To some people, there is always one person's voice or mannerism that tears at them every time it happens. For Tennessee fans, the nails on the chalkboard have been the Vols' kick team coverage in recent years. Vols fans are not surprised when they see a big play from their opponent on either a kick or punt.

In the last few years, guys like Mikey Henderson, Desean Jackson and most notably Brandon James have all haunted Vols' fans and special teams' coaches.

Has Tennessee's problem been coaching or personnel? Anybody can be a judge, but there are probably as many successful hydration gurus as special teams gurus (Bobby Boucher and Frank Beamer, for example).

Eddie Gran came to be a part of Lane Kiffin's new staff as both running backs coach and special teams coordinator. Seeing one man take charge of the special teams unit was something that many fans and supporters had wanted. 

Unfortunately, the kick coverage has been relatively the same this season as it has in year's past.

"We're not very good in special teams," UT coach Lane Kiffin said. "I don't think that's a surprise to anybody, and it's killing us."

After taking a 7-0 lead on Georgia, there was a kickoff return for a touchdown. When Chad Cunningham kicked off to start the game against Florida, Brandon James took the kick back 50 yards before being stopped by the last man in between James and a touchdown, Art Evans, who happened to bring James down by his facemask to tack on 15 more yards.

Tennessee has used some of its most highly-touted players on its kick coverage units to try to make up for a general lack of leg power.

Players play with the abilities and talents that they have. Coaches then use these players' abilities to win football games. Sometimes a kicker may not have the leg strength to do what ideally puts the coach in best position to win football games, or at least the field position game. Coaching then becomes a big factor.

Hang time is a huge factor to be taken into account on kicks.  Some kickers lack in having the God-given leg strength that someone like Sebastian Janikowski has. Yet, they could have that distinct talent-rich technique and an ability to let the ball hang in the air long enough for his coverage to get down field.

Coaching could be taking a definite vow to end the coverage woes, as evident by this past weekend's matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Vols chose to put a lot of hang time on its opening kickoff and take return specialist Javier Arenas out of the picture early. 

This strategy has the same motive as the advice of many pundits, that to kick the ball out of bounds. Do not give the return man the opportunity to make a big play. However strategic this move could be, it represents playing with fear. Nobody wants to coach scared.  

The future hopes of Tennessee kick coverage will likely have to wait until 2010.

Michael Palardy of the nation's top-ranked high school team, St. Thomas Aquinas, Fl., is committed to kick for the Vols. Palardy is considered the second ranked kicker on Rivals.com and already has a reputation for having a huge leg - 98 percent of Palardy's kickoffs were sent to the end zone for touchbacks last season.

Imagine that, Tennessee fans salivating over a kicking prospect.