Recruiting Forum Football Talk XXXIV

[jakez4ut]

This.

Plus, to me, the SEC looks like Alabama and 8 teams tied for 2nd.

No one looks head and shoulders above anybody else. Someone will probably shake out to be, but I'll be damned if anybody can pick that now. For every positive you can pull for each team, there's a glaring negative. That's why I'm so confused when people just chalk up 5 pretty sure losses.

Agreed.

Conventional wisdom, sure I can see why that might be the prevailing attitude....5 to 7 wins for us.

But that kind of analysis has zero context as to how we ended up the way we did.

Sutton and maybin missed basically the whole year.kamara for half the season was a change of pace back that cbj gets criticized for not using enough. Dobbs and Barnett are the two draft picks that had the biggest impact.

Important losses yes. But in total we played significant portions of the season without contributions from multiple players we'll "miss".

It also doesn't have any account for the experience many of the guys got that will be called upon this season. Nor does it account for the "what if" regarding staying healthy or how much impact new coaches and s&c may have.

All that to say... While we do have several questions needing answered, it's not a forgone conclusion that all the answers will be the wrong answers.

Doesn't mean we will have all the right answers either. Enough to win 7 or 8 games? I think so.

 

[WallyBalls]

Who was the previous SID? I know they promoted Satkowiak (sp?) to replace him but I can't think of his name.

I noticed Brice and several media members throwing some decent shade at whoever the former guy was on Twitter. WVLT has a story about Jack Jones visiting Vietnam and Brice mentioned he tried it months ago but SID wasn't helpful. Several media people chimed in to agree.

 

[jakez4ut]

Those in this thread thinking we are going to waltz into the Swamp and roll will be sadly mistaken. It's gonna be a dogfight to get out of there with a win.

I think it has more to do with capability than over confidence.

We're capable, I think, of going down there and getting a win. Doesn't mean we will though.

 

[Chief Vol 13]

I think it's night and day different than Dooley. Dooleys ship was sinking faster than some people could get off. While 6-6 would be terribly disappointing, the difference in the rosters is astronomically different. We are replacing a lot this year but with equal talent, just not much experience.

Probably pointless to have the converstation because I don't think there's much of a chance at all that Tennessee goes 6-6 this year. Just thinking about that happening pisses me off though. There is no way with the talent on this team that anyone could think Jones has this thing going in the right direction if he goes 6-6.

 

[volfanCLT]

I think it has more to do with capability than over confidence.

We're capable, I think, of going down there and getting a win. Doesn't mean we will though.

I think we are capable as well. I was just catching up on the posts in here and saw a few say we win by 14+.

I think if we win it's not gonna be quite that easy.

 

[jakez4ut]

I think we are capable as well. I was just catching up on the posts in here and saw a few say we win by 14+.

I think if we win it's not gonna be quite that easy.

No it won't.

 

[VolGee4]

It'd be pretty disappointing if it wouldn't. I think it would feel very similar to how it did after Dooley lost to Kentucky in his second year. Anybody who has a clue would know the program is going nowhere.

Not sure how you can say at all. It would be disappointing, but we are talking about a man who has two straight 9 win seasons after Dooley led us through the worst stretch in school history. Regardless of job security, that's silly talk.

 

[InVOLuntary]

Probably pointless to have the converstation because I don't think there's much of a chance at all that Tennessee goes 6-6 this year. Just thinking about that happening pisses me off though. There is no way with the talent on this team that anyone could think Jones has this thing going in the right direction if he goes 6-6.

Not disagreeing. I think we win 8. Still might get us to Atlanta (longshot). I just think barring a major collapse, he gets one more year if he goes 7-5 or worse. If he does and they don't fire him, they'd be just delaying the inevitable imo.

I think we win 8 or more.

 

[Chief Vol 13]

Not sure how you can say at all. It would be disappointing, but we are talking about a man who has two straight 9 win seasons after Dooley led us through the worst stretch in school history. Regardless of job security, that's silly talk.

I made that comparison in the sense that if he goes 6-6 the handwriting is on the wall that he's not the guy who's going to get it done here. After Dooley lost to Kentucky most people knew then that the chances of him winning big were slim to none. If Jones goes 6-6 with this roster and coaching staff, I think most of the fanbase will come to that same conclusion with him.

 

[RockyTopInBham]

Look out UAB


NCAA is going to make someone pay for this

Don't we know it. #TheReturn

 

[Rishvol]

You know what's funny about the "this is Butch's 5th year..." It's the first time 97 that we've had a head coach get to his fifth year and everyone wants him fired? Something wrong with you people

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

You know what's funny about the "this is Butch's 5th year..." It's the first time 97 that we've had a head coach get to his fifth year and everyone wants him fired? Something wrong with you people

I get the point you're trying to make here but I don't think this is a valid line of argument, really. It's easy to twist facts like that to support any narrative and they don't really do much to add to the conversation of whether a coach should be retained or not.

For example:

Butch is only the 4th coach we've had since 1992. 3 of our 5 last head coaches have gotten to their 5th year, at least.


The failure of Kiffin/Dooley shouldn't really factor into the conversation, IMO. Pretty much everyone can agree that Butch has stabilized the program at this point. IMO he's earned every cent of his contract thus far just for doing that.


The question moving forward will be whether he can do enough to justify an extension or whether Currie is better off finding someone else to take advantage of the good job Butch has done righting the ship.

 

[vol2002]

Boy for a bunch of folks that pan on the ff... You sure would fit in with some this discussion...lol

I think the difference is if we go 7-5 and I'm wrong and Butch is not fired, I will still support him and I won't spend all offseason complaining about him. (I just will think he's probably peaked and won't have much expectations going forward with him as coach).

But the real difference is I actually think he's a better coach than he's being given credit for and I think this conversation will be moot by December, since I'm confident we will be at least 8-4 with an incredible recruiting class in the wings.

 

[chargervol]

Boy for a bunch of folks that pan on the ff... You sure would fit in with some this discussion...lol

There is a difference.
In the FF, the guys carrying on about fictitious 6 win seasons, would be the ones with all the "likes" and support.
They would be whipped into a frenzy over something that hasn't happened.

Both forums have people discussing football and those discussing the 'horrible experience' that is football, the recruiting forum just has a much better fan to partial psychotic, ratio.

 

[jakez4ut]

i like both. for different reasons.

 

[chargervol]

i like both. for different reasons.

I read more here and post more there.
Seems to be a lower percentage of rational comments in the FF.. more extremes. Plenty of rational thoughts being expressed here and that includes negatives and issues.
They just discuss possible solutions in the RF. . I enjoy kicking back and learning/thinking.

 

[chargervol]

3 of our 5 last head coaches have gotten to their 5th year, at least.


The failure of Kiffin/Dooley shouldn't really factor into the conversation,

I think you helped out with his point.
Excluding Jones for a moment, the previous 4 coaches were a split.
Majors completely rebuilt us and Fulmer brought a championship.
The 2 that didn't make it to year 5, damn near destroyed us.

Back to Jones: Him being our 5th year coach, putting him more into the category of Majors and Fulmer and NOT in the category of Kiffin/Dooley..

Well, you are absolutely correct. It's no guarantee of future success but it's a sure sign of more right than wrong.

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

I read more here and post more there.
Seems to be a lower percentage of rational comments in the FF.. more extremes. Plenty of rational thoughts being expressed here and that includes negatives and issues.
They just discuss possible solutions in the RF. . I enjoy kicking back and learning/thinking.

The trade off is that there's more traffic over there, so there's more football-centric discussion 24/7.

I wish the manner of discussion over in the FF more closely mirrored the RF, but there are good posts to be read over there as well. And there's just more football talk, plain and simple, even in the offseason.

No worries about having to read through pages of guys arguing about Lebron James to get to the football talk there, which is nice.

But at the same time, the laid back attitude around here and ability to go off on tangents with a community that is mostly able to get along, even when there is disagreement, is nice too.


Both forums have different things to offer. I find myself going to the FF more and more in the offseason when there's just less to talk about here and staying away from it mostly from August-February for here (with the exception of Fingers' awesome practice threads).

 

[Darth_Shiveman]

I think you helped out with his point.
Excluding Jones for a moment, the previous 4 coaches were a split.
Majors completely rebuilt us and Fulmer brought a championship.
The 2 that didn't make it to year 5, damn near destroyed us.

Back to Jones: Him being our 5th year coach, putting him more into the category of Majors and Fulmer and NOT in the category of Kiffin/Dooley..

Well, you are absolutely correct. It's no guarantee of future success but it's a sure sign of more right than wrong.

Agreed. Unless the team this season just completely implodes (which I don't see happening), Idk how much bad anybody will really be able to say about Butch.

Even if we have a theoretical 6-6 or 7-5 season and Currie moves another direction, the worst anybody will be able to say about him was that he was just never able to take the next step on the field.

 

[chargervol]

The trade off is that there's more traffic over there, so there's more football-centric discussion 24/7.

I wish the manner of discussion over in the FF more closely mirrored the RF, but there are good posts to be read over there as well. And there's just more football talk, plain and simple, even in the offseason.

No worries about having to read through pages of guys arguing about Lebron James to get to the football talk there, which is nice.

But at the same time, the laid back attitude around here and ability to go off on tangents with a community that is mostly able to get along, even when there is disagreement, is nice too.


Both forums have different things to offer. I find myself going to the FF more and more in the offseason when there's just less to talk about here and staying away from it mostly from August-February for here (with the exception of Fingers' awesome practice threads).

I agree with all of this.
There is some great posters in the FF for certain and I don't think anyone in here disagrees. Percentage wise, just a lot of extremists over there. It definitely has more action, when that's what I'm in the mood for.

But it also mirrors a crazy political debate site for extremists.

 

[McGeesPub]

Especially with the staff he has now and the recruiting class he has coming in

If the staff he has now drops a 6-6 or 7-5 with the talent on this team, it's probably not a very good staff.

 

[LaagerVol]

Oh yay, let's have a "what does it take to get Butch Jones fired" discussion. That's never been talked about on here.....

 

[bignewt]

Bottom line is that regardless of this year's results there is not a coach out there we could get that would not set us back...again. If you know one out there that we would pay that could keep this great class together and put together a staff this good, im all ears. Even after a 6-6 or 7-5 year, CBJ is our best option moving forward.

 

[drvenner]

I get the point you're trying to make here but I don't think this is a valid line of argument, really. It's easy to twist facts like that to support any narrative and they don't really do much to add to the conversation of whether a coach should be retained or not.

For example:

Butch is only the 4th coach we've had since 1992. 3 of our 5 last head coaches have gotten to their 5th year, at least.


The failure of Kiffin/Dooley shouldn't really factor into the conversation, IMO. Pretty much everyone can agree that Butch has stabilized the program at this point. IMO he's earned every cent of his contract thus far just for doing that.


The question moving forward will be whether he can do enough to justify an extension or whether Currie is better off finding someone else to take advantage of the good job Butch has done righting the ship.

The fact remains that it is a fact and it is relevant. Of course Dooley and Kiffin should be in the conversation. They were short-term coaches who, together, made the biggest trainwreck our program has had in my 50+ year lifetime. I do agree that the jury is still out. Butch does need to take the next step and he has, in my opinion, made the right moves to do that. We will, of course, see, this Fall. I think that we do we in the East, for the record.

 

[drvenner]

The trade off is that there's more traffic over there, so there's more football-centric discussion 24/7.

I wish the manner of discussion over in the FF more closely mirrored the RF, but there are good posts to be read over there as well. And there's just more football talk, plain and simple, even in the offseason.

No worries about having to read through pages of guys arguing about Lebron James to get to the football talk there, which is nice.

But at the same time, the laid back attitude around here and ability to go off on tangents with a community that is mostly able to get along, even when there is disagreement, is nice too.


Both forums have different things to offer. I find myself going to the FF more and more in the offseason when there's just less to talk about here and staying away from it mostly from August-February for here (with the exception of Fingers' awesome practice threads).

I really like the countdown to the first game thread.