Vince’s View: Notes and observations from practice 13

Vince’s View: Notes and observations from practice 13

Posted on April 19, 2017

By Vince Ferrara

Brady Hoke and UT DLs / Credit: WNML staff

Here are some of my observations and notes from the 13th University of Tennessee spring football practice that was held indoors.

Vince’s View
*We were able to view stretching and the first four periods of practice #13 on Tuesday.

*We only were able to see a moment or two of the quarterbacks throwing. Generally, Dormady and Guarantano were on the money, but they were throwing short routes. You can see practice video of that HERE.

*S Todd Kelly Jr. was back in full pads participating in practice after being limited recently.

*WR Brandon Johnson continues to participate in practice after being ruled out before spring practice began. He told WR coach Kevin Beard he could practice. Beard asked the trainers if they could get him cleared. He was cleared, and has been participating since.

*RB John Kelly was not a practice participant during our viewing periods. Butch Jones said a lot of it is precautionary and they have to get him ready for a long season. As to whether he’ll take part in the spring game activities, Butch Jones said “we’ll see where he’s at and make a determination.” I think Ty Chandler walks in this summer as the number two guy as a true freshman with Carlin Fils-aime as a spot third option.

*It’s impressive to see so many of the guys that have been either out or limited in spring practice still do what they can with their teammates…stretching, walk-through reps, etc. Those players include Phillips, Gaulden, Sapp, Abernathy, Evan Berry, Jack Jones, Sheriron Jones, Vickers, Kendrick, Jumper, Moseley and others.

*Indoor practices always give us a closer look at the players, especially the defensive line group that normally is the farthest away from when outside from where we’re allowed to be during viewing periods.

*We saw the d-linemen do a drill that is similar to one you see at the NFL Combine, although not exactly the same. The defensive linemen had to bend, slap the pad on the ground, raise up in stance, shuffle down the line and repeat with each pad then finish. You can see practice video of that HERE.

*DL coach Brady Hoke has his hands full trying to get guys on the defensive line ready that normally would be given time to develop. His group will get healthier in the fall, but will also get younger with five summer enrolls added to the group. Young, injured and playing below expectations is how this group is summarized right now until they prove otherwise during the season.

Spend some time on our website where we’ll have blogs from Jimmy Hyams, practice reports from Josh Ward, interviews with players and coaches, videos of practice footage. Scroll through our big stories on the main page or click on the Vols tab under “All WNML stories” archived to find all of our posts saved there.

Spring Football: Final countdown after practice 13

Spring Football: Final countdown after practice 13

Posted on April 18, 2017
UT linemen / Credit: UT Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s final week of spring practice got underway on Tuesday afternoon as rain forced the Vols inside the Anderson Training Center for a 90-minute session in full pads.

Following the conclusion of practice, head coach Butch Jones met with reporters to talk about his team’s approach to their final week of formal workouts and how they hope the strides made in this period will translate into the summer months.

“I’m pleased with the fundamentals, the details,” said Jones. “Everything we spoke about when spring started is doing everything with accountability and toughness. What we’re doing right now is having exit interviews this week and then every player in our football program will be judged on those three criteria: details, accountability and toughness. Then we have the five levels of commitment, from being compelled to committed and everything that goes along with it. We will evaluate everyone and then have a great foundation when we move forward to our summer strength and conditioning program.”

Tennessee’s spring season concludes on Saturday with the annual DISH Orange & White Game on April 22 at Neyland Stadium (4 p.m. ET). The Orange & White Game will be televised on SEC Network for the second consecutive year with Clay Matvik and Clint Stoerner calling the action and Dr. Jerry Punch reporting from the sidelines.

Admission and parking are free to the public and a Fan Day event will precede kickoff.

Like all Tennessee athletic events, UT’s clear-bag policy will be enforced the Orange & White Game. For more information on the clear-bag and other safety policies, click here.

Tennessee will go through its final tune up before Saturday’s Orange & White Game on Thursday afternoon at Haslam Field.

Day 13 Quotables

Senior OL Jashon Robertson

(On the team’s conditioning level improving through the fall and now into the spring)
“Some guys have definitely cleaned up, especially with eating habits and things like that. The guys who have needed to put on weight have done that some and will continue to do that throughout the summer. As far as conditioning level goes, when practice starts ending, we have had opportunities to practice and get our football conditioning up. As far as conditioning goes, you can’t train and prepare for long drives and being in your stance and coming out and driving somebody and constantly being resistant. It is a hard thing to do, but throughout this we definitely have improved our conditioning.”

RS sophomore DL Darrell Taylor

(On if having an opportunity to become a starter has made a difference in his approach)
“I think it made a difference. It changed my mindset about working harder. My redshirt year I did not think I was going to do anything and it was hard not playing so it has definitely changed my mindset and made me want to work harder and go get everything I do not have already.”

Head coach Butch Jones

(On the toughness from the offensive line)
“It’s a part of the details, accountability and toughness and it’s through those things and pushing through when you’re tired. We talked about the ability to finish off a 12-, 13- or 14-play drive. To be able to run the football or pick up the blitz effectively and the only way you can prove your toughness is to push yourself through that threshold every day. What happens is you start to gain more and more confidence.”

Offensive coordinator Larry Scott

(On strengths of the offense so far)
“I think right now one of our strengths that we’re excited about is our offensive line, up front. When you have some guys that come back with the experience that we’re bringing back, that’s what you want to rely on. Any time in any good offense, when you’re relying on the guys up front, when they go we all go as a team. I don’t care if you’re really good at the skills position, even if that means quarterback. You’re only as good as those five guys up front. How they go, we all go. So right now I think that’s one of our strengths. We’re going to continue to build it, continue to challenge them, continue to develop them and that mindset.”

-UT Athletics

 

UT Mourns Loss of Former Football Player, Broadcaster Bill Anderson

UT Mourns Loss of Former Football Player, Broadcaster Bill Anderson

Posted on April 18, 2017
Bill Anderson / Credit: UT Athletics

Bill Anderson, co-captain of Tennessee’s 1957 football team, who later played for the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I and was the longtime football color analyst with John Ward on Vol Radio Network broadcasts for three decades, passed away Tuesday. Anderson, who lived in Knoxville, was 80-years-old.

“It is indeed a sad day for the University of Tennessee and the Vol Network with the passing of Bill Anderson,” UTAD Director of Broadcasting Bob Kesling said. “For three decades, Bill and John Ward painted the picture on the radio for many of the greatest moments in Tennessee football history. Bill’s great knowledge and understanding of the game and his passion for Tennessee football added so much to each broadcast.

“While in college at Tennessee, I got the great opportunity to work on the Vol Network. For 15 seasons I spotted for John Ward during the broadcasts. Sitting in the booth each Saturday I got to hear Bill talk about his playing days at Tennessee with Johnny Majors and Buddy Cruze. He told stories of his days in the NFL with the Washington Redskins, trying to block former Tennessee great and NFL Hall of Famer Doug Atkins and playing in the first Super Bowl game with the Green Bay Packers for coach Vince Lombardi.

“Bill enjoyed life, loved his family and took great pride in the fact he got to wear the orange shirt at Tennessee. It is a tremendous loss.”

Anderson was born in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and came to UT from Manatee High School in Bradenton, Florida. He played wingback/end at Tennessee under coach Bowden Wyatt from 1955-57 and was a member of Tennessee’s 1956 SEC Championship team that finished the season ranked No. 2 in the country. Tennessee amassed a record of 24-7-1 during his playing career and played in the Sugar and Gator bowls. As a standout end for the Vols, Anderson was selected to play in the 1958 Senior Bowl. He was selected in the third round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins and played in the nation’s capital from 1958-63, earning All-Pro honors in 1959 and 1960. Anderson was the team’s Rookie of the Year in 1958 and its Player of the Year in 1959.

Anderson retired briefly from the NFL to become Tennessee’s offensive ends coach in 1964 under first-year head coach Doug Dickey. He was coaxed back to the NFL, however, by legendary Green Bay Packers head coach Vince Lombardi the following that 1964 season. Anderson then played at Green Bay in 1965 and 1966. Both teams were NFL champions, and the 1966 squad became world champions by winning Super Bowl I.

Anderson totaled 178 receptions, 3,048 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns during his NFL playing career.

After retiring NFL, he returned to Tennessee and started a successful insurance company, and there is a bit of lore surrounding his appointment to the Vol Network broadcast team. In 1968, at Dickey’s and UT athletic director Bob Woodruff’s recommendation, Anderson was teamed with John Ward as the football analyst on the Vol Network. Earlier that year, Woodruff met briefly with Anderson to talk about the job, but nothing was offered and no decisions were made. Anderson had no broadcasting experience on any level, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to pursue the profession. He initially planned to turn down an offer, if one was extended, but he was later surprised to read in the newspaper that he and Ward would indeed be calling the games that fall.

Ward and Anderson’s first game together was the classic 1968 season-opener against Georgia on Tennessee’s new Tartan Turf. During 31 years together, the duo endeared themselves to Tennessee alumni and fans around the globe and earned a massive following. Their descriptive, colorful and entertaining calls turned Tennessee’s football broadcasts into a happening across the Volunteer State. Ward’s precise and descriptive delivery was complimented by Anderson’s uncanny knack of sniffing a play out before it happened. They were the nation’s longest-running college football tandem, and their final game together was Tennessee’s National Championship victory over Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.

“The Vol Network and University of Tennessee fans have lost a family member and a giant of a man today in the passing of Bill Anderson,” IMG/Vol Network General Manager Steve Early said. “Bill was a Hall of Famer in every sense of the word. So many of us grew up hanging on his breakdown of what happened, and many times what was about to happen. He will be forever missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wonderful family.”

An avid golfer, Anderson was a member of both the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame and the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. In 2013, he was recognized along with his former Green Bay teammates at Lambeau Field in a reunion of the 1965-67 NFL championship teams.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

-UT Athletics

 

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