Talking Points for 4/14/10:
- Brian Cook warns Vol fans that the 2008 record for most losses is at risk this season, "[t]hanks to what we can now confidently proclaim the worst hire of the decade in college football." Dr. Saturday agrees with the first part but provides a list of candidates to muddy the waters on the question of whether Lane Kiffin was the worst hire in ten years. The list includes Mike Price and Ron Zook, who's actually on there twice, once for Florida and once for Illinois.
- Hey, it's scientific fact. Fans of Bruce Pearl are "smart as a whip" while John Calipari fans are somewhere between "thick as two short planks" and "dumb as a bag of hammers." Not neglecting the winkie here: ;-)
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Um, that new offensive line? The one with five new starters? Can't snap the ball. O-line coach Harry Hiestand says that he has never had to coach an entirely made-from-scratch offensive line. Dooley will allow none of that, however, to serve as an excuse for the running backs:
"I have always felt that the backs make the running game not the offensive line," Dooley said following Tuesday's practice at Haslam Field, the Vols' 12th of 15 dates. "Whenever we have run it well, we have had good backs that bring it and run hard. That brings energy to the OL. It's that ol' saying, you would rather have a special back and maybe not so special offensive line than vice versa. LaDanian Tomlinson has made yards no matter who he is running behind. He's a great back. We have a little work to do in that area."
And Matt Simms is showing some leadership back there, so you know, baby steps and all.
"Let me tell you, those two guys are going to be really good football players for us," UT coach Derek Dooley said. "Jacques Smith and Corey Miller - great attitude, great character, they play with tremendous effort and toughness and got a lot of good physical skills. I'm glad they're a part of our program. "I think they're progressing at a real rapid pace and they're going to be important to us this year."Rae Sykes, by the way, is gaining weight and getting props from Chuck Smith for moving from end to tackle.