Josh Heupel completely shuts down silly narrative about Tennessee Vols
If you're a Tennessee Vols fan, you've almost certainly heard the narrative that UT's offense doesn't prepare players for the NFL. The idea is that Tennessee's "simplified" offense and tempo make UT's players less attractive to NFL teams. That narrative hasn't come from NFL teams but instead from rival fan bases, draft analysts, and an […]
If you're a Tennessee Vols fan, you've almost certainly heard the narrative that UT's offense doesn't prepare players for the NFL.
The idea is that Tennessee's "simplified" offense and tempo make UT's players less attractive to NFL teams.
That narrative hasn't come from NFL teams but instead from rival fan bases, draft analysts, and an assortment of college football writers.
On Thursday at Tennessee's pro day, Vols head coach Josh Heupel was asked about the narrative.
Heupel told reporters that he's getting questions from folks who want to incorporate some of what Tennessee does into their offense.
“I’m getting a lot of questions about scheme and guys that want to incorporate what we’re doing, so I think it will transition just fine," said Heupel (via 247Sports). "You look at the NFL, how college football has impacted the way that game is being played now, a lot of what is happening on this level is transitioning upward, not necessarily just downward.”
It's pretty clear that Heupel doesn't agree with the criticism. And when you look at teams like the Kansas City Chiefs who incorporate some switch releases, and other teams that use wider splits and no-huddle approaches, it's easy to see why Heupel feels that way.
One thing that I think analysts and opposing fan bases forget is that Heupel is incredibly smart when it comes to the game of football in general. He's perfectly capable of running a Pro-Style offense with complex play calls and traditional formations (Tennessee went under center, used clock, and condensed their formations in various situations last season). He's preparing quarterbacks and skill position players beyond what folks see on the field on Saturdays in the fall.
False narratives are common in sports, but maybe this one can finally go away.
