re: tOfficial Fall Camp Thread

Difference in Quarte Sapp from 2016 to right now. Rock doing work

LINK

It's hot and they are big. I can understand why they "quit" in camp.

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I wonder why the trend? Maybe with how they like to rotate them so much?

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Honestly two things: 1. OL has sucked and 2. because it has sucked there have been position battles and no set spots in camp. Things get heated in that situation with everyone thinking they should playing and everyone trying to earn a job.

Now that OL has a new coach and plenty of talent to choose from guys are gonna fight it out and occasionally get pissed. Once this OL settles more into who they are going to be and spots get more locked down you'll see a lot less of this for numerous reasons.

But any time a unit is that unsettled you'll see stuff like this pop up from time to time.

Sounds like Chance Hall is out for the year.

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As of now Chance is scheduled to have surgery on his knee that will take an 8 month recovery. This info comes from the guy in my avatar with Chance. The guy is a close personal friend of Chance and his family from Roanoke, Va. They want this done now so hopefully he can come back and have 2 healthy years left at Tennessee. SIAP but we just got the word like 2 hours ago from the family.

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Richmond
Jones
Robertson
Kendrick/Boulware
Smith

Do it, Lyle

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Never trust Vol Nation. Came out today that Jack Jones missed practice for a family thing with permission. He never quit. Just an anonymous poster on VN doing what they do.

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He tried to quit just as Thomas, Wiesman and Kendrick did in 2015 and Crowder did mid-season in 2015.

You can believe the spin if you want but Jones and his dad went to Jones on Sunday and tried to get a transfer before they were talked down.

Smith will be one of the top 5 guards in the league this year I am willing to bet. Was pretty bad at tackle in the spring. He is a guard all the way at the next level as well and has no desire to play outside. No chance they will significantly weaken 2 positions by moving him to tackle.

Tatum will be starting the GT game at tackle as both Richmond and Kendrick are a little banged up right now and they want to get a look at him.

Boulware/Jones at the guard opposite Smith is the only real battle right now. Obviously Robertson has locked up the center job.

Depending on how Tatum plays in the opener it will either be

Richmond
Jones/Boulware
Robertson
Smith
Kendrick

or

Richmond
Kendrick
Robertson
Smith
Tatum

moving forward.

So what was Jack's problem? Figuring out Smith is going to start at RG?

Everyone makes it out so conspiratorial but a guy quitting for a day is hardly the end of the world. Even if he wants to transfer it's no biggie. I'd miss him out there even if it's just in the rotation but such is life.

Thanks for the explanation. That's far more reality driven than anything VN was pushing.

As for Boulware... I think Jones is better or at least was last season. I understand starting Kendrick but he's not my favorite -- really seems that with Smith at RG and Kendrick at RT they're wanting to run behind that side and think those two can work well together.

What I don't understand about LG is why put Boulware beside Richmond with Richmond still having a bit of a learning curve at LT? The only knock I've heard on Jones that might answer that is that he wasn't quite as strong as he needed to be last season.

Tatum needs to see the field more but I have no idea where they put him except in rotation if you have Richmond and Kendrick holding down OT with Smith at RG. You think they're going to give him a shot at LG? I mentioned that upthread that I thought Tatum could snag that spot, especially if they're willing to put Smith at RG, but haven't heard much on it.