2020 just an anomaly?

#26
#26
No, not an anomaly...according to Dictionary.com, anomaly means "something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected". Last season, like many over the past 15 years, went exactly as expected...unfortunately. We have sucked (with a couple of exceptions) for the last 15 or so years.
 
#27
#27
No offense meant here, but you were singing a different tune because you had orange colored glasses on.

I had Tennessee at 5-5 before the season. The ESPN predictor had Tennessee at 4-6.

it’s not going to be a whole lot better next year because there are still personnel problems and coaching issues all over the place.

Everyone thinks the talent level is better than it is and is surprised at PreSeason All SEC lists, the outcome during the year, and the NFL draft. It’s what everyone outside of Knoxville expected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mtnvol80
#28
#28
99gator said:
No offense meant here, but you were singing a different tune because you had orange colored glasses on.

I had Tennessee at 5-5 before the season. The ESPN predictor had Tennessee at 4-6.

it’s not going to be a whole lot better next year because there are still personnel problems and coaching issues all over the place.

Everyone thinks the talent level is better than it is and is surprised at PreSeason All SEC lists, the outcome during the year, and the NFL draft. It’s what everyone outside of Knoxville expected.
Click to expand...


99gator we recruit top 15 almost every year. The issue is development. I refuse to believe that we, along with the recruiting sites misevaluated THAT many players.
 
#30
#30
Outside of the two coordinators and a couple of the position coaches, last years coaching staff was either not good or learning on the job.

We really need some coaching experience - especially at Dline and linebacker. Hopefully, Steele can help address this need. A solid Oline coach is also an essential.

The team is more talented than they showed last year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolForLife83 and Big Al Orange
#32
#32
5 - 5 was a reasonable expectation. We didn't expect regression from JG.
IMO they put more expectations on him re: taking charge of the offense, and he could not do it during the game. Hopefully they have someone ready this year.
To a degree Pruitt also switched his emphasis from position coaches who were teachers to recruiters. Players seemed lost at times.
I would not say anomaly as in random without identifiable causes.
I would say a deviation from what should have been an average SEC team due to causes that are identifiable and fixable.
Steele looks like a partial fix. We'll see whether more can be fixed.
 
#35
#35
Most of the time the spin, hype and propaganda that is whipped around the Tennessee program is lapped up by the sheep, accelerated by the homer media, but does not do the program well in the long term. Over the last 20 years, in a sports starved region of Tennessee, there has been very little objective analysis of the football program until the arrival of a conference only season, such that there was nowhere for Tennessee to hide, nothing to spin, no performances to crow about in demolishing some directional small school they were paying $1 million for an overpriced scrimmage game. Of the 3 wins this year, two schools have already fired their coaches, as Missouri improved over the season, Tennessee playing them in the usual November slot could have had a different outcome.

Many of Fulmer's post game comments following unacceptable losses during his coaching tenure were full of coach speak, buzz words, and softball questions from muzzled media. The pattern has continued and has been perpetuated throughout this season, but until the fan base and athletic boosters, large and small, begin to ask the hard questions, rather than acting on emotion and passion as a follower of Tennessee football, the Tennessee program will continue to languish, mired in mediocrity, led by incompetent leadership with Fulmer as a childish brat as an AD and an utterly clueless Blonde Donde as the Chancellor (the jury is still out on Boyd, he managed the Ricky Barnes pending exit quite well, this is a completely different problem).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: dlravol2
#36
#36
I have no idea. I can make an excuse for covid, no spring, JG, etc...At the same time, we were lost to our main rivals by double digits every year that Pruitt has been here and it hasn't gotten better. This year there is no real excuse, no Butch players left on the team. All of them are Pruitt's players now. If we can pull a full more transfers, and maybe a TE there isn't a talent excuse anymore. We don't have an excuse for bad QBs as our QB room is definitely an upgrade from a year or 2 ago. We need to fill out OL, DL and switch QB coaches, but if we hang on to the players and get a couple more transfers, this team has talent.

I also have no inside knowledge of Pruitt staying or leaving, so no real idea what is going on behind the scenes
 
  • Like
Reactions: MemphisVol77
#37
#37
West Vol said:
That was Georgia deciding not to get beat by a team with a soft defense, a mediocre OL, and a terrible QB.
Click to expand...
Not just UGA deciding to up their level of play. The team changed as a whole. JG was good enough to win games through 2 1/2 games this season and then whatever confidence he had went to hell in a handbag, and the teams confidence along with it. I honestly think we were a decent to good team for 10 quarters this season and I don’t think it was just the competition. We looked different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolForLife83 and VolNExile
#38
#38
Brave Volunteer said:
99gator we recruit top 15 almost every year. The issue is development. I refuse to believe that we, along with the recruiting sites misevaluated THAT many players.
Click to expand...

I believe that is true among guys who will never play on Sunday.

But, it’s hard for anyone to screw up Derek Barnett or Eric Berry.

Butch screwed up Kamara by not playing him. While I didn’t anticipate how good he’d be at the NFL level, I did think he was better than Hurd and for Butch’s offense better.

I do feel like most SEC classes are overrated. I don’t think the conference has 10 or 11 of the top 20 classes every year, but that’s how it shakes out.

At this point, I wonder how much of the development is coaching and how much is depth.

For example, how good can defensive players get in practice with JG and that offense to practice against? Now, think of Alabama and that last year the first string defense was practicing against a couple of future Heisman finalists on the second string.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolForLife83
#39
#39
I’m not sure. I remember a month ago an article, maybe on basilios website, comparing rosters between Kiffin, Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt. I was surprised at the conclusions there. Pruitts teams were a lot worse in most position groups.

I am starting to wonder about Pruitt liking Xs and Os. If that’s true, why are they so bad? You’d think some X would cover a slant sometime. I think he may just be really bad at getting what he wants. Lots of people are like that. There are plenty of head coaches that call their own plays, and people don’t hate them. People hate you for your personality.
 
#40
#40
RDU VOL#14 said:
Not just UGA deciding to up their level of play. The team changed as a whole. JG was good enough to win games through 2 1/2 games this season and then whatever confidence he had went to hell in a handbag, and the teams confidence along with it. I honestly think we were a decent to good team for 10 quarters this season and I don’t think it was just the competition. We looked different.
Click to expand...
He threw up two prayers against UGA and was ineffective otherwise. Prior to that he barely beat a coach that should have been fired a year ago and a first year coach. That’s pretty much right in line with being one of the worst teams in the conference.
 
#41
#41
Firebirdparts said:
I’m not sure. I remember a month ago an article, maybe on basilios website, comparing rosters between Kiffin, Dooley, Jones, and Pruitt. I was surprised at the conclusions there. Pruitts teams were a lot worse in most position groups.

I am starting to wonder about Pruitt liking Xs and Os. If that’s true, why are they so bad? You’d think some X would cover a slant sometime. I think he may just be really bad at getting what he wants. Lots of people are like that. There are plenty of head coaches that call their own plays, and people don’t hate them. People hate you for your personality.
Click to expand...
He’s trying to do way too much and leaving himself very little time to do the few things at which he’s actually capable. Having the defense called in by three coaches isn’t helping things, either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RDU VOL#14
#42
#42
DaddyChad said:
I mean I hope I’m wrong but there was a lot of dysfunction on this team. We didn’t really look good offensively, defensively, etc. Player development didn’t appear to be great either and then you had an assistant fired a few games into the season? Pruitt also just didn’t seem as comfortable in his own skin last year. Didn’t seem as idk passionate on the field either.

Now I think Pruitt is in over his head and to this point I don’t see anything that would make me believe he’s capable of managing a program this large. That said if I’m wrong I think the way forward is for Pruitt to focus on what he’s best at, focus all his attention on the defense. Put the best people in charge of the offense and get out of their way and let them do their jobs.

I do really think this relationship is broken to the point where Pruitt is gone though. Even if he’s by some miracle successful I see him leaving now.
Click to expand...

With all the "teaching" that needed to be done and the meshing of the players that had ability and experience not being able to practice or be taught because of C-19 and the even worst Knox Co. tracking rules, it's a wonder this squad (notice I didn't say team) was even able to find the field much less play cohesive football.
As to your second paragraph, Pruitt needs to learn to be the CEO, not impose his will on any area, be it defense or offense. Just get the right people to coach and be their boss, not interfere with the way they do their jobs. Use their input on the hows and whys to say, OK, this is what we will do. Be it game planning, player status, what ever, just get to the point of "just be the boss" not the guy who wants to do everything himself.

As to your last statement; I expect you are right. Maybe not now but by the end or before the end of the 2021 season.
 
#43
#43
What do you say Vol Nation? Given all the circumstances was 2020 just a perfect storm for failure, or are we doomed?[/QUOTE]

2020 is entirely consistent with Pruitt's abysmal performance as HC. I crossed over last year watching the dysfunction during the FL blowout. You start the season losing to GS & BYU and then can't provide enough leadership, motivation, or organization to avoid position groups openly arguing, disagreeing, and fracturing on national TV against a hated rival. It's blatant HC incompetence. We were so desperate for something positive, folks got overly optimistic when he closed the season on a win streak. He beat NO ONE of real significance in that run & got extremely lucky to pull out a couple of those games. Meanwhile, there were continual behavioral & communication signs indicating he cannot handle this job.

Will keep occasionally posting these realities until he is gone. I still have stubborn hope our program will return to relevancy one day. We passionate fans are like an overly packed canoe of rowers pushing a cruise ship with stalled engines. We're tired but many of us continue to row. Almost did not renew our 2020 season tickets because the only meaningful thing most average fan can do is no longer fund this sh&t show. Just couldn't quite let them go yet. If Pruitt is truly retained for 2021, however, UT will be losing this season ticket holder. They may be surprised how many others make the same decision.

Jeremy Pruitt needs to be put out of his misery in this role. He will feel better in the end and so will we.
 
Last edited:
#45
#45
If Tennessee starts off 3-0 i think it might be possible for them to finish 6-5 or 7-5 if there's a 12 game 2021 schedule.
 
#46
#46
West Vol said:
He threw up two prayers against UGA and was ineffective otherwise. Prior to that he barely beat a coach that should have been fired a year ago and a first year coach. That’s pretty much right in line with being one of the worst teams in the conference.
Click to expand...
You can choose to look at that those 2 games any way you want, but I thought we looked like an entirely different football team through the first 2 1/2 games of the season compared to the rest of the season and it wasn’t just the level of competition. We played efficiently and played complimentary football.If we play the way we did to start the season we beat UK and Arkansas and probably Auburn. There is a lot of blame across the board for why the season happened the way that it did, but it ultimately falls on Pruitt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VolForLife83
#47
#47
West Vol said:
He’s trying to do way too much and leaving himself very little time to do the few things at which he’s actually capable. Having the defense called in by three coaches isn’t helping things, either.
Click to expand...
He’s got to simplify the D and allow those guys to play fast and not think so much. There seems to be way too much pre-snap stuff going on and we are constantly taking time outs on D to get lined up correctly or get our personnel straight. Not much pisses me off more on a football field than the D taking unnecessary timeouts, especially when you have an offense led by a QB who was so inept at managing the game.
 
#48
#48
The problem with making these excuses are other programs had the same adversity and fared better than us. Pittman beat our ass and I mean beat it with a Arkansas that was completely awful the year before. Pruitt doesn’t just lose, he loses awfully, and looks completely lost as to how to fix anything while it’s happening.

We’ve had bad teams in the past but I don’t think I’ve ever watched a season and felt so outperformed on the field by mediocre to bad teams. Dooley wasn’t this bad on the field. It’s one thing to lose on a fluke play last second or the underdog just rolls the dice every play and things get out of hand. These are teams that we have more talent than that are just stomping us embarrassingly and it seemed to get worse not better as the year rolled on.

The other thing that just really completely lost me was while all these losses piled up we kept playing JG. Fans are unrealistic and well fanatical but people would’ve been more understanding if Pruitt just said this year is going to be about building for the future and got Bailey, Maurer, or Shrout in there. Everyone knew JG couldn’t win and would never be a quality SEC QB, why in the blue hell wouldn’t you try to build for the future?
 
  • Like
Reactions: FBtime and Big Al Orange
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top