Tennessee Vols fans should love what DL Tyler Baron had to say this week
The Tennessee Vols entered the 2023 season with the expectation that their defensive line would take its play to another level this fall. And that's exactly what they've done. Tennessee's defensive front has generated 22 sacks — which led the nation before the Vols' open week — and they've consistently played on the other side […]
The Tennessee Vols entered the 2023 season with the expectation that their defensive line would take its play to another level this fall.
And that's exactly what they've done.
Tennessee's defensive front has generated 22 sacks — which led the nation before the Vols' open week — and they've consistently played on the other side of the line of scrimmage.
The improved defensive line play, which is a testament to the coaching job that defensive line coach Rodney Garner has done this season (as well as graduate assistant Robert Ayers Jr, a former UT standout), has received plenty of praise from the national media and other programs.
But that praise means nothing to Tennessee. They're not buying into the "rat poison" from the media/other programs.
In fact, Vols defensive lineman Tyler Baron, who has played the best football of his career this season, thinks Tennessee has left too many plays on the field.
"To be honest, I still feel like there is so much room for improvement," said Baron on Monday while speaking with reporters. "We've left so many plays out there so far. I can't even turn to look back, I'm really just worried about what's in front of us. I think we can do a lot better. We're just getting back to work this week and improving on that."
Baron also made it clear that he doesn't care what's being said about Tennessee's defensive line — good or bad — outside of the building.
"I don't really care what other people think just in terms of us," said Baron. "I think if we can look at ourselves and say that about ourselves then we're living the right way and we're doing the right things. I think it's more of a standard that we hold ourselves to. We're not really overly impressed with what other people think about us."
Listening to the outside noise can get teams in trouble. It can cause teams to lose focus on the hard work it takes daily to maintain an elite level of play.
It's obvious based on Baron's comments that this Tennessee team isn't going to let the praise from the outside affect their preparation on the inside of the building. And that's a great sign for the defense entering the second half of the season.
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