Beaver Pelt Trader of the Week
Friday, September 19, 2008
In 24 hours, UT-Florida 2008 will be just about to kick off. As part of the festivities UT is bringing back legendary linebacker Al Wilson. In 1998's 20-17 overtime win over Florida, Al Wilson almost single-handedly won the game for the Vols on defense. He was everywhere, a 22 year old mad man from Jackson, Tennessee who appeared to have been born just before World War II commenced.
To say he looked old would be an understatement. Wilson looked like he creaked, the deep furrows in his face told the story of long years spent hand-cranking horseless carriages/cars in the hot Tennessee sun, of standing knee deep in rushing creek water and hand washing shirts with lye soap and a washing board, that scar on his right eyelid? From a nasty encounter with a sabre-tooth tiger.
Wilson graduated long before the first idea for the mailbag and the beaver pelt trader of the week. But he's a Tennessee icon and he recently retired from the Broncos. So he's our Beaver Pelt Trader of the Week. Coincidentally he's also the first man to be awarded the BPTOFW who has a working knowledge of the beaver pelt market from 1794-2008. What a fount of knowledge. On to the Mailbag.
With a quick interlude to announce that I'll be a guest at the Ice Vols alumni game at 8 tonight. I'm going to be presented a jersey and attempt to score a hockey goal despite never having played hockey, ice-skated, or really done anything of the sort before. It should be gloriously awkward. Here's the link to WATE's Mark Nagi and his story about the Ice Vols alumni game. Looking forward to it.
Ben writes:
Clay, is it just me or is every Florida fan on earth planning on meeting at Calhoun's in Knoxville? Why do they like Calhoun's so much?
True story, in the past three days I've received three different emails from Gator fans saying they're looking forward to Calhoun's, hope to meet at Calhoun's, and wondering if I'm going to be at Calhoun's. The Gator love affair with Calhoun's knows no bounds. It's so weird.
True story, last year as I'm trudging out of Ben Hill-Griffin Stadium (I was on the fourth row so I had to walk past row after row of Gator fans who were taunting me), a bespectacled old man with white hair took me by the shoulder and said something. I brushed him off because I thought he was taunting me, but he grabbed my shoulder again and said.
"We're already looking forward to going to Calhoun's next year in Knoxville. It's a great restaurant."
Seriously, this happened. It's 100 degrees, I've just watched my team get the bejesus beaten out of them, and Gator fans want me to know how much they love Calhoun's. It's almost enough for me to look into franchising a Calhoun's in Gainesville. You'd end up a billionaire. Especially if you offered Little Debbie snack cakes as appetizers.
Anyway, it's uncanny. If you're a Gator coming to Knoxville, you'll be able to see every other Gator fan at Calhoun's. Guaranteed. The Gator Chomp at Neyland is going to have be modified this year because every Gator fan is going to have a bottle of Calhoun's barbecue sauce in one of their hands.
Sam writes:
Clay, give me three reason why I should think UT has a chance to beat the Gators this year. They don't, right?
Only three? I think the game is going to be really close.
1. Arian Foster has only carried the ball 25 times so far this season. Yet he's averaging almost 8 yards a carry. That's insane, McFadden type numbers. He's going to carry the ball 25 times on Saturday. Montario Hardesty will get 12 carries. Between the two of them and a few carries for Lennon Creer, Tennessee will rush for 190 yards. Given the Vol performance on the ground for the past three years, this may be wildy ambitious. But I don't think so. I think we've been saving Foster for these first two games (not to mention holding him out of preseason scrimmages) and I think he's goign to explode this game. Just a hunch.
2. UT has seven interceptions in two games. Lots of teams won't finish with seven picks on the season. Take away the fourth quarter against UCLA and right now UT teams are wondering whether this might be one of the best defenses we've had in a long time. Certainly one with more playmakers in the back 7 than any in recent memory. UT's going to play a lot of zero coverage and that's going to leave Berry and Morley with chances on Florida's playmakers. Somebody's band is going to play. I like Tennessee in this zero coverage more than at any time in recent history. Especially if, as seems likely, Brent Vinson is going to be back to add some depth. Even though he hasn't thrown any picks in 130 pass attempts I think we can get Tebow twice during the game.
3. UT's defensive line has been dominant. I'll say that again. UT's defensive front has been dominant. That's really unbelievable given the worries coming in this season. I think we'll stuff the running lanes and make Tebow pay if he takes off, I really do.
But, you didn't ask, but for the Gators out there, here's the flip side analysis of things that scare me.
1. Demetrice Morley's cast severely hindered his open field tackling. Against the Gators open-field tackling by all players is going to be at a premium. I can easily see Morley missing 3-4 tackles that he should make that prolong drives or, shudder, lead to scores. In a game where UT has a small margin for error this could be a huge difference-maker. Supposedly the cast will be smaller and easier to use this week, but I have my doubts.
2. We did a horrible job against UCLA of jumping the first option on passing routes. Tebow has a really quick release and has killed us in the past (his best career passing stats are against Tennessee) with quick hitters. Tebow panics a bit (defining a bit broadly) when defenders jump his first route. Miami did that to him a ton during the game two weeks ago and he seemed to be flustered. Will Tennessee be willing to jump those routes and risk getting beat deep? Our history says no. Which leaves me with this question: name a team that is more risk-averse when it comes to the passing game than Tennessee. Even hardcore fans like me can barely remember when we've been beaten deep on a pass.
I think, to a degree, that Chavis has coached this team backwards, i.e. he hasn't realized that UT is better from the back working forward (secondary to D-line) than they are from the front to the back (D-line to secondary). Hopefully this will change. If not, trouble.
3. UT's defensive front is going to get no pressure on Tebow. So far UT has not pressured the quarterback without blitzing. That's troubling. Now against UCLA there were an awful lot of three-step drops so there wasn't time, but against UAB? I know the d-line was probably coached not to overpursue a rushing quarterback but, still, there were very few places where a Vol defender blew up the line of scrimmage and forced a quick pass, got a sack, or caused an incompletion. If this remains the case against Tebow, the second Heisman campaign of Saint Tim is going to get a huge boost tomorrow.
My prediction: Vols 24-20. And, yes, a part of me is saying this because if we lose my book is staring straight down the barrel of a 2-4 opening. Labels: florida tennessee calhoun's al wilson
Posted by Clay Travis at 1:50 PM
 
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