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Janzen Jackson Returns To Practice, Tries To Grow Feet

By Joel Hollingsworth

Talking Points for 8/17/10:

  • Janzen Jackson is back at practice for the Vols. Jackson, of course, is incredibly important to the team and even has a chance to play the role that Eric Berry played for Tennessee fans for three years, that of Reason To Watch An Otherwise Unwatchable Game. You may recall that our Rumspringa fling once committed the heresy of suggesting that Jackson did some things better than Berry. So can Jackson fill Berry's shoes? "Well, I think he wore size 12," said Jackson. "But I'm going to try to live up to what he did." Jackson wears 10 1/2s. And what if he is better, Mr. Berry?
    "That would be a really good thing for Tennessee, so that’s fine with me," Berry said. "I’ll be rooting for him to be better than me, actually. You always want to see your little brothers doing big things."
    Awwww.

    In any event, DB coach Terry Joseph is beginning to feel better about the secondary. Prentiss Waggner and Brent Brewer, who both got significant reps in Jackson's absence, are competing for the safety spot opposite Jackson.
  • Yeah, DT John Brown and ATH Marcques Dixon have failed to qualify and won't enroll this fall. The team is still waiting for word on DB Eddrick Loften and LB Martaze Jackson. Of those, Brown, of course, hurts the most. Brown was a former five-star Florida signee who re-routed to junior college. His absence and Marlon Walls' season-ending injury leaves Montori Hughes as the only sure thing at defensive tackle and leaves the other spot open for junior Rae Sykes (a converted defensive end who needs to put on weight), sophomore Steven Fowlkes (also a converted defensive end who originally converted from wide receiver who, yeah, needs to put on weight), Minor Bowens (the former discus thrower), senior Victor Thomas (moved from offensive line after being moved from defensive line), and Arthur Jeffery (a lo-and-behold actual defensive tackle . . . who hasn't played a game in two years). It is what it is, and it's Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for POOLE, who is going to have to milk that clock, baby!
  • Hmm. Tennessee's trying to buy its way out of the 2011-2012 series with North Carolina? How do y'all feel about that? On one hand, it feels sort of like giving the lunchroom bully your milk money so you can enjoy your day free of another black eye. On the other hand, that schedule is an absolute gauntlet, and we're not especially well-equipped for it right now. Machismo is all well and good before you're crumpled up in the corner of an alley beside a greasy dumpster praying for the federal agents to show up. But here's a thought. You don't supposed Mike Hamilton's trying to make room for that USC game, do you? Hmm again.
  • Cody Pope: college football's largest pescatarian. Add that phrase to "Brian Williams has lost a hundred pounds" and "Emanuel Negedu speaks five languages" as the thing you'll be really tired of hearing after the second game. And by the way, if Pope eats defenders, that's groovy, man.
  • Sigh. Season tickets are still available (duplicate link).
  • Video of the day:

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