ON MY MONDAY MIND:

BROCKY and BEANO BANTER: Had a great time filling in for Tony on Friday with good friend Geoff Brock. We discussed with the listeners our areas of confidence and concern with the 2016 edition of Tennessee Football. Here are mine:

AREAS OF CONFIDENCE AND CONCERN

CONFIDENCE

1-SPECIAL TEAMS:
-Cam Sutton, Evan Berry and Alvin Kamara will once again ably handle returns
-Trevor Daniel was much better than advertised and Aaron Medley handled placements with precision down the stretch.
-STs is a Head Coach driven unit and Butch Jones has proven he pays more than lip service to this important phase of the game. With Jones in the lead Larry Scott will direct it as well as Mark Elder.

2-RUNNING GAME:
-This line has proven it can road grade and Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara are set for big years. Josh Dobbs and John Kelly will get their yards as well

3-PASS RUSH
-Bob Shoop is more aggressive than Jon Jancek and Derek Barnett, Kyle Phillips, Corey Vereen, LaTroy Lewis and Jonathan Kongbo give us plenty of bodies to stay fresh for 4 quarters.

CONCERNS

1-IDENTIFYING A GO-TO WR AND UNIT IMPROVEMENT
At least one of Preston Williams, Jauan Jennings or Jeff George need to be studs while Josh Smith and Josh Malone stay steady

2-LEFT TACKLE
-Believe one of Chance Hall, Brett Kendrick or Drew Richmond will respond but we haven’t seen it

3-BUTCH JONES
-Need to see the late 2015 season Jones from the outset while we’re still in the SEC Championship hunt.

KEY PLAYERS: We also asked callers to name the player on both sides of the ball they feel are the keys to the unit’s success. Here are my responses to that query as well:

OFFENSE: PRESTON WILLIAMS- I firmly believe someone needs to step to the forefront of the receiving corps, demand the ball and the attention of opposing Defensive Coordinators. Marquez North never quite claimed that lofty perch and Pig Howard’s diminutive stature somewhat limited his opportunities. Williams has the entire package necessary to be a college stud.

DEFENSE: KHALIL McKENZIE: With a locker room full of DEs and classmate Shy Tuttle still recovering from his gruesome 2015 leg injury McKenzie needs to step up in his sophomore campaign and be the top-flight interior defensive lineman that his reputation, size and strength suggests he can be. Veterans Kendall Vickers and Danny Obrien are steady and reliable but neither has the star qualities that Khalil possesses.

SPECIAL TEAMS: AARON MEDLEY: Brocky listed Medley as one of his concerns for the upcoming campaign and I tend to agree. PKs are like relief pitchers who can go from solid to shaky with one poor swipe of the leg. Medley was reliable down the stretch but in a season with SEC Championship potential -and the close games sure to come within- he needs to be almost dead-center perfect.

SEC TEAM WEAKNESSES: We discussed the potential strong points of each SEC team on Friday. Here is the other side of the coin that will keep coaches and fans awake at night this fall.

EAST

FLORIDA: QUARTERBACK: With Will “The Pill” Grier transferring and the realization that Treon Harris couldn’t beat anyone but Tennessee the Gators will rely on two transfers at signal caller. R-Soph Luke Del Rio has been at both Oregon State and Alabama but has yet to start a college game. Austin Appleby is a graduate transfer from Purdue who started only 11 games for the Boilers and somehow threw 19 interceptions in his career. Honorable Mention: RUNNING BACK: Muschamp’s offensive (in more ways than one) recruiting is the gift that keeps on giving. Sophs Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkite combined for only 338 yds but Cronkite did have a 2 TD game late vs South Carolina. JUCO transfer Mark Thompson will also be in the discussion at RB.

GEORGIA: WIDE RECEIVER: Malcolm Mitchell is gone and 5’11” Soph Terry Godwin is the only proven commodity on campus. Isaiah McKenzie is a slot option but the Dawgs need someone with size and ability to emerge from Michael Chigbu, Shaquery Wilson or Shakenneth Williams. Honorable Mention, PLACE KICKER: Rodriguo Blankenship or William Ham -both walk-ons- will vie for the job.

KENTUCKY: DEFENSIVE LINE: NG Matt Elam has been overweight and has underachieved while Sr End Courtney Miggins and Jr DT Regie Meant will be first time starters. Jr End Alvonte Bell is the best bet to provide depth. Honorable Mention, LINEBACKER: OLB Denzil Ware is the only returning starter in the Front-7. The Cats need transfer MLB Courtney Love (Nebraska) and Josh Allen -who played exclusively on special teams in 2015- to make immediate impacts.

MISSOURI: OFFENSIVE LINE: LG Nate Crawford and C Alec Abeln are the only ones available with starting experience. The Tigers will hand over the LT spot to JUCO transfer Tyler Howell. Hope that works out for them. Honorable Mention, RUNNING BACK: After Russell Hansbrough’s injury Mizzou never found an adequate replacement. Sophomore Nate Strong is projected to leap frog both Ish Witter and Trevon Walters for the starting job.

SOUTH CAROLINA: RECEIVERS: Soph Debo Samuel will be the Cocks go-to guy and he’s certainly no Pharoh Cooper. The fact that the other projected starter is early enrollee Bryan Edwards who has yet to play a college football game tells you all you need to know about how shallow this unit is. Honorable Mention, SECONDARY: CB Rashad Fenton is the only player assured of a spot heading into fall camp. JUCO Jamarcus King is probably closer to starting than many of the experienced returnees who were abysmal on the backside of the Gamecock D in 2015.

VANDERBILT: RECEIVERS: C.J. Duncan is the team’s main target and he hasn’t caught a pass since 2014 (torn Achilles last August). Trent Sherfield and Darrius Sims are probably the Dores best WRs after Duncan. Honorable Mention, QUARTERBACK: Kyle Shurmur started the Dores last five games of the 2015 season and former 2014 starter Wade Freeback is healthy enough to challenge for the job. The problem is neither appear to be an upper-tier SEC starter.

WEST

ALABAMA: OFFENSIVE LINE: The O-Line lost three starters from last season’s National Championship squad including three-year starting Center Ryan Kelly. LT Cam Robinson is very good but is recovering from a spring injury. Honorable Mention, QUARTERBACK: Lane Kiffin always seems to make it work but for the third straight season the Tide will have a first-year starter at the game’s most important position. Jr Cooper Bateman is the only candidate that has played a college game. Blake Barnett is talented, ballyhooed and -like Bateman- mobile. David Cornwell is a more traditional pro-style passer.

ARKANSAS OFFENSIVE LINE: Seems strange to list OL as a weakness on a Brett Bielema team but the Hog front returns only two starters from 2015. RT Dan Skipper has started 34 consecutive games but the rest of the unit has been slowed by injuries or position switches. Honorable Mention, RUNNING BACK: Vol fans will be stunned to think this could be a position of need for Arkansas after the graduated Alex Collins and then-Freshman Rawleigh Williams had a track meet in Neyland. Williams however is coming off a late-season neck surgery and is currently projected to back up Kody Walker a sixth-year Senior coming off spring foot surgery.

AUBURN: WIDE RECEIVER: If Freshmen Nate Craig-Myers and Kyle Davis don’t make an immediate impact the Tigers will have to rely on Seniors Marcus Davis and Tony Stevens who have produced little or nothing for three seasons. Honorable Mention, QUARTERBACK: Jeremy Johnson was one of the bigger busts in SEC history last season and Sean White is average at best. So, the Tigers appear prepared to hand the job to FSU-transfer John Franklin III a dual-threat QB that they hope is the next Nick Marshall. If he were however he would probably still be in Tallahassee.

LSU: QUARTERBACK: In a league that struggles at the position as a whole the Bayou Bengals have set the bar for futility. Anthony Jennings transferred because he couldn’t beat out Brandon Harris suggesting he should try another position rather than another university. Harris will be challenged by Purdue transfer Danny Etling seemingly making the Boilermakers the only team in America with as many QB transfers as Texas A&M. Honorable Mention, LINEBACKER: Hard to believe the unit returning one of the team’s leading tacklers from 2015 could be a concern. After ILB Kendell Beckwith however there are few if any proven commodities. For the unit to be solid a couple of mid-year enrollees; Devin White (a HS 5000 yd career rusher at RB) and Michael Divinity better be good out of the gates. Seldom-used Jr Donnie Alexander will also play a prominent role.

MISSISSIPPI STATE: QUARTERBACK: Join the club Bully Dogs. Seems like you could list this position for most every team in the league. Maybe this is an overreaction to losing one of the best players to ever play the position in Starkville because Nick Fitzgerald did play well against Troy (6-7, 170 3 TDs) with Dak Prescott out but I seem to remember the Vols scoring 50+ on Troy without a QB. Elijah Stanley has some tools as well and Dan Mullen is a QB guru so maybe it will all work out. Honorable Mention, OFFENSIVE LINE: The good news is State returns three senior starters from 2015 (LT-Justin Senior, C Jamaal Clayborn, RG Devon Desper). The bad news is it’s the same crew that surrendered 32 sacks WITH Prescott playing.

OLE MISS: LINEBACKER: OLB DeMarquis Gates represented himself well when Denzel Nkemdiche decided to follow a family tradition by getting suspended but he has only four starts in his career. The only other rebel LB with starting experience is Sr Terry Caldwell (3 career starts). The MLB position is even more uncertain and will be manned by either Oregon St graduate transfer Rommel Magoe or JUCO (by way of Georgia) Detric Bing-Dukes Honorable Mention, OFFENSIVE LINE: The Rebels return only two starters and Sr RT Robert Conyers sat out the spring with an injury. The Rebels intend to replace Laremy Tunsil at LT with a true freshman. Hope Kelly has eyes in the back of his head.

TEXAS A&M: LINEBACKER: John Chavis may need to be more trainer than DC because the Aggie LB corps is a MASH unit. OLB Otaro Alaka missed most of 2015 with shoulder and elbow injuries and projected starting MLB Josh Walker has been injured for most of his career. Soph Richard Moore is the best of the bunch but has limited starting experience. Honorable Mention, RUNNING BACK: The Aggies better hope a couple of OU scrap-heap guys play above the level demonstrated in Norman. Not only will Trevor Knight be at QB he’ll be relying on his former (and present) teammate Keith Ford as a starting RB. Jr James White who rushed for only 196 yds and 1 TD (3.6 ypc) will probably serve as Ford’s backup.

THANK TEX: Mark Teixeira announced his retirement Friday which evoked mixed emotions from this long-time Yankee fan. Though I am thrilled with the Yankees decision to retool the franchise -and Tex hasn’t been a consistent offensive contributor- he has always comported himself with class and dignity. I will be forever grateful and indebted to him for much more than his diamond exploits. During a dugout visit at Camden Yards -arranged by my Nephew Andy- Tex showed my late Brother Ron a genuine respect and compassion that I will never forget. Though we were invading their pregame routine sanctuary -and all were cordial- no player (Joe Girardi was also wonderful) took more time or sincere interest in Ron’s circumstances than Mark Teixeira. Thanks again Tex and may God bless you in whatever comes next.

ADIOS A-ROD: FINALLY, the nightmare is over. A-Rod’s last game as a Yankee is under a week away and a roster spot will be freed up for a promising youngster rather than an aged diva. Rodriguez is without question one of the most physically gifted players in baseball history as indicated by his gaudy career numbers. But his arrogance, selfishness, polarizing presence, PED usage and inability to frequently seize the moment will forever tarnish his legacy. I will concede that without his contributions in the 2009 post season the Yankees do not win their 27th World Championship. Against the Twins, Angels and Phillies in the playoffs and World Series that season he hit .365 (19-52) with 6 HRs and 18 RBIs. In his other 46 postseason games in pinstripes he hit .202 (35-173) with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs. Now THAT’S the kind of production you want from what will eventually be a 300-million-dollar investment. Thanks A-Rod, it’s been real. Real what, I’m not certain.

ICH-I-RO: Ichiro Suzuki? Now there’s my kind of guy. A complete player who plays the game in a way that not only honors himself but the sport as well. The fact that his 3000th hit was a triple is just about perfect. I will miss watching you play Ichiro

MONDAY MUSING: How in the world can a buttoned-up organization like the NFL have their Hall-of-Fame game called off due poor field conditions identified last year compounded by the paint used to dress it up?

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