Over the Hump

[berryvol]

Listening to Basilio and someone called in and explained this season in the best way I've heard: we had the chance twice (OK and UF) to get over the hump. Winning either one of those changes the complexion of the program for the future. We finally get the big win and get back on track. But Butch, Butch'd the end of the games, and got us beat.

So here's my rationale: if he can't do it now, then when? Sure, we can keep making the "young" excuse, but there's way way way too much talent on this team for us to be playing like this. I don't think canning a coach left and right is gonna get us on the right track, but Butch clearly isn't the guy to do it. We're gonna have to sack up and get a big name, or we'll be living in the college football doldrums for a while.

I hate it for Butch, he's given his all for UT in his time here, however he's just not gonna get it done while he's here. I held on hope until this week, but the lack of in game adjustments, poor execution, and most troubling, the apathetic look on our players faces as they hung their heads has done me in. We've gotta can him after this season.

 

[Shaun1985]

The team sadly looked unprepared but Butch isn't going anywhere

 

[nash101]

Start making phone calls on Monday morning ..... To find a new AD. Last search, Harts top choices were Charlie Strong who is terrible at Texas and Butch. That tells me all I need to know. Find an AD who will go out and find a proven winner who can coach football.

 

[DancingOutlaw]

Really seemed like the stars had aligned for this season. OU and UF did not look good, east wide open, more seasoned team, etc. And from that nothing. Really learned how critical Magitt was to the D, they look lost a lot of the time. But good teams plug the holes when guys go down. Seems like the last few years have just been excuse after excuse when 1 guy goes down. Always excuses about depth. Sign 25 guys a year but we have no depth. Getting old for sure.

 

[Chad F]

I don't know what the right answer is at this point. This team has my unwavering support regardless, but I just can't venture a guess about the best way forward as far as the coaching staff is concerned. Part of me says that firing another coach is the wrong answer because we need some continuity. However, the other part reminds me that continuity can be a bad thing if it means consistent mediocrity (or worse . . . as we are seeing now).

Jones and Co. appear to be Dooley Part Deux. Maybe the AD needs to go. We have certainly made some extremely bad decisions since the end of the Fulmer era (and, yes, as much as I love and respect Phillip Fulmer, it was time for him to go - in fact, he probably should have left a year earlier). Unfortunately, the coaches since have ALL been bad hires. It's about leadership, and without being in the locker room and around the program, I can't tell exactly where the failure is happening.

We're gonna all need to just strap in and hang on for the ride. It's going to be bumpy and unpleasant - kind of like driving through a hail storm in a convertible with the top down and having a truck filled with raw sewage spill the entire load into the vehicle on top of you. Yeah, that's what it feels like right now. Maybe worse.

 

[BIGORANGEBUBBA]

Really seemed like the stars had aligned for this season. OU and UF did not look good, east wide open, more seasoned team, etc. And from that nothing. Really learned how critical Magitt was to the D, they look lost a lot of the time. But good teams plug the holes when guys go down. Seems like the last few years have just been excuse after excuse when 1 guy goes down. Always excuses about depth. Sign 25 guys a year but we have no depth. Getting old for sure.

Enough with the excuses.

 

[jortfreeTN]

The team sadly looked unprepared but Butch isn't going anywhere

Lose to UGA and Bama with a week for fans to fester, that's six weeks of negativity. Jones became the laughing stock of CFB last week when he proved he couldn't even put together a simple conversion chart. We will start to see recruits decommit or lose interest these next 3 weeks if they haven't already.

A loss to UK will sign his fate.

 

[Wilhelm16]

I don't know what the right answer is at this point. This team has my unwavering support regardless, but I just can't venture a guess about the best way forward as far as the coaching staff is concerned. Part of me says that firing another coach is the wrong answer because we need some continuity. However, the other part reminds me that continuity can be a bad thing if it means consistent mediocrity (or worse . . . as we are seeing now).

Jones and Co. appear to be Dooley Part Deux. Maybe the AD needs to go. We have certainly made some extremely bad decisions since the end of the Fulmer era (and, yes, as much as I love and respect Phillip Fulmer, it was time for him to go - in fact, he probably should have left a year earlier). Unfortunately, the coaches since have ALL been bad hires. It's about leadership, and without being in the locker room and around the program, I can't tell exactly where the failure is happening.

We're gonna all need to just strap in and hang on for the ride. It's going to be bumpy and unpleasant - kind of like driving through a hail storm in a convertible with the top down and having a truck filled with raw sewage spill the entire load into the vehicle on top of you. Yeah, that's what it feels like right now. Maybe worse.

He should have been gone a year earlier? As in the season when we lost by only a touchdown in the conference title game to the eventual national champ? Cool. Good to know.

 

[Wilhelm16]

Lose to UGA and Bama with a week for fans to fester, that's six weeks of negativity. Jones became the laughing stock of CFB last week when he proved he couldn't even put together a simple conversion chart. We will start to see recruits decommit or lose interest these next 3 weeks if they haven't already.

A loss to UK will sign his fate.

A top 5 class will be out of the question when he finishes 4-8.

 

[Chad F]

He should have been gone a year earlier? As in the season when we lost by only a touchdown in the conference title game to the eventual national champ? Cool. Good to know.

Fulmer's slide started several years earlier. We backed into the SEC Championship Game (very lucky) -- and, yes, that kept him in position for an additional year: the one where we were so bad that he stepped down.

I love the man, too. But the ineptitude of the last few years doesn't retroactively justify keeping him around as he continually lost to our biggest rivals and lost bowl game after bowl game (with only a few exceptions) toward the end.

I get it. He did great things for us, but he dropped off big time and couldn't keep up with the improved overall coaching in the conference. If he had stayed longer, who knows? But the larger point is that the hiring decisions since Coach Fulmer's departure have been absolutely awful.

 

[marvin616]

4-8

 

[jimallvol]

4-8

Nice Lol!

 

[PennVol]

he's 14-16 here, you are what your record says you are. People who think he needs a few more years and then he will start winning 11-12 games a year are in deep denial.

 

[GBO97]

he's 14-16 here, you are what your record says you are. People who think he needs a few more years and then he will start winning 11-12 games a year are in deep denial.

Yep. With two years and all the roster improvements, you would think we wouldn't be staring down the barrel at 2-5. The fact that we have a talented roster but have still lost ALL 3 meaningful games so far shows me that Butch isn't the guy.

 

[photovol]

I saw team 119 players quit and give up in Neyland Stadium and it make me very very angry......give it your all or go home.......the Vols went home......there appears to be no leadership what so ever......oh well
Next Year? Probably not even next year Vol fans

 

[Ol-Smokey]

I don't know what the right answer is at this point. This team has my unwavering support regardless, but I just can't venture a guess about the best way forward as far as the coaching staff is concerned. Part of me says that firing another coach is the wrong answer because we need some continuity. However, the other part reminds me that continuity can be a bad thing if it means consistent mediocrity (or worse . . . as we are seeing now).

Jones and Co. appear to be Dooley Part Deux. Maybe the AD needs to go. We have certainly made some extremely bad decisions since the end of the Fulmer era (and, yes, as much as I love and respect Phillip Fulmer, it was time for him to go - in fact, he probably should have left a year earlier). Unfortunately, the coaches since have ALL been bad hires. It's about leadership, and without being in the locker room and around the program, I can't tell exactly where the failure is happening.

We're gonna all need to just strap in and hang on for the ride. It's going to be bumpy and unpleasant - kind of like driving through a hail storm in a convertible with the top down and having a truck filled with raw sewage spill the entire load into the vehicle on top of you. Yeah, that's what it feels like right now. Maybe worse.

well after that i feel better,because i don't feel like that thx

 

[photovol]

Yep. With two years and all the roster improvements, you would think we wouldn't be staring down the barrel at 2-5. The fact that we have a talented roster but have still lost ALL 3 meaningful games so far shows me that Butch isn't the guy.

The defense can't tackle ........the QB has trouble throwing, the receivers can't catch and then to top it off the players just give up?
Go Vowels

 

[Chad F]

well after that i feel better,because i don't feel like that thx

HA! Glad to help! That description was very much over the top, but I was actually sick last night at 0300 due to the "bug" that's going around right now on our camp, so it made me feel worse. Hence, the description.

But seriously, I think my misery is just compounded by the fact that I am overseas and away from the family. I was really, really looking forward to the season starting up - it was giving me something to latch on to for every week.

Unfortunately, it hasn't been very pleasant. Oh, well. I am now just focusing even more on our mission over here and not even think about the games. I'll check the score on the internet when I can get to it (no access to TV broadcasts -- maybe that is a good thing).

Go Vols! We'll get back someday.