The Tennessee Vols took care of business against the Virginia Cavaliers in Nashville on Saturday, leaving Nissan Stadium with a 49-13 win. 

While Tennessee will start the season with a 1-0 record after their dominant win, the performance from the Vols' offense wasn't crisp early in the game 

Tennessee led just 7-0 at the end of the first quarter. They had a failed fourth-down conversion and they didn't look sharp on third downs. 

The Vols eventually found their footing — the first game of the season always has the potential for some rust — and they cruised for the final three quarters against the Cavaliers. 

After the game, Vols starting quarterback Joe Milton was asked about the offense and why things got off to a slow start before turning around later in the game. 

Milton responded by sending a subtle yet strong message to a couple of unnamed teammates. 

"Just not killing ourselves, not shooting ourselves in the foot," said Milton when asked why the offense was more efficient later in the game. "There were a couple of plays where some guys took a play off. The offense that we have and the team that we have, we don't have time to take a play off. You gotta keep going regardless of the position you play." 

It's unclear who Milton was referring to and really, it doesn't matter. 

The first game of the year is rarely going to be perfect. Even when practices are "tougher than games", there's still no substitute for real game action. 

What's important is that Milton is holding everyone to a championship standard. He saw something he didn't like and he called it out. That approach used to work quite well for Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest competitor of all-time, so why should Milton or any other QB1/team leader have a different approach? 

Some fans might see a player taking a play or two off as a red flag, but that's not the case at all. It's a physical game and it happens. The fact that Milton is calling it out now means it shouldn't be a major issue moving forward. 

It wasn't a loud comment from Milton, but it was still important. There should be no question that Milton is the leader of this team. And he's clearly the right guy to be in that role. 

Josh Heupel shares thoughts on Vols QB Nico Iamaleava’s game action against Virginia

Tennessee HC Josh Heupel shares thoughts on Vols QB Nico Iamaleava’s game action against Virginia

Featured image via Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports