What the heck is it with Mizzou?

#28
#28
Did you watch Missouri against West Virginia? It is a great question. How can they do it with garbage talent. I said this before, but it seems that the Vols have to have overwhelming talent to be good, while other programs do more with less. I just cannot buy the narrative that we have no talent. We have 2 obvious holes at QB and DL, but every team has weakness that they scheme around, we just don't/can't for some reason.
 
#29
#29
I don’t know that they have low expectations. I think they had a chip on their shoulder. That’s what I’d have. They came in to prove they belong and they did. I think that’s still their motivation.
Most programs that do have low expectations do play with chips on their shoulder. The admins of those schools might not expect much, but that doesn't mean the coaches and especially the players don't feel disrespected and play with an attitude.

Ever since they entered the SEC, I'm sure Pinkel and now Odom use the fact that a lot of people think they don't "belong" as a motivational tactic.
 
#30
#30
Did you watch Missouri against West Virginia? It is a great question. How can they do it with garbage talent. I said this before, but it seems that the Vols have to have overwhelming talent to be good, while other programs do more with less. I just cannot buy the narrative that we have no talent. We have 2 obvious holes at QB and DL, but every team has weakness that they scheme around, we just don't/can't for some reason.
Our lack of talent explains why we can't beat Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

It doesn't explain why we have lost 5 of the last 7 to Vandy, are 2-6 against Mizzou since they entered the SEC, or cannot consistently beat South Carolina. We do not have less talent than those teams.
 
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#31
#31
For reference - since entering the SEC Mizzou is 55-39 (28-29) with a couple East titles. Their level of performance is pretty uneven (2 great seasons, 3 bad seasons, 2 pretty good seasons) but that is really to be expected. They've certainly done better in the SEC that I thought they would, and they might be the most disrespected program in all of CFB.
 
#32
#32
They rarely recruit even modestly elite. Yet they perform. How tf can we not even match them? Odom was a DC in Memphis. The answer is he was given time. And I guess he took knowledge from Pinkel. Wtf can’t we be like them?
MHHO is that they hired from within instead of starting over from scratch with new coaches and "systems". If we had done this with the Fulmer regime - hired an HC from the existing staff - I believe we wouldn't be in the turmoil we have been in over the past decade +.
 
#33
#33
Mizzou just being Mizzou. They will soon beat someone they shouldn't then get beat by Kentucky. With NCAA punishment they have to be happy with the proverbial spoiler role. But they are good at it.
 
#35
#35
Did you watch Missouri against West Virginia? It is a great question. How can they do it with garbage talent. I said this before, but it seems that the Vols have to have overwhelming talent to be good, while other programs do more with less. I just cannot buy the narrative that we have no talent. We have 2 obvious holes at QB and DL, but every team has weakness that they scheme around, we just don't/can't for some reason.

I wouldn't say Missouri has 'garbage' talent. We are made up of mostly 3 star talent, that is not too bad. We have a few 2/1 stars that the staff thinks are diamonds in the rough and, if we are lucky, 1 or 2 4/5 stars. That is our typical recruiting class. Not elite level but definitely something a talented staff can work with.

After that we just develop the hell out of our players for 4-5 years. It is a system started by Pinkel, and continues with Odom. Pinkel is famous for saying he doesn't even look at the stars and doesn't care. He simply goes after his players.

UT needs to stop obsessing about recruiting stars and get a dedicated coach that can put together an actual program instead of hiring the hottest name on the coaching carousel for that year. Pick a guy with intelligence, honor, and hard work values and stick with him for 3-4 years.

Remember, Mizzou stuck with Pinkel for 5 years before he finally started winning! That is unheard of today. He even lost a road game against Troy in his 4th season!! Pick a guy you can really believe in and stick with the sucker.
 
#36
#36
Depth. Quality depth and development.

Our 1s may be more talented but we arent deep at all. Theirs have experience, S&C and development at their spot Ours are typically guys playing out of position. They have LBs that only play LB, guards that are only guards.

How often have we heard that UT is just trying to get the best guys on the field. We have guards that were tackles, lbs that were rbs, d line that played o line for a season, etc etc. Cant expect guys to get things down pat when they get shifted around.

You cant just roll a ball out in front of some "more talented players" and win. Look at our BBall team. Other teams had more talent, but we were a better team. Guys playing specific rolls, we suffered when our one bigs was out and someone had to step out of their roll. Now multiply that to the football team.

I think the recruiting limits puts a big hamper on teams to dig themselves out. You literally cant fix being ten guys short in one or two classes. At least UT cant get away with it, others do but I dont understand it
 
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#37
#37
I wouldn't say Missouri has 'garbage' talent. We are made up of mostly 3 star talent, that is not too bad. We have a few 2/1 stars that the staff thinks are diamonds in the rough and, if we are lucky, 1 or 2 4/5 stars. That is our typical recruiting class. Not elite level but definitely something a talented staff can work with.

After that we just develop the hell out of our players for 4-5 years. It is a system started by Pinkel, and continues with Odom. Pinkel is famous for saying he doesn't even look at the stars and doesn't care. He simply goes after his players.

UT needs to stop obsessing about recruiting stars and get a dedicated coach that can put together an actual program instead of hiring the hottest name on the coaching carousel for that year. Pick a guy with intelligence, honor, and hard work values and stick with him for 3-4 years.

Remember, Mizzou stuck with Pinkel for 5 years before he finally started winning! That is unheard of today. He even lost a road game against Troy in his 4th season!! Pick a guy you can really believe in and stick with the sucker.
Pinkel at least showed you something before he "made it." Inherited a 3-8 team. Went 4-7, 5-7, then 8-5. That's steady progress.

Only the most deluded Tennessee fans thought Pruitt was going to win 9 games this year. What the fans want to see is an upward trajectory. This team is worse than last year, which is disconcerting.
 
#39
#39
It was smooth in the sense he was coming after a guy retiring that had things running smooth. Not taking over from a firing.
I remember how the players reacted when Odom was introduced to the team. They all wanted him to have the job. It kept the team together.
 
#40
#40
Stability. Period. I would rather have a 3 star kid at every position on the field except QB,RB, and no1 WR that was redshirted and has 3 years in a college SnC program that high 4 stars that are forced to start as freshmen like we have. They know where to be and when. Every play. They dont have to think...they react. They know the playbook inside and out (we have brand new offensive AND defensive coordinators) Misery will beat the brakes off of us this year...again...with a team full of young men. 21yo on average starting. CJP has put real talent on campus everywhere we needed to except QB...ibsaid last year that he hit our needs better with his class than any in probably the last 15 years...but they are all new. They are 18yo kids with less than a year of college SnC...and they dont even have their playbooks down. It shows...badly.

Make no mistake though...Crouch, Gray, Harrison, Thompson, Taylor, and BOTH of our freshmen 5 star OTs....EVERY single one of them has NFL talent. Watch. But they are just kids. They are lost. It shows. Misery will destroy us because the rest of the team isnt very good at all...and we have zero depth.

The real question is: can CJP hold this team together long enough to get ANOTHER top 15 class on campus? To address the obvious holes we have? Can he get 2 more? Will the fans let him? The admin???

He needs 2 more. At least. 2 more classes like the 1 we signed last year and we will have a top 15 or top 20 team to match the recruiting classes. We need depth. Bad. Everywhere. We also need new starters at safety, OlB, somebody good at ILB besides Bituli and Crouch...another cover corner, a nickleback, interior OL, etc etc etc...

Will CJP get the time?

Next question...anybody here still doubt that Dooley is a good offensive coach? We hung 40 on everybody the whole time he was here. Problem was our defense was terrible. Now his offense at misery scores 40 a game. He is a weirdo...but he can score.
 

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