Tennessee offensive line coach Glen Elarbee met with the local media Tuesday morning as the Vols begin their second week of fall practice.
Elarbee discussed Lance Heard’s growth, a number of ongoing position battles and much more. Here’s everything Elarbee said.
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On the transition to a Tennessee Football offensive line that does not have Cooper Mays at center
“Yeah, I mean Coop, unbelievable just what he’s able to do mentally and physically. So yeah, it’s a big set of shoes to fill. But I really do think Satt (William Satterwhite) and Sam (Pendleton) both, I mean they’re competing their butts off, man. They’re in extra. They’re working at it. They’re straining in practice. There’s things you got to clean up, but they’re trying to learn every single day.
So we’ll be there. That’s who we have as competition. So those guys have to keep fighting, see who gets it to actually go out.”
On running the ball well over the years despite changes on Tennessee’s offensive line during that time
“You got to play really, really hard. That’s what you’re always focusing on here at the beginning of camp. Doesn’t matter the position. And then you’re trying to give yourself as many advantages of when it’s time to run the ball. Box wise, you run it and when it isn’t, you throw it. And typically it’s been working out. I’ll probably just credit to the guys that have been blocking, them running the ball, they’ve done a great job to be able to do what they’ve done.”
On the offseason for Tennessee’s Jesse Perry and the work he has put in to be factor on the offensive line
“Yeah, Jesse does everything right. Absolutely everything. From eating habits, recovery, film study, coaching other players. That’s the reason he puts himself in positions that he’s at. He gets his body — his body has changed so much since he’s been here. He’s highly intellectual, so he studies the crap out of everything.
That’s what he does. Like you say, what is it, man? It’s everything. Yeah, you don’t want to say anybody’s perfect, but he’s pretty close to doing everything right.”
On technique and fundamentals that have been emphasized during fall camp, how Tennessee offensive linemen have responded
“Yeah, I think technique, fundamentally, our hands, for sure. In protection, our first strike. In the run game, elbows being tight and fitting at the second level, just all those. Those are probably one of the major focuses. Obviously, everything has to be footwork and hips and those type of things. But the hands have been a tremendous focus for us these first five days.”
On how different a fall camp is for an offensive line when four starting spots are open
“You know, every team set, you try to move guys around a little bit and let them play and function together inside that team set. Different lineups, different sides, give them a true chance to compete inside of that. And then the next team set will be a different group. And then the next day, that kind of rotates around so they got a bunch of, one day, a bunch of protection. But you give them the opportunity to go win it, and you put it in their hands. If it’s not on tape, can’t go start, or you put it on tape, you get to go start.”
On what jumps he has seen from David Sanders from Tennessee’s spring practice to fall camp
“Yeah, I think one, just his body. The guy has done an incredible job of putting on weight and getting to a place where he can function here in the SEC. Two, mentally he spent as much time or more time than anybody reading, walking through, understanding there’s still way, way more to keep going. But where he was to where he is now, unreal and credit to him. And then just technique wise, it’s so rewarding when you see him change something on a pass set or change something in the run game, technique wise, and it works. And the light clicks and then you get to go and move on to the next thing. And he just consistently, every day, ticking off something and just keeps building and climbing. Done a great job.”
On simulating offensive line chemistry, if they can tell before games begin
“You never know until you get into the fire. Like, you never truly know, right? You just don’t. The thing I do love about this group is they sacrifice for each other. Like, they are in there for each other. Every single one of them wants to go start, and I want them to, but they also try to help the guy next to them, behind them. And I feel like naturally we will have chemistry and we’ve done enough over the summer, over fall camp where guys have had to move enough positions where they’re used to communicating with each other. So we feel like we’ll be good and never know til you actually get out there.”
On Sam Pendleton being an old school lineman
“He’s the ultimate o-line guy. Guy’s guy wants everybody hanging out outside the field. Wants to be physical, wants to stay in the game technique wise. Wants to take incredible notes and like just be an offensive lineman. I think that’s sometimes few and far between. Like find somebody that enjoys the grind, enjoys the pain that shows up every day after practice and then does it with a smile on his face and encourages guys. That’s pretty special.”
On what he’s looking for to know David Sanders is ready to start
“One, the mental assignment part of it, you got to be able to go to the right guy. Two, the technique of what you’re doing when you get there. And I’m not sure any of these are in particular order. Like you gotta have both those and then for sure you got to go play just incredibly hard and strain and try to go bury somebody. And if you can go to the right guy, do it with good technique and do it really hard, you’ll be ready to go.”
On how Lance Heard is different this year compared to last
“He’s changed his body. He’s done a great job, man. We were kind of laughing. An offensive staffer, I’m not going to throw who it was under the bus, but they were maybe mistaken Lance for some of the other skinnier tackles because he’s done such a better job getting his weight under. Man, he’s lost weight but he ain’t lost an ounce of power and he’s way stronger. He’s redirecting better. His hands in pass pro are way better. Footwork, getting a base and being able to maintain blocks and great movement and play with violence. Credit to that guy, man, he’s done an unreal job. Really good job.”
On the challenges for William Satterwhite, his strides over the last year
“Maybe taking some steps since last year. First thing, we got to be able to ID everything. He does a great job of that and we got to be able to get the ball to the quarterback so he can function, still clean some of that up. Then after that, he’s never played an ounce of fear. He throws his body around, he plays physical. You get everything out of it. He’s got to continue to build his body, be able to handle the stress of the season. But you know, it’s the same things he has to go do are the same things Sam has to go do. Right. Like it’s not anything that crazy different.”
