The Vols 2017 season starts on Monday, September 4th against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at the brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia at 7PM CST. After a decent, but disappointing 9-4 record in 2016, things certainly can’t get worse, or can they? Here are three reasons why the 2017 Tennessee Vols will be an absolute dumpster fire.
Inexperience at Quarterback
Josh Dobbs was an excellent quarterback and an even better human being. I believe he singlehandedly won us a number of games during his career, starting with South Carolina in 2014. He often made plays when they mattered most, and he will be surely missed. He has statistically put his name up there with Erik Ainge, Heath Shuler, Peyton Manning and Casey Clausen.
Now, we bring in Quinten Dormady, who has seen limited action. We also have talented redshirt freshman, Jarrett Guarantano. I believe both of these guys have talent. I don’t believe that these two will perform as well as Dobbs, at least not right off the bat, so expect to see some growing pains. No matter if we start one or both, there are going to be some stupid fumbles, awful throws for interceptions, and missed touchdowns.
I’ve heard a lot of comparison to when Peyton Manning left and Tee Martin came in. I’m going to squash that reasoning. That ’98 team was absolutely stacked at every position. The ’17 Vols talent isn’t even close to what we had in ’98. Not to mention, contrary to what Butch Jones might think, the veteran players on this team have never competed for an SEC championship like the ’97 Vols. New quarterbacks making dumb decisions is just part of the game. Not having All-American talent, or even All-SEC talent at the skilled positions will make that worse. I expect to lose a game or two due to the inexperience in this area.
Butch Jones
We are all frustrated with Butch Jones. Butch has said some really dumb things after the disappointing 2016 season. “Five star hearts,” “championship of life,” and “we compete for championships every year” are just a few quotes that come to mind. We are tired of hearing dumb comments like that, and quite frankly, it’s embarrassing. I’m wondering when Butch Jones will accept the fact that last year was disappointing and that it falls on his shoulders as the head coach to accept responsibility and improve.
Let’s not forget he is a hot head on the sidelines. He gets really red in the face, and spits everywhere when he’s angry. You can see the steam coming out of his ears while he’s yelling at a referee, and sometimes his own players. Bad calls happen, and screaming at a referee isn’t going to change that fact. Do us a favor and calm your temper before you get ejected from a game at some point. We’re tired of the cookie cutter answers and excuses. As Al Davis said, “Just win baby.”
No dominant presence on defense
Derek Barnett was an absolute monster on defense and really set the tone for everyone else. He could often take the game into his own hands. Once he got going, you knew we could make some plays on defense. After his departure, I don’t see someone who I would consider the spark on defense.
Todd Kelly Jr. and Darrin Kirkland Jr. have played well, but I wouldn’t consider either one dominant. Jonathan Kongbo, Justin Martin, and Kahlil Mackenzie haven’t lived up to their potential. Kyle Phillips and Shy Tuttle have been plagued by injuries throughout their career. We have plenty of talent on defense, and I think it’s actually a solid group. I don’t see any reason to think they won’t play at least slightly better than the major drop off that occurred at the end of last season. However, I don’t see any of these guys as the tone setter that Barnett often was. Hopefully one of these guys will step up and be the battering ram we need, but I’ll believe it when I see it on the field.
Check out some reasons for optimism here.
Smokey covers the Tennessee Volunteers for the SoBros Network. He loves a good backpacking trip, but hates taking a shit in the woods. Follow on Twitter: @SoBroSmokey
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