Inaugural State of the Go Vols Room Address

[VFL-82-JP]

So I got myself laughing, thinking about how I would give a "state of the Go Vols room" address (our living room is our Go Vols room. My wife said I could do almost anything I wanted with it, so the first thing I did was give it that name...I'm still trying to talk her into letting me put checkerboard strips all around just above the baseboards, and paint the baseboards grass green...pray for my success).

And my speech would be all about how we're doing heading up to our opening weekend. And then I got to wondering how many of us would have many of the same talking points. I bet a lot of us would share a lot of them. Let's see:

(a) I'm excited about the season. 10 games, and among those, 10 mean something to the SEC race. It doesn't get better than that.
(b) I'm really happy with our schedule. Only wish we could play LSU, too, and Ole Miss to whup Kiffin's butt, and Miss State for the fun of the Mike Leach interviews before and after the game.
(c) I don't miss the cancelled Oklahoma game. If it were a normal year and it got cancelled, I would. But with 10 SEC teams on our schedule, we've got challenges aplenty. Oklahoma is a good team. They can wait for some other year.
(d) I'm pretty nervous about the covid-19 effects on our season. Not about covid itself, that doesn't scare me at all (neither for myself, nor for most of my family, nor for the lads...only for my mother and mother-in-law does it worry me). What I'm nervous about is the impact our national over-reaction will have on how the season plays out. How much the mouth-breathing will cause it to get in the way.
(e) Still on covid, I really wish we could get some clarity from the SEC (only they can take on this task) outlining that they fully understand the importance of a level playing field when it comes to contact tracing, quarantining, and so on, and a solid plan for keeping it all fair. I don't expect that, sadly. But I really do wish for it.
(f) I'm very calm about our QB situation. Here's one talking point I may not share with most of you. But it just doesn't spin me up. We're gonna get what we're gonna get, and I trust Jeremy Pruitt & Co. to make sure it's the best available option. Or combination of options. I wish all our lads great success.
(g) I'm not worried about Cade Mays' eligibility. I don't think we're going to win the NCAA over, but that doesn't fash me too much. We still have one of the best OLines in the SEC, maybe in the country. I look forward to seeing them play.
(h) The DLIne does worry me a bit, but I'm hoping that most of that is just them being up against that OLine. But still. Worried a bit.
(i) I can't wait to whup Muschamp and his lads' butts. There's just something about that gomer that gives me real schadenfreude.
(j) Speaking of schadenfreude, I love the train wreck that the B10 is right now (and the PAC in their wake). I mean, I don't hate that conference, I'm just tired of them thinking it's still 1960 and they're still top dog among conferences. Leaders and legends my butt. Legends, sure, they have some great history. Leaders, not at all. Not any more. Not for a while now.
(k) Wondering sincerely where 'aight' went. Someone said Jeremy may have gotten a speech coach during the off-season, or an image consultant, or something like that. He'd probably laugh at that and tell you that his wife is the only image consultant within three counties of him. She told him to stop sounding stupid and saying 'aight', so he did. The man knows where his bread is buttered. Image consultant. He's probably still chuckling about that one, if he heard it.

So that's about it, from the top of my head. As soon as I hit "post thread" I'll think of 5 more things. I'll try hard to avoid the temptation to hit "edit." Ah, who am I kidding, I always hit "edit."

Anyway, how close am I to you? Pretty close, or huge number of differences?

Can't wait for Game 1, and the Murder of Muschamp. Go Vols!

 

[ptcarter]

I watched the replay of FSU-GT. I was trying to pay attention to the Covid restrictions. Amazing how many coaches, refs and players on the sidelines didn't have their masks on. Saw one assistant coach with his mask just dangling on his ear. I get it, and not being critical. I understand the forces at work. The cheerleaders and band looked ineffective standing like checkers on a checkerboard. The band blowing horned instruments through masks. The old saying "A giraffe is an example of an animal designed by a committee". The rules are pretty much unenforceable and I really think in the great outdoors, aren't accomplishing much. Bottom line - 2020 is a very weird year, and it just seems to be getting weirder.

Back to football. I agree with OP on about all points. Just to add a few - I hope all the teams can pretty much play at full strength this year. I don't want "excuses" from opponents we beat and weren't supposed to beat. (Bama,Fla and Ga, this means you). GA game has some interesting intrigues - Whomever their QB is, there wont be much game experience. Also they play Auburn, UT, then Bama. Could't be sandwiched in between better games. Think they will be looking ahead to Bama after an Auburn game? Wish we had them in Neyland.

Good luck with the GoVOLS room.. Pics or it didn't happen.

 

[37620VOL]

GA game has some interesting intrigues - Whomever their QB is, there wont be much game experience. Also they play Auburn, UT, then Bama. Could't be sandwiched in between better games. Think they will be looking ahead to Bama after an Auburn game? Wish we had them in Neyland.

Never a better year to have them on the road. There is literally no home field advantage. Hometown distractions, 20% capacity, the way the schedule lays out... going on the road this year is perhaps an advantage.

 

[VolBricks]

I watched the FSU-GT, NotreDame, Clemson games. Could not get interested in any of them. I thought I would be riveted to them just to see college football but without it being the Vols vs SEC it just was not that intriguing.

OP- I to am not that worried about JG/whoever starts at QB. I think the best player will be on the field and for some strange reason I think JG starts all year barring injury.

 

[OffTackleVol]

So I got myself laughing, thinking about how I would give a "state of the Go Vols room" address (our living room is our Go Vols room. My wife said I could do almost anything I wanted with it, so the first thing I did was give it that name...I'm still trying to talk her into letting me put checkerboard strips all around just above the baseboards, and paint the baseboards grass green...pray for my success).

And my speech would be all about how we're doing heading up to our opening weekend. And then I got to wondering how many of us would have many of the same talking points. I bet a lot of us would share a lot of them. Let's see:

(a) I'm excited about the season. 10 games, and among those, 10 mean something to the SEC race. It doesn't get better than that.
(b) I'm really happy with our schedule. Only wish we could play LSU, too, and Ole Miss to whup Kiffin's butt, and Miss State for the fun of the Mike Leach interviews before and after the game.
(c) I don't miss the cancelled Oklahoma game. If it were a normal year and it got cancelled, I would. But with 10 SEC teams on our schedule, we've got challenges aplenty. Oklahoma is a good team. They can wait for some other year.
(d) I'm pretty nervous about the covid-19 effects on our season. Not about covid itself, that doesn't scare me at all (neither for myself, nor for most of my family, nor for the lads...only for my mother and mother-in-law does it worry me). What I'm nervous about is the impact our national over-reaction will have on how the season plays out. How much the mouth-breathing will cause it to get in the way.
(e) Still on covid, I really wish we could get some clarity from the SEC (only they can take on this task) outlining that they fully understand the importance of a level playing field when it comes to contact tracing, quarantining, and so on, and a solid plan for keeping it all fair. I don't expect that, sadly. But I really do wish for it.
(f) I'm very calm about our QB situation. Here's one talking point I may not share with most of you. But it just doesn't spin me up. We're gonna get what we're gonna get, and I trust Jeremy Pruitt & Co. to make sure it's the best available option. Or combination of options. I wish all our lads great success.
(g) I'm not worried about Cade Mays' eligibility. I don't think we're going to win the NCAA over, but that doesn't fash me too much. We still have one of the best OLines in the SEC, maybe in the country. I look forward to seeing them play.
(h) The DLIne does worry me a bit, but I'm hoping that most of that is just them being up against that OLine. But still. Worried a bit.
(i) I can't wait to whup Muschamp and his lads' butts. There's just something about that gomer that gives me real schadenfreude.
(j) Speaking of schadenfreude, I love the train wreck that the B10 is right now (and the PAC in their wake). I mean, I don't hate that conference, I'm just tired of them thinking it's still 1960 and they're still top dog among conferences. Leaders and legends my butt. Legends, sure, they have some great history. Leaders, not at all. Not any more. Not for a while now.
(k) Wondering sincerely where 'aight' went. Someone said Jeremy may have gotten a speech coach during the off-season, or an image consultant, or something like that. He'd probably laugh at that and tell you that his wife is the only image consultant within three counties of him. She told him to stop sounding stupid and saying 'aight', so he did. The man knows where his bread is buttered. Image consultant. He's probably still chuckling about that one, if he heard it.

So that's about it, from the top of my head. As soon as I hit "post thread" I'll think of 5 more things. I'll try hard to avoid the temptation to hit "edit." Ah, who am I kidding, I always hit "edit."

Anyway, how close am I to you? Pretty close, or huge number of differences?

Can't wait for Game 1, and the Murder of Muschamp. Go Vols!

Great post, enjoyed reading it. Item "e" is my biggest concern. I hope we're not putting ourselves a competitive disadvantage with the way they're doing contact tracing.

 

[hmhawk]

So I got myself laughing, thinking about how I would give a "state of the Go Vols room" address (our living room is our Go Vols room. My wife said I could do almost anything I wanted with it, so the first thing I did was give it that name...I'm still trying to talk her into letting me put checkerboard strips all around just above the baseboards, and paint the baseboards grass green...pray for my success).

And my speech would be all about how we're doing heading up to our opening weekend. And then I got to wondering how many of us would have many of the same talking points. I bet a lot of us would share a lot of them. Let's see:

(a) I'm excited about the season. 10 games, and among those, 10 mean something to the SEC race. It doesn't get better than that.
(b) I'm really happy with our schedule. Only wish we could play LSU, too, and Ole Miss to whup Kiffin's butt, and Miss State for the fun of the Mike Leach interviews before and after the game.
(c) I don't miss the cancelled Oklahoma game. If it were a normal year and it got cancelled, I would. But with 10 SEC teams on our schedule, we've got challenges aplenty. Oklahoma is a good team. They can wait for some other year.
(d) I'm pretty nervous about the covid-19 effects on our season. Not about covid itself, that doesn't scare me at all (neither for myself, nor for most of my family, nor for the lads...only for my mother and mother-in-law does it worry me). What I'm nervous about is the impact our national over-reaction will have on how the season plays out. How much the mouth-breathing will cause it to get in the way.
(e) Still on covid, I really wish we could get some clarity from the SEC (only they can take on this task) outlining that they fully understand the importance of a level playing field when it comes to contact tracing, quarantining, and so on, and a solid plan for keeping it all fair. I don't expect that, sadly. But I really do wish for it.
(f) I'm very calm about our QB situation. Here's one talking point I may not share with most of you. But it just doesn't spin me up. We're gonna get what we're gonna get, and I trust Jeremy Pruitt & Co. to make sure it's the best available option. Or combination of options. I wish all our lads great success.
(g) I'm not worried about Cade Mays' eligibility. I don't think we're going to win the NCAA over, but that doesn't fash me too much. We still have one of the best OLines in the SEC, maybe in the country. I look forward to seeing them play.
(h) The DLIne does worry me a bit, but I'm hoping that most of that is just them being up against that OLine. But still. Worried a bit.
(i) I can't wait to whup Muschamp and his lads' butts. There's just something about that gomer that gives me real schadenfreude.
(j) Speaking of schadenfreude, I love the train wreck that the B10 is right now (and the PAC in their wake). I mean, I don't hate that conference, I'm just tired of them thinking it's still 1960 and they're still top dog among conferences. Leaders and legends my butt. Legends, sure, they have some great history. Leaders, not at all. Not any more. Not for a while now.
(k) Wondering sincerely where 'aight' went. Someone said Jeremy may have gotten a speech coach during the off-season, or an image consultant, or something like that. He'd probably laugh at that and tell you that his wife is the only image consultant within three counties of him. She told him to stop sounding stupid and saying 'aight', so he did. The man knows where his bread is buttered. Image consultant. He's probably still chuckling about that one, if he heard it.

So that's about it, from the top of my head. As soon as I hit "post thread" I'll think of 5 more things. I'll try hard to avoid the temptation to hit "edit." Ah, who am I kidding, I always hit "edit."

Anyway, how close am I to you? Pretty close, or huge number of differences?

Can't wait for Game 1, and the Murder of Muschamp. Go Vols!

Great post !!

 

[05_never_again]

(k) Wondering sincerely where 'aight' went. Someone said Jeremy may have gotten a speech coach during the off-season, or an image consultant, or something like that. He'd probably laugh at that and tell you that his wife is the only image consultant within three counties of him. She told him to stop sounding stupid and saying 'aight', so he did. The man knows where his bread is buttered. Image consultant. He's probably still chuckling about that one, if he heard it.

"Aight" stopped in his public speaking after his introductory press conference. I'm sure somebody just politely tapped him on the shoulder and informed him he said it about 150 times in a 15 minute speech. He still speaks in a simple, casual way in public, but he isn't as conversational and informal as his intro press conference. In some of the "mic'd up" segments that the UT social media folks put on the internet, or in the bits of locker room speeches that get posted, he still says "Aight" a lot. "Aight" (also "OK") is just his go-to filler word.

I had a communications professor in college tell me after a presentation that I said "you know" something like 45 times in a 7-minute presentation. I've been acutely aware of myself saying that when I talk ever since.

 

[ptcarter]

"Aight" stopped in his public speaking after his introductory press conference. I'm sure somebody just politely tapped him on the shoulder and informed him he said it about 150 times in a 15 minute speech. He still speaks in a simple, casual way in public, but he isn't as conversational and informal as his intro press conference. In some of the "mic'd up" segments that the UT social media folks put on the internet, or in the bits of locker room speeches that get posted, he still says "Aight" a lot. "Aight" (also "OK") is just his go-to filler word.

I had a communications professor in college tell me after a presentation that I said "you know" something like 45 times in a 7-minute presentation. I've been acutely aware of myself saying that when I talk ever since.

A buddy of mine long ago caught me doing the same thing with "you know". He made up a term for it called a "dangling uncertainty", or, like you said; filler material as the brain tries to catch up to the mouth.

There is a new generation that has replaced the "you know" phrase with "like". My kids do it, and it , like, drives me, like, crazy, ya know? I hope your communications prof can intervene somehow!

 

[VFL-82-JP]

A buddy of mine long ago caught me doing the same thing with "you know". He made up a term for it called a "dangling uncertainty", or, like you said; filler material as the brain tries to catch up to the mouth.

There is a new generation that has replaced the "you know" phrase with "like". My kids do it, and it , like, drives me, like, crazy, ya know? I hope your communications prof can intervene somehow!

Even newer than "like" is "so."

So when you turn the machine on.... So, yeah, I really do like it ... So, the B10 sure has egg on its face... and SO on. Heh.

First noticed it about 6 years ago when we were visiting colleges with our daughters. Everyone was doing it. Every single Admissions staff member who stood up and spoke to us, every upper class student who sponsored the girls, everyone.

It was as if a collective decision was made that "so" is the preferred brain-to-mouth time delay word for the intellectual elite. Heh.

So now, of course, I do it.

 

[05_never_again]

Even newer than "like" is "so."

So when you turn the machine on.... So, yeah, I really do like it ... So, the B10 sure has egg on its face... and SO on. Heh.

First noticed it about 6 years ago when we were visiting colleges with our daughters. Everyone was doing it. Every single Admissions staff member who stood up and spoke to us, every upper class student who sponsored the girls, everyone.

It was as if a collective decision was made that "so" is the preferred brain-to-mouth time delay word for the intellectual elite. Heh.

So now, of course, I do it.

"So" is a way to control/take back control of a conversation, and it's incredibly annoying.

Uptalk is the single most annoying conversational trend though. Uptalk and "so" seem to go together quite often too.

 

[tennrich1]

].I'm still trying to talk her into letting me put checkerboard strips all around just above the baseboards, and paint the baseboards grass green...pray for my success).[/QUOTE]
My artist brother did something very similar to this along with AstroTurf for the "carpet". Needless to say that marriage ended badly. Artist are generally difficult people anyway but add an obsessed Vol fan and...well I predicted the outcome of that as soon as he showed me the room. Now...as a fellow Volster and admirer of art...I WAS IMPRESSED... his wife? Not so much!

 

[tennrich1]

"Aight" stopped in his public speaking after his introductory press conference. I'm sure somebody just politely tapped him on the shoulder and informed him he said it about 150 times in a 15 minute speech. He still speaks in a simple, casual way in public, but he isn't as conversational and informal as his intro press conference. In some of the "mic'd up" segments that the UT social media folks put on the internet, or in the bits of locker room speeches that get posted, he still says "Aight" a lot. "Aight" (also "OK") is just his go-to filler word.

I had a communications professor in college tell me after a presentation that I said "you know" something like 45 times in a 7-minute presentation. I've been acutely aware of myself saying that when I talk ever since.

For those of us who made a living "speaking publicly" those filler words are killers. Actually I think we all have them but some are disguised were the listener never notices...unless they are our spouse/kids/family/best friend then it "drives them crazy too". CJP definitely has a few but I agree that "Aight" has been curtailed a lot - probably by Ms. Pruitt!!!

 

[HalfullVol]

I watched the replay of FSU-GT. I was trying to pay attention to the Covid restrictions. Amazing how many coaches, refs and players on the sidelines didn't have their masks on. Saw one assistant coach with his mask just dangling on his ear. I get it, and not being critical. I understand the forces at work. The cheerleaders and band looked ineffective standing like checkers on a checkerboard. The band blowing horned instruments through masks. The old saying "A giraffe is an example of an animal designed by a committee". The rules are pretty much unenforceable and I really think in the great outdoors, aren't accomplishing much. Bottom line - 2020 is a very weird year, and it just seems to be getting weirder.

Back to football. I agree with OP on about all points. Just to add a few - I hope all the teams can pretty much play at full strength this year. I don't want "excuses" from opponents we beat and weren't supposed to beat. (Bama,Fla and Ga, this means you). GA game has some interesting intrigues - Whomever their QB is, there wont be much game experience. Also they play Auburn, UT, then Bama. Could't be sandwiched in between better games. Think they will be looking ahead to Bama after an Auburn game? Wish we had them in Neyland.

Good luck with the GoVOLS room.. Pics or it didn't happen.

not a chance

Coach Kirbs will have them puppies stirred, spinning his yarns about how Big Jerm used to bully him as a child and such seeking vengeance for his being disrespected and all

expect a straight up beat down

Vawls by a hundred

 

[MillerTime80]

].I'm still trying to talk her into letting me put checkerboard strips all around just above the baseboards, and paint the baseboards grass green...pray for my success).

My artist brother did something very similar to this along with AstroTurf for the "carpet". Needless to say that marriage ended badly. Artist are generally difficult people anyway but add an obsessed Vol fan and...well I predicted the outcome of that as soon as he showed me the room. Now...as a fellow Volster and admirer of art...I WAS IMPRESSED... his wife? Not so much![/QUOTE]

This is my checkerboard floor...

 

[ftsandersvol]

A buddy of mine long ago caught me doing the same thing with "you know". He made up a term for it called a "dangling uncertainty", or, like you said; filler material as the brain tries to catch up to the mouth.

It's your brain buffering.