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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Sunday Best: Tennessee vs. Florida; Maybe We Need ‘Here’ To Get There 2 days, 2 hours ago
We all know how we got here.
You don’t hire Derek Dooley and Butch Jones in back-to-back searches after Lane Kiffin’s one-and-done and expect any differently. You don’t load up recruiting classes with the […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Locks & Keys Week 4: Tennessee Tries to be Gata Annihilatas 5 days, 11 hours ago
There was never a chance for UTEP to beat Tennessee last weekend, so why were we so angry when the Vols dominated? It’s because it was ugly, and entering a crucial, pivotal tilt with Florida this weekend, we […]
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Gambling is NOT illegal! You just have to be willing to go to New Jersey, Delaware, Mississippi, or Vegas 😛
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Sunday Best: Ty Chandler Is the Spark This Offense Needs 1 week, 2 days ago
Editor’s note: With my esteemed colleagues taking care of the heavy postgame lifting as I’m handling my national college football obligations on Saturday, I wanted to do something a little different. Each Sund […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Locks & Keys Week 3: A Miner Test Before Florida 1 week, 4 days ago
That’s a little more like it, Vols.
After an embarrassing season-opening 40-14 loss at the hands of West Virginia, Tennessee played a much easier opponent in Week 2, overcoming a sluggish start to dominate […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Sunday Best: Humble — But Obvious — Beginnings for the Vols vs. ETSU 2 weeks, 2 days ago
Editor’s note: With my esteemed colleagues taking care of the heavy postgame lifting as I’m handling my national college football obligations on Saturday, I wanted to do something a little different. Each Sunday […]
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Nice write up Brad!
Regarding those gators… Nice to see them lose another big streak! (Although makes me more nervous about KY) -
All are great points and gets me a little more grounded as we move through the season. It will be interesting to see how the improvements and development unfolds. Looking forward to reading your weekly write-ups. Go Vols!!
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Locks & Keys Week 2: The Bucs Stop Here 2 weeks, 5 days ago
Mediocrity reigned in Week 1 as my picks went 4-3. **Long, loud fart noise**.
The same can be said about the Vols. I didn’t pick them to win, but I think we all hoped it would be a little more competitive than […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, A Last Look at West Virginia Before Looking Ahead 3 weeks, 2 days ago
I blame myself for yesterday.
Not Tennessee’s loss to West Virginia, but the way I felt after Tennessee lost to West Virginia.
A part of me — no matter how much I tried to be rational about the situation — […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Locks & Keys Week 1: Do You Fear the ‘Eers? 3 weeks, 3 days ago
It’s been a long time; too long.
The longest offseason in the history of Tennessee football is over. We endured the worst season in UT football history, the firing of clown coach Butch Jones, a debacle of a […]
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I’m a chicken.
I’ve gone back and forth all week on this one, and while I want to allow myself to believe the Vols will win, I’ve been burned too much lately. Call it Battered Butch Syndrome.
Jeez…you too?? -
My picks for this week:
Auburn -2.5 over Washington. Going with Washington and the points on this one. Unlike Brad, I actually like Washington outright in this one.
Old Dominion -6.5 over Liberty. Going with Liberty and the points on this one.
Texas Tech -2.5 over Ole Miss. I like TT to cover.
Miami (OH) -2.5 over Marshall. Marshall and the points.
Vanderbilt -4 over MTSU. MTSU and the points.
North Texas -4.5 over SMU. SMU and the points.
Miami (FL) -3 over LSU. I like the Hurricanes to cover.
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Tennessee wins in a 35-31 brawl.
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Saturday’s West Virginia Showdown is a Major Opportunity for Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols 4 weeks ago
When Jeremy Pruitt opens his mouth, he not only sounds like us; he also says what we want to hear. None of the words are sugarcoated, but they’re honest, laced with the guarded optimism and measured hope of […]
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Man!!! This is what I’ve been thinking and telling my wife for months (no one really cares to listen to me rant about the big orange in southeast Georgia, and she just gets cornered, and can’t get away). The unknowns are a huge plus in UT’s favor, but the entire football world is assuming that Tennessee is going to be lesser than or equal to the players and the team that took the field 9 months ago. A lot can happen over that time period. Team 120 quit on CBJ and themselves. You could see it in the product they rolled out onto the field for the last half of the season. That team doesn’t live on Rocky Top any more. This is the 121st edition. And I see a hungry team with a solid foundation of talented players that, with the right leadership, can shock the world… and not just this Saturday in Charlotte. But alas… this is the life of a Tennessee fan… full of hope in August… Cautiously optimistic in the middle of September, and being trash talked by my wife’s 16 year old cousin come October! It may well blow up in our faces (yet again), but I’ll always come back for more… every Labor Day weekend until the end of time! V… F…L…
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Preach! Go Vols!!!!
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Brad Shepard commented on the post, The Gameday on Rocky Top Podcast: Most expected outcomes for Tennessee-West Virginia 4 weeks ago
No question. Trust Fred.
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, The Next Step List: Jarrett Guarantano and Kyle Phillips 2 months ago
Football is near.
And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era.
We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’ […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, What Roman Harrison’s Commitment Means to the Vols 2 months ago
Over the past decade, new Tennessee head football coach Jeremy Pruitt has developed a reputation for building some of the best collegiate defenses the sport has ever seen. So, you go into his tenure with the Vols […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, The Next Step List: Drew Richmond and Baylen Buchanan 2 months ago
Football is near.
And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era.
We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’t mean we can’ […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, The Next Step List: Ty Chandler and Darrell Taylor 2 months ago
Football is near.
And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era.
We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’t mean we can’ […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Jeremy Pruitt-Aaron Murray Feud Good for the SEC and Tennessee 2 months, 1 week ago
Families fight. Tempers flare. Insults — and sometimes punches — get thrown.
That’s the way it is in the South, and, though I haven’t been out of this region too much in my life, I assume that’s the way […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, The Next-Step List: Ryan Johnson and Theo Jackson 2 months, 1 week ago
Football is near.
And it won’t be long until we’re gearing ourselves up for the Vols to usher in the Jeremy Pruitt era.
We all know 2018 likely isn’t going to be a pretty sight, but that doesn’ […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, The Next-Step List: Jauan Jennings and Jonathan Kongbo 2 months, 1 week ago
The other night, I drove past my old high school and saw the lights on at the “Pit” at Lincoln County High School. I went up to the gate, rolled the window down and smelled the wet grass on the field. It got me […]
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Hi Brad,
Glad I found where you are writing now, One immediate player to the list is Drew Richmond, I think Coach Friend is going to have him ready to go and simplify things as in plow the dude in front of you for the run game, if Trey Smith can be back healthy and Drew has a good year they could have an area when they need a short first down they can just shove it down their throats.
Don
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Tennessee Recruiting: Future of the Nose Tackle Position Takes Shape With Simmons Pledge 2 months, 1 week ago
We may not want to be too patient throughout the 2018 football season, but help is on the way for the Tennessee Volunteers as new coach Jeremy Pruitt continues to outfit the present and future roster with size and […]
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Tennessee Recruiting: Vols Get Big Puzzle Piece With Commitment from QB Brian Maurer 3 months ago
In a cycle where there aren’t a ton of highly rated quarterbacks, the Tennessee Volunteers and their first-year coaching staff wanted to see several work out before slinging offers. Last week, 3-star signal-caller […]
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Nice to get a QB in the fold. Sounds like an intriguing prospect too!
Not to take away from the recruiting chops of our staff, but his choice of UT over OSU is less exciting when I learned that the Buckeyes picked up a commitment on Sunday from a 4* Dwan Matthis (Former MSU commit). Hard to say how that played into Maurer’s choice (maybe not at all), but it wouldn’t surprise me if he decided for UT in part because OSU was out of space at the QB spot. -
Good deal, although after watching his workouts and senior highlights I think JT Shrout will be a star at Tennessee… unless he is dumb as a rock.
That kid has the best mechanics I’ve ever seen in a Tennessee signee.
Too bad, for him, that injuries held him back so much prior to his senior season.
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Brad Shepard wrote a new post, Tennessee Recruiting: Jalil Clemons Camps, Commits 3 months ago
Tennessee football coach Jeremy Pruitt has fared well recently in picking up several coveted recruiting prospects for the Vols, but he has said time and time again that he trusts his recruiting evaluations over […]
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A community of reasonable fanatics.
Brad,
If our Vols played on the level that you, Joel, and Will have written in the last 10+ years, we would have several SEC Championships. Great points in this article.
Still, I don’t know why anyone in their right mind who is a Tennessee Fan would willfully sit down and watch the game this Saturday-or for the next month for that matter- knowing what will happen. Why put yourself through this pain? Listening to East Tennessee Sports Radio this past week leading up to the game, you would’ve thought we had a decent chance, which I really didn’t understand after watching the WVA game. Our O-line continually was getting beat that game and wasn’t sure how you can fix that in three weeks.
Honestly, I feel the same about the SEC since Bama has become such a machine. It is not enjoyable to me knowing the ending every season before the first game is even played. Sure it MIGHT be UGA, honestly, who cares, hate em both.
Unfortunately, what I saw of our new coach Saturday reminded me of the criticism that came out of Athens after the hire and when he had issues with Mark Ritch. If you have a confrontation with Mark Ritch, you have problems. My gut tells me that the next four years are going to be a continued walk through the wilderness with the only solution being to hire a “Saban”esque coach on the next hire. I know it is premature to call out Pruitt, just don’t have a good feeling about him now. Not bc of the loss, but how he handled the adversity on the sidelines and after the game.
Not walking from my Vols, just not going to torture myself the next month as we lose by an average of 28 points a game. I suggest you don’t either. Life is too short.
Peace,
Matt
Btw the Gameday On Rocky Top, I hope I am so wrong! I hope this team and Coach Pruitt prove me flat out wrong on one of these SEC games left. Honestly don’t think we can beat any SEC team right now.
Good points Brad. Agree, there is lot of work to be done to bring this program back to the “good ole’ days”… unfortunately it is going to take a long time and I hope JP and crew are the right guys to lead the rebuild… regardless, I have enough memory of the “good ole’ days” that I will continue to support the Orange and White through thick and thin. I will be watching on Saturday… Go Vols!!
I think there might be something to watch for in the next month of games. What I think we hope to see is some kind of inflection point, after which the team starts to play better and we maybe have a chance against November. And as distasteful as it is, that could come in a quasi-competitive loss to one of these elite teams. Lose to Auburn by 15, and I think it might actually make me feel better about the long term future.
Good point.
Although I think that being up against three Top 10 teams, we could actually get better and still have no knowledge of that fact. Getting beaten into absolute submissive unconsciousness will make anybody look inept. And yet it doesn’t really say much about how you might do against non-elite teams.
Really like this new Sunday series, Brad.