Official Gruden Thread 39

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#1,235
#1,235
i turn on the radio, stations are all the same...1180, 1340, 99.1

Same callers with the same stupid rehashed questions about the coaching search. 99.1 has the dummy bassilio with his baby talk. 1340 has a buncha college kids that have never seen a good Tennessee team. 99.1 is ran by a buncha bitter old men. The chronic callers ramble for 5 minutes, they all have some stupid signature talking points or slogan. I feel like I'm living with the family from The Goonies, you know. "BABYRUTH" level IQ in this town when it comes to talk radio. OK rant over...i gotta get to work.
 
#1,241
#1,241
We have all made the mistake of evaluating the coaching search from our side of the mirror. A clearer understanding can be gained by peering through the looking glass from Jon's side. I for one do not have any idea what is going on in his head. He obviously is torn with his current job and the projected insecurities, the noteriety he has from the exposure and the security and comfort it has brought him and his family weighing against his competitive nature and desire to get back into coaching. For any normal person this would be a no brainer and he would continue to ride the gravy train he has been on. An objective analysis indicates that Jon never had sustained success while coaching and that his player development was suspect. His attraction is two fold. The dude has charisma and can definitely charm, attributes that would certainly serve him well should he choose to return to the college game. In addition, since he has been in the booth he has watched and absorbed a volume of football second to none. He is a tireless worker and obviously competitive, two characteristics that are essential for success in the coaching profession. All of this when coupled with the living hell the Vol fan base has endured over the past 15 years has caused us to believe that there is not another coach on earth other than Jon that can restore the Big Orange to its former glory. These things have caused the assessment to be even more obscure due to the fact that our former success was achieved in another day and time. The college football landscape is far more difficult now than it was then. Nick Saban has further complicated the matter because unlike other teams in the East, Bama is our permanent opponent. We would like to believe that the handling of our coaching search this time around is different and that we will not make the same mistakes we made in the past. Should Jon take the podium when all is said and done this will prove to be true. However, if this thing goes south, the futility of this search will rival those of the past if not exceed them. Hope springs eternal and as others, I still have to believe that we did not screw it up again but the stamina I had at the beginning has been drained and I am just ready for this whole process to be over. If Jon is not the man, the true Volunteers will be called upon to provide the man selected the opportunity for success, a mindset that will be difficult due to the anticipation and let down we will face. We see Tennessee through rose colored glasses, a view that others obviously do not have. Reality is setting in but I for one want to make my own reality. Do it Jon, put on your orange glasses.
 
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#1,245
#1,245
VFL-82-JP said:
To summarize a logic train whose pieces have been mentioned several times here, just maybe not all together, a train that leads directly to Gruden on Rocky Top:

~ ~ ~​

1. Expectation Management. "Don't get your hopes up," every parent has said at some point. Why? Because hopes and dreams grow stronger and more powerful with time. If a dream has to be squashed, better that it be done early. Currie just had a fan barking "Gruden" at him, like a lunatic. Think he's not aware of the destructive potential of the fan base's mood? And yet not a peep from the UT administration about expectation management. No nipping it in the bud, no heading it off at the pass, they seem content to let the excitement grow and uncertainty fester. Would you do that with your children, if you didn't already know that the toy they really want is in the attic waiting to be wrapped, or at the very least that you intend to buy it soon? CONCLUSION: Jon Gruden is still in play. Maybe a done deal, maybe not...but he's in play.

2. Build the Hype: Not only is UT leadership not managing expectations, they are encouraging them. Big, exciting and explosive indeed. We think you are going to be very happy. Who says these kinds of things, unless they are confident of their ability to deliver the goods? CONCLUSION: Jon Gruden is not only in play, he's a lock.

3. Don't do Anything: What? We are in Day 7 of post-Butch Tennessee, and Jon Currie doesn't seem to be doing very much. In fact, he and his 4th floor compatriots seem not to have done much since Thursday. They've basically been sitting on their haunches for the past four days. Why would they be doing that? Isn't an intense hunt for a new coach under way? Didn't Currie say this was going to be his entire focus until we get our guy? And he's...wait, what? He's thinking about spending a day or two in the Bahamas for a basketball tournament? Okay.... CONCLUSION: You only stop working when there's no more work to be done...we got our guy. Some guy. Does it have to be Gruden, though? Yes. See points 1 and 2.

~ ~ ~​

So that's the logic train. You don't need "insider information" to see that train's path, or its destination. I respect Atlanta Vol and his insights, but you don't need them to reach a clear conclusion that Jon Gruden is a lock. Don't need Beav, don't need Bubba, don't need Tuesday, as much as I appreciate all these fellas. Don't need them.

Only need eyes and logic to see where we're going. Or more accurately, who's coming to Knoxville.

Remember the charts that show various ways people react to stress over time? The basket cases have long ago fled, unable to cope with the long Quiet Period. The freak-outs have recovered, and are now holding steady. It's the fade-out crowd's turn to have doubts, to begin falling apart. Continued stress without relief may be wearing them slowly down, until they lose hope.

Don't join them, and if you are one of them, fight it. Don't fade out on us.

Jon Gruden is coming. Logic proves it, and a press announcement within the next 7-8 days will confirm it. Just hold steady, friends.
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Phenomenal post. I hope everyone reads this and buys in. Even if I did not know what I know, this is the boat I would be in. This logical analysis, coupled with what I believe to be true, is why I'm not budging an inch on Gruden to the Hill.
 
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