I've seen many Vols fans predict big things for 2012. Many seem to believe 10-2 or better is very possible. Just made me wonder what people here thought about that. Are those predictions: a) Realistic? b) Optimistic? c) Idiotic?
I think it's reasonable to think Tennessee's got a helluva shot to win the east. Offensive should be among the best in the country. Defense should return a ton of players, but we're not sure those guys are worth a damn at this point.
I think they are optimistic. Florida will be good. I don't know that anybody knows what to expect from UGa or South Carolina, and we will have to travel to both. We get Arkansas and Bama at home, and play at Miss St (?) in the west. Winning the East might be possible, but it certainly isn't the lock some folks on TOOS have predicted.
Optimistic. Unless we are pinning our running troubles on the O-line, how does our ground game improve enough to compete in the SEC? Do we expect that much improvement with our running game in a single year? O-line should get better push downfield, and we should expect improvement in our running game... but hell, I figured we'd have more improvement this year as well. So far, I'm not seeing improvement.
Put me in the 'realistic' category. I think we'll have that kind of talent. My bigger concern is the coaching, to be honest. I think 10-2 is very possible, and I'm not normally a very optimistic person.
I'd probably go with optimistic. I just don't know if the offensive line and and entire defense can go from where they are now to being good enough to win 10 games next year.
I don't think we would even have to be as good as most think to win 10. We should sweep the OOC and beat UK and Vandy. I believe Arkansas loses a good amount (but I could be wrong about that), and they're coming to Knoxville. I think South Carolina loses about half their team. We drop LSU for Mississippi State who loses a lot. Tennessee should simply be more talented than those 9 teams. I don't think Georgia loses too much, and they should have talent, but they will likely be dealing with a coaching change. That leaves Florida and Bama, both who come to Knoxville. I'm not sure who Bama loses, but I think they should lose a decent amount of their defense and probably Richardson and some others on offense. Florida loses Rainey, Demps, and Brantley. Driskel may be a prodigy, but Tennessee will be his first meaningful game and his first start outside of Gainesville.
10-2 or better is very possible. The offense will be there, its the D I'm more concerned with. We need better athletes on that side of the ball
Bama loses a ridiculous number of linebackers and the majority of its secondary. Lacy replaces Richardson and they get back Hart (who went down with a knee injury). They also lose Marquis Maze, who's one of the most underrated WRs in the country. Bama will be extremely young next year but talent and coaching isn't an issue down there.
realistic to me. The guys we're competing with in the East are UF, SCe and UGA. UF and SCe will both be trying it with new QBs and at our house. UGA is a wildcard, but I don't like what I see them making of their talent right now. Our schedule is better and I expect the offense to be nasty. If we add patterson and he's half of what people think he can be, we'll be deadly and can use the short passing game as our ball control, which Chaney has done before and made Bill Walsh famous. If we don't add Patterson, I still like us with Dallas, Arnett and Croom as third fiddle. Couch will likely have become a difference maker in the middle and AJ Johnson will be where he should be with Lathers back on the outside and Harris as backup. Jacques is All SEC type on one side. Other side is question to me, but Miller is the worst option and that's decent. Hood should get better between now and then, but is lame to me. If we use Miller there because he has gotten bigger and is a better athlete, we'll have to work at the end (although AJ or Maggitt could seriously move there and matter, with Santos being what he's cracked up to be). Secondary, who gives a crap? Teams relying on good secondaries get their asses beat in college ball. Offense will be somewhere around best in the league and front 7 will be better (who know how much better). We'll at least be as good as the rest of the crowd with the issues they're facing. Best team in the conference is going to be LSU.
South Carolina loses the following starters OL: Kyle Nunn, Terrence Campbell, Rokevious Watkins (although he is in danger of losing his starting position to a Brandon Shell, true freshman) QB: Stephen Garcia WR: Alshon Jeffrey (he is only a JR, but I can't see him staying for his senior year) DL: Melvin Ingram (split's time with Jadeveon Clowney, but still a sizeable loss), Travin Robertson LB: Antonio Allen DB: CC Whitlock Stephon Gilmore could opt to leave early...but I don't think he has played well enough last year or this year to warrant that...plus he comes from a very good family that values his education..so count him in as staying so SCAR loses 4 starters on offense (assuming Jeffrey leaves) and 4 on defense..both the kicker and punter are back SCAR will return 16 of their 24 starters from last season....so they should retain some pretty good talent...especially considering LAttimore will be back and even better
South Carolina's not that great today. Take away Jeffery, Barnes, Garcia, and 3 seniors on the offensive line in 2012...I'm just not seeing the confidence in that offense next year, simply because Lattimore returns.
Barnes is about worthless (doesn't even start, got beat out by a redshirt freshman going forward)...so much potential..but very little talent...Garcia will be a big loss...the offensive line..not as much..because SCAR shuffles them so much as it is...I don't think there is too much of a drop-off there...and we will have to agree to disagree that as long as Lattimore is healthy, SCAR will hvae a decent offense..he is incredible..and incredible players make other players better...Shaw or McEvoy will have a much easier time adjusting to being the starter with a Heisman candidate in the backfield
