I'm speaking as a Vol fan from the Millennial generation. ... We are the future and we are a special generation who has arrived at just the right time to move this country and the world in a better direction based on our vision for the future.
That "slide" is as good or better then any era in school history...except for the once in a program success that was the 90's. Blame? The blame is Hamilton. First Schumaker. Blame the guy that gave you the most success ever? Nope.
In the 2000's, they played in 3 SECCG's in 8 years. They had more All Americans then any other decade. More draft picks then most schools. They produced more future NFL Hall of Famers then this school had previously. Averaging about 9 wins per year in many years that had an 11 game schedule. Went against Florida and Alabama and LSU that was having as much or more success then they ever did. Not to mention Auburn. Tennessee is not in the same league as those programs. Only the 90's would be the exception. Get in where you fit in as a program. It is not at the top. Never has and with the exception of Fulmer, never will again.
Everyday I am thankful for VN and some of its posters. They allow me the opportunity to be amazed each and every time I visit the site..
An honest to god VFL like Fulmer gets ran down and his loyalty questioned by some folks. He is THE definition of Vol For Life.
A guy that risked a very lucrative NFL career to play one more year at UT gets made fun of by some here. All because he may or may not have supported or didn't support their most hated it most loved coach.
A guy that has little coaching experience at the college level gets more love than either of the first two. A guy eho didn't attend school here and has only tenuous ties to the university ( he married a former UT cheerleader) has dyed-in-the-wool followers who really think he's going to coach here. Worse than just thinking that, they WANT him to coach here.
A guy that embarrassed the football team, pissed in UT traditions and treated this program like a whore, is more highly though if by some on VN than the first two. A guy who has had two opportunities at Poeer 5 programs and failed at both...
If that isn't amazing I don't know what is.
First of all, those usually doing the firing anywhere are knuckleheads. So being fired alone is not a reason to immediately think negative.
Retread?? OK. But many cases, the things that work just work. It is ok to do things that work. Anything else is usually a gamble. Saban is 66. Fulmer is 67. If age is a negative, then can Saban.
We really do not care what excites you. The greatest era in UT history excited and excites everyone. The recent era was a travesty.
Just take your corn hole game and go to someone else's tailgate. See ya!!
P.S. I highly recommended this book to all millennials.
Amazon.com: In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies (Collins Business Essentials) eBook: Thomas J. Peters, Robert H., Jr. Waterman: Kindle Store
Some of it is a little outdated, but the basic principles still apply.
I'm speaking as a Vol fan from the Millennial generation. My generation is tired of old white retreads making all of the decisions regarding coaching hires, coaching firings, financial decisions etc. We need a youth movement in all areas of our athletic administration from the BOT down to the waterboy on the team. We are a generation that is used to expressing our valuable opinions on social media and effecting change with those opinions. We do not like or appreciate top down, authoritative decision making from out of touch old white men when it has a huge effect on the world we live in. We as a generation understand the times better than those over age 45 and it is high time that we are given our due in the decision making on the Hill. Not only here but across this country in all areas of social, political, financial and religious areas of society. We are the future and we are a special generation who has arrived at just the right time to move this country and the world in a better direction based on our vision for the future.
I posted this in another thread. It's time to let the younger generation take the lead in this. We are Retread U with Fulmer and now possibly Miles. We need both an under forty coach and AD and administration for that matter. The future is now for the Millennial generation and we should be given the reins for the good of the school and athletic department.
Phil was done dirty behind the scenes on his firing. Second he didn't want to coach anywhere else but TN and he had grandchildren born so decided to spend time with family and friends. Bought a motorcycle etc.. enjoyed life is what Phil has been doing last 9 years. He's given his entire life to Tennessee and can't stand to see the shape it's in. The younger generation more than likely will not understand this as the older ones will. I'm very excited to have Phil as AD. And whomever he chooses I will support without issue as we all need to so we can get behind our University so we can get back to tradition that is the University of Tennessee.Ok so this will rub people the wrong way but Im looking for some decent feedback. First, Fulmer doesnt excite me at all - in fact, its the opposite. It feels old and stale. In addition, what little insider info I have on him isnt good (this was from when he was fired). Hes power hungry and always has been in my opinion (which means Gruden is out for all the Grudenites). Regardless, he hasnt been involved in college football in a decade, no one hired him after he was fired, and now hes rumored to be looking at Les Miles - who also went unhired after being fired (and LSU seems to be doing fine without him).
So what Im asking is - why does hiring retreads that didnt get hired by anyone else feel exciting? Because Fulmer bleeds orange? I bleed orange and I have no business near an AD office or football field.
I fear Fulmer is on a power run to get back everyone that wronged him when he was fired. Thats the wrong motivation. He has no attachment to younger coaches or fan bases. In the end, he doesnt excite me and neither does Les Miles.
It feels like Retread University.
I'm not a millennial, but I find it extremely ridiculous to blame them for everything. You so8nd just like the baby boomers blaming gen x for their failures. After all...who raises each generation? That's right..we do. If they fail, it's on us.
It matters in this context. Did we get there "because of" the coaching staff or "in spite of" that coaching staff?
Alright this is fair. Maybe were not at a place where exciting is possible. Were at a place of finding some semblance of stability (which I think will be a bit of mediocrity for a while) but then that stability may bring the framework for great coaches in the future. I get this argument - dont like it - but I get it.
Miles might be a solid fit under the current circumstances. He's not a long term solution. Can't see him here more than 3-5 at the most. Big question will be what kind of staff can he put together. I can see him and Fulmer working well together. I'm expecting it to go down this way.
Coach Fulmer to AD feels alot like Bob Woodruff and Doug Dickey to AD. Familiar faces that had gone elsewhere or been out of the loop and asked back to fix things on the Hill. Many forget that Fulmer was the president of the coaches association back in the day. He is way more connected as any jackleg pencil pushing sports management major that's been leading us into the desert for the last 15 years. It would have been much easier for him to hold a grudge and turn his back on his university 10 years ago. He's always referenced UT as 'We and 'Us'. Think Hamilton, Hart or Currie will? I trust Coach Fulmer implicitly with making me proud of my alma mater once again.
Im still amazed at the amount of hate for Phil. He played here, coached here, and came back to help even after he was treated like crap on his way out.
Ok so this will rub people the wrong way but Im looking for some decent feedback. First, Fulmer doesnt excite me at all - in fact, its the opposite. It feels old and stale. In addition, what little insider info I have on him isnt good (this was from when he was fired). Hes power hungry and always has been in my opinion (which means Gruden is out for all the Grudenites). Regardless, he hasnt been involved in college football in a decade, no one hired him after he was fired, and now hes rumored to be looking at Les Miles - who also went unhired after being fired (and LSU seems to be doing fine without him).
So what Im asking is - why does hiring retreads that didnt get hired by anyone else feel exciting? Because Fulmer bleeds orange? I bleed orange and I have no business near an AD office or football field.
I fear Fulmer is on a power run to get back everyone that wronged him when he was fired. Thats the wrong motivation. He has no attachment to younger coaches or fan bases. In the end, he doesnt excite me and neither does Les Miles.
It feels like Retread University.
Not blaming anything on anybody, and tend to agree that the previous generations since the Greatest, inclding mine, haven't necessarily done a bangup job. All I'm trying to point out is that not all old school ways are automatically wrong. And that Fulmer is who we need at this particular moment in time.