Sunday, August 27, 2006
Animal On the Loose
Lurking in the dark beneath thousands of tons of concrete in downtown Knoxville, there is a hideous beast slobbering on its callous paws. Over the last eight months, it’s been sharpening its hunting skills, and on the second day of September, it will be turned loose. Get the kids inside. Lock the doors. Turn on the TV. You know what time it is. Mr. Ward, I need to borrow this for a minute. It’s football time in Tennessee.
From the start of the off-season, Fulmer’s been a blue-collar man. Between recruiting, filling coaching staff positions, and formulating a battle plan for this year, Phil’s hands are stained with time clock ink. His hands aren’t the only dirty ones either. This off-season has seen QBs in full contact scrimmages, grueling physical conditioning, massive amounts of weight loss on the offensive line, even brick-catching receivers. Judging from the most recent scrimmages, it’s all starting to pay off in a big way.
When I recently asked Randy Moore of Rocky Top News how the receivers were performing he responded with: “I don't know if it's the Trooper Taylor influence or not, but the wide-outs caught the ball better this preseason, at least based on the scrimmages that were open to the media.” Combine that quote with the newest addition to our receiving crew, Quintin Hancock, and things are definitely looking good on the receiving front. For those of you who aren’t aware of Quintin yet, here’s a quote. "Quintin Hancock’s a guy that definitely will be in the mix,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “It’s exciting to see a young guy do that well. Physically, he doesn’t look like a freshman out there playing. He’ll make some mistakes mentally from time to time but he’s definitely in the mix.”
The “mix” he mentioned is the new five-receiver rotation that Phil and Co. have decided to employ this year. The idea is that, by giving fewer receivers reps, Ainge will be able to build rapport and confidence with them. Familiar names such as Swain, Meachem, and Smith should make the short list of course, but nothing is finalized.
This spring and summer have also shed some light on other freshmen offensive players who have the orange-blooded foaming at the mouth: Jacques McClendon (OL), LaMarcus Coker (RB), and most notably Jonathan Crompton, the high school All American quarterback who has really turned some heads this summer.
McClendon, listed at 6’3, 325 lbs, is a hoss of a man-child who, on scrimmage highlights, seems to overpower his foes one-on-one in the “Tennessee Drill”. The highly sought after four star prospect out of Chattanooga will be looking to make an early statement this year on the gridiron. Look for fellow freshman Ramone Johnson to help McClendon bolster a offensive line that coaches refer to as solid, but short on depth.
Coker, a redshirt frosh who was ranked nationally in the top five of his recruiting class, is on his way to locking up the second spot on the running back depth chart. Along with Hardesty, Williams, and Yancey, Fulmer should be able to create a duo, or even trio, to supplement rising star Arian Foster, the workhorse who accrued 800 plus yards in five games last year as a freshman. Senior Cory Anderson will lead the charge at fullback.
Between the offensive line reports, scrimmage highlights, and the backfield, it seems to me that the running game should be a physical juggernaut that puts lead into defenses cleats. Combine that with the progress made by the receiving crew, and we’ve got all the weapons we need to manage the clock, put up points, and even break the will of the adversary. Also, from what Fulmer and “Cut” (Cutcliffe) have said, look for the tight ends to be much more involved in the passing game.
“What of the quarterback situation?” you ask. Well, in the interest of keeping it simple, I’ll keep it simple. Ainge had a bad year, and he’ll be the first to tell you. Coach Cut is back. He’ll get things straightened out and we won’t see the situation we saw last year. The receivers are catching the ball, Erik’s looked increasingly confident in scrimmages, and they’re out there “just having fun” as so many offensive players have stated. So, quit being so pessimistic. We’re trying to have a good time here. Moving on.
It’s third and three. You’re standing in the backfield, helmet rattling and ears ringing from the fan noise, sweat stinging your eyes, knees shaking, and you’re also incontinent. Why? Because you’re the visiting teams running back, and on the other side of your offensive line is a pack of wild animals that want to eat your brain for lunch. That’s gross.
Don’t let the youth fool you. This year’s defense may not be very experienced, but they are fast, talented, and very, very aggressive.
Defensive end Robert Ayers (So.) has recently been elevated to first team status. This move allows flexibility with Turk McBride (Jr.), who can play either DE or DT. In addition to these guys will be familiar names Justin Harrell (Jr.), Antonio Reynolds (Jr.), Xavier Mitchell (Jr.) and ink-sleeved menace Matt McGlothlin (Jr.), who has re-earned his scholarship. There are not a whole lot of starts between them, but there is some playing time, and a great deal of quality practice time. By now, they know the system. They just need to execute. JUCO transfer Walter Fisher (So), who is recovering from a shoulder injury, should be back early in the season to give more depth on the end. Freshman Dan Williams has also worked hard to get into the tackle rotation. The front four should be solid.
As for the secondary, they’re in most media outlets’ top fifteen DB units, and on some top ten lists. Jonathan Wade has had a breakthrough summer and may have lock-down potential at the corner. The speedster could rack up on sacks and tackles for loss this season. On the other side, “Inky” Johnson (Jr.), who opened some eyes after taking over corner duty last year after Jason Allen’s Georgia game injury, hasn’t seen many passes thrown his way lately. This guy’s got a nose for the ball and seems to read the quarterback’s eyes with eagle-like instinct. He’s had several picks this summer, and is around the pass so much that the quarterbacks have learned to not even throw towards his general vicinity. The safety positions are no different. "We feel like we are playing with three safeties right now with (Demetrice) Morley kind of the swing guy," he said of the sophomore from Miami, Fla. "We want all three of those guys in the game to keep people fresh,” Fulmer said referring also to veteran safeties Jonathan Hefney and Antwan Stewart. “It's exciting," Fulmer continued, "In the first scrimmage they had two or three picks and two other take-aways. Today (Aug 24), we tried to run Cal stuff as close as we could on both sides and it was good to see them get their hands on the ball that much." Backups Antonio Gaines (Jr.), and freshmen Marsalous Johnson and Antonio Wardlow will most likely get some time at corner along with Morley.
The defensive backfield isn’t just ok. They should be supreme. And with their first class cover skills, they should open the door for the three-man wrecking crew of linebackers who have that mad dog, tear-your-head-off mentality that you want backing the d-line. Ryan Karl (Jr.) looks to be a key player in the scheme this year. Karl is a great coverage guy who was a running back in high school, switched to safety after coming to Knoxville, and then finally to strong-side linebacker. “Chief (defensive coordinator John Chavis) says if we go out there and go full speed every time, we’ll be in the right spot and make big plays,” Karl said. “If we don’t worry about being wrong – just go full speed all the time and have that nastiness – we’ll do what we need to do.” Senior Marvin Mitchell will anchor the group. He’ll be flanked, (most likely), by Karl on one side, and either sophomores Adam Meyers-White, Jerod Mayo, Elix Wilson, or frosh sensation Rico McCoy. All of these backers have what it takes physically to stuff the run and wreak havoc on the offense. Watch for a lot of rotation to keep them fresh. Also, watch for forced fumbles, big hits, and sacks.
Special teams should be special this year with more experience in the kicking game and input from multiple coaches. We might see Austin Rogers (So, WR) helping out on punt returns this year, but that’s the only change made public so far.
We’ll find out Saturday just how ferrell this beast can be. Get loud at the stadium folks, and throw this rabid bunch of hounds a raw ribeye.
Cal, get your rabies shots. Bring some spares too. There will be an animal on the loose,
and it ain’t happy.
From the start of the off-season, Fulmer’s been a blue-collar man. Between recruiting, filling coaching staff positions, and formulating a battle plan for this year, Phil’s hands are stained with time clock ink. His hands aren’t the only dirty ones either. This off-season has seen QBs in full contact scrimmages, grueling physical conditioning, massive amounts of weight loss on the offensive line, even brick-catching receivers. Judging from the most recent scrimmages, it’s all starting to pay off in a big way.
When I recently asked Randy Moore of Rocky Top News how the receivers were performing he responded with: “I don't know if it's the Trooper Taylor influence or not, but the wide-outs caught the ball better this preseason, at least based on the scrimmages that were open to the media.” Combine that quote with the newest addition to our receiving crew, Quintin Hancock, and things are definitely looking good on the receiving front. For those of you who aren’t aware of Quintin yet, here’s a quote. "Quintin Hancock’s a guy that definitely will be in the mix,” head coach Phillip Fulmer said. “It’s exciting to see a young guy do that well. Physically, he doesn’t look like a freshman out there playing. He’ll make some mistakes mentally from time to time but he’s definitely in the mix.”
The “mix” he mentioned is the new five-receiver rotation that Phil and Co. have decided to employ this year. The idea is that, by giving fewer receivers reps, Ainge will be able to build rapport and confidence with them. Familiar names such as Swain, Meachem, and Smith should make the short list of course, but nothing is finalized.
This spring and summer have also shed some light on other freshmen offensive players who have the orange-blooded foaming at the mouth: Jacques McClendon (OL), LaMarcus Coker (RB), and most notably Jonathan Crompton, the high school All American quarterback who has really turned some heads this summer.
McClendon, listed at 6’3, 325 lbs, is a hoss of a man-child who, on scrimmage highlights, seems to overpower his foes one-on-one in the “Tennessee Drill”. The highly sought after four star prospect out of Chattanooga will be looking to make an early statement this year on the gridiron. Look for fellow freshman Ramone Johnson to help McClendon bolster a offensive line that coaches refer to as solid, but short on depth.
Coker, a redshirt frosh who was ranked nationally in the top five of his recruiting class, is on his way to locking up the second spot on the running back depth chart. Along with Hardesty, Williams, and Yancey, Fulmer should be able to create a duo, or even trio, to supplement rising star Arian Foster, the workhorse who accrued 800 plus yards in five games last year as a freshman. Senior Cory Anderson will lead the charge at fullback.
Between the offensive line reports, scrimmage highlights, and the backfield, it seems to me that the running game should be a physical juggernaut that puts lead into defenses cleats. Combine that with the progress made by the receiving crew, and we’ve got all the weapons we need to manage the clock, put up points, and even break the will of the adversary. Also, from what Fulmer and “Cut” (Cutcliffe) have said, look for the tight ends to be much more involved in the passing game.
“What of the quarterback situation?” you ask. Well, in the interest of keeping it simple, I’ll keep it simple. Ainge had a bad year, and he’ll be the first to tell you. Coach Cut is back. He’ll get things straightened out and we won’t see the situation we saw last year. The receivers are catching the ball, Erik’s looked increasingly confident in scrimmages, and they’re out there “just having fun” as so many offensive players have stated. So, quit being so pessimistic. We’re trying to have a good time here. Moving on.
It’s third and three. You’re standing in the backfield, helmet rattling and ears ringing from the fan noise, sweat stinging your eyes, knees shaking, and you’re also incontinent. Why? Because you’re the visiting teams running back, and on the other side of your offensive line is a pack of wild animals that want to eat your brain for lunch. That’s gross.
Don’t let the youth fool you. This year’s defense may not be very experienced, but they are fast, talented, and very, very aggressive.
Defensive end Robert Ayers (So.) has recently been elevated to first team status. This move allows flexibility with Turk McBride (Jr.), who can play either DE or DT. In addition to these guys will be familiar names Justin Harrell (Jr.), Antonio Reynolds (Jr.), Xavier Mitchell (Jr.) and ink-sleeved menace Matt McGlothlin (Jr.), who has re-earned his scholarship. There are not a whole lot of starts between them, but there is some playing time, and a great deal of quality practice time. By now, they know the system. They just need to execute. JUCO transfer Walter Fisher (So), who is recovering from a shoulder injury, should be back early in the season to give more depth on the end. Freshman Dan Williams has also worked hard to get into the tackle rotation. The front four should be solid.
As for the secondary, they’re in most media outlets’ top fifteen DB units, and on some top ten lists. Jonathan Wade has had a breakthrough summer and may have lock-down potential at the corner. The speedster could rack up on sacks and tackles for loss this season. On the other side, “Inky” Johnson (Jr.), who opened some eyes after taking over corner duty last year after Jason Allen’s Georgia game injury, hasn’t seen many passes thrown his way lately. This guy’s got a nose for the ball and seems to read the quarterback’s eyes with eagle-like instinct. He’s had several picks this summer, and is around the pass so much that the quarterbacks have learned to not even throw towards his general vicinity. The safety positions are no different. "We feel like we are playing with three safeties right now with (Demetrice) Morley kind of the swing guy," he said of the sophomore from Miami, Fla. "We want all three of those guys in the game to keep people fresh,” Fulmer said referring also to veteran safeties Jonathan Hefney and Antwan Stewart. “It's exciting," Fulmer continued, "In the first scrimmage they had two or three picks and two other take-aways. Today (Aug 24), we tried to run Cal stuff as close as we could on both sides and it was good to see them get their hands on the ball that much." Backups Antonio Gaines (Jr.), and freshmen Marsalous Johnson and Antonio Wardlow will most likely get some time at corner along with Morley.
The defensive backfield isn’t just ok. They should be supreme. And with their first class cover skills, they should open the door for the three-man wrecking crew of linebackers who have that mad dog, tear-your-head-off mentality that you want backing the d-line. Ryan Karl (Jr.) looks to be a key player in the scheme this year. Karl is a great coverage guy who was a running back in high school, switched to safety after coming to Knoxville, and then finally to strong-side linebacker. “Chief (defensive coordinator John Chavis) says if we go out there and go full speed every time, we’ll be in the right spot and make big plays,” Karl said. “If we don’t worry about being wrong – just go full speed all the time and have that nastiness – we’ll do what we need to do.” Senior Marvin Mitchell will anchor the group. He’ll be flanked, (most likely), by Karl on one side, and either sophomores Adam Meyers-White, Jerod Mayo, Elix Wilson, or frosh sensation Rico McCoy. All of these backers have what it takes physically to stuff the run and wreak havoc on the offense. Watch for a lot of rotation to keep them fresh. Also, watch for forced fumbles, big hits, and sacks.
Special teams should be special this year with more experience in the kicking game and input from multiple coaches. We might see Austin Rogers (So, WR) helping out on punt returns this year, but that’s the only change made public so far.
We’ll find out Saturday just how ferrell this beast can be. Get loud at the stadium folks, and throw this rabid bunch of hounds a raw ribeye.
Cal, get your rabies shots. Bring some spares too. There will be an animal on the loose,
and it ain’t happy.
