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This Week’s Roundtable is hosted by: MoonDog Sports.com

Once more unto the breach, dear friend…

This week marks the return of the Big Orange Roundtable and is hosted by MoonDog over at MoonDog Sports.com.

Given the fact that I have been tied up with re-modeling and am just generally incompetent, HSH and I have decided to both jump in on the Roundtable and offer our points as a team.  In the event we disagree, I’m wrong…

Here are our thoughts for the week:

Week 1

1)  In my mind, this season’s success—or failure—centers around one man, Jonathan Crompton.  What is your opinion of Crompton’s ability to run Lane Kiffin’s pro style offense?  Can Crompton overcome his miserable 2008 season and lead the Vols to a winning record?

HSH: Crompton absolutely cannot be much worse, right?  A common theme in the answers you’re likely going to see here will say something along the lines of Crompton’s main responsibility of managing the game—and doing quite a bit of handing the rock off.  You would think that in Lane Kiffin’s offense he won’t be throwing the ball too much, assuming the Vols are able to run the ball well.  Obviously the running game can help make Crompton’s job easier, although the WR injuries this week aren’t helping his Heisman hopes.

The optimist in me says that most of Crompton’s issues last season were due to the overall overwhelming ineptitude of Dave Clawson’s offense.  However, the Auburn debacle, which I placed almost direct blame on Crompton, has me hesitant.  Tennessee wasn’t too far away from being at worst 8-4 last year , so even marginal improvement by #8 should get the Vols above 6 wins.  I’m willing to give him another chance, but hopefully for everyone’s sake he doesn’t throw a pick or botch a handoff in the first series at Western Kentucky come September 5…

Lawvol: It’s a funny thing.  Last year—based solely upon his performance while filling in for the injured Eric Ainge in 2006—I was expecting great things from Crompton.  In fact, I was actually convinced that the Crompton would wow the Vol faithful with a new look as a mobile quarterback who is not afraid to make contact with defenders.  At one point last year I actually predicted that, after an 8 or 9 win season in 2008, the Vols would potentially contend for a national championship in 2009 behind Crompton and the much vaunted Clawfense.

This proves two things.  First, it shows that rising to the occasion in a moment of need—which I think Crompton did admirably while standing in for Ainge—is not the same thing as being a starter.  The second thing it proves is that I am a moron.

All that said, I too agree that Crompton’s biggest goal is to just play cleanly.  In 2008, there were times when it seemed likely that he might trip over the yardlines or deliver a handoff to a blitzing linebacker.  Personally, I think that much of this owed to a fundamental lack of understanding of the Clawfense by the offense as a whole—which pretty much just peed down its leg for the entirety of the 2008 season.  This is not to say that Dave Clawson was not a good coach or that the Clawfense could not work, it simply did not work in 2008 for the Vols.

Not to be overly critical, but Crompton does not (or at least has never shown) that he has the mental game of Eric Ainge or any of the other quarterbacks that preceded him in Orange.  Crompton likes to play loose and makes plays based purely upon athletic ability and less upon great decision-making ability.  As he made clear when filling in for Ainge (famously dropping his head and planting a “T” in the chest of an LSU defender), Crompton is an instinct guy.  I don’t think he cares much for his mind getting in the way of him playing football.  Perhaps that is why he often seemed to have the deer in the headlights look when trying to work through the permutations of the offense last year on the field.  As a result he made bad decisions, held the ball for what seemed like ten minutes in the pocket, and generally failed to meet expectations.  I just do not believe that he “got it.”  Thus, I suppose the 2008 season was the proverbial “Perfect Storm” that was destined for disaster from an offensive perspective.  On one hand there was an offense inspired by the theories of Niels Bohr and Stephen Hawking and on the other a quarterback who is not exactly known for his mental toughness.

If Kiffin and Jim Cheney can keep it simple, allowing Crompton to simply play, I continue to believe that he has the ability to be a decent quarterback.  I actually think he has the ability to be a competent passer (that is if there are any receivers left for him to throw to), so long as the system is simple.  For Crompton, I think it is all about just letting him play.  Hopefully that is what they will let him do.

2)  Last season, the kicking game was mediocre at best and the special teams—especially the punt coverage unit—was a disaster.  Daniel Lincoln returns as the kicker and Chad Cunningham will return as the punter.  What are your thoughts about the Vols kicking game and special teams?

HSH: When you bring up Tennessee and special teams, the first thing that comes into my mind is Florida’s Brandon James.  This is my senior year of college here at UT, and I’ve seen—in person—that little guy take a punt back on my Vols every year of my college career.  That can’t happen again, right?  At least I won’t be there in person if James does…

Will Kiffin kick to him?  Or will the Vol offense be such a juggernaut that Tennessee won’t have to punt or attempt anything more than extra points?  Chad Cunningham punted well on occasion last year, but can he do that each and every kick?  Daniel Lincoln right now has to cause lost sleep because he was pretty bad last season.  Fortunately for him, Erik Ainge’s pair of picks in the ‘07 SEC title game made people forget about Lincoln’s pair of missed kicks, which seemingly was the beginning of his troubles.  Hopefully he can break out of his funk.

As for the return game, I just hope Nu’keese Richardson is either doing punt returns or kick returns (or both).  Remember the spark Dennis Rogan brought back in 2007?  Yeah, having that would be nice.

Lawvol: Other than devotees to General Neyland’s Game Maxims, few people notice a kicker until they screw up.  It’s all fun and games till the winds are a blowin’ and the refs are swinging their arms.  That said, I actually believe that both Cunningham and Lincoln are more than talented enough to do the job—after all, Lincoln was an All American Selection in 2007.  Still, last year was not a good one for the kicking teams.  Kickers tend to be a bit fragile—one or two big misses and they lose their confidence.  The best way for that to change is by not depending on field goals to win close games.  In other words, put the ball in the checkerboards and the pressure is off Lincoln, giving him a chance to get his stride back.  I think that, if given the opportunity to have a little success early in the season, he will find the mark again.

As for Cunningham, he has the distance, but seems to lack control and consistency.  Given all of the upheaval within the team as whole last season, I am hopeful that this might have simply been a by-product of a fanbase in a feeding frenzy paired with a program stuck in the process of melting down.  Confidence is everything for kickers and that comes from the top.  Lane Kiffin is many things but is not short on confidence.  I think this, along with the general change in attitude for the team as a whole will have a positive impact on the two most important toes on the team.

As for kick returns, things actually seemed okay at times last year, but there was no explosive threat on the return.  I agree that Nu’keese Richardson might play a significant role here … if he is ready.

3)  Tennessee’s offensive line was thought to be a strength in 2008, but like the rest of the offensive unit, didn’t perform well.  What are your thoughts regarding the offensive line for 2009?

HSH: I think the returning lineman have gone on the record saying how much the flipping line offense threw them off, not to mention it gave away the direction of Tennessee’s play to opposing defenses.  So I would think the zone blocking schemes in the Kiffin offense would be easier and better for these guys.  Anything is better than that silly line-flipping nonsense of the Clawfense, right?

The other issue is obviously depth.  Tennessee is hardly a deep team anywhere save for the secondary, but the offensive line is a place where the depth issue maybe the most severe and most uncomfortable.  The starting five: Chris Scott, Josh McNeil, Vlad Richard, Jacques McClendon and…?  Behind them…?  It’s just a tad frightening what a injury here or there may mean.

Lawvol: After the 2007 season, the Vols were thought to have one of the best offensive lines in the country.  After allowing only four sacks in 2007 that was an easy conclusion to reach.  2008, however was a four-cornered disaster on offense.  The offensive line just never figured out whether they were supposed to pirouette, dip, or moonwalk when facing the onslaught of a defense under the Clawfense.  Again, I’m not saying that Dave Clawson’s paradigm was a bad one, but it was not the right one for Tennessee in 2008.

Going back to what I said above, keep it simple, stupid.  While The Full Monte—who Eric Berry refers to as the “Google of Defense”—is installing the “Tennessee Two” (which very well may be the most complex defense ever fielded by the Big Orange), Jim Cheney’s job has got to be making things simple.  The fact of the matter is that a well-executed simple system will beat a razzle-dazzle, knock-em-stiff, approach which is fouled-up.  “Simple,” however, does not have to mean “un-creative” or “one-dimensional”—given his experience at both Purdue and with the St. Louis Rams, I imagine Cheney’s offense will be anything but boring.  I also expect to see solid fundamentals by players who understand their role in the game.  Accomplish those goals, and you are more than halfway to fixing the problem.

As for the issue of depth, well, there are only so many bodies to fill the holes.  Kiffin, however, has made a strong commitment to giving the players who work the hardest and show the drive win the starting position.  I imagine that there will be a lot of jockeying for positions from hungry underclassmen for a shot at field time.  One the whole the I like the people we have, but if someone gets hurt things could get really interesting really quickly.

4)  Tennessee finished 5-7 last season, a huge disappointment for a team expected to perform much better.  How do you believe the Vols will finish in 2009?

HSH: I’ve got some SEC previews coming in the near future where I’ll go on the record with my predictions for everybody, but I’ll go ahead and give mine for the Vols here.  Here’s how the sked breaks down for me:

• 5 games to assume Tennessee should win: Western Kentucky, Memphis, Vandy and Kentucky (because Tennessee never loses to Vandy or Kentucky).

• 3 games to assume Tennessee will lose: Florida (duh) and Alabama – measuring-stick games (how competitive will Tennessee be?)—and Ole Miss (road game, and they’ll wanna get some revenge on Coach O).

• 4 toss-ups: UCLA, Auburn, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Fortunately, Tennessee gets the four toss-ups at home.  The Vols are equal in talent or more talented than 3 of those teams.  Tennessee should honestly pound UCLA like they should have last year, and I have my doubts that Auburn and South Carolina can really come into Neyland Stadium and win.  The Auburn game is especially key, for two reasons: first, it’s the battle of the SEC coaching newbs, and losing at home to a coach whose own fanbase hated his hire (at first at least) probably wouldn’t be good, and second, it’s the beginning of a stretch of big games (AU, UGA, Bammer, and SC).

That leaves Georgia. I’m not sure how good the Bulldogs will be this year, but to expect Tennessee to win that game might be a little too much.  So it’s safe to assume UT beats UCLA, Auburn, and Carolina, and loses to UGA. All that means 8-4 is a safe expectation.

Lawvol: Well, I’m going to be a sheep and go on the record that I believe that Tennessee will win one game that it is not supposed to: namely either Alabama or Florida.  Most will think that I am crazy for that, but I think Kiffin’s chutzpah gets them one off of sheer belief in the new system.  On the other hand, I think they may likely have a chance of losing one they shouldn’t (to me, Kentucky seems especially likely in that regard).  I also do not think that the Ole Miss will be as big a deal as some think.  I really do not believe that Ole Miss will have an axe to grind with Coach O since, after all, Ole Miss fired him.

In the end, 7-5 is a possibility.  I agree with HSH, however, that 8-4 is a safe expectation, but I believe that 9-3 is actually a real possibility.  I’ll have a much better feeling, however, after the first week of the season when we get to see not just what the Vols have to offer, but what the other teams put on the field.

The Rest of the Roundtable:

Having wasted your time on my largely meaningless and insignificant thoughts for this week, go check out what the other roundtablers (who actually know what they are talking about) have to say (in no particular order):

• Rocky Top Talk
• 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
• YMSWWC
• MoonDog Sports
• Vol Junkies
• Pigskin Pathos
• Bleeding Orange
• Loser With Socks

Also be sure to check out the round-up over at MoonDog Sports later this week…

– So it goes … – … to me.

Gate 21 Tags: 2009, Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn Tigers, Big Orange Roundtable, Blackjack General, Chad Cunningham, Coach O, College Football, Daniel Lincoln, Dave Clawson, Ed Orgeron, Erik Ainge, Features, Florida Gators, Full Monte, Gate 21, Georgia Bulldogs, Incompetence, Jonathan Crompton, Kentucky Wildcats, Lane Kiffin, Monte Kiffin, Neyland Stadium, Nu'keese Richardson, Ole Miss Rebels, SEC, SEC Football, South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Football, Tennessee Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UCLA Bruins, Vols

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