Let me preface by saying that I hate any and all injuries to any Vol or any other kid (except minor ones that make them miss a game vs UT). I also think that the losses of Jackson and Gaulden are big hits that can't be spun.
That said:
WR: Croom hasn't played a down since the Vandy game, and we probably knew he wasn't going to be ready to play early this season based on his absence from practice since the first week of camp. Perry was going to have a role, but it was likely to be a fairly limited one simply because he's a freshman. A redshirt year is probably good for his overall development, and IMO realistically we're likely to get more from Preston Williams (good news!) when he starts playing than we would have from Perry all season. Also, Josh Smith will be back on Monday and I expect him to be a strong member of the rotation. With him back we still have a very, very good rotation with Pearson/Pig/Malone/North/Jennings/Smith/Johnson/Blanc/Williams. Numbers are lighter than you'd prefer, especially until Williams is ready to play, but that's a damn good WR corps.
S: McNeil was a starter for a reason. He has had a nice career, including a good season last year when we least expected it. That said, I think we can all agree that Evan and TK are more talented football players, and they both do have some experience. So while he will be missed from an experience and depth perspective, we might be better off from a pure performance perspective (again, strictly on the field - hate it for LDM). We're also getting Griffin back, and while you'd love to not have to play him anywhere but ST this season he does appear to have a lot of ability. So we do have depth at the position.
This has been a really tough camp with the injuries, without question. But I do think Butch has built a roster capable of withstanding some hits. Now, we need to get some good injury luck moving forward.
That said:
WR: Croom hasn't played a down since the Vandy game, and we probably knew he wasn't going to be ready to play early this season based on his absence from practice since the first week of camp. Perry was going to have a role, but it was likely to be a fairly limited one simply because he's a freshman. A redshirt year is probably good for his overall development, and IMO realistically we're likely to get more from Preston Williams (good news!) when he starts playing than we would have from Perry all season. Also, Josh Smith will be back on Monday and I expect him to be a strong member of the rotation. With him back we still have a very, very good rotation with Pearson/Pig/Malone/North/Jennings/Smith/Johnson/Blanc/Williams. Numbers are lighter than you'd prefer, especially until Williams is ready to play, but that's a damn good WR corps.
S: McNeil was a starter for a reason. He has had a nice career, including a good season last year when we least expected it. That said, I think we can all agree that Evan and TK are more talented football players, and they both do have some experience. So while he will be missed from an experience and depth perspective, we might be better off from a pure performance perspective (again, strictly on the field - hate it for LDM). We're also getting Griffin back, and while you'd love to not have to play him anywhere but ST this season he does appear to have a lot of ability. So we do have depth at the position.
This has been a really tough camp with the injuries, without question. But I do think Butch has built a roster capable of withstanding some hits. Now, we need to get some good injury luck moving forward.
