When: Monday morning

Where: Lindsey Nelson Stadium

Gear: Shorts and Shoulder Pads

Simon Says: Junior linebacker Kevin Simon said his sore abdominal muscle is more painful in the morning. Simon missed several practices last week while recovering from the injury.

He did participate Saturday and Monday morning. Simon said he doesn’t see pain being an issue in the future since the Vols have no more morning practices scheduled.

Head coach Phillip Fulmer said Simon is doing a better job pursuing ball carriers from middle linebacker. Simon, who played strong side linebacker last season, admitted he has a tendency to overrun plays while adjusting to the new position. Fulmer said Simon is getting off would-be blockers better than anyone on the team.

Slow Start: It was a manic Monday for some of UT’s wide receivers. Despite an impressive fall camp, freshman Sinclair Cannon dropped two passes in the morning session. Cannon bounced back with a nice one-handed catch later in the morning.

Senior Derrick Tinsley had two drops in the morning session. The Marietta, Ga., native still has a tendency to catch the ball too close to his chest. Tinsley’s got off to a slow start this fall but had a great run of highlight catches last week.

Safety Issues: Sophomore free safety Corey Campbell made a nice play when he cut in front of a receiver and intercepted a C.J. Leak pass.

Junior James Banks continues to spend most of his time at safety. Much of that time, Banks has struggled. Banks continues to be late in recognizing plays and providing help to cornerbacks.

"We need somebody pushing that wants to start (at safety)," Fulmer said.

Cut Day: After Wednesday’s scrimmage, Vol fans will have a much better idea of how the quarterback scenario will shape out. Fulmer said he would be forced to cut back on the number of snaps given to four quarterbacks. At least one will see a significant drop in opportunities.

Fulmer said Leak will receive much more playing time in Wednesday’s scrimmage than he did in Saturday’s practice. Fulmer said he wanted to take an extended look at the freshman quarterbacks Saturday. Subsequently, Leak and junior Rick Clausen received little playing time.

On Guard: With the injury to junior Cody Douglas, UT is looking at sophomore offensive guard Rob Smith at two positions. Smith has primarily played left guard this fall. He is now seeing some time at right guard.

Smith said he is comfortable on either side but has more experience on the right side. Sophomore Aaron Sears is probably a better fit for left guard. Douglas did not practice but did some agility work. Douglas should return to practice soon. He suffrered a sprained ankle Saturday.

Scrimmage Notes: After spending Sunday grading Saturday’s scrimmage, Fulmer had several notes on his team. He said sophomore defensive tackle Tony McDaniel had his best scrimmage as a Vol. Fulmer also complimented defensive tackles Jesse Mahelona and Justin Harrell for their weekend performance.

Fulmer said there was no excuse for senior tailback Cedric Houston’s fumble Saturday. Fulmer said Houston didn’t see the defender that poked the ball out. Fulmer said senior tailback Jabari Davis’s fumble was a combination of poor blocking and a botched handoff.

The Vols spent a good portion of Monday’s practice in a live circuit drill in order to improve ball handling and defensive stripping techniques.

Freshman Update: Fulmer said both the freshman quarterbacks (Brent Schaeffer and Erik Ainge) were impressive in Saturday’s scrimmage.

Fulmer noted the following freshman for their work this fall: linebacker James Turner, linebacker Jerod Mayo, defensive back Inky Johnson, defensive back Jonathan Hefney, and tight end Chris Brown. Fulmer also said he was impressed with defensive end Xavier Mitchell.

"He’ll play a lot this year," Fulmer said.

Fulmer said, despite a good fall, fullback David Holbert took a step back over the weekend.

MIA: Freshman defensive end Jared Hostetter missed practice while wearing a cast on his sprained ankle. Jomo Fagan (foot) and Victor McClure (shoulder) were also held out.

Looking Ahead: The Vols will hold an evening practice Monday and an afternoon session Tuesday. UT’s next scrimmage is scheduled for Wednesday. Monday is the last of two two-a-day practices held this fall.