Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin proved he could hire by bringing together a staff of prominent assistant coaches this winter. He and his staff then proved they could recruit when they signed a top-10 class without any advance work.
Kiffin's next challenge? Improve a feeble offense.
If he's looking for an SEC role model, I recommend second-year Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino.
Unlike Kiffin, Petrino went to Arkansas with college head-coaching experience. But like Kiffin, his expertise is in offense.
That was quickly apparent with the Razorbacks, though you couldn't tell it by last season's 5-7 record.
You had to see quarterback Casey Dick before and after Petrino. You had to see how little offensive talent was available at Arkansas.
Petrino took one of the conference's worst quarterbacks, a group of pedestrian wide receivers and a 5-foot-7 running back in Michael Smith and somehow put together a respectable offense.
He reminded you that a new offense with new coaches doesn't have to yield the disastrous results you saw at UT and Auburn last season.
Almost any offensive strategist can appear competent when he has the talent Petrino had at Louisville or Kiffin had as an offensive coordinator at Southern California. But the best offensive coaches can have an impact even when they don't have the best offensive talent.
You saw that with Petrino at Arkansas last season. You saw that with UCLA offensive guru Norm Chow in Pasadena last September.
Chow had a third-string quarterback throwing to second- and third-string receivers; one of the worst offensive lines in recent UCLA history; and a starting running back, who began the UT game with a brace on his knee and ended the game on the bench with an injury. Yet Chow managed to orchestrate two long, game-deciding drives in a come-from-behind victory against an outwitted UT defense.
Kiffin and his staff will have more to work with this season than either Petrino or Chow did last fall.
UT's recruiting efforts will help provide the Vols with a deep corps of running backs. As ordinary as the wide receivers might look, they're superior to what Petrino had last season. And although UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton struggled terribly last season, he has more ability than Dick.
It's worth noting that Petrino, like Kiffin, runs a pro-style offense. It's also worth noting that Petrino is willing to shape that offense to match the skills of his quarterback.
"We have a huge playbook," Petrino said at last week's SEC spring meetings. "We try to put most of it in the first seven days of spring, then you try to mold it to what your quarterback can do.
"It becomes the quarterback's offense."
This season, Petrino's quarterback will be Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett, a 6-foot-7, strong-armed passer, who, according to Petrino, "can make all the throws."
But the best offensive coaches earn their money when they must build their offense around a quarterback who can't make all the throws.
Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 46
chargervol writes:
Hopefully, Kiffin can get this offense energized this season. If we have some improvement game to game, by season's end we should be pretty formidable. GO VOLS!!!
Orange_Swarm1 writes:
Petrino is a coward...why would kiffin want to be like him?
Greer_Vol_22 writes:
I doubt seriously that CLK will be calling Bobby for advice. Maybe Adams could look to Brent Hubbs to find clues on how to get better articles in a more timely fashion.
ROCKYTOP10ECVOL writes:
This article was a waste of space and 5 minutes of my life I'd like to have back
Greer_Vol_22 writes:
sorry , no refunds
KNS Management
kaplan#211944 writes:
The following have been banned but will probably come back in another life.
gatorz5
tarheelsrule
bobbeavol
dcflorida1
Orange_Swarm1 writes:
Kapy strikes again!
Hell, you got me too...
Never was explained about what I did to get the ban however.
imw8n4u writes:
Go Kaplan!!!
tngivem6 writes:
Nice ban Kaplan!!!
also classic line from John Adams...
"And although UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton struggled terribly last season,...
he has more ability than Dick."
tngivem6 writes:
Richard?!?..thats not the ARTICLE said..hah hah
panties4tebow writes:
RIP TROLLS!
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
CrankE writes:
Adams can find clues in Gators showers.
volnks writes:
John:
I don't post often but it seems you are setting up a future column to slam this coaching staff as not being as good as Patrino's if the offense doesn't perform up to your expectations in the fall. I hope I'm wrong and you are simply saying we have a chance to be better. Still, your track record is questionable.
nicksjuzunk#646117 writes:
Good article. Now it seems like we're complaining just for the sake of it.
It encourages me. Kiffin definitely has more to work with than Chow or Petrino. It should be fun to watch them grow.
dvhill100 writes:
LK has certainly put together the staff to make things work. I do believe they'll adjust to the personnel they have on hand and what they can handle.
Pullingguard writes:
5 minutes wasted... Geeze you must be a beginner in the reading class. Did you understand the jest of the article? Evidently not.
boro_vol writes:
I think the Crompton haters will be eating crow this fall, when he'll look like a much better player in Kiffin and Reave's offense.
orangegrass writes:
John Adams should be a head coach or even better - A PAID CONSULTANT!
txvolsfan writes:
I'm excited to see the results of Kiffins and Chaneys hard work and coaching.
I have a feeling we will be presently surprised.
vol_chaz writes:
Thanks Kappy. Adams has the wheels spinning, but did he just compare us to Arkansas? The difference between the 2 teams is the Defense we have.
chaos001 writes:
i love how he talks about how much head coaches should be responsible for the offense (rather than managing the whole game) and then refers to Norm Chow's "masterful execution" in the UT/UCLA game (since when is he the HC @ UCLA???).
his logic went somewhere...don't know where...it's probably lost in the void that is his head.
shouldn't the offense be, in large part, the OC's job? i'm just gonna go out on a limb and suggest that.
Adams is slowly becoming the Charlie Creme of GVX. God knows how much I hate Creme.
DHW writes:
Quote
"Yet Chow managed to orchestrate two long, game-deciding drives in a come-from-behind victory against an outwitted UT defense."
You blew it on the last word...
Should read:
"Yet Chow managed to orchestrate two long, game-deciding drives in a come-from-behind victory against an outwitted UT defensive coordinator"
Chavis and his stupid prevent defense did us in. Can't wait to watch LSU do the same thing....
the10sevol writes:
amazingly coherent board tonight, was there really a troll-raid?
chaos001 writes:
don't jinx us.
SwagVol writes:
Poor timing for this article as well since two stories on GVX right now are about Petrino player's being arrested for DWI and laptop theft.
marinevol writes:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I had decided to quit coming on this site, it wasn't fun anymore. Thank you.
gnm53108 writes:
Good post.
I just wanted to see it repeated.
chaos001 writes:
egh...i do ok on occasion.
i'm surprised anyone reads my drivel! thx.
Vol_from_birth writes:
another comparison between the coaches would be that they were both highly unsuccessful head coaches in the NFL for one year before coming back to NCAA.
tennezz writes:
Petrino coached up dick to make him preform better, He must be some kind of coach!!!
tennezz writes:
Your right they changed to Richard!
CrankE writes:
UT finding clues from Arkansas would be like Bob Woodward finding clues from John Adams.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
Not sure I'd ever want to be compared to Petrino in anything.
But the "disastrous" tag pegged our '08 outings.
iowavol writes:
YOu gotta love the irony Orangeswarm. DA Adams posts this article using Bobby Petrino - of all people - at Arkansas - of all places - as a role model for Kiffin. Oh yeah, and he posts this article just after the other article about the Arkansas athlete being arrested for DUI. What d-bag Adams is.
iowavol writes:
Amen, brother, amen!
iowavol writes:
Make no mistake about it. DA Adams has one agenda only and that is to consistently tarnish the image of the university of tennessee and all under its umbrella. How in God's good name can KNS allow this scum bag to continue write is beyond anyone with any connection to UT.
corrinebrown writes:
neither one finished the season,but the classless SOB back in ARK.who went behind "his friend's back"for his job then left ATL in the middle of the night HAS NO GUTS
Volfan1 writes:
Thank you Kappy.
It was a horrendous with those clowns on here.
old_number1 writes:
It is amazing to me that some of the writers for KNS seem to think that they need to give CK advice about how to coach. Are they more of an expert than our head coach? I wonder how much they get paid for all of this expertise?
Adams even said it in his first paragraph. CK has told us exactly what he wanted to do, and has done it. Great staff, great recruits, and next? Great season!!!
richvol writes:
Thanks so much. Since you guys at GVX and KNS know their real names then please keep them off.
Kaplan,your only income from this site is advertising. If the only discussion happening on this site is insults then your readership and consequently your sponsors are going to quit participating on GVX and go to other sites. Please remain firm...
shoalcreekvol writes:
Fist, Adams says "And although UT quarterback Jonathan Crompton struggled terribly last season, he has more ability than D`i`c`k."
Then you jump in with "Kiffin definitely has more to work with than Chow or Petrino. It should be fun to watch them grow."
No no no no no no no no no. No. Stop it. Now.
bkgunter writes:
The more immediate question is, "Where might John Adams find a clue?"
ORANGEASIAN writes:
you suck.
hueypilot writes:
Actually, the most interesting story within the story of Kiffin's rookie year will be how Crompton performs and if it was scheme, lack of confidence, new OC or that somewhere between his senior year of HS and now, he just didn't measure up. While the QB position does get a disproportionate share of accolades/blame, given the history since Erik Ainge,, Crompton will be the central focus of defenses, and how he handles it will be the make or break piece of the offensive puzzle. Last year's offense was without question the worst I have ever seen wearing Orange and 1964's was pretty dismal but 2009 topped it.
lildhoss76ut#638162 writes:
Its good to see a coherent board full of VOL posters talking football instead of trying to fend off invading trolls.Thanks Kap!
MrKnoxville writes:
Norm Chow(OC) out coached/play called John Chavous(DC) in the second half and couldn't stop the quick (easy) passes over the middle.
Rick Neuheisel (HC) need not do anything because Chow's play calling was working...Philly Fulmer needed to do something because John Chavous was getting worked like mule.
Chow/Neuheisel have NFL/College experience vs. Chavous/Fulmer have only College experience. Our former staff was totally out coached against UCLA just like all these years against Florida...we had far better athletes in the 90's but got out coached bad every year nearly.
Now look at our staff all NFL/College National Championship experience...I think really, REALLY GREAT THINGS ARE COMING OUR WAY...JUST BE PATIENT BOYS!!!
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