Thoughts on Sunseri and DB Recruits

[Radical]

There is absolutely no excuse that Sal Sunseri has a job today.  I know we all talk about Dooley and I think we can agree that he is gone.  After the way him and his family got treated this weekend by some fans I am not piling on him today.  However Sunseri has to go and he has to go now.

Consider this the two biggest recruits from Tennessee since Dante Hightower and maybe Michael Oher are Defensive backs.  How bad do we need Jalen Ramsey and Vonn Bell?  Ramsey has committed to USC and really hasn’t even got UT on his radar even though his family is UT fans and they know several current and former players.  Vonn Bell is a lifelong UT fan and is also friends with former and current Vols and has made it clear that Tennessee needs to have a good season before he will come here.

With that in mind we have Fred Flintstone on the sideline spitting and cussing and has figured out a way to take a top 25 defense from last year with upgraded Defensive lineman and practically all of the athletes in the back 7 returning and turn them into the worst Defense in school history.  This cat has a guaranteed $2.4 million and it wasn’t Mike Hamilton and Jimmy Sexton in a piano bar cutting this deal.  This is on Dooley and Dave Hart.  We went and hired a guy who has never proved he can be a DC gave him more money than any other assistant and what has he done?  Did he land a recruit?  Deion Bonner maybe his only guy and we got him because of off field issues that scared tight ship UGA away.

This guy should be fired today.  Will it make us better? Probably not, see the Philadelphia Eagles.  However it can’t get any worse and there is no sense keeping a guy who you can’t use.  I am sick of seeing our guys clueless on the field.  I need something today.  I need a change to be made.  One thing I know for sure is that if I was Ramsey or Bell’s father I wouldn’t take another call from UT until they got serious about Defensive coaching.

[VinnieVOL]

Good post.  Like I said to you Saturday as we were watching the UF/UGA game, there's a reason a guy that age has never been DC.

I need something, very soon.  Today would be nice.  Are you going to Troy?

[Inspector Vol]

Sunseri is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. However the buck stops with Dooley. He decided to make the change and that is who he hired.

Regardless of the lack of execution we were in bad defenses that cost us 2 tds against the cocks. We were in a 1 deep look on the 3rd &goal from the 20 something and gave up a td. Horrible safety play allowed the td but we should have been in at least a 2 deep if not 3 or 4 deep scheme.

2ndly on the td right before the half the de crashed down on the option play but even if he had played it correctly the pitch was still there with no one else to cover him. Where was the lb or db at?

Both cases where either extreme stupidity by the staff or complete and utter confusion by the players which I blame on the staff. We just came out of a time out. So while the players did not make the plays they should have, the coaches did not put them position to succeed either. Just another example of a poorly coached team.

[Radical]

Good post.  Like I said to you Saturday as we were watching the UF/UGA game, there's a reason a guy that age has never been DC.

I need something, very soon.  Today would be nice.  Are you going to Troy?

I want to go to the game but I am not sure when NGS plays Saturday.

[Radical]

Sunseri is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. However the buck stops with Dooley. He decided to make the change and that is who he hired.

Regardless of the lack of execution we were in bad defenses that cost us 2 tds against the cocks. We were in a 1 deep look on the 3rd &goal from the 20 something and gave up a td. Horrible safety play allowed the td but we should have been in at least a 2 deep if not 3 or 4 deep scheme.

2ndly on the td right before the half the de crashed down on the option play but even if he had played it correctly the pitch was still there with no one else to cover him. Where was the lb or db at?

Both cases where either extreme stupidity by the staff or complete and utter confusion by the players which I blame on the staff. We just came out of a time out. So while the players did not make the plays they should have, the coaches did not put them position to succeed either. Just another example of a poorly coached team.

When we were in the timeout you are referring to all I could think of is Spurrier vs Sunseri in a timeout.

[BanditVol]

Regardless of the lack of execution we were in bad defenses that cost us 2 tds against the cocks. We were in a 1 deep look on the 3rd &goal from the 20 something and gave up a td. Horrible safety play allowed the td but we should have been in at least a 2 deep if not 3 or 4 deep scheme.

Pirate said that was a 3 deep when we discussed it in the stadium.  Whatever, either way, their no. 1 WR was uncovered on the line and the safety had to come over and make the play.   I wouldn't have put Moore in that position to begin with, but WDIK?

[Inspector Vol]

Pirate said that was a 3 deep when we discussed it in the stadium.  Whatever, either way, their no. 1 WR was uncovered on the line and the safety had to come over and make the play.   I wouldn't have put Moore in that position to begin with, but WDIK?

I am going by what the commentator (Brian Griese) said and showed on the replay regarding the 1 deep look.

[PirateVOL]

I am going by what the commentator (Brian Griese) said and showed on the replay regarding the 1 deep look.

It was supposed to be 3 deep, but our FS was in a different defense. 
We disguised the defense to just before the snap.  This required a lot of movement by several players.  Gordon, McNeil and the opposite corner (Waggner?) moved into one defense, not sure what Moore was doing.

At the snap I saw Gordon race from his inside technique position on the slot receiver (#1 who caught the TD pass) to cover the left receiver.  Moore, who was on the left receiver drops back, but to the middle of the field.  McNeil drops back to the defense's left hash (probably the one deep Griese was refering to) and the opposite corner was dropping back to the deep left area as well. It looked to me like the intent was 3 deep and if that is correct Moore should have dropped straight back, not to the middle of the field (~the defense's right hash).  What makes it worse was that since Moore was on the receiver and he knew a slot receiver was there he should have realized that no matter what defense they were in he had to cover the slot but did not.

BTW, on the play I was concetrating on the secondary because someone beside me was screaming we weren't putting someone on a receiver 

[Inspector Vol]

It was supposed to be 3 deep, but our FS was in a different defense. 
We disguised the defense to just before the snap.  This required a lot of movement by several players.  Gordon, McNeil and the opposite corner (Waggner?) moved into one defense, not sure what Moore was doing.

At the snap I saw Gordon race from his inside technique position on the slot receiver (#1 who caught the TD pass) to cover the left receiver.  Moore, who was on the left receiver drops back, but to the middle of the field.  McNeil drops back to the defense's left hash (probably the one deep Griese was refering to) and the opposite corner was dropping back to the deep left area as well. It looked to me like the intent was 3 deep and if that is correct Moore should have dropped straight back, not to the middle of the field (~the defense's right hash).  What makes it worse was that since Moore was on the receiver and he knew a slot receiver was there he should have realized that no matter what defense they were in he had to cover the slot but did not.

BTW, on the play I was concetrating on the secondary because someone beside me was screaming we weren't putting someone on a receiver 

If I remember right Griese was talking about the 1 deep look while the replay focused on Moore.  Regardless I guess my question is why get cute with it at all? The only play that would have hurt us was giving up a td as they were already in fg range, what difference did it make? I just think it was another case of making the game harder than it has to be.

[WoodstockVol]

You could have Dale Carter playing on defense and Sunseri still wouldn't have a clue about pass defense

[PirateVOL]

If I remember right Griese was talking about the 1 deep look while the replay focused on Moore.  Regardless I guess my question is why get cute with it at all? The only play that would have hurt us was giving up a td as they were already in fg range, what difference did it make? I just think it was another case of making the game harder than it has to be.

All defenses do what we arre trying to do in trying to disguise the defense and switch late, including our defenses under the Chief, Monty and Wilcox.  Its just that we seem to constantly screw it up for some reason.

[Clockwork Orange]

All defenses do what we arre trying to do in trying to disguise the defense and switch late, including our defenses under the Chief, Monty and Wilcox.  Its just that we seem to constantly screw it up for some reason.

I can think of three possible reasons:

1. We can't teach the scheme worth a shizzle.

2. Our players are so stupid as to not be able to grasp the scheme.

3. Our players are uncoachable.

I don't buy 2) and 3) and even if I did they'd be failures of coaching. 1) is clearly a failure of coaching and IMO is the most likely explanation.

[PirateVOL]

I can think of three possible reasons:

1. We can't teach the scheme worth a shizzle.

2. Our players are so stupid as to not be able to grasp the scheme.

3. Our players are uncoachable.

I don't buy 2) and 3) and even if I did they'd be failures of coaching. 1) is clearly a failure of coaching and IMO is the most likely explanation.

I don't disagree

[WoodstockVol]

I can think of three possible reasons:

1. We can't teach the scheme worth a shizzle.

2. Our players are so stupid as to not be able to grasp the scheme.

3. Our players are uncoachable.

I don't buy 2) and 3) and even if I did they'd be failures of coaching. 1) is clearly a failure of coaching and IMO is the most likely explanation.

Could it by that They're just too slow?

[Clockwork Orange]

Could it by that They're just too slow?

There's a 4) then. Our players are physically incapable of execution . . . a failure in recruiting. I don't think this is the case though.

[PirateVOL]

There's a 4) then. Our players are physically incapable of execution . . . a failure in recruiting. I don't think this is the case though.

My biggest issue is the apparent regression in the level of pay.  We have gotten worse as the season has wore on, even as the defense was supposedly being "simplified"
Gorodon and Moore being just to that coe to mind.  Coleman in my view has been the most consistent DB.

Speed is not the issue in the secondary.  AT LB, yes the lack of speed is killing us in the passing game.  While they are not the fastest in the world the secondary is not "slow"

In addition, where did the aggresion go?  In the first few games our secondary was aggresive but the last few games we are essentaily back to read and react.  Nobody is breaking on the ball.

[PirateVOL]

If I remember right Griese was talking about the 1 deep look while the replay focused on Moore.  

Yeah I was disappointed in watching my recording of the game, I wanted to study the play but the coverage was lacking.

[Inspector Vol]

Yeah I was disappointed in watching my recording of the game, I wanted to study the play but the coverage was lacking.

More food for thought. If Moore comes in and cleans this guys clock like he should do on that play he likely gets flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver. 
That rule has made it difficult beyond measure to play safety in football.

[WoodstockVol]

My biggest issue is the apparent regression in the level of pay.  We have gotten worse as the season has wore on, even as the defense was supposedly being "simplified"
Gorodon and Moore being just to that coe to mind.  Coleman in my view has been the most consistent DB.

Speed is not the issue in the secondary.  AT LB, yes the lack of speed is killing us in the passing game.  While they are not the fastest in the world the secondary is not "slow"

In addition, where did the aggresion go?  In the first few games our secondary was aggresive but the last few games we are essentaily back to read and react.  Nobody is breaking on the ball.

Level of pay? I think Tennessee could probably get better LBs and DBs if Tennessee paid recruits better!

[Radical]

One thing to keep in mind is that we hired Josh Conklin because Sunseri was lacking in pass coverage background.  Our Dbs have no idea what they are doing.  Randolph was a superior athelete who was keeping some of the big plays to a minimum.  He led the team in tackles when he got hurt.  Coleman, Gordon, and McNeil are good atheletes they just have no idea what they are doing.
Sunseri is a bust and there is no need and keeping him. 

[BanditVol]

When we were in the timeout you are referring to all I could think of is Spurrier vs Sunseri in a timeout.

You're giving me a visual of a UFC Smackdown.  Given the way our D is playing, I might just root for Spurrier.  I would definititely pay good money to see that... 

[BanditVol]

My biggest issue is the apparent regression in the level of pay.  We have gotten worse as the season has wore on, even as the defense was supposedly being "simplified"
Gorodon and Moore being just to that coe to mind.  Coleman in my view has been the most consistent DB.

Maybe, maybe not.  Our pass D has suxed all season, other than the NC State game, and I think there we just managed to bait their QB into some picks.  Go back and look at the stats.  We couldn't even stop Akron, though we did limit their deep balls. 

In fact, in the 4th quarter of the uga game, Danielson openly wondered why uga was not throwing the ball, because "Tennessee has not stopped the pass all day".  (Answer:  Mike Bobo).

So my theory is that we were so poor at stopping the run early in the season that teams didn't need to pass, that we have now tightened up vs. the run (MSU, bammer and USCe all ran for under their season averages), and that now teams are at least "forced" to pass on us.  But given the way we play D, why would they not?

The only hopeful sign is that some of the young guys thrown in have done reasonably well.   Gray  did great Saturday...

[BanditVol]

One other thing about Sunseri...he gets $750,000 a year for two years.  Not sure if there was a "signing bonus" (God I hope not  ), but that would imply a total package of $1.5 million.  FWIW.