Okay, here’s the summary of former Tennessee players taken in the 2006 NFL draft:

• Defensive back Jason Allen was the only player to be taken in the first round, at the 16th overall pick. He’ll play for the Miami Dolphins.
• There were three 5th round picks: defensive end Parys Haralson (No. 140 to the San Francisco 49ers); linebacker Omar Gaither (No. 168 to the Philadelphia Eagles); and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona (No. 169 to the Tennessee Titans).
• Linebacker Kevin Simon went in the 7th round (No. 250) to the Washington Redskins.
• Guard Cody Douglas, wide receiver Chris Hannon, running back Gerald Riggs, guard Rob Smith, and offensive tackle Albert Toeaina did not get drafted.

Initial thoughts:

Breathe a sigh of relief that Allen playing another year for the Vols didn’t cost him his career. How high would he have been had he not gotten injured? Maybe the Texans would have picked him first.

Mahelona should have gone a lot higher. He was double-teamed all last year and was still a force. He’s a class kid and a steal for the Titans at the 169nth pick. And speaking of the Titans, wow. Vince Young. Lendale White. Mahelona. Cool.

Gaither was always sort of in Simon’s shadow, but no more. He’s a solid player, and it’s nice to see him get credit for it. Of course, who needs credit when you have cash?

Especially sorry for Toeaina, Riggs, and Hannon. They should have been drafted, but they should get a shot with some team somewhere. Smith, we knew could have used another year.

The draft really brings to light Tennessee’s losses on defense. Two starting linemen, two starting ‘backers, and a cornerback were drafted.

Good for them.

Bad for us.

SportsTalk’s Jimmy Hyams and John Wilkerson chatted with former Tennessee defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona on the radio this afternoon. Mahelona, who is projected to be a second- or third-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft, is cooking three pigs (one in an underground oven, one on a spit over an open fire, and one in a smoker . . . mmmm), a cow (I’d like to see a cow on a spit), and a bunch of fish to commemorate the event. Nothing says party like roast hog.

Audio is courtesy of Sportsanimal99.com, which has more excellent interviews, including those of defensive end Parys Haralson and offensive linemen Rob Smith, Cody Douglas, and Albert Toeaina.

Here’s a list of former Volunteers and where they’re projected to fall in this weekend’s draft:

• First Round. Cornerback/safety Jason Allen. I’ve been getting a lot of hits from NFL fans looking for information on Allen. He’ll be a solid player at the next level, and although there have been rumors that he’s failed some physicals, all of the hard information I’ve seen is that his injury wasn’t as severe as feared and that he has made a full recovery. Check out the Jason Allen category for more.
• Third Round. Defensive end Parys Haralson and defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona.
• Rounds Four and/or Five. Linebacker Omar Gaither, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel, offensive lineman Rob Smith, and running back Gerald Riggs.
• Others. Offensive linemen Albert Toeaina and Cody Douglas, wide receivers Chris Hannon and C.J. Fayton, linebackers Kevin Simon and Jason Mitchell, and defensive end Jason Hall.

The 2005 All-SEC team has been announced, and offensive lineman Arron Sears was the only Tennessee Volunteer to make first team.

Second teamers include Jason Hall, Parys Haralson, Justin Harrell, and Kevin Simon.

Jessee Mahelona earned only Honorable Mention.

From GoVolsXtra:

In the frustration after the Vols’ failed last play – an end-zone interception by Vanderbilt – several UT players appeared to throw their helmets on the ground. A number of players went to the locker room leaving their helmets on the field.

Offensive lineman Albert Toeaina reportedly spit on a Jumbotron cameraman as he left the field. The cameraman, Scott Liston, told WBIR-TV’s Steve Phillips on Sunday that Fulmer had called him to apologize for the incident.

John Pennington has more:

Nearly as bad as Helmet-gate was the amount of jawing, talking and showboating that UT’s 4-6 players did during the Vandy game. Several times, UT defenders ran their mouths to Vandy’s Cutler following defensive stops. But for the day, Cutler was 27 of 39 for 315 yards and 3 touchdowns and he recorded the first signature win of his career. Guess who laughed last.

Two UT defensive players also popped off to Vandy (and former Knox Central) running back Cassen Jackson-Garrison as the teams made their way to the lockerrooms at halftime. Jackson-Garrison responded by pointing to the 21-14 lead on the Neyland Stadium scoreboard.

My guess? This was the first time that a Vandy player had been able to say “scoreboard” to a Tennessee player since the game clocks went from analog to digital.

Prior to the 4th and a foot at Vandy’s 4, several of UT’s offensive linemen were seen bobbing their heads and gesturing for the Vols to go for the first down. It was more than energy and enthusiasm… it was #####. And as I noted earlier, it was misplaced ######### since the O-Line could [sic] blow Vandy off the line of scrimmage.

Lastly, after the disappointing loss, the popping off, the mid-season “we’re not a .500 football team” promises, the numerous Clausen quotes… in the end, only 5 people associated with the Vol team came out to speak to the media after the game: Phillip Fulmer (who gets paid to do it), John Chavis (good for him), and players Foster, Mahelona and Jason Mitchell (who had played all season on a torn ACL and a torn MCL).

I echo Pennington’s praise of Chavis, Foster, Mitchell, and Mahelona, who said the helmet thing was evidence of a lack of maturity.

UPDATE: GoVolsXtra is now reporting that Toeaina spit on the ground, not on the cameraman. They have video. Toeaina is suspended for Saturday’s game against the Kentucky Wildcats, though, for inappropriate conduct, which apparently consists of throwing his helmet after the loss, leaving it on the field, and yelling an expletive at the cameraman.

Toeaina has apologized:

“I apologize, to all concerned, for my conduct after the Vanderbilt game,” Toeaina said. “It was done out of anger and frustration. It is not reflective of what I have been taught by my family or my coach. I would like to thank coach Fulmer for the opportunity to be a part of the Tennessee Volunteers.”

It’s Senior Day at Neyland Stadium as 27 Tennessee Volunteer football seniors will run through the T for the final time.

Here they are:

Starters on Defense

• Jason Allen
  • Pictures from the Georgia game
  • Thoughts and Prayers for Jason Allen
  • Optimistic News Regarding Allen’s Hip Injury
  • Allen Talks About His Injury
  • Allen Continues to Lead After Injury
  • Allen On Not Playing Against Alabama
• Jesse Mahelona
  • Go Big Orange Flyin’ Hawaiin Style
  • Must See Picture of Mahelona
• Kevin Simon
  • Simon Re-Lives the 2003 Victory Over the Crimson Tide
  • Simon Says Vols Won’t Slip to 3-3
• Parys Haralson
• Jason Hall
• Jason Mitchell
• Omar Gaither

Starters on Offense

• Rick Clausen
  • Erik Ainge Named Starting Quarterback
  • John Pennington on the Volunteer Quarterbacks
  • Clausen Leads the Volunteers to Dramatic Rally in the Valley
  • Pop Quiz. Do These Quotes Describe David Greene, Alex Smith, or . . . Rick Clausen?
  • Friction Between Clausen and the Knoxville Media
  • Clausen’s Rant on the Resignation of Randy Sanders
  • Clausen, Receivers, Special Teams Save the Day Against the Memphis Tigers
  • Mark Burgess on the Career of Rick Clausen
  • Mike Griffith Admits He was Wrong about Clausen
• Gerald Riggs Jr.
  • Gerald Riggs’ Tennessee Career Over
  • Update on Riggs’ Season-Ending Injury
  • Season-Ending Tackle on Riggs Illegal in the NFL
• C.J. Fayton
• Richie Gandy
• Jake Finlayson
• Albert Toeaina
• Cody Douglas

Other Seniors

• Jon Catanzano
• Peter Chang
• Ryan Fusco
• Bill Martin
• Adam Miles
• Jon Poe
• Lester Ransom
• Justin Reed
• Kevin Shipley
• Sam Wantland
• Robert Williams
• Nick Wilson

College Football News’ Matthew Zemek has another excellent Perspective Piece this week, this time on the matchup between Tennessee and Notre Dame:

Sure enough, this game is a matchup of a top 10 power against a team in search of an identity, just as many thought it would be before the 2005 season started.

But oh, how the roles have been reversed, relative to the prevailing preseason wisdom. It’s Notre Dame that has a lofty perch, and it’s Tennessee whose offense is floundering in a season that has the natives grumbling. It’s not the Irish who are suffering this year, after some rocky seasons in the Ty Willingham era; now it’s Phil Fulmer who, improbably but genuinely, needs to win this game to get some heat off his back. Whuda thunk it?

This game has gained some extra news value because of Fulmer’s downturn–made more emotional by the fact that Steve Spurrier helped accelerate it–but even without that particular angle, this game was still going to be special because of the classic confrontation it offers: Tennessee’s head-knocking defense against Notre Dame’s prolific offense. John Chavis against Charlie Weis. Jesse Mahelona against Brady Quinn. Quality against quality. An SEC defense getting a chance to defend the honor of a conference against the sport’s biggest brand name.

Chavis v. Weis should be fun to watch. The Tennessee offense v. the Irish defense . . . well, that may be another story.

South Carolina Gamecock head coach Steve Spurrier is saying that the Tennessee Volunteers should expect a bag full of trick plays this afternoon:

“We’re a pretty loose team,” he said. “It’s not the end of the world if we get beat. They’re the ones that have a little heat on them – oh no, let’s don’t lose to South Carolina.

“There’s probably a little more pressure on their team. We should be loose and let it fly. We can run all of our trick plays. We’ve been saving about 20 of them.”

How will the trick plays fair when they’re run by Gamecocks instead of Gators and when they’re run against the likes of Mahelona, Haralson, Hall, Simon, and Gaither?

Tune in tonight at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN2.

A few random news items on the Tennessee Volunteers as they prepare for a trip to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide:

• Running backs coach Trooper Taylor plans to use more tailbacks to make sure star back Gerald Riggs is fresh for the fourth quarter.
• Fullback Corey Anderson’s lack of playing time is a direct result of him complaining about lack of playing time while slacking off in practice. He’s apparently corrected on both counts.
• Defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona has been selected as one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, given to the top defensive player in the NCAA. Another is Alabama linebacker DeMeco Ryans.
• Recivers C.J. Fayton and Jayson Swain are recovering from their respective injuries and are expected to play Saturday.
• Alabama is looking for revenge against the neighborhood bully. Wallace Gilberry:
  

  It’s one of those things that you carry in the back of your mind as you go to sleep. No matter what you do during the day, when that time comes you’re going to remember it. It’s like when you’re little and one guy keeps picking on you, you’re still going to remember him.

  But the dynamics have changed. It’s a new year. The weakling has grown over the summer, and the bully is looking vulnerable.

University of Tennessee Volunteer linebacker Kevin Simon is vowing not to lose this Saturday when the Vols travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. At 3-2, the Vols are on the brink of mediocrity, but Simon won’t have it:

No one came here from California (like Simon), or Hawaii (like defensive tackle Jesse Mahelona), or Florida, or Texas, or up north in New Jersey to be 3-3. We’re not a .500 ball club.

Without the glare of the Spotlight, Tennessee has something to prove for probably the first time this season, and they could very well return to Knoxville 4-2 (and 3-2 against top ten teams) instead of 3-3.

Here’s a breakdown of the Tennessee Volunteers’ offensive struggles against the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday:

• Vols’ First Possession. Tennessee’s first play from scrimmage was a 33-yard completion to Bret Smith. Chalk one up for a big play by the receiving corps. On the next play, however, Aaron Sears false starts, and the Vols are suddenly looking at 1st and 15. First and second downs net one yard, and a third down completion to Meachem goes for 11, generally good enough to get another set of downs, but not if you need 15 yards. Punt.
• Vols’ Second Possession. One of the rare, no-penalty drives, this possession began with another big play by a receiver, a completion Chris Hannon for 25 yards. The drive stalled out after a nine-yard completion to Meachem.
• Vols’ Third Possession. After Georgia scored a touchdown (with UT contributing ten yards on two penalties), the Vols returned the kickoff for only 12 yards and was penalized another 6. Starting on the 6 yard line, Tennessee did get one first down on a nice 15-yard run by Riggs, but on the next play, a communication error between Rick Clausen and Gerald Riggs resulted in a five-yard loss, so they were looking at 2nd and 15. On a no-gain second down, the Vols’ offense (Aaron Sears again) got a facemask penalty that Georgia declined. On 3rd down, they got 13, again generally enough for a new set of downs, but not if you need 15.
• Vols’ Fourth Possession. Georgia downs its punt at the Tennessee 2. The Vols play it safe and punt after gaining only one yard on three tries.
• Vols’ Fifth Possession. This possession was the high-water mark for the Vols’ offense, but ended with no points. Starting at the 26, Riggs ripped off runs of 8 yards, 9 yards, 1 yard, and 3 yards before Clausen made two consecutive completions of 23 yards and 11 yards (more big plays by receivers). Riggs then rushed for another 4 yards, and the Vols were threatening at Georgia’s 15. Notice no penalties or mental errors to this point. Alas, Clausen overthrew Bret Smith in the end zone and on the next play threw an interception.
• Vols’ Sixth Possession. Lucas Taylor caught Georgia’s punt at the 11 and ran to the 14, but Tennessee was penalized 6 yards and had to start on the 8 yard line. Still, they stayed ahead on downs, completing passes of 20 yards and eight yards, and drove down to Georgia’s 38 yard line. But then Riggs and the right tackle both give Georgia’s defensive end a straight path to Clausen’s blind side, and Clausen fumbles when he’s hit. A Volunteer offensive lineman falls on the ball, but the referee simply stares at the player cradling the ball on the ground until a Georgia player strips the ball from him, at which time the ref blows the whistle. Georgia converts the comedy of errors into three points.
• Vols’ Seventh Possession. Taylor returns the kickoff to the 26, a tie for the Vols’ best starting position of the game. There were no penalties or errors, but they go three and out.
• Vols’ Eighth Possession. Taylor returns the kickoff to the 26, but Tennessee was penalized 19 yards, so they started at the 7. Again, the receivers make a big play, this time a 28-yarder to Jayson Swain, who simply stole the ball from the defender. They make another first down after that before getting two 5-yard penalties. Yet they overcome those and make another first down with an 18-yard completion to Swain. They then get to 3rd and 1 only to receive a 15-yard penalty. They can’t convert on 3rd and 16, and they punt.
• Vols’ Ninth Possession. Jonathan Wade actually ran his interception on the preceding play in for a touchdown, but the officials ruled him down at the one-yard line. Hey! Good field position! Clausen snuck it in on the first play.
• Vols’ Tenth Possession. Thanks to a forced fumble by Jesse Mahelona recovered by Inky Johnson, the Vols got the ball back on their own 27 yard line. Two mistakes in a row for the Dawgs and the momentum seems to be turning. Clausen throws a 16-yard strike to freshman Josh Briscoe on 3rd and 7, but Briscoe is stripped, and Georgia recovers.
• Vols’ Eleventh Possession. The Vols’ defense held, but Georgia’s punter pinned Tennessee back on the one yard line. Tennessee could only muster eight yards before punting to Georgia, who ran it back for a touchdown.
• Vols’ Twelfth Possession. The game was essentially over at that point. The Vols made one first down and actually got ahead on downs, having a 2nd and five on the Tennessee 40 yard line when Clausen had to fall on a bad snap. That made it 3rd and ten, and they couldn’t convert.
• Vols’ Thirteenth Possession. The last Vol drive doesn’t really count, but they had no penalties or mistakes, and actually made a few big plays, including a 24-yard touchdown completion to Meachem as time ran out.

So the Volunteer offense had 12 meaningful possessions. It started almost half of those possession inside their own ten yard line, two of them inside their own five. Three times, the poor field position was directly attributable to Volunteer penalties.

On 4 of their drives, the Vols got behind on downs, either because of penalties or other mental errors.

Their good drives ended in turnovers.

Coach Fulmer’s assessment (subscription required) appears to be on target:

“We had 63 plays in the game Saturday, and 54 of them were outstanding, well-executed plays,” Fulmer said.

“We had 12 mistakes by different people that ended up costing you down and distance, field position or points.”

Ugh.

But still, if — IF — the Vols can cure their offensive woes, they still have a lot to play for, even after losing to two SEC East rivals.

They’re merely mostly dead.