Tennessee had it's first scrimmage of fall practice without the green "no contact" jerseys. It was meant to get the QBs into game like scenarios. It did. The play looked very familiar. Here is an excerpt from the report with my cooments in RED: Tennessee's offense has been under scrutiny since being one of the worst in the nation last year when the Vols finished 5-6. Fulmer hired former offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe to take his old job and revive the unit. Ainge was named the starter coming out of spring practice after rotating with senior Rick Clausen last year. Ainge struggled last season despite showing great promise two years before as a freshman. UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR Ainge played with the first-teamers but looked unsteady at times, calling timeouts or throwing the ball up for grabs. SOUND FAMILIAR? He finished 13-of-26 for 120 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. CUT THE LOSSES AND BENCH HIM NOW Redshirt freshman Jonathan Crompton, who sat out last year to recover from shoulder surgery, appeared to be more confident at times. He completed seven of 13 passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. TWO TDs WITH NO INTs. SOUNDS BETTER TO ME! But neither Fulmer nor Cutcliffe were ready to give a full evaluation immediately after the scrimmage. Both said they needed to check the film first. FULMER IS NOT ON THE HOT SEAT NOW. BUT IF WE WAIT UNTIL THE SEASON STARTS TO FIGURE OUT WHO IS THE BEST QB, I WILL BE VERY HARSH WITH MY CRITICISM OF BAD PLAY. "I want to watch the tape, go study it, see what we do. He's managing the clock and the huddle call very well, but he's got to be able to stand in there for the pressure. A couple of nice times he pulled down and made a run there. We'll see what it looks like on tape," Fulmer said of Ainge. THIS IS WHAT WE SAW LAST YEAR. A FEW GLIMPSES OF BRILLIANCE AND 55 MINUTES OF NO TALLENT. In his last series on the field, Ainge threw a pass to Jayson Swain, who caught it between two defenders and the sideline for a 22-yard gain. He then had two incomplete passes and finished the drive when he scrambled and threw the ball away into the end zone. It was intercepted by Jonathan Hefney. SEE LAST COMMENT "I don't like seeing that. I was surprised, and I don't want to be surprised," Cutcliffe said. I'M NOT SURPRISED AND WOULD LIKE TO BE! One of Ainge's most infamous plays from last season was when he was getting wrapped up in his own end zone at LSU and threw the ball into the hands of an LSU defender. "I think at times he threw the ball where it was supposed to go from a decision standpoint. He saw the field," Cutcliffe said. "Until I see the tape there is no conclusive way to say that." "AT TIMES?" "AT TIMES?" IF HE CAN BE ON TARGET ONLY "AT TIMES" THEN MOVE ASIDE AND LET'S SEE WHAT SOMEONE ELSE CAN DO. FULMERS JOB DEPENDS ON MAKING PROGRESS FROM LAST YEARS DEBACLE. MAKE THE RIGHT DECISIONS NOW! Earlier Jonathan Wade picked off a pass thrown by Ainge and returned it 17 yards. SEE LAST COMMENT Ainge said he benefited from not wearing the no-contact jersey to better simulate game action. IT SURE DID SIMULATE GAME ACTION AND HE PLAYED AS SUCH. "That's the first time I've been live since Kentucky. I've had a green jersey on in spring ball, all summer, in fall camp. I think it was good," he said. THIS KID BETTER SHOW MORE SIGNS OF LIFE OR I'LL START CHARGING UP THE PADDLES!
I remember Ainge when the Gators could not stop him when Tennessee beat us in Knoxville two years ago in the famous unsportsmanlike call against the Gators. He was awesome that night.
Defenses 1. Florida Most of the publicity will be focused on the offense, but it'll be the defense that carries the Gators. The front seven should be terrific as long as injuries don't strike the linebackers. There are plenty of options on the line with tackle Marcus Thomas and ends Ray McDonald, Jarvis Moss and Derrick Harvey all good enough to be in the hunt for all-star honors. If corners Reggie Lewis and Avery Atkins hold up, he secondary will be fine even after losing three starters. Safety Reggie Nelson is about to emerge as an all-star. 2. Auburn 3. LSU 4. Tennessee 5. Georgia 6. Ole Miss 7. Mississippi State 8. Alabama 9. Arkansas 10. South Carolina 11. Vanderbilt 12. Kentucky Defensive Lines 1. Florida Can anyone outside of the SEC name a player on one of the best lines in America? It's an unsung group that has at least three potential All-SEC talents if everything comes together. Marcus Thomas decided not to turn pro and should be a terror in the middle. Jarvis Moss will be a serious threat to set the record as the school's all-time single season sacker if he sees plenty of one-on-one coverage. There's more than enough depth to get the type of rotation that defensive coordinator Greg Mattison wants to employ. 2. Georgia Tom, this is not the year for Tenn to struggle on offense vs. Florida. The real strength of UF will be the front 7 and the senior leadership of Chris Leak. Looks like UF-UT will be a wormburner instead of a barnburner. Maybe a 17-13 type game.
:twisted: I'm an Ainge fan too. Two years ago at Knoxville, he was the Irish Player of the Week! My only regret is that he didn't go to USC or Boston College. Maybe he'll transfer there when he has to sit... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: