Vols Family Takes In Thanksgiving Before Taking On Vandy

  • Wednesday, November 26, 2014
  • Special to Chattanoogan.com
photo by Tennessee Athletics

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee football coach Butch Jones stresses the importance of family. Not just players’ immediate family, but a family built upon strong bonds, such as the one the Vols exhibit every day.

This Thanksgiving week, as the Vols prepare for Saturday's matchup at Vanderbilt, the team is coming together to celebrate Thanksgiving as a football family and share in what they're most thankful for.

"We talk about being a football family and that's all-encompassing," Jones said. "The core value of our football program is family. So, to be able to spend Thanksgiving Day with them, there's so much to be thankful for and grateful for."

For coaches and players alike, the family element is one of the defining factors that set Tennessee apart from other programs. With many players unable to make it home for the holiday, the team has been welcomed into the homes and families of those closest to them, their coaches and fellow teammates.

"They invite us over, especially on Thanksgiving because a lot of us can't go home with a game on Saturday," quarterback Joshua Dobbs said. "They invite us over to their houses and we're always welcome to come over, be with their family and hang out a little bit. They do a good job of bringing us together and making a real family out of the team."

In building a football family, the Vols have not only established a comfort level with one another, but developed a support system and a home away from home. And for defensive coordinator John Jancek, the players' individual decisions to leave home and come to Rocky Top will never go unnoticed.

"Family is the foundation of every great organization," Jancek said. "Not only your personal family but also your family of brothers that are here, your coaches and your teammates. These kids are away from home and they made the commitment to come to the University of Tennessee. As coaches, we want to make sure that they have a sense of Thanksgiving."

Offensive Coordinator Mike Bajakian

(On playing without wide receiver Marquez North)
"When you put as much stress on playing with great effort as we do, you have to have great depth. When Marquez isn't healthy, it means that other guys have to play more snaps and the wear and tear can add up over the course of a game. Obviously, with his playmaking ability, having him not on the field is something that's missed."

(On the young wide receivers progressing)
"They're progressing well. Vic [Wharton] is a football junkie. He loves the game and has worked hard. He got dinged up earlier in season and has worked hard to come back and get to the level he was at before he got injured. Obviously, Ryan [Jenkins] continues to improve and frankly, every week he gets better and better."

(On Vanderbilt's defense)
"They're very multiple; multiple in their fronts, multiple in their coverages, multiple in their pressures and they'll attack you from many different angles. It's hard to get a beat on where they're going to line up and where they're going to end up. They do a good job of disguising and moving guys around a lot, prior to the snap and after the snap."

Defensive coordinator John Jancek

(On the differences between Missouri and Vanderbilt)
"Missouri ran one back and they were more spread. They had three wide receivers; they had a tight end in the game; whereas Vanderbilt is two tight ends, three tight ends, two tight ends and a full back. They have bigger personnel groupings which creates more difficult reads now for the middle linebacker and the linebackers in general."

(On linebacker Jakob Johnson's performance)
"For the most part, I was pleased with the way he handled himself. There were some things that he was challenged with that he did a really good job of because [Missouri] was moving their back around and so he had to make some calls on the move. Jakob was forced to get caught up to speed. He'll have some work to do as we close out the week but I'm confident that he'll do a good job."

(On Todd Kelly Jr.'s start against Missouri)
"Todd did a great job. He's smart, you know. Both of those guys [including Jakob Johnson] are smart. They knew what to do and Todd, I thought, performed very well for us. He did miss some tackles but for the most part, he was in good position."

Running Backs Coach Robert Gillespie

(On how hungry the team is for a win)
"Once you get the taste of success, I think we have two games where we have played very well now we have a fallback and we take a loss. Those kids are hungry to get that taste back again. Obviously, we are not satisfied because we were upset with how we played last week. Another great opportunity, a great venue, another SEC opponent, we get another chance to play a big game."

(On running back Jalen Hurd playing in his hometown of Nashville)
"He is a guy that doesn't need much to go play football. He hasn't said much about it and I haven't asked him but I know it is a special game. Anytime you get a chance to go home and play in front of a lot of fans that know you and watched you play high school ball, I think it is a great opportunity. So hopefully he will be pumped up and the other kids that are from there. This Is a game that you don't need a lot of talk to get anybody fired up, I think everyone wants to go play. There is a lot on the line. Doesn't matter who we play this week, we are going to go out there and play our butts off."

(On looking back at running back Jalen Hurd's freshman season)
"You know what, being in the moment, where we are now, I think it is something that we haven't really had time to really realize how many reps and some of the things, which is good. I don't think he has either. He has just kind of been in the zone and so have we as coaches. I haven't thought of him being a freshman in a very, very long time. I think the last time I really thought of him being a freshman was probably the Georgia game. He has done a lot of good things since then. When we look back at the season, when the season is done, we will look back and say, `wow,' the amount of plays and the things that he has done. We are just focused on the next game at hand, like I said, this next game is huge and we are going to go out and play and try to have our best football game."

Offensive Line Coach Don Mahoney

(On offensive lineman Dylan Wiesman's performance at center on Saturday)
"I thought there were some encouraging things from him, I thought he handled the calls well. For the most part, the snaps were consistent with where they needed to be with a lot of the things that we do with the movement and motion, things to be a run pass read for Joshua [Dobbs} to make. I think he snapped and cleared well, meaning he didn't hang on a good play or a bad play for two or three plays. He went out and he played. I thought he worked hard to set the tempo of wanting to move fast. You would see on the film as the film was ending he was running over to get over the ball to get ready for the next play. So I was really encouraged that it was that first go for guys and their eyes are all big."

(On offensive lineman Mack Crowder)
"We will just have to see. We still have tomorrow and Friday and all the way until Saturday at 4 p.m. He has made positive strides, he is moving around well, his attitude is outstanding the fact that he is not dwelling on the injury or what occurred. He was encouraging."

Linebackers Coach Tommy Thigpen

(On sophomore linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin)
"Reeves is probably the most solid guy we've got over there. He was doing his job on every play [against Missouri] and he was on. He gets better every single week and he communicates. You could see him in the game talking to Jakob and getting their checks right. For Reeves, this game against Vanderbilt is going to be a challenge. He's gotten a million different reps in what we call the `nickel world'. This is a world that is a little bit different now, with two tight ends and two backs. This is a big man's game."

(On linebackers transitioning from the safety position)
"It's a challenge. In today's game and the way it's played, that's the kind of guy you want because of the way teams are spreading you out. But this week, they're not doing that to you. This is the week where you want big and strong. They're going to line you up and play two backs in the back field, two tight ends and it's old school, smash-mouth football."

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

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