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KNOXVILLE - Phillip Fulmer wants his football team to find an offensive identity. He's hoping a once and future colleague is the man to help in that endeavor.
As David Cutcliffe returns for his second stint as offensive coordinator at Tennessee, accountability and responsibility are the key buzz words.
"Coach Cutcliffe is very, very disciplined and strict with what goes on," Volunteers redshirt freshman quarterback Jonathan Crompton said. "He's real to the ‘T' on everything and it's a little bit different of a change.
"You've got to know everything, what you've got to do on and off the field. Otherwise he's going to know about it."
That responsibility extends to the coaches as well.
"I think Coach Cut's philosophy is to be a very prepared staff, and the reason for that is to be as multiple as we can offensively, creating as many different situations for an offense to adjust to as we can," new running backs coach Kurt Roper said. "Because of that organization then we obviously are all on the same page, coaching the same things, which hopefully creates success."
Roper, who last coached at Kentucky, worked with Cutcliffe before at Mississippi. So has new tight ends coach Matt Luke.
Still, there's a new dynamic, with familiar faces in new places. Every coach on Tennessee's staff was either hired in the offseason or now finds himself coaching a different group of position players.
One of the holdovers doesn't mind the infusion of new blood.
"Coach Roper has a lot of energy, like myself, along with Coach Luke," said receivers coach Trooper Taylor, who handled the running backs last year. "I think the tempo at practice is gonna pick up a bunch. It'll be fun out there again.
"I think enthusiasm is contagious and the more you have it, the more it's gonna spread."
Tennessee, meanwhile, is hoping to prevent another outbreak of the offensive inconsistencies that plagued the team last season. The Vols ranked 90th in total yardage and 101st in scoring last season out of 117 Division I-A programs.
At least the system is familiar to Cutcliffe, who tutored eventual NFL quarterbacks like Heath Shuler and Peyton Manning during his previous tenure before leaving to take over the Ole Miss program. His successor, Randy Sanders, learned under Cutcliffe.
"They did some nice things here evolving with the offensive package, and we'll include some of those things that they were doing," Cutcliffe said. "And the things we evolved and changed at Ole Miss. It's dangerous. I've had a whole fall to look at offense and make adjustments. So we're putting together a pretty unique system right now."
Cutcliffe also said he'd try to incorporate some things he picked up during his brief stint at Notre Dame. Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis, formerly the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, hired Cutcliffe as part of his college football staff but heart trouble forced Cutcliffe to resign before the season began.
"The entire time I started with Patriots tapes and Patriots playbook in December (2004) when I was hired," Cutcliffe recalled. "I kept that with me the whole time while I was recruiting, or if I was off the road, I met with the quarterbacks.
"Then March, April and May I was watching spring practice and all the tapes. That influenced a lot of things we're doing right now."
That's not to say Cutcliffe does not have concerns. He tabbed the lack of depth on the offensive line as especially worrisome, but likes the team's talent overall.
"I think there's some ability. I think we have some holes and some work to do," he said. "I think there's some athleticism, but you've got to be good at plays.
"It's just like the receivers. We've got some guys that I like that can run and some guys that are good size. But I couldn't tell you yet if they're receivers."
Whoever ends up running the routes, the receivers' new position coach thinks they'll have a dangerous scheme from which to work.
"I really feel like we're gonna put together the ultimate playbook," Taylor said. "There's been some more plays, stuff drawn up on the board, than I've seen in the last three years."
And after their first losing season since 1988, going back to the drawing board may not be such a bad thing for these Vols.
Source: Kingsport Times News
As David Cutcliffe returns for his second stint as offensive coordinator at Tennessee, accountability and responsibility are the key buzz words.
"Coach Cutcliffe is very, very disciplined and strict with what goes on," Volunteers redshirt freshman quarterback Jonathan Crompton said. "He's real to the ‘T' on everything and it's a little bit different of a change.
"You've got to know everything, what you've got to do on and off the field. Otherwise he's going to know about it."
That responsibility extends to the coaches as well.
"I think Coach Cut's philosophy is to be a very prepared staff, and the reason for that is to be as multiple as we can offensively, creating as many different situations for an offense to adjust to as we can," new running backs coach Kurt Roper said. "Because of that organization then we obviously are all on the same page, coaching the same things, which hopefully creates success."
Roper, who last coached at Kentucky, worked with Cutcliffe before at Mississippi. So has new tight ends coach Matt Luke.
Still, there's a new dynamic, with familiar faces in new places. Every coach on Tennessee's staff was either hired in the offseason or now finds himself coaching a different group of position players.
One of the holdovers doesn't mind the infusion of new blood.
"Coach Roper has a lot of energy, like myself, along with Coach Luke," said receivers coach Trooper Taylor, who handled the running backs last year. "I think the tempo at practice is gonna pick up a bunch. It'll be fun out there again.
"I think enthusiasm is contagious and the more you have it, the more it's gonna spread."
Tennessee, meanwhile, is hoping to prevent another outbreak of the offensive inconsistencies that plagued the team last season. The Vols ranked 90th in total yardage and 101st in scoring last season out of 117 Division I-A programs.
At least the system is familiar to Cutcliffe, who tutored eventual NFL quarterbacks like Heath Shuler and Peyton Manning during his previous tenure before leaving to take over the Ole Miss program. His successor, Randy Sanders, learned under Cutcliffe.
"They did some nice things here evolving with the offensive package, and we'll include some of those things that they were doing," Cutcliffe said. "And the things we evolved and changed at Ole Miss. It's dangerous. I've had a whole fall to look at offense and make adjustments. So we're putting together a pretty unique system right now."
Cutcliffe also said he'd try to incorporate some things he picked up during his brief stint at Notre Dame. Fighting Irish coach Charlie Weis, formerly the offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, hired Cutcliffe as part of his college football staff but heart trouble forced Cutcliffe to resign before the season began.
"The entire time I started with Patriots tapes and Patriots playbook in December (2004) when I was hired," Cutcliffe recalled. "I kept that with me the whole time while I was recruiting, or if I was off the road, I met with the quarterbacks.
"Then March, April and May I was watching spring practice and all the tapes. That influenced a lot of things we're doing right now."
That's not to say Cutcliffe does not have concerns. He tabbed the lack of depth on the offensive line as especially worrisome, but likes the team's talent overall.
"I think there's some ability. I think we have some holes and some work to do," he said. "I think there's some athleticism, but you've got to be good at plays.
"It's just like the receivers. We've got some guys that I like that can run and some guys that are good size. But I couldn't tell you yet if they're receivers."
Whoever ends up running the routes, the receivers' new position coach thinks they'll have a dangerous scheme from which to work.
"I really feel like we're gonna put together the ultimate playbook," Taylor said. "There's been some more plays, stuff drawn up on the board, than I've seen in the last three years."
And after their first losing season since 1988, going back to the drawing board may not be such a bad thing for these Vols.
Source: Kingsport Times News
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