The real McCoy

KNOXVILLE -- Two of the University of Tennessee's most experienced defenders were included in the long list of players returning to the practice field in some capacity Monday.

Senior linebacker Rico McCoy (sprained knee) went through most of practice, while junior cornerback Brent Vinson (pulled hamstring) went through individual drills at Haslam Field.

Junior wide receiver Gerald Jones returned, too, but the Volunteers' flanker hadn't missed nearly as much preseason camp time as McCoy and Vinson. And, at least in McCoy's case, the difference was clear. All-Southeastern Conference linebackers don't grow on trees, even at places known for stocking the NFL with players at that position.

"I can't even tell you how good it felt to be back out there," McCoy said. "You know me, man. I hate being on the sideline."

Coaches don't want McCoy standing on the sideline unless UT's offense is on the field, or the game has been decided. That's how valuable McCoy is expected to be for the Vols' youngest linebacker corps in recent memory.

McCoy, the first UT letterman from Washington D.C. since 1957, has 231 career tackles -- 193 in the past two years. The middle linebacker, junior Nick Reveiz or redshirt freshman Herman Lathers, will make most of the defense's pre-snap checks. But McCoy will be looked to for leadership in tough situations, because he'll be the only experienced SEC backer of the bunch.

Twenty-five consecutive starts will get just about anyone some respect in a college locker room.

"Our team is bigger than any one individual on either side of the ball," Reveiz said last week. "But I think it's pretty obvious that we can't wait for Rico to get back out here. He's just a huge playmaker for us, and he's one of the most experienced guys on our team, on either side of the ball."

McCoy's knee never seemed to bother him walking around the practice field the past few weeks, but his reputation suggests it wasn't a simple situation. Former UT coach Phillip Fulmer called McCoy "one of those rare kids who loves practice.

"Everyone out here loves games, but Rico loves football practice, too. He just loves everything about the game," added Fulmer, who publicly prodded a younger McCoy to love the classroom as much as he loved the field.

McCoy impressed the new coaches with his love of everything football, too. Coordinator Monte Kiffin said McCoy's desire to learn the new defensive scheme had filtered down to the underclassmen.

"I watched every rep (from the sideline), and I didn't let any reps go by without getting a mental rep," McCoy said. "From the sideline, I've been watching my position and going to every meeting as if I was out there, just to help me stay on top of it."

Monday was different, though. The Vols didn't practice in full pads, but the defense clearly had a different dynamic with loud No. 5 on the field.

"I could tell the guys were happy to have me back out there, and it felt good to be out there with Nick and (LaMarcus Thompson) and my d-ends and safeties," McCoy said. "The guys are happy. We had a couple of laughs out there today.

"As far as movement-wise, I'm still a little tentative to the knee. But as far as my reads and my keys, I'm on top of it. I came back pretty sharp in that way."

McCoy's offensive teammates noticed a difference, too. Senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton said he doesn't single out individual defenders on the practice, field, but he laughed at questions about McCoy's loud mouth back on Haslam Field.

Junior fullback Kevin Cooper from Chattanooga went further.

"He was definitely back out there, fresh legs and all," Cooper said. "It's good to have him back. I like having Rico out there on the field, playing hard. He's a great linebacker, and I like competing against him all the time."

Vinson didn't fully return, but he hopes to join McCoy and the rest of the team in Neyland Stadium on Saturday for the final full-contact preseason scrimmage. Coaches hope Lathers, first-team cornerback Art Evans and others will also be cleared for contact by that point.

Junior tight end Luke Stocker (turf toe) remains questionable, but Evans and sophomore safety Stephaun Raines from Dalton, Ga., worked some on the side Monday.

Vinson said his return went "better than expected."

"When you hurt that hamstring, it's supposed to be like six weeks, and it's only been like a week and a half right now, and I'm ahead of schedule," Vinson added. "I don't want to get lazy and complacent, so I've been working hard and getting mental reps and watching film and all of that stuff.

"But I also just want to take it slow, practice by practice, and do a little more every practice, and hopefully be able to scrimmage by Saturday."