We should not lose more than two.....

#1
Fine Vol

Fine Vol

Go Vols
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#1
With Ainge coming back and a great Coker and company and a good set of recievers, I think we should not drop more than two games next season. Is it wrong to have high expectations and think there is a problem if we lose more than two games next year.
 
#2
#2
no, but the two games we lose could determine where the Vols end up in the post season. Another loss to UF will effectively keep UT out of the SECCG barring a major letdown by Meyer and Company.

Going to Cal to start the season is going to be tough. That game and UF stand out as two very losable games.
 
#3
#3
Depends on who is reading this, but I don't see a problem with it! Now if you were asking me if I thought its going to happen, well lets save that for later, I am pretty sure we will have plenty of oppritunities!
 
#4
#4
I don't think Arkansas will be a pushover next year... don't forget about McFadden probably coming back.. along with an improved Mustain at QB.
 
#5
#5
"A good set of receivers"??? You can't be serious! It's unlikely we'll have Smith or Meachem back, much less both. We'll have starting receivers who have never started in the SEC. So we have inexperienced receivers.

We will still have questions on the OL, DL, and DB.

I see 2-4 losses right now, and a lot can change. My expectations will be an SEC Title however, since it's been a while.
 
#6
#6
Rather than a specific number of losses, my expectation is that we will not get whipped on both sides of the line of scrimmage, as happened in three games this year, and we will not look totally unprepared to play, as happened against Arkansas. We need to have a credible running attack and be able to stop the run if we're going to compete for SEC championships; my expectation is that both of those areas will have been addressed by next fall. If we do that, the win-loss record should take care of itself.
 
#7
#7
finevol said:
With Ainge coming back and a great Coker and company and a good set of recievers, I think we should not drop more than two games next season. Is it wrong to have high expectations and think there is a problem if we lose more than two games next year.
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We will need production from a young receiving corps to help Ainge make a difference. And...Coker looked good but so did Foster year before last. I will have to wait until next year's practices before I will even posit a guess.
 
#10
#10
i remember going into this season predicting an sec east title, but thinking more along the lines of 4 losses, and we did a little better than i thought. so next year i see maybe 2 losses. hopefully i will have a slight surprise in store again.
 
#11
#11
remember going into this season predicting an sec east title, but thinking more along the lines of 4 losses, and we did a little better than i thought. so next year i see maybe 2 losses. hopefully i will have a slight surprise in store again.
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A good surprise at that.
 
#12
#12
Coach Cutt learned from his mistake, which was having Ainge only prepared. Instead he will have all 3 quarterbacks prepared to play. I love Johnathan Crompton's swagger. I love EA 's confidence. The OL is the biggest question as well as The DL. We all are screaming about Mayo, in which he is a good LB, but once Mccoy becomes comfortable, watch out ! The WR position is in limbo, hopefully THE NCAA will grant Brett Smith another year but if not, time for the puppies to step up. Once again that brings the OL into question, if we need to run the ball more effiectively if the WR's are too inexperienced. However, under Troop's helm I think the WR's will be fine.
 
#13
#13
tango said:
I don't think Arkansas will be a pushover next year... don't forget about McFadden probably coming back.. along with an improved Mustain at QB.
Click to expand...

Maybe we need to start a new thread . . . about why McFadden should leave early for the NFL
:)
 
#16
#16
finevol said:
With Ainge coming back and a great Coker and company and a good set of recievers, I think we should not drop more than two games next season. Is it wrong to have high expectations and think there is a problem if we lose more than two games next year.
Click to expand...

If one of those 2 is to Florida, UT probably isn't playing for the SEC CG. If UT loses to FL and GA or Ark it could be the Outback Bowl again. Got to love the BCS Bowl system.
 
#17
#17
I got slammed early saying that the Vols should win 10+ this year if Ainge played like his last name started with an "M". He did. I believe at least one of the last two losses if not both would have been "w's" had he played or as someone mentioned Crompton had been getting real time reps... which I also was scoffed at for saying should happen back at the beginning of the season while we debated what Cut should to at QB.

That said, here's what I see. I see Mapu, Bolden, Mitchell, and Ayers being one of the most dominating front fours in the conference. LB's will be improved over this year which means very good. The secondary will not likely be flashy but depth of experience with Morley, Heffney, Fellows (?), Gaines, Cannon, Johnson, Kemp, Greene, Parrish, and Wardlow... plus possibly Berry and the JUCO kid from CA, the cupboard isn't exactly bare.

Punting will be great. Kicking? I don't know.'

Offensively, I think Meachem is more of a mystery than many of us thought he would or should be. IMO, he shouldn't even consider coming back but apparently he is. He leaves a huge hole. If Smith has another year of eligibility then he should return... he probably won't be drafted. Swain is actually a key too because of leadership. The WR corps could be a weakness unless O'Neal is as good as resume suggests and someone else steps up.

TE's could be the best UT has seen with the Cottams.

I look for the running game to return in force. Coker is for real and Hardesty will be fully recovered. I suspect you'll have to be able to see their number to tell them apart. I expected greater things from Foster but IMO he should be made a FB. He has neither the quickness nor speed to outrun SEC LB's carrying the ball. There will be room for a Fr to be that third back either way.

QB should be solid once the receivers catch up.

Bottom line, the question marks are at WR and PK and DL depth. The defense should be much better and far more consistent. The offense will be more balanced and effective running it.

There are tough games but the schedule is the most favorable it will be for some time. Cal on the road will be a challenge but UT should win. They lose key players on defense and Lynch will probably declare for the draft.

UF won by defense this year. The secondary will lose several Sr's. They lose DL's and possibly LB's to the NFL. Siler and Moss could come out and like Meachem probably should. They should not be nearly as good.

On offense, they lose all of their top WR's except for Harvin... and they didn't have a RB to lose. It is difficult to say how much offense they can generate with their only experience being with one WR/RB and Tebow.

They lose both of their kickers.

I look for UF to be off and for UGA to rise again.

That said and to finish up the schedule point, all the rest of UT's most risky games are at home... and they play neither LSU or Auburn.

It is very reasonable to say that if Meachem comes back or the WR's develop quickly that UT should be the SEC favorite with a better than average opportunity to run the table.
 
#19
#19
oklavol said:
If one of those 2 is to Florida, UT probably isn't playing for the SEC CG. If UT loses to FL and GA or Ark it could be the Outback Bowl again. Got to love the BCS Bowl system.
Click to expand...

Right. A UT team that loses to the two good teams in its division should be headed for BCS bowl.
 
#21
#21
I missed the OL. Look for McNeil's name to start being cast about for awards. PT and development should pay off big time with Foster, Scott, Parker, Jones, Young, Frogg, and McClendon all coming back with a experience and an off-season to work.

I was optimistic this year and wasn't disappointed except for the Ainge injury and the question marks that left on the season. I've seen people say that UT wouldn't have beaten Arkansas anyway... I've even suggested it. But on further reflection, I can't say that keeping the ball wouldn't have prevented a couple of Ark scores in the first half. The second half was a defensive repeat of the UGA game. They shut them down.

LSU was winnable.
 
#23
#23
rockydoc said:
3-4 losses, possibly 5 with major end of year changes
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That sounds like either unrealistic negativism or else wishful thinking by a Fulmer hater.

If Cut stays and injuries don't mount up, it is very, very unlikely that UT loses more than 2 games with next year's schedule.
 
#25
#25
exotic_vols said:
3 or maybe even 4 is reasonable
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By what rationale? They have a very favorable schedule. Their two most challenging road games are against teams that lose several key players... and the only place UT will have even the possibility of appreciable drop off from the team that played most of this season is OT and possibly WR.

Every other place they come back with more experience, more talent, or both.
 
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