Vols Spring Practice 2012

This is one damn fine post! HOF worthy, imo.

 

Hunter definitely shouldn't be a crutch. Rathar just noting that he obviously adds a key element to how successful the offense can be. Even still, I agree that under a good gameplan the Florida game could have been won....and the Georgia game too for that matter. We looked entirely different without Hunter in each of those respective matchups.

 

We crapped the bed after Hunter went down in the Florida game. Basically wasted 18 minutes of that game. We then had three weeks to do nothing but prepare for Georgia and we looked like we hadn't even been through spring practice when we actually took the field.

 

Just win baby win

 

What did Justin Hunter have to do with getting a punt blocked, or not sealing the edge on a screen play, for example.

 

Despite the issues you bring up, we get any production at all on offense and UF doesn't start drives with automatic field goals and maybe we get one of our own. Then, Bray's last drive isn't some frantic speed offense in need of two scores but a slow, methodical drive to run out the clock and tie/win.

 

Losing Hunter meant losing the UF game last year, and responsibility for that fact lies squarely on the coaching staff.

If there is no running game again next year, 8 wins will come in a difficult fashion at best.

It's been so long since Tennessee has had a good running game that it makes me sick.

 

Hardesty was decent?

 

He means like back in the day when we could run it down anyone's throat if we felt like it.

 

Then perhaps "good" wasn't the best choice of word.

 

It's nice to have a site to go to with folks that get it. It's like a warm blanket on a cold night.

Good post, hammer.

 

We have been spoiled.

 

Literally since I can remember, Tennessee has had a bad ass running game. Cobb and Webb, Garner, Hayden, Bryson, Graham, Lewis, Henry and Stephens. Those are the backs I remember watching. Hell, Cedric Houston was a lot better than he seemed simply because he followed those guys.

You expected a Tennessee team to run on whoever the hell it wanted to run on.

Hardesty ran behind two undersized walk ons. All those guys ran behind future NFL players.

That's why watching these past few seasons have been frustrating as hell. It's also why when people say a "good run game" they mean future NFL RBs running behind future NFL OL doing whatever the hell they want to do to opposing defenses.

 

Sounds like Bama's running game as of late. I feel like their top 3 RBs are always really, really good nowadays.

 

I have been thinking, isn't it sort of bad timing to be going base 3-4 on D this year, when, if the team tanks, Dooley and most of his company will be out the front door? It seems like to me, they should hold off on this project.

Running game woes in recent years are mainly coaching and personnel issues up front, imo. Look at Foster, even when he was here, if he wasn't fumbling, he was having solid games and add that to his NFL success. I think it goes to show that our techniques, and for whatever reason, the jimmies and the joes up front have not been as good.

Look at Hardesty in Kiffin's year. Decent offensive line at best, but the new technique they were doing (zone blocking scheme), and hard nosed running from Hardesty led to a good season on the ground. (This and ability to coach qb's is why I think Kiffin would have been successful here)

Take it on to Dooley. Young players up front who could perhaps have all the tools, but have seemed to lack the physicality and technique (perhaps coaching, perhaps mentality) and a back in Poole who looked bad at best most of the time. Draft pundits are saying Poole is gonna get drafted in the 5th round.

I said all of that to say this, that imo, coaching and sometimes personnel have been reason for our failures in the run game. Would you guys agree, or who is to blame in your eyes? I think the backs have been solid and good enough to win with.

 

Tennessee had better OLs. I think the backs are a push. Ingram is a lot like Henry and Lewis was better than Richardson in his one healthy year here.

 

There are quite a few people that believe the defensive staff was hired for the next coach.

I would say it's a whole lot more on the coaching staff than it is the talent. You take two walk-ons right in the middle of the OL and get a 1,200 yard rusher but you can't get highly touted, highly recruited OL to block for a marginally talented back?

Hardesty was a hard runner that earned every yard he got so that helps but a lot of that is a mentality that comes from guess what, the staff.

 

The next coach being Kirby Smart? Not saying it's who I want, but it could turn out that way.

 

Lacy is solid too. Hart will probably be just as good as well. Not arguing, just throwing in more names.

 

I agree but Bama is going to have to do it for 15 years or so to match what Tennessee did.