Dooley walked into a tough situation, but he still has to be accountable for his results.
Dooley might be the greatest football coach that ever lived, but might have the worst luck ever. I don't know how to quantify luck though, so that first part seems like a stretch.
Over the last 32 years, Tennessee has had good, bad, average, and maybe even great coaches. Tennessee has had good, bad, average, and great players over the same time, but in two years Dooley has had more blow out defeats ( 30 points or more) than the 30 years before his time.
If Dooley had Tennessee playing smart, disciplined, and tough football, I could handle the results of our record, but our style of play matches our record. That doesn't give some fans the greatest optimism.
That doesn't mean that they still don't love or cheer for Tennessee, but that they just have a different view point at the perceived direction of the program.
I do agree with you on this point. My greatest disappointment from last year was that it appeared that the coaches (starting with CDD) and the players quit about halfway through it. It ended with the whole team simply mailing in the UK game with a bowl invitation on the line. I hold CDD responsible for all of that.