Since things are slow right now, what are some things you all are looking forward to this coming season? I’m excited to see the overall improvement of the offense and hopefully learn Tyson Helton is worth his fat contract.
Players improving instead of declining. A team that's challenged off the field in the weight room which translates to stamina and perseverance on the field.
I’m most anxious to see a well-coached, fundamentally sound and well-prepared team. Neither this staff nor any other will magically make this roster appreciably more, deeper and better than what it is. And for as well as we’re recruiting / looking for immediate answers, you can’t turn over 5+ years of signing smallish and largely finesses players who were both poorly evaluated, and then terribly coached since the moment they arrived. And, as good (crazy?) as our S&C cat is, not even he can similarly erase 5+ years of complete disarray in the weight room or travel back in time to recoup what are now long lost opportunities for improvement and gains in both size and speed. It’s not just that we’ve essentially sat idle, but that our rivals have recruited bigger, better, faster and stronger players from the get-go, and have worked toward their continuous improvement and development. They’re at full steam and ready for war, were never going to slow down and wait for us, and have no intention of doing so now. Instead, they’ve been delighted to see that we’ve become so incompetent as to rationalize how our dragging both anchors proves how hard we’ve been working, and all the while bragging about our marksmanship in shooting ourselves in the foot. I’m not saying that the roster is shit, by any means. There’s talent there, for sure, and as others have recently posted. But when comparing our full 85 to that of every team on our schedule - how many would you be willing to switch with - 2, 3? Even amidst the season of full-blown optimism, ignoring or dismissing this reality could lead to some rather startling reminders on Saturday’s than not, come Fall. I’m as legit excited to see this team as any since 2009, and specifically, what improvement is possible by just playing fundamentally and strategically sound football - move the asses in front of you, establish an identity on offense, do what works until they stop it - and then do something complimentary to that, once they do, keep everything in front of you on defense, tackle the ball carrier, beat press coverage, consistently put kids in the best position to make plays on both sides of the ball, when an opportunity to make a play comes along - take it, etc. I hate to keep going back to this, as it’s now an old trope, but had Jones done these things - just dumped the gimmicky shit altogether - even as late as going into last season, he’d have won 9+ games a year, and would have most likely been here for 15+ years. So, thank God he didn’t. I think that the floor is 5 wins, that the tip-top ceiling is 7 regular season wins, and that 6-6 is most likely and is reasonably attainable.
Looking forward to making it through a game without constantly questioning the philosophy/lackthereof. Would be cool to see us stop the run some.
I'm optimistic we won't have the worst statistical record or statistical defense in UT history this year. That's somehow progress.
Looking forward to phase 2 of the Fulmer Plan when he cans Pruitt midyear when he gets caught up in a trap set by Fulmer, he pulls a Barry Alvarez, returns to the sideline, and leads up to glory.
No frumpy guy in Dockers running around with a trash can above his head for a team giving up most rushing yards in history
I want to see a cheese offense. "That play works... run it again until it's stopped". Kiffin did this and I enjoyed it.
