Have Mercy...but What If the Unspeakable Happens...?

[arkyvol]

I don't expect to be in the hunt for a national championship every year. I would hope that the Vols staying within eyesight of a conference championship, but this kind of embarrassment is damned hard to swallow. The unlucky folks who hold season tickets must feel like fools.

 

[Jaws]

I don’t post much, and have seldom, if ever created a thread, but then again I’ve never seen my beloved Vols where they are right now. Let it be clearly stated that I BELIEVE we will win this Saturday, but then again I absolutely thought we would have won last Saturday with no problems.

So...WHAT IF we lose to BYU (surely not), lose to Chattanooga (Lord have mercy), and then get destroyed by Florida in the Swamp? Does anyone at all survive with an 0-4 start, and we’re suddenly facing the distinct previously unspeakable possibility of going completely, 100% winless in 2019?

*BTW, I hate the negative tone of my own post, and it’s not my nature to think this way...but after last week maybe it bears discussion...

No way you lose to Chattanooga.

Look at it this way. If you bounce back v BYU, that will be perceived as a quality win and it’ll help put the Ga State loss in the rearview and maybe even slide it to the anomaly column, a weird outlier. Then, if you pound Nooga the following week, it helps that perception even more and you actually go into UF game with a little momentum.

So, while some here are saying now’s the time to make a stand, not go to the BYU game to prove a point, etc, I actually think BYU is now a HUGE game in terms of erasing Ga State and possibly saving the season. Now if you lose to BYU and start 0-2, then you’re just screwed.

 

[BOB in GA]

Actually the tone seems to be the norm for all 33 of your posts. Click on the name and read the 33 messages you have posted. There is a very common theme to all of them. Maybe being a "fan" just isnt healthy

Well, I agree that for the most part being a fan the last ten years has certainly not been healthy. Maybe it takes a disaster to motivate me to post? Maybe I need therapy? Maybe I need a traditional Tennessee winning tradition again?

 

[VOLnMiami]

UAB went 11-2 last year and are always a little dangerous to play no matter their record.

Your absolutely right and after giving up football for a couple of years and yet they come back and rebuild and BAM they are 11-2...Hmm...Wonder what their secret is?

 

[SAPPER 5]

I hope like hell that the team comes out and plays with fire and heart this Saturday. I want to see fire and brimstone on the sidelines and in the booth. Will we? If we don't, it may take a while to right this ship. It seems like a bunch of folks here don't remember 1988, though. Not that there are similarities between these squads and their respective histories. Buckle up.

 

[TNnative]

I don’t post much, and have seldom, if ever created a thread, but then again I’ve never seen my beloved Vols where they are right now. Let it be clearly stated that I BELIEVE we will win this Saturday, but then again I absolutely thought we would have won last Saturday with no problems.

So...WHAT IF we lose to BYU (surely not), lose to Chattanooga (Lord have mercy), and then get destroyed by Florida in the Swamp? Does anyone at all survive with an 0-4 start, and we’re suddenly facing the distinct previously unspeakable possibility of going completely, 100% winless in 2019?

*BTW, I hate the negative tone of my own post, and it’s not my nature to think this way...but after last week maybe it bears discussion...

WTH? The Vols lost to Georgia State. The unspeakable already happened. This is our season in Hell.

 

[VOLnMiami]

No way you lose to Chattanooga.

Look at it this way. If you bounce back v BYU, that will be perceived as a quality win and it’ll help put the Ga State loss in the rearview and maybe even slide it to the anomaly column, a weird outlier. Then, if you pound Nooga the following week, it helps that perception even more and you actually go into UF game with a little momentum.

So, while some here are saying now’s the time to make a stand, not go to the BYU game to prove a point, etc, I actually think BYU is now a HUGE game in terms of erasing Ga State and possibly saving the season. Now if you lose to BYU and start 0-2, then you’re just screwed.

We have a QB who has a 6-13 career record and who would struggle at a DIV-2 school and a defense that Maryville high could score on regularly...Losing to Nooga would not shock me at this point...They have not given me any reason to think otherwise.

 

[EZE]

It is amazing how the program keeps sinking further and further to new depths with each successive hire.

Kiffin's last (and only) season was 6 losses.
Dooley was 7.
Butch was 8.
And, d@mn, it looks like the bottom could really fall out with Pruitt.

Even with all of the practice, UT is getting worse at picking coaches instead of getting better.

 

[LargeOrange1]

If we lose to Chattanooga, Pruitt will be fired within 24 hours....

24 hours? How about on the F'ing sidelines and escorted out by police....then make him sue to get his buyout.

 

[VOLnMiami]

It is amazing how the program keeps sinking further and further to new depths with each successive hire.

Kiffin's last (and only) season was 6 losses.
Dooley was 7.
Butch was 8.
And, d@mn, it looks like the bottom could really fall out with Pruitt.

Even with all of the practice, UT is getting worse at picking coaches instead of getting better.

It's embarrassing it really is!

 

[whodatvol]

Don’t look @ the scoreboard. Just get better

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

Your absolutely right and after giving up football for a couple of years and yet they come back and rebuild and BAM they are 11-2...Hmm...Wonder what their secret is?

They hired a HEAD coach who made Prattville one of the best HS programs in the country who went to Jacksonville State and won big there. He then went to UAB and won big there. See a trend?

UT hired guy with questionable ethics and he left after 1 year. See the trend?

UT hied a losing coach at La Tech and he lost at UT. See the trend?

UT then hired a mediocre coat-rider who was mediocre for 4 years. See the trend?

UT then hired guy with no HC experience and he is still learning on job (best case) in Y2. See the trend?

 

[TNnative]

I hope like hell that the team comes out and plays with fire and heart this Saturday. I want to see fire and brimstone on the sidelines and in the booth. Will we? If we don't, it may take a while to right this ship. It seems like a bunch of folks here don't remember 1988, though. Not that there are similarities between these squads and their respective histories. Buckle up.

Don't get your hopes up. Try listening to Bob's broadcast.

Your absolutely right and after giving up football for a couple of years and yet they come back and rebuild and BAM they are 11-2...Hmm...Wonder what their secret is?

Cleaning out the morons, and replacing them with people who are less moronic.

 

[VolInNW]

Let's pump the brakes on the doomsday scenarios until after BYU. I am really trying to get excited about this game, mainly because I think it is absolutely crucial to Tennessee as a program over the next 5 years. Lose on Saturday, particularly playing like last Saturday, and it is a virtual certainty we win no more than 2-3 games - and that would mean a likely firing, new coach search, and some bad times for Tennessee fans.

As the floriduh fan above stated, win vs BYU, then pound Chattanooga, and we roll into floriduh with some momentum and a bit of confidence. Even if we lose there (which I expect) as long as we aren't absolutely hammered by them I think the season is salvageable.

It all starts with BYU now. I would never, ever, have expected to be in this position.

 

[VOLnMiami]

They hired a HEAD coach who made Prattville one of the best HS programs in the country who went to Jacksonville State and won big there. He then went to UAB and won big there. See a trend?

UT hired guy with questionable ethics and he left after 1 year. See the trend?

UT hied a losing coach at La Tech and he lost at UT. See the trend?

UT then hired a mediocre coat-rider who was mediocre for 4 years. See the trend?

UT then hired guy with no HC experience and he is still learning on job (best case) in Y2. See the trend?

I do sir and I thank you for reminding me what a bunch of idiots we have running the UT athletic department.

 

[PEPPERJAX]

A loss to UTC mixed in with a BYU loss may very well be the end of CJP it that were to happen. Fulmer would be forced to name JC interim HC. A BYU win is Pruitt’s chance to right this ship. Win that one and he can somewhat prove GA ST game was a fluke and would also give his team a real shot to make a bowl. If we suffer a loss, then I do not see this team winning more than 4-5 games.

 

[Sara Clark]

I don’t post much, and have seldom, if ever created a thread, but then again I’ve never seen my beloved Vols where they are right now. Let it be clearly stated that I BELIEVE we will win this Saturday, but then again I absolutely thought we would have won last Saturday with no problems.

So...WHAT IF we lose to BYU (surely not), lose to Chattanooga (Lord have mercy), and then get destroyed by Florida in the Swamp? Does anyone at all survive with an 0-4 start, and we’re suddenly facing the distinct previously unspeakable possibility of going completely, 100% winless in 2019?

*BTW, I hate the negative tone of my own post, and it’s not my nature to think this way...but after last week maybe it bears discussion...

Regardless, I think he is the coach through this season. Not sure the school, if then, can afford to let him go..maybe gets another year. Folks, we're not going to have any "proven" contenders during any possible coaching search. At the end of the day, this is still a business.

 

[05_never_again]

It is possible...After watching last weeks disaster I only have them winning 2 games.....Chattanooga and UAB...The rest will be brutal beatings unlike anything we have ever seen at Tennessee.

If the level of execution/effort they showed Saturday is replicated in the 11 remaining games, they might beat UTC. It'd be a close game.

The trash they displayed during the Georgia St game is nowhere near good enough to beat any SEC team or UAB. As others have mentioned UAB went 11-3 last year (one of those losses was to Texas A&M), was ranked #25 at one point, and won Conference USA. They are a lot better than Georgia St.

 

[Carp]

If we lose to Chattanooga, Pruitt will be fired within 24 hours....

I find that extremely, extremely unlikely.

I don't think you quite understand just how much money we still owe Butch and his staff, then would have to turn around and pay Pruitt. Nothing is impossible, but there's basically a zero percent chance he's fired this year, regardless of our record. We don't have infinite money.

 

[Ten_Titans]

UAB is a very good and well coached team they will beat us and handily it we don’t do a 360 from the Georgia st. game

I don't know. As far as I can tell we have done a few 360s since firing Fulmer.

 

[i2amavol]

Ever heard of a guy named Johnny Majors?

In 1982, they lost to UGA 44-0. Then, they lost to USC 43-7. Final record: 8-4, with a bowl win.

 

[Behr]

But the coaching search should be legen-wait for it-dary.

You, DTO, Knucklehead and the other trolls planned your Gruden attack already, or you got someone else in mind this time?

I look forward it. The crying and hypocrisy was legendary, that's for sure.

 

[GrizzlyVol]

Honestly if we lose to BYU and Chattanooga I don't think they'll be a choice but to move on, at that point I'm sure ALL the players would check out and I know the fans will (with good reason). I really hope it doesn't come to that

 

['Boro-vol]

You, DTO, Knucklehead and the other trolls planned your Gruden attack already, or you got someone else in mind this time?

I look forward it. The crying and hypocrisy was legendary, that's for sure.

Nope....he’s never coming. But coaching searches sure beat the football around here these days.

But you go ahead and beat that dead horse buddy. You brought him up, not me.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I find that extremely, extremely unlikely.

I don't think you quite understand just how much money we still owe Butch and his staff, then would have to turn around and pay Pruitt. Nothing is impossible, but there's basically a zero percent chance he's fired this year, regardless of our record. We don't have infinite money.

This type of thinking is why we are in the situation we are in now. It costs more to hire cheap no good coaches (and replace them with more cheap no good coaches) than it does hiring competent coaches on the front end. We have proven this with 4 straight bargain bin hires. Regarding the $$$$, if we hired the right coach, money wouldn't be an object (see Alabama with Saban, UGA with Kirby, UF with Mullen, etc.) The UTAD generates over $100M in revenues annually with a crap football program and any buyouts would be paid over 48 months (if after this season). The lost revenue next year from bringing back a 2-10 Pruitt next season would far exceed the amount of the buyout payments we would make to him in 2020.