Tennessee fourth-year defensive coordinator Tim Banks made such a powerful statement earlier this week that it instantly started a countdown clock for the reaction from fourth-year defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
Speaking in a news conference following Tuesday’s second spring practice for the Volunteers, Banks said, “We should really have the best defensive line in the country.”
Garner was made available to the media Saturday afternoon, with that remark by Banks serving as the first question.
“I didn’t know he did that,” Garner said. “Obviously I would love to be able to ordain these guys to be that, but unfortunately that’s not the way it works. For us to be that, we’ve got to come out and put in work every day. We’ve got to continue to grow, and there are a lot of areas we’ve got to improve in.
“They see that on the film, and I tell them that every day we go on the field we’re chasing greatness. Either we’re getting better or we’re getting worse, and I don’t think we can afford taking a day off.”