KNOXVILLE - Two University of Tennessee linebackers tore their ACLs last season.
One, senior middle linebacker Nick Reveiz, has admitted wondering how his surgically-repaired knee will hold up this fall. He's looked fine so far in preseason camp, but he'll admittedly feel better every day he walks - rather than limps - off the field.
The other linebacker, versatile senior Savion Frazier, has a different approach to the recovery process.
"I just don't even want to think about that," Frazier said after Saturday's practice. "I just want to go play football. Once I start thinking about it, then I'll be too conscious and I won't be able to play to the best of my ability and as good as I can."
Frazier's injury came at a bad time for the Vols, as he'd just started to play well after initially struggling to fill Reveiz's role in the middle. Fraizer, an outside backer at 221 pounds, had never manned the middle until Reveiz's injury forced him there.
Before the injury, Frazier started four times in eight games, collecting 38 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery.
"It was real tragic," said Frazier, who has moved back to the weakside but can still play any of the three spots in a pinch. "I wasn't expecting it. I've never had a major injury or anything like that, so it was a little setback.
"But once I got my mind back on track and started rehabbing and seeing everything come back together, it got real good for me."
Junior middle linebacker Austin Johnson, a converted fullback, said Reveiz and Frazier getting back on the field has been "great" for a unit that started spring practice with precious little depth - though Reveiz returned for some contact work toward the end of spring.
Dooley said none of the players who missed spring practice have seemed tentative so far in camp, but today's first practice in full pads will be a big step.
"Nick is flying around, knocking them around," the coach said. "Savion showed up a couple of times today. But I need more. What I can do the first couple of practices is see where some of those guys we watched for 15 practices (in the spring), where they are now. With those guys, I'm still ... you keep watching them to see where they are.
"I haven't seen any (hesitancy), and that's good. That's good. They haven't been skittish out there. They've been flying around."
Waggner waits
Dooley said sophomore safety Prentiss Waggner sat out Saturday's practice for precautionary purposes.
"He hit his head on the ground yesterday," Dooley said. "He didn't have a concussion ... but hey, this concussion stuff has gotten serious. We err on the side of super conservative, which we should.
"He's OK, but he still had a little headache and nausea. He should be back tomorrow."
Kicking competition?
Dooley said again Saturday that he's been "super pleased" watching hyped freshmen kickers Michael Palardy and Matt Darr, but he wasn't ready to place them over seniors Daniel Lincoln and Chad Cunningham on the depth chart.
"They have a good mindset," Dooley said of the youngsters. "They're technically very sound, and in some ways they're as good as I've seen coming out of high school. Now, that doesn't mean they're the next coming, and that doesn't mean they're starting and all that. They're freshmen.
"But we're talking about ability, and they have a lot of ability."
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