Next year's class will be the one he is judged upon. I still don't like the fact that he spent an extra month at Alabama rather than being in Knoxville, building his program here. You can't really serve two masters. However, this year was always going to be tough going. What I am looking for next year is not necessarily wins, but how they play. I thought it was quite evident early in the tenures of Jones and Dooley that these players were poorly coached as opposed to the season under Kiffin, despite similar records.
I know the defense will be coached well. I doubt he's got all the parts he wants to do everything, but he's got pass rushers and two good linebackers. The offense is what I want to see.
I think the biggest blow is what other teams did. Georgia put together a near perfect class. I will say this. Smart put together a top 3 class last year after going 8-5 in year 1. I think Pruitt and co. can do something very similar.
They are not a great team, but they are a good team that is a bad matchup at a terrible time. If we can get a performance like JK and Callaway had against GT we can beat them, otherwise we're [uck fay]ed.
If he can keep balance and make use of the middle of the field, the offense will get better as the season progresses. Especially if we can knock some of the old regime's stink off the OL.
Again, until I see improvement(which will be impossible for me before then) from the DBs and offense, I can't expect anything but a loss. I'm not saying they'll score 40 or 50, but we're gonna give up some big plays that game, and I don't know if we have the offense to overcome.
Three jump balls to Callaway can score three times. I'm not trying to be a smartass, but that guy can go one on one with any DB and win. I don't understand why Butch and company never figured that out. He threw [uck fay]ing screens to Callaway and deep balls to Josh Palmer.
Pretty much, there's talent on offense but our idiotic former hc didn't use it. It's not that he didn't effectively use it, he kept players off the field period.
Yeah but the first game? I hope so, but that's a tough ask. Even Kiffin couldn't keep Crompton from throwing 5 picks against a godawful UCLA team. Eventually the coaching will take hold but I don't think it will be that early.
Yeah, and I'm saying that because of the lack of tape, the Helton and co will have to figure out what works and learn in real time the best ways to utilize the talent we have. Which isn't so easily done first time out.
Kiffin and Chaney got pass happy too. You give Hardesty and Brown 10 more carries combined, Tennessee wins.
