Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning looks to pass during an NFL football minicamp at the team’s headquarters on June 11, 2015, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)Read more
UT Vols unveil new uniforms as Nike partnership beginsPeyton Manning joins Mocs for offseason workout
Not to read too much into this, but perhaps there was at least a wee bit of symbolism in Nike choosing University of Tennessee junior quarterback Josh Dobbs to model its most dramatic football uniform Wednesday, when the Swoosh trotted out No. 11 in smokey gray threads.
To be fair, former UT outfitter Adidas first introduced charcoal gray to Big Orange wardrobes a couple years ago. And if I might offer my own fashion critique, the Adidas smokeys were better from the neck down, especially the decision to stick with the two wide stripes on the pants that Doug Dickey first trotted out in the 1960s.
But if you’re going to sell out to gray, the new charcoal helmets trimmed in orange deliver a huge edge to Nike in the alternate uniform category.
Especially when Dobbs was the chosen model for such shock therapy, since the aerospace engineering major figures to rocket the Vols up both the Southeastern Conference standings and national rankings if early reports of his command of the offense ring true this fall.
“Dobbs is not only a great athlete, he’s someone who understands the Xs and Os,” noted former UT quarterback Heath Shuler during an appearance on Weston Wamp’s “The Pitch” talk show on ESPN Radio this past Saturday morning.
“Now as a quarterback, I can tell you that if you win the battle in the trenches, you win the football game. It’s still about controlling the line of scrimmage. But I also think that from the day the (Taxslayer) Bowl was played, Tennessee fans have been counting down the days until the start of this season.”
On Monday, during a charity golf tournament in Bristol, Shuler went further regarding Dobbs.
“Obviously, his skill set, the ability to run the ball, escape from the pocket, that puts the pressure on the defense,” Shuler told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “He’s that true leader on the team. Smart player, doesn’t make mistakes, doesn’t turn the ball over. His athleticism will give us more opportunities to win this year.”
Of course, the ultimate measuring stick for Big Orange quarterbacks is Peyton Manning, the five-time MVP of the NFL.
“I worked out with Dobbs for two days,” Manning said during his appearance at the Athens (Tenn.) Chamber of Commerce’s annual fund-raising event this past weekend. “Knowing you won last year can make a huge difference. Winning a bowl game, for a young quarterback, can do wonders for his confidence. I know my freshman year we went 7-4, then beat a pretty good Virginia Tech team in the Gator Bowl. We won 11 games the next year. I’m not making any predictions for this season, but I’m excited.”
When Manning – who can often make a statue look as animated as Jim Carrey – is openly excited about the season, every Volniac the nation over should feel good about eight wins minimum, whether Peyton is willing to predict such success or not.
But when both Manning and Shuler are trumpeting the maturation of Dobbs, it also strongly signals where that enthusiasm should begin for Team 119.
He’s a junior now, his first two seasons only partially wasted by UT coach Butch Jones’ unwillingness to make him the backup quarterback this time last summer, then move him to the starter as soon as since-graduated senior Justin Worley was lost to injury midway through the 2014 campaign.
Not that Manning or Shuler seem remotely interested in questioning how many more games the Vols might have won a year ago had Dobbs been on the field more before the colossal comeback win at South Carolina on Nov. 1. Especially since his overall stats from that game forward – 1,014 passing yards, 394 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns (seven by air) in five games – should make him the preseason All-SEC quarterback when the league’s media gathers in Birmingham, Ala., later this month.
“I really like Butch Jones,” Manning said. “He wants to be at Tennessee. He’s building the program the right way.”
Said Shuler: “I couldn’t be more happy and pleased as a Vol to watch what Jones is doing to promote character and integrity in this program. I think we’re about to see great things. I know the Vols Nation is excited about the season. Hopefully, we can reach the SEC championship game against the West.”
If the Vols reach Atlanta for the first time since 2007, it won’t only be because of Dobbs, even if he has sparked the Big Orange to victory in four of his past five games as a starter. It will also be because the line blocks, the defense makes plays – especially the defensive line – and the kicking game is worthy of its General Neyland roots.
But as Manning noted last month, perhaps recalling the power of his own Gator Bowl win as much Dobbs’ victory in the Taxslayer Bowl – which was formerly known as the Gator Bowl: “The older players will see him as more of a leader now after that bowl win. That bowl win was really important.”
It just might prove important enough for Dobbs to keep Team 119 burning bright orange all season rather than unfashionably fading to smokey gray.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com