The University of Tennessee’s hiring of former University of Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, while being universally panned by the media, is intriguing to those of us who are into the infrastructure of the sport.

Sure, any offense piloted by head man Butch Jones will have his fingerprints all over it. After all, he’s the coach who possesses one of the most innovative minds in all of college football — at least as it pertains to the throw game.

But the Jones-DeBord pairing is intriguing from the standpoint of Jones’ schematic evolution from the time he was the OC for DeBord at Central Michigan University —  where the name of the game was “12,” “22” and even “13 personnel” from the traditional under center alignment —  to the spread-and-fire, “10” and “00 personnel,” designed-quarterback run concepts, almost exclusively from the Shotgun, he employs today.

On one hand we know the Vols will not all of a sudden start resembling Bret Bielema’s University of Arkansas ground-and-pound attack, but we do know it will become increasingly tougher to sustain success without the presence of being able to lean on the ground attack when necessary.

Additionally, starting QB Joshua Dobbs has to be able to navigate the quick passing game for the offense to truly have a chance to flourish in the deep waters of the Southeastern Conference. Luckily, depending on which side of the ledger you’re on, DeBord is a master of the quick game and has a complete understanding of the QB position — nuances and all.

And his work was on display in the annual Orange & White Game for all to see.

Mechanical Overhaul/Pocket-Presence

“They’re making Mike DeBord learn the language,” SEC Network color commentator Brock Huard said during the Orange & White game. “They’re not changing the playbook; Year 3, Butch wanted the consistency with that.”

That was one of the most pertinent quotes that came from the spring game as it showed the current mentality of the staff: For Tennessee to graduate to the next level, it will do so behind scheme continuity on offense.

The significance of that being Dobbs doesn’t have to worry about the nomenclature, which means he can play fast and concentrate on an aspect that will make or break his season: mechanics.

Being on the same page is en vogue; it used to be about the meshing of different philosophies. The Razorbacks, who are widely viewed as the western counterparts to Tennessee as far as teams on the rise, have replaced former offensive coordinator Jim Chaney — who held the same position with the Vols from 2009-12 — with an OC whose philosophy mirrors that of head coach Bret Bielema’s.

Bielema and Chaney weren’t on the same page as the former is known for his ground-centric approach, whereas, the latter comes from a true spread-to-pass background. While DeBord and Jones can be viewed as being different at the core, the fact that Jones once served under DeBord will prove invaluable in the grand scheme of it all.

And moreover, DeBord can focus on cleaning up aspects of Dobbs’ game and figuring out how to make sure he cements himself as an upper-echelon player in the conference.

Dobbs is a fantastic athlete who trusts his ability to make a play by hook or crook. He’s dynamic with designed-run concepts and an absolute terror when he detaches from the pocket. And although the Jones-DeBord scheme is based on having a playmaker at the signal-caller position, playing the game from within the pocket will only keep the defense honest.

DobbsPocketFeel

Here, operating out of the standard “Cheetah” personnel, we got a great chance to see Dobbs’ improvement with his pocket-awareness: He scanned his progressions from “Regular” to “Lucy” and even avoided an inside jailbreak as the 7-technique came on a T/E exchange.

Normally, Dobbs may have locked in on his first target and detached from the pocket if he wasn’t open, however, he was able to execute an explosive play by keeping his eyes downfield in the face of adversity.

It’s no secret that Tennessee has, perhaps, the most talented receiving corps in the conference — along with Texas A&M and the University of Mississippi — so having a QB distribute the ball to his playmakers would be in the program’s best interest.

Not to mention there’s zero experience behind Dobbs at the QB position.

DobbsTunnel

The quick game is where Tennessee will truly make its hay as it has a plethora of targets who can get after it in the yards-after-the-catch department: Josh Malone, Marquez North, Alton “Pig” Howard, Ethan Wolf, Josh Smith and Jason Croom.

And that’s glossing over the fact that we may or may not see the most explosive target, Von Pearson, as he’s involved in legal issues.

Dobbs, DeBord and Jones have to get the throw game to the point where it’s like clockwork: high-percentage, chain-moving throws which result in Dobbs hovering around the 65 percent completion mark.

When you combine that aspect of the offense with the Vols’ newfound power-rushing attack, you get an outfit that can be dynamic in all areas of offensive football. But with the clear improvements we see from Dobbs, as it relates to the nuances of the position, we may very well be looking at the premier unit in the SEC East.

DobbsTDStriketoWolfe

Especially if we consistently see a mesh of skill and mechanics like in the above sequence from Dobbs — who undoubtedly knew where he was going pre-snap and manipulated the safety and provided himself the ample amount of room to make the anticipatory throw.

Jones’ scheme is predicated on the quick game opening up the vertical concepts and he has a full convoy of players who fit the bill. Dobbs has undoubtedly shown growth with the nuances of the position which should serve him well when the bullets start flying in the fall, so to speak.

Check back for the next installment where I break down the vertical portion of the scheme and how it will be used to open up a punishing rushing attack.