Let me start by saying that I've stayed behind Butch longer than most. Having said that, there will not be a better time than now to move on. Butch's defenders can talk about buyouts until they're blue in the face, but that is no reason why we can't make a good hire should we decide to make a change. Butch Jones is in his fifth year. Our offensive line is atrocious. Our defense is not good. We are struggling against an 0-4 UMass. There is a very real chance that Butch will be 2-3 against Vanderbilt after this season. I could go on and on. Let all of that sink in for a moment. This is year five. Butch has had half a decade to bring in his players and coach them up. He has had all the time a coach should need to turn a program around. Regardless of whether or not you want to deal with another buyout, this game is about winning and losing. When it becomes this obvious that a coach will not get the job done, it's time to move on. There will not be a better time to move on than now. There is so much talent on this team. It might be the second or third most talented roster in the conference. The longer we keep Butch, the more likely it is that recruiting goes downhill due to poor performances on the field. Why not let the next coach inherit the abundance of talent that we have on the roster so he can hit the ground running. Another factor that needs to be considered are the other jobs that might come open. There won't be many jobs, if any, that will be as appealing as Tennessee. Notre Dame, Texas A&M, and Auburn could come open, but I doubt they all do. There is a chance none do. We have the talent to compete immediately. We have facilities that are as good as you will find, and even with a buyout, we should still be able to pay our new coach a good amount. Regardless of what happens, I'll still tune in every Saturday. I love my Vols not matter what, but I think it's time to take the next step. We owe Coach Jones a thank you for cleaning up the mess that Dooley left, but I don't theink he can take us all the way. GBO.
