Just looking through the Fire Pruitt....

[I40flyer]

Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have all won 3 games in the SEC east, Georgia and Florida have won 6 each, we may finish 3rd in the east div of the SEC, but that isn't going to be a close 3rd. The huge difference between 2nd and 1st and our 3rd can't be over looked. We are the East in the West we have LSU winning Five, Bama winning 6 and Auburn winning 4 as of today. We don't play in the SEC Eastern Conference, we play in the SEC, period. I guess I'm saying, what most already know, don't get all excited, high Blood Pressure etc. over coming in third in the east. There was a time when this type of crap was 100% Unacceptable, now, if we can go to any bowl, we'll be happy, happy, happy.

 

[pharmDvol11]

In a way I’m glad we had it. I found lots of ppl to ignore. Maybe I’ll find some stragglers in this thread. Thanks OP!

 

[ptcarter]

JG. He’s made a lot of people bipolar in there opinion of him. You can put stats up all you want, but it’s a fact he missed many passes that could have won games we lost and we all know about the Bama fumble. I was down on him big time. Then he comes into the Kentucky game and was a warrior. That pass Palmer caught for the touchdown was right where it needed to be.
Maybe Shrout and Maurer have better natural instincts or skills, but you can’t substitute a his number of starts and experience. It showed up in the Kentucky game.
I’m back to liking him until he gives a reason not to. He did cost us some games though, but down the stretch, I think he’ll be fine.

 

[I40flyer]

JG, said he doesn't care who starts as QB-many think this is being a "real sportsman". Competition for starting positions brings out the best in players, it also helps coaches sort out the starters from the back-ups, I for one am NOT happy to hear our QB say, "I don't care"!!! I can only imagine what the team would be like if at every other position, the starter said, "I don't care if I'm the starter or not....". Our huge win over Chattanooga may start looking good.

 

[PulaskiVolFan]

I am not saying Pruitt is a bad coach, but he is far from proving he is a good head coach!

I would not get so excited about wins of teams all with losing records in SEC play!! Is the level you expect?
Miss St 2-5
USCe 3-4
UK 3-5

Their records would have been better had they not had to play the Vols.

 

[I40flyer]

Their records would have been better had they not had to play the Vols.

Their records would have been better had they not had to play the Vols.

That is pure opinion, how do you know? The W-L do not lie, they are what they are, no amount of "but, but, what if" will change them. I think the point is, we need to start winning in the SEC-we need to become relevant in the SEC-cupcake games get you a Cheez-it bowl, but they don't make you a Real Football Team-over 70 teams are going to bowls this year, if it weren't for the top 130 rankings, you may have forgotten a lot of them exist.

 

[TNnative]

history

OK, play like it didn't happen huh? Shrewd.

 

[vols 30]

In a way I’m glad we had it. I found lots of ppl to ignore. Maybe I’ll find some stragglers in this thread. Thanks OP!

Weak

 

[The Ron Mexico]

I have not supported firing Pruitt. I still don’t. Don’t fire him. But let’s not act like this 5-5 record so far is some great accomplishment.

His record this year is the same as it was last year after 10 games. I will be impressed if they win the next two and finish 7-5.

 

[STL0611]

OK, play like it didn't happen huh? Shrewd.

pretty much

 

[Thunndarr]

I supported Dooley until he tapped out in the first half of a close, winnable game the Vols ended up losing. Can't remember, but Mizzou might have been the game. That was the last straw for me as the team had looked progressively worse and worse.
I supported Botch until it was clear he had lost the team. Not starting Kamara over Hurd was likely the most egregious act of coaching malfeasance I've ever seen. I actually liked Hurd, he ran hard, but Kamara is a generational talent, and we didn't use him nearly enough.
With Pruitt, it's been tough. QB and O-line play weren't great last year, but this year the O-line has made pretty good progress. JG has gone from worm-burner Crompton to final from Crompy. Link for those who don't remember it. 2030...Crompy, the Movie

The progress this year has been amazing, and it's been a joy to see a team actually improving from week to week. Happy for JG as well.

 

[I40flyer]

I supported Dooley until he tapped out in the first half of a close, winnable game the Vols ended up losing. Can't remember, but Mizzou might have been the game. That was the last straw for me as the team had looked progressively worse and worse.
I supported Botch until it was clear he had lost the team. Not starting Kamara over Hurd was likely the most egregious act of coaching malfeasance I've ever seen. I actually liked Hurd, he ran hard, but Kamara is a generational talent, and we didn't use him nearly enough.
With Pruitt, it's been tough. QB and O-line play weren't great last year, but this year the O-line has made pretty good progress. JG has gone from worm-burner Crompton to final from Crompy. Link for those who don't remember it. 2030...Crompy, the Movie

The progress this year has been amazing, and it's been a joy to see a team actually improving from week to week. Happy for JG as well.

Fair warning: if you don't support the HC for at least 5 years (6-10 is better), no matter what, you have zero football knowledge. We should have gotten behind Dooley-for at least 4 more years, telling him and anyone that would listen, "He's our HC, we love him", forget the W-Ls for a moment, and think about yourself, and how you would be looked at by others if you didn't just love him.

 

[Thunndarr]

Fair warning: if you don't support the HC for at least 5 years (6-10 is better), no matter what, you have zero football knowledge. We should have gotten behind Dooley-for at least 4 more years, telling him and anyone that would listen, "He's our HC, we love him", forget the W-Ls for a moment, and think about yourself, and how you would be looked at by others if you didn't just love him.

I can't tell the difference between sarcastic blue font and completely totally serious blue font. I will therefore choose to be enraged.

 

[DaddyChad]

No idea if Pruitt is the man or not. All I know is the people saying Chad Morris or Herm Edwards were better are dumber than a bag of rocks.

 

[JMSqb11]

Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have all won 3 games in the SEC east, Georgia and Florida have won 6 each, we may finish 3rd in the east div of the SEC, but that isn't going to be a close 3rd. The huge difference between 2nd and 1st and our 3rd can't be over looked. We are the East in the West we have LSU winning Five, Bama winning 6 and Auburn winning 4 as of today. We don't play in the SEC Eastern Conference, we play in the SEC, period. I guess I'm saying, what most already know, don't get all excited, high Blood Pressure etc. over coming in third in the east. There was a time when this type of crap was 100% Unacceptable, now, if we can go to any bowl, we'll be happy, happy, happy.

if we finish 5-3 in the SEC this year, that’s a 3 game improvement over last year, Pruitt’s first. Anyone in the off season would have gladly taken that 3 game improvement and we are on pace for that.

Sure Georgia State happened but more good things have happened because of that loss than not. There’s been a major culture and development shift on this team and I doubt half the people getting regular playing time and the ones who quit aren’t in the same situation if we opened 3-0 and sit at 7-3 now.

If Pruitt finishes off this season with 7 or 8 wins and goes on to win 9-10 next year, i will look back at the Georgia State loss and always believe it made the program and coaching staff better. You don’t lose to Georgia State and then go toe to toe with Alabama a month later doing to same ole stuff. Kudos to Pruitt. He has done a great job of not giving up and mailing it in.

Of course anyone with a level head knew they couldn’t judge a season’s record based on one game. Those people are idiots.

 

[JMSqb11]

.
I supported Botch until it was clear he had lost the team. Not starting Kamara over Hurd was likely the most egregious act of coaching malfeasance I've ever seen. I actually liked Hurd, he ran hard, but Kamara is a generational talent, and we didn't use him nearly enough.
.

I love seeing people regurgitate this silly example or argument that it was a bonehead coaching decision that Kamara wasn’t starting because Hurd was just another running back.

Hurd was on pace to absolutely destroy the all time rushing record at Tennessee. Secondly, there weren’t any major losses in that 18-8 run that truly fell on Hurd or the running backs. So somehow putting in Kamara would have resulted in less losses is downright silly.

Butch had too many weapons at running back. But to say and act like Tennessee was starting a scrub who didn’t produce over Kamara is just dumb.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

If you can't see we were staring 1-11 in the face after GSU and byu, I can't help you. Sure Pruitt gets credit for turning this around. But no one should be harrassed for questioning his coaching after the first 3 games.

So, you can justify anyone self identifying themselves as a fan selling out? All I need to know... fan performances should be treated as each individual treats players, coaches,, and admin folks.... There is a time and a place for discretion and class and you can't put the bullets back in the gun. Attempted coach murder can have it's permanent costs in the respect department by every other fan in the base, and you just have to live with it, that is real life risk. Trying to justify it after the fact just doubles down on the problem created.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Kentucky, South Carolina and Tennessee have all won 3 games in the SEC east, Georgia and Florida have won 6 each, we may finish 3rd in the east div of the SEC, but that isn't going to be a close 3rd. The huge difference between 2nd and 1st and our 3rd can't be over looked. We are the East in the West we have LSU winning Five, Bama winning 6 and Auburn winning 4 as of today. We don't play in the SEC Eastern Conference, we play in the SEC, period. I guess I'm saying, what most already know, don't get all excited, high Blood Pressure etc. over coming in third in the east. There was a time when this type of crap was 100% Unacceptable, now, if we can go to any bowl, we'll be happy, happy, happy.

Any bowl is an improvement, and any bowl might create an impression among the prospect base that gets us some recruits that become difference makers over the next few years. So yes a good solid fan will celebrate this season at the same level the squad does. Noone will be ecstatic, but if the guys feel good about a 6 and 1 finish after a 1 and 4 start I am going to be right there with them and may elect to look with disdain at those who want to feature the early start rather than the late trend. Don't think I will be alone. The ugly will never go away from the GA ST loss for the team... nor a lack of composure from some fans. Neither can ever be justified. Trend lines for both are out there to see.

 

[rikberry31]

I guess, based on your statement, you would have kept Dooley for at least another 3 years-or more? My solution is to hire a Great Coach to start with-Tennessee is not a training ground....

We had a great coach and we fired him, that was the orginal sin. We have paid for it for the past decade. A revolving door on the coach's office is not conducive to Championship football.
In contrast Clemson, turned their program around by sticking with Dabo for a few rough years, UT should copy them.
Many once mighty programs hit the skids because of hasty firings or coaches leaving abruptly. Examples: Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, USCsr, Nebraska, ... If Pruitt is fired before four years, prepare for another decade of losing.

 

[chattavol420]

Just looking through these threads on here from a few short weeks ago...do we think that knee jerk/emotional reactions are a bit STUPID?!?!?

Right. Because I’m sure you were so optimistic about the state of the program after losses to ga state and BYU. Pruitt was horrible the first month of the season. He showed absolutely no emotion and made horrible personnel decisions. I think he heard some criticism and was willing to swap around personnel trying to find a spark and started getting in players faces and showing some emotion on the sidelines.
Most fans are just so desperate to ya e a good program that we’re cautiously optimistic even after having begun the way we did. But we have to finish the regular season off to be able to consider the season a success. If we do that and finish at 7-5 with a change to get an 8th win that’s definitely a success. But I’m not going to be fooled and go all in with my belief in our coach until I see a lot more proof he’s the guy. Recruiting is horrible right now. We’re losing amazing players from our own backyard right now. Pruitt still has a whole to to prove. Don’t think I would’ve went with the “I told you so” “y’all are all idiots” at this juncture.

 

[rikberry31]

There Was a time when we were would have settled with going to any bowl game, mid seventies to mid eighties, hardly anyone old enought to remember those days. And I was told about the Wyatt days. Cycles like the weather. Nobody wins forever and nobody loses forever, our time is coming, SOON.

 

[99gator]

Just looking through these threads on here from a few short weeks ago...do we think that knee jerk/emotional reactions are a bit STUPID?!?!?

I see no difference between that and people who believe Pruitt is the man because Tennessee is going to win its last 5 games against UAB and conference opponents struggling to become bowl eligible or will fail to become bowl eligible.

After all the dust settles, it appears Tennessee will be right where I thought they would record wise, but took a long strange trip to get there.

The other thing I did not anticipate was the schedule being this bad.

If I knew everything about the opponents that I do now, I would have picked Tennessee to go 9-3.

 

[Pepe]

Yeah some of those first half posts in the game thread were interesting to read. It’s amazing what less than 2 hrs of playing will do to people’s views. All the Pruitt is changing things and Mauer is the #1 qb ideals went flying out the window.

I didn’t check the thread after that but I can only imagine the same people that have been saying JG is a liability were suddenly acting like they loved him all along lol.

People just need to learn not to overreact to every little thing that doesn’t go their way. Anyone watching today could see the change in their qb/wr late in the first half. He was limping and that smug little attitude after every gain was suddenly replaced with a look of exhaustion. I knew we had them with the D just needed our O to finally show up, and it did.

I will still say that JG is a liability.I'm also not willing to say that we have turned the corner toward a better team. I won't say that until we show that we do not quit and fall on our face these last two games like we did last year.

 

[I40flyer]

We had a great coach and we fired him, that was the orginal sin. We have paid for it for the past decade. A revolving door on the coach's office is not conducive to Championship football.
In contrast Clemson, turned their program around by sticking with Dabo for a few rough years, UT should copy them.
Many once mighty programs hit the skids because of hasty firings or coaches leaving abruptly. Examples: Tennessee, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, USCsr, Nebraska, ... If Pruitt is fired before four years, prepare for another decade of losing.

You failed to answer the basic question, but rather pumped, and pumped. The question is this, based on everything you have stated, you would have kept dooley as our HC for at least five full years-if not more. Or, are you glad we got rid of him when we did? For the Record, I was not for his hiring, and was glad when he was fired.

 

[I40flyer]

I can't tell the difference between sarcastic blue font and completely totally serious blue font. I will therefore choose to be enraged.

This is FUUUNNEEE, I did not know there was a difference, I guess you learn something every day. Sarcastic blue was and is the only blue I know, or I should say knew of. Totally serious blue is almost funny, what is black?