SB Nation - Donald Langley

Sprints // 04.10.09

cocknfire — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 04:39:27 -0000

Quote of the Month. Phil Fulmer, on why he hasn't met Lane Kiffin yet:

"We've missed each other," Fulmer said of Kiffin during an interview aired on WNML's Sports Talk. "We will at some point. He's been very busy. I've been very busy."

Busy, busy, busy. You wouldn't believe the honey-do list that piles up during 16 seasons of head coaching. Ask Johnny Majors how long it took him to get all those chores done.

It's actually an interesting piece, and here's your question of the day: When Fulmer essentially says that hiring Dave Clawson was a mistake, is Phil (a) throwing his former offensive coordinator under the bus; or (b) just stating the obvious?

Speaking of ... Another one bites the dust. Looks like Boy Wonder might have pissed off almost as many Tennessee players as he has SEC coaches. This time, it's Donald Langley quitting the team.

Tennessee's awful baseball season: Explained. They got docked a ton of scholarships under the APR rules. This one, I'm actually willing to say, sounds legit. Scholarships are precious in baseball, and losing 10 percent of them will hurt any team.

Arkansas fans: It's a long season yet. This is way too early. Last year about this time, South Carolina fans were also wondering about their regional chances. That turned out well.

Your weekend in SEC baseball. No real blockbusters here, though my Gamecocks are facing Scott Bittle on Sunday. Ugh.

It's happening! Darrin Horn is leaving! Blog names will have to be changed!
Um, not so much. Yes, there's "wiggle room," and fans should always keep their eye on coaches after a turnaround season -- but this rumor looks to be dead.

'I have in my hands ... ' A Sea of Blue wants to see proof of John Calipari's supposed recruiting transgressions, which is really only fair. However, I'm less sure about pursuing other players to come to Kentucky when you're not 100 percent sure you're going to go.

Michael Oher, getting draft ready. Not much new here, but it's a good primer for anyone who still isn't familiar with the expectations placed on the SEC's most famous offensive lineman.

Speaking of ... A look at where some Tennessee players might end up.

The end of a legend? Jerry at The Joe Cribbs Car Wash mourns the likely end of Legion Field. As an Alabama native who grew up thinking Alabama-Auburn was one of the only games worth watching, I share the sentiment.

Nothing officially confirmed yet, and don't expect it to be. But if true, this could be huge. The investigation is expected to be completed before the end of the century.

Spring Position Battles: Defensive Line

Hooper — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 19:00:08 -0000

So far, we have looked at the spring position battles for these positions:

Now, let's take a look at one of the primary concerns coming into the 2009 season - the defensive line.

Before getting into the players, I should note that there is a small chance that a player or two may get moved around - both between the offensive and defensive lines and among the various positions within the lines. I wouldn't expect much, but it's possible. However, I'm only going off the roster positions as listed by UT's football site and I'm not going to speculate much within this writeup about player movement (for lack of information).

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

According to UT's roster, the Vols have seven defensive tackles coming into the 2009 campaign. That's probably enough depth to be alright for the season, but you don't really want that number going any lower. A couple of injuries would create a real squeeze and limit the options available for the defensive coaches.

Final Campaign

Andre Mathis

Mathis is light for a D-tackle - listed at 255 lbs - and has not seen a lot of heavy action in his career. Originally projected as a linebacker, Mathis was likely moved to the tackle position to help with depth during an injury phase. At his lighter weight, he would likely be a more mobile and quicker tackle than most, but less likely to overpower a lineman and hold his ground in a straight-up shoving match. If he stays at tackle, his best use is probably on obvious passing downs, so his action will probably remain limited.

Chase Nelson

Chase is a name we've heard a little more frequently in action last year. At 270 lbs, he's a little more filled into the typical 4-3 tackle shape than Mathis. Yet Chase is also a move-over and was originally projected to be a pass-rushing defensive end than a tackle. He's another great fit for obvious passing downs, but his added experience and weight may make him suitable as an every-down tackle.

Dan Williams

Big Dan has been tearing up the interior for two straight years, and has the most solid shot at starting of any tackle on the roster. At 310 lbs, he's big enough to hold the interior against power runs. But he's also agile:

That was 2007. Williams played all of 2008 as well; although the stats seemed a little quieter for him, much of that was the terrific effort by the all-around defense, as well as a tendency for teams to throw those stupid 5-yard TE passes that killed us all year long. /digress

Starting time is in his hands. Williams is our best tackle, and will remain our best tackle if he chooses to do so.

The Junior

Victor Thomas

We have one tackle on the roster who will be a junior next year. At 6'4", 270, Thomas is - you guessed it - another D-end projection that was shifted over to the tackle position. I remember his name having been mentioned a time or two last season, but not much else. With Thomas, the real question will be his run-stopping skills. Can be be an anchor on the line and keep the guard/center occupied so the linebackers are free to move? Much will depend on how he develops in the strength and conditioning program.

The Sophomore

Donald Langley

Langley is listed at 6'2" and 290 lbs, which puts him more into the range of beef you generally like to see in run defenses. Recruited as a d-tackle, his physique suggests he has a real shot a significant minutes on the field. If you follow the spring practices and the O&W game, the real question will be his weight. You know that the Orgeron/Monte setup is not looking for fat blobs of humanity to occupy volume; they're looking for tenacious and aggressive players. Keep an eye on how his weight adjusts. If he stays (relatively) lean and quick, he's in prime position to start next to Williams.

Incoming

Arthur Jeffery

Jeffery was a tremendous grab for Tennessee. The Florida native is listed at about 285 pounds - a great weight for an incoming tackle - and is noted more for his quickness than his strength. As will all freshmen, his biggest concern will be his technique. Since he tended to be a better athlete than his counterparts, did he develop some bad habits that need to be broken? How is his stance? His leverage? We don't rightly know, but the coaches sure do. He really looks like a terrific prospect for tackle, but it'll all depend on how fast he rides the learning curve.

Montori Hughes

Hughes is not listed as high up in the rankings as you'd expect. He's 255, but hasn't filled to match his frame yet. Because he's still growing, the speed and strength metrics are very difficult to gauge. He's our tallest tackle, though, at 6'5" - something I really like to see on passing downs. I expect he'll need some time to grow and develop his skills, but he should have a fine career at UT in the long run.

DEFENSIVE END

The roster lists six defensive ends for UT in 2009. Like the tackle position, this is a little low for comfort. Fortunately, ends are at a slightly lower injury risk because they're not involved in as many pilups of humanity in the middle of the line. (That, and they don't line up directly against Auburn guards...) The biggest hurt is the loss of Ayers to graduation, but props to Ayers for tearing up the NFL combine and perhaps becoming a top-15 pick.

The Senior

Wes Brown

Brown saw a fair amount of action at end last year. While Ayers had one end spot locked up, Brown and Martin took up mot of the duty on the other end of the line. Brown is most likely one of the starters coming into the 2009 season, thanks to his experience and maturity. He's agile and quick, and ideally suited to be a pass-rusher, so he just might pull the coveted right end assignment if he grows into the new system.

Juniors

Ben Martin

Martin had his name called for a fair amount of the 2008 season and should be maturing into his full form at this time. A 5-star prospect, Martin is fast. He's also strong and smart, and is probably the most physically gifted D-end currently at school. Martin is the heavy favorite for starting time of the underclassmen and, despite my words for Brown, will most likely be the right end. You'll hear his name a lot throughout the offseason.

Chris Walker

Walker was originally a LB projection, but was moved to end for - you guessed it - depth concerns. His frame lies somewhere between linebacker and d-line ideals, but he can develop the strength and stamina for the line if he commits himself to it. He will always be a lighter player (listed at 230 on the roster), so he may find himself in relief duty in the new system. But one of the things we know about the new coaches is that they place a high value on heart and tenacity. During the spring, watch how hard he fights. If he's tenacious enough, he could overcome his size disadvantage.

The Freshman

Willie Bohannon

Willie Bohannon is the definition of a project. He's a tough player, but he's light (about 240) and a little slow (4.8 compared to 4.6 times) relative to the other end players on the team. The new staff doesn't start people based on their 40 times, but having the physical tolls does affect your ability to produce on the field, and these disadvantages will be very difficult to overcome. He's going to have a lot to prove to pass others on the depth chart.

Incoming

Marlon Walls

Walls was originally a LB prospect - 215 lbs out of high school - who added a lot of weight to his current 266-lb form. Is this weight due to filling into form, or did he gain a lot of the undesirable weight? Remember the 266-lb mark. If Walls drops down to 230 or so, then a lot of his size was probably the bad kind. If he stays 250-ish, then he likely gained a lot of muscle mass and may be turning into a true d-end - especially a left end. It's too hard to tell right now, so we'll have to watch and see. But the answer to Walls all begins with his weight and how it increased so much.

Rae Sykes

Sykes will be one of the new Vols this year, but he was originally recruited in 2007 and spent 2 years in the JuCo ranks. He's listed at 255 and is beginning to push for 4.6 speed, which would be terrific for defensive end. Because of his JuCo time, he may be ready to step in and play on the very first day. It's hard to tell if he can win starting time, however, because it's not easy to compare JC performance to the other names on the roster. If you're into dark horses, he's your guy.

SUMMARY

If I were to guess, I would have the starting lineup look much like the picture above - Wes Brown and Ben Martin at ends (though flipped from the picture), and Dan Williams and Chase Nelson starting in the interior. I'm least certain about Nelson because Langley has a real chance to grab the slot. I'm most confident about Dan because of his past history and because there's nobody else who's nearly as well suited to handle the left tackle position as him.

On defensive line, incoming players usually have to sit for a while as they fill out into their still-growing bodies. There are a few bright spots, but all of the incoming true freshmen have some physical development to do before they come into true form.

One last note: we have 7 tackles and 6 ends on the roster. Of the 7 tackles, 3 will be seniors. Of the 6 ends, 1 will be a senior, but one of the incoming players is from the JC ranks. Also, of the 7 tackles, 3 were moved to tackle to account for depth problems. Of the 6 ends, 3 were not originally d-line prospects. In short, we're thin on depth, experience, and on players who are ideally suited for the positions on the line. It should be workable this year, but the coaches absolutely have to find a way to get in more d-linemen in the next class. While one top-flight QB will go a long way toward easing our concerns, we're going to need a boatload of linemen next year.

Tennessee Volunteers v. Florida Gators: game preview

Joel — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:42:25 -0000

There are essentially three keys for home-dog Tennessee this Saturday against the Gators:

Control the A and B gaps on both offense and defense.
Win on third down defense.
New standard for punters: forget on-time, high, and deep. Go with early and out-of-bounds.

First, the pertinent stats:

Tennessee rush v. Florida defense	Tennessee pass v. Florida defense	Florida rush v. Tennessee defense	Florida pass v. Tennessee defense
20	52	20	12
13	4	44	74

Field Goals	Tennessee punting v. Florida punt return	Florida punting v. Tennessee punt return	Intangibles
T-85	118	37
T-85	14	21
Push

Strength of schedule metrics:

at UCLA	0-1	L 27-24
UAB	0-2	W 35-3

Hawaii	1-1	W 56-10
Miami (FL)	1-0	W 26-3

Can somebody explain the NCAA's strength of schedule pdf to me? Maybe it's just a mistake, but they have Tennessee's past opposition strength of schedule calculated as, well, zero, based on prior opponent's non-Tennessee games record of no wins and three losses. As much as that pains me, that appears to be correct, but they have Florida's calculated as zero as well, listing their prior opponent's non-Florida games record of zero wins and one loss. That has to be a data entry error, don't you think?

Here's how the teams look next to each other in each of the key statistical categories currently used in the RTT Ready, Fire, Aim BlogPoll Computer Ballot:

Rank	Team	WL	SOS	PED	RD	3DO	TD	PEO	EXP	OPPG	TO	3DD	AVG R	W AVG
17	Florida	1	99	4	13	19	3	34	116	6	62	15	33.82	191.09
70	Tennessee	65	99	12	20	61	30	96	116	27	23	68	56.09	450.36

It appears that Florida should have been ranked even higher than they were this week by the computer based on that wacky SOS data discussed above. Correcting for that puts them at third rather than 17th. Sigh.

So what's it all mean?

The bulk of the struggle in this game is going to focus on the A and B gaps in both lines. Those are the holes on either side of the center on the offensive line. As we've been saying all week (and for years), Tennessee's best chance against the Gators is to run the ball. If successful, they can then use the play-action pass, but if they aren't successful at running the ball, they'll give Florida another chance to run up the score because they won't be able to control possession on offense. The only possibly viable alternative to establishing the run and sticking with it is to use a short-yardage passing game. Despite all of that, the Vols will need to take a shot down the field once in awhile at opportune times to keep the defense honest. If they can hit one or two of those, it will help the running game a great deal and get us on the road to a possible upset. If not (and see the No. 54 Tennessee pass rank against the No. 4 Florida pass efficiency defense rank), it will just be viewed as an empty threat and will make matters worse. Tennessee's running game is good (or it appears to be good -- see the strength of schedule), but Florida's rush defense appears to actually have the edge. Still, it's our only hope Obi-Wan.

Really surprising to me here is that the numbers indicate a possible advantage for the Vols on defense. The knee-jerk skepticism is somewhat quelled by the fact that although UAB's defense was really bad, its offense really isn't. When we're on defense, look for two things: watch the A and B gaps, and watch our defense's ability to stop Florida on third down (Note Florida's third down offense rank of 19 against Tennessee's third down defense rank of 68.). Can Demonte' Bolden, Dan Williams, Walter Fisher, and Donald Langley dictate matters in Florida's backfield like Miami did? Will Chavis play the linebackers up at the line in different gaps at different times to give Tebow and the o-line and the blockers and options more to process and to disrupt the play at the outset? Will that increase the odds that any of Tebow's passes might be off target and result in interceptions from our ball-hawking secondary? It's possible. Defense is that one area where the home crowd can really help the team. It's been a long time since Tennessee's fielded an intimidating, dominating defense, and the early returns this year are encouraging. Al Wilson will be in attendance to be honored as the Tennessee Legend of the game, and it is probably safe to assume that coach Fulmer will have him address the team to get them fired up. If Vol fans see glimpses of the Tennessee defense of yore, they'll go nuts.

The real danger comes on special teams, specifically Tennessee's punting game. With Florida's Brandon James fielding punts, Tennessee's fourth-down territory should be expanded. If a punt is definitely called for, Chad Cunningham does not need to be a Colquitt, he just needs to be a mere pawn in the scheme, helping his team take one small step in the right direction. He does not need to get the punt out on time, high, and deep. He needs to get it out early and out of bounds. A thirty-eight yard gross average is not the standard here. Avoiding a special teams touchdown for the other team is the only goal. A ten-yard punt that is not returned may be the best play of the night that we'll never acknowledge simply because it precluded something bad from happening.

Post-game awards: Tennessee Volunteers v. UCLA Bruins

Joel — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:03:09 -0000

Best stiff arm. Arian Foster, on some poor unsuspecting defender. Really, there's little more satisfying than a well-executed stiff arm, as it leaves the would-be tackler grasping at air through contorted face on swiveled head.

Best wrinkle. Arian Foster's run out of the G-Gun. So yeah, that's three plays we have out of that set now. See Gerald run. See Gerald pass. See Gerald hand off to Arian for a nice 41-yard gain.

Worst Sequel. Arian Foster Fumbles the Game Away in the Red Zone, Part II. Or is it three? Four? Oy. Unlike most horror movie sequels, this one got old immediately. Like, the first time.

Best hit. Who else? Eric Berry absolutely leveled some poor soul in Baby Blue. In my over-excitement at the carnage, my dear old dad observed that, yeah, but the guy caught the ball. To which I counter-observed that, yeah, but he won't catch the next one.

Worst nickname. Clawfense. Uh-huh. Shelving and hoping it will keep.

Best unit. The Tennessee defense, who wreaked havoc for a time, picking passes out of the air like they were, oh, I don't know, bubbles or something, and who actually scored a safety that wasn't called.

Worst consistency. The same defense. Or was it a different defense? Either way, where'd you go, guys? Two halves, next time, mmkay?

Worst attendance, I. Brent Vinson and Donald Langley. We could have used those guys, especially Vinson, I think.

Worst attendance, II. UCLA. That was a big game, folks. Not only was it not a sell-out, it was nowhere in the vicinity of a sell-out. Go see your team, people. They're good. At least I hope they're good because if they're not, well, watch for Worst Attendance, III in a month or so.

Best comedy. Some players were wearing the wrong wristbands? Huh? What's the story there? Clawson up in the box reading off one script, Jim Bob Cooter relaying the plays off another, and poor Jonathan Crompton executing off another?

Clawson: Run to the right, on three!

Cooter: Got it. Pass to the left, on one!

Crompton: Got it. Sack, on two!

Best comedy, II. Arian Foster tackling his own quarterback. What wristband was he wearing?

Best defensive play. Going with Nevin McKenzie's pick six here. Man, that was nice to see. More, pretty please.

Biggest mystery. Dennis Rogan has some "undisclosed injury." "Undisclosed" generally means "bad." Hope I'm wrong.

Best MSM post-game line. GVX's Dave Hooker, who said that "Tennessee's defense was at work on Labor Day, but it clocked out early." Mmm-mmm.

Worst forecast. Cloudy. Chance of thunderstorms. And hurricanes, gnats, frogs, and locusts.

What else you got?