Former44

I agree. I read in the Press Enterprise that Farragut's enrollment is expected to drop below 1,800 next year. It will soon become a necessity to play guys both ways.

With the losses at linebacker, any chance Purty plays some LB this year? Doesn't he have some prior experience at LB? Sounds like he has good strength, and his speed would certainly be an asset on the outside. Farragut will be facing some quality running backs this year.

Does anyone have any info on the spring scrimmage schedule?

Good point. He also made some big runs and catches on offense.

I agree. I didn't mean to imply Farragut would be better in the veer with current personnel. I do think they have had some teams that would have been better suited to the veer than, well, the staggered I. I just miss those wide splits, backs 1 1/2 off the line, dive, lead veer, and toss sweep. I think of the Ooltewah game in '07 (and Armanti Edwards at Appalachian State) when I think of the spread running attack. Martland torched them off the QB keep on the zone read. That threat opened up Sterling as well. Nice to be able to attack that C gap with the QB. Like you intimated however, Browning certainly has the skill and receivers to do that in a different way. Encarnacion will be tough to replace. He was one of the better open-field tacklers I have seen at Farragut, or anywhere else for that matter.

ANYONE would benefit from having Coach Sparks. You have to be able to RUN the football (and play defense of course) to win championships. Coach Sparks has lived by that philosophy his entire career. He is also a very fine man. He also believes in mobility at quarterback. Having to defend all 11 players makes an offense that much more difficult to stop, plus it promotes a big play play-action passing game. I have to admit, I miss the veer at Farragut. Nobody really stopped it for nearly 20 years (give or take a couple of I-formation teams). However I definitely prefer the the spread, which incorporates some veer components, to some of the other stuff FHS has used in the past.

Are you privy to some special information? If so, care to share?

Bearden had somewhere in the neighborhood of 35 sophomores last year. Make no mistake, they will be stout. For a youthful team to be that strong speaks volumes. They were also less impacted by the rezoning than other schools. West could be biggset surprise. They return talent, speed, and several key players. William Blount should not be underestimated. The young quarterback (returning from injury) and defensive end were very impressive against Farragut last season.

The only one I read doing any whining is you. Stats don't win any ballgames. Rankings are also worthless, other than to put a big target on your back every Friday night. I'm sure Coach Courtney has conveyed this to his team. I am quite sure Coach would also prefer the final score does all the talking. Like I said, I hope you are right. I was born and raised in Farragut. I just don't think boasting and calling everyone a whiner is representative of Farragut or Farragut football.

Well, hope you are right. You certainly have given them all the bulletin board material a coach could ask for.

#23 Tyler Bradley needs to be on the field in some capacity for Farragut, rather than on the sidelines. He absolutely DE-CLEATED the Cermak kid from Heritage in pass protect. If he has wheels enough to be a RB, and plays that physically, he could certainly contribute at LB or DE. Fresh D-linemen are a necessity in that 3-man front. At the same time, I feel he could really excel at linebacker, where depth and fresh legs also help to negate missed tackles.

I think Farragut has to feel pretty good about this scrimmage. I overheard one of the parent's comment that this was the first scrimmage for Farragut, and that Maryville had already scrimmaged against Oak Ridge. From an execution perspective, I would think that would be an advantage to have already had snaps against quality opposition. My take on 1's vs. 1's. Farragut drove well into Maryville territory on every possession, right up to the final drive, except one. On the first possession, Farragut had a first and goal, but two consecutive ball-handling/exchange mistakes led to minus yardage plays and consequently a field goal. On the second possession, the TD. Bogan showed good speed on the outside. I thought Farragut self-destructed a little bit in the red zone. Browning had to deal with high snaps throughout the scrimmage. A couple of failed pass attempts, one thrown late into the end zone that was intercepted, foiled at least two very makeable field goal opportunities. On another series, a long completion that would have set up a first and goal was called back on a penalty. Apart from Maryville's outstanding TD run, they also had a couple of long field goal misses. The first was short and the second was blocked. Maryville's final drive was solid, but they missed the FG wide. Maryville seems a little unsettled at QB to me. They definitely misfired on a couple of potentially good screen plays. At the same time, I thought they had a chance to go for a couple of fourth downs, but perhaps Coach Quarles wanted to work on the kicking game. He is a class act. Finally, Farragut QB's bypassed several opportunities to duck it up and gain positive yardage, especially on the sprint outs, rather than throw late. Passes can be dropped, deflected, or intercepted. If you can get there by land, take it. You have got to be able to run the football to win championships. I think Farragut's red zone performance solidifies this point. An occasional QB keep off the zone read would certainly help to free up the tailback. Of course, Maryville's run defense was strong the entire scrimmage.

Thanks for the summaries. Hopefully Farragut can replace key losses on the lines. I think skill positions could be promising. I'm sure most will lament the loss of Sterling. He was certainly a great player. However, I think I am more concerned about replacing the contributions of Micah Devan and Zach Allen. Should be an interesting season. Thanks again.

How has Farragut performed in their spring scrimmages?

Did West scrimmage Farragut? If so, how did that go?

I don't mind at all. I think those of us who have seen this team play know how capable the offense truly is. Would they be as stong without Andre, certainly not. However, they definitely would be successful. I personally would like to see a little more zone read QB keeper. With defenses so focused on Andre, it is nearly always open. At the same time, it would create greater lanes for Andre if the defense is concerned with the mobile QB. By the way, further evidence of Farragut's excellent O-line play was the success out of the I. Weren't they devastating out of the I against OR? They played very physical. I would also like to see more fullback, even out of the spread. Andre is oustanding with a lead blocker. Furthermore, teams would have a much tougher time run blitzing if that fullback is there with a full head of steam to pick it off.

The TEAM, not Andre alone, rushed for over 400 yards against OR. That in essence was the very point of my post.

I, for one, am pleased that uninformed people like yourself consider Farragut a one man team. That way when that big offensive line fires off the ball, seldom is the defense prepared for it. You don't rush for over 400 yards in a game without quality line play, and receivers blocking downfield. Andre is an extremely talented back. But make no mistake, he runs behind a line that can dominate when they are properly motivated. Don't forget, Van Dyne also rushed for over 100 against OR. Van Dyne was also very effective against William Blount, scoring the first Farragut TD. Furthermore, even one of the Ooltewah fans admitted (on that particular thread) that it was Farragut's mobile quarterback that hurt them at least as bad as Andre. Farragut won a difficult region 2-5A because they have a fine TEAM. So, you are proven wrong.

You are forgetting the 10-7 Farragut playoff victory in '83. Somebody from Oak Ridge sent a funeral wreath to the school. They would have been better served to save their money.

You were close. Great insight.

If the Farragut coaches don't recognize from this game that Farragut needs to be in the I-formation, I foresee a great deal of offensive problems for this team. Balanced or unbalanced, I don't care, this Farragut team needs to be in the I. They need a physical fullback and a tight end (or two) in the game at all times. The real strength of this team is it's big physical offensive line, and Andre Sterling running behind it. Not to mention the fact that Andre seems to run even better behind a lead blocker. At the same time, they can still throw successfully (even from play action) from the I-formation. Why take the game out of the hands of your offensive line by playing from the spread? After the second series, West didn't hesitate to put 8 in the box. They did not spread out. There's a simple explanation for this, they did not respect the spread. They rarely had to shed a blocker, because they just ran around them. Other teams will do the same once they see the film. Furthermore, Sterling was mauled on a couple of occasions, on another he whiffed, when pass protecting. Obviously, this is not Andre's strong suit, and I don't believe it is in Farragut's best interest for him to be the sole protector in the backfield. I think everyone saw that this led to Martland running for his life and also being sacked. At the end of the fourth quarter, West defenders were struggling just to get off the ground. Imagine if Farragut had invested in the I formation from the get go. I certainly mean no disrespect to West and their athleticism, but this game could easily have been a physical mismatch if Farragut had chosen to play smash-mouth football. I'll also agree with a previous post about Farragut throwing with a ten point lead, while successfully driving the ball out of the I. Why risk stopping the clock on an incomplete pass, late in the game, when you have the lead? I truly believe this team could compete for the region title by playing physical smash-mouth football out of the I. I think they will struggle to compete for the fourth spot in the spread. Farragut's players are clearly better suited to the I-formation. As a matter of fact, if anyone should be running the spread, it should be West.

Interesting... MW is traditionally athletic and quick. Always good to face speed in fall camp. Thanks!

Does anyone happen to know the scores, as close as possible, of the three scrimmages prior to Jefferson County?

ruse?, you seem convinced that it would be in Farragut's best interest to blitz Ryan if he is indeed able to play. Doesn't Scott Cummings still run the veer? A dangerous strategy, in my opinion, against split backs a yard and a half off the ball. I would be afraid the dive and the toss sweep, two staples of the veer, would kill me. You might have some success against the lead veer, especially if the quartererback isn't at least proficient at checking to direction, and the dropback pass. In this case, however, I feel the risk would far outweigh the reward. I would certainly think any defensive coordinator's objective would be to stop the run first. I think Ken Sparks would be delighted to see an aggressive blitzing defense against his veer. Just a thought.

How has Farragut looked in fall scrimmages? How have they progressed with the spread offense? I understand, from another thread, they handled Jefferson County rather easily Thursday night. I would be interested to hear how they did in the other three scrimmages.