Dooley: “We’re Not Good Enough Anywhere Right Now”

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Never let it be said that Derek Dooley doesn’t say what he’s thinking.  Whether it’s comparing his team to the Germans at Normandy or expressing his feelings about his roster, Tennessee’s coach speaks his mind.

“We’re not good enough anywhere right now,” Dooley said of his team yesterday.  “When you say compete for an SEC championship, which is what we need to be doing here in this program, it’s hard to say there’s one position that is ready to compete for an SEC championship.  It’s everything — there is no one area.

“We’re improved, but there’s a long way to go.  There are some areas where we feel like we’ve got enough players to continue to develop, and there are other areas where we’re going to need some help.”

Dooley has referred to this season — his second — as Year One and last season as Year Zero.  Depth was an issue in 2010.  And while the depth should be a little better in 2011, the roster is now almost void of experience.  Example: Nine of Tennessee’s 11 starters on offense are expected to be underclassmen.

In other words, there’s still a lot of room for growth in Knoxville.