Ask Griff: Comparing Ainge and Clausen

Being NBA tall with a rocket release helps. Everyone on the team works harder when they know that the quarterback can make plays.

Receivers that feel that the quarterback trusts them to make plays will perform better. Linemen are invigorated when the quarterback can help them with his feet and vision. Ainge truly is the "best SEC quarterback to never start."

What does Riggs have to do to get a start? He is a stronger, quicker and more elusive package. Looks to the fans out here like he has grown up, plus he is hard to bring down. Hopefully this Saturday against Auburn will be the game when Phil finally starts Riggs and Ainge. If the two of them can take the pressure, the Vols have a chance to begin games with a fast start and a fast finish, unlike recent years. Any chance the coaches will talk Phil into starting Riggs and Ainge? The rest of the Volworld is waiting for that day.
Alaska Vol, cdldoc@mtaonline.net

GRIFF: You're right, I will be quick to remind you of Clausen's early success. Remember, Casey won his first six starts and finished No. 6 in SEC history in passing yardage, completions, total yards and TD passes, and he's No. 3 in lowest ratio of interceptions. I would compare Clausen's pocket presence to Ainge's, and his quickness would surprise you — he was actually quicker than all of the Vols NFL-bound defensive backs save Mark Jones in the lateral timed drills.

That said, Ainge has shown tremendous physical upside — he's faster than Casey, and his arm is extremely strong — and his command of the offense is impressive when one considers he did not have a spring practice to work with as Casey did.

I do think Ainge has better receivers to work with this season than Casey did his final two years, and I would say his offensive line is better than any Casey had over his four-year career.

Ainge has the same type of poise and confidence that Casey had coming in. The biggest difference is there was more resentment when Casey took over as a true freshman, because many felt Joey Mathews deserved more of an opportunity, and A.J. Suggs was extremely popular with his teammates.

Casey, however, showed some incredible fortitude playing through injuries, and he showed time and time again that he could handle adversity.

We've yet to see Ainge take a big shot and get up — though my bet is that he can — and we've yet to see how Ainge handles the adversity that's sure to lie ahead in his career.

I do believe Ainge is ear-marked for the NFL, barring a serious injury.

I'm not ready to give up on Brent Schaeffer, though. Schaeffer's elusive and possesses and accurate touch on his passes. His pocket presence doesn't equal Ainge's, but he buys time with his scrambles and demands an extra defender in the box to "spy" on him, thus taking one defender out of pass coverage.

Right now, it's a great situation for the Vols. We'll see what happens against Auburn and Georgia.

Q: Why is it we don't seem to ever have good return teams or kickoff teams? We have a lot of really fast folks and a lot of really good athletes with, one would presume, average IQ. We ought to do a lot better.
Patrickw109@wmconnect.com

GRIFF: I wish I had a good answer for you, but right now I don't. I think some of the problem this year is the Vols' shortage of linebackers. Many times, the young linebackers are the top special teams players in coverage and blocking for runbacks because of their size, speed and athleticism.

As for the return specialists, coach Phillip Fulmer has fallen into a habit of finding one guy and sticking with him even with the results don't seem to warrant it. That was the case with Leonard Scott at the end of his career, as his kick return average slipped each season, and that's what appears to be happening with Corey Larkins.

I would say Larkins has this game to prove his worthy — against his home-state school of Auburn — or you might see a switch.

Fulmer is looking for a home run hitter back there with big-time speed, which Scott and Larkins both possess. However, I think both return men lost confidence in their blocking, and that makes them more hesitant hitting the initial wall.

I don't think I.Q. is as much of a factor for a kick return man (they're not doing algebra out there!) as good hands, speed, vision and guts.

Q: Hey Mike! I'm pleased with the way the Volunteers are playing offense, but our defense needs some work. I know a lot of it is due to inexperience, but does UT really have a shot at Auburn and Georgia? It seems to me the only way the Vols win either of these games is just out-score them. BTW, I love the "Ask Griff" column and I think all you guys are doing a good job.
oberon13@chartertn.net

GRIFF: I agree, the offense will need to put some surplus points on the board against Georgia and Auburn to take some pressure off a young and banged up defensive unit. Not only is the defense young, but they're missing many key players who could make a difference, such as MLB Kevin Simon (knee), MLB Marvin Mitchell (knee): DT Greg Jones (redshirt); CB Antwan Stewart (knee); DT J.T. Mapu (mission); DE Jared Hostetter (ankle); LB J.T. Turner (hamstring) and DB James Banks (knee).

Q: Our offense has gotten off to a great start, the running game seems to be going well. These two freshman quarterbacks are trouble for any defensive coordinator. The play calling has been excellent. This has got to be one of the best receiving groups in the last few years, (we're actually catching the ball). My question is where are all of those sorry, fire Randy Sanders fair-weather Vols fans now? Inquiring minds want to know!

A True Vol. fan who lives in hostile Florida,
P. Thomas Jr., Potjcobra@cs.com

GRIFF: I was kind of surprised Sanders didn't get more credit for developing Clausen into the second all-time leading passer. That's especially true if you but into the theory that Clausen wasn't that talented.

Sanders, like anyone else, gets better with experience. He's been in the UT system since he was a player. He works well with Fulmer.

With the freshman QBs, Sanders has been turned loose a bit more by the head ball coach. He has to make calls at the line for the freshman QBs. I believe UT has tried to do too much offensively in the past and gotten bogged down trying to take ideas from the meeting room to the field.

Q: I continue to enjoy your insights to team, despite the media ban. Since we gave Daniel Brooks two scholarships to come to UT, the coaches must have thought he was quite a player. Why isn't he being mentioned as a replacement for Kevin Simon?
cgbtn@msn.com

GRIFF: I suspect your "two-scholarship" reference is to Bo Hardegree, who was a high school teammate of Brooks. I say, why shouldn't the Vols have taken a shot with Hardegree? He's a good athlete, and he actually looked good in the Orange and White game and the fall scrimmages. I think there's a chance he could ultimately be the back-up quarterback should one of the freshman QBs decide to play somewhere else — not saying they should or will, but it's a distinct possibility.

As for Brooks, it's a depth issue for Chavis. He simply must have two LBs at every position, and Brooks is being groomed to take over for Kevin Burnett on the weakside. Moving him around might stunt his development and overload him. The guy is already seeing snaps when Burnett needs a rest. Be patient. I believe Brooks will pan out well.

Q: I guess one of the most frustrating things in football for me is the so-called prevent defense. I know at Tennessee they call it something else, but a wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf. I've actually developed a phobia for this phenomenon because it seems like a sure-fired recipe for disaster. This seems especially true when all that is needed is a field goal to tie or win. Could you write about when it is appropriate for such a radical deviation from what got you the lead in the first place, and, conversely, when it would be ill advised?
tnorthern@cox.net

GRIFF: I think the prevent is appropriate when you're up by more than one score (more than eight points) or when a team has to cover a great deal of ground in a very short period of time. It makes sense to prevent the long bomb by backing defensive backs up. Some teams have shifted into it a bit prematurely. Remember, you only hear complaints about it when it doesn't work — there are many other times when that defensive philosophy has worked and no one bothers to say anything about it.