Recruiting Forum Football Talk [RIP 9.3.2019]

[StoVol]

Tony Robbins tells an amazing story that sounds completely apocryphal, but he says it is from Stallone himself.



DISCLAIMER: Tony can use some salty language, and I can't recall if there is any in it, so decide for yourself if that's a personal issue. From memory, I would say there is not.

Wow Nick that was amazing. Thanks for posting that

 

[jakez4ut]

this narrative that our fanbase is going to have an adverse relationship with it's coach is just not right.

i'll conceded that i understand why it may exist in some circles, it's easy and lazy to connect some dots and say "see told ya".

but the reality is if you care to find out, the vast majority of the fans unrest over the past few years has been directed at the UT administration and boosters that ran this thing in to the ground.

so whether it was the empty neyland (which didn't work at all btw) or the protests or whatever, the targets for those things was not the coach per se. it was the folks above their heads. (any criticism Butch got the last 1.5 years he was here, he earned).

the attempt by many to just say the fans in Knoxvile are effin crazy and it's a bad situation for any coach is just wrong. ot say that we're just waiting to turn on a coach is just wrong. it's the opposite actually. we want a coach we can embrace. we want to get behind a coach. we WILL BE and HAVE BEEN very loyal to coaches in the past.

i think what's happened with this fan base is the culmination of just AWFUL leadership at the top, we recognized it, and got tired of it. we do care.

any unrest you see right now, in regards to the new AD or new Staff, is more about the frustration of simply having to be patient..........AGAIN. if there are people our there, and i'm sure there are, that truly want pruit fired or for phil to resign or whatever, my advice, don't even enterain the conversation cause they're morons, and not worth the time or effort to even engage in such nonsense.

the VAST majority of TN fans (who don't call in to radio shows or post here) will probably tell you what most sane people would think they would. that we have to be patient, and this year has had some ups and downs, but you can see "progress". even for those that may have questions about pruitt and co, even most of those know the real answers aren't going to be found for a year or 2.

and virtually no one outside the program is going to look at this season (no matter what happens on Saturday) and say "yeah, that's definitely going in the wrong direction down in Knoxville"...it just isn't gonna happen (unless you're Aaron Murray or David Pollack lol).

anywho.

rant over.

 

[supersmo18]

this narrative that our fanbase is going to have an adverse relationship with it's coach is just not right.

i'll conceded that i understand why it may exist in some circles, it's easy and lazy to connect some dots and say "see told ya".

but the reality is if you care to find out, the vast majority of the fans unrest over the past few years has been directed at the UT administration and boosters that ran this thing in to the ground.

so whether it was the empty neyland (which didn't work at all btw) or the protests or whatever, the targets for those things was not the coach per se. it was the folks above their heads. (any criticism Butch got the last 1.5 years he was here, he earned).

the attempt by many to just say the fans in Knoxvile are effin crazy and it's a bad situation for any coach is just wrong. ot say that we're just waiting to turn on a coach is just wrong. it's the opposite actually. we want a coach we can embrace. we want to get behind a coach. we WILL BE and HAVE BEEN very loyal to coaches in the past.

i think what's happened with this fan base is the culmination of just AWFUL leadership at the top, we recognized it, and got tired of it. we do care.

any unrest you see right now, in regards to the new AD or new Staff, is more about the frustration of simply having to be patient..........AGAIN. if there are people our there, and i'm sure there are, that truly want pruit fired or for phil to resign or whatever, my advice, don't even enterain the conversation cause they're morons, and not worth the time or effort to even engage in such nonsense.

the VAST majority of TN fans (who don't call in to radio shows or post here) will probably tell you what most sane people would think they would. that we have to be patient, and this year has had some ups and downs, but you can see "progress". even for those that may have questions about pruitt and co, even most of those know the real answers aren't going to be found for a year or 2.

and virtually no one outside the program is going to look at this season (no matter what happens on Saturday) and say "yeah, that's definitely going in the wrong direction down in Knoxville"...it just isn't gonna happen (unless you're Aaron Murray or David Pollack lol).

anywho.

rant over.

Excellent post.

 

[Aesius]

this narrative that our fanbase is going to have an adverse relationship with it's coach is just not right.

i'll conceded that i understand why it may exist in some circles, it's easy and lazy to connect some dots and say "see told ya".

but the reality is if you care to find out, the vast majority of the fans unrest over the past few years has been directed at the UT administration and boosters that ran this thing in to the ground.

so whether it was the empty neyland (which didn't work at all btw) or the protests or whatever, the targets for those things was not the coach per se. it was the folks above their heads. (any criticism Butch got the last 1.5 years he was here, he earned).

the attempt by many to just say the fans in Knoxvile are effin crazy and it's a bad situation for any coach is just wrong. ot say that we're just waiting to turn on a coach is just wrong. it's the opposite actually. we want a coach we can embrace. we want to get behind a coach. we WILL BE and HAVE BEEN very loyal to coaches in the past.

i think what's happened with this fan base is the culmination of just AWFUL leadership at the top, we recognized it, and got tired of it. we do care.

any unrest you see right now, in regards to the new AD or new Staff, is more about the frustration of simply having to be patient..........AGAIN. if there are people our there, and i'm sure there are, that truly want pruit fired or for phil to resign or whatever, my advice, don't even enterain the conversation cause they're morons, and not worth the time or effort to even engage in such nonsense.

the VAST majority of TN fans (who don't call in to radio shows or post here) will probably tell you what most sane people would think they would. that we have to be patient, and this year has had some ups and downs, but you can see "progress". even for those that may have questions about pruitt and co, even most of those know the real answers aren't going to be found for a year or 2.

and virtually no one outside the program is going to look at this season (no matter what happens on Saturday) and say "yeah, that's definitely going in the wrong direction down in Knoxville"...it just isn't gonna happen (unless you're Aaron Murray or David Pollack lol).

anywho.

rant over.

Agreed. It's a lazy narrative. This fanbase is awesome and actually really patient. We weren't wrong at all about wanting Dooley or Jones fired. We also gave them plenty of chances and time to get it done.

 

[BucVol98]

But what else would he do in life? He can’t just shut down, IMO

Retire and focus on his car dealerships? haha no but seriously I personally would want to go out on top, not saying he has hit his peak and is going to decline anytime soon but there comes a point where I think I would be ready to hang it up and hit the lake, and he's not getting any younger and he's already 67

 

[RiotVol]

Agreed. It's a lazy narrative. This fanbase is awesome and actually really patient. We weren't wrong at all about wanting Dooley or Jones fired. We also gave them plenty of chances and time to get it done.

Again, find me a fanbase that has tolerated the mediocre football that's we've witnessed the last 10 years that would still draw the numbers we do for home games.

Our fanbase is elite. The football will be there soon. And we will be the obnoxious m-f'ers in the room reminding errrryone about their dumb f@#$ing hot takes.

 

[RikidyBones]

As someone who didnt grow up in an orange house and was inspired by visiting from out of state during a tour of SE colleges, I can tell you this fanbase is NOT a negative. Its, without a doubt, the greatest asset to the Tennessee program and surpasses the fanbases at any other school I've ever been to. The tailgating experience and people made a fan out of a buddy of mine when I carried him and his family to Knoxville for a game. He don's the orange proudly, follows it from Florida despite being born and raised in Tampa.

Take it from two nontennesseans, the people are top notch, dime pieces except for Chief, d4h and Sarge.

 

[engineerVOL]

Holy old quote Batman

Memorable first post... by his pops?

 

[tennesseefan31]

I hope we beat the piss out of them.

Ok.

 

[RikidyBones]

I'd also like to mention that BGS has not been able to find a dumb post by yours truly because it doesn't exist. Later rednecks.

 

[LA Vol]

I don't see any validity to this whole "our fans suck" narrative. Every fanbase has outliers and malcontents. But the majority of UT fans just want to have a winning program and want this staff to get us there.

The companion to the "our fans suck" narrative is the "unrealistic expectations" narrative that a few claim is the root of all of our problems. The reality is, most UT fans want to be competitive and contend for a division championship with UF and UGA-- and do not expect to win the NC every year. UT fans aren't the problem and neither are expectations of success-- those are positives, not negatives.

 

[ChismsHeadband]

Retire and focus on his car dealerships? haha no but seriously I personally would want to go out on top, not saying he has hit his peak and is going to decline anytime soon but there comes a point where I think I would be ready to hang it up and hit the lake, and he's not getting any younger and he's already 67

I'm grasping at straws here.

He's tied with or after this year will have more championships than Bear?

He's already had a perfect 14-0 year.. I was mistaken in thinking he's never had the perfect year-- they always have that one loss somewhere (A&M/Manziel, Ole Miss, Auburn, etc).

Maybe he wants a perfect 15-0 year? The first ever undefeated CFP Championship?

Either way, he's sucking the life out of the SEC, making otherwise elite teams look completely flawed. There's a bit of the Tiger Woods Effect in conference, whereas Clemson gets to act like Boise State when they were knocking off big-time teams in the BCS era.

Moral of the story: Go get f***ed, old man Saban.

 

[beachmaster]

I was never more proud to be a Vol fan during those days. I don't tweet but I did e-mail the administration several times with my displeasure of Schiano. I was hoping, (crazy I know) for Gruden. So when Pruitt was announced I was really disappointed. So much so that Freak banned me for several days, lol. I think CJP is the coach we are wanting, he just needs time.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

I think the fans at Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida and LSU are just as bad if not worse. But for some reason there is the perception that Tennessee should be content with being a mediocre team.

I don’t think anything irritates me quite like the meme that Tennessee fans are spoiled and entitled among the SEC. It’s complete nonsense.

LSU hasn’t had a losing season since DiNardo was there. They fired a national title winning coach whose worst record was 8-5.

Mark Richt had all of one losing season in his years at UGA. He was canned after back-to-back 10 win seasons.

Florida fired a coach who had won his division and 10 games in back-to-back seasons IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS THIRD SEASON.

Auburn fired Gene Chizik after one bad season, less than two years removed from a national title.

And WE’RE spoiled? Tell me one fanbase that would have stayed as loyal as we have after 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, 4-8, and 5-7/6-6. Give me a break. The only legacy program in the SEC that can even relate is LSU of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m sick of the notion that we’re the impatient ones in this conference.

 

[McGeesPub]

I don't see any validity to this whole "our fans suck" narrative. Every fanbase has outliers and malcontents. But the majority of UT fans just want to have a winning program and want this staff to get us there.

The companion to the "our fans suck" narrative is the "unrealistic expectations" narrative that a few claim is the root of all of our problems. The reality is, most UT fans want to be competitive and contend for a division championship with UF and UGA-- and do not expect to win the NC every year. UT fans aren't the problem and neither are expectations of success-- those are positives, not negatives.

Exactly. I don’t expect us to ever go on an Alabama-type run, and I am completely fine with that. Conversely, I do expect us to play in the SECCG two to three times a decade, and won’t apologize for that.

 

[bignewt]

this narrative that our fanbase is going to have an adverse relationship with it's coach is just not right.

i'll conceded that i understand why it may exist in some circles, it's easy and lazy to connect some dots and say "see told ya".

but the reality is if you care to find out, the vast majority of the fans unrest over the past few years has been directed at the UT administration and boosters that ran this thing in to the ground.

so whether it was the empty neyland (which didn't work at all btw) or the protests or whatever, the targets for those things was not the coach per se. it was the folks above their heads. (any criticism Butch got the last 1.5 years he was here, he earned).

the attempt by many to just say the fans in Knoxvile are effin crazy and it's a bad situation for any coach is just wrong. ot say that we're just waiting to turn on a coach is just wrong. it's the opposite actually. we want a coach we can embrace. we want to get behind a coach. we WILL BE and HAVE BEEN very loyal to coaches in the past.

i think what's happened with this fan base is the culmination of just AWFUL leadership at the top, we recognized it, and got tired of it. we do care.

any unrest you see right now, in regards to the new AD or new Staff, is more about the frustration of simply having to be patient..........AGAIN. if there are people our there, and i'm sure there are, that truly want pruit fired or for phil to resign or whatever, my advice, don't even enterain the conversation cause they're morons, and not worth the time or effort to even engage in such nonsense.

the VAST majority of TN fans (who don't call in to radio shows or post here) will probably tell you what most sane people would think they would. that we have to be patient, and this year has had some ups and downs, but you can see "progress". even for those that may have questions about pruitt and co, even most of those know the real answers aren't going to be found for a year or 2.

and virtually no one outside the program is going to look at this season (no matter what happens on Saturday) and say "yeah, that's definitely going in the wrong direction down in Knoxville"...it just isn't gonna happen (unless you're Aaron Murray or David Pollack lol).

anywho.

rant over.

You give the majority of our fan base far too much credit. Most have a casual working knowledge of football that doesn't extend much past the W-L record. That is the group that is most vocal, that is your #voltwitter. We lose Saturday, be ready.

 

[InstrumentalVol]

I don’t think anything irritates me quite like the meme that Tennessee fans are spoiled and entitled among the SEC. It’s complete nonsense.

LSU hasn’t had a losing season since DiNardo was there. They fired a national title winning coach whose worst record was 8-5.

Mark Richt had all of one losing season in his years at UGA. He was canned after back-to-back 10 win seasons.

Florida fired a coach who had won his division and 10 games in back-to-back seasons IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS THIRD SEASON.

Auburn fired Gene Chizik after one bad season, less than two years removed from a national title.

And WE’RE spoiled? Tell me one fanbase that would have stayed as loyal as we have after 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, 4-8, and 5-7/6-6. Give me a break. The only legacy program in the SEC that can even relate is LSU of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m sick of the notion that we’re the impatient ones in this conference.

When you rattled off our records the last 10 years I could feel my soul evaporating.

 

[SweetasSoda]

I don’t think anything irritates me quite like the meme that Tennessee fans are spoiled and entitled among the SEC. It’s complete nonsense.

LSU hasn’t had a losing season since DiNardo was there. They fired a national title winning coach whose worst record was 8-5.

Mark Richt had all of one losing season in his years at UGA. He was canned after back-to-back 10 win seasons.

Florida fired a coach who had won his division and 10 games in back-to-back seasons IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS THIRD SEASON.

Auburn fired Gene Chizik after one bad season, less than two years removed from a national title.

And WE’RE spoiled? Tell me one fanbase that would have stayed as loyal as we have after 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, 4-8, and 5-7/6-6. Give me a break. The only legacy program in the SEC that can even relate is LSU of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m sick of the notion that we’re the impatient ones in this conference.

Yes, this! Then they turn it around and tell you how irrelevant you are!

 

[ob79]

I don't see any validity to this whole "our fans suck" narrative. Every fanbase has outliers and malcontents. But the majority of UT fans just want to have a winning program and want this staff to get us there.

The companion to the "our fans suck" narrative is the "unrealistic expectations" narrative that a few claim is the root of all of our problems. The reality is, most UT fans want to be competitive and contend for a division championship with UF and UGA-- and do not expect to win the NC every year. UT fans aren't the problem and neither are expectations of success-- those are positives, not negatives.

It's propagated by national media, and has been for the better part of two decades, beginning with ESPN lauding Woodson over Manning, then Chris Fowler making the "trailer park frenzy" comment that received nothing but vitriol (rightfully so) from this fanbase and then College Gameday refusing to come back to Knoxville the entire year of 98, even after we won the National Championship.

It was doubled down last year with the Schiano debacle and a very loud contingent of our fans expressing outrage on social media and even through their local congressmen...

I'd say it's in our heads but there's DEFINITELY smoke from national pundits of an anti-Tennessee bias.

They love to poke fun of this fanbase, just doesn't help that we give them the ammunition sometimes.

 

[bignewt]

It's propagated by national media, and has been for the better part of two decades, beginning with ESPN lauding Woodson over Manning, then Chris Fowler making the "trailer park frenzy" comment that received nothing but vitriol (rightfully so) from this fanbase and then College Gameday refusing to come back to Knoxville the entire year of 98, even after we won the National Championship.

It was doubled down last year with the Schiano debacle and a very loud contingent of our fans expressing outrage on social media and even through their local congressmen...

I'd say it's in our heads but there's DEFINITELY smoke from national pundits of an anti-Tennessee bias.

They love to poke fun of this fanbase, just doesn't help that we give them the ammunition sometimes.

The truth as always lies somewhere in the middle.

 

[ChismsHeadband]

I don’t think anything irritates me quite like the meme that Tennessee fans are spoiled and entitled among the SEC. It’s complete nonsense.

LSU hasn’t had a losing season since DiNardo was there. They fired a national title winning coach whose worst record was 8-5.

Mark Richt had all of one losing season in his years at UGA. He was canned after back-to-back 10 win seasons.

Florida fired a coach who had won his division and 10 games in back-to-back seasons IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS THIRD SEASON.

Auburn fired Gene Chizik after one bad season, less than two years removed from a national title.

And WE’RE spoiled? Tell me one fanbase that would have stayed as loyal as we have after 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7, 5-7, 5-7, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, 4-8, and 5-7/6-6. Give me a break. The only legacy program in the SEC that can even relate is LSU of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m sick of the notion that we’re the impatient ones in this conference.

Being told to accept the likes of Schiano and Doeren, or that Mullen/Frost/Taggart were way out of our league by the likes of Clemson and Ohio State fans is the most infuriating part of the discourse.

(Tbh, I see that here-- there was a post yesterday? about some team (South Carolina with Muschamp?) accepting who they are)

Who's right to tell some other school's fanbase what to settle for? South Carolina finished consistent top-10 with Spurrier. Yeah, it took a legendary coach to get them there, but over his 7-8 years there, he elevated the standard. Clemson/Tennessee/Florida/Georgia fans keep telling them to settle for their average where those fans know their program can do better because it has.

Hearing opposing fanbases drunk on memes tell us to be happy with consistent bowl seasons, like we don't have one of the largest stadiums in the world, one of the richest histories in CFB, some of the best facilities around, the most passionate and widespread fanbase in the south outside of T-shirt Bama fans living in Memphis who have never traveled south of Huntsville..

Especially in the face of LSU/Miles. UGA/Richt. UF/McElwain. A&M/Sumlin.

 

[GoBigOrange86]

And the notion that we’re quick to turn on coaches? Bullcrap. Florida fired McElwain faster than we fired Dooley. We gave Butch 5 years. People loved Kiffin the year he was here and then he bailed on us. Fulmer was canned after 2 dud seasons in 4 years, which was far more than it took for UGA to can Richt or LSU to fire Les or Auburn to fire Chizik (and maybe Malzahn).

It speaks to how powerful a constructed narrative really is. We aren’t a particularly spoiled/incorrigible fanbase because the facts on the ground say we are. We are a particularly spoiled/incorrigible fanbase because the narrative says we are.

 

[nicksjuzunk]

One of my favorite moments, when Phil took over was someone posting this GIF

 

[WriterVol]

This fan base came back around to Dooley in the summer before his third year, after that awful Kentucky game. We were back to talking about how great the offense was going to be. It's reactionary, sure, but it's extremely forgiving.

It didn't turn on Butch until he failed to win a single SEC game. Let me say that again--a single SEC game.

All that after we'd already been Kiffin'd. It's passionate, sure, but we give our coaches all the benefits of the doubt. It's just that the last three left no doubt after their stints.

 

[ChismsHeadband]

It didn't turn on Butch until he failed to win a single SEC game. Let me say that again--a single SEC game.

Gonna disagree to a slight degree with you there.

2015-- close losses to OU, UF, and then the disappointment at home to a winnable Arkansas team. We had a bye between Arkansas and UGA where things were at fever pitch and Butch NEEDED to win then. There were comparisons to Dooley, as their records were virtually identical. Lo and behold, we beat UGA, lose close at Alabama, and win out.

But a sizeable chunk of the fanbase was out on Butch after that disastrous start to 15, and I'm not sure if he won everyone back. Of course it's hard to blame them (I say "them" because I was firmly in the "give Butch time" camp, until the debacle of 2016 Carolina).. Even getting the doors blown off us against Bama at home... I get it's Bama, but we were ranked top-10.

I agree with the whole of your point. MOST of us are patient, forgiving, understanding. The crazies can be unbearable at times, but it seems like with Butch, they were the canaries in the coal mine.