Janzen Jackson Speaks, Parries, Demands Interceptions

In today's Talking Points, Janzen Jackson speaks (but deflects on the details like a pro), John Adams applauds the attitude behind the o-line's unattainable goals, and the new guys get an opportunity to get into the mix.First up is GVX's summary of Jackson's comments:

In his first public comments since the Music City Bowl, Jackson declined on Monday to offer specifics about the personal problems that led to his withdrawal from UT in the spring and created lingering questions about his status with the team throughout the offseason. But while keeping most of the details about his absence private, Jackson did open up about his relationship with coach Derek Dooley and the difficulty on the road back to the Vols, also offering up his gratitude for the people who stood by him during the long process as well.

There's (a little) more in the video of the interview, which is posted by both VolQuest and Inside Tennessee. Toward the end, there's a great quote about what Jackson expects, nay, DEMANDS, from himself and the other DBs, but most of it dances around the absence issue. Jackson expertly parried on follow ups regarding the details saying only that the "personal" in the reason for his absence had to do both with him and his family. It's quite remarkable that, apparently, the media actually already knows the answers to these questions but is unwilling to report it until they can elicit permission from Jackson via a direct quote. Props to the Knoxville media folks for that. But be prepared for this (and left-hander James Stone snapping right handed, a story with surprising legs considering it is built on the mere anticipation of Something Bad Happening Eventually) to be the Bruce Pearl Timeline of the 2011 Tennessee Volunteers football season. Number 1 and 1A on every commentator's talking points list until something unspeakable (oh, the irony) happens to knock it off the radar. As a matter of fact, POLL!

More below the jump.

John Adams: Bold offense better than old offense " GoVolsXtra
As silly as 2,000 yards [for Tauren Poole this season] might sound, the thinking behind it isn't. In fact, UT fans probably welcome it. Setting your sights high is certainly more embraceable than the mediocre marks the Vols have been posting. This is no time for discouraging bold goals. The team is a consensus pick to finish fourth in the SEC East. The defensive front seven doesn't rank that high. But the offense fosters fantasies — as well as fond memories.

Tennessee's first scrimmage is key for younger players " GoVolsXtra
"It has a big impact in who we start investing our time in personnel-wise," Vols coach Derek Dooley said after practice on Monday. "Who we can start shaping the plays around? It's not just one day, it's a body of work, I've said that since I've been here, but it does carry a little more weight and we certainly want our guys who have been productive in the past to play well. "We also need some of these young ones to go out there and say, 'Hey, coach me up. I'll be ready for the first game.' That's what we're hoping."

Juco transfers Byron Moore, Izauea Lanier using experience to their advantage " GoVolsXtra
That previous experience, though, paid dividends when Moore arrived on campus this summer, a time when star signees are typically "unrecruited" with intensive conditioning and weightlifting that put them in their place in a hurry. "They're going to tell you what you want to hear while you're getting recruited," said Moore, a four-star recruit who was also courted by Miami, Ohio State and Oregon State. "Once you get here, you're just part of the team, so it's time to go to work. "They're not telling you how good you are and stuff like that. It's over."

Post-Pearl Vols embracing Martin and myriad opportunities - NCAA Division I Mens Basketball - CBSSports.com
"We tried to say it didn't affect us, but it did," said former Vol Tobias Harris, who left Knoxville after one season for the NBA. "We weren't clicking as a team. We had a lot of egos and we weren't a family. We were just out there playing; we weren't together as a unit and that was hard. "Some of the guys got distracted because they were always talking about the investigation on TV instead of us. But I wouldn't say that's the whole reason why we didn't mesh together well."