On Butch Jones/Trooper Taylor:
Let's put it to rest here. This is what I've determined happened from talking with eye witnesses who observed the incident immediately following UT Arkansas State on the sweltering Shields Watkins Field. First of all, I can tell you with absolute certainty that Jones and Trooper weren't mugging for the camera. They also weren't caught in a misleading moment in that photograph. A couple of observations before I share with you what I've learned. Most football coaches are highly competitive people. These guys don't get to the top of their profession by being passive people. Most of the folks in that profession are alpha male types. Neither Butch Jones nor Trooper Taylor is going to give an inch. Against this backdrop, here's the story.
During the handshake, meet and greet postgame greeting between both teams, Trooper and Jones encounter each other at which point Trooper says something to Jones about not appreciating the way UT kept their 1's in the game and kept moving the football at the end of the game. Jones basically told Taylor to mind his own business at which both guys stuck their fingers out defiantly toward each other when they were caught in that pose. So, there was an incident. Not a major deal but still something. Both Jones and Taylor have downplayed this as they should. I kind of like knowing the background because both Jones and Taylor are competitors. Jones isn't going to let anyone push him around and Taylor is a hard headed guy. There were words exchanged and now you know the rest of the story.
Let's get to things more pressing here. What a relief to learn that Wolfe and Pearson will play more football in 2014. UT simply looked like a different offense after each guy left the Arkansas State game.
Oklahoma has 127 combined starts in its offensive and defensive lines while Tennessee has only 31. Sheesh.
Having DT Trevarris Saulsberry for this game would help but he's still not ready after suffering an injury during Tennessee's open practice about a month ago.
The caller JB, a rather astute, historically bent Vol fan told me yesterday that he couldn't think of a greater upset in UT history than a win at OU would be for the Vols. We're talking all time here for those thinking a UT win Saturday.
Good for Jalen Hurd. Named SEC Freshman of Week for his effort in Arkansas State game. Hurd is Tennessee's RB since Arian Foster to land this honor. Foster did it back in 2005.
Joquez Bruce is really developing at South Doyle. Great read from Danny Parker at insidetennessee.com.
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Saturday will be a test of toughness for Tennessee.
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Vols must weather the storm early in that game.
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Bob Stoops is on his best behavior as it pertains to SEC bashing this week.
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Tulsa World; 'Vols a 'huge step up for Sooners'
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Drew Richmond chooses between Tennessee and Ole Miss today. You can watch it live right here.
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Richmond is has the ability to be a keeper.
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Go To Pick 'Em
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Mike G checks in with his daily update leading up to Saturday's game.
'Yo Tony,
The football weather gods seem to favor the Vols. Today (Tuesday) the forecast predicts a roasty, toasty high temperature of 95. Saturday (Gameday), we'll have perfect early November weather with a high of about 67, no rain, and negligible wind. The low Saturday night into Sunday is forecast as 57. This is NOT normal for the 13th of September! A word of caution, though, we're talking Oklahoma where the weather can be volatile and unpredictable. In fact, there's a simple scientific explanation for the weather phenomenon where "the wind comes sweeping down the plain." Kansas blows; and Texas sucks!
The top OU sports story concerns Frank Shannon, OU's 2013 leading tackler. The Oklahoma Supreme Court upheld the University's suspension of Shannon for Title IX sexual misconduct. He's gone for 2014.
On Monday Bob Stoops and select players met the media. When asked about the perception that SEC players are "a cut above" players from other conferences, Stoops replied, "I don't know. That hasn't been the case in our experience." LB Geneo Grissom backed up his coach with, "As his guys, we're 100% behind him. We're going to make sure we help him out there and make a statement in that aspect."
The local media slant on the game transcends Tennessee vs. Oklahoma in favor of the SEC vs. the Big XII (even if they've only got 10 member institutions).
In closing, a tragic story to report from last night. The Governor's mansion burned down! Took out the whole trailer park. Even destroyed a library. Both books gone up in flames, and they'd only colored in one of 'em.
--
Go Vols,
MIKE G
Oklahoma City'
Those who think Fidel Goodell should be fired as NFL Commissioner today are missing the point. He's only the commissioner because he does the bidding of the NFL owners. Jerry Glanville told me as much back in early August on the air. Goodell is a puppet who has lost a lot of power in recent years. His handling of the Ray Rice spoke of a neutered leader. He's a multimillion dollar puppet focusing on cause celeb issues to puff out his wounded feathers. Goodell is all tough on the Redskin nickname. Toward Daniel Snyder he's full machismo. Let alone the fact that most Americans could care less about that issue. Ray Rice almost kills his fiancé in an elevator and Fidel Goodell didn't even try to get to the bottom of it. Read this.
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He didn't attempt to get the video because the emperor has no balls. Goodell is a joke. It's time to get the NFL crew to follow him back up Mount Everest to build up his robust image. What a joke.
Is it me or did the NCAA wait for the perfect day to exonerate and restore Penn State. That was a Friday afternoon news dump if there ever was one. Penn State was restored by the NCAA yesterday to full post-season status and the story barely caused as ripple. The Ray Rice story completely eclipsed the Penn State restoration. Brilliantly played by the NCAA.
Ray Rice is a piece of human debris but the system stinks. How did that guy not get charged with something/anything? A one year diversion? Are you kidding me?
The NFL didn't see the video because they didn't ask to see it. Absent a court order prohibiting the turning over of that video, the NFL could've and should've been able to see it as part of their investigation. The same holds true for the local authorities.
The reaction from the talking heads was comical on ESPN yesterday. Adam Shefter kept switching the conversation back to the authorities and deflecting blame from the commissioner's office and the Raven organization. How does that guy sleep at night. Talk about being bought and sold.
The level of fake outrage on ESPN was telling. Where were these people when the American sports fan needed them? Where were they when it came to asking the tough questions on this issue. Domestic violence unlike the Redskin name is a serious issue in our society. We are civilized people. Domestic violence is part of the REAL WAR ON WOMEN. Not something trumped up by political strategists. There's no place in society for guys like Ray Rice let alone the NFL. Shame on the media. Shame on Fidel Goodell. Shame on the authorities. Shame on most everyone involved in this with the exception of tmz.com.
TMZ...NFL had zero interest in seeing the video.
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Here's an extended version of the Rice video obtained by AP.
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Janay Palmer-Rice issued a troubling statement today. This screams of battered wives syndrome. She's taking ownership of this as if she did something wrong. Really sad to read this.
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Danny Ferry is next up with the racial sensitivity police.
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Here's my question for you if you want the heads of all these people. What if I went through ALL your private conversations, e-mails, texts and actions through the years. Ever said or done anything that could be deemed racist? I don't care if you're red, black, white, yellow, green or fruit striped. Chances are you've said, done or thought something that could be deemed as racists. I think this is silly stuff we are seeing in Atlanta. But that's just me.
Penn State students celebrated the NCAA news like a National Title had been won.
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Here's your mystery of the day. How did Eli Manning win two Super Bowls. usually winning two Super Bowls means a punched ticket to Canton. You voting Eli Manning for the HOF. That guy is an average QB on a good day. Poor guy can't play. They crazy thing is he beat Tom Brady TWICE in the Super Bowl. TWICE.
Jon Reed from 'Young Guns' heard Friday's from 3p to 5p at Tonybasilio.com, has a take on most of the above
Jon Reed
'Talk about a football overload.
By the time the San Diego-Arizona Tuesday Morning Football game was over, my tally of football watching tallied up somewhere between twenty-six hours. That’s disgusting when you break it down that way, huh?
Almost as disgusting as Monday’s sports news cycle.
Somewhere between the Ray Rice video, the NCAA lifting Penn State’s sanctions, and the racially charged letter from the Atlanta Hawks front office, one has no choice to reflect on his moral compass. Are we enablers for sheepishly consuming all of these sports?
We are supposed to be entertained, not forced to reflect on our lives, but it has been building for years as the revolution on concussions and head injuries continues to grow. It magnifies, to me at least, when you realize that college football players ruin their bodies for little compensation. However, that’s an argument for another day.
Because there I was, tuned in on Thursday to the NFL kickoff. I even watched Pittsburgh and Boston College and Nevada Washington State on Friday night. Saturday consisted of half of the Vols game, thanks DirecTV, USC-Stanford, Notre Dame pounding Michigan, and Ohio State’s season essentially ending thanks to Virginia Tech.
Sunday was every NFL game, thanks DirecTV.
Yet, here I am on Tuesday morning reflecting while also looking forward to Thursday to watch the Baltimore Ravens of all teams. For the record if you are worried about my health, I’m forcing myself to only watch the Tennessee Oklahoma game on Saturday night after getting out of the house.
The Vols find themselves as 21 point underdogs. The good news is that the odds makers give the Vols a ten-to-one chance of pulling off the monumental upset. Comparatively, last year’s Oregon game saw Tennessee have a twenty-to-one chance of doing the same. Progress.
Saturday’s victory over Arkansas State was about what I expected: it was a typical letdown game. As practically everyone else called for a blowout, I gave my score prediction on Friday’s episode of Young Guns of a 34-21 victory for the Vols; not bad if I say so myself. It was too much to ask a young team play with the same fire and passion that they opened the season with. The schedule made that near impossible. A noon game against Arkansas State sandwiched in between an electric season opener and a trip to Oklahoma? I give the Vols credit for finding a way to still control this game for 90 percent of it.
The upcoming game against the Sooners will really tell us a lot about what to expect for the conference schedule. The makeshift offensive line will finally be tested against elite competition. Will it be able to give Justin Worley any time at all to continue his improvement? Right now, it’s hard to think they will. The defense will have another opportunity to prove just how much they have improved.
The good news is that, either way, the Vols will have a bye week following to give the coaching staff an opportunity to make changes heading into SEC play.
See you Friday from 3-5 Eastern.
Give the Young Guns a shot!
You'll be glad you did!
Jon'
Ron Wright Wannabe is feeling it.
'I don't think I have ever seen public opinion sway any more for one team than Oklahoma after beating Bama. Before Stoops was "big game" Bob which in the last 10 years or so was being used to mock him. It is as if the Baylor blowout and easy victory by a bad Texas team didn't happen. For that matter it is like none of Oklahoma's choke jobs in bowl games never happened. They are two years removed from being destroyed by Texas A&M in a bowl. When they fall they tend to fall BIG. I'm not saying we have what it takes yet to beat them. In fact there is a chance that things could head south for the Vols and we just pad their record with an SEC scalp. We are after all one of 7 teams on their schedule with a losing record from last year. If they do make the playoffs it will be fascinating to see if they really are a different team or falter when the target is again on their backs. For now though
GO VOLS! RWW'
Eric S weighs in from Paris, TN
'• Charlie Strong: BYU just pounded Texas 41-7. Anybody still want Charlie Strong as UT’s head coach?
• The Second Best QB On The Field: I couldn’t believe the caller Saturday afternoon who complained about us having the second best quarterback on the field. Funny, I don’t remember any Florida fans lamenting that they wanted Peyton Manning as their QB. Jay Barker was often not the best QB on the field either. How did he do? Tee Martin wasn’t always the best QB on the field. He did okay. Wasn’t it Pat Ryan who said that Tennessee did not have the quarterback of the future on campus yet? Well okay then, shut the heck up and enjoy the success that these guys CAN deliver instead of moaning for what they CAN’T deliver.
• Would anybody trade Justin Worley for Tyler Bray?
• “I will give my all for Tennessee today”, is about inputs, not outcomes. If you want to demoralize players and a team, then please forget this truth and continue asking for rainbow pooping, championship unicorns.
• As for the coaches, I have to agree that there has to be an adjustment or two that they could try which would give us some more success on the ground. It may be a step back on the road to installing Jones’ offense, but a step forward for the team. If it gets Tennessee to a bowl, who cares?
• Here’s something else worth noting. While many other SEC programs are struggling with breaking in a new QB, Justin Worley is doing just, fine thank you. It’s not that he’s supremely talented, but he is a senior and that counts for something. I wonder how much that will count for when UT plays Georgia and South Carolina.
• I’m seeing progress for UT. Last year, South Alabama took them to the wire. In 2012, Troy put up 787,345 yards of offense and nearly pulled the upset. This year, they’re beating Utah State and Arkansas State with less drama. Not a convincing thumping that we’d like to see, but getting the victory and keeping the crowd happy and securing victory is a great improvement.
• In like manner, what does progress look like against a top 5 opponent? In the past, Tennessee has typically lost something like 40-6. I think progress this week against Arkansas is that UT closes the gap, plays tougher for 60 minutes, and keeps things interesting through at least 3 of the 4 quarters. Coming up with a defensive play or two that surprises Oklahoma’s offense would be nice also. An interception, a sack, something.
• Something else worth remembering. Last year, Tennessee played with a toughness that surprised opponents. They ended Jeff Driskel’s season and injured another Gator. They injured 3 Georgia players. They injured AJ McCarron (though this wasn’t revealed until after the season was over). They knocked Connor Shaw out of the game. To which, I said, “You’d better bring the meat wagon when you play UT.” I wonder if Oklahoma’s players are buying Stoops saw about the SEC being overrated. I wonder if they think that UT will be a pushover for them after defeating Alabama in January. I sure hope so. Alabama was slumping and pouting because they weren’t in the BCS Championship. Tennessee is hungry.
• I am reminded of the line from the write-up of the Oklahoma-UT Orange Bowl, “All Oklahoma wants for Christmas is their two front teeth. They had theirs knocked out by Tennessee.” Being physical and hitting Oklahoma hard is going to be a key for UT having a chance Saturday. That’s not me pulling for injuring Sooners, but Tennessee must make them remember this game and dread coming to Neyland Stadium (whenever that is).
Let’s build!
Eric S.
UT ‘95
Paris, TN'
Enjoy your Tuesday
Tony
