Tag Archives: Bob Shoop

Gameday Today: Bob Shoop’s covfefe, cocky wide receivers, and recovering former QBs

Bob Shoop’s covfefe oops, cocky wide receivers, and recovering former quarterbacks, all in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

Tennessee defensive coordinator has apparently out-covfefe’d Donald Trump. I vote ei.

New Vols wide receivers coach likes his receivers to be cocky and knows how to handle ’em that way:

“I love ‘em cocky,’’ Beard said. “I love ‘em. Why? That’s who you are. That’s all the great receivers.

“It’s not about, `Oh, you can’t handle those guys because they’re cocky.’ No, you’ve got to explain to them when and when not to exercise those actions. Once you learn how to cultivate them and coach them up on when should and shouldn’t, you’ve got a great football player. So I like them cocky.’’

One of his other quirky qualifications is “juice,” meaning a guy whose actions prove that he just loves to play.

And Tennessee coaches are pleased that the offensive line is taking on a leadership role this year. It’s important, says offensive coordinator Larry Scott:

“You always want your guys up front to set the tone, no matter how experience or how skilled you are everywhere else,” he said. “Football games are won, especially in the SEC, up front. It’s a line-of-scrimmage league. With that being said, you always want that to kind of be the strength, even though they may be young or whatever. 

“It’s the mentality and the mindset that you’ve got to have from those guys up front that’s more important than anything else.”

Vince Ferrara ranks the SEC’s toughest stretches in the 2017 schedule. The Vols’ schedule ranks 12th, from October 14-28, which is South Carolina, at Alabama, and at Kentucky. That really doesn’t sound all that bad, as far as gauntlets go.

VFLs

It’s a shame that former quarterback Jonathan Crompton does not look back at his Tennessee days fondly. I don’t blame him, as too many folks were too ugly during that tough time and, as the quarterback, he was often the target.

What would have happened if Peyton Manning had left Tennessee early for the NFL? Surprisingly, the answer is not, “The world would have come to a screeching halt.” Maybe there would be fewer folks named “Peyton” or “Payton” in East Tennessee right now. Or maybe not.

Baseball

Get to know new baseball coach Tony Vitello a little bit:

If five minutes isn’t enough and you’d rather have 40, here’s the entire presser:

Hoops

Three players — James Daniel III, Lamonte Turner, and John Fulkerson — are not playing in the Rocky Top League, which holds its draft this Wednesday.

Recruiting

New offers:

 

 

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Defensive Backs

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee defensive backs depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the defensive backs.

Tennessee Defensive Backs

A season ago, Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and defensive backs coach Willie Martinez didn’t see eye to eye on scheme or philosophy. Fast-forward a year later, and Shoop is getting used to a new DBs coach in former North Carolina assistant Charlton Warren, who hopes to take all that talent the Vols have accumulated on the back end and mold it into something much better than it’s been the past couple of seasons.

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Teaching the defensive backs to turn their heads around and actually look for the ball would be a start. Outside of Cameron Sutton, finding actual, impressive development among UT’s defensive backs during the Martinez era is difficult. The Vols simply struggled at cornerback and safety despite recruiting fairly well at the position.

Now, Warren must try to help those guys regain their form they displayed as top recruits, especially with Sutton now in camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Let’s take a look at what UT has on the third level.

Cornerbacks

The post-Sutton era may be a bit rocky, but it certainly doesn’t have to be, especially considering the Vols got a very big boost with a graduate transfer who should step right in and not only help right away but start. That would be Shaq Wiggins, who will be playing for his third program after starting his career with Georgia before leaving Athens for Louisville along with defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Though Grantham and defensive backs coach Terrell Buckley tried to get Wiggins to follow them to Mississippi State, he elected to finish his career in Knoxville, where he has some friends, including former UT running back Alvin Kamara, who helped recruit Wiggins to UT. He’ll have every opportunity to win one of the starting corner jobs, and the Vols are thrilled to have a player with his talent and experience to insert into a rotation needing an alpha. In three seasons, Wiggins has 57 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss and four interceptions. The 5’10”, 172-pound senior needs a big year for Warren on Rocky Top.

Also at cornerback, the Vols have a pair of rising seniors who’ve experienced up-and-down careers at UT and need to finish on a high note. Both are talented enough to, but neither have been very dependable as of yet. I’m talking about Emmanuel Moseley and Justin Martin.

The latter of the two came in with huge fan fare as a 4-star prospect who was recruited by virtually everybody in the Southeast and seemed set to go to LSU before John Chavis left for Texas A&M. As it turned out, the former Overton High School standout came back from his Oklahoma JUCO to Tennessee, and the Vols thought they were getting a stud in Martin. Throughout his first two years, it hasn’t panned out that way. However, he admittedly has grown up a lot. He told GoVols247’s Wes Rucker this spring that the arrival of Warren really helped with a fresh start.

“In particular, I think what made everything click was, really, this is my last year, and I knew I could do it,” he said. “I knew I was talented and capable enough to do it, but just getting a fresh start with the new coaching staff, that was pretty much it. Coach Warren is a real good coach. I appreciate him.”

After a spring where he balled out and was not only one of the best defensive backs but one of the best players on the team, Martin looks poised for a big senior year. It would be big news for UT if he lived up to the athleticism that once had him as an NFL prospect.

As for Moseley, he started his career at UT in just the opposite way. He was a 2-star player committed to Charlotte when the Vols flipped him, and though he wound up a 3-star, he was largely overlooked as a skinny defender. However, Moseley added weight quickly, stepped right in and started some games as a true freshman. It looked like his career was ready to take off. But he sort of plateaued, and he’s never really gotten over the hump. In 2016, he had 57 tackles and 3.5 tackles for a loss but had no interceptions. He’s the poster boy for not getting his head around, and teams have picked on him because of it. If he can get his mechanics down, Moseley could end in good fashion. He’s definitely proven he has the talent to.

Those are the big three at cornerback and the guys who should get the most reps for the Vols if everything falls the way they think. But there’s talent behind them. First, I’m excited to see sophomore Baylen Buchanan develop. He was forced into action too early a season ago, but the son of Ray Buchanan has a lot of talent, and he should get better under Warren’s tutelage. Senior former JUCO transfer D.J. Henderson looks like he’s more of a special teams player, but he could possibly play in a pinch.

At nickelback, the Vols simply must stay healthy and get better play than they had a season ago. Rashaan Gaulden, a 6’1″, 185-pound redshirt junior, has immense potential and was one of UT’s best defenders a season ago with 68 tackles and six tackles for a loss. But he needs more difference-making, game-changing plays. Actually, UT needs that from everybody on the back end, but Gaulden should be a leader who steps up and provides that. Behind him, Marquill Osborne enters his sophomore year with a chance to get on the field and make a difference. He has the versatility to play cornerback or nickel, and Osborne is too talented not to be in the rotation. In a pinch, Micah Abernathy has proven he can play nickelback as well, though the Vols would love for him to stay at safety.

UT wound up with three cornerbacks in the 2017 recruiting class, and though none of the signees were higher than 3-star players, they had huge offer sheets, and the Vols had to fend off big programs to keep them in the fold. It all starts with Louisiana product Cheyenne Labruzza, who was wanted by home-state LSU as well as Florida, but he committed to UT early and stuck through the Vols even when they got rid of Martinez. He has the potential to be an immediate-impact player if some of the upperclassmen falter. Then, there’s little-recruited Shawn Shamburger, who fans gave a collective “WHO?” when he committed. Toward the end of the recruiting process, however, in-state Georgia and Kirby Smart tried to get him to visit Athens and steal him late in the process. He also stayed true to his pledge. Terrell Bailey is another Louisiana product who was coveted by Notre Dame late in the process but came to UT.

The Vols love their cornerbacks class, and those guys are going to have the opportunity to come in and fit in.

“I really am excited to watch these guys,” Shoop said at the Big Orange Caravan stop in Chattanooga recently, according to GoVols247’s Patrick Brown. “I haven’t seen them do anything athletically, I have to say, but Labruzza makes such a positive first impression. We’re talking about a 4.0 student, high character, smart, tough, unselfish. I feel the same way about Sham and Terrell. All three of those guys, they know they’re in a position to compete.”

Safeties

At safety, the Vols should be able to go four deep with a pretty strong unit if they’d play up to their potential, and a pair of youngsters could help as well.

Senior Todd Kelly Jr. needs to have a big year. The 5’11”, 208-pound enforcer has eight interceptions in his career, but he needs to get a step quicker and make a difference on the back end more consistently than he has in the past. Kelly is a sure tackler who had 71 a season ago, and he has the potential to be an elite player on the back end. He just needs to take the next step. He’s more of a linebacker on the third level, and he needs to anticipate plays a little quicker than he has. Still, that’s nitpicking considering TK has been UT’s biggest playmaker besides Sutton throughout his career. He’s a leader and a solid contributor who you can write in ink as a starter. 

He needs to will UT’s secondary to a better season with his play and his leadership.

The guy everybody wants to see is sophomore Nigel Warrior, who took a huge leap this past spring after a freshman year where he struggled to stay on the field due to his inability to get lined up and grasp the scheme quickly. Now, with a year in the system, it appeared a light came on for Warrior during these 15 film sessions. He’s easily the most talented player in Tennessee’s secondary, and if he can click the way many expect he will, he’s a guy who could develop into an All-SEC player in a hurry. There’s a reason why Georgia, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and everybody else wanted him. But Warrior is Dale Carter’s son, and the Vols legend’s legacy seemed destined to wind up in Knoxville. Now, it’s time for him to dominate.

The duo of quality backups should be Micah Abernathy, who started a lot of games a season ago, and special teams monster Evan Berry, who spent most of 2016 injured. Abernathy is a quality player who very easily could be a starter as a junior, and he’ll probably be in the lineup in his fair share of games. The 6’0″, 195-pound junior started 10 games a season ago and finished with 69 tackles, three tackles for a loss and two interceptions. Warrior may well be too talented to keep out of the starting lineup, but don’t expect Abernathy to give it up easily. It’s excellent to have a player of his ilk back there, even if he’s a versatile guy who provides quality snaps off the bench.

Then there’s Berry, who is one of the best kick returners in the nation. In the bowl game two years ago, it looked like a light was coming on for him at safety where he was playing fast and furious. Last year, it just never came together. He played in nine games, starting three at free safety. He needs to be a lot more consistent on defense, but if he can be, his elite athleticism will help with key reps.

That leaves the two freshmen, including LaVergne’s Maleik Gray, who is one of the prize recruits of this past cycle. The 4-star player chose UT over tons of offers, and the Vols came on and swept him away from Florida State and USC, his early favorites. He could grow into a linebacker, but the Vols want him to stay at safety, where they expect him to be a playmaker soon. He’ll at least help on special teams this year and has the potential to crack the rotation. Then there’s Theo Jackson, who is also from the Midstate. While he probably needs a year in the weight room and a redshirt, he’s a guy the Vols love, and he could be a steal. Jackson is a player who could start a lot of games down the road.

Conclusion

If you look across this list, you’re probably pretty excited, right? After all, the names above are a lot of guys many of us were excited about when they committed and signed. Names like Warrior, Gray, Abernathy, Kelly, etc., were huge recruiting wins.

It’s time for them to be difference-makers on Saturday.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of fans who were thrilled with Martinez’s coaching the past couple of years, and now that he’s gone, a lot is expected of Warren. He was a good hire by most accounts, and he’s got a lot of talent with which to work. If that sounds familiar, the same was said for Shoop a season ago, and we all know how that worked out.

It’s time for a lot of these kids to play like they deserve scholarships, and it’s time for the coaches to coach like they deserve their salary. Above, you see a lot of big names and some decent statistics, but the Vols need game-breaking, drive-killing plays from their secondary. Those have been missing throughout the past couple of seasons, and UT needs to get back to that. This is the unit that has the potential to carry the defense.

It needs to do it.

Prediction

CB — Shaq Wiggins, Emmanuel Moseley, Baylen Buchanan
CB — Justin Martin, Emmanuel Moseley, Cheyenne Labruzza
NB — Rashaan Gaulden, Marquill Osborne, Micah Abernathy
S — Todd Kelly Jr., Micah Abernathy, Maleik Gray
S — Nigel Warrior, Micah Abernathy, Evan Berry

Post-Spring Projections: Tennessee Linebackers

Let’s continue the series with a look at the Tennessee linebackers depth chart exiting spring with a prediction of what to expect this September.

Spring practice — like most all the springs before of the Butch Jones era — didn’t tell us much. But after what we saw and read, we can make some prognostications about what we may see, or at least expect to see, once fall practice starts. So, over the course of the next couple of weeks, I’m going to break down position-by-position what we saw, what we read and what I’ve heard about to project who’s gonna play where come opening weekend against Georgia Tech.

We’ll continue this series with our look at the linebackers.

Tennessee Linebackers

As if you didn’t have enough heartburn after reading about the defensive ends, we now turn our attention to the second level of the defense, where it’s Darrin Kirkland Jr. and a whole lot of unproven players.

All is not lost, however. There is plenty of talent, even if it’s unproven talent. And this is a position where the Vols absolutely must be leaps and bounds better than they were in 2016, which hit the ditch after Jalen Reeves-Maybin was lost for the season following a fluke special-teams injury and Kirkland failed to ever return to form after suffering a high ankle sprain in the Battle at Bristol.

While all the injuries and lack of depth on the defensive interior were a huge factor to UT’s defensive decline, the setbacks at linebacker hurt, too. Those things combined are why Tennessee wound up with the worst rush defense in school history and also ranked No. 95 in the country in total defense (449.2 ypg) and No. 78 in yards per play (5.84).

Those are numbers defensive coordinator Bob Shoop knows must turn around.

“I think I might have built some unrealistic expectations, and when we got guys injured, maybe the guy calling the shots was a little bit stubborn,” Shoop told VolQuest’s Jesse Simonton. “I think I really wanted to force a fit, that, ‘This is my style of defense.’ I probably didn’t do a great job at times of tailoring things.”

That all starts with Kirkland’s progression.

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The Veterans

As the defense’s quarterback, his hand prints are going to be all over this unit. The rising junior middle linebacker burst onto the scene with a memorable freshman year that had many UT fans thinking he would be an All-SEC player at the very least. Following the injury last year, he was mediocre at best. But he also struggled to get lined up and line up others in Shoop’s defense. After a season learning the system and a full offseason of health and weight-room training, the Indianapolis native should return to form. It’s vital that he flies all around the field making tackles, especially now that tackle gobbler JRM is out of the equation.

Kirkland’s expected mate in what generally is a nickel defense with just two ‘backers on the field at once is senior Cortez McDowell, who had an up-and-down year in ’16 but may well have wound up Tennessee’s best linebacker throughout the year, at least from a consistency standpoint. The 6’0″, 235-pound linebacker from Locust Grove, Georgia, needs to have a big year teaming with Kirkland to give UT a formidable duo.

After those two, the Vols still have a bunch of depth and talent. Thanks to the injuries, there are a few guys with experience, too. Former walk-on Colton Jumper isn’t going to thrill a lot of Vols fans with his athleticism, but he’s a steady player who is rarely out of position, even if he isn’t the best guy to have on the field in passing situations. The 6’2″, 224-pound redshirt junior led all second-level players with 61 tackles and added an interception in ’16. Whether you like him or not, he’s a good player who is going to be a great guy to have on the team for the next two years, providing depth, stability and defensive knowledge.

On the Cusp [And Others]

At outside linebacker, there are two talented Georgia boys who are returning from injury and could be depended on heavily. That would be speedy Quart’e Sapp, who suffered a knee injury a season ago that cost him the year. After showing out on special teams as a freshman, the Vols are happy to have him back for three years, and if he can return at full-speed (which he should) he has the chance to be a dynamic player who can get sideline-to-sideline and get after the quarterback from the edge, too.

The other guy is Austin Smith, a 6’3″, 236-pound versatile linebacker who can line up at strong-side in traditional 4-3 sets or even put his hand down at defensive end with the Vols short on depth there. Smith is a guy who was wanted by teams like Florida and Georgia out of high school, and he’s never truly been completely healthy. It’ll be fun to see him now that he is.

An exciting player with a lot of upside is 6’3″, 235-pound sophomore Daniel Bituli, who looked terrific this spring, is really in shape and should provide a lot of depth and talent behind Kirkland in the middle of the defense. If he emerges, he could enable Jumper to shift outside and help out there. Bituli is too talented to keep off the field for a Vols team needing difference-makers on the second level. He’s one of the players I’m most excited to see in 2017.

Though senior Elliott Berry wasn’t expected to make much of an impact in his career as the less-heralded of the two Berry twins, he helped a ton in ’16, lending an able body and playing 13 games while starting four, finishing with 34 tackles and 3.5 for a loss. He’s not an explosive player, but at 5’11”, 222 pounds and with three years under his belt, he can provide much-needed experienced depth and quality snaps.

Still, despite the experience brought by Jumper and Berry, the Vols can put more talented guys on the field. That’s not a knock on those two, but the guys who shone a season ago were on a bad unit that was often shredded by the opponent, even Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Missouri. It also remains to be seen if UT is ever going to get anything out of former 4-star recruit, legacy and heavily recruited outside linebacker Dillon Bates. Also, redshirt freshman Ja’Quain Blakely could wind up being in the equation somewhere, but he’s yet to carve out a firm position in the depth chart.

That’s why the Vols brought in three talented linebackers, and it isn’t out of the question that one or more of them could see the field. 

Youngsters

It starts with mid-term enrollee Shanon Reid of South Florida, who was coveted by LSU, Florida and others. He chose the Vols, and after going through a spring practice, he may be able to provide some help at least on special teams and maybe on the outside in a pinch. He’s 6’0″, 205 pounds, but while he isn’t the biggest guy, he is fast and makes plays.

Tennessee also won a battle with LSU, Auburn and others to sign New Market, Alabama, linebacker Will Ignont, who, at one time, was one of the most heavily recruited ‘backers in the country. That was during his junior year, but he put on some bad weight, left for IMG Academy in Florida and then came back home to Buckhorn High School, where he played for a mediocre team. However, after shedding the bad weight and getting back to his old self, several schools turned up the heat recruiting him again. The Vols stayed on him through all that, and he developed a great relationship with position coach Tommy Thigpen which ultimately helped UT land him. Now, the Vols think they’ve got a steal, and he projects to play in the middle with Kirkland and Bituli.

Finally, nobody heard much about Solon Page III during the recruiting process. He was one of UT’s earliest commitments, was firm the whole way and never was heavily recruited by major schools because of it. Though he was a low 3-star player who didn’t get much love from the services, all he did was go out and win Class AAAAA defensive player of the year and first-team all-state honors in Georgia. He was also a Parade All-American, despite not being ranked highly by any of the services. Though he’s just 6’2″, 205 pounds, UT thinks it got a steal out of Page. He will be able to redshirt this season unless he helps on special teams, and the future is very bright for him.

The Vols have no shortage of bodies at linebacker, and considering they normally only have two on the field at once, you’d think they should be able to find two difference-makers who can make things happen and accumulate the tackles that were missed a season ago. If not, it’s an indictment to their recruiting because on paper it sure looks like they’ve got some players with bright futures.

Prediction

MLB – Darrin Kirkland Jr., Daniel Bituli, Colton Jumper, Will Ignont
WLB – Cortez McDowell, Quart’e Sapp, Colton Jumper, Elliott Berry, Shanon Reid
SLB (when needed) – Austin Smith, Colton Jumper, Elliott Berry

Gameday Today: Sensible quotes on Rocky Top, but no plans for Dubai

Gameday Today is awestruck at all of the sensible things said on Rocky Top over the weekend and disappointed at news the Vols will not be playing in Dubai anytime soon. This and more in today’s Vols link roundup.

Football

So the Vols hire a public relations expert and suddenly everybody’s saying all of the right things.

Bob Shoop falls on his sword, taking responsibility first:

“[M]aybe [I] was a little bit stubborn right there . . . I really wanted to force-fit, this is my style of defense or whatever. I probably didn’t do a great job at times of tailoring things.”

But ending on a positive note:

“The bowl game was the one game we really put together that looked like my vision for the defense.”

And then he’s making music when talking about the linebacker position as well:

“Kirkland had a good spring,” Shoop said before Saturday’s Big Orange Caravan Stop at Chattanooga’s First Tennessee Pavilion. “He’s hopefully the Derek Barnett, the alpha male of the defense. He’s vocal. He’s a good leader. He’s good high football intelligence. He’s smart, tough, unselfish and he wants it. I think he’s a little bit like Kongbo and myself.

“I mean, I don’t think 2016 went the way Darrin Kirkland, Jonathan Kongbo and Bob Shoop wanted. We talk about that all the time, and Darrin’s got a chip on his shoulder and he’s really determined.”

Offensive coordinator Larry Scott also gets in on the action with this sensible tone-setter for the incoming guys:

“Let’s start by being on time and being where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there, and then making sure that when you’re there, you’re 100 percent locked in and you’ve giving the very best effort you have.”

Even new athletic director John Currie managed to deftly walk the narrow ledge in voicing his opinion about Butch Jones:

“I believe you look at what has been accomplished and where we stand today versus where we were four years ago,” Currie told GoVols247. “We’ve made incredible progress in our program — academically, athletically, talent, engagement. There’s no measure where we’re not better than we were four years ago.

“We want to win every single game. There are going to be some years, eventually, where we do win every single game. But we have to make sure that the fundamentals that are in place to continue to build towards those championships that we all want to win, we have to make sure that those fundamentals continue.

. . . .

“I’m very impressed with recruiting organization. I’m impressed with the energy. I’m impressed with creativity and thought.”

And coach Jones, well, he answered questions about the quarterback battle by saying nothing and keeping his feet far away from his mouth. One interesting note in that article is that Quinten Dormady is practicing with NFL quarterback Jeff Christensen and Jarrett Guarantano is practicing with George Whitfield Jr.

More good news

The defensive line is healing up quite nicely, thank you.

Shoop thinks that the late addition of graduate transfer Shaq Wiggins is going to make a big difference, and he’s excited about all of his options at linebacker.

Tennessee will be getting its new QBs (and its secondary) a little extra practice by allowing some 7-on-7 drills this summer.

Breaking news

The Vols will not be playing in Dubai.

Hoops

Rick Barnes thinks SEC basketball is ” probably in the best shape it’s been since back in the early 2000s.” John Fulkerson, though, is not yet back from injury.

Miscellaneous fun stuff

We’ve already been over oddsmaker Danny Sheridan saying that he thought Kentucky would beat Tennessee this fall, but this article from 247Sports orders the guy’s quotes in a way I found amusing. Paraphrased: “I was wrong last year. I can confidently say what’s going to happen this year.”

Class of 2020 Receiver Leonard Manuel has committed to Tennessee. Yeah, he’ll be a sophomore in high school this year.

There were nearly 1,000 people at the Big Orange Caravan in Chattanooga Saturday.

VFLs  Chad Clifton, Willie Gault, Haskel Stanback, Graham Vowell, and Al Wilson were all enshrined into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame Saturday.

Here’s a look at the new-look Big Orange Caravan:

 

What to expect from Bob Shoop’s defense in 2017

Earlier today, we looked at the numbers and concluded that Bob Shoop’s defense in 2016 was not as bad as Sal Sunseri’s 2012 defense. That’s not to say that it wasn’t bad, though. It was. Bad enough to put Butch Jones on the Screaming Pundits’ 2017 Hot Seat Watch List, and bad enough to spur Jones into shaking up his coaching staff in the offseason.

But what is a realistic expectation of improvement for a defense that . . . struggled . . . last season, bless its heart?

To answer that, we went to the spreadsheets to determine what happened, if anything, between Sunseri’s 2012 defense and the 2013 defense fielded by Jones’ first defensive coordinator, John Jancek.

John Jancek’s improvement in 2013 over Sal Sunseri’s 2012

What did we find when we compared 2012 to 2013? A bag full of mixed nuts, some of them tasty, honey-roasted and sea-salted almonds, and some of them lone and wrinkled peanuts retrieved from the men’s room floor.

You’ll recall from our earlier post that Sunseri’s 2012 defense was “not good” in three defensive categories (48-56), “bad” in four other categories (85-86), and “terrible” in five more (98-115). That’s what Jancek inherited. Welcome to Rocky Top, coach!

How did Jancek do in his first season? He somehow made a miracle turnaround in Red Zone Defense, improving to No. 11 from No. 115. He also dramatically improved the team’s pass defense. Under Sunseri, the team ranked No. 111 in Passing Yards Allowed and No. 86 in Passing Efficiency Defense, and Jancek improved those rankings to No. 27 and No. 58, respectively. The team was also much better in defending on first downs and better in Scoring and Total Defense.

Those are the almonds.

Unfortunately, Jancek’s 2013 defense was still “terrible” in five categories (90-117), “bad” in two more (78-83), and “not good” in three others (40-58). Jancek made little to no improvement with regard to sacks and rushing defense, and the defense actually got worse against the run, in TFLs, and on third and fourth downs.


Click here to view full spreadsheet

 

What gets measured, gets managed

(Or, fixing things without breaking others)
Gameday on Rocky Top 2017
Pre-order Gameday on Rocky Top 2017 now!

The most interesting thing about all of this, though, is that Jancek fixed what was broken and broke what wasn’t. He improved in 2013 the worst things about 2012, some of them dramatically so. (See the Red Zone and Pass Defense discussed above.)

At the same time, though, other areas got worse. TFLs went from No. 48 to No. 90, and Third Down Conversion Pct Defense went from No. 50 to No. 91.

Overall, though, one could say that Jancek was able to make some degree of improvement over Sunseri’s historically bad defense. What he focused on got better, but those gains were somewhat diminished by other areas getting worse.

What to expect from Bob Shoop’s defense this fall

So what does all of this mean for Team 121 and Bob Shoop’s defense this season? It’s reasonable to expect Shoop to fix what was wrong last year. The real test is what happens to the rest of the defense while he’s focused on the warts.

The biggest areas of concern from last season are first downs, rushing defense, and the defense of long pass plays. Expect Shoop and his new position coaches to focus first on those areas, and expect the team to be better at those things.

But they need to make sure they don’t break something else in the process. They need to focus on first downs without losing their edge on third and fourth downs. They need to focus on improving their ability to stop the run without absolutely falling apart in pass defense. Basically, they need a tweaker who will shift the proper amount of focus to areas of need without completely diverting attention from things they already do well. And if, as many of us suspect, most of the problem last year was attributable to injuries, then just keeping everyone healthy could make a dramatic difference.

Bottom line, it’s reasonable to expect that Bob Shoop’s defense will improve in 2017. If he does it especially well, he could even improve it significantly by fixing last year’s problems without creating new ones this year.

 

Was Bob Shoop’s 2016 defense historically bad?

While reading something the other day, I ran across a throwaway comment about Bob Shoop’s 2016 defense being “historically bad.” It triggered a double-take, because that was a phrase I used a lot back in 2012 to describe Sal Sunseri’s defense, but I don’t recall using it at all last season (although I did use some others). What had prevented me from using that phrase last season? Was it because, as bad as it was, it wasn’t as bad as 2012, or was it really that bad and I just didn’t realize it because Josh Dobbs occupied my full attention?

Was Bob Shoop’s 2016 defense as bad as Sal Sunseri’s 2012 defense?

The short answer is no, I don’t think so. It was bad, yeah, but not historically so unless you want to cherry pick the data.

Gameday on Rocky Top 2017
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Sal Sunseri’s 2012

Sunseri’s defense in 2012 did absolutely nothing well. The highest it ranked in official NCAA defensive rankings was 48th, in tackles for loss. Also in the not-good-but-not-terrible range was third down defense and interceptions. The team ranked 50th and 56th, respectively, in those categories.

After that, things went into the pit quickly. Four separate defensive categories were in the 85-86 range. Five more were in the HIDE YOUR EYES range of 98-115. The winner of the raspberry award was Red Zone Defense, which ranked 115th. But Passing Yards Allowed and both Total and Scoring Defense were also U-G-L-Y.

Bob Shoop’s 2016

The 2016 defense piloted by first-year Tennessee defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was, on the whole, much more diverse in its rankings. They were actually really good on fourth downs and TFLs, thanks primarily to Derek Barnett. They were in the not-good-but-not-terrible range in four to seven categories, depending on how wide you want to define that range. The defense was actually terrible in only three categories: Total Defense (which, yeah, that one’s kind of important), Rushing Defense (ditto!), and First Downs Defense.

The Comparison

So how does Bob Shoop’s 2016 actually compare to Sal Sunseri’s 2012? Shoop was much, much better in at least one category and much better in another six categories. Note that even where he was much better, he was still mostly in the “not good” range. And the defense last year was basically just as bad as 2012 in three categories and actually worse and into Terrible Land in two categories (Rushing Defense and First Downs Defense). 

So, if you are predisposed to characterize Shoop’s first season on Rocky Top as historically bad, you can point to 2-5 defensive categories to support that argument. But on the whole, it actually wasn’t as bad last year as it was in 2012, even without the balm of the 2016 offense to soothe the pain. The defense really struggled in some key areas and could be called “just as bad” as Sunseri in a few places, but Shoop managed to be mostly better and to actually do some things well. And he did it under some less-than-ideal circumstances due to a viral injury bug.

Here are the numbers, in case you want to characterize them yourself:


Click here to view the full size chart

Stay tuned, because next we’ll look at how much, if any, the defense improved in 2013 after Sunseri left. Whatever we find should help us set some realistic expectations for improvement of the defense in Shoop’s second year.

Gameday Today: Not a fan of Will Muschamp edition

Football

 
Tennessee freshman offensive tackle K’Rojhn Calbert is not a fan of the Muschamp culture at South Carolina. Sort of confirms most of what you thought a Muschamp locker room would be like, doesn’t it? Muschamp, though, does outrank Butch Jones in CBS’ list of the best coaches in college football. No. 52 doesn’t sound bad for Jones, but being ranked lower than Muschamp has to add a little salt to the sting. That’s what you get when you haven’t ever beaten the guy. Let’s fix that this fall, shall we?
 
And speaking of things to fix . . . Dave Hooker says that Vols defensive coordinator Bob Shoop needs to rebound this year. Yeah.
 
Things that don’t need fixing? Josh Dobbs, who is still winning hearts, participating in graduation activities and throwing his first pass for the Pittsburgh Steelers all within the same 24-hour span. 

Recruiting

The Twitter profile of 4-star defensive tackle Jaquaze Sorrells makes him look like a pretty solid commit to the Florida Gators, but that didn’t stop Tennessee from throwing their hat in the ring.
 

 

 Hoops

Little late to this party due to the magazine deadline, but . . . Vols guard Shembari Phillips is transferring. The Vols have also lost Kwe Parker, but they have signed JUCO All-American Chris Darrington and are trying to land James Daniel, a grad transfer from Howard. 

Baseball

 
Tennessee baseball . . . has a really good APR.
 
 
 
 

Gameday Today: Injury situation “not so hotsy-totsy,” but at least nerds are in charge of the spring game

Except for the Orange and White “Game,” spring practice is in the books for Tennessee. So how did it go?
 
Well, defensive end Deandre Johnson is having a really good spring, according to defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. His opinion counts,  you know. And he thinks that cornerback Justin Martin has “really stepped up” and that safety Nigel Warrior had a “good spring overall, no question.” On his “Not Favorite Things” list? The injury situation plaguing his defensive unit, which he says is “not so hotsy-totsy.”
 
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, new quarterbacks coach Mike Canales has for some reason decided to strike fear into the hearts of Vols fans everywhere with three seemingly benign but totally frightening words: “Sure. Why not.” That came in response to a question asked about the possibility of running a two-quarterback system.
 
So practice officially concludes with the Orange and White “Game” tomorrow, and they must have granted some nerds access to the network passwords or something because someone’s posted an article with all of the rules for scoring points, points that don’t matter and that nobody cares about. You think I’m joking, but first on the list is this:
 
  • Get D+D objective: 1 point

See? You think that’s “down and distance,” but it’s actually Dungeons and Dragons.

So what’s everyone hoping to see tomorrow besides clouds moving on and sunshine poking through? Dave Hooker at Gridiron Now has a list of six mostly hipster defensive players to watch plus a bonus Prilosec ad smack in the middle of the content that is HUGE and making me concerned about that BBQ I ate for lunch. Will at Rocky Top Talk is looking for the second receiver, and second (and maybe third) linebacker, and whether Butch Jones will be naming captains again this year. On the captains question, I wonder whether doing so last year during spring practice had anything to do with the Jalen Hurd drama that manifested itself to fans later that fall, and without any actual knowledge whatsoever, I’m guessing it did and that Jones won’t do it again. But I’m basing that on absolutely nothing. Huh! War!

 
And finally, Jimmy Hyams has an interesting piece reporting the details of Tennessee’s non-conference game contracts. There’s some good information in there, but my favorite bit, just because I found it amusing, is that Peach Bowl, Inc. (a party to the agreement relating to the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Georgia Tech) “strongly urges both schools to begin ticket sales for this game as early as possible in 2017, but absolutely no later than March 1” and conclude sales by June 14. In response to that watertight language, Tennessee has announced plans to put tickets on sale to donors on May 16 and will open it up to everyone else in July. Resistance, not all that futile after all, at least in response to mere strong urgings.