Alabama 37 Tennessee 6 - When The Levee Breaks
by Will Shelton on Oct 22, 2011 11:29 PM EDT
in Tennessee Volunteer Football
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PrintThere is nothing good about any loss to Alabama, especially not the second consecutive 31 point beating. It was almost exactly the same thing that happened last year, when the Vols trailed 13-10 at halftime and then got destroyed by big plays in the second half. The difference this time was the Vols didn't just break one big play in the first half, as Tauren Poole did in Knoxville last year. Tennessee wasn't tied with Bama at halftime because they were lucky. The Vols played toe-to-toe with Alabama for thirty minutes.
And then the second half came, and what everyone wearing orange was worried about came to life again in a real quick hurry.
Last year the Vols folded against superior competition outright. This year, Tennessee will battle until a break goes against them...and then it all falls apart. Whether it's been Justin Hunter's knee injury, or Marlin Lane's touchdown getting overturned, or a questionable spot on a 4th and 1 sneak tonight, you can pinpoint when these games change with alarming accuracy. When Tennessee didn't get that first down, the Crimson Tide rose and smashed through the defense that had been so strong in the first half. Meanwhile, the offense would come no closer to a first down the rest of the game. The end result: another 31 point loss to one of the two best teams in the nation. Only this time, the Vols were much more helpful with turnovers. And because the ground game - which ran for more yards (92) against Alabama than anyone so far this year - didn't appear out of thin air the way it did last week, there's far less to feel good about.
Instead, most of the conversation will center about the loss of Justin Worley's redshirt. The true freshman came in for Matt Simms - 8 of 17 for 58 yards with an interception and a fumble - and handed the ball off five times.
I don't know what's coming this week, but I know we'll talk about it. And look, we're a UT sports blog. We exist for commentary and conversation. It's what we do.
But the last thing on earth I want to do this week is talk about what impact playing our third string quarterback against the number one team in the nation will have on Derek Dooley's future.
The Worley conversation will dominate the week. So when it does, here's what's most important to remember:
- It's still irrational to judge Derek Dooley on last year's mess or this year's injuries
- It's still irrational to judge Matt Simms on what he does against the two best defenses in the country
You want to talk about Worley? Let's make sure we have the conversation within those contexts.
Is Worley better than Simms? We have no idea. None of us. Absolutely zero. And "he can't be worse!" is not an argument considering who Simms has faced. I'm not suggesting we should play Simms simply because it's fair. Football, like life, isn't fair. I'm saying those who know best about which quarterback is the best choice to give us a chance against South Carolina are the coaches who've seen Worley throw a football. That's more than any of us can say.
You can disagree with burning Worley's redshirt. Most of us do. But let's not lose our collective mind and make summary judgments about Derek Dooley based on what he does with his third string quarterback's redshirt. And let's not judge a team without four of its five best players too harshly based on what it does against LSU and Alabama.
Losing to the Tide by 31 points for the second year in a row is bad enough. Let's not make it worse on ourselves.
The Vols will go with whichever QB gives them the best chance to win next week. We'll discuss it and disagree and all of that. But don't forget the overall context.
We're not going to get an overall feel for this thing this season. Never were with all these injuries. The Vols can still move forward in small steps in what we hope is a similar process to the one that dominated us tonight. Getting bowl eligible still matters. And the Vols can put something together that's going to look better next week and give themselves a chance to win.
Whether that's through Simms or Worley or both, don't miss the forest for the trees. Because the forest needs our support right now.
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Dooley:
These guys don’t worry about staying four years anymore, so why should we worry about redshirts? When they stop coming out in three, we’ll start redshirting them.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 22, 2011 11:47 PM EDT reply actions
Did he really say that?
I like when the truth is spoken.
I'm the smartest raccoon I know.
by Phocion on Oct 23, 2011 11:59 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
then Dooley is your kind of guy
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Well...
that makes complete sense to me. When Justin Hunter got hurt, some people were asking if it was too late for redshirting, and everyone’s answer was “it doesn’t matter; as good as he is he won’t stay anyway”.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
the difference is I'm not sure if Worley has the tools to be an NFL QB
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 8:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Peyton did....
And there are a lot of people who compare him, where he is, to Peyton, and where he was at this time. Just saying, is all.
GBO!!!
That was rough
I realized that I still despise Bammer as much as ever.
Also, it is getting old watching this team get smoked coming out of halftime week after week. Da’Rick was visibly upset with Simms’ errant passes. Bad breaks often deflate this team’s emotions, but they have been getting stomped by teams with equal to greater talent for the past year and a half.
It is getting harder and harder to not point towards coaching for the head-hanging and 2nd half “lack of intensity” (it’s the same refrain after each loss from quoted players). I like Dooley, and I would hate to see him lose this team
by pound the rock on Oct 22, 2011 11:49 PM EDT reply actions
Dooley on the 2nd halves
The teams we’ve been better than, we’ve played well in the 2nd half. So they’re probably worried about their halftime adjustments.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 22, 2011 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not the 2nd half in it's entirety
owing to lack of depth and exhausted players.
It’s getting run right out of the gate. If this team is tired coming out of halftime, that’s a big problem.
by pound the rock on Oct 22, 2011 11:55 PM EDT reply actions
I think it might just be that Alabama is a lot better than us
not that they’re taking advantage of poor scheme, just them winning individual battles with better players. Could be as simple as that.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 12:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Bama fan here...
I think this is right. How many top five recruiting classes has Saban had at Bama? It does matter.
You guys have nothing to hang your heads about. The Vols fought hard in the first half, they just don’t have the depth that Bama does.
After having gone through some dark days with Bama, I sympathize with you. But give Dooley some time to clean up that asswipe Kiffin’s mess.
Kiffin did something I thought would never happen: feel sorry for UT.
It feels wrong…so very, very wrong…
"Football has never been just a game to me. Never."
Paul William Bryant
Thanks...it's not just Kiffin's mess
He just threw gasoline in the already burning dumpster to create a true dumpster fire. This program was trending down well before that and was in dire straights when Kiffin took over. He only set us back another year or two.
Thanks, and all, but.......
we don’t want anybody to feel sorry for us. We want people to be afraid to play us again. We want them to not be able to eat for 3 days before the game, because their nerves won’t allow them. Keep your sympathy.We’ll take the wins.
GBO!!!
I agree here
We played really hard in that first half and we had some impressive stops on defense and that initial pick. But we were not consistently moving the ball. We were always faced with 3rd and 8ish. This was not a sustainable business model. I got many texts from several non-UT friends at halftime basically saying “y’all can win this”. I texted back, “no, we can’t”.
It wasn’t that our defense was tired in the second half, because they weren’t. It was simply that they were going to get scored on eventually. And when you continue to go 3 and out, that eventuality becomes more and more imminent. That game yesterday reminded me too much of 2005 and 2008 teams. Good defenses allowed them to hang around in most games, but the inability to consistently move the football ensured/dictated the eventual W/L outcome.
No homer.
by kidbourbon on Oct 24, 2011 12:08 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
the difference between this year and the 2005/2008 teams
is that this year’s team is doing it without their two best players on offense. so there’s at least more encouragement
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 24, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Could it be the coaching
lets be realistic yes LSU and BAMA have more depth, more quality personnel, and more skilled players. They should be able to win against TN but could a part of the problem also be in-game coaching skills, adjustments, and anticipation of an opponents changes. It has appeared to me that as the Tennesse players began to overcome their lack of experience that the coaching staff was not making the necessary adjustments to take advantage of the skills we have.
When Bray was healthy and we had no run game where were the short possession passes that can substitue for a run game. Joe Montana became hall of fame throwing this kind of pass
When we do manage to establish the run game where are the play action passes on first or second down to take advantage of what we accomplished. It is no surprise to me that Nick Saban put 8 and 9 people in the box to stop the run game in the 2nd half. Does it surprise anyone else.
We have not played a game this year where we managed to maintain containment…am I the only one that thinks this is a problem
How bright do you have to be to know that Lee will throw and Jefferson will run
and last but not least how much coaching savy does it take to know that Matt Simms cannot operate the vertical passing game like Tyler Bray
Com’on coaches make use of the talents we have and quite whining about lack of effort because I saw some good effort against LSU and BAMA but it sure appeared to me that those other guys recognized what we were doing right in the first half and adjusted at the half to take advantage of it….The question is did we?
I disagree
Much more passing on routes/plays that took advantage of Tennessee’s commitment to stop the run game. Once Alabama decided to take advantage of what Tennessee was giving them the outcome was assured.
Also, after that first TD the blood was in the water….and challenging the spot just made the Tide mad. You saw the result of that immediately.
I'm the smartest raccoon I know.
Incomplete Double Post is Incomplete
…strange glitch apparently today. Here’s what should have been in the body…
Much more passing on routes/plays that took advantage of Tennessee’s commitment to stop the run game. Once Alabama decided to take advantage of what Tennessee was giving them the outcome was assured.
Also, after that first TD the blood was in the water….and challenging the spot just made the Tide mad. You saw the result of that immediately.
I'm the smartest raccoon I know.
it was in the body
that glitch has been happening for a couple weeks. refresh and you’ll see it as you should.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 24, 2011 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry, but I disagree on the 2nd point
I’ve seen enough from Matt Simms to know he cannot get it done at all, whatsoever in the SEC. Tauren Poole was wide open in the flat and he locks onto the receiver over the middle and throws a terrible pick there in the 2nd half. The line has given him time the last 2 weeks and he has done jack squat with it. I realize it’s LSU and Bama, but come on. 58 yards passing. There was a reason Matt was benched last year for Bray. There is a reason he couldn’t start at Louisville.
Don’t read the above as an endorsment of Woorley for next week, but if I can’t get excited about another Saturday with Simms at center, imagine how our team feals?
My other point with Simms would be
that last year he played with an entirely different receiving corps.
If Dooley thinks Worley gives them a better chance to win against Carolina, he should play him.
by Will Shelton on Oct 23, 2011 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions
I have to agree on Simms here
There is nothing irrational about observing that Matt Simms simply lacks the ability to throw the ball where a receiver can catch it. I have been trying to real hard to judge the play here and not the player, but I’m not sure that I’m doing a good job. I just don’t see what quarterbacking skills that Matt Simms actually possesses. I think the answer might be "the ability to check down to a run’, and that’s it.
No homer.
by kidbourbon on Oct 24, 2011 11:50 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I'm also tired of Dez Howard's personal vendetta
Where he clowns Matt on national TV to get back at Phil. Simms is out there playing as hard as he can. I can’t believe Herbstreit or Fowler haven’t put the kibosh on that.
by pound the rock on Oct 22, 2011 11:58 PM EDT reply actions
Good point
Simms did play with different receivers (Moore, Jones, Stocker and a healthy Hunter) last year. That has to take time to get used to. On the flip side, the OL is pass blocking much better this year. He has time to set his feet and step into a throw.
How about our 2nd drive of the game? He did throw a nice ball to the sideline to DaRick but then he lobs that ball to the endzone that should have been picked. We were lucky to get a FG.
Of note
while we’re trying to keep Derek Dooley’s seat in the freezer, for some perspective, check out the venom directed toward Brent Bielema in the live thread on our SB Nation Wisconsin blog. (Language warning)
idiots...
Some Wisconsin fans obviously weren’t around much before Barry Alvarez. Some of these guys would have jumped off a bridge, or be Ohio State fans 20 years ago.
Six total bowls prior to 1993 with a 40 year, and 31 year gap between conference titles.
My take on Simms
He’s had a credible run game against two of the best run defenses in the country to work with. He hasn’t shown that he can handle basic check downs and make short accurate throws. Almost every down field pass has been a disaster. He still makes the Freshman mistake of locking on receivers and holding the ball far too long. He has no feel for throwing before the breaks and ball placement with his receivers.
I think Dooley knows that he has to make a change to keep the team’s spirit up. They know going into a game they have no chance with Simms at QB. The team has played their tails off two weeks in a row and have largely been done in by horrible QB play.
I could live with average QB play. I could live with no real big play threat but with accurate timing throws to WR slants, TE drags and RB wheel routes and I think this team could win with those limitations, but after several games last year and two this year Simms just hasn’t shown any ability to do that. I can live with losses to teams obviously better than us, but total ineptness at the QB position is tough to watch and tough for the team to play with.
I am in violent agreement Phil
I don’t blame Simms. He’s just not an SEC caliber qb. We’ve all seen enough to know that.
by Lt. Frank Drebin on Oct 23, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I agree with both of y'all
phil g said it better than I did above.
No homer.
by kidbourbon on Oct 24, 2011 11:52 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
This makes much sense.
I’m far from a football expert, but even I can see that Simms just doesn’t have what it takes to play in the SEC. I also agree that using Worley is as much psychological in nature as anything.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
These are the dark days
I knew we were going to have to work through after the 2008 recruiting class debacle and then the Kiffin one and done. I hadn’t counted on the Kiffin class to fall apart so badly but that just deepened the hole. We’ll be a much better team next year. The pieces are slowly coming together, but it is a painful process for everyone.
yep
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions
Agree with QB change
I have to disagree about judging Simms on performances against LSU and Bama. I have wanted him to succeed not only because I am a UT fan but because he is such a classy individual. However, he has not even begun to correct the problems that got him benched last year. He still locks in on his primary receiver and ignores his progressions. On both LSU picks he had a TE running alone in the middle of the field. Last night he reverted to the “hold the ball, get sacked, and fumble” routine from last year ….. with lots of time. His accuracy is awful. Dooley’s defense of his run reads was, IMO, trying to bolster his ego.
Simms’ play has killed momentum or failed to boost it 2 weeks in a row. He has a knack for mistakes at the worst possible time. The coaches’ decision to insert Worley for 5 handoffs was not, again IMO, a frivolous burning of his redshirt. It seems to me that it was a signal that the Simms effort has failed and Worley is our QB until TB returns. As I_S pointed out, redshirts are largely irrelevant anyway, though one might argue that point in the case of linemen and LB’s where another year of S&C makes a big difference.
by springtime-of-my-senility on Oct 23, 2011 7:49 AM EDT reply actions
He wasn't so hot against lesser comp either
Couldn’t move the offense against UAB and only had marginal stats against UT Martin. I’ve seen enough.
so often overlooked, but worth pointing out
Dooley is now 4/4 in his Tennessee career on surprise special teams plays (fake punts or onside kicks). There are places where we can question his judgment, but the fact that he can effectively discern situations in which such plays will work says that he’s doing something right.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 8:05 AM EDT reply actions
Special teams overall
Much improved and beginning to be a unit that doesn’t make you cringe. Palardy had a great night. Hopefully that’s a game he can build on and turn the corner.
It is so nice to be able to get those extra...
…10-12 yards on a kickoff return. Or just to get some return yardage on a punt.
It’s like a breath of fresh air. Aaahhhh…we’re starting on the 35. Cool.
No homer.
by kidbourbon on Oct 24, 2011 11:55 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I didnt question too many of his play calls in the Bama game.
He did call a conservative game which I thought was smart as he was able to really shorten the 1st half which kept TN in it. I did question that 3rd and 4 FB dive in 4 down territory but that was the only really glaring bad play call I noticed.
by cerebralfish on Oct 24, 2011 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions
There's a lot of bright spots
Generally the D looks solid with all of those youngsters, they just can’t hang with powerful teams when on the field so long and they’re good for a couple of youthful break downs per game.
We need a couple of pass rushers to emerge and a couple of corners to improve or emerge. We need one or two more play makers at WR after Hunter and Rodgers and we need a thumper RB.
The o-line is making visible progress against great D so far this season. No reason not to expect them to take another big step next year as well. This team has the potential to be dangerous going forward.
Guys, I am curious.
You folks are pretty much staring at the same season we are, although you have looked much stronger in your losses than we have, as well as your wins.
But you have a chance to win out. Which would put you with a little help, in the SEC East title game. Admittedly, this is pretty much a date with the devil, although in your case a devil you may have already seen.
We are in the midst of serious concerns with Joker right now, and all indicators are that we should simply be patient, stand pat, and allow the system to work.
Will UT be willing to do the same thing?
I mean, your future looks a lot brighter than ours at this point, but is the wait going to be too much for the UT fanbase to tolerate?
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Oct 23, 2011 12:56 PM EDT reply actions
Just my take:
I think it’ll hinge on how things go in the South Carolina game. It’d be a lot easier to answer your questions if they hadn’t burned Worley’s redshirt, but now we have opened that Pandora’s Box so I don’t really know how people will react.
If UT beats South Carolina, I think we’ll be happy for the rest of the season. A loss, and it will depend heavily on the nature of the loss. Either way, another 3rd quarter collapse will not bode well.
But the East is out for UT this year. Four losses isn’t going to get it done when we would require five losses from both Florida and Georgia. Our best case is really 3rd right now, and that can happen if we beat South Carolina.
by David Hooper on Oct 23, 2011 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I think we're mathematically eliminated from the East now
by Will Shelton on Oct 23, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I was shocked that Dooley burned Worley's redshirt.
What does Worley get you best case scenario? I mean Simms will most likely get wins vs Vandy, KY, and MTSU which makes TN bowl eligible right? I think if Worley plays well he might be worth 1 extra win vs USC or Arkansas. The downside of burning his redshirt is also burning the confidence of TN’s young future QB by throwing him in a bad situation with a young, inexperienced and injured team. Am I missing something? your thoughts?
by cerebralfish on Oct 24, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
I think you underestimate...
how much that one extra win is worth to this team. Also, who’s to say this won’t increase the confidence of the young quarterback. For a lot of players, being allowed to play is a confidence booster in itself.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
I can't believe I am saying this, but you are right......lol
I am now and shall forever be the Cat in The Hat, The Artist Formerly Known As ABC!!!
by Greg Alan Edwards on Oct 25, 2011 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
There is a chance for him to build confidence like you said.
That is the upside. I just think you have a better chance to get the young future QB off on the right foot when the team has bigger, older, and more talented guys in the system. I just question the risk/reward when playing him at this point with this team in their current state. I mean Worley will have all the pressure in the world on him going into a game where TN is a td underdog anyway. He knows there is 100k people in the stadium that echo your sentiments about how much one extra win means. I just hope his ugly freshman game(which all freshman QBs have) doesnt come in one of these “must” win games. That would be unfair to him as he is void of not only experience but also the tools around him to give him a better than 50/50 shot at success.
by cerebralfish on Oct 25, 2011 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Bottom line re: Dooley trashing
No matter what you think about Dooley and how he’s doing, you might as well get over it unless you want 5-6 more years .500 or worse teams. We can’t afford another coaching change right now, period. Plus, I’m not sure who is out there that is a good enough coach AND willing to step in the black hole that we would create by firing Dooley any time soon.
I’m not down on Dooley this year at all, but next year all of the excuses we have for losing now go away for the most part so we should see more of what he can do.
I also am in the start Worley camp. The redshirt is off, Simms is a terrible QB whom the team has no confidence in, and Worley could use the experience.
Either way, I’m still all Orange………
"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.
by VolBrian on Oct 23, 2011 1:23 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
That's exactly my position at this time
No one promised the rebuild would be painless or short. I’m all in and agree with the decision to play Worley given Simms’ total ineptitude.
even Dooley critics should be supporters until the end of next year at the earliest, for the reasons you list
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
You get a rec sir!
As almost always, we are in agreement.
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
Just ask Da'Rick and Rivera how much confidence they have in Simms.
Why not put Worley in and let him get some game-speed snaps in against QUALITY SEC competition? After all, he is the number 2 guy next year. What happens if Bray gets hurt next year? Prepare the kid. Get him ready to be where he’s going to be eventually. When Bray leaves after next year, then what? I’ve always though redshirts were stupid anyway. Medical redshirts are one thing. Redshirting a kid because you wanted to keep someone else from having him is another thing.
GBO!!!
I think a QBs success often revolves in large part around the confidence he gains or loses based on the situation he is put in early in his collegiate career.
The reason to hold Worley out is to allow this already young inexperienced team to get bigger, stronger, and more experienced in their system so he can step into a solid situation ala a situation that gives him his best chance to succeed. Look at Brantley at UF. I dont think he is a bad QB but he started off in a bad situation and his confidence took a major and possibly permanent hit because of it. The only difference is UF had to put him in a bad situation early. The risk/reward isnt there imo. Best case he possibly wins 1 more game than Simms. Worse case his confidence is severely shaken.
by cerebralfish on Oct 24, 2011 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Burning the redshirt
When you put in the 2nd string(pulling starters because the game is lost. When we put ours in Saban put his in. some were 3rd string , or the score would had been alot worse), Worley is the guy behind Simms. What do you do? Depth is so critical. Recruiting is not easy at Tennessee(by population there isn’t enough great players here). At LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, and Florida, recruiting is easy. Saban could not come to Tennessee and win a championship in a few years like he did at LSU or ’Bama. Dooley has a tougher job than Saban, Muschamp, Richt, and Lucky Les. Sounds like some want to burn the forest instead of the redshirt. I say burn the redshirt not the forest! See you at the South Carolina game! Go BIG ORANGE!!
by Master Jedi Starkiller on Oct 23, 2011 2:42 PM EDT reply actions
Good grief...
the KNS writers sure are defending Matt Simms.
Hate to have to say this, but 63 yards passing is unacceptable for a Sun Belt team vs. Alabama. Especially when the line gives you all day.
I thought your guys put up a pretty respectible fight yesterday.
I mean nothing condescending when I say this and I know you guys don’t take to moral victories any more than we do, but your very young team, with a second year coach went toe to toe with arguably the best team in the nation, in our house for half a game. Never gave up in the second half. That arguement will be settled in two weeks.
I hate moral victories as well, but there are growing pains. I never saw your boys give up, I didn’t see any fear in your team. Don’t get me wrong, I am a lifelong Bama fan which requires me to hate UT ( in a sports way I mean ) but in order to maintain a healthy hatred a degree of respect is required. I left Bryant-Denney Stadium with a renewed respect. My seats were in the visitors section yesterday and enjoyed hanging out with you guys as well. You represent well. Roll Tide !!!
"The only way to improve relations with Auburn is to beat them a few times. " 5026's Mom
Much appreciated!
"It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone." A. Bartlett Giamatti
And you guys have always been pretty decent when you come to town.
There are always a few exceptions. But overall, a pretty (gulp) classy fanbase. A few of my friends are diehard Bama fanbs. Great guys. We hate the Hell out of each other during hate week. But after that, we’re great. Good guys, the lot of them.
GBO!!!
If you'd like to look on the bright side...
Can we now officially say that Dooley has beaten a good team? Anyone else notice that Cincinnati is ranked now? Their only loss comes from the whoopin that Tennessee put on them back when I saw bright things for our team.
I know we aren’t in it for moral victories, but 17-7 against LSU at the half and 6-6 against Alabama at the half is pretty good for how poorly karma has worked on our side this year.
The what-if game comes into play here too. And I hate to play that game, but, what if we had Hunter, Bray and Lathers. Makes my hair stand on end to think about it. But, alas, we have none of them and are under .500.
Oh, and, once again, Dooley’s hair was perfect last night. Even my Tennessee-hating Ohio State friends made that comment. Go Vols!
by Kyle David Authenreith on Oct 23, 2011 6:16 PM EDT reply actions
i dont think the QB issue is about quality any more
the simple fact is every snap simms takes is valuable experience wasted that could be given to someone who might actually play for a good UT team some day. no one goes to knoxville to worry about the difference between 4, 5, or 6 wins. the future is really all we have at this point and we know one thing for certain: simms isn’t part of our future.
Pearl for Life.
The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.
counterpoint:
we want the best person to get us to 6 wins so we can get the bowl practice, which helps more than just Worley.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 7:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Counterpoint? Sounds more like an additional supporting point.
Get Worley in there now. Best of luck to you Matt Simms in whatever you pursue outside of football.
that's counterpoint to the "winning doesn't matter, only getting reps for young players" point
not the “who should we start” point
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
Ahhh got it
No matter how you look at it, it only makes sense to start Worley at this point.
Public service announcement:
we moved the podcast to Tuesday this week because I was sure I wasn’t going to be here tonight
will be at the Canes/Senators game Tuesday
but it’s probably good to lose my excuse to further put off preparation of tomorrow’s presentation on emergence and personal identity
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on Oct 23, 2011 9:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Speaking as an LSU fan, I agree with those of you who say this is a painful time, but part of the rebuilding process. When talking about the last two weeks, take a few things into account. This LSU team might be the best I’ve seen in my life. And despite the final score any stats, UT played a better game against us this year. I know last year was closer than humanly possible, but that was nothing more than a scrappy Tiger team that had a terrible offense and was literally 4 plays away from being 6-6, and the UT game was probably our worst effort of the year. This year’s team is better in so many ways, and considering the youth, injuries, and roster recovery that the Vols are going through, I felt like this year’s effort was actually an improvement over last year’s. I didn’t catch a lot of last year’s Alabama game, but yall played them a heck of a game this year. Again, despite the score.
Remember, a team doesn’t have to severely outclassed to suffer an ugly game and a lopsided score. Any matchup advantage, even a mild one, can lead to big win/loss if it’s hammered over and over.
So I know nobody wants to talk about moral victories and whatnot, and that’s not what I’m trying to say. I’m just saying as an outsider, I see improvement, and that’s considering UT is still a very young team. I really think UT can be a 9-3 team next year and then who knows after that?
What happened to the QB who came with Rogers?
"Albert hits good pitches hard and bad pitches even harder. And when he gets in the batter's box, if you pray, then you start praying. And if you don't pray, you think about starting."--Brian Bannister
Trevor Rosenthal Update (as of end of regular season)
120 1/3IP, 133 K, 52 BB/HBP, 55 ER, 7 HR, 3.04 FIP
Postseason: 2 Starts- 15 IP, 9 H, 10 K, 2 BB, 3 ER, 19:10 GO:AO
by VolsnCards5 on Oct 24, 2011 7:19 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Nash Nance?
He’s after Worley on the depth chart. I haven’t heard any reason one way or the other, so I assume Worley has just looked better in practice.
by David Hooper on Oct 24, 2011 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions
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