HOOVER, Ala. - Derek Barnett initially spotted the recurring mistake.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin then turned it into an important offseason lesson for Tennessee's football team.
The senior linebacker and team captain cobbled together a video of plays from spring practice that mirrored plays from last season, when the Volunteers narrowly missed the kind of special season they're hoping to produce in 2016.
"It's not good when those same mistakes repeat themselves," Reeves-Maybin said Tuesday at SEC media days. "It was a couple plays in the spring that were almost identical to what happened in the season. They were in key points of the season and key losses we had."
The Vols repetitively have pointed to those losses - four of them by a combined 17 points, though the Vols like to throw in the eight-point defeat against Missouri from late 2014, too - as both motivation and a learning tool heading into this season.
Tennessee's defense failed to make three fourth-quarter leads stand up in four of those defeats, and the offense couldn't pick up key first downs in crunch time of five games.
Those moments were the difference in a nine-win season and possibly much more last year.
"We've taken a lot of strides from last year," quarterback Josh Dobbs said. "We're focusing on those 25 points, trying to figure out how we can pull out a couple of those close games. We figured it out at the end of the season, so now it's putting it together, finishing out games, finishing out the season and finishing strong."
Barnett, the star defensive end, missed all of spring practice and Reeves-Maybin hurt his shoulder during the first week, so both veterans took on spectator roles for most of the spring. That allowed them to watch their teammates and spot positive plays or troublesome trends.
"We were on the practice field," Reeves-Maybin said, "and he saw something and was like, 'That was just like this game.' That's what kind of gave me the idea of it. I just wanted to show the team that there's some things we've got to correct. It's not about me telling the team what to do, but it's about being open.
"If you see things, you've got to nip them in the bud."
One of Tennessee coach Butch Jones's many favorite sayings is his desire for a player-led team over a coach-led team, and his fourth team is stocked with quality leaders.
"Usually I want to proof the video, but I had so much faith and confidence in him, I said, 'OK, go ahead,'" Jones said. "He walks up to the team and put together a 25-point video on his own. But the thing about leadership is leaders eat last.
"The first thing he did is he showed clips from different games of himself, whether it was a missed tackle, whether it was a missed communication, a missed fundamental in coverage - it started with him. Then he proceeded to go through all of the critical plays (on) offense, defense and special teams."
Reeves-Maybin is one of the team's biggest film junkies. He prides himself on studying the game, whether he's watching a half-dozen NFL linebackers or trying to pick up hints by viewing other positions on the field. He's also more demanding on himself than anybody else.
"I may have all this hype, but I still struggle as a football player, too," said Tennessee's leading tackler the past two seasons. "I'm not above anything. I make mistakes, and there were a couple plays where I played bad football.
"It was unacceptable. It was important to show my teammates, too, that I'm out there and I try to give my all, but there's some plays were I slack or make a simple, stupid mistake. I think it was important to put that in front of them, too."
The video was right in line with Tennessee's offseason focus on doing whatever it takes to win close games.
"You always have to learn from the previous experiences and past experiences," Jones said. "It's something we spoke about ever since we started that offseason program and just what does it take in pointing defining moments out in the game.
"A football (game) can come down to two to three plays that mean the difference between winning and losing, and you never know which play it's going to be. That play could be in the first quarter. You just never know. That's why you play every play like it's your last."
Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com