Vols planning more work for tight ends

"I just wish they would throw the ball to the tight end more," can be heard most any day on talk radio or in the stands at Neyland Stadium on game day.

Sophomore Chris Brown was UT's leading tight end receiver last season. He caught six passes for 74 yards. Ten other players, including two running backs and a fullback, caught more passes than Brown.

Sophomore tight end Brad Cottam had two catches last season. Senior tight end Justin Reed had one.

Offensive coordinator Randy Sanders said change could be on the horizon.

"We plan on using our tight ends quite a bit," Sanders said. "I think they can do some things for us as pass receivers, but they also add a little bit of a dimension in the run game.

"We're going to try to utilize those guys and get them much more involved than they have been in the past couple of years."

Injuries have limited UT's productivity at tight end during that time. Reed suffered a knee injury last season after scoring a key touchdown against Florida. Senior Jake Finlayson missed last season with a back injury and spring practice with mononucleosis.

Cottam, because of an ongoing sore shoulder, is still trying to add the strength neccessary to block in the SEC. Brown showed potential last season but was too green to be a consistent contributor during his freshman year.

"We're still a work in progress but I'm happy with where we are right now," tight ends coach Greg Adkins said. "We've just got to be a little more physical."

UT has plenty of skill position players who have dominated the headlines. Senior tailback Gerald Riggs is a Heisman hopeful, and UT has its best group of wide receivers in years.

Does that mean the tight ends could be left out of the passing game?

"One of the things you try to do as an offensive coach is use all your weapons," Sanders said. "Some of our tight ends, those guys can be weapons for us.

"There's no doubt that we have some good (wide) receivers. We have five guys that I feel real good about playing. Five may sound like a lot but it's really not when you go through the course of a season."

Sanders is quick to point out that UT is without Tony Brown and Derrick Tinsley, seniors last season who specialized in running underneath routes. UT's tight ends, especially Chris Brown, are well suited to pick up that slack.

"He has really good instincts," Adkins said. "He understands the game from a fundamental standpoint in the run game. In the passing game, he has a really good feeling of where everything is. He has a really good knack of finding the holes. He's kind of a natural route runner."

Part of being natural comes from hard work. Brown has spent extra time with UT's wide receivers to learn how to get open.

"Working with the receivers makes me that much better," Brown said. "They teach me stuff that they do against cornerbacks that I can do against linebackers."

Finlayson will be relied on for his versatility. He can play each tight end position. Reed has shown that he can be a solid pass receiver, if healthy. Coaches have said Cottam could develop into a top-notch receiver.

Brown and Cottam could be the first wave of emerging tight end stars at UT. The position has clearly been a point of emphasis in recruiting.

Brad Cottam's younger brother, freshman Jeff Cottam, has already impressed UT coaches. The Vols also signed Athens, Ala. tight end Wes Brown last season. UT already has two tight ends committed to play football in the 2006 class, Powell's Lee Smith and Berea, Ky.'s Luke Stocker.

Help is on the way, but the current group of UT tight ends seems more than capable.

"We've improved a ton so far and it seems like all of us are getting over the injuries we had last year," Cottam said. "I think we have a really talented, really athletic group. We have a lot of different guys that will be able to play and help us."

That should give UT fans something to talk about.