Rocky Top Talking Points: SMQ on Tennessee edition

Just a quick rundown this morning.

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• Don't miss Sunday Morning Quarterback's Absurdly Premature Assessment of Tennessee. As one can always expect from SMQ, it is excellent stuff. He wonders aloud about the recent demise of the Tennessee running game and traces it back to 2005. I think it goes back much further than that, back, I think, to the hiring of Jimmy Ray Stephens, who is a fine coach, but whose hiring signaled a shift in emphasis on the offensive line from run-blocking to pass-blocking. Just a theory, and it may not hold up when I actually start looking at it, but that's what I'm going with right now. SMQ yanks out Brian's MGoGraphs, one of which is horrific (and aptly enough resembles a trail of blood) and one of which is absolutely stellar (and aptly enough resembles the plush Smokey Mountains). Anyway, go check it out.
• Sportingnews.com's Matt Hayes ranks Britton Colquitt as the best punter in the nation. We're going to need him. Hat tip to Randy Moore at Inside Tennessee.
• Smitty's right. Football Time is indeed on the stands, even up here in the Tri-Cities. I got mine yesterday.
• Currently, 42% of you think I'm the "freak with the work-glove on his guitar" in the, uh, video, I'd guess you'd call it. 28% think I'm the "handsome man in the shadows behind the keyboards," and 14% each cast their votes for the "tall, stringy-haired freak on bass" and the "goof-ball on drums." What? No votes for the singer? I'm going to move this to the main poll so y'all can vote there as well. And yes, I'm going to keep you in suspense for a little while.
• Don't miss the Head Coach promos immediately below.
• I sincerely doubt anybody missed this, as Orson posted it several days ago, but it's worth posting here as well, I think. Certain SEC coaches are just Stayin' Alive:
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All for now.