Note From Blogger: Once again, to clarify, Cal’s first game is against Tennessee, so I’m including some articles about the Vols on this blog.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
By JOHN MOOREHOUSE
Times-News
KNOXVILLE - With a new coach comes a new start. That's the mind-set Trooper Taylor has this spring as he takes over as position coach for Tennessee's wide receivers. "I think they feel like their slate is clean," Taylor said. "We're gonna start from ground zero, and we're gonna work from there." The Volunteers' wideouts likely are eager to move on. Coach Phillip Fulmer described their play as "obviously a disappointment" during last season's 5-6 campaign. That led to the new job for Taylor, who spent the past two seasons tutoring UT's running backs. Veteran Vol receivers like rising senior Jayson Swain already know what to expect from their new coach. "We expect him to be in our stuff, the way it should be," Swain said. "He's gonna treat us like he treats his little kids. If we mess up, then he's gonna be there to tell us we messed up - probably not in a nice way. If we do good, he'll sit there and pat us on the back.
"He's always gonna be on you and make sure you're doing what you need to do to get better everyday." Swain said that when the previous receivers coach Pat Washington was fired, Taylor was at the top of his wish list of potential position coaches. After what Taylor did with the running backs, it's hard not to see why. In Taylor's first season, Tennessee had two backs record concurrent 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the first time in school history. One of those athletes was Gerald Riggs Jr., who had been a problem child for UT until Taylor arrived. "Gerald needed somebody like Trooper to come in there and wring his neck, and it turned out good," Swain said. "(Riggs) didn't get in trouble ... he was doing the things he was supposed to be doing. That's gonna be the same thing for us." Problems off the field weren't a big issue for the wideouts last fall. Problems on the field were another matter. The receiving corps was plagued by frequent drops, and widespread criticism of uninspired play. Already, Taylor is taking steps to insure that the former will not be a problem. "Drops will not be accepted. They understand that," Taylor said.
Taylor has incorporated some new drills, such as having the receivers catch tennis balls to improve their hands. The program also bought two new sets of Jugs machines. "Before we had just one. Now we've got three sets and they've been catching 100 balls a day," Taylor said. When the wideouts aren't catching, chances are, they'll be running. "They will run before practice, they will run in the middle of practice and they will run after practice," Taylor vowed. With all that running, it's no surprise the veterans are slimmer and trimmer. Swain started spring drills down about 8 pounds from 215 to 207, while Robert Meachem - last year's leading receiver - also has lost weight. Although Meachem and Swain are Tennessee's top two receivers on paper, Taylor is all about establishing versatility by the time the season begins. "I don't believe in a go-to guy because you can take that guy away," Taylor said. "You won't have to see Meachem at X or Swain at Z. ... I think that helps you because it'll be harder for defenses to take you away." Meachem and Swain aren't the only available weapons. Bret Smith showed promise as a freshman but had serious issues with drops last fall. Then there's younger guys like Austin Rogers, Lucas Taylor and Josh Briscoe. Regardless of how the depth chart shakes out, the liberal substitution pattern from last year appears to be extinct. "You ask any quarterback, they want to know the receivers," new offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe said. "It's an unusual situation where you have four, five or six that can play." Whoever ends up playing will be aware of who they're accountable to - and what's expected. "Like Troop said this morning, he ain't gonna set the bar low, cause then we'll be tripping over it," Swain said.
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