Young players in big games?

[KB5252]

I had some thoughts on the direction we take the rest of the year. Do you think we should be playing our younger guys in big games this year?

I am not giving up on this team by any means but our lack of talent at key positions is pretty obvious. We have plenty of young talent and at this point I tend to think we should be giving them plenty of playing time, even in big game situations. This would give them the needed experience for them to progress and hone their skills.

Let's face it this season will not be the turn around we hoped for out of Crompton. We will need plenty of experienced receivers to help a young QB, or Stevens, whatever the case may be.

Does anybody have any info on how our young offensive linemen look at this point? I simply don't have the time to follow the reports on their progress. They will be key to our success or failure in the in the coming years.

 

[Smokeybluetick]

We have no choice except to play the youngsters!! CPF left us with our pants around our ankles. Kiffin will get the talent in here that we need to compete, hopefully until then he can scheme the VOLS to enough wins to get a bowl this year. He is obviously using our situation to his advantage on the recruiting front, losing a game used to cost us recruits. He had the best single day of the 2010 recruit roundup Sunday after that misrerable loss. Before anyone bash's CLK, they need to remember he didn't recruit Crompton!!! GO VOLS SQUASH THE TURDS!!!!

 

[KB5252]

We have no choice except to play the youngsters!! CPF left us with our pants around our ankles. Kiffin will get the talent in here that we need to compete, hopefully until then he can scheme the VOLS to enough wins to get a bowl this year. He is obviously using our situation to his advantage on the recruiting front, losing a game used to cost us recruits. He had the best single day of the 2010 recruit roundup Sunday after that misrerable loss. Before anyone bash's CLK, they need to remember he didn't recruit Crompton!!! GO VOLS SQUASH THE TURDS!!!!

We didn't use them in key situations this past weekend though. I expect this to change from here forward though. I am sure CLK sees the writing on the wall, this is not a team that can compete with the big boys, much less win. Get the youngsters out there and get them meaningful big game situation experience and build toward next year.

 

[rscook75]

I don't have any info on our young offensive linemen, but I did notice something in all those practice videos and orange and white day video on youtube.

Kiffin was joking with a defensive player who was apparently deciding whether or not to practice with an injury and he said, "If you don't practice Thursday, then you can't play Saturday...(long pause) unless you're on offense."

I noticed it at the time as strange, and it was said in a joking manner, but I thought the joke was about letting a non-practicing offensive player play. I know Gerald Jones was out there last week, but I read he was doing drills on the side and not taking reps with the first team.

I want to make it perfectly clear, I don't think it was ALL or even MOSTLY Jones' fault that we lost, but his not being able to jump, and not knowing where to be certainly didn't help.


My order of reasons would have to go: 4. Jones not being ready 3. Offensive line 2. Bad play calling last 5 minutes of game (I mean, 4th and 1 and there is no "2 point conversion play you can run that gets a for-sure 2 yards?) and of course 1. Crompton.

So again, play whoever practiced 100% of the week. My feeling is that Teague would have been in the right spot, as would have Hancock...

 

[hndog609]

I see what you're saying but they're out there. Nuke is our primary punt returner it seems for example. Brown is getting no small number of touches either. Hardesty, now that he's healthy, isn't exactly playing like somebody needs to set him down just they're young.

The one thing I really hate is, just like last year, we're just not going to see much production from the WR position. It's got nothing to do with talent at WR and everything to do with the talent at QB.

 

[cali_vol]

Play them now, get some experience, win a few games and they will be better for it. It's all part of the rebuilding process.