10 Years to Screw It Up--Now Patience Is Required

[GmanTN]

Doug Dickey era
1964 4-5-1
1965 8-1-2
1966 8-3
1967 9-2
1968 8-2-1
1969 9-2

Bill Battle era
1970 11-1
1971 10-2
1972 10-2
1973 8-4
1974 7-3-2
1975 7-5
1976 6-5

Johnny Majors era
1977 4-7
1978 5-5-1
1979 7-5
1980 5-6

The end of Battle and the start of Majors is a very close analogy as to rebuilding our program. Recruiting was easier then than what it is today but the results have been very similiar. Majors had won a NC the year before he came here but how many fans do you think was happy in the first 4 years of Majors as a HC? It was not an overnight fix then and I don't look for it to be one this time either no matter who the HC is given who the coaches are now at Bama, LSU, GA and how Florida State and Florida will be competing for the best in that state.

 

[GmanTN]

My vision/opinion of where Tennessee football should be is simple. We should not have to go into EVERY SEC game hoping we are not blown out by 3 scores. We should be confident that our team will be ready to play and play for 4 qtrs. Yesterday was like a party for some as for the 1st time in 3 years, the team played an entire game. I find that a sad state of affairs myself. The fact that we watch other teams freshman tear us apart while ours are not expected to do anything speaks to lowered expectations. Tennessee is a winning program. DD is NOT a winning coach. The numbers do not lie. Tennessee deserves better.

How many Florida games did Phil get blown out? If you don't know I can google it for you. Some of those blow outs against Florida was when we were ranked as well. The SEC is a different conference than what it was several years ago, heck I don't know if DD is a winning coach or not. I sure thought Majors was a loser his first 4 years on the job.

 

[Merlot]

It took Tennessee from 1998, after which Tennessee went into a slow recruiting and performance decline, until Kiffin arrived to get The Vols supposedly back on track. Then Kiffin almost immediately leaves with things in a total and complete mess. Dooley arrives, only weeks before signing day, with no hope of a signing class. Two more years pass and now some fans are trashing Dooley for not having already completely turned around a Vol football that it took nearly 10 years to nearly destroy. It may take 5 or 6 years to get this program back to its consistent winning ways, patience with Derek Dooley will be rewarded. For impatience we will pay a very heavy price.

Complete and utter fail.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

It wasn't screwed up over the course of 10 years. I mean, Tennessee should have had a shot at the National Championship in 2001 and had multiple seasons ending New Year's Day bowl victories between 1998 and 2004.

In the last 4 years of Fulmer's tenure, it was a combo of his losing his edge and better competition (Richt, Miles, Saban, Meyer) entering the SEC.

All four of whom are firmly entrenched in the top 10. Where they will likely stay. It will not be easy to knock them all off in one year. Which is what has to happen for us. Good luck Dool's, I am with you for the long haul. Keep fighting. GoVols.

 

[LebanonVolunteer]

How many Florida games did Phil get blown out? If you don't know I can google it for you. Some of those blow outs against Florida was when we were ranked as well. The SEC is a different conference than what it was several years ago, heck I don't know if DD is a winning coach or not. I sure thought Majors was a loser his first 4 years on the job.

Dooley has always been a losing coach. Majors was not. Majors had proven he could win. Comparing Fulmer to Dooley is a joke any way you try to put it. Fulmer had Tennessee 1st or 2nd in the east 13 out of 17 years he was here. Dooley has us fighting for last, or next to last. Trying to blame Dooleys lack of coaching ability on who is coaching at other SEC teams points to him being the wrong man for the job. If you just accept losing year after year because said team has a better coach, should we not hire a coach who can at least give us a chance to win? Accepting losing/lowered expectations have just become 2nd nature to some fans.

 

[xtnntx]

Even conceding for argument that things were fine under Fulmer, the complete mess this program was in with Kiffin midnight departure is fact. Perhaps a "big time" hire when Kiffin left could have moved things along, maybe not, who knows and at this point it is a worthless discussion. We hired Derek Dooley and to think about replacing him after 3 years, throwing things in turmoil yet again would be the act of a genuine fool.

I agree! I see signs of life. This football program was bankrupt on all levels except financialy. It takes time to rebuild all of those aspects and I see progress. I believe that the rest of this year will be positive. I also believe that new rash of change at any of the coaching positions will yeild bad results. It is worth an investment of one more year of stability. We don't need a house built upon the sand.

 

[Ned Ray McWorkher]

Complete and utter fail.

Your post certainly is. Great work.

 

[GmanTN]

Dooley has always been a losing coach. Majors was not. Majors had proven he could win. Comparing Fulmer to Dooley is a joke any way you try to put it. Fulmer had Tennessee 1st or 2nd in the east 13 out of 17 years he was here. Dooley has us fighting for last, or next to last. Trying to blame Dooleys lack of coaching ability on who is coaching at other SEC teams points to him being the wrong man for the job. If you just accept losing year after year because said team has a better coach, should we not hire a coach who can at least give us a chance to win? Accepting losing/lowered expectations have just become 2nd nature to some fans.

His record during those first 4 years of his rebuild was 21-23-1

Besides Spurrier who was a thorn in Phils side name another elite type coach that Phil had to go against year end year out in the SEC. It has nothing to do with lowering expectations or accepting losing. I was a fan during the last rebuild and it did not sit well with me then and this does not as well. I do however understand the conference has changed a lot more then when Majors did his rebuild just like the conference has gotten much tougher and Phil was not beating the Meyers, Sabans of the SEC and Richt was giving Phil all he wanted and Spurrier was closing the gap at SC on Phil to beat him down some more. Spurrier as great of a coach and a future HOF did not rebuild SC up over night.