I'm trying to like the guy....found these reasons to like debord
-DeBord was one of the few coaches Jones mentioned as an influence when he was hired at UT in late 2012.
-Michigan went undefeated in 1997 – claiming an AP national title with DeBord calling the offense.
-(On his tenure at CMU) But while the defense was his undoing in many respects, DeBord did develop a strong rushing attack, hovering around the 200-yard per game average his final two seasons there.
-In the Mike DeBord era, the running game has always been the staple of this offense. Despite the one-back look often used, they are most effective when lining up in the "I" and running it right at a defense.
-Quote from Debord: "Our offense will be built to control the ball. We cannot have turnovers or penalties."
-Carr, after a disappointing 7-5 season, again turned to DeBord to replace Terry Malone. DeBord helped stabilize the offense, installing a zone-blocking scheme that was more friendly to Michigan's personnel (and is something UT uses a lot under Jones currently), helping the Wolverines get back in the top-10 with an 11-2 overall season that ended with a loss in the Rose Bowl.
-You can check off the boxes of play-calling experience, NFL ties and head-coaching experience with DeBord.
-DeBord specializes in the offensive line, the run game and physical football – all things that Tennessee wants to improve upon.
-DeBord's switch to the zone-blocking philosophy in 2006 and some adjustments later in his career at Michigan makes the thought of him jumping in to lead UT's offense a little bit more understandable. Perhaps Jones sees this as an opportunity to further intertwine the spread principles that are in place with him and his current staff with some downhill, pro-style running elements that could make UT's offense with the likes of Jalen Hurd, Alvin Kamara and Joshua Dobbs running the ball, very tough to stop.
-While blind, unquestioning support of a head coach and his moves isn't healthy for a fan base, Jones has clearly done enough right in Knoxville to gain the benefit of the doubt when making this hire. Some of the coaches he brought originally were questioned at large by fans and media alike, only to become essential parts of helping rebuild a program that is on a significantly better trajectory than it was just a couple years ago.
Just something to think about...... maybe not all hope is lost necessarily.
ray:
