The difference between us and them

[Crockett]

Let's face it. UF has the better players. Years of instability, mediocre recruiting and natural attrition have put us on par with the second tier of programs. While we have had some bright moments, we are lacking speed and strength pretty much across the board in our two deep. We're slow at LB, incredibly weak on OL, without talent at RB, thin at WR. Yes, I've had my doubts on Poole. He's not Hardesty. Bray is a great QB but he has a ways to go. He's a gamer but I saw things yesterday that make me wonder whether he will ever be a pro talent. He's not Peyton and he doesn't have the supporting staff around him. He is, however, the bright spot on our Offense.

This may sound pretty negative but actually I'm just accepting what Dooley has been trying to tell us (as well as the media). Last year was year 0, this is year 1 of a 4 year rebuilding effort. I'm sure he sees the numbers. As he plugs holes, new ones will appear from graduation. And some of the players we're having to get aren't SECC talent. Right now, CDD is in the position of having to pull off some upsets, like beat Georgia and S Carolina so that new recruits will come here and the present team will not lose heart. Yesterday, this team lost heart, regained it, lost it again, regained it and then got mad and tried to finish out strong.

I like Coach Dooley. I hope it turns around for him. I think he deserves it. But he's got a tough road ahead of him. His rivals are no slouches, not like when UT rose from the bowels of the SEC in 89 to make a run at dominance in the 90s in the SEC. We got lucky in that our big rivals except UF had knuckleheads at the helm. Bama, UGA, USC are different creatures today. I even think this coaching staff is as good as we've had it. They're better across the board than any we had in the 90s.

I think we'll have a good season but not a great one. Someone on here posted that we might win 7 games. We may not. 7 games will be more than the odds. Right now I can't even count Vandy as a win because of how good they looked. Buffalo and MTSU will be wins but out of Georgia, LSU, Bama, USC, Arky, Vandy and KY, I wouldn't bet we'd win 3 of them. Without Hunter, we're a jeep running a mud race on a donut. I think we will win 3 but I thought we'd win yesterday as well. I guess what I'm saying is that I think Dooley needs more time and I hope expectations aren't too high. A great season, IMO, would be to beat the last 3 and upset one of the other 4. Even that will make recruiting tough. Which makes that 2nd Sat in October, not the 3rd or 4th, very crucial for rebuilding.

Go Vols.

[BigOrange Maniac]

Florida does have better players, and I think most UT fans accepted that going in. UT had to pin its hopes on being able to outgun UF with the passing game. When Hunter went down, that became impossible.

But a lack of talent is no excuse for choking. The first quarter (most of the first half, actually) was a train wreck for Tennessee. The players and coaches alike had deer in the headlight looks, just as we've seen so many times in years past against Florida. I'll give them the first half since Hunter's injury was a shock to everyone (although it was clear from UF's first drive that they were much better prepared than we were even before the injury), but there's no excuse for the way the team came back out of the locker room in the third quarter after they had plenty of time to regroup. It was like Bray's interception caused everyone to shrug and say, "Well, that's that."

Once UT finally settled in and started playing football, they played pretty well. In some ways this game wasn't as close as the final score indicated but in other ways it was. Based on talent alone, if UT and UF played again this year, I'd think we had a pretty good chance, just as I thought we had a decent chance in this one. So the talent level is obviously still an issue but there's more than one difference between us and them...one that transcends coaching eras and players and everything else: Florida spooks Tennessee.

[Stogie Vol]

Florida does have better players, and I think most UT fans accepted that going in. UT had to pin its hopes on being able to outgun UF with the passing game. When Hunter went down, that became impossible.

But a lack of talent is no excuse for choking. The first quarter (most of the first half, actually) was a train wreck for Tennessee. The players and coaches alike had deer in the headlight looks, just as we've seen so many times in years past against Florida. I'll give them the first half since Hunter's injury was a shock to everyone (although it was clear from UF's first drive that they were much better prepared than we were even before the injury), but there's no excuse for the way the team came back out of the locker room in the third quarter after they had plenty of time to regroup. It was like Bray's interception caused everyone to shrug and say, "Well, that's that."

Once UT finally settled in and started playing football, they played pretty well. In some ways this game wasn't as close as the final score indicated but in other ways it was. Based on talent alone, if UT and UF played again this year, I'd think we had a pretty good chance, just as I thought we had a decent chance in this one. So the talent level is obviously still an issue but there's more than one difference between us and them...one that transcends coaching eras and players and everything else: Florida spooks Tennessee.

This

[CobbWebb]

I agree with most everything. Two points:

1) I think that Bray is a stud. Anyone can see that he is going to be a very good qb. Hell, he already is. Yes, he made mistakes but who wouldn't surounded by that line, those D linemen and our running backs. He has a good eye for the field, has a lazer for an arm and is mentally tough. Last year he acted a little goofy with all the gestures and so forth but he has matured a lot.

2) Gene Stallings was no slouch. He was a damn good coach and UT shooled him several times. He may not have been the coach when UT first began (under Johnny) to rise, but lots of peole (not saying you) conveniently forget his tenure when they talk about UT kicking butt in the early to mid-90s.

CW

[CobbWebb]

Florida only spooks those who let it happen. Being spooked was the general attitude regarding Alabama and then we kicked them in the teeth 7 times in a row. Florida simply has better talent. Rather, far superior talent across the board.

Most of the last two decades Florida has had better talent than UT. There were a few years when we should have won; 1999 comes to mind. But for the most part, there were massive mismatches in places that counted during most of that time. Florida has had better talent and it shows on the scoreboard. It's that simple. We beat them when we have the advantages.

CW

[LouisVOL]

I really did not see anything to put me off Bray yesterday and still think he will be a major NFL talent if he stays healthy.  He made a couple of ill-advised throws and misread some coverage, but desperate times breed mistakes.  I give him a partial pass because his read times were cut in half having to field the rolling ball.  I think his greatest improvement this year is reading progressions and checking to the open receiver--no time to do that yesterday with the snaps and the rush--find the ball--throw the ball.  I will definitely say that Tyler Bray is the best fielding quarterback we have had.  Brooks Robinson would have been in awe (yeah, I'm old, but anyone who saw Brooks will agree that he is the standard over where the ball gets there quick).

[3beans]

I was shocked that we had so little diversity in our passing game.  How many times did Bray hit a RB out of the backfield?  How many quick screens?  How many misdirections?  I thought our offense was more mature.  That we had the whole package.  I think we will see Bama, Ark., Dawgs, SCe, LSU all load the box and come after Bray.  We showed absolutely no reason why they should slow down the pass rush.  Did you see what the gators did???  A little check down pass to the RB goes to the house when we are really putting pressure on the QB.  We did NOTHING like that all day.  Not once did we make them pay.  Why did it take so long to get over the Hunter loss?  Because he was 60% of our offense and when he went out we had no one ready to come in and take his place.  If I were coach, I would seriously consider sitting about 20 starters for the whole game and work on nothing but depth.

[RON]

Florida has a 20 times better recruiting base. With Miami getting ready to go downhill it will make the Gators that much stronger. I HATE FLORIDA.

[BanditVol]

I was shocked that we had so little diversity in our passing game.  How many times did Bray hit a RB out of the backfield?  How many quick screens?  How many misdirections?  I thought our offense was more mature.  That we had the whole package.  I think we will see Bama, Ark., Dawgs, SCe, LSU all load the box and come after Bray.  We showed absolutely no reason why they should slow down the pass rush.  Did you see what the gators did???  A little check down pass to the RB goes to the house when we are really putting pressure on the QB.  We did NOTHING like that all day.  Not once did we make them pay.  Why did it take so long to get over the Hunter loss?  Because he was 60% of our offense and when he went out we had no one ready to come in and take his place.  If I were coach, I would seriously consider sitting about 20 starters for the whole game and work on nothing but depth.

Give some credit for hitting our TE all over the field, and for getting the ball to Arnett (to whom my reaction was, "who the hell is that?").  I was surprised that we did not throw to Poole more, but you do know that Lane scored a TD on a pass right?   I also don't think losing Hunter is a trivial thing to get over!  Let's also not forget that the gators got called for Pass Intereference 6 times!

I agree we could have thrown to the RBs more (but maybe when you are behind you throw downfield more?), but other than that I was really happy our passing offense did as well as it did after Hunter went out.  I really don't think that was our problem Saturday.

[PirateVOL]

Give some credit for hitting our TE all over the field, and for getting the ball to Arnett (to whom my reaction was, "who the hell is that?").  I was surprised that we did not throw to Poole more, but you do know that Lane scored a TD on a pass right?   I also don't think losing Hunter is a trivial thing to get over!  Let's also not forget that the gators got called for Pass Intereference 6 times!

I agree we could have thrown to the RBs more (but maybe when you are behind you throw downfield more?), but other than that I was really happy our passing offense did as well as it did after Hunter went out.  I really don't think that was our problem Saturday.

Poole hardly played in the 2nd half.  I saw him in for 2 plays the entire 4th quarter.