Hard to believe, but it's only 10 days until the 2008 SEC football season kicks off.
Well, until the talking part kicks off anyway. A week from Tuesday a media mob descends on a hotel in Hoover, Ala., and absorbs every utterance of one commissioner, 12 coaches and two dozen players.
This is known as SEC Media Days. And while an actual kickoff is still more than a month away, by late July we're grateful for some serious football talk.
But reader beware.
As you hungrily devour the information that spews forth from Hoover, keep in mind it's not all worth taking to the bank.
At last year's SEC Media Days, we media experts correctly projected LSU as the 2007 league champion.
Hold your applause, please. That was the first time we got it right since 1995.
It was a big improvement from 2005. We picked Tennessee to win it all. Didn't see that perfect storm brewing.
Or, 2004, Auburn not only won the league but went 13-0. Of 88 voters at Media Days, only one picked the Tigers to win the SEC.
It's not just championship projections on which we are prone to stray. Of 26 players named first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press last December, 14 were overlooked on the first- or second-teams picked by the media in July.
Sometimes we're too trusting.Steve Spurrier said South Carolina was ready to compete for its first SEC title last year. Hey, if Spurrier says it, it must be right.
Here's what I wrote: Stand warned Gators, Vols and Bulldogs: The East is no longer just a three-team race.
South Carolina finished 3-5, tied for fourth. Same as it ever was.
Preseason conjecture is not confined to Hoover, of course. It's an epidemic.
Ole Miss athletic director Pete Boone was asked at a Rebel Club meeting in Memphis if 2007 was a make-or-break season for coach Ed Orgeron.
"Oh, absolutely not,'' Boone said.
Orgeron won't be attending Media Days next week.
Curiosity about Tennessee's upcoming 2007 season led to all sorts of speculation.
For example, assistant coach Trooper Taylor predicted last summer "three or four" of the incoming receivers would have an impact.
Kenny O'Neal is "a good bet,'' and Brent Vinson "is promising,'' Taylor added.
O'Neal was an awful bet. He caught two balls. Vinson was promising once he moved to cornerback and became a starter.
The closest thing to an impact was Denarius Moore's 14 catches.
Linebacker Jerod Mayo was pretty sure the Vols' defense would include a 3-4 package that had been explored in spring practice. If there was any 3-4 last fall, I don't remember it.
Britton Colquitt was going to kick field goals as well as punt, so suspect was freshman Daniel Lincoln. Wrong. Lincoln was second-team All-SEC. Colquitt did kick off but never tried a field goal.
By August the Vols were working on a special quarterback package, with receiver Lucas Taylor perceived to be the leading candidate. Taylor did throw a TD pass in '07 but Gerald Jones and the "G-Gun" turned out to be the special package.
A few summer thoughts did actually come to pass.
My colleague John Adams on July 22 tabbed Arkansas' Houston Nutt as the most likely SEC coach to hit the road after the season.
Adams: My guess is he's fed up with all the criticism and ready to bolt if he gets the opportunity.
He got it at Ole Miss, after Orgeron broke in his make-or-break season.
At Media Days, Sylvester Croom steadfastly stood his ground against critics of his 9-25 record in three years at Mississippi State.
"I know my plan is on track,'' Croom said.
Mississippi State went 8-5. Croom was SEC coach of the year.
Finally, UT's Jarod Parrish made a correct prediction, but derived no satisfaction from it. Parrish figured he had played well enough in spring to win the starting strong safety job as a senior. Coach Phillip Fulmer agreed, comparing him to 1985's senior Cinderella story, Chris White.
"I feel like somebody's got to be an All-American to take it away from me,'' Parrish said.
Somebody did. Eric Berry was a Freshman All-America.
We're headed back to Hoover next week. Prepare to be bombarded with information.
Some of it will be right.
Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strangem@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 76
dvols writes:
e r i c b e r r y
caskew#218608 writes:
51 Days........GO VOLS!
Volomatic writes:
Can't wait to here the BS this year
TommyJack writes:
Strange has a refreshing humility.
cobbwebb writes:
aahhhh good ol media days, saban spewing his nonsense about players having accountability, is saban the kettle or the pot ? the visor bashing his qbs,mark richt having a prayer meeting with the media, les miles telling the media where they can go ( i dont mean k-mart either) urban meyer talking the importance of an emerging rb,and good ol coach fulmer workin like heck ! can you smell it? its right around the corner boys . its almost football time in the SEC and i cant wait. wooohooo! GO VOLS
rusty_shackleford writes:
So basically, Strange let the cat out of the bag in the first five paragraphs....the media have no idea what they are talking about! hahahaa
pdhuff#552644 writes:
We're going to work like heck, study the playbook and stay the course.
Seer.
Ladie4TnVols writes:
Well lets see....... they talk themselves into a coma.....the only truth to this will be the guys on the field.....that's my story and I am sticking to it! lol
Volfan1 writes:
The article says -
"Adams: My guess is he's fed up with all the criticism and ready to bolt if he gets the opportunity."
Now, was that what Adams said about Houston Nutt or is that how Adams feels about himself right now? (sarcasm intended)
I would prefer the latter and a ticket out of town for Adams.
vol1994 writes:
we will probably be picked by most 3rd in the East.
Does anyone think we have a realistic shot of winning the SEC East again this year?
tenndave writes:
My predicction is all or nothing. IF Coach C is as good as PF thinks he is and the new package is indeed learned we may be the surprise in the nation. The flip side is the new package if it is not learned well could cause some losses we shouldn't have. Personally I am leaning toward the surprise because I beleive the D we have will keep us close to everyone. Wow, I can't believe it is almost here. GO VOLS!
CoverOrange writes:
As much as we did last year, vol1994.
Question marks abound, but that just means nobody knows. Crompton could be The Batman to Tebow's Surperman, or he could be the Boy Wonder. That's the point of Mr. Strange's article: nobody knows.
soddydaisy777 writes:
We got a good shot of winning the East, just like the other 2. We're all undefeated right now.
ZR writes:
8 and 5 keeps the contract alive!
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
"I believe that of all the teams at the event, some will play each other, resulting in a loss for some, but yet a win for others. In the end the team that scores more points then their opponent will win that individual game, thus improving on their win/loss record." - Captain Obvious, SEC Media Days 2001.
eduardo writes:
Can't wait till F$$lmer gets up there and puts both feet in his mouth. Who's gonna be his Candace Parker this year? That has to be the all time dumbest comment by a UT coach during media days! 7-5 get ya some!
THE_VOL writes:
Let's see now - WINS can be booked over UAB, N. ILL, Wyoming, Vandy, Kentucky. Those will certainly be considered major by the FOOLmer apologists! LOSSES will come against FLA, AUB, GA, and Bama - AT LEAST 2 of those will be blowouts and we'll hear all the normal excuses from that same crowd. That leaves toss-ups against UCLA, MSU and SC with 2 of 3 on the road. Win em all and Fat Boy gets another year. Lose one and get glossy-eyed at the Music City Bowl with an impressive 7-5 slate. Drop two and, well, we'll get the same "ain't no magic dust," "Perfect Storm," "we're young," "too many injuries" blah blah blah from everybody that just can't face reality. Bottom line is that 8-4 is the absolute BEST CASE this year IF EVERYTHING goes right (see Clint Stoerner). Advice to the weary wanting to attend - save your money - the Kentucky game will have PLENTY of FREE tickets available!!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Koolade staff lay-offs usually begin around Sep 22nd.
TommyJack writes:
Doesn't matter. 8's enough is what matters.
TommyJack writes:
PD: Word has it that CPF has been secretly practicing a butterfly double axel in preparation of the mandatory 2 pt. conversion in our triple overtime win over N. Ill. Practice site said to be an undisclosed location near Jackson Hole. Lift-offer better at altitude.
tigervol9802 writes:
I'm hoping he compares Crompton to Monica Abbott or Kara Lawson this year myself.
waterskier3#226480 writes:
GO VOLS!!! honestly I hope we're all wrong about where the program is headed and we finally win an sec championship.... I would love to eat my words!!!! I agree with some of you I just don't see us being a championship team this year....
Go4Two writes:
The Vol;
Why do you think we will lose to Fla, Aub, Ga, and Alabama. We have strong record against Bama and Uga. I say worst case is a split Beat Fla and Bama at home and split the road games at Aub. and Uga.
orangebloodgmc writes:
The_Vol, like you I too am looking forward to a great season for the Vols!
While no one knows with certainty what they will do, I am not seeing that they will enter the season in worse shape in specific units of the team. But its also relative to what the other teams have and do, as well as luck with injuries.
PDHuff, didn't mid-September last year find the Vols given up for dead at 1-2, only to have them strap it up and go on to win 8 out of the next 9?
Go4Two writes:
Good news
39-11
That's the record for Phillip Fulmer's teams with a first-year starting quarterback, which the Vols will have this season. That includes a national championship in 1998 with Tee Martin as a first-year starter and an SEC East title in 2004 when Brent Schaeffer, Erik Ainge and Rick Clausen were first-year starters and shared time.
TommyJack writes:
Good stuff, Melon.
LanceR24 writes:
THE_VOL
worst case is 8-4, we are much better than usc, miss state couldnt throw the ball if their life depended on it so we will be able to put 8 in the box, ucla is being picked at the bottom of pac-10, and we always win one or two we shouldnt so ill guess 10-2 lose 2/3 to fla, ga, auburn.
BigOrangeJeff writes:
Keep in mind, everyone, that "THE_VOL" is not actually a Vol Fan. I'm guessing he's a Bammer or possibly a Memphis State fan.
BOJ
LanceR24 writes:
General_Watermelon
if we make it through auburn 4-0 its very likely, but its probably gonna be a trade off beat fla lose to auburn, lose to fla beat auburn.
WorkinLikeHeck writes:
I can't wait for some Foolmore quotes, tha tis if Foolmore decides to talk to the media. He's been on vacation for like a month. Hopefully he won't be comparing any football players to Candace Parker again this year.
Go4Two writes:
I love being the underdog we seem to play better in that role.
invisiblekid writes:
Nice story by Strange, a little humility can go a long way instead of being sanctimonious jerks like some of these sports pundits.
It's like a smart man once said:
"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future".
Ralph_Crampton writes:
C'mon Vol fan One...John Adams is just fine where he is...he provides us nutty Vol fans with something to talk about. He calls things as he sees it, if you think about it, we fans can thank him..otherwise , Woking, Watermelon, Ashley and Tommy Jack and other interesting folks too numerous to mention are gifts to our gabfest that we normally would have never heard from...John is doing his job...he's got us going.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
orangebloodgmc 10:32 -to a geezer, we were dead after giving up a 100 to Fla and Bama. Just didn't see much sparkle the rest of the way, even thru the gnat's poot victories over Vandy, Ky and SC. I remember when we were stunned by a 10 point defeat, much less a slaughter.
We'll know soon how much they've "coached 'em up".
The scoreboard bulbs often tell a stark truth.....
VOLS85 writes:
DC,
that's very humble of you, because (barring a defensive collapse, which isn't completely out of the realm of thought due to recent injuries) I would pick Florida...and I will also pick Florida to wear out Georgia at the cocktail party...it could get ugly
orangebloodgmc writes:
Yep, we'll know something soon ...
... hope you can "tear 'em up" out on the lake.
BigOrangeJeff writes:
A swing and a miss. The biggest idiot seems to be off his game today.
BOJ
DennisVols writes:
"Believe nothing that you hear and only 50% of what you read"
The only thing predictable about college football is that it is un-predictable. Injuries, failing grades, mental toughness following an upset or loss, the criminal element we hear so much about lately. All this will come into play this season as well as it has every season before.
This new season has many questions for UT: New QB, New Ofensive Cord., New system, just to name a few. Will they jell quickly? What is the learning curve before the full playbook will be installed?
If we think positive there is an opportunity to have our best season since the '98 N.C. There is no question about the talent it is there. The off field issues seem to have cleared up and this could tell us that their hearts and minds are now focused on the task at hand.
The negitive says too much to learn in a short period of time with all the new stuff, expect a stumble against teams that do not face the challenge of installing such a large amount of new.
So will the new system surprise our opponents or will we play with limited knowledge to the point we lose our effectiveness against the talent rich SEC?
50 days from now we will get our first glimpse at what we MIGHT expect but not until the end of the season will we know.
Who thought UF would lose another shot at the SEC championship after beating UT last year? That is why we play the games.
GO VOLS!!!!!!
thesavageorange writes:
Peter White ,the 4* OG from DC, was wowed on his visit and named UT his leader.
GerryOP writes:
The season depends on how many critical articles the Johns -- Pennington and Adams -- write. Fulmer is at his best playing the role of indignant victim.
Let the rumors begin!
murrayvol writes:
Adams: "My guess is he's fed up with all the criticism and ready to bolt if he gets the opportunity." Hmmmm!
Mike, does that reference John or Houston?
murrayvol writes:
Sorry VolFan1: read that passage and went immediately to the post box.
orangebloodgmc writes:
I think our team prospects look good and signs suggest that Crompton will do well, however, we were 2-deep at qbs with some game experience last year and we can't say that right now. I hope our OL is determined to run block and that the new system will facilitate that. I hope our dl's have been hittin the weights and are p'd off with everybody talking about them to the point they are gonna go beserk on somebody in a game. May our new punter have confidence, and kickoffs go deep. Would like to think new fullbacks will be ready. Our other areas look pretty strong.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
There would be no punt returns. Angle that bad boy out of bounds 25-35 yards downfield and let Chavis show his stuff.
Lordy, don't give us a 9 yard shank.....
Volfan1 writes:
No problem, Murray. I know I'm not the only one that would love to see Johnnyboy take his garbage to another place far away from Knoxville. Somewhere that would fit his abilities. Somewhere like the National Enquirer.
I can see it now....Adams writes, "Martian visits Fulmer and gives him a ray gun to free convicted players that he lost control of."
Or how about..."Psychic witch casts spell on Vol players causing Fulmer to lose control of them."
LanceR24 writes:
pdhuff
amen do not let brandon james touch the ball lol.
gnm53108 writes:
11-1,sorry general but odds are we'll probably slip somewhere.
Got to call it a night,Ive had a whole weekend of frost brewed koolaid.
Go VOLS!!!
pdhuff#552644 writes:
True LanceR24, nothing is more demoralizing than watching a good returner with the pig cutting across field.
While you hold your breath......
TNisPeerless writes:
I don't know...I'm feeling strangely optimistic true believers. 10-2 and win tie breakers to go to the SEC Championship. This is the year HOME FIELD advantage returns!
99gator writes:
i'm trying to imagine what this site might be like and what the posts would read like if tenn beats florida in september.
that would be scary.
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