ainge this year. Night and day.

In case you missed the Army game, Berry played the part of Santa... he was everywhere. The West ripped the East secondary but threw away from Berry all day.

Bottom line: If UT finds at least 2 good WR's and 2 or 3 serviceable subs and the right DT's and MLB's to stop the run, they'll be a 10 win team... and there is enough material for the coaches to have it done by August.

If I were king, this would be Fulmer's last shot... and I like the guy. I don't particularly blame him for Foster putting it on the ground twice or the Ainge and Harrell injuries except that the lack of DT depth was a known problem. However, next year's team will be as talented as any in the conference except possibly LSU if Russell returns. Everyone else is upgrading at coach. CPF needs to prove he belongs or Hamilton needs to find him a desk to sit behind- offering him the opportunity to graciously bow out for "health reasons" or something.
 
#133
#133
sjt18 said:
However, next year's team will be as talented as any in the conference except possibly LSU if Russell returns.
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Russell has declared for the NFL draft. Florida will once again be very talented, albeit inexperienced in some key positions.

A pretty good analysis, sjt, in my opinion. I would only add that 1) I am more concerned with the young OL developing than our DL stepping up, and 2) I still think Foster is a better back than Hardesty, but that should be a matter of who gets the carries when Coker is spelled.
 
#134
#134
Unless both lines are a large amount better, we will have the same number of fire fulmer discussions next year as on January 2nd.
 
#135
#135
tvolsfan said:
Who will be throwing the ball to next year?

We will be ok, not great.
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That is one of the magic questions.

If out of that large, talented group, at least two guys step up big then UT will be great offensively. They played very talented, young guys along the line this year. If they are dedicated to offseason development, they have alot of potential to improve. Player development from recruit to Sr isn't linear, it is an exponential curve. Huge gains can be made the first couple of years in strength and size. After that, it becomes less.

To answer the point earlier about what everyone else will be doing, some like Cal and Arkansas will be rebuilding. Cal isn't having a particularly good recruiting year to help either. Arkansas' internal problems along with some pretty significant line losses have them on the verge of implosion. They will lose 5 of their top 10 OL's off the depth chart plus their TE. The RB's got the credit but the holes were there this year.

Some teams will be developing like UT. But some will be plateauing with Jr/Sr laden line ups.

UT has young players with experience that need physical development to become great at RB and OL. Some of the teams they'll face have players who are close to potential physically. UGA's backs are close to maxed out and will be SR's running behind a rebuilt OL.

Rivals has everyone's depth chart. I don't see anyone on a more favorable place on the curve than UT in the SEC. Even USC loses OL. UGA loses OL's. UF loses OL's, QB, and WR's on O plus their best DL.
 
#136
#136
cotton said:
Russell has declared for the NFL draft. Florida will once again be very talented, albeit inexperienced in some key positions.

I would only add that 1) I am more concerned with the young OL developing than our DL stepping up, and 2) I still think Foster is a better back than Hardesty, but that should be a matter of who gets the carries when Coker is spelled.
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If the recruit rankings mean anything at all, UT is far more talented in their young OL's than DL's. I look for McNeil to be a standout in particular.

Hardesty was coming off a significant leg injury but has much more raw talent than Foster. Foster is too slow to play TB in the SEC.
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