Reviewing Tennessee's Class of 2009: RTT#3 Bryce Brown
by Joel Hollingsworth on May 26, 2010 7:30 AM EDT
in Tennessee Volunteer Football
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PrintAs high as the expectations were for RTT#4 Nu'Keese Richardson, they were still higher and greater and longer and stronger for Bryce Brown. I mean, just look at this:
Five shiny, spinning stars from both major recruiting services, a full rack of ten jars from this site, a 4.4 forty, the #1 player in the nation overall, and a top three offer package of LSU, Southern Cal, and Miami. Yes, he's only third in the class, due to the offer sets of the two guys ahead of him, but yeah, we had great expectations for Brown.
Dude did quite well, too, especially considering that Montario Hardesty was ahead of him making up for four years of frustration in a single senior season. Brown's 2009 stats:
| GP | Rushing | Receiving | Kickoff Ret. |
Pts | |||||||||
| No | Gain | Loss | Net | TD | No | Yds | TD | No | Yds | TD | TTL TDs |
||
| 12 | 101 | 476 | 16 | 460 | 3 | 10 | 137 | 1 | 2 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
That 12 looked odd to me at first, making me think that perhaps Brown checked out even prior to spring practice (see below), but news reports just prior to the Chick-fil-A Bowl indicate he was trying to overcome a concussion, and that's probably the reason he missed that game. So 460 yards rushing and 137 receiving is really pretty good for a true freshman backup running back, although I'm not sure you can say that it's up to the expectations with which he came to Tennessee. For comparison's sake, Jamal Lewis had 1,364 yards his freshman season in 1997. Of course, Lewis was also the feature back that season, so the comparison's not really fair.
Let's check the video:
The first play in that thing reminded me that Brown had a bad hip for much of the early part of the season. He also has a tendency to run too upright, but that's nitpicking. The guy is good. Very good. The problem now, of course, is that he chose not to participate in spring practice, and most think he's going to transfer. Yet he's still on campus even though class is over for the semester, so we've got a bit of a flakiness factor at best and a one-and-done at worst.
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As long as he learns to run North-South
and realizes he can’t run over everyone and actually earns his playing time, I don’t care if he’s as flaky as Pillsbury. He is a remarkable talent that just needs to be taught humility. A good coach that is willing to knock him off his pedestal and teach him to cut the drama could have a Heisman candidate on his hands. If he can’t win the #1 spot, then it wasn’t meant to be.
I, for one, hope he stays. I wish he wouldn’t start his press conference BS again. My initial thoughts are he’s headed to USCw. That would surely explain the presser.
i hope he stays too
as long as he’s not a distraction and detriment to the team. however, this press conference stuff is non-sense.
Joel gets a gold star for good timing
Jimmy Hyams is reporting Brown did finally meet with Dooley/Chaney yesterday, along with his father and his brother, and that the two want to play at the same school. (H/T Josh Ward via twitter)
Hmm
What does that mean, exactly? At what school? Here? Somewhere in Kansas? Somewhere in Oz?
by Joel Hollingsworth on May 26, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think you bring Arthur to the meeting if you're not considering UT for both of them
so I’d say either UT or Kansas State. Though with this “saga”, I’d believe Oz.
by Will Shelton on May 26, 2010 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Good point
Not sure how I feel about adding a package deal to the mix. It’s not like we don’t have the room or anything, plus, if I remember right, the brother was at Miami, so he’s good enough, but it’s just odd. If it was like, hey, just wanted to let you know what we were thinking, we’d both like to play at the same place, and so I’m probably going to KS, but then we thought that maybe brother could play here, too, and that would be cool if you think it might be a good idea — then maybe it’s okay. Maybe. But if it was like, okay, here’s a chance for you to keep me, then, no, bye, there’s no place like home. Regardless, I worry about a very real possibility that the dude’s going to be clicking his heels the entire time he’s here.
But weird.
by Joel Hollingsworth on May 26, 2010 5:14 PM EDT up reply actions
A bit overboard on the movie theme, I know
But somehow overboard fits, huh?
by Joel Hollingsworth on May 26, 2010 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Brown meeting
Why would Dad splurge for a ticket for both he and Arthur to fly out to meet with Dooley if they weren’t serious about Arthur joining Bryce?
I wouldn’t think Dad would even bother coming out much less bringing Arthur if there wasn’t already some discussions going on with Dooley and Dooley needing to meet them face to face before making a decision.
If Bryce was simply transfering to some Kansas school than why have a meeting at all?
Very interesting…seems like anything to do with the Browns is very interesting.
I’d take them. This program desperately needs a shot in the arm of a dose of good news.
Even better for us
Because, assuming he makes a decision in the next ten days or so, we’ll have the only preseason magazine that even shows him as being on the team.
;-)
by Joel Hollingsworth on May 26, 2010 7:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Do we really...
want him? I’d rather have a guy that I trust on Third/Fourth Down with a chip on his shoulder than some dude that cares WAY more about the name on the back of the jersey.
by GhostDance on May 26, 2010 10:38 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
The good and the bad on Bryce
Yes, we saw flashes of talent from Bryce last season and I never truly felt he was 100% healthy. Still he made most of his yards against Western Kentucky, Ohio U and Memphis. From what I have always read, Bryce was a good student and has gotten good grades at UT and avoided gettiing in trouble with the law. That does count for something, right?
Yes, sitting out spring ball was a horrible idea, but we need this guy on the field. Poole is going to need somebody to spell him and they could be a good 1 / 2 punch. Oku doesn’t seem like a between the tackles SEC back, T. Williams didn’t look good in the spring and if UT wants to get back to being in the elite in the SEC, freshman like Neil need to be redshirted. If Brown can humble himself and his teammates accept him back, so be it.
At the Big Orange Caravan today, Dooley said
there’d been no new news on Bryce Brown in 3 months and that he preferred to focus on the 85 guys who are actually on the team. (He said it a lot nicer than that, but that’s the bottom line)
I now love Coach Dooley.
Puh-lease…..Let…..Bryce…..GO….
Of course he'll say that.
CDD isn’t gonna address it or say otherwise until there has been a definite “he’s gone”, or “he’s back and his brother appeared too”.
I’m not about to run off a player of his talent, but if he goes he goes and go Tauren Poole.
"I condone fun things" ~~ Cortland Finnegan
Hello ladies. Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn't me.
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