SB Nation - Prentiss Waggner

Talking Points: joke to boomerang against Memphis?

Joel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:23:02 -0000

Memphis coach Tommy West has made a stupid joke about a dog suggesting that Lane Kiffin is not all that smart. Tennessee players perhaps in danger of overlooking the Tigers are now focused.
Lane Kiffin still won't confirm that reigning SEC freshman of the week Janzen Jackson is suspended for the Memphis game -- it's Kiffin's practice not to comment on such things until afterwards -- but Jackson watched practice from a distance on Thursday and Monte has said that either Prentiss Waggner or freshman Darren Myles, Jr. will start alongside Eric Berry, so there you go. Yay for deductive reasoning.
We neglected to add the passive-aggressive little old lady to the Record of Wrongs this week.
UT commitment Jacques Smith's status with Tennessee remains solid after reports indicated that he'd been suspended for the first game of high school playoffs for fighting with a teammate. His coach called DaCoachO as soon as it happened, and O told him that they knew Smith well enough that they weren't overly concerned with it.
It appears that there will only be two officials visitors this weekend: Ahmad Dixon and Marques Pair.
Is this the week that Berry breaks the record? Time is running out.

The Tennessee Volunteers Football Depth Chart is Out

Hooper — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 14:38:34 -0000

He's been patiently waiting to find out who the other 21 would be. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

The first real, comprehensive depth chart (pdf) of the Tennessee Volunteers was released yesterday, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press (h/t to Home Sweet Home of Gate21). As expected, freshmen players litter the field, including a listing or two that are surprising even to those following the practices.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

#1 - Jonathan Crompton This we knew, as it was announced on Monday.
#2 - Nick Stephens

Fullback

#1 - Kevin Cooper Cooper is a little shorter and stouter than Johnson, which should help in blocking situations. I don't know how the receiving comparison works out, but protection for the quarterback is probably a high priority until we know how well Crompton performs with the new offense against actual opponents.
#2 - Austin Johnson I'm a little surprised not to see Sam Edgmon given a nod, considering how well he seemed to be catching passes.

Tailback

#1 - Bryce Brown and Montario Hardesty The first surprise to me is the cop-out of listing co-#1s. Even if the very first play against Western Kentucky has both of these players in (and one fullback out), one of the two is still the #2 option for the staff. I still think that, at the moment, Hardesty is the "first-option tailback", but this might be a way to add some publicity for Bryce Brown.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Nu'Keese Richardson Nuke is the only true freshman to have unquestioned ownership of a #1 slot on the offense. Getting the nod over Warren is a testament to his work ethic and his ability to stay healthy through the preseason. I wonder, though, how much of this was influenced by the injury to Gerald Jones and the need to add a little more speed and maneuverability on the field.
#2 - Brandon Warren Stay healthy and practice hard, young man. Coaches don't evaluate training table etiquette when choosing starters.

Wide Receiver

#1 - Quintin Hancock In his senior year, Hancock has a golden opportunity to show Vol Nation that he's as good as he can look in practice. That he is the tall receiver on the field (and not Brandon Warren) is a statement about the premium that the coaching staff placed on practice time.
#2 - Marsalis Teague I wouldn't expect Teague to be far behind right now, with Hancock having the advantage of spring practice to learn more of the playbook. By the time Jones gets back, Teague may very well have moved up (back) to send on the depth chart here.

Tight End

#1 - Luke Stocker Stocker's the better receiver, and Cottam's the better blocker. This may be more informative of the staff's offensive tendencies than the actual comparison between the two.
#2 - Jeff Cottam I have to wonder: if he hadn't been injured all last year, where would Cottam be as a player right now?

Left Tackle

#1 - Chris Scott No surprise here.
#2 - Dallas Thomas The redshirt freshman is the heir apparent and should get some live fire time here and there throughout the season.

Left Guard

#1 - Vladimir Richard I like Vlad, he's a fun guy.
#2 - Cody Pope Another heir apparent, it's notable that Vlad is listed at 300 lb and Pope at 288. This offensive line is going to be much lighter and quicker than last year's, courtesy of a different zone blocking concept.

Center

#1 - Cody Sullins Who might have been #1 even if McNeil hadn't been injured.
#2 - Cory Sullins Learn quickly, young man. Please learn quickly.

Right Guard

#1 - Jacques McClendon where experience again made the difference. The right guard will be critical in the new running game, as he both assists the center in blocking and is the primary blocker to open up most cutback lanes on zone sweep plays. If you're inclined to watch line play, watch him.
#2 - William Brimfield Note, though, that the beef is apparent on the right side of the line. McClendon is 324 and Brimfield is 346. Run blockers, yes.

Right Tackle

#1 - Aaron Douglas and Jarrod Shaw Even more transparent than the co-number 1 running backs - we're not going to see two right tackles on the first play against Western Kentucky. I'm guessing that Douglas has more potential, but Shaw is more polished.

DEFENSE

(Note: I think that the defensive line terms of 'left' and 'right' refer to the left and right as the offense sees them, so the left end lines up against the offense's left tackle, and so on.)

Left End

#1 - Gerald Williams Raise your hand if you saw this coming at the beginning of spring camp, when GW was begging Kiffin to let him play linebacker. It's good to be unblockable.
#2 - Willie Bohannon and Ben Martin Sigh. Another co-listing. I'll stop that now, as you know my feelings.

Left Tackle

#1 - Wes Brown - at 257 pounds, he's one of the lighter starting tackles you'll ever see. This feels much like a pass-rushing tackle, similar to the way the New York Giants line up.
#2 - Andre Mathis - I think Mathis will be in for short-yardage situations.

Right Tackle

#1 - Montori Hughes and Dan Williams Talk of Dan Williams not being the exclusive starter did not begin for a while, and even when Hughes came on strong earlier in the fall camp, it was thought he'd be at left tackle. The staff really like what they see in this new kid, and so do I.

Right Guard

#1 - Chris Walker who has also had a really nice fall, though you don't tend to hear about it as much because of Williams and Hughes.
#2 - Steven Fowlkes The consensus on Fowlkes appear to be that he has a really, really high ceiling but is still developing. If he stays on course, then next year's presumed lineup of Gerald Williams, Hughes, and Fowlkes may be special.

Strongside Linebacker

#1 - LaMarcus Thompson This is not a surprise.
#2 - Greg King That Thompson was the obvious #1 is not a slight on King, though. You don't hear much of him, but it's always been very complimentary. I think he should be at full speed next year.

Middle Linebacker

#1 - Nick Reveiz Even less surprising. The staff loves this guy, and his attitude should be a real emotional boost for the whole defense.
#2 - Herman Lathers It's hard to find information on Lathers, both because the news coverage on linebackers has been almost nonexistent and because Shorty Reveiz has made a better story whenever they did bother mentioning these guys.

Weakside Linebacker

#1 - Rico McCoy Injury didn't keep him from losing his slot. Healthy, he's one of our best and I look forward to seeing him play.
#2 - Savion Frazier I'm curious how close Frazier came to taking the slot when McCoy was hurt. Unfortunately, the lack of news drama here suggests it wasn't as close as I'd hoped.

Left Cornerback

#1 - Anthony Anderson and Mike Edwards I think this really means that Anderson is the #1 for the first couple of games, but Edwards could take it so long as he keeps learning the system.

Right Cornerback

#1 - Art Evans No real surprise here. His name has come up quite a bit during practices, particularly for his interceptions.
#2 - Marsalous Johnson The depth is really nice in the secondary.

Strong Safety

#1 - Eric Berry
#2,436 - Darren Myles, Jr. and Prentiss Waggner Welcome to the competition for the guy that gets to replace Eric Berry next year. Don't worry; we won't be judging you according to Berry. Sure.

Free Safety

#1 - Janzen Jackson and Dennis Rogan I'm still a little surprised that Rogan gets moved around between corner and safety as much as he does. Jack of all trades, master of none? However it works out, I'd like him to have a more permanent home on the roster.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker

#1 - Daniel Lincoln
#2 - Chad Cunningham

Punter

#1 - Chad Cunningham His kicking strength is supposedly much better this year.
#2 - David Harrington
#3 - The Ghost of Colquitts Past

Kickoffs

#1 - Chad Cunningham
#2 - Daniel Lincoln

Punt Returner

#1 Nu'Keese Richardson I guess those worries about ball-catching weren't enough to sway the staff. Hopefully that means he's been catching better.
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Kick Returner

#1 - David Oku
#2 - Dennis Rogan

Deep Snapper

#1 - Morgan Cox
#2 - Nick Guess

Holder

Bram Cannon

Talking Points: Monte Kiffin says Eric Berry a quick study

Joel — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 11:43:58 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Browse more photos »

The Google of Football says that Eric Berry is picking up the T-2 as well as anyone he's ever coached:

Every day I am around him I am more amazed. We are not talking about a redshirt, 5th-year senior. He is a third-year player in a new system. Every day it's something new and he picks it up so quickly. He will come into the NFL whenever he goes pro and whoever gets him will be fortunate and they will be shocked about how much football he knows.

He is right there with anyone. We haven't had many guys come in and start as a rookie. Eric is really, really smart and he has great instincts. You just tell him one time and he gets it. You have to think every time a guy motions or shifts, it's something new for him because it's a new system. This is the stuff everyone probably knew about him before I got here. But he is something special now.

He's funny, too, as he asked the coaches at one point during the 3 1/2-hour practice if he could take a nap. Why's that funny? Because we know Eric Berry is processing information while everyone else sleeps.
Kiffin doesn't have time for this shirt:

Kiffin had little time for questions from a Knoxville radio reporter about changes to the Vols' practice jerseys and potential alterations to Tennessee's uniforms during the season. "Not that I know of. I haven't had a discussion about it. We're just trying to line up and make a first down," said Kiffin, who promptly concluded his post-practice comments following the inquiries. "We'll hire somebody to be in charge of our uniform questions."

Bringing the sack back to Tennessee. The last three seasons have featured the three worst sack totals of the past 20 years, and defensive ends Chris Walker and Ben Martin plan to race each other to the QB.

The QBs improved on Thursday, but are still having lapses here and there. According to Scout.com, Jonathan Crompton "made a dozen or so exceptional throws," and Nick Stephens "was fairly sharp." Crompton threw a 45-yard TD to a fullback of all things and another to Gerald Jones, but also threw an interception in the end zone to Prentiss Waggner. Stephens threw a 50-yard TD to Jones, but had one picked off by freshman CB Eric Gordon.

Nu'Keese Richardson had a better day, picking up a handful of yards on a reverse that the defense didn't even bite on and making an athletic move to catch an out-of-bounds pass. Gerald Jones also played well, but at one point lay on the turf for about a minute before getting up. He returned, though, and later caught two more TDs.

Tennessee's secondary full of Eric Berry and Berry clones?

Joel — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:43:30 -0000

One of the biggest questions this fall is who is going to play opposite Eric Berry at the other safety position. After two days of practice, Prentiss Waggner's received the most reps, so it's looking like he has the early lead. Don't count out junior Dennis Rogan or freshman Janzen Jackson, though, as they've both also received looks. Darren Myles, Jr., too, could work himself into the mix.

A bunch of freshman and Berry is really not out of the question, according to Berry himself, who said both guys are more ready to play than Berry was his first year. You know, the year Berry had five interceptions for 222 yards? Yeah. "They are great athletes right now," Berry said. "They just need to learn the playbook. I mean they are going to be great competitors at this school. I feel like they are going to be incredible. People look at me as 'this guy' but they come in with more natural ability in how they get to the ball and the plays they make. I am just saying. Look at those guys. Look at their size."

Rogan extends the praise to additional newcomers Eric Gordon, Mike Edwards, and Nyshier Oliver. "Man, they all looked real good out there, especially with it being the first day and not getting to go over a lot of the plays with the coaches," Rogan said. "They looked REAL good."

So it's little wonder that Kiffin considers the secondary is the deepest, most-talented unit on the team. "I think what you're seeing is you're seeing a unique depth in our secondary," Kiffin said. "Probably easily our deepest position, so what happens is that a lot of times the twos go in and there's someone you can pick on, someone you can go after. But when our twos go in, shoot on our twos right now Brent Vinson and (Dennis) Rogan are on our twos. So that's pretty tough guys to go against."

We have no idea what the secondary's going to look like, apart from Berry. But however it shakes out, it sounds like it's going to be strong.

Talking points: "a really horrendous day" edition

Joel — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:18:00 -0000

Happy Good Friday to everyone. After the Talking Points, I have a question for you.

Oh, yay. Lane Kiffin called Thursday "a really horrendous day" for the quarterbacks. Jonathan Crompton, B.J. Coleman, and Nick Stephens threw at least four interceptions (two others were thrown after sacks had been credited) among them. Two were thrown under pressure rather than taking sacks. So woo. Not only that, but the trio repeated mistakes multiple times. Yeehaw. Safety Prentiss Waggner had at least two INTs, and Derrick Furlow and Dennis Rogan each had one.
Aluminum foil lining. Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney says that the offense was trying to do several things for the first time (what, like breaking the NCAA interception record for a season in a single scrimmage -- rimshot!) and that pass protection stinks. So maybe it's all just defensive end Chris Walker's fault. Yeah, that's gotta be it. Hooray.
Here's some actual good news: Daniel Lincoln (I think, maybe it's "the kickers") were 29-30 on their kicks. They missed the last one. I'm hoping it wasn't a game-winning scenario.
We want scores of thousands to come and see nothing next week! The scrimmage today will likely be more interesting than the Orange and White Game next week because the rabble with be there with cameras next week and today's scrimmage is all top-double-secret hush-hush stuff.

Off topic: What is the big sin about asking for french fries with Filet Mignon? I spent Sunday through Wednesday at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in D.C., where Cokes were $2.50 and everywhere you turned you had to hand somebody a Lincoln. It was cold outside, and so on the last day I just decided to eat in the hotel and get back to work, and of course they have nothing but Fancy Food with Foreign Names, most of which I abhor. So I order the Filet for $36, and what do I want with those? French fries.

They just don't understand fries or anything that involves slicing and deep frying, I guess. No, they have to go and find the finest potato -- cultivated in Idaho, exported to France and re-imported back to America -- slice it into a grand total of four brick-sized wedges, and rather than just dunk it in trans fat, they trot out the basting brush to coat it with the finest oil from the finest olive from the finest tree in the shadow of an ancient sepulchre in the Middle East. Stick it under a heat lamp for thirty seconds and you have fries, apparently.

The meat was decent. But I could have used a chocolate shake to wash it down. When I get rich I'm putting a Sonic in the lobby of every Five-Star Hotel I can worm my way into.

Happy Easter.

Talking points: Nick Reveiz outlifts Dan Williams edition

Joel — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 11:36:10 -0000

Tennessee Football

This actually came out yesterday, but everybody's piling on today, so I will, too. At their first meeting, Lane Kiffin made the understandable assumption that Nick Reveiz was a -- gasp! -- kicker. Yeah, well, coach, most kickers don't outlift your linemen.Lance Thompson, by the way, jokes that with every play Reveiz makes on the field, he "seems to be getting a littler taller."
Suddenly, the secondary looks . . . different. With Demetrice Morley dismissed, Eric Berry held out of full contact, and Brent Vinson recovering from shoulder surgery once again, a bunch of new folks are getting looks in the secondary. Art Evans is No. 1 at one of the CB spots at this time. C.J. Fleming is actually working with the ones at CB more than former starter Dennis Rogan, who's been getting some playing time at that "other" safety position. Also vying for that "other" safety spot, though, are Stephaun Raines and Prentiss Waggner, although Rod Wilks is gettting some looks there, too. Daryl Vereen, too, is in the mix in the secondary, and this fall, five-star DB Janzen Jackson and four-star DB Darren Myles, Jr. will throw their helmets into the ring. Eric Berry's been named to the 2009 Lott Trophy Watch List.
Misc. . . . Cody Pope's been moved from right tackle to right guard. . . .It's true, fullbacks are in fact catching passes in practice. Austin Johnson recently made a "nifty, one-handed catch on the sideline" and another 40-yarder. . . .B.J. Coleman's favorite target is Tyler Maples, and they recently hooked up once for a 50-plus-yard gain. . . .The offense gave up zero turnovers on Tuesday.

Talking points: call it the crab attack edition

Joel — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:00:59 -0000

Tennessee football

Crab Attack! After Lennon Creer was stripped on a run up the middle in Saturday's scrimmage, Ed Orgeron slipped during the resulting scrum for the ball and had to "scramble crab-like on his backside out of harm's way." Right. Obviously, the reporter responsible for this account does not know the Powers of the O; he was merely in attack mode.
More details on the practice that wouldn't end ($). The defense ended ahead on points, and when practice was called, the offense refused to leave the field and challenged the defense to keep playing. Lane Kiffin allowed one more play, and B.J. Coleman hit Quinton Hancock on a quick slant route for a 3-yard TD. Kiffin again called practice, but this time the defense refused to leave the field, so Kiffin permitted another play. Crompton then hit Hancock on the same play with the same result, and the defense again refused to leave the field. But Kiffin, probably wary of some sort of NCAA sanction against competition, finally made everyone pack up and head home.
What's the estate tax on this? Many of Tennessee's new coaches are inheriting units in shambles, but not secondary coach Willie Mack Garza, who takes the reins of a defensive backfield consisting of a consensus All-American, four bona fide starters, a stable full of talent behind them, and a handful of very highly touted recruits on the way. One member of that secondary on Saturday ran an interception back for a 60-yard touchdown and then leveled a running back like he was Knowshon Moreno ($). What? No, it wasn't Eric Berry, it was Prentiss Waggner, about whom coaches were raving after Saturday's scrimmage. Brent Vinson, though, is still struggling with that shoulder, which became dislocated again a few weeks ago, and will have to have surgery after spring practice. He should be back in time for fall practice.
Did I miss something? Crompton played on a bad ankle for almost the entire season in 2008? ($) Is that new information? Well, regardless, Montario Hardesty says that Crompton is "miles ahead of where he was at this time last year," an assessment that begs for relativity jokes. Hardesty's not the only one, though, as Kiffin said that he played "extremely well" at Saturday's scrimmage. Some Vol fans are understandably skeptical, and as John Adams points out, it's going to take a lot to erase the memories of 2008. Nick Stephens, by the way, is set to re-enter the QB competition next week.
More power please. The offensive line is going all zone all the time this spring, and the players are loving it as evidenced by this quote from Josh McNeil: "You snap the ball and fire off and you go. Whoever you see first, you knock the fire out of him. It just allows you to go 100 percent." I suggest not being in the line of sight at the time of the snap. Aaron Douglas is enjoying his move from tight end to o-tackle, too, maybe because of the "knock the fire" aspect or maybe because he's not running down the field 50 yards every play.
A bit of news on the fullback position in Kiffin's offense. Kevin Cooper says that the fullback is being used more as a running back and as a receiver ($) than just a lead blocker this season.
Big Dan becoming Sorta Big Dan. Dan Williams is shedding pounds to play in Monte's smaller, quicker, faster, better defense.
It's on! Lane Kiffin is hosting a free "Chalk Talk" for fans tonight at the Turkey Creek Texas Roadhouse. Word is he's going to challenge the whiteboard to a duel and ask the staff to draw up plays shirtless.
Put that on the fridge. The final grades are in for this year's recruiting class, and Dave Hooker gives the team a shiny gold star, including an "A+++ " for running backs. Hooker's probably underlined that grade in red and included some happy faces, too, I'm guessing. I would.

Tennessee basketball

Hmm. Pearl got a commitment from JUCO point guard Melvin Goins this weekend, but what has gone sort of unnoticed so far is that in order to add him to the lineup, Pearl's going to have to have a scholarship freed up. So who's on his way out?
Climate control. Pearl is not a big fan of all of the recent coaching changes in the SEC.

Tennessee alums

No comment. Former Vol Arian Foster, who decided not to attend Pro Day in Knoxville a few weeks ago, didn't have the best day in front of NFL scouts last week. He ran a 4.73 and a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash, and those times, along with most of his other results, didn't hit the benchmarks scouts generally look for in running backs.