Rocky Top Talk: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:


Sports blogs for fans, by fans.
Around SBN: Cal RB Jahvid Best Seriously Injured, Carted Off Field

Here's to hoping that the Tennessee Volunteer defensive line is really, really good

The Tennessee Volunteers' Season of Constant Sorrow left questions scattered all over the field for 2009. Chief among them, especially in light of the fact that we did not recruit a quarterback this off season, is whether we have anyone on the roster who can actually succeed at QB.

That may still be a big question with only two practices and a spring game remaining, but if it is, it's for a different reason than we anticipated. In last Friday's scrimmage, Jonathan Crompton completed only 8 of 11 passes for 91 yards, while B.J. Coleman went 11-16 for 151 yards, two touchdowns, and zero turnovers. In five possessions, Coleman's offense scored three touchdowns and a field goal. Crompton's possessions ended with two field goals, a safety, and a lost fumble.

So it's pretty clear that Coleman is the better quarterback, right? Not necessarily. Crompton's going against the ones and Coleman the twos. A closer look at the beginning of Crompton's Friday scrimmage:

  • 3rd play: sacked by LB LaMarcus Thompson
  • 4th play: sacked by safety Dennis Rogan
  • 2nd play next possession: sacked by Chris Walker
  • sometime after that: 8-yard completion to Montario Hardesty
  • 1st play 3rd possession: sacked by Walker for a safety
  • 1st play 4th possession: sacked by DT Montori Hughes
  • last play 4th possession: incompletion
  • 2nd play 5th possession: sacked and stripped by DE Ben Martin

So . . . eight pass attempts, six sacks, one completion, one incompletion. Not knowing how long Crompton was holding the ball, you can't really know for sure where the blame lies for the sacks. Kiffin alternately says the defensive line is fantastic and that the pass protection stinks, though, so those statements and other compliments of Crompton suggest that Crompton's not holding the ball too long -- he is just not getting enough time. And considering that, finishing 8-11 for 91 yards isn't so bad.

DT Dan Williams has experience, has lost weight, and is a force in the middle. The coaching staff has said all spring that DE Chris Walker is "unblockable," and that the other DE, Ben Martin, isn't far behind him. The big question mark along the line early was the other tackle position, and freshman Montori Hughes is consistently being tagged as the biggest surprise this spring. LB Nick Reveiz says he's like a 6'-4", 312-pound Eric Berry.

Behind those guys, though, the depth is a real concern, which probably explains why Crompton's numbers against the first string defense are not as impressive as Coleman's against the second string.

So the biggest question is whether our offensive line is that bad or our defensive starters that good. That's the real question, and it's making the question of whether we have anyone who can play QB for the team this fall much more difficult to answer. If we have a killer defensive line, that will be fantastic news, as things should get much easier for the guy who ends up quarterbacking for us.

If, on the other hand, our defensive line just looks good because they're playing against an offensive line that's been dismantled and rebuilt so many times that there's no way around it being wobbly, then we're going to have a major problem again this season. And the QB may take the blame for it.

0 recs  |  Comment 8 comments |

Story-email Email Printer Print

Around SB Nation

The LSU Preview

Nov 2009 from Roll 'Bama Roll - 78 comments

A Minefield Remains

Nov 2009 from Alligator Army - 12 comments

Comments

Display:

I'll say this much though: a horrid passing game will make for a heck of a recruiting pitch to QBs.

"Come here. How could you not start early?

Of course, the good QBs all go way early, so perhaps it’s good for recruiting that we’re hearing of all of this now rather than in the fall.

Or maybe I’m just trying to be optimistic.

by Hooper on Apr 13, 2009 8:07 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah

Counter from other SEC coaches: if you go to Tennessee, you will get KILLED. In PRACTICE.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel on Apr 13, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hmm...

So maybe we should all carry whistles to the games this fall. That way, when the QB is about to get creamed we can all blow our whistles so his Pavlovian fetal-position survival instincts kick in.

Toot, toot.

by Hooper on Apr 13, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm probably coming to watch

you guys play my team, UCLA, in September, if I can catch a standby flight. What sections do I need to look for tickets in, if I am with the visiting team?

BTW, I hope your D-line rocks next season, but not until after you play us!

by captainqtp on Apr 13, 2009 7:19 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Awesome.

I hope you have a great time while in K’ville then.

Here’s a picture of the seating chart in Neyland Stadium. (It opens in a new window.) Visitors are usually assigned seats around section A counterclockwise through about Z12 in the lower level, and upper level endzone seats in the very fringe. (That upper fringe is some serious nosebleed action.)

It’ll depend on whether you get tickets through UCLA or if you get them by scalpers locally. (Scalping is legal here, and tickets are always available through them.) With scalpers, you stand a chance at getting better seats, but if you go through the UCLA fans’ seats, I’d recommend something a little ways up section A. That’ll give you a better chance to see the field. The Jumbotron is at the south end of the stadium, so if you want to see replays, don’t sit in the upper level fringe in the south end if you can help it.

by Hooper on Apr 13, 2009 8:21 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Thanks

That helps a lot!

by captainqtp on Apr 14, 2009 2:06 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about the Tennessee Volunteers.
Start posting about the Volunteers »

Join SB Nation and dive into communities focused on all your favorite teams.

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recommended FanPosts

Checkerboard_enzone_small
Ok, Enough Is Enough....

Recent FanPosts

Fiddler_on_the_roof_fiddler_1__small
RTT Pick 'Em: ten tie for 1st this week, marmot_man_111 running away overall
Fiddler_on_the_roof_fiddler_1__small
RTT Guessing Game Standings after Week 9
Checkerboard_enzone_small
Lil' Wayne's Latest Shout-Out to Lane Kiffin and the Vols
111007_1336a_small
Back in Knoxville
Small
Why do opposing kickers never miss against Tennessee????
Small
Of ESPN and Pat Forde
Small
Stickin' it to Spurrier
Fiddler_on_the_roof_fiddler_1__small
RTT Pick 'Em: Vol in Mississippi has good week, marmot_man_111 extends lead
Fiddler_on_the_roof_fiddler_1__small
RTT Guessing Game standings after Week 8
Small
SEC Red Zone Comparisons & Projections

+ New FanPost All FanPosts >

Video Highlights

Animated Drive Charts

Animated BlogPoll

RTT Classics

RTT Classics 2008 Animated BlogPoll2007 Animated BlogPollLOL! Your logo is so scary! Welcome to Rocky Top Talk Tradition! Fiddlin' on the Roof2008 Animated BlogPoll The Season of Which We Do Not Speak Pearlfection Case Study: 2QB Systems and the 2005 Tennessee Volunteers The 2007 College Football Blogger Awards The 2006 College Football Blogger Awards The 20 coolest college football logos The 10 worst college football logos The 29 most boring college football logos 2006 Animated BCS Race 2005 Animated Race to the Rose Bowl

FanShots

Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.

Recommended FanShots

Chris's drug test had revealed evidence of human chorionic gonadotropin,...

Recent FanShots

"I did see the rerun," Kiffin said. "It was pretty bad but we'll worry...
Twitter / Luke Stocker: Sporting my Uggs all day, ...
Just a fun little graphic I created to celebrate the Vols outstanding defensive playing!
Meyer: Tebow hit late vs. Georgia
May cause spontaneous tackling
Nuke Doesn't Launch
Don't know if anyone knows this guy but I ran into him a couple of weeks ago and he was highly...
As Hooper mentioned, none of the RTT uniform design entries went with the black shirts and orange pants, like we saw against that team coached by Spurrier this past weekend.

So I gave it a very quick stab.  One thing I couldn't figure out in the short amount of time I took to do this was how to get the "T" on the helmet when designing your own helmet.  Others had done it in the contest...I couldn't figure it out.
Football, dogfighting, and brain damage : The New Yorker
Frazier Done for the Year

+ New FanShot All FanShots >

YouTube


Editor-in-Chief

Fiddler_on_the_roof_fiddler_1__small Joel

Senior Editor

Gromit_small Hooper

Tennessee_logo_small Will

Official Partner of CBS Sports