Pate - Vols at Bama prediction

[Isaiah 63:1]

...And I agree with him, I'd love to see both teams wear home jerseys in this series.

Tennessee (credit where due) suggested this in 2009 when the NCAA changed its rules to allow it (not for us; for any series). SEC approved the request. Mal Moore rejected it.

 

[cdub55]

I'd rather have no mistakes. But if I have to tolerate them, let them be from a freshman. At least he has a realistic chance of improving.

Only tangentially related: It'll also be interesting to see how the staff's willingness to publicly challenge players will go over in this day of the transfer portal.

Wommack calls out Domani Jackson. Grubb calls out Wilkin Formby. And I guarantee you DeBoer blessed doing it publicly. Most staffs would be worried that the player gets his widdle feewings hurt, and he quits and transfers. Not this staff.

Maybe it's tough love. Maybe it's old-school coaching. Maybe they're figuring that if the player transfers, they aren't losing much. Maybe all of those.

Whatever the reasoning, I'm watching to see how or whether it works.

Bad thing about the portal is players can leave easily.

Good thing about the portal is it has never been more easy to replace a player.

Coaching staff's can either try to appease their players or they can make it crystal clear that you either do it THIS WAY or we will find someone next year that will. I think we are seeing how this staff is handling it and I love it.

 

[cdub55]

I think I understand what you are saying, but theirs is a difference between losing one player and losing half of the team, which is what many think was at stake. IDK. For CKD to replace JM would have been beyond difficult and certainly at first ludicrous.

Keep in mind that going in to the 2024 UT game, Jalen was the 3rd ranked passer in the nation according a post I read on another board in the last week. That’s not counting his sometimes scintillating running prowess. I assume he was still heavily in the Heisman talk. He was the reigning SEC Champion QB and game MVP. He had led the team to within OT of the NC finals and a likely win. He was the reigning AP 2nd team All-SEC QB only behind Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. IMO, there’s not a coach in the history of the game, including Bryant, Wade, Saban, Thomas, Stallings, Neyland, Pop Warner, Stagg, et al. who would have benched Milroe. So, there was no way the successful but little known replacement for the greatest coach of all time was going replace the championship QB he had left to him and who was still performing at a reasonably high level. And it’s not like Ty was lighting it up as his backup. He was a career 59% passer vs scrubs of lesser competition, which is why he was in those games. He threw multiple balls up for grabs, probably trying to emulate the first team QB’s long ball. He showed promise at times but he was nothing like Tua (but neither was Bryce or anyone else, though IMO Bryce showed more promise.) But most fans still had hope because it was just mop up duty.

It was then that Milroe had the terrible game vs UT. It was so bad that I genuinely thought he was injured. He had never missed passes that badly before. Some were literally 15 feet over the head of the receiver. Then he had the spectacular game vs LSU where not only did he show his breathtaking speed but he operated the offense like a real QB, throwing short and mid range passes like a real QB. I was shocked and thought Jalen and the O had turned the corner. Then the awful OU game, which was not all on him. IMO, it’s why KP is gone - he may have already checked out. There were dropped passes and JM came unraveled and did not recover. He played adequately vs AU in a solid win. Then the final disaster vs Mich. It was a sad end to what has become a sad episode that keeps being played over and over with viewpoints quite different in some respects than mine.

Ty is not the same QB that he was last year. Could he have developed as quickly as he did this year - IMO, not likely. The confidence that he has gained from being “the man” without JM, to whom Ty looked up according to his own testimony, has been significant. The extra time spent in the “real” DeBoer O has been incredibly beneficial as well as the development of his leadership which would have been impossible with Jalen around, even in a supportive role.

Ty is now having a wonderful year. He one of the few college QBs this year who is doing NFL reading AND throwing. He still has things to clean up. He knows it and accepts it. But this team will only go as far as his remarkable transformation, his passing and leadership, will take it. This is a passing team and he’s going to have to be “on” for this team to beat top teams, sometimes even mid teams, though Alabama will see few if any of those.

But IMO, history is different than some remember it and to blame CKD for not acting differently is unreasonable.

This topic has been covered ad nauseum but I'll simply say this...I would have rather put in Proctor at QB in the Oklahoma game. After the pick six and soccer slide attempt of a tackle, I wouldn't have blamed CKD if we would have went QB less and snapped the ball on the ground and just let a random player pick it up and run/throw it. If you don't think Saban wouldn't have made some in-game adjustments/subs on some of the stuff you seen, then you don't remember the UGA NC Hurts/Tua situation. There were a lot of dynamics that we again have discussed and I don't really care to relive but the main thing is it looks like CKD has learned from that situation and has started to hold players accountable for their play. That's all most of us wanted to see and he is doing it.

 

[NoNC4Tubs]

This topic has been covered ad nauseum but I'll simply say this...I would have rather put in Proctor at QB in the Oklahoma game. After the pick six and soccer slide attempt of a tackle, I wouldn't have blamed CKD if we would have went QB less and snapped the ball on the ground and just let a random player pick it up and run/throw it. If you don't think Saban wouldn't have made some in-game adjustments/subs on some of the stuff you seen, then you don't remember the UGA NC Hurts/Tua situation. There were a lot of dynamics that we again have discussed and I don't really care to relive but the main thing is it looks like CKD has learned from that situation and has started to hold players accountable for their play. That's all most of us wanted to see and he is doing it.

Let's just call last year a mulligan and look forward...