My how quickly things change...

by coopnjaxdad on Nov 18, 2008 4:47 PM EST

I was just reading through this old post about the clawfense, on this very site...

http://www.rockytoptalk.com/2008/8/5/587003/the-clawfense-complicated

I can't help but be caught up by phrases like...

"it is apparently a spready-type, West Coast-ish (emphasis on the "-ish") thing. It's also apparently quite complex."

and

"Even if it's merely difficult for the players to grasp, there could be a steep and long learning curve, which could signal serious trouble considering our early, front-loaded schedule."

So that is exactly what happened. So is this a case of the wrong personel for the job? Is the system that bad? Did Phil keep it from working by being conservative? If someone like Leech comes in what would be the difference? Are we willing to give some one outside of UT a few years to build an offense, but not extend that same offer to Phil? If our current OC could recruit his type of QB and skill players would this be a formidable team in say 3 years?

Just food for thought.

Go Vols!!

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Welcome

Hey, coopnjaxdad. Thanks for joining up. If I remember right, that’s the post with the wicked cool looking chess board.

Yeah, we should have expected it to take some time for the offense to work. Problem is, it still isn’t working. It’s rarely just one thing. Something is bad wrong, and the fact that the offense is complicated just exacerbated things.

With Leach, I think he’ll get more time, and I think he won’t need as much time. Hoping, anyway. His offense is designed to be complicated for the defense to stop but easy for the offense to execute. It’s possible.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Nov 18, 2008 5:03 PM EST reply actions

Knee-jerk responses:

1) Yes, that’s exactly what happened. Unfortunately, Fulmer didn’t have the 2 or 3 years grace needed to fully implement the system. We know that all of Clawson’s former stops were able to successfully deploy the Clawfense, and that some took more than one year. But the timing just wasn’t there, and we should have seen that coming.

2) I still don’t think the system was that bad. I think we got caught implementing it when we didn’t have the time, and I think the outside pressure on the team made things worse.

3) I don’t know how much of an effect Fulmer had on the system. I do know that Clawson switched from numbers to words to make it easier for the players to learn, but I don’t know the breakdown in responsibility.

4) Leach’s system is designed to be as simple as possible for the offense to learn while being as difficult as possible for the defense to understand. It’s based on formational changes rather than route changes; for example, each receiver only learns about 5 different routes, but he then runs them from many different positions. He’s only responsible for learning different places to stand, which is much easier. Still, there will be a learning curve – especially if the QBs need work.

5) Yes, the new guy will get more time than Fulmer. He’ll get a pass for having to renovate things, where Fulmer had his program in place. The fact that the OC was new doesn’t play in peoples’ minds as much, or we all would have been more patient this year.

6) I’m one of the few Vols fans who firmly believes that Clawson would have worked out in another year or two. We’ll never know, barring a defensive-minded hire who keeps Clawson in place. But that’s what I believe. I also believe that Clawson will succeed wherever he lands; people outside of Knoxville will be much more rational about him.

by David Hooper on Nov 18, 2008 5:10 PM EST reply actions

Yes.

There should have been more time. It’s an awful shame that there wasn’t. I’m convinced that it could’ve turned around had it been given the chance.

Yes, he had 80% of this season to get it done, but with QB glitches and injuries and blah, blah, blah, it just didn’t come together. But it could have. It could. We’ll never know.

Excuse me... waiter? Yeah, uh... where's that Wishbone I ordered? Is it ready yet?

by XRayVol on Nov 18, 2008 7:39 PM EST reply actions

Short sighted

Nothing is a given and Phil moving on may turn out to be the best thing for Tennessee, but the Vols were one bad interception away from winning the SEC title last year. Even though we sort of backed in to that game we were in a position to win it. Didn’t Randy Sanders run some kind of spread stuff when he was the OC at UT. I have heard all the Crompton is slow, doesn’t get it and Stephens isn’t good enough to play at this level arguments, but I don’t hear anyone letting the recievers have it. To me Crompton just never looked interested. Also who knows where we would be if Arian foster could hold the ball inside the 5. The Florida game would have gone much differently had the offense not helped the Gators so much and the Auburn and UCLA games make me want to curl up in the fetal position. The Wyoming game is a blip because the players quit on offense.

Who knows there are a million different what ifs and possible scenarios, I just hope we all aren’t loking back in 2 years wishing Phil was still around. Seasons like this make me appreciate the good ones.

Hey we still ahve one thing FLorida doesn’t have…13-0!

by coopnjaxdad on Nov 19, 2008 8:19 AM EST reply actions

if we could have kept things the way they were, except having a different QB and personally minus chavis. I think we would be alot better off than only 3 i repeat 3 wins

by Delta Vol88 on Nov 19, 2008 9:49 PM EST reply actions