Tyler Bray: Time to step up...

We all remember it like it was yesterday. Freshman quarterback Tyler Bray, the "laid back California gunslinger", came in and replaced the much maligned Matt Simms on the road against South Carolina. The Vols lost the game, but from that point forward, there was no looking back. The Volunteer faithful had their quarterback of the future, and a reason to look to the future with optimism. Bray, surrounded by a core group of talented freshman, were set to be the group of Vols to lead the Big Orange back to the promise land. Four straight wins, and a trip to the Music City Bowl in 2010 gave Tennessee fans much to look forward to in 2011. But fast forward to today, and Tennessee fans are once again looking for a reason to believe.

Photo by Adam Brimer

The physical tools have always been there. Tyler Bray stands an impressive 6 feet 6 inches tall, and has one of the most impressive arms I have ever seen on a Tennessee quarterback. The stats have been there. Bray has lit up opposing teams for over 300 yards passing on 7 different occasions, and has eclipsed the 400 yard mark twice in his career. But what has been lacking for Tyler in his time in Knoxville, is the ability to lead his team when the breaks don't go the Volunteers way. Over the course of the past two years, I have yet to see Bray show the maturity and leadership skills it takes to be a top notch competitor not only in the SEC, but in the future at the NFL level as well.

As a freshman, I think many of us attributed Tyler's immaturity to just that: being a freshman. He was lighting up opposing defenses, so we all turned the other cheek when Bray gave his infamous throat slash gesture after throwing a touchdown against North Carolina in the Music City Bowl. But this is an immaturity which has lingered, and an immaturity that does not appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. This past summer there were multiple off field incidents involving the Tennessee quarterback. Bray was ticketed for "hot dogging" on his jet ski on the fourth of July. He was also accused of throwing empty beer bottles off of an apartment balcony on to parked cars. This was not the behavior Tennessee fans expected, or wanted to see from their star quarterback heading into his junior year.

The season got off to an outstanding start. Big wins over North Carolina State and Georgia State had Tennessee fans believing a win over the Florida Gators was looming. Not since 2004 had the Volunteers beat the Gators. ESPN's College Gameday was on their way to Knoxville, and the emotion surrounding this game had reached a fever pitch. The Vols seemed poised to beat the Gators. But as the tides began to turn late in the 3rd quarter, so too did Tyler Bray's mental toughness. After several plays did not go the Volunteers way, Bray was shown on camera pouting and giving off the appearance of someone who had given up. The fans could sense it as well. The Vols were still in the game, and within striking distance, when the fans started flocking towards the exits to beat traffic. They had seen this song and dance before. The Vols were down, and in the eyes of the fans, there was no coming back from a 14 point fourth quarter deficit. Turns out the fans who left were right. The Vols completely packed it in on offense and never threatened the Gators again. Bray looked like someone who had quit while the game was still being played out. As the team's leader, Bray set a bad example by not rallying everyone together in an attempt to make a late game comeback. The team only goes as far as its leaders will take them, and in this case, their leader had completely shut it down.

The Volunteers now head to Athens this week with their sights set on stunning the #5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs. If the Vols want to pull the upset, they are going to need Tyler Bray to step up to the plate and lead his team when the going gets tough in between the hedges this Saturday. We have yet to see this from Bray, but we should still be hopeful that some day in the near future we will see a level of maturity matching up with the physical tools he puts on display week in and week out. The time is now. Will a new Tyler Bray show up this Saturday? Time will tell...