Bleacher Report - Articles by Sports Fan

Tennessee Volunteers Football: Five Offseason Questions

Sports Fan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:55:00 -0400

The folks over at TSIB have created the next best tool for the offseason. That is The Big Orange Roundtable. It takes the best Tennessee blogs out there and connects them through a series of questions. My answers and others' can be seen below.

1. How good/bad do you think Jonathan Crompton will be in his first year as a Tennessee starting quarterback and what makes you think that?

I think Crompton will have a bit of a rollercoaster season. I think you'll see flashes of brilliance from him, and some things happen that will leave you scratching your head. It's going to be part of not only learning a new offense, but getting the chance to run it.

He obviously has talent; check LSU '06. The man's a risk taker, which will help and hurt the offense. He will have more interceptions that Ainge, but he will also have more longballs and breakout plays. As long as he keeps a healthy balance and stays within himself, I think he'll have a pretty productive and winning season.

2. This question was posed on our site a few weeks ago by the Bama boys, and it brought some good discussion, so given UT’s rich history of scheduling home-and-homes with top-shelf BCS programs, what school would you most like for the Vols to play in the future and why?

I'd like to see our Vols take on the Virginia Tech Hokies. If you were to hold an open discussion with Vols fans and Hokies fans, as I have in the past, both say the same things about each other and neither is very positive. There's a bit of a clash between the two programs that kind of sits beneath all of this SEC hype.

I'd like to put them on the schedule and see the two teams go at it. I think it draw great crowds and have the feel of a Saturday in the SEC. I would love to see it happen.

3. A lot has been made of our lack of depth at defensive tackle. With Demonte Bolden, Dan Williams and Walter Fisher pretty solid, what other player do you think makes a big move toward becoming dependable?

I'm going to go ahead and take the easy choice in Donald Langley. I don't think you'll see that dependability early from him but as the season goes on, I expect him to get his nose in there.

I think he'll have a season much like Gerald Jones had on the offensive end last year. He'll work his way in and come on strong down the stretch. Chavis needs to get some DTs in here!

4. Neyland Stadium has undergone some wholesale external and internal renovations during the offseason, updating and improving the overall appearance. If you could change one thing about Neyland, what would it be?

I don't know that I would really change anything about Neyland, but I may add on to it. I think adding a jumbotron above the other end zone is the next best thing we could do there.

It may take away from the ol' college look, but there are just too many people who can't be looking at the replay or the game on the big screen.

5. Different UT fans have different opinions on last season. Was it a success? Was it a failure? Why do you think so?

I definitely wouldn't call it a success, but a failure doesn't cut it for me either. We obviously took home an SEC East championship, but when you lose to Alabama and Florida as bad as we did, I'll never think of that as success.

I'd describe it more as a highlights type of season. There are certain plays from every game that really stick out. The Cal game is Desean Jackson's punt return for six, while the Florida game is E. Berry's owning of Tebow.

You've got to remember the Taylor to Coker pass when thinking of UGA, etc., down to the Kentucky game, which had some fantastic plays. King of the East and winner of the Outback Bowl is good, but the lows are just too low for me to call it a true success.

The other blogs

Third Saturday in Blogtober--Big Orange Roundtable

Moondog Sports--The Big Orange Round Table

Fulmer's Belly--Big Orange Roundtable: Week One

The Power T--Big Orange Roundtable, Volume 1

YMSWWC--The Big Orange Roundtable Vol I

Losers with Socks-Big Orange Round Table

Tennessee Football Offensive Preview

Sports Fan — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:06:00 -0400

One might describe the outlook for the upcoming season in Knoxville as “fresh.”

The Tennessee Vols bring in new members of the coaching staff, a new quarterback, and an overall new mindset. Coach Dave Clawson, the newly hired offensive coordinator, has been quoted more than once in saying that he wants to "get the ball to the playmakers"—something that Cutcliffe and staff were mildly criticized for not doing enough of.

However, in the end, it will take more than just the words of a coach to get this done, so let’s look at who will help make this happen for the Vols.

The freshness begins under center with Jonathan Crompton, a junior coming off minor surgery. Crompton has seen time before at the college level, including minimal time last year, and—most notably—his two starts during Ainge’s injury in 2006. He has career numbers of five touchdowns and four interceptions.

The positives for Crompton include things such as speed, arm strength, and ability to make a play. He runs fairly well for a quarterback, which is something we couldn’t say about Erik Ainge, and can find his way out of the pocket. You could see his arm strength at work in the Spring Orange and White game (which occurred before the surgery), when he threw a 75-yard touchdown on the first play.

A negative that has popped up the past two seasons and even this spring is his decision making. He has almost as many career interceptions as touchdowns, and threw three in one scrimmage. But overall, I expect him to fill his role well and help the Vols' offense.

The Vols are deep at running back with the likes of Arian Foster, Montario Hardesty, Lennon Creer, and Tauren Poole. Foster is expected to become the all-time leading rusher in Tennessee history, which tells you something about the way the kid can run.

Hardesty can be a real threat if he can find a way to stay injury-free. Creer has shown flashes and had a spring that may suggest good things for the future. Poole has been a positive surprise for the Vols' offense. I believe, although he’s just a freshman, he will get the chance to get some reasonable playing time this year.

All in all, the Vols will be set in the backfield, and Clawson is more than ready to get them the ball.

Tennessee returns receivers Lucas Taylor, Gerald Jones, Austin Rogers, Denarius Moore, and Quintin Hancock. Taylor was a pleasant surprise last year, when he was able to hit 1,000 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Jones is just a stockpile of talent that can really play more than one position offensively. You may be familiar with the G-Gun he ran last year, which was very successful including two touchdowns. He also had a huge catch in the wild Kentucky game last year that helped propel the Vols into overtime.

The offense will certainly be different this year for Tennessee and should be fun to watch. Clawson has found ways to get the fans in Knoxville fired up for next year with his fresh ideas and sets.

A defensive breakdown of the Vols may come later in the offseason.

ESPN names Knoxville "TitleTown USA" Finalist

Sports Fan — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 09:20:00 -0400

Knoxville has been selected as a finalist for SportsCenter’s fan-based and interactive search for “TitleTown USA.” Knoxville is one of 20 cities to be profiled as part of SporstCenter’s nationwide search for America’s top championship city.

ESPN will visit Knoxville on June 28 to film the town's segment at Bruce Pearl's Shooting Camp at the University of Tennessee's Thompson-Boling Arena.

Currently, 16 of the 20 finalists have been unveiled. The remaining four finalists will be announced each day this week on the 6 p.m. ET edition of SportsCenter.

Some cities already named include Green Bay, Louisville, Detroit, Boston, and Los Angeles.

The finalists for “TitleTown USA” were selected by a combination of 2,000 fan-generated nominations, a ESPN production research team that pared down nominations to 50, and a blue-ribbon panel consisting of 19 non-ESPN journalists and 12 SportsCenter anchors who ranked the list of 50 communities.

As part of the series, SportsCenter will have daily segments featuring each of the cities (one city per day) from July 4 – 23. At the conclusion of the series, fans will select the winner through online voting Thursday, July 24 – Saturday, July 26. The winner will be announced on SportsCenter Sunday, July 27, at 11 p.m.

Highlights of Knoxville announced last week on SportsCenter.

The Tennessee Volunteer football program has 47 bowl appearances (second among all schools), won six National Championships and has the highest winning percentage of any team in major college football

Women’s basketball program has won eight National Championships including the last two

Football program has ranked in top three in attendance for 32 consecutive seasons

The Lady Vols consistently lead the country in average attendance and the men’s basketball team ranked among the top four in 2007-08 season

Coach Pat Summitt has more wins than any other coach in men’s or women’s basketball and has been to the Sweet 16 in all 27 NCAA tournaments she has coached

Men’s Track and Field program has five NCAA team national titles – sent 25 track stars to the last eight Olympic games

Posted by lll Adidas

Tennessee Football: Quick Hits with Arian Foster

Sports Fan — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 21:19:00 -0400

Tennessee running-back Arian Foster answers questions about daily and football life. Special thanks to Arian's mother, who helped set this up and got the answers for me. Also thanks to the members of Vol Talk for the questions. Let's not forget the thanks to Arian for taking the time to answer these questions.

37601 Tiger: How tempting was it to bolt for the NFL and the projected 2nd round money?

Arian Foster: VERY!

Tas: What would you tell a new recruit that is considering Tennessee as his choice?

Arian Foster: I WOULD TELL HIM TO ENJOY THE COLLEGE LIFE, BE READY TO BECOME A MAN AND STAND ON YOUR OWN, TO WALK THE STRAIGHT PATH FROM THE MOMENT YOU GET HERE AND IT WILL MAKE THINGS A LOT EASIER FOR YOU. DON'T LET ANYONE TELL YOU YOU CAN'T AND DON'T LET ANYONE OUTWORK YOU. TALENT IS GOD-GIVEN BUT WORK ETHIC IS NOT.

Ole Smokey: Did it ever frustrate you when the running game was abandoned early in games where it seemed to be averaging 4 ypc, e.g. Alabama and Florida? How do you handle those frustrations?

Arian Foster: YES, YOU GET FRUSTRATED BECAUSE YOU FEEL YOU'RE A PLAY MAKER, BUT YOU HAVE TO TRUST THE SCHEME AND THE PLAY CALLING. IF YOU DON'T TRUST IT,YOU CREATE DISSENSION. THERE'S ALWAYS SECOND GUESSING WHEN YOU LOSE. IF YOU WIN 55-0, NOBODY WILL QUESTION THE PLAY CALLING.

Andyourpointis: What has been your favorite moment as a Vol?

Arian Foster: OFF THE FIELD, A VARIETY OF TIMES DEVELOPING A BROTHERHOOD WITH SOME OF MY TEAMMATES. ON THE FIELD, WALKING INTO THE DOME THE DAY BEFORE THE SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. THERE WAS NO CROWD, JUST US. IT WAS JUST A SPECIAL FEELING TO TAKE IN THE ATMOSPHERE, LOOKING AT THE BANNERS, THINKING ABOUT ALL THE GREAT PLAYERS WHO HAVE PLAYED THIS GAME BEFORE ME. IT WAS VERY MOVING.

Docfarmer:Let's say you and Ainge play one on one basketball, who wins?

Arian Foster: ME.

SavageOrangeJug: On a football team, nearly everyone gets tagged with a nickname by their teammates. What is yours, and how did you acquire it?

Arian Foster: THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE CAREER, PLAYERS HAVE TRIED TO GIVE ME NAMES AND NOT ONE SINGLE NAME ACTUALLY STUCK. EVERYBODY JUST CALLS ME ARIAN.

bullg8rdaddy: What game(s) are you really looking forward to this year?

Arian Foster: I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL OF THEM BUT PROBABLY MOSTLY FLORIDA BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T WON AGAINST THEM SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE. AND GEORGIA...FOR OTHER REASONS.

Do you talk to any of the former Tennessee running backs? If so, what kind of advice have they given you?

Arian Foster: YES. I TALK TO JAY GRAHAM. HE WAS MY IDOL ON THE FIELD. IN '05 I WAS CLOSER TO HIM THAN ANYONE ELSE OTHER THAN TROOP. HE'S BEEN MY MENTOR AND I SPEAK TO HIM REGULARLY STILL. I'VE SPOKEN WITH AARON HAYDEN AND HE'S TOLD ME TO STAY FOCUSED, TO KEEP MY NOSE CLEAN AND REPRESENT MYSELF WELL. I'VE SPOKEN WITH JAMAL LEWIS A COUPLE OF TIMES. HE IS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO TOLD ME I SHOULD STAY FOR MY SENIOR YEAR.

TECVOL: What SEC team is the most difficult for you to run against and why?

Arian Foster: I HAVEN'T HAD ANY SUCCESS RUNNING THE BALL AGAINST FLORIDA. MOSTLY BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF CARRIES I'VE HAD. I THINK THE MOST I EVER CARRIED AGAINST THEM WAS ABOUT 11 CARRIES. IT'S HARD TO GET INTO A RHYTHM WITH ONLY 11 CARRIES OVER THE ENTIRE GAME.

ICEVOL: What do you like to listen to before the game and what are your superstitions?

Arian Foster: I LISTEN TO TUPAC USUALLY BUT LAST YEAR BEFORE EVERY GAME, I LISTENED TO "I GET MONEY" BY 50 CENT AND I DON'T EVEN REALLY LIKE HIM. I USED TO FEEL LIKE I ALWAYS PLAYED BAD WHEN I WORE HIGH SOCKS UNTIL WE PLAYED KENTUCKY. I WORE HIGH SOCKS THEN AND PLAYED WELL SO...MAYBE I DON'T HAVE ANY SUPERSTITIONS. I PRETTY MUCH SWITCH UP MY STUFF EVERY GAME ANYWAY.

CINCY VOL: Do you have a favorite pre-game day or game day meal?

Arian Foster: NO, I JUST TRY TO EAT PASTA AND CHICKEN BEFORE A GAME. I NEED TO HAVE ENERGY BUT I DON'T WANT TO BE OVERLY FULL.

Tennessee Volunteers Football Preview: Offensive Breakdown

Sports Fan — Tue, 20 May 2008 17:47:16 -0400

One might describe the outlook for the upcoming season in Knoxville as “fresh.”

The Tennessee Vols bring in new members on the coaching staff, a new quarterback, and an overall new mindset. Coach Dave Clawson, newly-hired offensive coordinator, has been quoted more than once in saying that he wants to ‘get the ball to the playmakers’—something that Cutcliffe and staff were mildly criticized for not doing enough of.

However, in the end, it will take more than just the words of a coach to get this done, so let’s look at who will help to make this happen for the Vols.

Hardesty can be a real threat if he can find a way to stay injury-free. Creer’s shown flashes, and had a spring that may suggest good things for the future. Poole has been a positive surprise for the Vols' offense—and I believe, although he’s just a freshman, he will get the chance to get some reasonable playing time this year.

All in all, the Vols will be set in the backfield and Clawson is more than ready to get them the ball.

Jones is just a stockpile of talent that can really play more than one position offensively. You may be familiar with the G-Gun he ran last year, which was very successful including two touchdowns. He also had a huge catch against the wild Kentucky game last year that helped propel the Vols into overtime.

The offense will certainly be different this year for Tennessee, and should be fun to watch. Clawson has found ways to get the fans in Knoxville fired up for next year with his fresh ideas and sets.

A defensive breakdown of the Vols may come later in the off-season.

The Future: A Tennessee Vols Blog Gets off the Ground

Sports Fan — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:00:00 -0400

No, that headline is not a Kelly Washington reference.

Alright, it seems some change will be taking place here at the UT Vols Football in the upcoming weeks.

We start out with the Top Vol Blog Awards rolling out Thursday, May 15th. As for change to the site, we will reveal a new header for the site, made by the very talented Sabanocchio.

We're also thinking about making the switch to Wordpress, which is another blog network that seems to have more functions and a better setup for a growing blog like ours.

Relating it to the Top Vol Blog awards, five of the six are run in Wordpress. We'd like to hear your feedback on this, either in the comments section or by email at volsfootball5@yahoo.com.

You could help in making this decision easier and where we want to go as a site.

Bobby Maze to Tennessee

Sports Fan — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:34:00 -0400

It didn't take long for Tennessee to find a replacement at point guard. The Vols picked up Bobby Maze on Wednesday. Maze said: "The plane landed and I breathed in that Knoxville air...You see those seats in the arena and how high they go up, and all the sellout crowds, the Jumbotron screens everywhere, the practice facility. You have every tool here to be successful.”

The junior college All-American was also looking at Cincinnati and Kentucky, but decided Tennessee was the place for him. “I wanted to play on a team where I had a chance to win a championship, and the players here at Tennessee are the best players you could want to play with."

Maze flew in just yesterday and knew this was the place for him. He said he plans to enroll in first term of summer classes at Tennessee and take part in the Pilot Rocky Top Summer League.

He started his freshman year at Oklahoma, and played with Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College last season, where he averaged 20.7 points, 6.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. Not to mention a team leading 55 steals.

Maze is a great pickup for the Vols, after they lost starter Ramar Smith late last week. He will be expected to start right away, and perhaps give advise to incoming freshman Daniel West.

Tennessee Basketball: Duke Crews and Ramar Smith Dismissed

Sports Fan — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:56:00 -0400

Just a day after the story of Chris Lofton's triumphant victory over cancer was released, the basketball program at Tennessee took a shot back to reality. It was announced that sophomores Duke Crews and Ramar Smith have been dismissed from the team. Coach Bruce Pearl announced that the dismissal of both are not related and is more of a build up of incidents, more than it is one particular one. Pearl was quoted saying: “We just felt like — both the University of Tennessee and these student athletes — we’d be better served to move on.”

The dismissals are attributed to 'violations of UT’s substance abuse policy and academic shortcomings.' Vol fans most likely remember Duke Crews's run-in with the law in September, when he was handed a 30-day suspension for violations of team rules. It was found out that prior to the suspension that he had failed a drug test. A heart condition left him out of the beginning of the most recent season, but he was cleared to play and by the end of the year starting to pick up his game.

It's no secret that Ramar Smith has had academic trouble lately. The point guard from Detroit had problems just getting into Tennessee, when his SAT test was late to be validated. But, he was cleared to play, and late in his freshman year, Smith had played a major role in the Sweet Sixteen run. But, September of last year wasn't such a good month for Smith either. He was in an accident when borrowing a teammate's car and had fled before police arrived.

While the dismissal of these two isn't exactly a shock, after the recent history of both and rumors involving academic problems for Ramar, it still hurts. The two had great potential and helped load a team that has talent to make another serious run. It had been reported, that the Vols have offered Bobby Maze a scholarship. Maze, a point-guard, started for Oklahoma as a freshman but he too was dismissed from the team. In the paint, however, it must be expected that Ryan Childress and perhaps even Brian Williams could see more time in 08-09, filling in for Crews. The Smith count for the Vols has dropped down to 1.