Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

On to Part 2 of my chat with Tennessee offensive coordinator Dave Clawson, part of the new guard of coordinators in the SEC this season. (Click here for Part 1.)

For the record, the other new faces or old faces in new jobs are South Carolina defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain, Mississippi State defensive coordinator Charlie Harbison, Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson, Mississippi offensive coordinator Kent Austin, Mississippi defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix and LSU co-defensive coordinators Doug Mallory and Bradley Dale Peveto.

How much different to the longtime Tennessee fan will this offense look?

Dave Clawson: Some of the plays won't look that much different. The way we look and the formations we line up in may look different. David Cutcliffe did a lot of good things here. One of the reasons I got the job is that my philosophy is not that much different from what they did under coach Cutcliffe.

What are some of the things you weren't able to determine during spring practice?

DC: Who's our go-to wideout? Is it Gerald Jones, or is it Lucas Taylor? Lucas was hurt during the spring. He nor Austin Rogers were out there, so you really don't know until you get to preseason practice. You also wonder if Montario Hardesty is going to healthy, and I think we have a chance to be very good at tight end. But we need some things to happen just right for us.

Why the optimism at tight end, especially after losing Brad Cottam to the NFL draft?

DC: Luke Stocker had as good a spring as anybody in our program. Jeff Cottam is back to running, and we're hoping that [freshman] Aaron Douglas' shoulder is fully recovered. If things go as we think they will with Brandon Warren (a transfer from Florida State) and he wins his waiver to play this fall, that changes things. I've never had that many good tight ends before. Some version of a two-tight-end package will have to be in there. I think we'll be able to do some of the things they wanted to do with Brad Cottam last year before he was hurt.

Gerald Jones came on at the end of last season and made things happen when he touched the ball. Where does he fit into what you want to do with the offense?

DC: A lot of what they did with him was gimmick. He still has to prove he can be an every-down receiver, but I thought one of the things to come out of spring practice was his dynamics. I can assure you that we'll do things to get him the football.

What is your take on the skill players you inherited at Tennessee?

DC: I've heard about these guys and seen them on film, but a lot of them didn't go through spring for different reasons. I know we're going to have a bunch of freshmen and sophomores out there. One of the things I do before every game is pinpoint who our five best playmakers are and come up with ways to get those guys the ball. When I was doing that in the spring, I don't know how many of those five will still be the same in the fall.

AP Photo/Wade Payne

DC: He's a tough kid who works hard and seems to pick things up pretty quickly. The thing he needs to work on is his consistency with decision-making. It's one thing to be a backup quarterback and play 10 or 12 plays and be good. Now he's in a situation where you have to go out there for 12 weeks and make 80 good decisions and make enough of those good decisions that we're hopefully playing for 13 and 14 weeks."

Did his two starts against LSU and Arkansas two years ago while filling in for Erik Ainge tell you anything?

DC: He had to do it for two games. Now let's see him do it for two years. Really, he just hasn't had a chance to show what he could do, other than those two games. We all know there's going to be some bumps in the road, just like there were in those two games. But we've got to keep those to a minimum, because he does have some great physical tools.

How much did Crompton improve this spring when it was clear that it was his job?

DC: I thought he was better through the course of the spring than he was in those two games he started (in 2006). But in those two games, they had Robert Meachem, who was their bail-out guy, which was smart. He and Jonathan hooked up for two great plays against LSU, and the whole team struggled against Arkansas. Our strength this year will be in numbers. We don't have the one established guy on the outside, but a lot of guys who can make plays and get open. Jonathan's decision-making will be even more important because until that one great one emerges, it falls on the quarterback to distribute the ball the way it should be distributed. I thought Jonathan got better at that as the spring went along.

How many receivers do you want to play?

DC: I'm hoping all the competition at wide receiver forces the cream to come to the top. I don't want to mix in seven or eight receivers just to mix them in there. I hope guys raise their level of play in the fall and become premier SEC receivers. Jonathan has to help that process.

Being such an unknown in SEC circles, what do you think the book will be on you?

DC: That all balances out. There's not a whole lot of history on me. But at the same time, I don't have any history going against some of the defensive coordinators, either.