Tim Banks addresses importance of Brandon Turnage, Kamal Hadden to secondary

The Tennessee secondary was a bit banged up to end the 2021 season. Defensive backs Brandon Turnage and Kamal Hadden each suffered injuries that held them out during the back end of the season. So getting them back should be a big boost to that defensive backfield. When asked about their return by Eric Cain, Vols DC Tim Banks expressed excitement in re-welcoming them back into the fold.

Here were Banks’ comments regarding the pair of DBs:

“Super excited to have both those guys back. You know, Turnage stepped in and helped us in a big way last season. We’re expecting him to take some more strides this year as well. Kamal, you know, played some significant snaps in multiple games. Obviously, he’ll be better for it as well.

“I know I sound like a broken record, but the fact that we have so much depth right now, or better depth I should say; I think it’s going to be a real heated competition in the back end. Any time we have competition, it only makes us better. We really wanna make some strides back there and we think we have some guys in place to make that happen.”

You can never plan for injuries in football. But if the Volunteer defensive backfield stays healthy, they could be in for a monster leap in performance over last season.

Tim Banks says secondary, D-line need to work together to create pressure

During the same interview with Cain, Banks also expressed how that secondary and the four-man defensive line unit need to work together in order to generate more organic pressure without having to blitz.

“It all works hand in hand to be quite honest with you,” Banks said. “I know it’s cliche to say the front — the better they play, the better the back end is. And the longer you stay in coverage, the better it is for the front. So I think those all go hand in hand. We gotta continue to play tight coverage on the back end. We gotta continue to get to the quarterback in a timely manner.”

Both groups need to play in unison to be successful.

“Can we get there with four? We’re working very hard to be able to do that. I think it obviously gives you some flexibility on the back end, from a coverage perspective. Whether it’s man, hot zones, you name it. When you don’t have to bring five, six guys, it gives you the ability to do different things on the back end. Which hopefully can confuse the quarterback even more. Give those guys a chance to win.”

If the secondary holds firm, the front four can create pressure. And if the front four get to the quarterback quickly, there’s a better chance of an errant throw that the DBs can defend easier or even pick off. Makes sense.