VTTW Board Index

The snake bites us again. JJ gone. Hunter gone. Bray gone. So we're once again looking at 6-6 square in the face, it appears.

So next year what will we do? We're going to be more experienced. We will have a veteran OL, QB, WRs. The DL and LBs and secondary should be better. But...will the running game be? I see no reason to think we will run the ball very well suddenly next year.

It could be 2013 before we have a good enough team to compete in the SEC - but we won't do it without a running game. The staff's #1 goal has been to shore up the DL, and they're starting to get that done. The running game,  IMO should be the #1  priority from here on out. We need a game changing RB. We need OL that can run block. I don't think it's a case where they can't do it, but it's a case where they aren't doing it enough in practice, and we don't have the RBs.

I like Dooley, I think he is the right guy - but he has to have a team capable of running the ball, or we don't do better that 6-7 wins any year. I know he inherited a mess, and I will support him, but he will have to get us to where we should be by year 4, or he will lose support of a lot of people.

Agree with most everything you say.  Maybe we can land a good running back this year.

Unfortunately, patience is not a trait of UT fans. How much better did we have a right to expect that we would be this year? The program he took over was depleted and you can't re-stock them as quickly like they did in the "old" days. The loud expressions of dissatisfaction from UT fans won't help us get better.

The fans should give the man a freakin' chance.

Agree, right now it looks like the 2013 season, honestly, before we have a 2 deep made up of predominantly upperclassmen.  The cupboard was empty.

If there's one thing TN fans aint, it's patient. 

Yep, and in spite of the doom and gloom, I see real progress being made.  One step at a time.

Look at it this way, we have a brutal, simply brutal schedule this year.   That will not always be true.   Our bad luck to draw the top 3 out of the west this year.

The cupboard was empty cause Lame Kittenhead ran off thirty players that would be Juniors/Seniors and then did not recruit a QB when he was here then was a total burpamoment butthead to others.....

The Experiment was a disaster and I lay this all at Mike Hamilton's well paid feet.

Here is where I disagree.  We have 4 Soph lineman and 1 Jr.  The difference of another year of age, experience and off-season training should make a world of difference. 

Great lines make average RB's great.

Bingo.  We still could use an upgrade at tailback though.

But you know what?  The best back I saw Saturday was O'Neal...he just could not hold on to the ball.  If he can get that worked out, maybe he can be the guy.

From some discussions i have had with some Bears fans apparently Heinstad (or however you spell it) was not a great line coach as was made out to be so .... I believe if you add sugar and flour and salt to milk and heat it long enough you will have the start for pudding....add some egg yolks and some vanilla and you have vanilla pudding.....the proof is in the pudding and the line aint turning into pudding by my estimation.....

I don't know anything about Hiestand, but Kiffin and Dooley both like him so he must have something going for him. It's possible he won't work out, but I'll give him a shot.

If we have the same sorry running game this time next year I'll worry.

this

co-signed

We're 114th in the nation in rushing right now. These guys are not freshmen, they have started many games now. They should be much better right now. We don't have even an average RB right now IMO, not a north south running one. Need a difference maker at RB.

98th in rushing.  But yeah, that still suxes.

Agree with the rest, but put some stickum on O'Neil and see how he does.

I am starting to question coaching a bit, especially of the O-LINE.........................they are much better at pass blocking this year, but now they cannot run block at all! PERIOD DOT.........................................They were much better at run blocking as Freshmen................WHY, HOW???????
This is embarrassing as a UT fan and for tradition that this is the best they have 5 games into this year......They need to sit them down and show them the highlights from years past as on the JUMBOTRON SAT night and have a big talk about personal/UT pride and how to man up.........the O-LINE because of the horrible run blocking is actually worse as a whole than last year IMHO..............................
We have a prize horse for a QB.........................almost a waste with the O-LINE problems........................ :dunno: :frown:

 :powert:

VOL fans have generally been patient in the past.  Otherwise, both Majors and Fulmer would have been gone sooner than they were.  Indeed patience is running thin right now, but VOL fans have been waiting a long time.