Vols/Blazers Thoughts

My first game at Neyland Stadium in several years was a hot, sweaty, fairly frustrating afternoon as the Vols put away a pesky UAB team.

Did I mention it was hot?

After grabbing two tickets from a scalper, Martha and I entered Neyland Stadium to find much of the upper deck empty. In all of 10 seconds, I went from thinking I got a good deal to thinking I could have paid much less for my tickets. In all my years of going to Tennessee games, including several years with season tickets and four years with student tickets, I can't ever remember seeing the stadium so empty. While AD Mike Hamilton is chalking it up to gas prices and high definition television (really, Mike?), the palpable feeling of frustration in the air probably had more to do with the empty seats.

My dad got our family season tickets back when I was a middle schooler and nothing in the pregame show has changed a bit. I do remember a year or two when they gave the male cheerleaders a microphone for a couple of cheers that led to massive groans rather than the desired "orange/white" silliness. They killed that nonsense and have stuck with the tried and true set-up ever since.

It did not take long for a sun-soaked crowd to get fussy with the inconsistent Vols. Our section was overly supportive at times. An orange-clad idiot in front of us yelled, "I'll take that all day!" after Arian Foster rushed for...nothing. 2nd and 10. I'll take that all day.

(Martha and I spent most of the 2nd half proclaiming we would take various Vol failures all day).

By the 2nd quarter, the boo birds were out in our section. Actually, there was only one boo bird in our section - me. Not sure why our section was so kind to the terrible Tennessee team, but it was just me letting them have it. Most of my anger was directed at Jonathan Crompton, but Luke Stocker got his share as well (though I blamed Crompton for continuing to throw it to him). Crompton missed wide open receivers and the interceptions were just awful.

The good news from my view is Section AA was the secondary's stellar play, a slightly improved pass rush and the running game in the second half. Do I feel good about the Florida game after beating UAB?

Are you kidding?

My expectations are so low for Saturday I'm going to be pleasantly surprised with any points at all.

Monday Morning thoughts coming, well, tomorrow.

Is Tennessee Still an "Elite" Football Program?

A group of us were talking up SEC football at lunch the other day when this topic came up: Is Tennessee still an elite program?

The guy across from me, who happened to be an LSU fan, argued they are since they played in the championship game of the country's toughest conference last season. Of course, that is a game they lost, but they did hang with eventual National Champion LSU and really outplayed them for most of the game.

The guy next to me laughed at the suggestion. The Vols have not been in a BCS bowl game since the 1999-2000 season. They have not won a meaningful bowl game since the 1998/99 season. They have not won the SEC in years. Right now, they are the 6th best team in their own conference - how can they be an elite program?

So who is right?

At this point, in the aftermath of the Horror in Hollywood (I really like that moniker, by the way, much more than the Collision in the Coliseum this Saturday), it is easy to argue against the Vols. They are on nobody's National Championship watch list, let alone SEC East watch list. While the Dawgs and Gators grab national attention with Heisman winners and contenders, the Vols can only boast a really good secondary.

And what about NFL talent? Elite programs like USC, Ohio State and Florida are sending player after player into the pros. Do the Vols have guys who will play on Sunday?

Yes - Eric Berry, Arian Foster, Demetrice Morley, Gerald Jones, Brandon Warren and Britton Colquitt all strike me as plausible professionals. I imagine we have a linemen or two as well. Fulmer has rarely lacked talent because of his outstanding recruiting abilities. The Vols are a national power each year on Signing Day, even if some of those big recruits (LaMarcus Coker, Jonathan Crompton) don't pan out as advertised.

Back to the question - is Tennessee still "elite"?

Yes - stadium, facilities, fan base, tradition, national exposure, recruiting, winning seasons, consistently in bowl games, marque victories.

No - unranked, middle of pack in conference, not contending for titles, dissatisfied fan base, lack of football creativity, lack of significant wins.

So which is it?

As orange as my blood runs, I think the Vols are a full step away from being an elite program at this point. There is no doubt that the SEC is the toughest conference in the country and being in the upper half of it says something. Heck, Florida and Georgia watched the Vols play LSU in the title game last season. But that was also a season that featured an admittedly lucky victory over Kentucky, an overtime win over a mediocre South Carolina team and three blowout losses. Elite teams don't get blown out three times in one season.

Maybe The Clawfense will turn things around. Maybe the big recruits will pan out. Maybe the Vols will find the heart they had in the 1990s. Until then, they are a good, not elite, football program.

Should Tennessee Play Cupcakes?

Phil Fulmer and AD Mike Hamilton like to brag about the Vols' football schedule which includes future games with Oregon, Oklahoma and Ohio State. But is it a good idea for the Vols to play such tough out-of-conference competition, especially so early in the season?

The case for cupcakes makes good sense. The Vols are a notoriously slow-starting team that usually peaks in November (and not just because Kentucky and Vanderbilt are usual November opponents). For years, Tennessee fans longed for the Florida game to be moved back because the Vols were a better team later in the year. It makes little sense to open the year with teams that can beat the Vols - teams like California and UCLA. Why not get the Crompton kinks out against UTC instead of UCLA?

An opening cupcake also keeps spirits high for longer than four quarters. I'm expecting empty seats at the opening home game on Saturday because of post-UCLA frustrations. The Vols are out of the national polls and the laughing stock of the SEC (which is saying something with Arkansas and Mississippi State in the conference). Instead of losing to a 3rd-string quarterback across the country, the Vols could be 1-0 against an FBS team in the comfort of their own dorm rooms.

Playing tough out-of-conference teams in the season opener is like the politician who tells the truth: it might earn national respect, but it doesn't win elections. Ask Walter Mondale. Remember the National Championship season of 1998? Remember that the Vols were one generous pass interference call away from losing its opener at Syracuse? Most Tennessee fans don't, but that loss would have ruined any hopes of a national crown. The long-term costs outweigh the benefits.

The track record of opening up against a tough opponent dispells the myth that it prepares the Vols for the SEC schedule. Did losing to Cal help against Tim Tebow last year? Did beating Cal at home two years ago help the Vols against Urban Meyer a few weeks later?

Quick trivia - do you remember who the Vols opened up with the last time they beat Florida?

How many of you said UNLV?

Look around the country - Oklahoma plays UTC, Florida State plays Western Carolina, Alabama plays Western Kentucky, LSU plays Appy State, Ohio State plays Youngstown State...you get my drift.

There is no, okay not much, shame in playing a cupcake. The SEC is challenging enough without playing at UCLA, Oregon, Ohio State, etc. on top of it.

Monday Morning Football Frenzy

The latest in a long line of short-lived weekly segments, the Monday Morning Football Frenzy will recap the weekend that was in the world of football. Enough introduction - let's get to the goods.

Friday Night Lights

Two impressive performances from Chattanooga private schools against Nashville juggernauts have me even more excited about their big October 3rd meeting. McCallie and Baylor were both over-matched in their meetings with Brentwood Academy and MBA, respectively, but both put up good fights in losses.

The end of Baylor's 14-3 loss to the MBA Big Red was puzzling. Baylor had three timeouts remaining as MBA tried to run out the clock. Instead of using those timeouts with the hope of a fluke fumble, a chance to get the ball back, etc., the Red Raiders decided to let the clock run out. What kind of message is that for the boys? There does come a point in the game where "quitting" is justified (i.e. not taking timeouts when down 30), but a two-possession game with two minutes left? Why not play it out and see what happens?

The other highlights of the high school weekend were Ooltewah's dominance of McMinn County and Soddy Daisy showing its win over Red Bank was no fluke as it beat William Blount.

College Highlights

No Vols this Saturday, but Tennessee schools had a good weekend as Vanderbilt beat South Carolina, MTSU upset Maryland (how bad is the ACC?) and UTC destroyed Cumberland.

Then, there was Memphis. I actually stayed up to watch the miserable ending of its game with Rice. The Tigers were driving for a field goal that would break at 35-35 tie, but instead the Owls picked off a pass and returned it for the game-winning touchdown. Tommy West looked like he was going to get sick on the sideline. What a miserable loss and miserable start to the season after getting spanked by Ole Miss last weekend.

Speaking of Ole Miss, Houston Nutt is doing a job in Oxford (and don't tell me its Ed O's players). The Rebels whipped rival Memphis, then nearly shocked Wake Forest in North Carolina. While I don't expect Ole Miss to contend against LSU, Alabama and Auburn in the SEC West, I imagine the Rebels will be bowling at the season's end.

Who won't be bowling? How about Bobby Petrino and Arkansas. They barely beat FCS team Western Illinois last week, then survived a missed field goal at the buzzer to beat Louisiana-Monroe. Why aren't the Hogs on Tennessee's schedule this year?

There is only one way to describe Petrino's start in Fayetteville - karma.

Either Miami is better than advertised or Florida is vulnerable. Tim Tebow did not look as strong as he did running the ball last year, despite ESPN's piece on his workouts. (And how long until the Erin Andrews/Tim Tebow sex tape hits the market?). I actually find myself liking Tebow more and more, but I think Urban Meyer is running his stud quarterback into Earl Campbell status with the constant and often unnecessary hits he is taking.

The BYU/Washington ending did not bother me at all. Remember when Arian Foster was penalized 15 yards in overtime for spiking the football after a failed 2-point conversion? Same thing. How can that kid not know that he cannot flip the ball up into the air after a touchdown? That has always been a penalty in college football and it should have been flagged. Blame the kid, not the ref.

East Carolina? If they were in the ACC, they would be the conference's best team. They dominated West Virginia on Saturday, who was one of my sleeper teams to make a national championship run (for full disclosure, West Virginia has been my sleeper team for about five straight years. Don't know why exactly, but I always like them). Where will Skip Holtz be next year - South Carolina? Maryland? Mississippi State?

Notre Dame? You heard it here first.

The Pros

I know the big stories are Brady and Favre, but how about them Cowboys? They dominated a good Cleveland team in Cleveland. Romo looked sharp except for a terrible decision in the end zone (I blame his bloody chin for it), T.O. was open all day and making big plays, Marion Barber and Felix Jones are studs and the defense held Cleveland to 10 points. I'm a happy Cowboys fan this morning.

I'm a happy Titans fan too. Tennessee once again shocked Jacksonville in the season opener despite the pitiful play of Vince Young. Kerry Collins is the future in Nashville. Okay, maybe not the future, but I think he ought to be the present. Young is holding the Titans back with his poor passing. Even the touchdown pass to Chris Johnson, who looks like a draft steal right now, was barely catchable. The Titans can be a playoff team once again with a big arm like Collins in the pocket, but will continue to struggle to score with the heartless Vince Young back there.

The Colts looked old last night.

Weird results all day - Bears over Colts, Bills over Seahawks, Panthers over Chargers...I don't know what to make of them. Flukes or parity? Good teams were losing at home yesterday. Weird.

Worst team in the NFL? It is not the Atlanta Falcons who blew out Detroit yesterday behind Matt Ryan and Michael Turner. Um, what? Vick who? Is Detroit just awful or is Atlanta okay?

The worst team must be Cincinnati. Did you see Joe Flacco's touchdown run? I can outrun that guy. It was the slowest football run I've ever seen in a professional game since Steve Bono ran a naked bootleg against the Cardinals last decade (my football memory is a vault of useless information).

Next Week

USC vs. Ohio State. Can you believe they are playing each other? Me neither. Plus I'm heading to Knoxville for the UAB game. If Crompton starts the game with an incompletion, I'm booing him the rest of the day.

Murray through to the Final

Well CBS is probably a little disappointed that there will not be a Nadal vs Federer III in 2008, but rest assured the better player won in the second men's semifinal match today in Arthur Ashe Stadium. This match was as good as it gets in men's tennis. Andy Murray played a nearly flawless match, under ridiculous circumstances. He was up two sets to love yesterday when the rains came. Moments after the match was postponed, it was announced they would resume play on Sunday at 4:00 pm. Everyone under the sun was predicting this would help Nadal-- it was a forgone conclusion that he would compose himself in order to meet Roger in the final on Monday. Nadal certainly played better today, but it was not enough. Rafa managed to win the third set, but it was Murray who was dictating play throughout. I can't imagine the final will be as good as this one was today. Federer lucked out by playing a visibly dejected Novak Djokovic in his semifinal. Djokovic said some idiotic things to the New York crowd after his win over Roddick, and his heart was never in it on Saturday. That's not to say Federer doesn't have a chance on Monday-- he is the greatest player ever, but if Murray plays anywhere near the level he played on Saturday and Sunday, he should walk away with the first Grand Slam title for the British Isles since Fred Perry won here in 1936-- and I thought we Americans had a drought going!

The Cost of High School Football

If you have a chance to pick up today's Times-Free Press, there is a terrific piece in the sports section about the costs and struggles to maintain a high school football team. Who knew that painting the lines all season costs $2500 or that outfitting a single player pushes $700.

The article outlines several ways coaches try to either increase revenue (pay to park, increased ticket prices) or decrease costs (re-use helmets, go without new practice uniforms), but there is no getting around the TSSAA decision that is having the greatest impact on football money: the across-the-state districts.

Several schools are mentioned in the piece, including my one-time home Ooltewah. The Owls play in Knoxville and middle Tennessee, so fuel costs for buses will drain a significant amount of the football budget. Many parents cannot even afford to make the trip to see their kids play ball.

The idea of raising ticket prices to offset these costs is hurt by the distance between schools playing. How many students from William Blount are going to travel to Ooltewah to watch their team? The limited attendance means less money even with an extra dollar added per ticket. Anyone who has been to one of these match-ups has seen the empty "Visitor" bleachers that come with them.

Here is the solution the TSSAA needs/must implement for next year: local districts. It will never be fair when schools with varying enrollments play each other, but it isn't fair to have kids missing class and running up huge fuel costs to play a more fair opponent in a game that means nothing to anyone outside of the two teams. We need to restore the local rivalries not just for the game's sake, but for the kids', parents' and environment's sake as well.

My school, McCallie, will play its third game tonight in Nashville. I haven't seen them play other than the jamboree because their games have been in Charlotte and Franklin. What a waste. I've written this before, but things were much better around here before the public/private split when real rivalries existed between schools like McCallie and Brainerd or Baylor and Red Bank. Those rivalries are dead.

Instead, we have games like Brentwood vs. McCallie and Ooltewah vs. William Blount. We have games that are half empty and extremely expensive. It doesn't make any sense.

Off the top of my head, I can list over a dozen schools in the area that ought to be playing each other instead of out-of-town teams: Ooltewah, Central, Hixson, Soddy, Red Bank, Baylor, McCallie, Notre Dame, Brainerd, Howard, Tyner, East Ridge, Bradley, Cleveland, Boyd Buchanan, Grace, Signal Mountain...you get the idea. In the name of fairness, whether that is public vs. public or enrollment sizes being equal, we're watching schools and teams struggle to properly equip their players and parents unable to afford the gas to watch their kids play.

Here is hoping that the TSSAA redraws the districts to make high school football relevant and affordable in the state once again. The playoffs can include trips across the state, but regular season games ought not to include lengthy jaunts that end up excluding students and parents.

A-Rod Playing Well in NY

As predicted, Rafael Nadal and Scotsman, Andy Murray will clash in the semifinals of this year's U.S. Open. Both looked good but beatable in their respective quarter final matches yesterday. Federer should cruise this afternoon in his quarter final match against Luxemborger (and qualifier), Gilles Muller, even though Fed needed five sets to dispatch Igor Andreev in the fourth round. Don't forget, Adreev is no slouch on this surface-- he upset Roddick here a couple years ago.

Speaking of A-Rod, of the six men left in the tourney, he is by far playing the best tennis. He is also the only one in the Top 10 who skipped the Olypmics. Hmmmmm . . . coincidence? Seriously, Andy lost six points on serve against Olympic Gold medalist, Fernando Gonzalez, and hardly broke a sweat winning easily in straight sets. Tonight he goes up against the reigning Australian Open champion, and current #3 in the world, Novak Djokovic. And oh by the way, Novak lost here last year in the final against Federer-- a match he should have won. On paper, this looks like a tough match for Roddick, but Djokovic looked extremely tired, and was pushed to five sets in his fourth round match. Look for the brash American to make it through to the semis easily. Fed should be waiting, but if A-Rod serves the way he has been thus far at the Open he should be able to get by him this year. Just a few weeks ago, I was slamming the state of American Men's tennis. I boldly predicted that Federer would win another slam before any American male would. Well, I hope I was dead wrong. Good luck Andy, I hope you end this four year, slam-less drought for the Americans (the longest in history).

As for the Women, after watching Serena beat Venus last night, I don't think Dinara Safina will have enough to get past her in the Semis. That truly was a great match last night, probably better than their Wimbledon final a few weeks ago. Venus failed to convert set points 10 times, which was ultimately her downfall. All-American sweep in singles this year? We can only hope.

Post-UCLA Questions...Without Answers

A full day after the Hollywood Horror, I've got lots of questions that need answering.

1) What exactly is the "Clawffense?" Is there something more to it than pre-snap motion?

2) When are special teams going to be a priority?

3) Why send Daniel Lincoln out to try a 55-yard field goal after he was short from 51?

4) Can Jonathan Crompton be a big-time college quarterback?

5) Check that - can Jonathan Crompton be a competent college quarterback?

6) Why throw the ball 41 times when they are getting over 5 yards with every rushing carry?

7) Why throw the ball 41 times when Crompton isn't close with 39 of them?

8) Why sit Crompton in the pocket when he is clearly athletic enough to roll out away from the UCLA pressure?

9) Why was UCLA able to get so much pressure on Crompton? Wasn't this the exact same offensive line that protected Ainge so well last year?

10) Why isn't the Vol defensive line able to ever get pressure on the quarterback?

11) Did Rico McCoy make the trip to the Rose Bowl?

12) How can the offense fail to score, fail to even attempt a field goal, after inheriting the ball on the UCLA 25?

13) Without any running game whatsoever from the Bruins, why wasn't the defensive line able to tee off on Craft?

14) What happened to the secondary in the 2nd half? The 4th quarter?

15) What is Arian Foster's problem in terms of hanging on to the football? His career is going to be remembered for the turnovers, not the rushing record.

16) Who approved the white tops/orange pants look?

17) When will we see B.J. Coleman?

18) What took so long to put Gerald Jones back to field kicks and punts? The guy is the most explosive player this side of Eric Berry - get him the ball.

19) Speaking of that, what happened to putting Berry on offense?

20) Is it time to panic or time to take a deep breath?

I wish we didn't have to wait so long until we start getting answers. The UAB game cannot get here fast enough.

UCLA 27 Tennessee 24

Now is hardly the time to point out my astute predictions, but when I'm right, I'm right.

Glass half empty? My five concerns were:

Jonathan Crompton - awful. Just awful. I'm sorry, Bob Griese, but he wasn't inaccurate because of pressure. He was simply inaccurate. He looked lost and overwhelmed, getting little help from...

Dave Clawson - awful. Just awful. David Cutcliffe has forgotten more offensive imagination than we got out of Clawson tonight.

Neuheisal and Chow - clearly out-classed us, especially Chow who got smart with his plays in the 4th quarter and sliced us up.

Depth - the Vols looked gassed in the 4th because Fulmer could not sub throughout the night. It hurt us.

Meanwhile, our senior stud running back fumbles inside the 10, we still can't get a pass rush on the quarterback and the special teams lost us the game.

The good news is that we are still 0-0 in the SEC. For now.

First Week of the 2008 U.S. Open is in the Books.

Some thoughts:

1. The U.S. Open is celebrating 40 years of the Open era and predictably had a really lame opening ceremony last Monday night, complete with—get this—the Jersey Boys doing a Four Seasons medley. They also invited 40 past champions to help celebrate. Inexplicably, the only two 5-time men’s champions, Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras, were M.I.A. These guys defined the U.S. Open during their respective eras. Not sure who’s at fault here, but it felt awkward to me. Also missing: Steffi and Andre.

2. As I mentioned in my preview, I was a little upset that James Blake had to play Donald Young in the opening round, but that ended up being a really enjoyable match—at least the last two sets were spectacular. On Saturday night, Blake had to face one of his best friends on the tour, fellow American Mardy Fish. They are such good friends, that Blake will be a groomsman in Mardy's September wedding. Fish, for those of you who don’t know, is two years younger than Blake and might be the poster child for wasted talent in the Men’s game, but he managed to get by Blake in straight sets to make the round of 16 at the Open for the first time in his career. While both players played well, this was not a fun match to watch. It seemed neither player was enjoying himself.

3. My two picks, Andy Murray and Dinara Safina looked less than invincible during the first week and both were pushed to the limit getting to the fourth round. Meanwhile, the Williams Sisters (who should collide in the quarters), Nadal, and Fed have all cruised easily through the early rounds. Good thing I’m not a betting man.

4. As good a story as Mardy Fish making the round of 16 a month before his wedding is, perhaps Sam Querrey’s (pictured) story is even better. The six foot-six inch, 20-year old from Southern California made a huge statement on Saturday by beating an even taller (6'10") Ivo Karlovic in straight sets. What sounds like a pretty boring match on paper, ended up being quite entertaining. Up next for Querrey? Unfortunately, he’s got to face Nadal.

5. Perhaps more than any other Open that I can remember, this tourney has been all about the Young Guns. There has been some electric play from guys who wouldn’t be old enough to buy a beer during their stay in Queens. I’ve already mentioned 19-year old Donald Young and 20-year old Sam Querrey, but there have been others. Guys like Marin Cilic - 19 (who is in the midst of a four set battle with world #3, Novak Jokovic as I type this), Ernests Gulbis – turned 20 during his match with Roddick (he had a chance to go up two sets to love against the big serving American, but eventually lost), Juan Martin Del Portro – 19 (who is still alive in the tournament!), Kei Nishikori – 19 (who is also still in and all he did was get by former #1 and current #4 David Ferrer!). The kids are alright, indeed.