Depth Issues Threaten to Bury Vols

 

First the news comes that Josh McNeil could be finished for his career. Then Lane Kiffin drops a bombshell at the Knoxville Quarterback Club that Bryce Brown could be out up to 4 games. Brown was cleared to play by the NCAA on Thursday. That hasn’t strengthened our confidence. We’ve yet to speak to anyone remotely in the know that thinks that McNeil will play this season, and the Vols weren’t in great shape along the OL to begin with.

 Kif has his work cut out for him. Stewart Mandel of SI was on the Sports Animal today and talked about the talent level at UT. He said that the Vols had playmakers, but not to the extent that an Ole Miss, LSU, or a Florida do. He also commented that most of the playmakers are young.

 Add to those troubles the rash of injuries that Tennessee has seen of late and things are starting to look grim. Your team isn’t in a good way at receiver when they move a guy from defense to offense 2 weeks before the season kicks off. It also doesn’t help to lose a 3 year starter on an offensive line with only 6 warm bodies that look to contribute before this injury.

 Here’s even worse news. Teams rarely make it through the SEC schedule without losing an OL at some point for at least a quarter or two. A quarter or two may not sound like a lot of time, but it could be the difference in a ballgame in this league. Here is what these injuries really mean:

• The crucial swing games in the middle of the schedule are looking less like wins by the day: Maybe Jones is back by the Auburn game. The Tigers, UGA, South Carolina, and Ole Miss all have depth along their front seven. Expect them to throw the kitchen sink Tennessee’s offense to test Jonathan Crompton’s penchant for making poor decisions. Teams can overachieve and take a game or two in a given season against a more talented squad. They rarely do it without winning the battle in the trenches.
• Crompton’s options on third and long will be limited: Having a porous or banged up line forces teams to leave RB’s and TE’s at home to help with blocking duties. Crompton’s field vision isn’t exactly Peyton Manning’s to begin with. Limiting his options is not going to help his proclivity to throw the ball into traffic. If you only send 3 receivers and your opposing defense drops 5 into coverage, you’re behind the 8-ball from word go. This is an especially frightening concept with Gerald Jones and Denarious Moore out early in the season. Anyone else cringe at the idea of Brandon Warren, Quentin Hancock, and Nukeese Richardson trying to get open in The Swamp with Carlos Dunlap breathing down Crompton’s neck?
• Tennessee has to stay on schedule: Former UT and Saints QB Bobby Scott has taught us over the past 2 years that a team isn’t going to win many games if they can’t keep their third downs to less than 5 yards. First and second down may never have been more important for the Vols than they will be this season. There just aren’t enough playmakers on the roster for UT to regularly bail themselves out of third and long situations.
• Jonathan Crompton will have to be an effective play action QB: UT should expect to see 8 men in the box on first down on every drive. Crompton has to make good decisions and not be afraid to check out of running plays that just aren’t there. Tennessee could learn a lot from studying what Alabama did last year. How many times did we see John Parker Wilson throw on first down to pull a safety out of the box last season?
• The RB’s have to pick up yards after first contact: Any and every yard is going to matter this year. Tennessee’s backs may get hit at the line of scrimmage a lot more than they are used to. It’s imperative that they keep their knees going and try to pick up 2 or 3 yards with forward progress on every play.
• Someone off of the bench is going to have to step up: Aaron Douglas, Jarrod Shaw, Cory Sullins, and Dallas Thomas are going to have to play beyond their experience levels. The Vols have to have a sixth OL. Teams don’t survive SEC seasons without it.