Massive Overhaul for Tennessee Football - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

With so many changes afoot in the Tennessee football program, FanHouse decided it was best to go to the horse's mouth of Vol blogdom. We caught up with Joel at RockyTopTalk.com for a few words about the '08 Tennessee Volunteers.

FanHouse: You've got Erik Ainge and others in the NFL draft. How's it looking for those guys?

Joel: Jerod Mayo is most likely the head of the class, with some draft gurus saying he could go as high as 15th overall. He's a prototypical John Chavis linebacker and should do well. David Cutcliffe, the Manning Maker, says that whoever drafts Erik Ainge is going to get a bargain, a statement that essentially acknowledges that he's not going to go as high as he should. It's a shame, because he's very, very good. After that, tight end Brad Cottam seems to be getting the most interest. He was injured most of his senior season, but stellar days at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine improved his draft stock significantly.

Very encouraging is the apparent fact that coach Fulmer is indeed letting new offensive coordinator Dave Clawson run his own offense. The simple fact of change is refreshing, and Clawson's insistence on getting the ball to playmakers in space has Vol fans breathing heavy. The spring game proved that he's not only saying the things Tennessee fans want to hear, he's actually doing them. The offense looked shiny and new, and they had a great deal of success last Saturday.

Believe any and all hyperbole you hear about Tennessee's secondary this year. Safeties Eric Berry and Demetrice Morley will be roaming around picking off balls and threatening to disembowel ball carriers. There are still questions on the defensive line, and the linebackers look mediocre, but that secondary -- wow.

Tempering all of that optimism, though, is the fact that the No. 1 offense was going against the No. 2 defense, and the No. 1 defense was going against the No. 2 offense in the spring game. So who knows how good either the offense or the defense is? Not me. Not yet.

Let's start with what's the same: The offensive line remains almost the same, and running back Arian Foster will be the starter. And . . . our offense will be wearing either orange or white, and they'll have a Power T on their helmets. Other than that -- NEW! SHINY! FRESH! EXCITING!

Receivers Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers, and Josh Briscoe all return, but the new offensive coaching staff means that they're being challenged by some serious talent behind them, including Denarius Moore, Ahmad Paige, phenom Gerald Jones, and others. Jonathan Crompton, of course, takes over for Ainge under center.

As for the scheme, well nobody really knows for certain. Mostly, it's being called "West Coast," but Clawson says that he develops his scheme depending on personnel, so that's up for grabs. One of the most intriguing changes we've seen is that the offensive guards and tackles are no longer "right" or "left" but will switch sides depending on which hash mark they're on. It's supposedly designed to take advantage of potential mismatches along the lines. Other than that, the main thing is that the offense appears to be built on the concept of getting the best playmakers the ball in space. Yeah, other teams have been doing that for ages, but Vol fans view it as a complete 180 from the traditional Tennessee way of making the players fit the system instead of the other way around. We'll see how it works, but the mere change is refreshing.

He's already accomplished some of that just by turning over the offensive reins to a new young OC. A willingness to open things up a bit offensively will almost certainly help cool things a bit. As far as wins and losses go, I think he'll be fine with nine or maybe even eight wins, although there will always be grumbles about records like that, but nine or ten wins seems very attainable this season.

A lot of Tennessee fans have been waiting for the Crompton Era since he stepped foot on campus. Others feel that his inability to beat out Ainge, especially when Ainge was trying to rehab the mother of all sophomore slumps, proves that he's not all that. I think that Tennessee learned its lesson from the disastrous 2QB Experiment of 2005 and was going to do everything possible to stifle all whispers of a controversy, so Crompton not beating out Ainge doesn't necessarily say anything about Crompton's ability.

And he has ability, no doubt. But even more than that, I think, is the fact that he's a better leader than was Ainge. This team will follow Crompton's lead and will rally around him, and the chemistry extends not only to his offensive teammates, but also to the defense. In short, Tennessee fans are excited about seeing Crompton lead the team this year, and they have every reason to be.

The first, because it's the first. The second, because it's football. The third, because it's Florida and we want to try to avenge the dishumiliarassment we experienced in Gainesville last year. The fourth, because, hey, it's more football! You get the idea. In Knoxville, all football games are circled, starred, bolded, italicized, and underlined. And highlighted. In orange.

Most of the excitement centers around Eric Berry, who, if he was on offense, would get the kind of attention that Tim Tebow got last year. The guy is incredible. Next to him is Demetrice Morley, and the tandem is downright frightening. It frees up already very good cornerbacks (Willingham included) to play even more aggressively. It frees up John Chavis to call more blitzes. It makes the defensive line look better than it is.

On the other side of the ball is Gerald Jones, who was an absolute terror toward the end of the season last year. He's like Berry, but on offense. He'll get several snaps at QB in an Arkansas Wild Hawg-ish type package. Berry, Jones, and perhaps Morley. Those are our stars.