This video of Vols’ 5-star offensive lineman commit for the Class of 2018 Cade Mays will make you laugh out loud. The hilarity begins around the :52 mark.
In today’s Vols link roundup, we wonder whether playing Georgia Tech is a good idea, celebrate with Shawn Shamburger, and catch up with Mike Gundy, who’s reportedly no longer 40.
“. . . the question of whether this game was worth it will be asked 12 days later if the Vols don’t win at Florida. By necessity, Georgia Tech has taken up a chunk of the preseason time that would have been spent on global defensive construction.
“It’s a game you don’t play if you don’t have to play it. By the time camp ends and the Vols get to the start of their first game week on Aug. 28, Shoop said four days will have been spent solely on Georgia Tech. He’s sprinkling in looks from other teams on the schedule as well, as he always does, but the flexbone demands devotion.
“It is misdirection and cut blocks and deception and cut blocks and the occasional play-action bomb, followed by a few more cut blocks.
“The cut block is a big element, and we’ve worked a lot on that,” said Shoop, who can’t relish the idea of blockers diving at his guys’ knees all night, after losing so many of his key guys to injury in 2016.”
Um, yeah. What about all that? Folks will not only be embracing hindsight if the Vols don’t beat Florida, they’ll be asking questions immediately if we lose a d-tackle in the opener. And just how much time does it really take away from preparation for the SEC games that matter more?
I’m guessing, though, that four days in the grand scheme of things isn’t an over-investment in GT prep. It’s not that much more than a regular game-week prep, so four days doesn’t sound like “too much.” Plus, you can probably make up some ground the following week by transitioning immediately to Florida and assuming you’re already ready enough for Indiana State. If you can’t beat the Sycamores with a vanilla Florida game plan, you have bigger problems.
So, as long as nobody gets hurt, it’s probably fine.
Nobody get hurt, okay?
Shawn Shamburger
Flying side bump to freshman cornerback Shawn Shamburger, who had his black helmet stripe removed Wednesday evening. According to Micah Abernathy, he and fellow freshman Cheyenne Labruzza are both “always trying to get ahead of the older guys, so they’ll both be good.”
And there’s also this bit of news that has made me giddy this morning:
“In terms of Shawn Shamburger, he’s an individual who’s really stepped up in the last few practices,” Jones said. “He’s really made his presence known at the corner position. The other night, I really liked the way he filled in run support. We challenged him with some deep balls, and he was able to play the ball in the air and find the blind spot, which we talk about, with turning your head in coverage.“
Emphasis mine, because oh, how we longed for a DB to turn around last fall.
Quick Hits
Normally positive Butch Jones sounded positively mopey after the last scrimmage, saying that, “We have a long way to go, and it’s just the overall discipline to execute,” and that “we have to get a lot better in a hurry . . . .” It’s like the man put on an Eeyore tail for five minutes and then tapped out a tweet with his hooves. Yeah, not really a fan of a tweet from the head coach posting the schedule and saying, “GOOD LUCK.” Seriously, I’m hoping that was an intern or something.
It sounds like the offensive line is finally getting enough guys together at once to embark on phase II, which is getting them to play as a unit. The o-line should be a strength of the team from a depth perspective, but it does seem like it’s taking a bit too long to really get rolling, doesn’t it?
What about those suspension rumors? Jones ain’t talking, which I’m taking as bad news we’ll hear about later. Hope I’m wrong.
Does Georgia Tech dismissing its leading rusher from last year change anything for the Vols? Not according to Jones, who reminds us that they were 3-0 without the guy last year and that you don’t really play Georgia Tech’s guys as much as you play Paul Johnson’s system anyway. Huh. Sounds vaguely familiar somehow.
Will the Vols offense be drastically different under new coordinator Larry Scott? One word: Nope.
I thoroughly enjoyed this trip down memory lane, right from the moment I read the title: Mike Gundy Is a Man, He’s 50, and He’s Aware of His Lasting Legacy. I didn’t enjoy as much the realization that I, too, was a man and 40 back in 2007 and the implications of that today. Where’s my Eeyore tail?
Peyton, wearing that same Cutter & Buck polo he always wears on Rocky Top (hey, I have one, too; it’s a nice shirt), has some words of wisdom for the team:
The Wolf brothers enjoy a little air time on ESPN talking about Eli’s shiny new scholly:
Hey, look! It’s John Kelly running through a giant bowl of pasta in super slo-mo!
It’s also nice to see some practice by the d-line against that nasty cut-block stuff.
And more practice highlights from this afternoon, including the dreaded green rubberbands:
Brett Kendrick, Micah Abernathy, and Trevor Daniel talk to reporters after practice this afternoon:
Did you miss Derek Barnett’s third sack last night? Here ’tis:
Mills ran for 771 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and was named to the preseason All-ACC team. He missed three games in 2016 due to two other suspensions for violations of unspecified team rules.
Georgia Tech did win all three games that Mills missed last season, but he figured to be a key cog in the crazy system this fall. According to ESPN, the other B-backs on the Yellow Jackets roster “have combined for just 14 career carries, 13 of which came from senior Brady Swilling, who was just awarded a scholarship this week after four years as a walk-on.” Of course, a B-back in the GT system is just one position of about 11 that might run the ball, but still.
One of the side benefits of having to endure all of the nonsense about Butch Jones actually thinking positive thoughts is that it has distracted us from the old habit of rehashing for the thousandth time the misery of the last decade. It’s kind of too bad that Dave Hooker didn’t post his Top 10 reasons for Tennessee’s slide over the past decade last year sometime, because it’s actually one of the better treatments of the issue even if it is, hopefully, old news. Me, I’m side-stepping the blame-game and just trying to identify the first domino to tip, which I believe was Fulmer’s hiring of Dave Clawson at the wrong time. Lots of action set in motion by that ill-fated decision.
SB Nation’s Bill Connelly ranks every SEC team using all of his fancy numbers, charts, and stuff. Spoiler: Tennessee is in “Tier 3” with six other teams, after a Tier 2 consisting of Auburn and LSU and Tier 1 consisting of the team you think is in Tier 1.
247Sports has a nice feature on Jajuan Jennings, who they rank as No. 4 on their ongoing list of Tennessee’s most important players in 2017. And Scout, which is now showing up on 247‘s page, has a similarly nice feature on offensive lineman Marcus Tatum, who’s trying to work his way into significant playing time, largely by gaining weight. I didn’t follow it all the way to the end, but I think the article concludes with a slideshow documenting Tatum’s weight gain. Incidentally, my Facebook page shows basically the same thing.
Defensive tackle Kendal Vickers is making me cringe by admitting that “every D-lineman hates to be cut-blocked” when asked about the challenges of playing Georgia Tech. Are you worried about injuries to defensive tackles in the very first game of the season? Join the club!
High five to hoopster Grant Williams, who lobbied John Currie to open Smokey’s Sports Grill in Anderson Training Center for summer sessions so the athletes didn’t have to bulk up on Gus’ Good Times Deli. I mean, Gus and his seasoned fries are partly responsible for some of the aforementioned images on my Facebook page, but I’m not an athlete and “offensive-lineman-shaped” does not equal “offensive lineman,” so good call, Currie.
If a lawn mower company is going to sponsor a bowl game played on artificial turf, it had better at least be named the “Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl.”
The Vols quarterback battle continues, a happy pack of Wolfs, a host of quick hits, and a video roundup, all in today’s Vols link roundup.
Quarterbacks
Quarterback Jarrett Guarantano, who is reportedly running a close second to Quinten Dormady for the starting job, reportedly had a really good practice the other day. Some believe that practice is not especially conducive to what Guarantano does best, which is to run and evade tacklers, so news that he’s a bit of a gamer shouldn’t surprise. Guarantano does seem a bit indecisive on whether to embrace the label, though:
“I don’t want the label ‘gamer,’ but I want people to know that I am a gamer,” Guarantano said Sunday afternoon during Tennessee’s annual media day. “I think that when those bright lights are on, I’m able to really play some ball.”
Everybody wants the Vols QB to be a winner, of course, but identifying a winner before the game is played is the classic chicken and egg problem, so quarterbacks coach Mike Canales is left with what he believes is the best criteria on which to judge Dormady and Guarantano. Here’s what he’s looking for:
“You’ve got to be physically tough, you’ve got to have mobility, you’ve got to have arm strength, the ability to process information quickly,” Canales said. “I mean those things have to happen because you’ve got to be able to process what defenses are doing. I’m very into seeing how much the kids (we) recruit can process that information. I like to get to know them a little more, so you know if they can or not.
“Everybody wants the Tom Brady, the Peyton Manning, you know, the Aaron Rodgers. Everybody wants that. But they’re all unique in their own special way. They all have special strengths. It’s finding a young man that fits what you’re looking for and has great character.”
You may not have known this, but tight end Ethan Wolf’s younger brother Eli, also a tight end for the team, didn’t have a scholarship until a couple of days ago, when this happened:
Kick returner Evan Berry on offense? Maybe, but his priorities are kick returner and safety. Oh, and getting healthy, although he’s at least dressed out for practice, so it must not be anything too concerning.
According to 247Sports, Tennessee is now emphasizing grit on the recruiting trail. Not grits. Grit. Toughness. What they’re calling “competitive character.” It’s another tweak that comes as a response to the late-season collapse last year.
GoVols247 has slideshows predicting the Vols’ offensive and defensive depth charts. Their projected starters aren’t much different than ours, except that 247 has Marquez Callaway starting instead of Tyler Byrd, Jack Jones starting instead of Coleman Thomas (because he’s the backup for Jashon Robertston at guard, who would move to center in place of Thomas), and Justin Martin starting instead of Emmanuel Moseley at corner. They’re probably right about that last one, so I’ve updated our chart accordingly.
Vince Ferrara goes down the list and updates how he feels about each position group now compared to how he feel before fall camp started. The answer is “better” about the receivers, tight ends, defensive line, and defensive backs, and “worse” about the offensive line and linebackers.
Butch Jones said some things about Jajuan Jennings the other day, and now every site has an article on Jennings’ leadership. Representative samples:
Jennings isn’t the only receiver in the news, though. Marquez Callaway, who’s in the running for a starting spot at wide receiver and as the team’s primary punt returner, also threw the shotput and managed the girls track team in high school. I’m guessing there was a girl involved. Tyler Byrd, too, is competing for a job with the ones at receiver and has the added challenge of transitioning to the position from his high school position at DB.
UT scored 473 points last season. That was second only to the 1993 team (484 points).
Tennessee’s 1998 national championship team scored 431 points. In 1997, UT had All-American Peyton Manning at quarterback, offensive guru David Cutcliffe calling the plays and an offensive depth chart manned mainly with future pros. And it scored 45 fewer points than it did in 2016.
Mike Debord was oft-criticized despite coordinating an offense that was pretty darn good.
Hear what Butch Jones had to say at his press conference yesterday about several different things, including how far Jonathan Kongbo and Jajuan Jennings have come since last season, how the linebacker position has changed over the past several years, and the power of positivity.
An anonymous NFL scout insults Ethan Wolf from the shadows, Chick-fil-A is sold out, you’re going to love Will Ignont, Hoke’s focused on stopping the run, another offensive lineman will miss the entire season, and Josh Dobbs will start for the Steelers tomorrow night. All this and more in today’s Vols link roundup.
Anonymous NFL talent evaluator says Ethan Wolf isn’t tough enough
Mike Griffith with SEC Country last night published a post quoting an unnamed “NFL talent evaluator” as saying that the draft-eligible players on the 2017 Vols roster are soft. That’s likely brewing into the storm of the day, particularly in light of the fact that some players, particularly senior tight end Ethan Wolf, were specifically called out.
I’m no anonymous NFL talent evaluator or anything, so I don’t know whether that’s true or not. My guess is that it’s not, and my money’s on Wolf in a fight with any anonymous NFL scout, particularly this one. But if it makes our players more mad and more tough, thanks for the fuel, anonymous NFL-dude.
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff is sold out
Tennessee’s season-opener against Georgia Tech in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium is officially sold out. Kickoff is on Monday, September 4 at 8:00 p.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
Linebacker Quart’e Sapp is apparently “still very limited,” according to Butch Jones, who went on to say good things about Darrin Kirkland Jr., Cortez McDowell, Elliott Berry, and Dillon Bates. Colton Jumper, having proved himself a reliable guy already last season, is also still improving:
The big news in the linebacking corps, however, is freshman Will Ignont, who is apparently already poised to really make some noise this fall. According to Jumper, Ignont has “gotten everybody’s attention,” and he’s an especially physical guy who’s also ahead of the game from the neck up:
“Will’s a lot, I mean, head and shoulders above like, when any other linebacker has come in here,” Jumper said. “He knows the game really well. He’s a smart guy. You can tell he’s really smart. I mean, like, when I came in, my first camp, it was just, you know, setting up the front, knowing where to line up. He’s way, way past that. He’s starting to get coverages down, pass patterns down.
“I think he just recognizes the game really well, and I think that just, right off the bat, can help him a lot.”
See? I told you so. Hoke also elaborated to Jimmy Hyams:
“Stopping the run, to me, is always the No. 1 thing you have to do (on defense),’’ said Tennessee defensive line coach Brady Hoke. “And you’re not going to stop the run unless everybody understands where the fits are and what different strengths and weakness each defensive call may have.’’
Fits in my house are generally somewhere in the vicinity of my six-year-old, but I’m not sure how that helps, to be honest. I do know, however, that stopping the run was a problem for the Tennessee defense last season and that they need to be better at that this fall.
Butch Jones says that freshmen wide receivers Josh Palmer and Brandon Johnson are really stepping up this fall camp, even going so far as to say that they are challenging for starting positions. That could be good news or bad news, largely depending on whether it’s actually true, whether they’re actually really good, and whether Jones simply felt he needed to get the attention of Jajuan Jennings, Josh Smith, Tyler Byrd, and Marquez Callaway.
Punter Trevor Daniel, who’s lost 30 pounds in the offseason, is focusing on improving his hang time, saying that he sometimes tended to outkick his coverage.
VFLs
Josh Dobbs is going to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Giants Friday night, mostly because neither starter Ben Roethlisberger nor backup Landry Jones are available. Head coach Mike Tomlin is wondering whether his early assessment of Dobbs will survive under pressure:
“One man’s misfortunate is another man’s opportunity,” Tomlin said about Dobbs getting the opportunity to play in place on Jones. “I know he’s excited about it, I know I’m excited about watching him.
“He’s a bright-eyed willing worker that appears to be willing to learn from his mistakes. He also appears to learn by watching the mistakes of others. But we won’t know until we get him into a stadium. It will be good to get him into the stadium on Friday night.”
“19 seconds left, and as a quarterback, it’s third and eight so you’re thinking I want to get a first down, but at the college level you’re thinking I want to spike it so we can call another play. But in the NFL, if you get the first down in bounds the clock doesn’t stop as we all know. So as the receivers are running back you change your whole mindset to ‘I gotta take a shot at the endzone’ because this could be our last play and we need to throw it into the end zone and then get a play after that.”
On the question of whether someone is stepping up to replace the pass-catching void of Jason Croom from last year, Wolf said that there’s a lot of depth at the tight end position with him, Eli Wolf, Jakob Johnson, and Austin Pope.
Wolf also emphasized that the chemistry on the team is really good, even with the new guys. There were some very productive individual workouts throughout the summer, which he said was “very encouraging compared to camps in the past.” Hmm. Somebody should have circled back around to that.
When asked to comment about the differences between former offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and current OC Larry Scott, Wolf said that Scott is “very energetic.” He also mentioned that they have already installed their base offense that they ran last year and have added some new stuff as well. He said that he’s expecting to see more differences as time goes on and that he’s “excited to see how [Scott] distributes the ball this year.”
Asked about the linebacking corps in general, Jumper noted that nothing’s really settled right now. He’s currently practicing at Mike, but he’s also played Sam, Will, and something called Cheetah, too, which sounds so much more cool, and is willing to fill in wherever needed.
