Next season's results are all about this off season's results. My Christmas wish list for Butch to succeed.
#1 - Coaching staff adjustments including the S&C. I have no idea what they were thinking in terms of the S&C situation. Totally botched. Fix it. Time to cut the chaff off the coaching staff. Butch needs to show clear leadership. He wants his players to be alpha males and own it, he needs to do the same. If he does - I ride with Butch. If he does patch work with coaches that will not challenge his approach and thinking or have questionable competency - I will sit this one out. Too much emotional investment in Vol football over too long of a period to keep watching coaches blow a great opportunity at UT. He has too much money available to hire quality coaches to continue the mediocrity. Hire the best available and then stay out of their way and let them prove they are good at what they do. Stop micro managing, it is counter productive.
#2 Players' councils are not the answer. Coaching leadership and discipline is the answer. If players do not buy into UT football and the coaching staff's direction, they should not be on the team. Bye. Just like violating any university policy or law as a player. You need players' councils when you do not handle #1 above and #3 below correctly. Choose 3-4 team captains wisely that totally buy into UT, the coaching staff, and the system. Tell the players to do as they do. Done. I really think Butch needs to stay home from the coaching conventions where the latest gibberish and methods of today are taught and just spend quality time with his family instead. Would be a more productive use of time that could provide balance to his own life. The guy is a stroke or heart attack waiting to happen.
#3 - Butch needs to adapt his process and system to the talented players he recruits and who trust him to invest their futures into UT. He should never choose system or process over developing people and players who are making sincere efforts to be and do their best. Notice - "sincere efforts" and not prima donnas. They need to exit as appropriate. He has chosen system, process, and retaining prima donnas too long previously. 8-4 seasons with 10-2 and better talent along with team disunity tells you that, folks. He has not made lemonade out of lemons except in recruiting. When you do not make lemonade on the field for 4 seasons, other programs can negative recruit against you so even that suffers.
I hope he gets it done here. I am really tired of what we have been through as a fan base for so long. I do not want to see us go through it again with another questionable hire like we see our astute university leadership mess up so often. If he pulls off 8-4 or better next season with who he is losing this year - I am good with it. However, he needs to have the trajectory for 2018 pointed square at the SECCG. If Mizzou can do it for two seasons with marginal talent, so should Butch.
Great post, Appa.
