ON MY MONDAY MIND
NCAA TOURNAMENT TAKEAWAYS:
SWEET-16:
-The tournament often turns to chalk in week two but not as complete a whiteout as we witnessed Thursday and Friday. Favorites were 7-1 ATS and the only games that were even competitive were the 6-7 matchup between Notre Dame and Wisconsin and 10 seed Syracuse’s victory over the 11th seeded Gonzaga.
-Is it just me or does Greg Gard not look like he was born to be Wisconsin’s Basketball Coach? He’s straight out of central casting. If I saw him on the street and someone asked, “what do you think he does for a living?” I would probably answer “he should be Wisconsin’s basketball coach”.
-The irascible Jim Boeheim and his unlikable Syracuse Orangemen continued to don the tournament black hat with a Friday win over everyone’s remaining bracket darling Gonzaga Bulldogs. Guess every good drama needs a villain especially with Duke already dispatched back to Durham.
ELITE-8:
-These have to be fun times at Oklahoma. When you combine a college basketball rarity- a senior generational player like Buddy Hield and one of the great coaches of his era in Lon Kruger you have something very special that Sooner fans won’t likely see again.
-It’s one thing to stifle UNC-Asheville and Miami it’s quite another to make Kansas look pedestrian offensively. Villanova is on another plane than most -even very good - teams defensively.
-As far as Virginia’s monumental meltdown against Syracuse allowing the rotten orange to advance to the Final-4 I guess Jack Buck said it best; “I don’t believe what I just saw”.
-In opposition to NCAA Tournament games starting at 9PM on Sunday night I will have no comment on the UNC-Notre Dame Game. Even if I don’t have to go to work anymore on a Monday morning.
IS 2016 “THE” YEAR FOR TENNESSEE FOOTBALL: Tony raised a very thought provoking question late last week regarding the future of Tennessee Football. Is 2016 a narrow window of opportunity for the Vols? We are all excited about the possibilities of a solid upcoming fall as Butch Jones’ rebuild hits the critical 4th season with upperclassmen that he and his staff recruited, improved depth and full-roster understanding of what’s expected. The program appears positioned for success next season but if it does occur will it be followed up on or will 2017 see us take a step back? Excluding immediate contributors that could come from the 2017 recruiting class let’s further examine the roster to explore the possibilities:
QUARTERBACK; EXPECT FALL OFF IN PERFORMANCE IN 2017
Josh Dobbs could certainly improve his accuracy but it’s hard to imagine -despite their more ballyhooed high school careers- that Quinten Dormady, Sheriron Jones or Jarrett Guarantano will be as good in their first year starting as Dobbs will be as a senior.
RUNNINGBACK: THE DROP COULD BE MORE PRECIPITOUS HERE THAN AT QB
It is almost a foregone conclusion that one or both of Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara will leave after their junior seasons for the NFL Draft. Hard to imagine John Kelly, Joe Young (if he plays again) or Carlin Fils-aime filling the void of either let alone both.
WIDE RECEIVER: EXPECT THE USUAL ZACH AZZANI UNIT PRODUCTION IN 2017
Most of the unit expected to contribute in 2016 (JRs Josh Malone, Josh Smith, Sophs Preston Williams and Jauan Jennings; R-Fr Vincent Perry, JUCO Jeff George and True Freshmen Marquez Calloway, Corey Henderson, Brandon Johnson and Latrell Williams) will return in 2017. Will they be any better next year than this is the real question?
OFFENSIVE LINE: EXPECT PEAK PERFORMANCE IN 2017
Offensive linemen expected to contribute in 2016 (R-Jr Brett Kendrick, Jrs Jashon Robertson and Coleman Thomas Sophs Chance Hall and Jack Jones and R-Fr Drew Richmond) will all be back with tons of starting experience in 2017. The only defection should be Dylan Wiseman who exhausts his eligibility this coming season.
DEFENSIVE LINE: IF A RUSH END EMERGES D-LINE WILL BE FINE IN 2017
I would expect Derek Barnett to forego his senior season to pursue most football player’s dream of the NFL. That being said I gave the 2016 Vol roster little to no chance of including both Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Cam Sutton. If Barnett does leave early with LaTroy Lewis finishing up his career as well it will be up to the likes of Kyle Phillips, Darrell Taylor, Austin Smith and Jonathan Kongbo to fill the void.
The Vols should be solid at DT in 2017 with Shy Tuttle, Khalil McKenzie, Kendall Vickers and Quay Picou
LINEBACKER: VOLS HAVE SHOWN TENDENCY TO “NEXT MAN UP” THE POSITION
The Vol LB corps survived the loss of A.J Johnson and Curt Maggitt last season just fine thank you so I have no reason to believe they won’t do the same when Jalen Reeves-Maybin leaves after the 2016 season. Darren Kirkland Jr will be a grizzled veteran MLB and should find plenty of help from the likes of Quart’e Sapp, Cortez Mc Dowell, legacy hopefuls Elliott Berry and Dillon Bates or incoming freshmen Daniel Bituli and Ja’Quain Blakely
CORNERBACK: CAN’T BE AS GOOD IN 2017 WITHOUT CAM SUTTON
But the drop off may not be as drastic as feared if Justin Martin doesn’t decide to go with him. Martin looks like a big-time playmaker, and would be joined in 2017 by Emmanuel Mosely, JUCO D.J Henderson and incoming freshmen Marquill Osborne and Baylen Buchanan
SAFETY: A POSITION THAT SHOULD IMPROVE IN 2017:
Right now the top-4 for 2016 are projected to be Junior Todd Kelly Jr, R-Soph Rashaan Gaulden and Sophs Micah Abernathy and Stephen Griffin. Throw incoming legacy Nigel Warrior in the mix and the position should get nothing but better over the course of the next two seasons
RETURN GAME: CAN A PUNT RETURNER BE FOUND FOR 2017?
Cam Sutton’s loss will be felt here as well. He has proved to be a dangerous weapon when our opponents are forced to punt. Evan Berry will likely be back for more 100+ yard kick return excitement.
SPECIALISTS: 2017 SHOULD BE A BANNER YEAR:
Both Punter Trevor Daniel and Place Kicker Aaron Medley will be savvy Seniors with lots of pressure kicks under their belts when the 2017 season rolls around
SUMMATION:
-The potential loss of the entire starting backfield makes it difficult to believe that the offense will perform as well in 2017 as expected to in 2016.
-A solid, veteran offensive line however will make the transition for first year starter skill players much easier
-Hard to see a defense that loses stalwarts Cam Sutton, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and likely Derek Barnett improving the next season. For some reason however I feel the drop-off will be less on the defensive side of the ball than the offense.
MONDAY MUSING: Hope you had a blessed Easter with Family and Friends.
