Photo by Amy Smotherman Burgess
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge rides a stationary bike during a summer conditioning workout last month.
Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge spent the early part of this week helping his girlfriend and her roommate move into a new apartment.
Starting today, Ainge will be working on a moving project of a different kind.
The Vols open fall camp this afternoon with the first of 21 preseason practices, all with the goal of moving up in the SEC standings.
Tennessee finished 9-4 and second in the SEC East behind national champion Florida last season. This season, the goal is to play for an SEC title and more.
Ainge, who is fully healthy after undergoing minor knee surgery in the spring, is ready to get started after a long offseason.
“There’s not a lot of time off,” Ainge said Wednesday. “From the Penn State game ’til now, you get a week here, a week there. You go from one offseason to the next offseason to the next program to the next program, all building up to the first practice on Friday. That anticipation kind of creeps on you.”
It’s certainly creeping up on fans.
Their eyes — and those of UT’s coaches — will be focused with the most intensity on the Vols’ defensive tackles and wide receivers.
Losing Jayson Swain, Bret Smith and Robert Meachem, the Vols are without their three best receivers from a year ago.
A talented group of incoming players earned praise for their showing in offseason workouts, but the true test begins today.
“I feel like we’ve done a good job preparing them up to this point, considering we’ve had to get ourselves ready, too,” Ainge said. “I’m anxious to see what it’s like. Are they going to go slow and baby guys along, or are we going to get into it and get cracking? I don’t know what kind of approach they’ll take.”
But for Ainge and UT’s other leaders, their approach is certain.
When David Cutcliffe returned as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator last season, he taught the virtues of practicing with purpose and tempo. Now it’s up to Ainge and teammates like Arian Foster, Jonathan Crompton and others to teach those incoming players by example.
“Not just practicing with good tempo, but practicing well,” Ainge said. “Those first couple days, no matter how long you’ve been playing are usually a little bit rough just because you’re getting back into all the little things again.
“But even if I go out and don’t have a great day of practice, my attitude and tempo still needs to be there. If Arian goes out and drops a ball or misses a block, his attitude and tempo still need to be up. Guys feed off that.”
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 14
GreerVol22 writes:
Like I said before, D-line, you better grow some stones, man-up, hire some Hooters girls or whatever it takes to get yourselves ready for a long season. Now is your chance to let Chavis and the LB's know that your not the weak sisters everyone is lowballing, don't become an excuse. Nice attitude from Ainge and if he practices what he preaches then ohters will follow....and don't be easy on the frosh receivers.
BOASoldier writes:
All the talk, all the hype, all the predictions are over and don't mean a thing. It's time for the VOLS to step up and show what they are made of and determine whether they will be just another sub par team or will be a championship caliber team that will compete for the SEC championship or more. Reading Cal's website they don't think we have a chance and are talking about how they are going to go undefeated this year. Let's see if we can't change that from the start. GO VOLS!!! Keep you noses clean, stay out of trouble, and any anger you may have and frustration... take it out on the field against the oposing team..... Veterans push the freshmen and yourselves, show everyone what UT football is all about
orangebloodgmc writes:
Yeah, I was on a couple of Cal sites and they would like to think that they have about 3 legitimate Heisman candidates (just none of them showed up last year) and nobody else has anything but them, and maybe USC. Like the hemi commercials say, "We're 'bout to find out."
BOASoldier writes:
A Tennessee fan is drinking in a New York bar, when he gets a call on his cell phone. He hangs up, grinning from ear to ear, and orders a round of drinks for everybody in the bar, announcing his wife has just given birth to a typical Tennessee Volunteer baby boy weighing 25 pounds.
Nobody can believe that any new baby can weigh in at 25 pounds, but the Tennessee fan just shrugs and replies, "That's about average back home, folks, like I said, my boy's a typical Tennessee Vol baby boy. Gonna be Tennessee football player."
Congratulations showered him from all around, amid many exclamations of "WOW!"
One woman actually fainted due to sympathy pains.
Two weeks later, he returns to the bar. The bartender says, "Say, aren't you the father of that typical Tennessee Vol baby that weighed 25 pounds at birth? Everybody's been making bets about how big he'd be in two weeks.
So, how much does he weigh now?"
The proud father answers, "Seventeen pounds."
The bartender is puzzled, concerned and a little suspicious. "What happened? He already weighed 25 pounds the day he was born!"
The Tennessee father takes a slow swig of his beer, wipes his lips on his shirt sleeve, leans into the bartender and proudly says, "Had him circumcised."
BOASoldier writes:
In a school just outside of Atlanta, a first grade teacher
explained to her class that she was a real Dawgs football fan. She asked
her students to raise their hands if they were Dawgs fans, too.
Not really knowing what Dawgs fans were, but eager to be liked by their
teacher, their little hands all went up into the air. However,
there was one exception. A little boy named Tommy did not go
along with the crowd.
The teacher asked him why he had decided to be different.
"Because I am not a Dawg," said Tommy.
The teacher asked, "Well, then, what are you?"
Tommy said, "I'm a Vols fan."
The teacher, a little perturbed now with her face slightly red,
asked
Tommy why he was a Vols fan.
"Well, my mom and dad are Vols fans, so I'm a
Vols fan, too."
The teacher became really angry. "That's no reason," she said
loudly.
"What if your mom was a moron and your dad was a friggin' idiot?"
Tommy smiled and said, "Then I guess I'd be a Dawg fan, too."
GO VOLS!!
BOASoldier writes:
Just thought I would throw a little preseason humor in there ... Can't wait for the cal game to see what the Vols are made of. I think it's gonna be a good day in Vol country.
vol4jesus writes:
BOAsoldier 2nd was ok , first was fine til the poor ending. No I'm not a Dawwwwg fan. That could be Vick...ooops. We try to be class poster children. GO VOLS!!!
BOASoldier writes:
Well if I have offended anyone I do apologize sincerely, but I have read the posts of people bashing their own team on many of these articles... and in my mind their is nothing classy about that. You or anyone else has every right to disagree with the humor of the jokes I posted and once again if you take offense I apologize. But if that comment was meant as a reprimand I can't accept that until someone stops "Vols Fans" from trashing their OWN team before season starts. Thanks for your input though.
orangebloodgmc writes:
BOA, I liked 'em both, especially the first one. You just can't please everybody and I think we do need a little more humor. Geaux Vawls!!!! Only 29 more days !!!
IdahoVol writes:
BOA you got it exactly right - seems like half the posts after these articles are people bashing the team, Fulmer, the players, Hamilton, etc. If you want to be a fair weather fan, go cheer for Memphis State!
vol4jesus writes:
apology accepted and appreciated. for the record I take posters to task on negativity. I bleed ORANGE and support win or lose with winning the obvious preference. Lets don't give the Cal Bears any goodie baskets. those are for Yogi and Boo Boo. GO VOLS!!! AS a final to some posters is the glass half empty or half full? Perspective goes a long way in whether you enjoy life or enjoy whining/complaining incessantly.
GreerVol22 writes:
OK posters. Remember to check yourself from now on and ask yourself the question WWJD? He's watching!
AllVol writes:
Come on, guys. They were both good--actually the second is hilarious. I just can't see our Lord being offended, though that surely should be our chief concern. He's got a sense of humor, I know. He created us, didn't He?
I bleed Big Orange, and I love reading the kids/players' quotes on the site about how devout Vols fans are. There is nothing better on the planet, and now we're counting down the days--literally. I see a BIG season. Cal will pay dearly for getting its hopes up.
GO BIG ORANGE
yeavols#228407 writes:
BIG Orange in Atlanta says..."GO VOLS!!"
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