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- Vol football: 1st Spring practice
Tennessee’s first spring practice under new head coach Lane Kiffin had the feel of opening day.
Orange and white flags were strung between bright orange road cones lining the field. Fans peered through the fence along Pat Head Summitt Street. Some even bought a ticket for Tuesday’s baseball game only to spend their afternoon watching the action on Haslam Field from the top row of the baseball stadium.
Safety Eric Berry said players had butterflies Tuesday morning.
“Right now we feel it’s kind of like the first game of the season,” he said.
“It felt like it was more than just the first day of practice,” offensive lineman Vladimir Richard said.
In a lot of ways, that was true.
Aside from a slew of media, visitors and former players on hand Tuesday — and the obvious presence of a completely new coaching staff — Tennessee looked and felt comfortable with new schemes and the high-intensity approach taken by Kiffin and his staff in their first official practice at Tennessee.
Kiffin outlined that approach during a press conference Tuesday morning.
“You’re going to see the staff lead by example by their enthusiasm, their energy, their intensity,” Kiffin said. “We’re so far from our players being leaders. They couldn’t possibly be leaders in our system because they don’t know how to lead yet. They don’t know what we want.
“They’ll become leaders eventually. When you’re a great team, players are your leaders. But we have a long way before that. We have to lead now.”
That leadership includes a virtual abandonment of the depth chart, at least in the early going.
Only Berry, last year’s SEC defensive player of the year and a consensus All-American, has a starting job. The other 21 starters will have to earn their spots, and that approach works just fine for UT’s players, including tailback Montario Hardesty.
“For me, it might be better,” said Hardesty, who rushed for 271 yards and six touchdowns last season as a junior. “I used to get mad sometimes when I had to sit out. It can’t be nothing but a good thing. Competition helps the team.”
Kiffin hopes a physical, up-tempo approach will help, too. As if they needed a reminder, players were greeted with a banner over the entrance to Haslam Field that read, “Lock In!” in orange letters.
The Vols can’t work in pads until Friday by NCAA rules, but Tuesday’s workout featured plenty of 11-on-11 work, and moving from drill-to-drill became something of a foot race for players.
“It’s kind of like we’re practicing and at the same time doing an agility circuit,” Richard said. “It was high-tempo, but it was good. I think coach hit it on the head really when he had us out here learning how to compete against each other. It was a battle today at the end of practice and everyone was into it.”
The Vols are also a little ahead of schedule.
Coaches spent time with players before Tuesday’s practice going over the playbook and watching film in meetings. They also spent about 10 minutes Monday morning going over the practice schedule with players.
Richard said the offensive linemen met on Saturdays to do the same things on their own and get in some extra conditioning. Quarterback Jonathan Crompton said he’s been watching film of Southern California and the Oakland Raiders along with the quarterbacks and receivers.
“Guys have bought in a whole lot more than last year,” Crompton said. “It’s been real refreshing knowing that guys are doing that (extra work) because they want to learn. They want to get into this playbook as far as we can before spring break and then before fall camp. It’s definitely a different mentality.”
All that led to a fairly sharp practice Tuesday that left Kiffin pleased.
“Watching it from my perspective, it looked like we’ve been out here for a long time,” he said after UT’s three-hour workout. “We threw a lot at them, stuff a lot of times you’re looking at day four before you get to. So I was really pleased with their preparation for practice and their energy that they brought.”
While pleased, Kiffin also knows the Vols have miles to go.
“We’re a long ways away from a championship level,” he said. “But we’ll push them every day and they’ll learn. They gave us spurts of the energy we need to see to be at a championship level, but then they don’t know how to keep going. We’ll keep working on it.”
Drew Edwards covers University of Tennessee football. He may be reached at 865-342-6274.
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Comments » 172
Wauconda_Vol writes:
Ahhhh...I can smell the season approaching.
MattDillon writes:
ah what the heck, first
MattDillon writes:
almost
teampenny#658108 writes:
Any injuries? What former players where there? go vols
VolGraduate writes:
4th
BillsBrother writes:
"They gave us spurts of the energy we need to see to be at a championship level"
Energy and discipline. Wow, I am really looking forward to the 2009 season.
hotrodvol writes:
CLK has a plan and he sounds like he's sticking to it. He sounds a little Cutcliff like.
MattDillon writes:
thanks man
hotrodvol writes:
Expat, do you think Hardesty will be durable enough for an everydown back, or maybe just a passing situation back.
gnm53108 writes:
Hotrod...We have the horses,use em.Even without Oku I feel we have some damn good rb's.
Use em.
BillsBrother writes:
I agree. I don't think we have the stud all-american RB, but Hardesty and Creer are quality SEC running backs. One of the freshmen may surprise us.
hotrodvol writes:
GNM, what about Creer starting, Poole short yardage, Hardesty passing downs. Oku working his way into the lineup as the season goes.
gnm53108 writes:
Yep.
And dont forget about Poole.
dvhill100 writes:
Encouraging. I like the attitude LK has instilled in the team.
ElizabethtonvolnNC writes:
let's just find a quarterback who doesn't one hop and an offensive line that run-blocks on at least every other play....and that is reason enough for me to get excited.
101st_AIRBORNE_VOL (Inactive) writes:
Unfortunately for us, it would seem to logical to keep the safeties out of the box by having a downfield passing game. I say unfortunately because as we saw last year, we didn't have one (with the exception of Stephens to Moore on occasion). Of the other hand, you could run just about any blocking scheme with the talent they have at USC, so if Kiffin and co. can recruit as good as we hope, then in 2-3 years we could run a Wing-T if we want. Anyways, everyone knew that Clemson's biggest threats were Spiller and Davis, so of course they stacked the line, I know I would.
gnm53108 writes:
Sounds good.I really miss old Tennessee smash mouth football.
BillsBrother writes:
I think we may be surprised at the improved play of our QB position in 2009. Especially Crompton.
The kid is an athlete that just wants to play football. In 2008 the staff had him "thinking" too much about playing football. All the QB's should be free of that paralysis this year.
Vol_from_birth writes:
i can't really trust anything i hear about crompton this spring. i dont mean to put the guy down, but i remember last spring and summer him talking about how he watched film everyday and stuff. and then i felt like he would be ready to lead the vols, but obviously he wasn't. i really hope he steps it up this season.
gnm53108 writes:
Agree,the stables damn sure aint empty.After last year I could just see our rb's chompin at the bit,caged animals ready to be set loose.
Really dont think weed one certain back who has to carry it 20 plus times a game.How bout 35ish split between em?
101st_AIRBORNE_VOL (Inactive) writes:
Old news. Yawn.
KingVol writes:
how many times are you going to post this info.. sapsucker
gnm53108 writes:
Arabian sheik?
hotrodvol writes:
Reggie Cobb? Just kidding, bad Hotrod bad.
mikejohn11 writes:
I'm really excited about this season coming up. Apparently it's got the rest of the league excited too, because gator fans have nothing better to do than keep up with our spring practice.
gnm53108 writes:
Hehehe...
Sorry,was meant to say we need.
Busy night.
Thanks.
KingVol writes:
zz's graveyard shift at gas n go started at 11
gnm53108 writes:
Hehe
My Lord,just the thought of that Cobb-Webb offense almost makes me explode.
Damn,I gota give this a break,its seven more hours before I can get anything frost brewed.
VAvolfanRON writes:
Well, I have to say, the first page+ of comments have been good, positive and informative. But, I see the 'jerks' are on another article and will soon swarm in here to ruin this article. I swear, if I were a gator fan, I'd be so embarrassed.
Anyhow, I'm gone
tennezz writes:
I haven`t been this excited since the florida, Ole Miss game!
tinknoz#660213 writes:
Gatorzz...why not put all that research to good use and find a different site to blog your B.S.?
tennezz writes:
I know we are going to lose some games this year, But it will be nice to see them out there clawing and scratching instead of playing not to lose as we have in the past!
tennezz writes:
You need to spend your time BUYING some more recruits so you can compete with the gators and utes!
sidwalkvol writes:
guess you have Mr. Slive on your speed-dial, and you are on his. There are any number of ways to read this "very strange" statement, but what is very much stranger still is your obsession with our coach and this program. How many hours do you spend surfing trying to unearth this stuff? And WHY?
Name-calling, muck-raking, and really, really tiresome.
101st_AIRBORNE_VOL (Inactive) writes:
Umm, how about this: I predict we'll actually finish in the top 100 in offense this year! Seriously, there's nowhere to go but up, unless you're Florida or Bama (Tebow leaves, the dynasty ends, and probation for the Tide)
gnm53108 writes:
I am proud of this Coach.He is replacing the second most winningest coach in Tennessee history.He has put together an alstar staff.His first recruiting class was good.He has created a whole lot of excitement up here in Volunteer land.
ps...Dont give a sh1t what espn thinks.
sidwalkvol writes:
azzumptions, as it were, are prezzumptions and most likely prevarications... be serious, man. Do you not think coaches, staff, support, etc are hypervigilant after the miscues made early? Everyone monitoring everybody else and keeping the students under something like scrutiny. Class attendance and even what row they are sitting in, but secretly somewhere they are practicing in a formal or deliberate way? Something as blatant as practicing early would set off all the alarms, unlike cursing at a coaches' clinic or selling free textbooks.
Caspian writes:
Get ready. We're coming.
101st_AIRBORNE_VOL (Inactive) writes:
Not quite as smooth as having boosters pay for players
Runningangry writes:
Student athletes are allowed to study the playbook if I'm not mistaken.
If you want another way to look at it. Stephens said he was, "Almost comfortable" with the offense. If he is almost comfortable it could also be assumed that he has only studied the playbook and will be completely comfortable when he is able to practice. You can spin that quote any way you like, but it was reported that Stephens lost his balance in the weight room and injured his wrist.
Is that so far fetched? Accidents can happen fairly easily in the gym, that's just a fact.
gnm53108 writes:
Not gonna respond to the reptile but I gotta admit,out of the multi-thousand garbage posts he's had,that last one with the comedy channel was pretty funny.
I guess even a blind dog will tree one eventually.
TNPilgrim writes:
Before the SEC went to divisional play, I can remember when Florida was a third-rate football team that we hardly ever played. Then came the addition of more teams and the divisional schedule that put them in place as our first SEC game of the year along with Steve Spurrier to make them competitive. The only problem with this turn of events was that by playing them every year we got to know their fans - collectively the worst bunch of mouthy, classless buffoons that ever soiled Neyland Stadium or any other football venue. I've been going to SEC football games for over forty years, and I hear the same opinion from other fans as well - KY, AR, AL, SC - doesn't matter, they all say the same thing. This poltroon from Florida that comes on our site and mouths off typifies the generic gator fan - probably a "sidewalk alumnus" that never saw the inside of a classroom in Gainsville. One would think that after establishing a winning tradition and a couple of national championships these fans would learn to win with class, but that aptitude is evidently not in the gene pool. Too bad the FL players and coaches that do such a good job have to be associated with the most obnoxious fans in the country.
gnm53108 writes:
Hate to pile on...well not really,but Ive heard the same thing when I go down to Tuscaloosa.
101st_AIRBORNE_VOL (Inactive) writes:
Look, as much as I loved Fulmer, I know that the Gators were in his head since Manning played for the orange. He seemed flat-out intimidated, and players feed off their coaches, so they were intimidated. However, It's obvious that Kiffin is NOT intimidated by lil'urbie and his phony thousand-yard stare. He may scare the heck outta some coaches, but not ours. So, if the players feed off of Kiff, then I'm afraid we WILL show up from here on out and I think you know it and it SCARES the phooey outta Gator Nation. And maybe they're a bunch of comedians from Comedy Central (as most people know it in the real world), but at least I know they're ready to STAND UP and break UF's stranglehold on the SEC East!
JtDL writes:
The Columbia, SC, news considers South Carolina a rival of Tennessee? I think that may be a bit presumptuous.
belayvol writes:
Almost as good as your team transferring in from Law & Order Crimminal Intent.
utmdm writes:
Something to do with FL education. They are on the advanced 4 R's. I think down there they call it recriting, reedin, ritin, an rithtic.
jimr07 writes:
he didn't say either. read the article on espn where Kiffin flatly denies making a comment like that. But, you did not read the rebuttal on here for sure.
belayvol writes:
What are the five most common words a gator athlete will hear during his career?
Will the defendant please rise.
MidTennVol writes:
Montario, a lot of us out here got mad too when you weren't on the field.
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