The plan isn’t set, but it’s certainly in the works.
Coach Derek Dooley said Monday he didn’t know how much or how little freshman quarterback Tyler Bray would see the field Saturday against Alabama. But Bray, fresh off an impressive drive against Georgia second- and third-teamers, is definitely going to play, and it’s likely going to happen sometime in the first half.
“We’ll figure it out,” Dooley said. “Let’s watch this week of practice and see where we go ... I don’t want to get to halftime and we haven’t, but you never know how the game goes.”
Bray has spelled starter Matt Simms on two separate occasions this season, neither of which came when the game was in balance.
Against UT Martin in the season opener, Bray was an unimpressive 3-of-6 for 24 yards and an interception. In the Vols’ ugly loss to Georgia, though, Bray was one of the few bright spots, completing 8-of-12 passes for 81 yards and nearly leading the Vols to a touchdown.
Now, he’ll be hoping to recreate that success against one of the SEC’s most feared defenses.
“I’ve heard commentators say they’ve never seen it work when it happens,” senior wide receiver Gerald Jones said of rotating quarterbacks. “Shoot, we’re going to have to do something. It’s worth a try. We’re 2-4. Why not look at somebody else?”
Simms, who has stood tough in the pocket and remained relatively healthy despite taking more sacks than any quarterback in the SEC, said Dooley’s decision didn’t bother him.
“In fact, it’s actually pushing me to practice harder and prepare more just for that little added competition going on,” Simms said. “I love competition and I’m going to battle with whoever tries to take my job.
“I try not to worry about it ... Hey, he’s going to play a little bit but he hasn’t taken my job.”
Center Of Attention: Jarrod Shaw has six or seven games left in his career at UT, but it’s apparently not too late for him to learn a new position.
Since the Georgia loss, Shaw has received extra repetitions at center, and could very well be playing there against Alabama.
Shaw said his experience at center is limited to one day in the spring and a little work over the summer because “I didn’t think I was going to be there this season.”
The move would likely be expedited if guard Jer’Quari Schofield (foot) returns to the rotation Saturday.
“It’s kind of challenging being the guy that has to make all the calls and has to be 100 percent on assignments,” Shaw said. “It’s more of a big responsibility. As far as a physical challenge, it’s not that different.”
Darin Gooch has had his ups and downs since he came on to replace Cody Pope (stinger) for the third game of the season against Florida. His bad snap against Georgia lost the Vols 23 yards and pinned them close to their own end zone.
New ’Do: Safety Prentiss Waggner went back home to Clinton, La., for the long weekend.
He left all of his hair there on a barber shop floor.
Waggner, whose hair has stuck out from his helmet in long dreads since he arrived at UT, had nearly five year’s worth of hair cut off Friday, giving him an entirely new look to the delight and surprise of his teammates.
“I’ve been telling all the guys in training camp that one day I’m going to show up with a haircut,” he said. “They were placing friendly bets and all that. The whole team gave me a hard time, slapping me on my head when they saw it.”
Least Of UT’s Concern: After a number of upsets over the weekend, all six teams in the SEC East were left with at least two losses.
That, however, doesn’t change the fact that UT is the only team yet to win a conference game, Dooley said.
“God, if we’re looking at the SEC East standings we’ve got real problems,” Dooley said. “We need to be looking at our team and how we can win a football game.”
Andrew Gribble can be reached at 865-342-6327.
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Comments » 68
VoLsInBlaCk writes:
first
volsreign writes:
Dooley suggested in his press conference today that Pope may not return at all. Heard rumors that his problems may not all be physical. Any truth?
mercuryvol writes:
Pure speculation on my part, but I suspect the stinger may have been a concussion that hasn't cleared.
CoverOrange writes:
Now we know who made the 16 hour round trip home over the 48 hour weekend and spent 1 hour of it getting his hair done.
vols2#227315 writes:
Hope Bray does get to play against Bama, hope he gets to hand off some to keep the defense of balance. Bray look good against Georgia. Georgia was not playing all of their 2nd and 3th team players on defense when Bray was in the game.
carolinacav writes:
Let's hope Bama does not break the skinny kid's frame, and yes he is still a teenage kid.
This is Bama for goodness' sake. Simms has done pretty well given this "line" we have; think Bray could have done what Simms has done? Never.
My prayers are with you Sir Bray. Good luck. Hope you make it back to the locker room intact.
GBO!
bobbytodd writes:
I don't see Crowder starting as a freshman.
mybolognahasasecondname writes:
Bray has a much quicker release and that's a good thing with a porous line. I like Simms also but he holds the ball too long. We're going to need them both so I'm glad they're both getting reps.
RoadTrip writes:
PW's hair getting sheared is the real news of this article. Maybe it will help him. We need all the help we can get in that secondary.
I think Bray's timing and field of vision is better than Sims'. Might as well get him toughened up to see if can cut it against quality SEC competition.
RoadTrip writes:
Understand the concern, yet, I didn't see Gooch even being on the team, much less starting either. Crowder will be in early and get spring practice under his belt. Scott Wells did a pretty fair job of starting as a freshman. Still starting in the NFL with the Pack.
UTME06 writes:
Young team, and we've shown our propensity to be over zealous in the past. Rotating QBs is not a good decision here, IMO.
Simms tries for the gold too often as it is, give him a pressure (other than playing from behind) and I suspect he'll take risks that none of us will be happy with. And the same can be predicted of Bray trying to win the job.
Simms has played his heart out and has had the snot beat out of him this season. He gives us a chance to win.
I tend to think this is more of a ploy to keep Bray happy. Seeing him against GA ('s 3rd team defense) he did look strong, and I hope he is the man of the future. However, Dooley said he won't play young guys just for the experience... this feels exactly like that is hapening here.
On the other hand, I remember a Shaifer(sp?)/ Ainge combo working for a few games. Who knows. I'll be screaming at the TV and aggravating the wife no matter who takes the snaps. Here is hoping its the right guy each snap!!
chargervol writes:
Mack Crowder has the size but needs to get a little nasty in him! When Tennessee High played Greeneville the Devils out nastied him! They pushed him around a little! That being said, he has a world of potential....Dooley is just going to get the nasty out of him. Speaking of Greeneville, I hope Dooley is looking at that Carmichael kid. Crowder should be telling Dooley about that athlete! GO VOLS!!!!!
KFDLaw writes:
Saturday could get ugly in the second half just like last week. We probably have the worst offensive line in football, our secondary is weak and cannot tackle and our special teams play is usually below conference standards. However, the discussion seems to focus on our quarterback every week. Simms is the present and Bray is the future, but neither one of them can be a game changer when the rest of the team makes so many mistakes like they did last week.
UTPride writes:
This is a pretty bad idea IMO... I think Simms has played extremely well given the lack of depth of the O-line.. To take him out and put in Bray will just shoot this young mans confidence.. This is a can of worms you dont wanna open.. i.e. Fulmers last year with the Crompton/Stephens debacle.. Complaining about the QB play on this team is like breaking your leg and complaining about a scratch on your elbow.. IMO Simms has the chance to be one of the best QB's in the S.E.C. next year. To take meaningful time away to play Bray would run the risk of ruining that..
GBO!
slipshuck writes:
i think worley can beat either one of them out next year....
CabanX writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
CabanX writes:
For everyone else, Georgia went to a 3-3-5 switching out a starting linebacker for an extra db. Boykin(4), Rambo(2), Dent, Comming , Williams, and Dowtin were credited with stops... each of them either started, or is in the 2 deep and were rotated all game. All except Williams finished in Georgia's top 6 tacklers.
wags32 writes:
It was not the 3rd team Defense! Try first team secondary with a few second teamers on the line...
It does not matter 99.9% chance we lose Sat I hope not what a Birthday present for me if we upset Bama on my Birthday... Bray is the future play him...
volfan2002 writes:
If it comes down to a field goal can we make it this time. That would be awesome to have another chance.
MidTennVol writes:
Have to say I tend to agree with you. We've seen this movie before -- think back to the Ainge/Rick Clausen season. And then look at what the unspeakable coach did with Crompton by sticking with him.
I understand the temptation to try and make something happen but Simms hasn't been playing that poorly -- unlike the rest of the offense. Guy has scar tissue and he's a warrior.
Maybe Dooley is trying to motivate him to truly take charge of the offense.
MidTennVol writes:
Is it a good idea to launch a QB controversy on the Monday of Bama week?
See what the players (like Nick R.) have to say...
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/20...
tennvolsman19651965 writes:
Bray looked very promising on that last drive. He DOES have a quicker release than Simms. But Bray needs to eat about a hundred Big Macs before he can take the pounding that Simms has taken this year. If Bray had as many people in his grill for a complete game as Simms does, he wouldnt last a quarter. Doesnt matter though, I TRULY believe that Justin Worley will have the last laugh in the QB position, possibly next year, if he doesnt get red shirted.
Tennfan4075 writes:
Yes they do. A year of eligibility.
jobrando#216494 writes:
but he's not ready said many but now he's ready..well amazing how it can change...Thanks Matt but the future is starting..
OldNumber7 writes:
Here's the bigger issue - the year Simms leaves UT, all of the young talent on this squad will be at its prime. Do you really want a brand new QB at that point? Or would you rather have one with at least a year+ experience? Matt Simms is a fine young man but it isn't about winning today - it's about preparing a young team, and fielding a monster in 2 more years. You better have a confident, seasoned QB taking the team to battle in 2012 or the cycle will never end.
The7Maxims writes:
Yeah. He did say that Neal would play more. I think he's trying to play head games with Saban and Smart; he's putting information out there so Bama has more things to practice on, more film to watch. I dont know how much it would help. I don't think I would hand the ball to Bray until November when the schedule gets easier: Ole Miss, Memphis, Kentucky and Vandy. Imagine what that would do to his confidence.
jobrando#216494 writes:
amazing how many said when Bray was not getting time that the coaches would tell us when he's ready but now that the coaches are saying he's ready these folks are saying dont listen to the coaches declaration. That's funny.
budd#207344 writes:
Yeah that is true except these starters/second teamers on ga would not make the travel squad on ALA. Bray will see much better players come Sat night if he plays.
ps11824 writes:
I hope the last paragraph of this article is a prayer; if not, I don't appreciate Coach using the Lord's name so loosely. We need all the help we can get. Please watch that, Coach Dooley.
bfowler1161#262198 writes:
I wonder if Wagner getting his hair cut will help him wrap up on a tackle....
Rich_Is_Re-born writes:
I'm not a big fan of switching the QBs. Perhaps Georgia did have their starters in, but if you are gonna say Bray faced ANYTHING but a vanilla prevent defense you are being pretty dishonest IMO. Watching the replay off the Ga. Game, there were also times wear Bray made the wrong read. He looked REALLY REALLY good, he did. But until he faces a pash rush like Simms has, its gonna be hard to convince me. However, if he's not ready its not because he isn't physically ready. Its mental. Not sure what everyone else was looking at, from a physical standpoint he looks darn good to me. 6'6" 210lbs, gotta give Benie Wylie MUCH credit. But as for now, Matt Simms should be the QB, IMO.
orangecountyvols writes:
King,
Please just stick to your CBS analysis.
That's a good task for you.
VOLliven2it writes:
I think it would be good under the right circumstances to give Bray some time this Sat. But it should be limited unless Simms goes down and there is no choice. On the other side, his time will come. Until it is for sure he is ready, I who am no expert say, be careful. We do not want to get him hurt in a game which unless we play perfectly we likely will be badly on the losing end. If it gets out of hand, then think about it. His looking impressive when the game was over in Athens does not mean a lot when we hope to be in some games. If the coaches think it is time to check out where he is, fine but to do so against Bama could put us in a precarious situation with one we hope will be the future. As for Worley, he is an outstanding high school qb and that's all we know. Let's not anoint him yet as the next big UT thing!
CoverOrange writes:
Maybe that's Dooley's point of putting Bray in in the first half, experience against a real hard charging defense. Not necessarily to supplant Simms. I'm betting Bray gets no more than 1 or 2 series in the first 50 minutes of the game.
VOLS_SEC_RULES writes:
I'm afraid the rest of the story is....Dooley figures Sims will be knocked unconcious before the close of the first half. Therefore, Bray will play in the first half.
thesharc#228787 writes:
If Kiffin had pulled Crompton last year we'd have never finished 7-6. I'm not a fan of the QB second-guessing.
If you believe Simms is the best QB we have, then play Simms. I don't like the idea of rotating Bray in if he's not the best choice to help us win the game.
FWBVol writes:
OK, here are the facts...we have played up to four players at one time on the offensive line that weren't on campus a year ago, and three of them are true freshmen.
The areas where we are weakest also are the areas where we are the youngest and thinnest as far as depth; offensive line, defensive line, defensive secondary.
In the fourth quarter against Georgia we had seven true freshmen on the field on offense. That's not Derek Dooley's fault. It's the hand he was dealt.
It's hard for a team that has no depth and that has been decimated by injuries to show the improvement you seem to want. I don't know of any coach in the country that could do too much better than CDD considering the circumstances.
I don't like Lane Kiffin any more than any other true UT fan, but even he warned that this year would be the tough one with the players we graduated...and that was before all the post Kiffin departures.
If you want facts from a football perspective, those are your facts.
Some other facts are Tennessee has had just 11 losing seasons in the last 100 years and we might be headed for our 12th, but I'm not ready to accept that until the schedule had been played out. If we do have a losing season, that doesn't mean Derek Dooley isn't the right man for the job. Every great program in college football has gone through a down cycle.
The mighty Gator are in the middle of the first three-game losing streak since 1989. And it seems, whether a lot of UT fans want to admit it or not, that it because they are lacking one player. Urban Meyer has had consensus top five recruiting classes every year, but he's struggling.
I'll will continue to be optimistic about UT's future, because I understand the past and the history of college football. We will be back, and I still believe Derek Dooley will lead us.
gatorhator4eva writes:
i say we use both qb's. it is only part of the problems we have but maybe it will give us an advantage if we can avoid turnovers. dual threat. could very well mix bama up. but once again the key point here is avoid turnovers if we do this. otherwise forget it.
OhioValleyVol writes:
I agree that taking snaps away from our experienced QB (and that is limited) is a mistake against a significantly stronger opponent than we had against UGA or LSU. Alabama is going to be a very, very tough opponent.
With that being said, Go Vols Go
voldawg14 writes:
As a UGA student that grew up a Tennessee fan, I'd like to point out that Bray was actually playing against a significant number of 1st stringers, mixed with second stringers. I'm pretty familiar with both rosters.
thesharc#228787 writes:
@voldawg14
Man, it's gotta be tough for you, bro. I just found out what out-of-state tuition to UT is per year last week and I almost had a heart attack. I live in Atlanta and if we raise our family here, I doubt there's any way I'd be able to afford to send my kids to UT. *sad*
Smokey_Told_Me writes:
I remember seeing Andy Kelly come off of the bench against Bama. Does anyone else remember the forearm smash he took from a blitzing Bama linebacker? I did not think that he would get up. It seems that I remember Andy say that playing in that one game greatly helped him with his development. I feel that a lot of our young Vols will "develop" during this Bama game.
...Smokey knows where the bones are buried.
volfan4life1998 writes:
HE WASN"T PLAYING AGAINST UGA's BACK UP!!!!!! Are you blind? Who broke up the pass in the end zone? Boykin! Who is UGA's number 1 corner. UGA still had all there starters on the field when Bray was out there.
givehim6 writes:
Might as well let all the young guys get in the game and learn SEC game speed and toughness, Bray needs to know what he will be up against for the next 3 years. I do not think CDD will use a 2 QB system, but he may use Simms for the first half then use Bray the 3ed quarter then switch. Or if Bray is playing good stick with him. Really all depends on how each QB plays.
jobrando#216494 writes:
Got to be good old KNS naffy
tovolny writes:
Do you folks know that BRAY is extremely fast. Yes, I said fast...as in can run on the ground from point A to point B in less than an average time for QB. Trainers are handling this young man with care. The UT coaching staff are being paid millions of dollars to train and coach. Does anybody out there think that what we say here will affect their judgment? UT has an opportunity to have another phenom on the field. Let it happen.
AND, let me say that I love the way Matt Simms shows toughness, maturity, self-confidence, and football sense. We are fortunate to have him. WHENEVER HE LEARNS NOT TO ARCH HIS BACK BEFORE HE THROWS, he'll be turning those sacks into 25 yard gains. I want to THANK Matt for holding down the fort until other troops arrive to help him out. I know (or have no doubt) that we will be a lot better football team next year.
volsfan81 writes:
let him play a few snaps,might surprise us.if he is lost well you tried.
crimsonviper writes:
To the person responsible for getting rid of naffy and vandygrad.....Thanks.
jobrando#216494 writes:
Naffy's not gone...He's now KingFulmer
cloudodust writes:
I'm sure of it. I use another tag when I come off Rocky Top but I don't troll to be hateful. I try to engage the fans of other programs in real football speak. It's the rah-rah's out there of other programs that are hard to communicate with. I mean, go to any 3-4 board and read about how their future dynasty began 1 or 2 wins ago.
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