Riley Ferguson rumor

[Volznut]

flying around on several boards that he is no longer on the team, possibly due to academics....

again, it is a rumor right now.

[volsboy]

Hope the rumor is greatly exaggerated. I was expecting him to challenge for starting job.

[HerbTarlekVol]

If the rumors are true, then there are only two words to describe him:

Dumb.  Ass.  

It's not hard to maintain minimum eligibility requirements.  Get your butt out of bed and go to class and turn in work when its due.  

[SmokeyJoe]

If the rumors are true, then there are only two words to describe him:

Dumb.  Ass. 

It's not hard to maintain minimum eligibility requirements.  Get your butt out of bed and go to class and turn in work when its due. 

lol

[Tnphil]

Sound like another Bray head case?

[HerbTarlekVol]

Sound like another Bray head case?

Unfortunately, he does. 

[VinnieVOL]

If that's the case, good riddance. 

[PirateVOL]

Confirmed by Butch

[Black Diamond Vol]

Well, one more scholly to give.  Come on down, Mr. Gibson.

[RIPLEYVOL]

Rumor is Peyton Manning is going to retire and take the slot at QB that Riley has opened up!

[BanditVol]

Well I guess we will never know if he was better than Worley or Dobbs.   Was an awful lot of talk without him ever setting foot on the field.

I think Worley gives us the best shot at winning at this point, based on the Uga and USCe games last year, in which he played really well.  But whatever works....

[Volznut]

Apparently it was more than just grades.

[HerbTarlekVol]

I think Worley gives us the best shot at winning at this point,

Geez.  What a warm and fuzzy feeling that gives me thinking about next season ...................   

[BanditVol]

Geez.  What a warm and fuzzy feeling that gives me thinking about next season ...................   

We will see.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Geez.  What a warm and fuzzy feeling that gives me thinking about next season ...................   

I don't think Worley or Dobbs (or Ferguson, FTM) is the guy who's going to take us to where we ultimately want to be.  But as I understand it, both of the guys left (especially Dobbs) made big strides this spring, while Ferguson stagnated (I'm not even including Peterman in this discussion).  So I really don't feel any better or worse about this year's team than I did yesterday morning.  And who knows- losing Ferguson may actually help us land our QB of the future. 

[VinnieVOL]

I don't think Worley or Dobbs (or Ferguson, FTM) is the guy who's going to take us to where we ultimately want to be.  But as I understand it, both of the guys left (especially Dobbs) made big strides this spring, while Ferguson stagnated (I'm not even including Peterman in this discussion).  So I really don't feel any better or worse about this year's team than I did yesterday morning.  And who knows- losing Ferguson may actually help us land our QB of the future. 

Agree.

[HerbTarlekVol]

  So I really don't feel any better or worse about this year's team than I did yesterday morning.   

Neither do I, which is why I am still not expecting anything more than we got last year out of the QB position.  Worley is a senior.  We've seen his physicals.  If he's the best option, then there's really not a lot of reason to believe we'll be any better offensively, and especially given what was lost up front.  We are relying on a completely new OL, and we are putting our hopes in a freshman RB.  Combine that with a mediocre at best QB and offensively there's just not a lot there.  Spread option based offense or no, you still have to run the football in this league to be successful throwing the football.  We have talented receivers, but give the DCs in this league an opportunity to make an offense one dimensional, and things generally don't go well for offenses. 

[Volznut]

Neither do I, which is why I am still not expecting anything more than we got last year out of the QB position.  Worley is a senior.  We've seen his physicals.  If he's the best option, then there's really not a lot of reason to believe we'll be any better offensively, and especially given what was lost up front.  We are relying on a completely new OL, and we are putting our hopes in a freshman RB.  Combine that with a mediocre at best QB and offensively there's just not a lot there.  Spread option based offense or no, you still have to run the football in this league to be successful throwing the football.  We have talented receivers, but give the DCs in this league an opportunity to make an offense one dimensional, and things generally don't go well for offenses. 

There are three reasons to believe we will be better offensively

1 - QBs have worked hard to get better and are in their second year in this system.
2 - Much better weapons at WR and TE this year
3 - Jalen Hurd

Now- defensively, that should be interesting.

[Volengineer]

I just don't get this at all.  This just seems incredibly odd - ridiculously so.  Ferguson has been touted for some time and most people thought he would be the starter for sure and he just decides he doesn't want to play for Tennessee? It just doesn't make any sense.  So what if he had a crappy spring game - Bray stunk it up at least once I remember in the spring game a few years back.  Not to mention the always unknown running back that would tear it up in the spring game only to never be heard from again until the next spring game.  If someone told me Bama ( ) paid him to leave it would make more sense. 

Oh, and I vote we get rid of this emoticon:     Brings back bad memories for some reason.

[Stogie Vol]

It appears he was simply unwilling to slap this:

[Black Diamond Vol]

Neither do I, which is why I am still not expecting anything more than we got last year out of the QB position.  Worley is a senior.  We've seen his physicals.  If he's the best option, then there's really not a lot of reason to believe we'll be any better offensively, and especially given what was lost up front.  We are relying on a completely new OL, and we are putting our hopes in a freshman RB.  Combine that with a mediocre at best QB and offensively there's just not a lot there.  Spread option based offense or no, you still have to run the football in this league to be successful throwing the football.  We have talented receivers, but give the DCs in this league an opportunity to make an offense one dimensional, and things generally don't go well for offenses. 

That's kind of what I was saying.  This year's team isn't going to set the world on fire, even if they have Peyton Manning under center.  So I'm willing to take a hit this season, if it can possibly help us sign a marquee qb.  Don't think that Gibson, Francois, and our other targets at QB haven't noticed this.  The youngest guy in our rotation (in terms of eligibility) is now out of the equation.  Now, they're going to see that all they have to do to start is beat a junior who, let's be honest, hasn't exactly looked like the next Montana to this point.  

[Creek Walker]

I would be shocked if guys like Gibson are influenced at all by this development. Let's face it — you don't become a 5-star QB prospect in high school without developing a healthy dose of confidence...and even if you're still shy, the recruitment process will wean you from it with the steady flow of Division I coaches trying to convince you that you are their program's savior (not to mention the barrage from fans on social media). A guy like Gibson looks at a guy like Ferguson and doesn't see much of a challenge. Ferg, after all, didn't play a snap last season when UT was struggling to a 5-7 finish. (Of course we can speculate about WHY, but that's just what it is -- speculation.)

Regarding this year's offense, I would certainly not bet anything on us being productive offensively...but I wouldn't necessarily bet against it, either. If Dobbs is a serviceable QB (at the rate he's making gains, it's hard to imagine he won't surpass Worley on the depth chart once fall camp rolls around), there is the potential for a decent offense. Receivers are obviously going to be an upgrade; this receiving corps is probably the best in the SEC in terms of raw ability and potential. The OL is completely new, which scares folks, but — almost to a man — our OL last year under-achieved. It COULD be ugly, but I'm excited to see what the new guys can bring to the table. Then there's the running back slot. Let's face it: Our hopes for bowl eligibility may depend in large part on the production we get from the ground game. And all the stars combined from Rivals, Scout and 247 don't guarantee a guy will pan out. But that 5-star guy we got back there does appear to have potential, and there's no position on the field where a guy can come into the SEC as a true freshman and excel like the runningback position.

So we have no guarantee of being worth a crap on the offensive side of the ball...but, IMO, there's more hope there going into this season than there was going into last season.

[BanditVol]

That's kind of what I was saying.  This year's team isn't going to set the world on fire, even if they have Peyton Manning under center.  So I'm willing to take a hit this season, if it can possibly help us sign a marquee qb.  Don't think that Gibson, Francois, and our other targets at QB haven't noticed this.  The youngest guy in our rotation (in terms of eligibility) is now out of the equation.  Now, they're going to see that all they have to do to start is beat a junior who, let's be honest, hasn't exactly looked like the next Montana to this point.  

Dobbs might be much better this year.  Going from first to second year, particularly in a new offense (obviously new for Dobbs but also for the rest of the team) a QB can often make great strides.   So he might be better than we think.

In the meantime I wish he would grow some dam eyebrows.   

[Black Diamond Vol]

I would be shocked if guys like Gibson are influenced at all by this development. Let's face it — you don't become a 5-star QB prospect in high school without developing a healthy dose of confidence...and even if you're still shy, the recruitment process will wean you from it with the steady flow of Division I coaches trying to convince you that you are their program's savior (not to mention the barrage from fans on social media).

And those same coaches and fans are the ones who have been telling him, "You'll never play at Tennessee, Riley Ferguson is going to start this year, and he's just a freshman".

[Black Diamond Vol]

Dobbs might be much better this year.  Going from first to second year, particularly in a new offense (obviously new for Dobbs but also for the rest of the team) a QB can often make great strides.   So he might be better than we think.

In the meantime I wish he would grow some dam eyebrows.   

I expect he will be better, and Worley too.  And maybe Hurd plays at an All American level from day one.  Maybe the line will gel quicker than we think.  But even if every best case scenario for the offense comes to pass, the defense is still going to hold this team back.  No matter how you look at it, we're still at least a year away.