Former Vol and current Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Tyler Bray criticized the Tennessee Volunteers in their 19-8 win over the Missouri Tigers.
Next: Tennessee-Missouri Report Card: Grading the Vols
Midway through the Tennessee-Missouri game, with the Vols in complete control and facing no real threat from the Tigers, a former quarterback who had a losing record with the school felt it was his time to give his take on the game.
Tyler Bray criticized the Tennessee Vols for playing too “timid” Saturday on Twitter.
This is why we've struggled all year. Playing timid in the second half doesn't win ball games. You can't let up when you have a team down.
— Tyler Bray (@tbrayvol8) November 22, 2015
Let’s first address this from a football perspective. Tennessee was in complete control of the game at the time and had not allowed anything on defense. Why risk blowing that in the cold by being aggressive? Butch Jones did exactly what was needed to win a game like that. There was nothing wrong with how he and Mike DeBord called it. But Bray, who never directed the Vols to more than five wins in a season at Tennessee, must have felt the need to pile on to things that were issues two months ago. Then again, Bray himself at least knows what being timid means. Remember that 2012 year? The minute Florida took the lead against the Vols in the fourth quarter that season, Bray showed a complete lack of leadership and led his offense in folding like a cheap tent. Then, despite a great game against Georgia, he could not make one play on a final drive to tie the game up. Then came the South Carolina game. And with the Vols driving for a chance to win the game, Bray was hit and fumbled the ball, giving it away. Oh, and it’s worth noting that Bray was actually unable to beat Missouri, who beat him in overtime in Knoxville, one of their four wins that year. And he lost to Kentucky the year before in a 10-7 game. So if anybody knows a thing or two about not closing out games, it’s this guy, who has all the tools necessary to be a superstar at any level but no intangibles. To be fair to Bray, he did roll back the tweet with another one later.
Not trying to be disrespectful to the coaching staff or fans. Want this program to be great again. These coaches are headed the right way.
— Tyler Bray (@tbrayvol8) November 22, 2015
More from Vols Football
- How to Win a GUARANTEED $200 Bonus Betting Just $5 on the Vols vs. Florida!
- Tennessee Football at Florida: Five Keys to a Vols Victory
- Week 3 SEC Power Rankings: Did Tennessee Football’s Win Help At All?
- Week 3 AP Polls: Why Did Tennessee Football Drop in the Polls?
- Tennessee Football: Top Five Performers in 30-13 Win vs. Austin Peay
That is a good tweet, and we can at least concede that Bray did not come across as disrespectful in his first tweet.
But he is still the last person to call anybody out for playing timid.
Bray made a habit out of putting up record-setting offensive numbers in games only to show a complete inability to close the deal on a final drive.
So it is hard to take seriously a quarterback who could not even see what was wrong with throwing beer bottles off of his balcony when he was in college.