Taking a Turn to Negative Town: Letter to Fulmer

During some casual conversation over some Arkansas hog earlier this week, 3SIB’s Ghost of Neyland and Rocky Top Talk’s Joel struck up the subject of negative media. It seems that Phillip Fulmer, Jerod Mayo, Demonte Bolden and the boys got their boxers in a knot over the entire free world questioning that they could shut down Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Well, what did the Vols do?

They went out and manhandled the tandem. Don’t let DMac’s 117 yards fool you. That game was controlled by the Big Defiant Orange Defense.

So, rather than give them written french kisses, Joel and Ghost decided to badmouth the Vols to no end. So, basically just disregard everything from the previous post by Ghost, because from here on out, he’s going to absolutely wax ridiculous against the Vols. Joel’s already started things over at Rocky Top Talk and we here at 3SIB, of course, will comply. We’ll do anything for the rest of the year if it means a repeat performance of the Georgia and Arkansas games.

So, without further adieu, VolstotheWall will get the Vol-bashing off to a resounding start. Enjoy. (And, um, UT, this better work. We’ve been wanting to compliment you guys all year. But we feel it’s essential to try the reverse psychology on you guys.) So, Go Big Orange! I mean, Go to Heck Big Orange!! Or, something like that.

Dear Phillip,

I have to admit I doubted you could get the job done anymore. Who could blame me? I sat in the stands at the Swamp and watched our team become gator bait in the second half? Then I watched them get blown out by UAT, after believing they had turned things around?

Nevertheless, a lot of things have changed since that “incident” in the ghetto, and again I think you may have this team back on the right track. I’m not even sure those first couple of losses were completely your fault anymore. All the injuries to the secondary sure didn’t help things any. We made JPW look like a good SEC quarterback, for crying out loud. I understand its hard to plan for that many injuries and dropouts at one position when there are only so many scholarships to go around.

On the other hand, Chavis should have made better adjustments to help out the younger players, but thats not your fault. However, there is one thing I don’t understand, why was I wrong for doubting you and this team? I still haven’t got over those two losses to Florida and Bama, and I still am not completely sold on you being able to keep this team at the top of the SEC.

I still support this team, and that includes you, too. You’re the only coach I can even remember being at Tennessee. You brought this team to the top, and I could never forget that. I may still doubt this team sometimes, but I won’t pick them to lose, and that includes LSU. I doubted you because every time I thought we could get back to the top, we lost. I think thats understandable. You and your players call out the media every week because they doubted your team, why? Are you just using the media to pump up your players? If thats the case then thats okay.

Considering we’re a MAJOR part of the media covering Tennessee football, here at 3SIB, we’ll play along, even if we think you’ve turned this team around. If you need bulletin board material, you got it.

 

Tennessee Hasn’t Changed Much

Phillip Fulmer hasn’t proved anything, yet. This is still the same team that quit against Florida in the second half, got their butts handed to them by Alabama, and wasn’t ever really ready to play against Cal. Sure we’ve stepped up here lately and won a couple of games, so what. Each of the teams we beat are games we should have won.

John Chavis still can’t coach either. Wow, he was able to stop a one-demisional offense thats impressive. He even said himself that it was the simplest defensive gameplan he has used since he became the defensive coordinator at Tennessee. It was the same with the Ragin Cajuns, whose quarterback’s throwing ability compares to likes of Johnny Damon and my mom, and not to mention they’re one of the worst teams in college football. South Carolina couldn’t throw the ball in the first half because of Chris Smelley, and then they put Blake Mitchell and lit up Chavis’s defense up. So before UT starts bragging about all the improvements they’ve made, maybe they should stop someone with a quarterback.

Even though we’ve won a couple games here lately you can’t give much credit to our offense. Erik Ainge is doing his best Kelly Washington impersonation. Montario Hardesty is trying his best to win the Steve McNair toughness award, but Lucas Taylor is nipping at his heels. The freshman standouts Lennon Creer, Denarious Moore, and Gerald Jones have not lived up to the hype. They all had good games against terrible teams. Every time they see the field against the big boys they haven’t done much of anything. The offensive line has been good, but thats largely in part to Ainge’s NFLitus and Cutcliffe refusing to throw a pass beyond ten yards.

This Tennessee team has yet to prove anything other than that know how to get blown out by their biggest rivals. I don’t know what it is. The talent is there, but the heart isn’t I guess. We shouldn’t be thinking about making to the SEC Championship game, until this team beats Vandy, which I doubt will happen.

Is it talent, or is it depth?

In light of some of the other posters on this blog site getting into a word “scuffle” about the Alabama football team, I can tell you what is wrong.  As Ghost of Neyland likes to say of Alabama, “There’s plenty of talent on that team.  Plenty.”  He’s somewhat right.  Yes, there is talent on Alabama, duh, they are in the SEC in a year where we as fans have not seen it so balanced.  But the problem lies with where that talent is distributed among the positions.  Here’s a breakdown.

WR:

Probably the most talented part of Alabama’s team.  DJ Hall is the most underrated WR in the SEC and probably the best WR as well.  Not many will argue with that.  Matt Caddell is a strong #2 receiver.  Now, name the rest.  Sure you say Keith Brown, but he has only made contributions in a handful of games this year (well, really just one, LSU).  Mike McCoy?  Loads of talent and potential but as you will see at our next position, he can’t show it.

QB:

John Parker Wilson.  I’m not going to sit here and bash the guy because he has done plenty good for the University of Alabama as he has done bad.  The guy gives it his all week in and week out but sometimes can’t get the job done.  Let’s put it this way; the guy went to Hoover High School where he made a name for himself.  That’s talent, for high school.  However, he decided to pursue a professional baseball career.  That’s talent too, however, wrong sport.  So he sits out and doesn’t pick up a football or a playbook for a while.  High school football and SEC football are a little different.  You can’t just leave high school football and expect to pick up where you left off in the SEC.  It just doesn’t happen.  John Parker Wilson’s “talent” is decent but it’s not on the same level as a Tim Tebow, Andre Woodson, or even Erik Ainge (as much as it pains me to say it).  However, with all this being said, John Parker Wilson is the best option Bama has.  He is the only QB on the roster that has real game experience and can make most of the necessary passes that fit our playbook, but he doesn’t have that swagger or calmness or killer instinct that a “talented” QB has.  He is our most “talented” QB, but his “talent” isn’t good enough, and neither are the guys behind him.  Therefore, the problem here is both talent and depth.

OL

Andre Smith and Antione Caldwell (who has been suspended since the Tennessee game).  That’s about it.  I guess you can throw Justin Britt in there as well.  The rest of our OL is inexperienced and, quite frankly, not very good.  The problem here is both talent and depth, something Nick Saban is working to improve in this year’s recruiting class.

LB

There’s talent here.  Rolando McClain is a man-child that is very talented but he’s only a freshman.  Prince Hall is talented too, but not your ”elite LB.”  Darren Mustin, a walk-on.  Ezekial Knight, converted LB from WR.  Keith Saunders, a transfer from Holy Cross.  You get my point here.  There isn’t a lot of talent or depth at the LB position.

DB

Kareem Jackson has been a great pickup.  The guy is very talented and will be a great contributor to the secondary for years to come.  Rashad Johnson, a former walk-on.  Simeon Castille?  Probably the most overrated player in the SEC.  Marcus Carter?  While vastly improved this year, still not a very talented safety.  As far as depth goes, there isn’t much there.  We have a converted RB (Ali Sharrief), an undersized but quick dime back in Javier Arenas, and that’s about it as far as depth goes. 

RB

Tons of talent here.  Terry Grant leads the talent pool, however, he’s only a freshman.  By the way, our new backup is a transfer from Mississippi St. that is extremely undersized.  Roy Upchurch?  The guy has NFL talent, but can’t show it.  Glen Coffee?  Very talented, but don’t expect to see him again this year.  Alabama also has a couple of freshman that are talented, but are either out for the year with injuries or being red-shirted.  So there isn’t much of a problem here talent wise, or depth wise, but the lack of production can fall back on the OL problems that Alabama has. 

DL

Haha.  Wow.  Beyond Wallace Gilberry, there isn’t anyone else that is very talented.  Talent and depth are both very big issues here.

So what’s the verdict?  Well, it’s a combination of lack of talent and lack of depth.  Who to blame?  Realistically, we can only blame ourselves.  At the end of the day, we cheated and we got caught.  The scholarship reductions and the probation is still hurting Alabama today.  Add in the fact that our former coach (Mike Shula) only concentrated on one area of recruiting per year, and you have the 2007 Alabama football team.  I’m not going to bash Shula for his recruiting process, but what is fact, is fact.  Recruiting was not a priority of Shula while he was here.  But in all fairness, he was limited to what he could do.  Alabama is not full strength.  Alabama doesn’t have the depth or talent that the upper tier SEC schools have.  Let’s be honest, Alabama is on the same level as Ole Miss, Mississippi St., and Vanderbilt when it comes to talent and depth.  We, as Alabama fans, have to realize that it’s going to take a while to get back to where we were in the 90s, 80s, and so on.  With that said, we have the right leader to bring us back.  It starts with recruiting, something that Alabama is excelling in once again.  While the pains of this season will continue to hurt, the future is bright.  There is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.  And I’m excited about it. 

The Capstone King

         

The Future Looks Orangey (LONG)

There have been times this season when it felt like somebody was wadding up my insides like a piece of paper when I was watching the Vols.

Youth and inexperience are not two things to mix together in the Southeastern Conference, especially at positions such as the defensive backfield and wide receiving corps. They’ve taken their lumps for certain — especially during the Cal, Florida and Alabama games as well as the second half against South Carolina. Also, I’m not certain those lumps are finished, what with Kentucky and (possibly) LSU still on the schedule.

But one thing that most always happens with youth and inexperience: It gets older, it gets experienced and it gets better. Especially the talent that UT has all over the field.

So, it makes it a little more tolerable to digest this fantastic class Nick Saban is putting together this year at Alabama when I look at the past three years of UT recruiting. Our very own Capstone King put together a bang-up report on the Tide a few weeks ago and the talent they were stockpiling down there. It also looks like next year’s in-state Bammers are going to be pretty salty, so I don’t expect Saban’s recruiting prowess to suffer.

Bama’s gonna be there. That much is certain. But in Knoxville, the cupboard is anything but bare. So, I’d like to examine the Vols and what we have on tap.

I’d had this story idea in the can (before I flushed, of course) for a few days now, and I’ve just been too lazy to write it. Now, I’m glad I waited. Wes Rucker of the Chattanooga Times Free Press wrote a nice complimentary story in today’s paper on what I’m trying to address.

So, I’ll link that here to get you started.

Here’s an excerpt:

KNOXVILLE — Thanks in large part to Tennessee’s freshmen, the Volunteers’ senior day will be a lot more important.

One of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting classes has already paid huge dividends on the field.

Nine true freshmen are listed on UT’s depth chart for Saturday’s home finale with Vanderbilt — and safety Eric Berry, cornerback Brent Vinson and return specialist Dennis Rogan are starters.

Vols coach Phillip Fulmer wouldn’t hesitate to put freshman receivers Denarius Moore or Gerald Jones in big spots, either. Or tailback Lennon Creer. Or defensive end Ben Martin.

Some are playing significant snaps out of necessity, while others are simply the best players at their position, according to coaches.

Fulmer said Tuesday that he’s never relied on so many first-year players — especially true freshmen.

“There’s always been one or two, but never so many,” Fulmer said. “It’s really exciting to have this many talented guys that are youthful.”

Bama Lands another commitment from that state to the north

As expected, Don’ta Hightower, one of the top players in the state of Tennessee, committed this AM to the Crimson Tide. He’s a Rivals rated 4 star, and the 19th best inside linebacker prospect in the nation.

At about 6′3″ 240lb, he also can play the H-back/tight end positions or he could grow into a rush end for the defensive line.  Roll Bama Roll has some stats up for him, including some gaudy defensive numbers.

This is the second of a possible three VHT commits from the state of Tennessee for Alabama.

Vol Nation shrugs…..