We’ve got to get past the idea

[hUTch2002]

Right!!

All one has to do is look at how many 3 star players are balling out in the College Football Playoff every season...oh wait...

Alabama’s roster and the handful of teams with more 4 and 5 star talent than 3 star talent are the exception. Plenty of 3 star players turn into All Americans and All Conference players.

 

[hUTch2002]

There were plenty of teams with worse rosters who played better teams and had much better showings this weekend than Tennessee.

Who do you have in mind? App St played Penn St tough but I think PSU is taking a big step back this year having lost Barkley and several defensive starters. We will have to wait and see on that part. So that’s one. Who else?

 

[Sin City Vol]

Did Kongbo play?

He had 1 tackle

 

[Remy]

Just a random thought, but, I'm blaming Kiffin for the loser mentality. Kids are tough and can take a loss, but rejection can instill a cancerous self-doubt that even though a whole bodies-worth of cells have been replenished (new players). Kiffin rejected this team. All the other coaches got rejected. It's bad mojo, which is the more appropriate technical term. But, what do I know? I thought we could beat WV.

Kiffin took a shaky Vol QB, two walkons starting on his OL, down to Tuscaloosa and had the Crimson Tide puckered to the last play of that game. Instilling confidence and a "loser mentality" cannot be laid at Kiffin's feet while he was at UT. He produced other issues but not those two.

 

[peaygolf]

From 97-07 (10yrs) Bama had three 10 win seasons and a lot of bad yrs.
From 07-17 (10yrs) UT has had one 10 win and two 9 win seasons an a lot of bad yrs.

Things can change and get better quickly....with the right Coach. I think CJP is the right coach, just needs the right players, which he will get.

 

[lifeVol]

I remember reading an article about when Fuente took over the Memphis job. He was shocked by the lack of discipline and the terrible attitudes. It took him a year to change the culture and bring in better kids, and then he got them rolling.

I have no idea if that's the case here or no, but it wouldn't surprise me. Fitz supposedly gets after them. Pruitt and his staff seem like hard-nosed football guys. I think we will see improvement in each game. I will judge this staff by improvement this year. Results next year

Agree...and we might see a few defections when those who have had it easy lose their starting positions to up and comers...so be it...Butch obviously did not know nor develop talent hence the Kamaras of the NFL showing up right after leaving his wing

 

[njvols]

that all of our former 4-star recruits are SEC caliber. I don’t want to call any names, but there are several familiar names on our roster who haven’t been consistent playmakers and many of us (myself included) have been holding out hope that they’d turn into SEC talents. We were wrong

Doesn't mean we can't improve and win some SEC games this year. Our roster is no less talented than Miz, Ky, Vandy, and probably on even par w/ UF. If we three of those and close out our other non conference games, we'll be bowl eligible. That's my minimum expectation.

 

[photovol]

that all of our former 4-star recruits are SEC caliber. I don’t want to call any names, but there are several familiar names on our roster who haven’t been consistent playmakers and many of us (myself included) have been holding out hope that they’d turn into SEC talents. We were wrong

Tennessee, the place where 4 and 5 star players, shed their stars

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

I don't buy into the loser mentality canard. The young men who make the roster are basically seasoned, semi-pro athletes. All of these men have experienced success at the individual and/or team level. They know what giving maximum effort feels like and they all want to give their best and win. Motivational techniques such as orange dogs and turnover trashcans have their place to generate bursts of excitement, but our players are not a bunch of delicate snowflakes who require some sort of mental makeover to know how to play to win.

This isn't directed at any certain post or poster. I just want us to focus on tangible, identifiable facts if we're going to analyze why we're not winning.

 

[KCMOTIGERS]

Doesn't mean we can't improve and win some SEC games this year. Our roster is no less talented than Miz, Ky, Vandy, and probably on even par w/ UF. If we three of those and close out our other non conference games, we'll be bowl eligible. That's my minimum expectation.

I don't see how our rosters are the same.

Tennessee doesn't have anybody like Lock, Hall, or Okwuegbunam, and their offensive line isn't on par with Mizzou

Both defenses are somewhat poor, though

 

[46yrvol]

I think most people have the wrong perception when it comes to assessing the talent of their team. The saying " your only as strong as your weakest link" comes to mind. The defense has a hole in it for the most part. That being the secondary. The missing link on offense as of now, is on the o-line. Skill positions are pretty loaded and this offense will take off if that hole is filled. So, over all, one person will see positions were we are loaded and say "this is a talented team". While on the other hand, another person sees the couple of gaping holes and thinks were talentless. Neither is correct, you have to have continuity.

 

[stevenrich2003]

Deduct half a star for every year under Lyle's tutelage and you would be really close to their actual rating.

this is about right!

 

[Jack Burton]

From 97-07 (10yrs) Bama had three 10 win seasons and a lot of bad yrs.
From 07-17 (10yrs) UT has had one 10 win and two 9 win seasons an a lot of bad yrs.

Things can change and get better quickly....with the right Coach. I think CJP is the right coach, just needs the right players, which he will get.

The SEC is more competitive now than it has ever been. Harder to rebuild now than ever. To make it happen you need a shot in the arm either with a premier coaching hire that generates enthusiasm, or a big upset or two showcasing the new coaches talents. We don’t have either yet.

Without them it’s a long rebuild. If Pruitt can show he’s the right guy he will have all the time he needs to make it happen. We just have to wait 4 or 5 years ugh.

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

Kiffin took a shaky Vol QB, two walkons starting on his OL, down to Tuscaloosa and had the Crimson Tide puckered to the last play of that game. Instilling confidence and a "loser mentality" cannot be laid at Kiffin's feet while he was at UT. He produced other issues but not those two.

That's fine in the moment. I'm talking about after, as I said. Rejection by a coach that the team had to swallow and embrace after losing their beloved coach.

 

[Rooster1]

Exactly, every week of every college football season you see teams with only 2 and a couple of 3 stars play way better than us. No difference yesterday than if Butch was still here.

I posted this on another thread, seems applicable to this conversation....


“You can already see the diff in his recruiting vs the Jones era. Diff type players, Stars be damned, and I follow recruiting closely in the SEC. Pruitt is building a new recruiting philosophy and its more like Aub and Bama type players. He looks past everything but the intangibles like height, weight, athleticism, speed and FB playing prowess. You can find a bunch of diamonds doing that if you know what to look for, seems he does. Muschamp recruits the same way, he gets his occasional 5 star at SC, but the 4 and 3 star kids he gets are gamers in spite of the rankings. Once you get them it’s all about development and if that is done right, these types are every bit as good as the ones ranked over them. I think both Pruitt and Muschamp look for same intangibles and it’s why they have been going h2h on many recruits.”

Now I know most on this site think lowly of Muschamp, and he deserves some of that criticism for how he handled the offense at UF. But that son of a gun does not miss on many recruits. I have witnessed three years of his recruiting up close at S.C. now and his evaluations are rock solid. He and Pruitt fight for many of the same players so they have similar outlooks on talent and evaluation. And though I can’t say for certain yet that Pruitt will be a top notch developer of talent, all the signs are there. Same with Muschamp, he has an amazing track record developing players up. Hopefully for S.C. sake, he has turned a leaf with offensive philosophy.

 

[BeecherVol]

it is rare that players come into programs at the D-1 level and play at their high school rating level. They have to be developed, even if a 5 star. Few are SEC players the day they sign. It takes months of coaching to begin the evolution to SEC player... the staff the last five years failed to develop and actually coaches players into even lower level of talent.. the quicker approach for the current staff could be the players they bring in producing rather than trying to rehab or develop most of returning players

If you re top loaded with a lot of JRs and SRs yes.

1st and 2nd year guys are a different story.

 

[wmcovol]

Anyone still wearing orange and claiming to be a Vol fan after the last 10 yrs is a damn true Vol fan. Frustrated? Yeah but loyal. The front runners left some time ago.

 

[KBVol]

Out fan base sucks. We disrespect our players and give them reason to doubt themselves. Do your job as fans stop worrying about ecred. I see a guy post he tsreb 8-4 and some dozen replies NO WAY 7-6 st best. Some stupid stupid posts like that every day This generation is so dumb desperate for ecred they lower our expectations every year and our players live up to it. These are kids and that’s parenting 101. We became a powerhouse because we had fan support. Even when Alabama sucked in the 90s they still expected 10 wins. Do your job as fans and support the team. We have the talent but they have no confidence cause every day they read here our fans saying the suck. Our fans are killing the program.

This is utter nonsense and 1000% bull shiite. As former player Jayson Swain said on his show just last week, what the fans do or don’t say on message boards or radio programs doesn’t have one freaking thing to do with any outcome of any game at any time. It’s all about players executing, doing their jobs.....and not one damn thing Frank from Leiper’s Fork says on Vol Calls is ever gonna have any influence whatsoever on how the players play and execute or the outcome of the game. The players are too consumed with work and preparation each week to give a rat’s ass what’s written on VN. All they know is the incredible, undying support they get/see at the Vol Walk and from the 102k+ in Neyland Stadium 7-8 times a year....despite the majority of the teams they’re on playing like complete horse ish the last 10-12 years.

And here’s a bit of irony for you....once the players start actually doing their jobs well, start executing and playing the requisite effort and focus to win that’s being taught to them by the coaches, they’ll start winning games.....and Frank from Leiper’s fork or Barry from Bucksnort will actually get on forums like VN or call into Vol Calls and say nothing but complimentary things, over and over again. See how it works?

 

[Power T-Rev]

I think I saw him playing rock, paper, scissors with the down and distance marker.

He was eating an ice cream cone on the sidelines

 

[ochocinco]

Home field advantage is a proven fact and it’s connected to fan support. Facts. Fan support affects performance. Facts.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Alabama’s roster and the handful of teams with more 4 and 5 star talent than 3 star talent are the exception. Plenty of 3 star players turn into All Americans and All Conference players.

Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State. Those are the teams that have more 4 and 5* than 3*. Now, between those teams, how many national championships do they have? Yes, 3* players can become great players. But the numbers dont lie, you have to have the studs to win championships. If that werent the case, you would be seeing teams like TCU and Kansas State winning NCs.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Home field advantage is a proven fact and it’s connected to fan support. Facts. Fan support affects performance. Facts.

UT has one of the best fanbases in the country when it comes to supporting the team. We have seen almost nothing but pure garbage since Fulmer. Yet you continue to see fans pack Neyland. I mean we packed Neyland during Doofus, a guy considered as one of the worst hires of all time.

 

[hUTch2002]

Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State. Those are the teams that have more 4 and 5* than 3*. Now, between those teams, how many national championships do they have? Yes, 3* players can become great players. But the numbers dont lie, you have to have the studs to win championships. If that werent the case, you would be seeing teams like TCU and Kansas State winning NCs.

I’ll take being TCU right now. Eventually it would be great to win the NC again but we have 1 in the last 65+ years. I remember in 2005 we had a team full of 4s and 5s and couldn’t find someone to freaking stop Cutler and throwing to one WR over and over on a game winning drive to seal our losing record. You are right of course when it comes to winning it all but I’ll take winning the East as a start. A good coach, which hopefully we have, can work wonders. Mike Leach had a bunch of nobodies one play away from playing for a NC at Texas Tech.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

Alabama’s roster and the handful of teams with more 4 and 5 star talent than 3 star talent are the exception. Plenty of 3 star players turn into All Americans and All Conference players.

The exception being they play for championships. The teams full of 3 stars dont.