I've seen a lot of praise for Arkansas today, even though they have 2 conference wins in the last 2 years. The talk is how being patient
is tthe key to getting a program to a powerhouse. The media is on board, the school, now the fans. We've gotten a little hype from the media, but nothing like Arkansas. I know they beat better teams, but my point is why can't we understand it takes time? Especially the shape Tennessee was in.
I've seen a lot of praise for Arkansas today, even though they have 2 conference wins in the last 2 years. The talk is how being patient
is tthe key to getting a program to a powerhouse. The media is on board, the school, now the fans. We've gotten a little hype from the media, but nothing like Arkansas. I know they beat better teams, but my point is why can't we understand it takes time? Especially the shape Tennessee was in.
If you watch Arkansas play the team has an offensive and defensive identity. There is nothing gimmicky or soft about their offense and their defense has caught up with the offense from a toughness standpoint. They just destroyed LSU and Ole Miss while the only decent win we have is against a South Carolina team that is pretty bad.
If you watch Arkansas play the team has an offensive and defensive identity. There is nothing gimmicky or soft about their offense and their defense has caught up with the offense from a toughness standpoint. They just destroyed LSU and Ole Miss while the only decent win we have is against a South Carolina team that is pretty bad.
LSU is a middle of the road team, and that isn't the same Ole Miss team we played earlier in the year.
LSU is a middle of the road team, and that isn't the same Ole Miss team we played earlier in the year.
Biggest difference between Chaney now and Chaney when he was here is that Chaney now has two very good RBs and some very good blocking TEs. They simply pound the ball over and over again. They play old school football. Chaney has provided them with an identity as you stated, and it's working very well for them. People forget that they about beat Texas A&M as well. They have played most teams very close this year. I was very surprised to see how good they looked when I watched them last week.
Solid post. Very well said..I think the point Butch keeps trying to make, and I keep mentioning with our alum group here when we watch games is, we'd like to be in a position where we don't have to play true Freshman, really at most any position, especially in the trenches. Anyone using Barnett as a rebuttal, come one. I love him. He's a fantastic talent with a great motor. You have a guy like that, and how can you not put him on the field? Well, if you have former 4 and 5* Jr/Sr DL'men, that's how. That's what Butch wants. He wants 18yo kids developing with off-season conditioning to get the bodies of SEC men during the season, while his team of RS Freshmen, Sophomores, Jrs, and Srs goes out and wins f'ing football games.
Take a look around the SEC. Take a look around the nation, any conference, any team, even mid-majors. No one is playing 23 Freshmen in the 2-deep. No one is starting 7 Freshmen in a game. UGa, UF, Bama, etc, they may have 1-2 standouts that are freakish enough to play/start/contribute as true Freshman because they are simply just too good to keep off the field, a la Eric Berry in '07 (do I have the year correct?). Other than that, you're not going to see many. Even Winston redshirted a year, and he was one of the most heralded recruits in the nation that year. That's called depth, and it takes program development to get to that point.
Arkansas had their crapshow a little further in their rearview mirror before Bielema arrived (the goofy guy who lost almost all his games was only one year, and didn't kick a bunch of players off the team a la Kiffin), so they didn't have attrition and depth issues that we did. People need to make like Aaron Rodgers and RELAX. What happened with the UT program is a bit of a special case. Not many teams had to endure waning talent leading up to '07, followed by 4 tumultuous bungled years of poor development and attrition to lead us to the point where we have to hang all our hopes this season largely on the performance of an entire Freshman class...all the while replacing all starters on both sides of the OL and DL (seriously, can anyone remember a team ever, any team ever, that that's happened to?? Seriously, maybe I'll even google it)!! We really have fought hard to even be in the spot we're in now. Next year will be twentysome more Freshman contributors, and more growing pains. '16 and '17 is where we will see the fruits of this timing-wise. We'll have upperclassmen out there who've been entrenched in this workman-like culture. And the new young studs, well they can redshirt and watch Barnett as a Jr go out and lay waste to opponent OL's while Sutton (if he's still around as a Sr) swats everything in sight like Darrelle Revis.
Can I get a hell yeah for that?
I've seen a lot of praise for Arkansas today, even though they have 2 conference wins in the last 2 years. The talk is how being patient
is tthe key to getting a program to a powerhouse. The media is on board, the school, now the fans. We've gotten a little hype from the media, but nothing like Arkansas. I know they beat better teams, but my point is why can't we understand it takes time? Especially the shape Tennessee was in.
How many SEC championships has Arkansas won in the past?
How many first rounders?
How many Nat'l titles within the past 20 years?
We are Tennessee, not Arkansas. Traditionally we have been the superior program. It sucks that now we are on their level, or as some suggest below them.
I think the point Butch keeps trying to make, and I keep mentioning with our alum group here when we watch games is, we'd like to be in a position where we don't have to play true Freshman, really at most any position, especially in the trenches. Anyone using Barnett as a rebuttal, come one. I love him. He's a fantastic talent with a great motor. You have a guy like that, and how can you not put him on the field? Well, if you have former 4 and 5* Jr/Sr DL'men, that's how. That's what Butch wants. He wants 18yo kids developing with off-season conditioning to get the bodies of SEC men during the season, while his team of RS Freshmen, Sophomores, Jrs, and Srs goes out and wins f'ing football games.
Take a look around the SEC. Take a look around the nation, any conference, any team, even mid-majors. No one is playing 23 Freshmen in the 2-deep. No one is starting 7 Freshmen in a game. UGa, UF, Bama, etc, they may have 1-2 standouts that are freakish enough to play/start/contribute as true Freshman because they are simply just too good to keep off the field, a la Eric Berry in '07 (do I have the year correct?). Other than that, you're not going to see many. Even Winston redshirted a year, and he was one of the most heralded recruits in the nation that year. That's called depth, and it takes program development to get to that point.
Arkansas had their crapshow a little further in their rearview mirror before Bielema arrived (the goofy guy who lost almost all his games was only one year, and didn't kick a bunch of players off the team a la Kiffin), so they didn't have attrition and depth issues that we did. People need to make like Aaron Rodgers and RELAX. What happened with the UT program is a bit of a special case. Not many teams had to endure waning talent leading up to '07, followed by 4 tumultuous bungled years of poor development and attrition to lead us to the point where we have to hang all our hopes this season largely on the performance of an entire Freshman class...all the while replacing all starters on both sides of the OL and DL (seriously, can anyone remember a team ever, any team ever, that that's happened to?? Seriously, maybe I'll even google it)!! We really have fought hard to even be in the spot we're in now. Next year will be twentysome more Freshman contributors, and more growing pains. '16 and '17 is where we will see the fruits of this timing-wise. We'll have upperclassmen out there who've been entrenched in this workman-like culture. And the new young studs, well they can redshirt and watch Barnett as a Jr go out and lay waste to opponent OL's while Sutton (if he's still around as a Sr) swats everything in sight like Darrelle Revis.
Can I get a hell yeah for that?
How many SEC championships has Arkansas won in the past?
How many first rounders?
How many Nat'l titles within the past 20 years?
We are Tennessee, not Arkansas. Traditionally we have been the superior program. It sucks that now we are on their level, or as some suggest below them.
Actually, I think Bielema has provided that team with an identity....same one he provided Wisconsin with. Chaney is just organizing and calling the offense that Bielema wants and, fortunately for him, he has the OL already in place he needs to do so.