A summer of Tennessee team building gave way to house building Saturday morning.
UT's football seniors put the finishing touches on the Habitat for Humanity project, which their freshman teammates started. Sophomores and juniors also took their turns at carpentry during the last few weeks.
You can check out their handiwork on Geyland Heights Drive. The house will be formally dedicated next Saturday.
"I think this means a lot to all the guys," UT senior cornerback Prentiss Waggner said. "To come out here and give back to the community is big to us."
Now that the building is done, the Vols can concentrate on rebuilding. No one is more vested in the project than the seniors who have experienced back-to-back losing seasons. Fifth-year seniors like Waggner and linebacker Herman Lathers were even around in 2008 when the Vols went 5-7.
As they attempt to distance themselves from past failures, players have pulled closer together, according to its veteran leaders.
They have built a house, hiked up a mountain, and had a cookout every other weekend. You can't put any of that on the scoreboard against Alabama, but it reflects the team's determination to present a united front.
"Last year, I felt everybody was together in their position groups," senior offensive guard Dallas Thomas said. "All the linemen hung out together. All the linebackers hung out together. But now, it's everybody together."
Did anyone just flash back to that fragmented locker room after a season-ending loss to Kentucky? The postgame player comments suggested a team divided and revealed a frustration that had been building since the first troublesome Saturday in a season gone wrong.
That game and that season seemingly have been locked safely away for now. Senior cornerback Marsalis Teague even refers to "the new Tennessee." Then, he explains that the new Tennessee is really the old Tennessee.
"When I say 'new,' it's just getting back to the tradition of Tennessee," he said.
The players on this team have yet to experience all that tradition firsthand. They were recruited to it. They have heard and read about it. But they haven't lived it fully.
Maybe that's why I don't think all this preseason talk of team unity and team building eventually will be filed under "Summer Rhetoric." Motivation alone won't revive so much as a glimmer of UT's glory days. But there's evidence of enough talent and leadership to at least forge a different course than the one the program has been stumbling along.
"Last year, once some guys got hurt, a lot of guys didn't trust the guys that were next to them," said Lathers, who missed the season himself with a fractured ankle. "If you don't trust the guy next to you, then you're not going to do your job. Once you build trust, things click."
You couldn't have heard a click Saturday for all the other building going on. But maybe the players gained more trust while hammering side by side.
Their confidence is growing, too.
"I think the whole team realizes we've got something special going on," Lathers said. "We've got some guys that can make some special things happen."
John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns
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Comments » 14
eVOLved writes:
mentioned KY
WetumpkaThumpa writes:
Just a few years ago, the Gumps lost to
Louisiana Monroe under Saban. Analysis Rtr?
AlexAndersonAAradio writes:
I cannot imagine a team defending our 3 WRE sets with a basic two deep zone or anything like that out of a standard defensive set. They will have run their nickel and dime packages whenever we run a WR set. It would be the only way to keep from getting burned on virtually every passing play.
Add in the fact that our TE Mychael Rivera will annihilate any linebacker in the league in one-on-one coverage.
Teams will cheat heavily to the two receiver side of the field, in order to double up on our WRs. In fact we will see some version of two of our WRs doubled up in most cases.
This could open up the run in a major way. I have always been a fan of running the ball to the short side of the field every now and then to see if you can get that man advantage to the short side and break a big play. That could easily be reality this season. Chaney is a guy known for creating mismatches and I fully expect to see him designing mismatches on the ground, using our passing game threat.
If everyone stays healthy, this could be a record setting year for our offense.
UTistheOLEMISSoftheEAST writes:
Sounds like you have it all figured out! You failed to mention one thing: SEC Defenses.
Remember: Neither Loco or Hunter made it through last season uninjured. Expect more of the same this year: very little running game and a QB running for his life. Barring a bowl win, these fifth year seniors will leave with only one winning season. How sad is that?
abnerPeabody writes:
I would like for you to pick my loto numbers for the next drawing.I could not lose.You know your shot.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols,
No, what is sad is the attitude this "OleMissoftheEast-Jeff" has. One who has no support for the Vols.
Only, a chronic griper who is an embarrassment to the University of Tennessee.
We'll play the season without him.
On topic , it's great to hear of the team unity which will pay dividends.
SevenT writes:
"getting back to the tradition of Tennessee" What that means is get us back to where Fulmer had the program. Sometimes you don't know what you had until it is gone. In this case this is payback for trashing the Hall of Fame Coach for no good reason.
GerryOP writes:
Maybe you're only 9 years old and weren't around for the '05-'08 seasons. You're right, no good reason in '08 because he should have been put on the bus after the '05 season. But, you're a UK fan so no sense in stating facts to you.
dragon18 writes:
I was a big fan of Fulmer, and there is NO doubt he did great things for UT. That being said, whether complacency was the culprit, poor choices for assistants, or some other aspect of decline in the program, there is no doubt that the seeds of UT decline began in the waning years of the Fulmer era. Even though he was continuing to sign top ten recruiting classes, by the end of four years many/most of the high value signees had either left the program or had not developed into top tier SEC players. Sadly it was time to make a change. It was disastrous the way he was handled and I believe that set the foundation for the divide among the UT faithful. I think Dooley has done a remarkable job upgrading the talent at UT and for the first time in 6 or 7 years you will actually see an SEC team (in talent) wearing the home uniforms at Neyland. what remains to be seen is whether or not Dooley can get them to win games. I think UT will win 8 games this year.They have the talent to win 9 or 10 but that will depend upon how mentally strong the team has become and they had a LOOONG way to go with that part of the game at the end of last year.
BigOrangeFever76 (Inactive) writes:
Jeffy....you want to know what is really sad? You! You are a disgrace to anything UT. You are a disgrace to anything Big Orange. Sure you were on the track & football teams about 70 years ago. BFD.
You only made those teams because of Richmond. You were the bait used to reel him in. Chuck Rohe told me you were a very average athlete on the track team. Richmond was the jock. You were the jock strap. So you exact your "revenge" on UT by blasting Dooley at every turn. Its not Dooley you hate. You hate yourself and your miserable failed life. Dooley will be UT coach until you are pushing up daisies. GO DOOLEY!!!
GiveHim6TDTennessee writes:
"Last year, I felt everybody was together in their position groups," senior offensive guard Dallas Thomas said. "All the linemen hung out together. All the linebackers hung out together. But now, it's everybody together."
That's so telling to me right there. When the team is all on the same page, O and D, things definitely start to click. I'm excited about this year. This team is going to play their hearts out for the alumni, students, Tennessee, and each other. GBO VFL
Theo writes:
Wyoming.
VolinCalif writes:
Just maybe you need to watch reruns. Not one Fl player had anything to do with Hunters injury. So much for the SEC defences. Also UT had a great pass protection against almost all SEC teams.
10-2 plus a bowl
govolsn3 writes:
You do realize that everytime you post you can't back anything up with the facts. Yes Hunter got hurt and it didn't have a thing to do with a hit. Yes Bray got hurt and he wasn't runnig from trouble when he did. Have you looked at the overall stats from last year. And who do you think had the least amount of sacks in the SEC. Do you ever think before you type or do they teach that in grade school. FACTS are easy to see, just look them up.
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