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A vivid memory from Tennessee's preseason football camp: Defensive tackle Wes Brown climbing the Neyland Stadium steps while a few of his teammates jogged ahead of him.
Brown has chronically bad knees, and his practice and scrimmage reps are limited because of that. So he wasn't required to run the steps like the other starters who also were excused early from the Saturday afternoon scrimmage. But he was required to walk.
That's how it was at Camp Kiffin. If you couldn't run, you walked. And if you couldn't walk, you rode a stationery bike or lifted weights. Or maybe you just limped around with your foot in a protective boot.
But you did something. And you did it as fast as you could.
If you fumbled the ball, you jogged around the field. If your pace slowed to a walk, a coach shouted accordingly. It seemed as though an authority figure was always watching.
The camp was fast, loud, hard and competitive. And all of that should pay off this fall.
This team won't be good enough to win a championship. But it should be good enough and tough enough to make you forget about last year.
Lane Kiffin's first season as UT's head coach obviously will be all about change. And the changes should be ongoing.
Expect a fluid depth chart. You don't preach competition throughout the off-season and preseason, then convert to status-quo for the next three months. Players won't just be preparing for opponents on a weekly basis, they will be competing for starting positions and playing time.
It's questionable how this team will hold up over a 12-game season with only one open date since the depth of talent isn't what it used to be at UT. But adrenaline can take you a long away, particularly when you're so driven to put last year's disaster behind you. And who's to say the freshman class won't provide a late-season boost?
The younger players could help in another way as well. They could hold your interest.
No matter what happens against Florida, UT fans won't likely distance themselves from this team. Instead, they're apt to watch with one eye on the scoreboard and one on the future.
Every season is about winning. But on a team with so many promising young players, this season is also about getting better.
Last year's team started poorly and got worse. The same mistakes that you saw in the season opener against UCLA, you saw in October and November as well.
Athletic director Mike Hamilton saw that, too. That's one of the reasons he made a coaching change.
Kiffin and his staff have given this team direction, which contrasts sharply with last season when the Vols looked adrift from the outset. At least, this bunch will enter the season with a better plan. Executing it will be the challenge.
The shortcomings are well documented, so there's no point in belaboring them. There's uncertainty at quarterback, a lack of size and experience at linebacker, and depth issues in both lines.
The schedule offers the usual challenges. Florida, Alabama, Georgia and Ole Miss - all ranked in the top 15 - have superior talent. And the Vols must play the Gators, Tide and Rebels on the road.
More than ever, this is a season for capitalizing on the home-field advantage. UT should be favored in every home game except Georgia. Sure, UT has quarterback concerns. But so will every opposing SEC team that sets foot in Neyland Stadium this fall.
UCLA and Auburn will be hard-pressed to have winning seasons. South Carolina might be the most difficult team to predict in the SEC, but no one is touting it for the Top 25. All those games are winnable - and losable.
Before preseason camp, 7-5 looked like a best-case scenario for UT. The discipline and work ethic evident in the camp - and the freshman talent- changed my mind.
Prediction: 8-4 overall, 4-4 in the SEC.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 62
mbible1utk#324980 writes:
I think 8-4 is fair... I think we could shock Georgia though and make it to 9-3. What you have to remember is that seemingly every time a school gets a QUALITY new coach, he wins a game that he shouldn't, and that kind of propells them in recruiting and gives them a solid chance to grow in the next year.
BlakeyWakey writes:
I had us as 7-5
murrayvol writes:
Would prefer 9-3 or 10-2 but 8-4 is about right.
Good article John.
757vol_fanatic writes:
i agree with 9-3, however i did notice that JA still found time to make a few jabs at UT, he even found a way to put florida in the story more than once!
on another note and totally off subject did anyone know that arian foster got signed by the houston texans! i just read that on ESPN when the called him "an up and comer"
Vols033 writes:
I think 7-5 or 8-4. As long as we are competitive and playing in close games with the big boys, I could care less. If we are in a close game with Florida or Alabama, that means we are only a good roll or a good break away from possibly winning a close game against somone we shouldn't beat.
VolFanNC writes:
Decent take, but I disagree somewhat on the talent notion. This team was a kicking game or a slightly better offense away from 8 wins. (UCLA, AUB, Wyoming) or 9 wins with a bowl. If we had better special teams or offensive play calling it is a 10 win season.
I won't run through the FL game as that was terrible, but take away 2 fumbles and a punt return and a couple of better play calls and what would the score be? I do think we lose to FL, but I am not ready to say Ole Miss has much better talent. Only FL, Ga, and Bama can really claim better talent. Anyway, either 8-4 or 9-3 would be my picks as well. I do think we either beat GA or Ole Miss and go 5-3 in the SEC.
GA though reminds me of the '98 UT team and may be more dangerous than last year.
jasonsvols writes:
9-3, would start a TENNESSEE revolution
kjneel#238751 writes:
I say 9-3. We beat GA but lose to someone we should beat like SC or Ole Miss.
KINGKONG writes:
i feel like 8-4 is fair but this coming from jhon adams the ambassador of rogaine his hairline reminds me of the shaolin monks of the wu-tang clan we know he can perdict the furture because his forehead looks like a crystal ball
dvols writes:
well then what the heck are we getting excited about??
volsfan74 writes:
I say we go 9-3 we shock the dawgs, UGA has some issues too, no Stafford and no Moreno. It's not out of the question that we beat Ole Miss.
KINGKONG writes:
but kiffin said our defense can stop pro style offenses such as auburn,georgia,alabama,south carolina this is a tuff list to win against but ole miss run the college stuff with coach nutt this is what kiffin is worried about because his defense dont face this type of offense in pratice everyday
scooter61 writes:
How about driving to the game, tailgaiting, vol walk, pre-game, the roar when berry, kiffin, and the fab 5 freshman are introduced?
or 14-0 every year is the only thing worth getting excited about?
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
8-4. We lose a game we probably shouldn't, and win a game we probably shouldn't.
Maybe we beat GA and lose to SC?... but phooey, I just can't see us losing to SC!
VOLFAN5307 writes:
I agree with you on most everything except the Ole Miss thing. They have a lot more talent than UT does, and it starts at QB which is where you need the most talent. Snead is a Heisman sleeper and I would not be surprised if he finish 2nd or 3rd in voting. They have 3 rb's that rushed for over 500 yds last season and they are all returning(McCluster, Eason, Bolden). 2 receivers that had over 700 yds receiving apiece(Wallace, Hodge) and a rb that had 600 yds.
I hat to say it but UT is severely overmatched in the Ole Miss game, but stranger things have happened. Even though almost all of the teams in the SEC have more overall talent I think UT will pull some upsets and get a 9-3 record. I just dont think that upset will be Ole Miss
bluetick writes:
Wow! Adams writes a positive article. What's up with that? Did you drink some of the juice or something?
teampenny#658108 writes:
Better said, "Bones seldom lie." Offense will be better-defense not as good. 8-4 will be a good year. One game and one year at a time. Go vols
Mr_Bandman writes:
Here's the thing....if our offensive plan had made any sense at all, we'd have been 8-4 last year---we would have won the UCLA, Auburn, & Wyoming games. I look at last year's team as an 8-4 team with 4-8 coaching (I count Northern Ill. as a loss---we should have won that game by 40 points). Sure---6 wins is an improvement on last year's RECORD, but I think we need 9 or more wins for this to be an improvement on last year's TEAM.
bmaples writes:
One caveat: I think Kentucky is going to be better this year than many people think. Yes, they graduated a bunch of good players ... but they also have a lot of good ones in camp. Some who are talking about "shocking" Georgia or some of the other teams should remember that shocking can flow in both directions.
I'm not saying I think KY will beat UT this year -- only that they have a better chance to do so than in most past years.
Bruce in Louisville
FWBVol writes:
My prediction is everyone is 0-0 going into play this week. The next 13 weeks and 12 games will tell the story.
Parity has almost become as much the norm in college ball as it has in the NFL. What was it, something like four teams that weren't picked in the preseason Top 25 and were in the Top 10 in the final poll.
I'm not wishing ill will on anybody, but what happens to Florida if Tebow goes down. Brantley is a good QB and has all the tools physically, but I don't think he has the same ability to will a team to victory that Tebow does.
If Snead gets hurt what happens to the chances of Ole Miss? Or if Georgia loses Cox?
I would say it's a very long shot for us to win the SEC title this year. But like others, I don't think the talent level at UT is as bad as some writers would have us believe.
I think if we stay healthy that 10-2 is a real possibility. But once again, the only thing I will say for certain that as of now everyone is 0-0.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
how can a dork like you look at yourself in a mirror. what a wuss
imw8n4u writes:
how does one become a member of the NWDA, and what are the annual dues? I'm not really getting my money's worth from the CSCMP.
DennisVols writes:
Anything can happen in a college football season. Injuries have a way of turning a possible great season into one you want to forget. In 2007 there where 4 straight weeks in which the #1 team lost to a lesser team.
The one big difference I believe we will see in UT this year will be how they compete against even the top tier teams.
8-4 is a fair assessment for this year and if Crompton does have a breakout year it could get much better. The old "if's and but's" are what none of use can predict.
One thing is for sure I am more excited about the begining of this season than any I can remember in several years.
Keeping it Real
Go Vols!!!
AceVentura writes:
I think Adams is secretly trying to motivate our guys by continuing to write that we don't stand a chance against Florida. I mean they probably will beat us but there is a chance we beat them even if that chance is extremely small.
andy112382#209793 writes:
9-3. 10-2 if we beat Ole Miss or Florida, don't count that scenario out, if so you are underestimating this staff and team, which I believe is better than 2007 when we went to the SEC title game considering there were two huge blowouts that year (FL and Bama).
Why does everyone think beating Georgia would be a shock??? Did you SEE their spring production, or lack thereof on offense? We have taken 2 of the last 3 against them and they are replacing some HUGE parts of their team.
Cldvols1 writes:
I predicted 9-3 at best and 7-5 at worst which puts 8-4 right in the middle. I'll take it, now lets get ready to smash some heads! Go Vols!!!
FatherVol writes:
I can see were JA is coming from when he predicts an 8-4 record. I think 9-3 is more likely with a win over UGA at home and 10-2 is even possible with a win in Oxford against a team that has talent on par with the boys in Orange and White. The freshman will get their chances to add to the win column in a big way. George Washington never lies.
VOLKING writes:
Thank God that this was the last Saturday I have to face without FOOTBALL!! Go Vols!!!
tennezz writes:
We have a chance against all the teams we play, but they all have the same chance against us! It depends on the breaks and how the ball bounces! If we can get the breaks like we did against Arkansas in 98 hold on this will be a wild ride! How many thought we would go undefeated that year?
xvolx writes:
I say 12-0 and adjust accordingly or not.
go_vols_go writes:
13 - 0 would be preferable (with a NC ring). But you are correct, 8 - 4 is about right....
volpreacher writes:
I say 10-2 with a win against either Alabama or Florida. And a loss to someone we should beat.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I'm sticking with my 9-3 from 3 weeks ago.
Maybe with pride restored we don't get in death struggles with the Wyomings of the D-1 world.
Now we can begin to build respect for the Orange that had been washed away.
A little Grey Goose Bloody Mary early Saturday morning should sharpen my judgement and hopefully make me rue not picking more wins.
One thing's for sure, Kiff roiled the doldrums.
But it is what is is.
Tee it up!
mbible1utk#324980 writes:
i think part of us beating Georgia is how they are crashing and burning in week one against Oklahoma State. They are nowhere near Oklahoma State ready. The Oklahoma State defense wasn't that good, but they returned largely in tact. I think losing the season opener is a bad omen for any team.
vol98champ writes:
The first two games will speak volumes for how the season will play out. If we struggle against these two, it will be a long heart rendering year. If we play well who knows what we could accomplish. Lets dream. Swap Crompton and Snead and where would we be predicted?
Slystone writes:
It all boils down to if Crompton can play better than last season. The big target will be on the Vols because of the Kiffin dislike around the SEC. 8-4 or 7-5 would be right. A great recruiting haul can make this team better in 2011 & 2012.
vol98champ writes:
Let's review last year from Crompton and Snead's standoint. Both started poorly. I think almost everyone thought Crompton should have been benched. Snead kept his job and improved significantly and may lead Mississippi to a great year in 2009. Can Crompton become the quarterback everyone thought he would be when he was being recruited and after the LSU game? The first two games will tell us, I believe.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
It seems to me that we may have had this exchange before, but Orgeron's reputation as the best recruiter in the country was not based on his ability to reel in a roster-full of 4- and 5-stars, except maybe at USCw, but in his ability to find guys who can PLAY but may have been overlooked or under-rated by the recruiting services. Patrick Willis and Michael Oher are just two examples of players who didn't have the highest ratings with the recruiting services but were recruited by Orgeron to Ole Miss, where they became All-Americans and high pro draft choices.
I'm not saying that over time the school the school which consistently reels in high-ranked classes won't have an advantage over one that doesn't, but I AM saying that percentages, ratings, predictions, probabilities, etc., do not apply in individual cases. Just on UT's current squad, Chris Donald and Jonathan Crompton were 5-star-rated coming out of HS, but one has disappeared from the depth chart and the second is widely believed to have underachieved. Do not be fooled into thinking that one school has significantly out-recruited another in a given period of time based solely on recruiting service class rankings!
cloudodust writes:
Who in the SEC will get tagged with CLK's signature win..? Albeit, it's one game at a time.
Go4Two writes:
Adams loves him some Kiffin.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Oops! Sorry for the stutter in the first line of the second paragraph above. I had only just poured my second cup of coffee(;-P)! I will be fine with 8-4, no losses to teams we "should" beat, and being competitive in losses to favored teams. I would be happy if we do that well in 2010 also. After that, look out, world, the Vols will be BACK, baby!
GOBIGO72 writes:
I agree. We have every motivation in the world to beat UCLA like a step-child. We have one warm-up game to work the kinks out. There should be much improvement between game 1 and game 2. Fans will be fired up, team will be hungry. I believe the UCLA final score will be very telling of what kind of season to expect the rest of the way and a good comparison to last year's team.
givehim6 writes:
8-4 a good prediction, I would like to see a 9-3 or even 10-2 also. I think UT will take a few teams by suprise this year namely UF & UGA by Oct. teams will know UT will not give up at half time.
govols082859#1369959 writes:
Let's not try to polish the only good apple JA has produced.
Throw it back in the rotten barrel withe the rest of his slams and praises of UF.
Somebody has to ask the KNS if we really desreve his attempts at pithy.
rabidvol1998 writes:
Very well said Scoot! I'll add the national anthem, chatting with my seat mates and the Pride marching in to the stadium. Maybe even a trip on the Vol Navy.
johnlg00#206211 writes:
Whatever. I don't claim to know enough about recruiting to rate recruiters. I'm just repeating what I have read elsewhere and I HAVE seen such evaluations in print. You are entitled to your own rankings. The discussion was about why Ole Miss was alleged to have better talent than UT given that UT's class rankings were higher than Ole Miss's. I merely pointed out that recruiting-class rankings are not the be-all and end-all of assessing how successful programs are in recruiting players who know how to play and win.
Perhaps the losses you mentioned had some effect in reducing UT's "talent level"; they certainly reduced the raw numbers of bodies. I would simply say the fact that those guys with all those stars left the program proves that there is more that goes into making winning football players than what some arm-chair recruiting geek thinks about them. Or maybe you disagree about that; in that case, fair enough.
halloffamebowler writes:
In given time,what will your forehead and anything else about you look like? Remember,the older you get,the more you wear out until you become an old man.The most heartless thing anyone can do is make fun of the hand you are dealt.You need to offer an apology to Adams and all of us older folk.Your time is comeing,that is if you are lucky enough to get there.
RockyTop10nessee writes:
Georiga plays ok.state,Arizona state and G-tech for non conference. Throw the SEC schedule in and you have a W for the win column
johnlg00#206211 writes:
You may be right. All we know right now is that UT's overall recruiting effort seems to be gearing to a pitch of intensity and organization that I have not seen in over 50 years of following the Vols, and Orgeron is in charge of it. I agree that Houston Nutt is a really good coach. I think he got caught in a "political" snake-pit at Arkansas that hurt both them and him.
Overall, I am less concerned about UT's man-for-man talent than I am about quality depth in the whole squad except for a couple of positions. I DO think this staff will get the most possible out of the squad they have to work with and that we will recruit well enough to eventually give them the talent AND numbers to go toe-to-toe with the big boys. We're not quite there yet, but we ARE heading in the right direction.
TheAntiSaban writes:
Why does everyone stay obsessed with recruiting classes? Sure you need the 4 & 5 stars, some of them actually earn that status. But so much of it is PR from local sources that it's not an accurate gauge of talent. Put them on the field and see how they play. That's the real measure. Ole Miss may not have had the stellar recruiting classes but they played well. And Nutt is a good coach. Like I said in a previous post, I think we will lose to AL & Ole Miss, but Ole Miss will be the tougher game.
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