During off-week preparations for Saturday's game at Vanderbilt, Tennessee safety Eric Berry took snaps with the offense at quarterback in UT's G-Gun package.
The formation's namesake, receiver Gerald Jones, said the Vols have veered away from the package because of the high-ankle sprain he suffered in a win over Mississippi State on Oct. 18.
"They've been doing a lot with Eric at quarterback, so if I can't stay healthy, then he'll be doing it," Jones said Sunday night. "That's probably the reason why we haven't seen it is because I've been injured."
Used as a change of pace early in the season, the Vols haven't lined up in the G-Gun in more than a month.
Berry, who has worked at quarterback dating to spring practice, has yet to line up there in a game. His only offensive snap of the season came in a loss to Alabama, when he caught a screen pass for 3 yards.
UT coach Phillip Fulmer said the Vols spent time working with Berry on offense during last week's open date.
"We've got some plays that Eric has and we did work on those some," Fulmer said.
Exactly what to expect against the Commodores in Saturday's 12:30 p.m. kickoff (TV: WVLT) is under wraps.
"I don't why I'd say that and give Vanderbilt any edge, would you?" Fulmer said.
Off-Week Escape: Both Jones and quarterback Jonathan Crompton used Tennessee's open date to take a break from football.
Crompton spent the weekend at home with his family, while Jones said the hiatus allowed him to receive extra treatment on his injured ankle.
"Getting away from it was a big deal to me," Jones said. "I got a lot of treatment, so hopefully I'm 100 percent for now."
Crompton, who will start this week, said he didn't watch Vanderbilt's victory over Kentucky on Saturday night, but he's spent time before and after watching the Commodores.
"I went home and hung out with my family," he said. "I have watched film on Vandy all last week and actually (Sunday night), but this weekend I just wanted to relax with my family because I never get to see them."
Williams '80-85 Percent': Defensive tackle Dan Williams said his injured ankle is about 80-85 percent.
"The week off last week really did help a lot," Williams said. "It feels better every day. There's a little swelling every now and then, but for the most part it's fine."
That's a different feeling than when he injured the ankle against Alabama.
"When it first happened, woo, I thought it was something worse," said Williams, who injured the ankle when an Alabama lineman blocked him below the waist. "After a while, after my adrenaline kind of slowed down, I knew it wasn't going to be that bad. I started walking a little bit and it hurt a little bit, but I just could push off it at the time. Once I got the tape off, it swelled up real bad."
X-rays were negative, but Williams said he hasn't been himself in the two games since he was injured.
"I should have made a couple plays when usually I would have," he said. "It just hurts. You can't do anything about it, and it gets frustrating. Coaches just say, 'Give me all of what you got.' That's what I've been trying to do the last couple weeks."
Crompton's Ankle OK: One advantage of playing sparingly the last six weeks is Crompton's injured ankle has had plenty of time to heal.
"What are we, 10 games in, going on our 11th? It's really 14 because of camp," Crompton said. "That's just part of it. You've got to play through some injuries. I think it's pretty much healed."
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 50
ClayMolder (Inactive) writes:
first.
keep on trying to find someone to pull the fatman out of the final fire.
he's good but not the savior.
WalkingClassic writes:
Ugh........ I think its about 10 games to late
Cherokee writes:
LOL, this really is too funny. 10 games into the season and a record of 3-7...so NOW it's time to get creative and try something slightly unusual. Too funny.
tnbigg writes:
THAT is a great idea! He is our best player...P E R I O D...
Colliervol writes:
Agreed cherokee. There's an old saying about closing the barn door after the cows have gotten out. It's a little late for that now. Don't get Eric hurt, you dummies. He's a major building block for the recovery.
Can't we just speed this up and get it over with?
BigOrangeinCharge writes:
This is stupid. Now that the season's a total loss, they decide to risk the health of their best player by putting him out of position at QB? Stupid stupid stupid. But then, nothing the offense has done this year has made much sense.
It's not like the "g-gun/b-gun/whatever" packages have even been particularly effective. When the defense sees anyone other than our usual QB ready to take the snap they can tell it's going to be a veer or QB draw from a mile away. Stupid.
A real triple option can be tough to stop when you know how to do it backwards and forward, but Fulmer's silly gimmick "packages" aren't the way to do it! Anyone remember when they tried the same phooey with Eric Locke? Never worked then, either.
shoalcreekvol writes:
Crompton: "What are we, 10 games in, going on our 11th? It's really 14 because of camp."
No, JC it just SEEMS like 14 games to you. Seems like 28 to me. OMG this season will never end.
BillsBrother writes:
I guess we've been saving our full package for the BIG games...
tnvolfan30 writes:
it's not like it'll be any difference. he'll get 2 snaps at best for maybe 5-6 yards and call it a night. why even run it? it's a waste of time...NEXT!!
wyomingvol writes:
He would of run circles around those pesky Cow'pokes......
woodwr#217203 writes:
The two arguments against Berry @ QB were:
a) We need him un-injured on defense.
b) Other QBs need every practice rep they can get.
After Vanderbilt, is (even lessor need for pass defense) Kentucky, so except for career-crippling injury, risk it.
Already too late for practice reps to develop Crompton or Stevens.... each looks worse as playing time increaes.
The real reason to play Berry substantial time at QB is next year's coach probably will not.
Fulmer promised him a chance "during his career" and we all thought that meant Berry's career.
Playing time is the last reward and promise-keeping a fired coach can dole out.
BillVol writes:
Our coaching staff needs straitjackets thrown on them. They have completely lost their minds. This is getting to be ridiculous.
Grim1 writes:
it's about 10 games too late for this isn't it?
the only reason B.J. isn't starting is because IF he does good VS Vandy and wins the game.....well then Phil looks even more stupid than he does right now.....think about it. B.J. Colman and the TE that transferred from Florida ST...you know...the FRESHMAN ALL AMERICAN that Phil can't seem to find a play to put him in a game..if he played more I might remember his name......sad really....all that talent on the Hill...and Phil has NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT!!!
but I bet Chris Petersen will know what to do with it next year.
Grim1 writes:
LOL...now THAT is funny.
TRUE AND FUNNY!!!!
WeLoveTennesseeVols writes:
People the Fulmer era is over, it is official. You can rejoice in it. Change is on the way. Maybe it will be what you wanted and maybe not. You could have taken up for Coach Fulmer and lived with the loses of not. Just like Bush and Obama. Like it or not , he is also the President of this United States. In the words of Ben Franklin, "Gentleman we now give you a Republic(opposite of a Monarchy), let's see if you can keep it." Football parallels real life, let 's keep it fun, because it's not as serious as real life, except for the players who get out there and play for us, and put their bodies on the line for us. Them and the soldiers who fight for us are th ereal heroes. Watch the children and see who they love. "Our little children could run this country for us if we would just listen to them".
dowdpat#654244 writes:
I have no respect for your posts. It took you 6 days to post after the Wyoming loss after all week of "You'll be sorry that you got Fulmer fired" posts. Be a man and post after that embarassing loss. Admit you were wrong and be happy that he got a 6 million dollar parting gift.
BigVolOnBoard writes:
Bverybody is talking like Berry will return next season. If he is a tenth as smart as he is good, he will be raking in the big bucks in the NFL next year. There is no way his stock will go up further by staying in college another year.
khelton657 writes:
Someone tell mr G-Gun that the reason we stopped using it is because it never worked.
99gator writes:
yes, but you continue to run everything else and that hasn't worked either.
40capt writes:
he's not eligible for the draft until after next season, so unless he transfers(very unlikely) then he'll be back
APPLEJAX555 writes:
Just line up, snap the ball and run the ball. G-Guns/B-Guns, all gimmicks. You can run the gimmicks in my book once you have the fundamentals down. We dont. Line up, run the ball, control the clock, and give the best person at QB their shot...
blitzshoot writes:
Keep Berry away from the offense. Fulmer doesn't care if he gets this kid injured. I know you don't Fulmer, but we need him next year. DUMB!
jimr07 writes:
he is only a sophomore and not eligible for the draft.
QB_10 (Inactive) writes:
Rich- I am glad someone finally disclosed the reason the former head coach Phil Fulmer was so loyal to Crompton. Let's see how many times Fulmer has screwed over his Quarterbacks:
1- Tells everyone " the QB postion is ooen competition." I'm glad in his mind it was Crompton was horrible in the Spring
2- Let's build Jon's confidence on the Orange-White Day and put the #1 Offense against the #2-3 Defense including 2 walk on DB's back, that first TD the kid from Hargrave could have thrown...Let's cuddle JC so he can have a good day in the media's eye--BAD MOVE Reality set in 3 months later....
3- Left a pathetic JC in the UCLA ans Auburn game- 2 more wins would have made UT Bowl Eligible
4- Now lets throw Nick Stephens in, the kid with the best progressions/reads and best arm..oh let's play him against the best teams and defenses and when he throws an interception pull him---Phil your dumb a## did not see the lineman drill the kid..and then you say he did not hustle...my lord just go up to the kid and tell him I was forced to you because JC could not hit the side of a barn.... also what happened to Stephens 50+ yd bomb play to D.Moore? Must have lost that when both Clawson and CPF have lost there minds...
5- Now lets kick Nick to the curb and bring back Crompton..great 3 and out that is what he is now known for...
6- Now lets move to BJ- well I will say that CPF knows how to set-up a plan, sort of like how he did int eh Orange and White game..lets put as many scholarship players on BJ team so he can look good...and then everyone oin the media will compare his stats to Nick Stephens from last year (10-19), not bad stats for Nick considering he had ZERO scholarship players and BJ had 10.
7- Play BJ on Saturday after JC hits a few ankles and knees
8- BJ throws two picks, fumbles once and where do we send him to the Gaylord Hotel to shop with Grandma?
9- CPF you are no lionger the buiolder of men,but the destroyer of young men..send your money back to UT because you did not earn it and get a job somewhere outside oif Tenn and the SEC and leave UT alone for 10 years then come back and be a legend...but make sure you bring Cutcliifee and Chavois
dwolfcreek#397971 writes:
FULMER HAS LOST HIS JOB AND NOW HIS MIND . ITS CALLED CROMPTONITIS.
Cherokee writes:
Wow, what a bizarre little rant that had nothing to do with my original post. I think you covered the '08 election, Ben Franklin, the soldiers, and of course 'the children' - was waiting for you to break out in a Whitney Houston song any second. Let's see, what does that leave that you DIDN'T cover? Oh yeah, the article and my post that you were trying to respond to. LOL.
GreeneVol writes:
Kinda reminds me of an old busybody post...but with better grammar...thanks for the a.m. laugh
shipperman#280095 writes:
With this Oline, Berry could get hurt. Could get hit as soon as the ball gets to him. Fat boy won't give him many plays anyway on O
tnbanker_govols writes:
Agreed, 110%. Granted, we do not have a talented QB; however, how talented could one be playing behind this O-Line???
NO_DIGGITY writes:
The only play that worked against Wyoming was the Immaculate Reception that Arian Foster hauled in. It was the planned play where Croptom throws into Quadruple Coverage and all four defensive guys fight for the ball. It hits one defender in the helmet and bounces to Arian (Franco Harris) Foster. Hopeully we can practice that play to perfection. That will give us 4 total plays in our aresenal to go with WR screen, 3 yard run and fake reverse.
Put what's left of your 401K on Vandy, they are a 3 1/2 point favorite. Have we hired a new coach yet?
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Not that I doubt your word or your source, but why would it matter to Fulmer that Crompton's dad donated to Shuler's campaign? Shuler played for Majors. I know that Fulmer was the OC when Shuler was the QB--is THAT it? I also know that Shuler is something of a mentor to Crompton. I still don't understand how such a connection could cause Fulmer to play someone HE didn't have confidence in, however misplaced that confidence seems in hindsight. Of course, I posted on another thread that I thought one of Fulmer's problems was that he let considerations like this cloud his judgments about who ought to play. I would love to know more about this.
Alabaster_Jones writes:
Yea this is about 10 games or 8 years too late. Glad to see the creativity bug has bitten fulmer
cterblan writes:
Who cares...
pdhuff#552644 writes:
To me it got ridiculous after 2005 and went downhill from there.
Many were not fooled by the gnats poot 2007 season with all those breaks we caught.
What happens when you don't get them, the Wy and Aubie games happen. SC happens, Ga happens, etc.
Exposed.
10 days till the ax falls.
GoVol writes:
Makes sense to me. Always been a mystery why Fulmer chooses to play less talented/productive players than the ones that really can/do produce? I wonder what his excuse is for Brandon Warren?
Like I've said many other times, Fulmer made his own bed by making such stupid decisions!
CrankE writes:
I've got an idea;
Line up in full house, run formation every down. Every play a running play regardless of down or distance. Three plays in the book. Run left, run right, run up the middle. Every snap at :02 on the play clock.
Go ahead and let the QB coach go, as well as the offensive coordinator.
The line needs the blocking practice. The runners need to learn how to run and protect the ball. If this gains yards, moves the chains and scores points, great. If it doesn't, then it'll chew up the maximum amount of time and speed this miserable season to its earliest possible end.
beavbullvol writes:
Any takers on what Berry's play might look like? I'm thinking off tackle sweep. Something really creative, kinda like that single screen pass we threw him in the Bama game.
Thank goodness for basketball season. This debacle can't end soon enough.
QB_10 (Inactive) writes:
Press Release: Jonathon slipped down The Hill and hurt his other ankle, no not the one from UCLA, oh yea that was a concussion...I mean he hurt his wrist by trying to catch himslef...Man what a deer in Head Lights..AKA Dave Clawson brother..
BigOrangeinCharge writes:
Berry has to come back next year. He's only 2 years out of high school. The NFL has a deal in place with the NCAA that won't let teams draft players until they've been out of high school for at least 3 years. So we've got Berry for at least (and probably just) 1 more year.
Volunatic writes:
Berry can't go pro next season-- he's only a true sophomore.
His choices are to:
A) stick around at UT and see how he does with the new coach or
B) transfer and be forced to sit out a year
Choice "A" gives him the quickest route to the NFL.
BigOrangeinCharge writes:
Well, Fulmer was Shuler's HC during his final year. If you count the games Fulmer filled in for Majors during Shuler's sophomore year, Fulmer was actually the HC in 75% of the games Shuler started. Fulmer got the HC job in large part because Shuler wanted him to get it-- at the time Fulmer's reputation as a recruiter was built in large part on being the man who brought Shuler to UT. Shuler and Crompton are close and Fulmer has always said Crompton reminds him of Shuler (maybe because Crompton's just as dumb, or maybe he's referring to Shuler's career in the NFL, I don't know).
What does that have to do with Fulmer staying loyal to Crompton because his dad gave a bunch of money to the Shuler campaign? Probably not much. At least Shuler was a winner. Crompton's play has been a coach killer.
I still think there's hope for JC, though. If we get a good offensive minded coach who keeps it simple for Crompton and works on the basics, I can see him showing the talent that made him such a big time prospect out of high school. I don't want to see him go down in history as Tennessee's version of Ron Pawlus. Mike Leach could probably get 4,000 yards and 40 TDs out of him, easy. He'd be such a good fit in a run-n-shoot or something similar.
Volunatic writes:
The G-Gun hasn't set the world on fire, but it has been okay.
So far this season, Jones has averaged 4 yards per carry in the G-Gun package, with a long of 23 yards.
Contrast that with Crompton. He has either run or passed on 186 plays, resulting in a total gain of 795 yards. That's an average of 4.2 yards per play. Crompton's 4 interceptions and several botched handoffs for fumbles should also be considered in the equation. The G-Gun might be the most effective package for UT's offense this season.
bluetick writes:
Exactly! Nothing tricky about this one.
jobrando#216494 writes:
The g-gun is just a very ineffective single wing. I guess to use the single wing would have reminded him of the name of a person I'm not allowed to mention on this site.
eggsuckndogg writes:
CONGRATULATIONS !!! Your plan is the best one posted! I'm voting for you to replace the offensive genius!
Volunatic writes:
Alison Wagley? No, wait, that's the other site.
BigOrangeinCharge writes:
His excuses for not playing Warren are that he's too small, can't block, and doesn't understand the offense well enough. He says that Warren is just too small to play TE, but they have a hybrid TE/WR role in mind that would be perfect for him. They just haven't had the chance to do anything with it because of all the other problems that require the coaches' attention. That's Fulmer's story, anyway.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Ditto. This just shows why the whole program needs a complete cleaning from the top down. It is an axiom of the study of large organizations that the longer a particular organization exists, the more effort goes into its preservation at the expense of accomplishing the goals for which it was created in the first place. Bring on the new broom!
spvol writes:
The "G-Gun" hasn't worked yet so why keep waste practice time?
pdhuff#552644 writes:
It is rumoured that the Vandy coaches met to hear the scouting report on the Vols.
From 9:14 to 9:22. Then they went into the bowl discussion with a little D Deacon mixed in.
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