Talking Points: Lane Kiffin asks you to eat your veggies

by Joel on Jul 6, 2009 7:34 AM EDT in Rocky Top Talking Points Comment 9 comments

Tennessee football

Foiled by broccoli. Michael Palardy's attempt to video vault his commitment to Lane Kiffin was thwarted by an inability to reach Kiffin while cameras were rolling ($). Eddie Gran was available, though, and he was able to save the day by getting Kiffin on the phone. Kiffin had a good excuse for the delay, though, which he told Palardy once he hooked up:
Mike, I'm real sorry man. I'm trying to get my kids to bed and they're yelling at me about trying to feed them vegetables.
Lane Kiffin is For Vegetables. You won't see that on an ESPN crawl. Or maybe you will.

They like us! And them. Michael Prader, the #3 WR in the nation, puts Tennessee in his top 10. The other nine are Illinois, Oklahoma, USC, Michigan, Notre Dame, Alabama, Auburn, Missouri, and Miami. Defensive back Cody Riggs -- younger brother of former Vol Gerald Riggs and teammate of Palardy -- has Tennessee in his top 5, the competition being Georgia, Florida, Notre Dame, and Florida State.

Another day closer to football. Freshman CB Mike Edwards begins summer classes and workouts today.

Celebrating the 4th on the 1st with bittersweet chocolate milkshakes. I FanShot this earlier, but don't miss GVX's weekend coaching profile on Eddie Gran.

Wow. CBSSports.com picks the SEC and puts the Vols fifth in the East ahead of only Vanderbilt. Yes, that means we're behind Kentucky, that team we've beaten for something like 24 years straight.

Tennessee basketball

The Pilot Rocky Top League is over, and the HT Group won its second consecutive championship. The half-written post I have in the hopper blaming the PRTL for many of last year's problems will remain there in light of procrastination and reports that the summer league actually featured some defense this year. Mike Griffith grades the Vol players participating in the league and gives Scotty Hopson, Wayne Chism, and Tyler Smith high marks. And in shocking news, Dane Bradshaw won the league's Dane Bradshaw Award.

SEC

Roll Bama Roll asks and answers the question of whether coaches always improve during their second season. Short answer: yes, unless you're Rich Brooks, Gene Chizik, or Houston Nutt at Arkansas.
A Sea of Blue is distrubbed the wrong way by some questionable legal maneuvering by Kentucky in its suit with Billy Gillispie.
Track Em Tigers has the definitive list of ten questions for the SEC this season, including whether Lane Kiffin can back up the smack talk.

NCAA

Huh. Ralph Friedgen has lost close to 100 pounds.
Music City Miracles is all over the tragic death of Steve McNair.

Just for fun

Don't try this at home.
Just turn it off already! It appears that GVX is throwing its hands in the air and paving the road toward commenting bankruptcy. Beginning Wednesday, they'll be sporting a new design that will allow users to turn commenting off altogether. We know why they're commenting system doesn't work, but we aren't telling. ;-)

Around the SB Nation

Maize N Brew makes the case for a Godzillatron roughly the size of Michigan Stadium. Includes a fine rendering using MS Paint.

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Comments

Hmm,

I FanShot this earlier, …

Hadn’t thought of FanShot in the past tense before. Problem is, my first reaction is to convert the ‘o’ to an ‘a’…

/tangent

by Hooper on Jul 6, 2009 8:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lol

Fanshat

Tennessee WILL beat Georgia on the way to 9+ wins in '09!!!

by VolBrian on Jul 6, 2009 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Also,

We know why they’re commenting system doesn’t work, but we aren’t telling. ;-)

With that winkie, that has to be one of the most beautiful uses of an intentional typo I’ve ever seen. That’s just awesome.

by Hooper on Jul 6, 2009 8:30 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think Dodds did any research for that CBSSports.com article.

I mean, a lot of his comments are just odd…

3. Ole Miss — Until Ole Miss actually does it, they can’t be the pick in the West.

For one, the whole point of a prediction is to try to guess what happens before it happens.

5. Auburn — Let’s see, Tony Franklin was fired because players had a hard time picking up his offense.

Or it could be that Franklin got into one too many profanity-laden screaming matches with his players and had lost control.

2. Georgia — Strange, but the Bulldogs seem like they’re going to be OK.

His Georgia pick seems more based on his Ole Miss logic than on his analysis.

5. Tennessee — Behind the bluster, is this: Tennessee isn’t particularly good. The offense is going to be painful to watch — again. Lane Kiffin has yet to sign the quarterback who will define his success in Knoxville. His best hope at the position might be All-American safety Eric Berry who should get some snaps behind center.

o.O Where did that come from? Just because Clawson made a half-aborted attempt to put Berry on offense doesn’t mean Kiffin will. If a Wild Whatever package is installed, he has plenty of freshmen to teach it to – guys who will actually be around for the next couple of years.

And I took all this time to respond to it. Bad hooper, no biscuit.

by Hooper on Jul 6, 2009 8:55 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You could have stopped at "I don't think Dodds did any research"

…and nobody would have questioned you.

by CornFromAJar on Jul 6, 2009 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Anybody who says...

(emphasis mine)

Let’s see, Tony Franklin was fired because players had a hard time picking up his offense. His replacement at offensive coordinator is Gus Malzahn, basically runs the same offense.

…does not have an opinion which should be taken seriously.

"Florida didnt win their first SEC title until 1991 and now they think they invented football."
-Ron Zook

by rustytanton on Jul 6, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs