After ESPN's cameras caught him laughing during the Vols' 29-9 loss to No. 2 Alabama on Saturday, Tennessee receiver Josh Briscoe caught heat from fans and commentators.
The play in question happened when Briscoe was stopped short 1 yard from a first down after catching a 10-yard pass on third down in the third quarter.
As the cameras zoomed in, ESPN's broadcast team was critical of the senior's reaction to a play that ended a drive with the Vols down 13 points.
With the Vols at 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the SEC heading into this week's game at South Carolina (TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m.), it's the kind of play that's easy to fixate on.
"The announcers are up in the booth for a reason," Briscoe said Sunday night. "They're not on the sideline with us. They don't know what's going on in my head. They don't know what we're doing. They don't know our plays. They don't know this team.
"That's the reason why they're in the annoucing booth to announce the game. That's what they need to do."
Briscoe said his reaction was the product of trying to keep a positive attitude.
"It was a situation where everybody handles things differently," Briscoe said. "I'm a guy who smiles and who tries to keep a positive attitude no matter what goes on and looking at things like we're down but we have a chance to come back. ... I'm not worried about the announcers or what anybody else says. I know how I feel and the team knows how I feel and how I react to things. I'm not really worried about what the announcers say."
Check, Check: Tennessee quarterback Nick Stephens' pre-snap reads on running plays haven't been perfect this season, but UT coach Phillip Fulmer said the sophomore is doing all that can be expected.
"He's not 100 percent right, but I don't know that a sophomore quarterback is going to be 100 percent right with all the disguises and things that happen out there," Fulmer said. "Nick's a competitor, and he's given us a little bit of a lift. He's fighting his rear off. I think for where he is age-wise, he's done a nice job. He's made some plays. Would I like for that to all be 100 percent perfect? Yes I would. But that's not there yet."
Says Stephens: "Every snap helps, every game helps, every bit of experience helps."
Last Man Standing: With Dan Williams doubtful and Walter Fisher still limited by turf toe, Demonte' Bolden is the Vols' last healthy starter at defensive tackle.
"When they're not here, it's like a big loss," Bolden said. "But I feel like I should go into this whole thing with a mentality that says, 'Yeah, they're gone, but we got somebody to fill in their spot.' As long as I do my job and they help out, we'll be all right."
When Williams left with an ankle injury against Alabama, defensive end Robert Ayers moved inside. Bolden said his fellow senior was admirable.
"It's all right," he said of playing next to Ayers. "You never know what you're going to get, but Robert does a pretty good job holding down his gap."
First TD: Briscoe scored his first touchdown of the year on a 10-yard screen late the Vols' loss to Alabama.
"It was great to get in there again, but we need to do that earlier," he said.
Last year, Briscoe tied with tight end Chris Brown for the team lead with six touchdown receptions. This time last year, Briscoe, who had five touchdowns in UT's final seven games, only had one score.
Extra Points: Las Vegas oddsmakers have South Carolina as a early six-point favorite. That's up two points from July, when Carolina was listed as a four-point favorite. . . . Tennessee ranks 100th in the nation in rushing offense (113.5 yards per game). After three games, UT ranked 41st in the nation with 179.7 yards per game.
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
UT's new $45 million football…
Images from Larry Murphy's book on…
Smokey undergoes physical therapy at UT
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 130
yeavols#228407 writes:
Briscoe: The announcers are up in the booth for a reason," Briscoe said Sunday night. "They're not on the sideline with us. They don't know what's going on in my head. They don't know what we're doing.
How appropriate..I couldn't have said it better..you are right Briscoe..NO ONE KNOWS WTF you are doing!
ktm589 writes:
So what was he laughing at????
mdvol writes:
Briscoe is just a symptom of what's wrong with the whole team. No discipline. No accountability. The passive "just do the best you can" personality is how we've ended up 3-5 and have a DECADE of losses against top ranked teams. Only one thing will fix it. It's time.
gillblog writes:
Agree with Nick Stephen's analysis of his need for more playing time. That's odd, wonder why he hasn't gotten any more????
VOLS85 writes:
I don't know about Briscoe, but if my quarterback was getting in my face and I just cost my team a first down, I wouldn't be smiling and laughing. It's called focus, and it's pretty hard to do that when you're busy laughing up the last play that cost us a first down (which were few and far between on saturday).
He deserves the criticism because he made a boneheaded play and gave a boneheaded reaction.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
you're dumb, just like Briscoe said "The announcers are up in the booth for a reason,". You're just a loser fan for a reason.
dvols writes:
who isn't laughin?
rabidvol1998 writes:
what did Nick Stephens say about the laughing? How about a complete story?
jfg1980 writes:
You're exactly right sir. Absolutley no acountability or discipline on this team. Please God, fire this coaching staff.
CapnJohn writes:
Playing Mr. Hopson doesn't garner you any respect there Mr. Jon Brackin. With the state of Tennessee football currently, I don't think any of the players need to be laughing at any situation during the heated part of the game. There is a time and a place for everything and a time and a place to laugh and have fun. Not completing a crucial first down due to lack of effort is not a time to laugh and joke around. It shows that you don't care and that it's not important to you. Well newsflash...it is important. Maybe this is Tennessee's problem this year. They don't take things seriously, they don't take their coach seriously and it shows on the field. I would rather these guys at this point, especially against Alabama, leave it all on the field and play hard, not goof off. I don't know about you, but after letting my team down and not digging deep for an extra yard and a first down, the last thing I'm going to be doing is laughing at it. Briscoe needs to grow up and get serious about what he is doing. Being a screw up on the field is not something to laugh at. I don't doubt that he loves UT football, but I do question his commitment and resolve to the team when he can just laugh after letting his team down. It has nothing to do with keeping things positive, it has everything to do with being a responsible player and being accountable. Most players with any work ethic at all would leave the field upset with themselves for letting the team down and giving a half hearted effort. Not Mr. Briscoe...he thinks it's funny. I don't want players like that on my team who don't take every game serious. Especially against teams like Alabama.
shipperman#280095 writes:
And you are an idiot for a reason. Briscoe was wrong joking about it and a decent coach would have kicked his rear out of there.
jfg1980 writes:
Oh yeah, Josh Briscoe and his happy go lucky attitude should be on display from the bench the rest of the year. How can you be laughing when you're getting took to the woodshed by your biggest rival.Makes me sick.
BillsBrother writes:
I'm watching the replay.
The plays are the same but it looks like they're all laughing now! Except for CPF. He's still clapping.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
you don't know what it was about so like you and your cronie friends i commented on earlier put a sock in it. sucker
CrankE writes:
They don't know us, they don't know this team. Haven't we heard this one before? In 2005, or 2002?
I'd love to see KNS take random player quotes from '02, '05, and '08 and challenge readers to match the quote to the player and year. You know, like that "Who Said it, Algore or the Unabomber" test back in the early 1990s. I defy you to show me a meaningful difference between 2002, 2005, and 2008 Tennessee football.
When I miss deadlines at work and cause grief to my teammates, I try to crack jokes about myself. See, that's self-defecating, or deprecating. Whatever. The point is that it's not all about CrankE. At least not all the time. I mean, we're a team and when I get down on myself like that, it means that my teammates don't need to worry about it because CrankE has clearly addressed the problem and is workin like heck to stay the course and get it fixed. And when we see our peers passing us by on performance, capturing accolades and rewards that could have been ours, I try to clown for my teammates. You know, just to take the focus off that whole "we're losers because CrankE stepped on the proverbial...pierce" thing and to remind them you know, it's not all about the accolades and rewards, wins and losses, money and fame. Because at the end of the day, when you look back at the film, you can still say, "Man, that'll ALWAYS be on tape!" I'll keep that one forever.
walt23tn writes:
That's why the announcers are up in the booth. That's what they did when they saw a team getting beat and a receiver laughing when he missed a first down by a yard. It's Briscoe's job to get the first down, the announcer's job to point what he did after not getting the first down, and I guess it's your job to make idiot remarks on this site. Good job.
shipperman#280095 writes:
when Fullof Filmer leaves UT, let's see how much laughing Mr Briscoe does when he messes up
shipperman#280095 writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Triton1 writes:
Anyone not on the team really has no clue(including me), but maybe another player cracked a joke just trying to keep his attitude up. Fact is, if you weren't there, it might be easy to take it out of context.
shipperman#280095 writes:
I think he should have enough sense to fall forward intead of backing up. That is poor execution on his part
TrueVolFan writes:
Yea, he should have just looked at the big yellow line across the field that all you All Americans were looking at to know he would have had the first down. The guy was trying to make a play for positive yardage, get off his back. He was on the field at "real speed" without the benefit of your pretty yellow line to tell all the retards where the first down marker is. Lets not forget they were playing the number 2 team in the country where you have to fight for every yard. He was simply fighting to get one more yard and the spin move ended up costing him 1/2 a yard that resulted in not making the first down. Had he immediately fallen and been 1/2 yard short, you boneheads would be bickering because he didn't fight for extra yardage. So what if he smiled on the sideline after the play was over? Maybe he should have gone over and cried on the bench like most of you armchair QB's would have. I'd be more concerned if he sat around moping because he had a bad play. He quickly shook it off, commited to teammates to make it right and went out and helped his team to there only TD of the night. Atleast he stayed positive enough to keep his head in the game! Good job Briscoe!
walt23tn writes:
"They're not on the sideline with us. They don't know what's going on in my head. They don't know what we're doing. They don't know our plays. They don't know this team."- Obviously Stephens doesn't know this stuff either, that's why we saw him getting in Briscoe's a** after he saw him laughing.
bugman (Inactive) writes:
Actually, smart guy, i'm not the one making assumptions about a players reason for "laughing" on the side line. You have no clue what he was laughing about like he stated in the new article.
I love how all you internet sissy's can come on here and talk smack about people behind their back.
shipperman#280095 writes:
It didn't look like a joke when Stephens got in his face over it
brody1969 writes:
just shows how much chubby has a hold on this team...
invisiblekid writes:
Regardless of why he was laughing, it was still a stupid mistake in a season full of them. My question is why has no one gotten into Chris Scott's face, or Arian Foster's, or Demonte Bolden's, or Britton Colquitt's, or Gerald William's like Stephens did with Briscoe? At least Stephens made an attempt at showing some leadership.
CrankE is exactly right, no difference between this team and 2005.
Volalumnus writes:
Maybe he was laughing at the coaches for calling so many plays that end up short of the down and distance.
Get rid of every one of these coaches the AD and the President.
We don't need to be looking at who has TN ties as a criteria of who to bring in. Find a good football coach and hire them after finding some AD that knows the difference between 8 wins and what should get a contract extension.
walt23tn writes:
I'm the smart guy? You're the idiot protecting a player who didn't do his job and is on the sidelines laughing. It's not an assumption when you see a guy laughing in that situation. There's nothing funny about it...nothing. There's nothing that could have happened in that situation that should shift his focus from failing, and make him laugh. Anybody that has played sports would know that genius. Signed the internet sissy...
murrayvol writes:
Two things are relevant on a possession down:
1)Location of 1st down marker
2)Getting the ball to or beyond that marker
murrayvol writes:
Do you think Nick Saban might have followed your advice?
proud2btnvol writes:
I guess since everyone knows how Briscoe is, Someone forgot to tell Stephens. You know Stephens is a teammate. He just must not know what Brisoe is doing. oh well, I wish someone would rip someone's facemask off. Football is not the sport for group therapy on the sideline and feeling good about it. If you wait until you feel good about it, game's already over.
cltvol writes:
Nobody knows what happened or what was said and everyone jumped to conclusions that this kid is a team killer. The drama and sensitivity is over the top. I take him for his word.
volnmdtn writes:
bugman,
either you don't know what you are taking about or I content that it is you that is the stupid one.
What in the wide, wide, world of sports did Briscoe have to laugh about when he had just screwed up and his team was getting beat 29 to 3 at that time. Yea, that is real funny. I would not give up to whoops in hell for a man who was getting beat and thought it was funny. I just guess Briscoe is a happy loser!!!
khelton657 writes:
pdparker, your analysis is flawless.
What some are missing is that no one is criticizing that he missed the first down, what is being criticizd is that he thought it was funny. There is nothing funny going on out there, a longtime coach is about to lose his job, an offensive coordinator is about to lose his job and means of providing for his family, his hard fought reputation and possibly his career. A Tennessee institution has lost it's way and Briscoe is at least partly to blame..that isn't funny.
CrankE writes:
"If you don't like it, don't watch."
Name that player, and year.
mattlock writes:
Bottom line, no disipline, no chemistry and no team first attitude on our sideline. Who cares about one player laughing. This whole program is a joke - and not the haha kind.
You can tell Saban runs a tight ship when you watch his team on the sideline. The only thing tight on our team are Fulmer's Dockers.
mprez333 writes:
100% agree with this post. What is ridiculous is that you all would ridicule Briscoe for having any kind of reaction beyond moping or anger. Did you read the situation? He caught a 10 yard pass and came up 1/2 yard to 1 yard shy of the first down. You want to tell me that we ought to get angry at Briscoe that he didn't get a first down when we apparently lost yardage on 1st and 2nd downs to even make a 10 yard catch short? We've got plenty of problems and frankly, if our players took the same attitude as most of you, we'd be having a worse season than we are now.
It is apparent that fans of the program are angry, but I know Briscoe personally and I know I next to never see the guy because he is working his tail off day in and day out to give his all for this program, to contribute however the coaches ask of him, and to take up for his teammates in a season where so many of the team's fans are nowhere near living up to their own titles when the going gets tough.
creepykev#228270 writes:
I hope you football and basketball players don't actually read what we say when we are blowing off steam in here, cause I sure wouldn't say it to your face.
leedsvol2007 writes:
One thing missed in this was that Stephens went over and exerted some leadership.
He either chewed Briscoe out or went over and tried to fire him up.
It is a good sign when your quarterback is trying to take charge.
mattlock writes:
Has anyone answered this: why go for 2 if you know you're gonna kick the friggin ball deep?!?! Does it really matter if you lose by 20 or 27. . .now that's comedy!!!
khelton657 writes:
...I'm tired of the "working his tail off" stories..the results aren't there
iowavol writes:
The reason he was laughing was because someone just inferred that the Vols were going to lose because he didn't get that first down. He was laughing because someone was faulting him for trying to make a bigger a play. He was laughing because he knew most of the fans on this site would say all sorts of incredulous things about him and his effort. He was laughing because this team is laughable. (an Alabama friend of mine and I were jawing with each other before the game and he commented that I acted like the outcome was in question - unfortunately I was busted).
As fans, we should be mad and upset, but our anger has got to be pointed at two coaches right now - the HC and OC. I feel sorry for these players because they are busting their butts only to be rediculed by a bunch of fat azz fans that don't know any better. OMG, it's great to be a Tennessee fan but OMG, it's frustrating to listen to Tennessee fans.
imjustafan writes:
Briscoe is a punk. He had a first down, ran backwards and didn't get. On sport talk this morning they interviewed a person on the sidelines and said that Stephens told him to get the first down and then make a play. After that is when Briscoe laughed and that is when Stephens should have knocked him out. Briscoe is not good enough to be laughing at a QB for something like that, he's not Randy Moss.
khelton657 writes:
Think of the most successful coaches, the most admired players..would they have acted like Briscoe ? Do they find losing by 29 to 3 funny ? Doubt it. That is a losers response.
mattlock writes:
What's more frustrating, the frustrated fans or the ones who like to come on here and claim they are "holier than thou" Newsflash, this is a sports opinion site for fans. What do you expect the posts be like after watching that steaming pile of dog poo they call a football game over on the Hill.
10eceeVol4ever writes:
I agree that our anger should be directed at the Head Coach. He is ultimately responsible for the entire direction of the program. However, these guy's are men that play the game, they must be accountable for their actions and effort as well. Josh Briscoe made a bonehead play, he had a first down and stepped backward. Be smart. Know where you are at on the field, show some football I.Q. There was nothing funny about anything that transpired Saturday night at Neyland stadium.
tenuscvol writes:
If this is what you want to ask your God for then a reassessment is in order.
Coach Fulmer may be going through some tough times but God had more important things to deal with than obliging your desires on this one.
(Like the real chance that Obama will be incharge...now your talking that some major praying will be in order...)
GoVols! Beat those Cockes!
volnmdtn writes:
Tell it like it is mattlock, tell it like it is!!!!! Agree with you 100%. Bugman needs to go hold hands with a few of his closest friend and play ring around the rosie!!! They can all laugh and fall down!!
mempuss writes:
I too was initially disgusted when i saw the laughing on the sideline, but it is also true that noone outside of Josh Briscoe knows the context of what occured. I also know Mr. Briscoe personally and he is a wonderful young man! He loves Tennessee, has great rapport with fellow class and teammates and has never done anything to shed a negative light on his team or university.( i.e arrests, negative comments etc.) Losing to your bitter rivals is never a laughing matter, but i feel that Mr. Briscoe may have possibly made a mistake and let his emotions get the best of him at an inoppurtune time. Cut the kid some slack! If this is the worst thing that this young man does in his life then he is alright in my book!
shipperman#280095 writes:
Thank God my daughter is not a UT cheerleader. I would hate for her to be in SC Saturday yelling: Let's beat the cockes!
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.