Andy Staples: "Tennessee fans need to learn from Nebraska fans."

#26
#26
If UT hires a good coach the program can make themselves relevant sooner rather than later. The school made UT football irrelevant by hiring horrible coaches. Landing a quality AD today was a huge step in the right direction.
 
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#28
#28
He had me until the "never will be". Thanks, Mr. Crystal Ball. LSU was much of nothing back in the day. What about Clemson? The ingredients are there. Would love to debate that bozo. Things change.
 
#30
#30
I don’t agree with the assessment.

But, there is a difference between being mediocre for 8 years with a couple of good years sprinkled in and being terrible for a decade and a half.

The problem with a lot of the comparisons to other programs that are often made is that either (a) they weren’t nearly as bad as what Tennessee has been or (b) they weren’t as bad as long.
Which really has nothing at all to do with potential. In fact, the simple reality that UT STILL has a nationwide fanbase and the kind of support that they have even after that 15 years... is a good indicator that we will endure and demand until they get it right.

To say this has been a comedy of incompetence is an understatement. But this AD hire certainly looks like a change of method and direction. Time will tell but looking back over the UT AD's for the past 20 years... this one seems more substance and less politics.

I am not sure who is making the calls for UT now. But the decisions and "plotting" extending all the way back to the season seems to indicate a level of strategy and planning.... that you'd expect of UF or Auburn. It looks strangely like.... competence.

The previous changes both of HC's and AD's showed very little indication of being planned or prepared for. It was like those making the decision made a last second decision and then were as surprised as anyone that they then needed to hire a replacement.

I don't think there's a chance in Hades that this deal with White wasn't cooking (or fully cooked) before Pruitt and Fulmer were fired OR before the recent hires were made. Again... very "un" UT like strategizing.
 
#32
#32
Never say never, good and bad teams come and go. 20 years from now Tennessee may be on Top and LSU may be in the cellar. Nothing stays the same except in time all the traditional powers will have stretches of drought but they will come out of it. Andy Staples is talking out his rear. 20 years ago some alabama fans were saying they may not ever be relevant again and look at now. Plenty more examples, winning streaks and up and down seasons and decades come and go but the historically proven ones eventually rise again. We will RISE AGAIN!!!!!
 
#33
#33
After the last decade he may not be terribly far off. There is not another Saban out there.
There is always someone better out there. Every great sports athlete and coach knows that. Hence why schools are constantly hiring coordinators from Alabama hoping it will be a protégé of Nick Saban. Chances are it won’t.
 
#34
#34
It's neither as bad as Staples makes it sound or as good as many would probably hope. The fact is that we are at a fundamental disadvantage in our division to Florida and Georgia because of their recruiting bases and status as flagship schools in state's full of talent. We can reach a 90's type state if we can be consistent and one or both of those teams goes in the crapper but as long as Florida and Georgia are competently coached we are going to lose to either or both of them more often than not. If one or both get a crappy coach, there's our window.

If we get a window, we get in there and we fight like hell to hang onto it, but if either or both become competently coached again, we'll have trouble holding them off in the division. Unless there is a fundamental demographic shift in the recruiting bases, that's the reality of our situation. It's more or less been this way since black people started playing football. When that happened Florida and Georgia's advantage kicked in.

Our 90's run was brought on by a long period of stability and good coaching, Georgia, Clemson and LSU were all simultaneously down in the 90's and we took advantage, when Richt got to Georgia, Meyer to Florida and Saban/Miles at LSU that started to knock us back down the ladder. With all that said though, there is no reason for us to be as bad as we have been. We have had piss poor coaching since Fulmer was fired. If we had a decent coach we should be beating South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy, Missouri, et al. nearly all the time, we should average between 7-9 wins with an occasional spike up to 11 and maybe a fall to 5-6 every now and then. As it is we haven't even been .500 since we fired Fulmer, that is underperforming at Tennessee, big time.
 
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#36
#36
It's neither as bad as he makes it sound or as good as OP and others would probably hope. We are at a fundamental disadvantage to Florida and Georgia because of their recruiting bases and status as flagship schools in state's full of talent. We can reach a 90's type state if we can be consistent but as long as Florida and Georgia are competently coached we are going to lose to either or both of them more often than not. If one or both get a crappy coach, there's our window. If we get a window, we get in there and we fight like hell to hang onto it, but if either or both become competently coached again, we'll have trouble holding them off in the division. Unless there is a fundamental demographic shift in the recruiting bases, that's the reality of our situation. It's more or less been this way since black people started playing football. When that happened Florida and Georgia's advantage kicked in. Our 90's run was brought on by a long period of stability and good coaching, Georgia, Clemson and LSU were all simultaneously down in the 90's and we took advantage, when Richt got to Georgia, Meyer to Florida and Saban/Miles at LSU that started to knock us back down the ladder. With all that said though, there is no reason for us to be as bad as we have been. We have had piss poor coaching since Fulmer was fired. If we had a decent coach we should be beating South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy, Missouri, et al. nearly all the time, we should average between 7-9 wins with an occasional spike up to 11 and maybe a fall to 5-6 every now and then. As it is we haven't even been .500 since we fired Fulmer, that is underperforming at Tennessee, big time.

Florida is lucky that Florida State has sucked recently. When FSU had Jimbo a few years ago the Gators were throwing up a 4 win season.
 
#38
#38
Florida is lucky that Florida State has sucked recently. When FSU had Jimbo a few years ago the Gators were throwing up a 4 win season.
Florida had a string of really bad coaches. Florida being down doesn't help us as much as Georgia being down does because of proximity. Unfortunately Georgia has had Richt and Smart for 20 years and both are better than average coaches/recruiters.
 
#39
#39
Alabama did not go 15+ years. Where do you all get this from?

Bama won in 1992 but really never competed nationally again until 2008. Thats 16 years. Yeah they had a good team a few years after ‘92 and even Dubose won a SEC around ‘99 but they weren’t serious contenders.

I heard enough ******** during the late 90s to 2008 about how “the SEC needs Alabama to be good” to last me a lifetime. Ok we got Alabama good but the rest of the conference isn’t all that great.
 
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#40
#40
Florida had a string of really bad coaches. Florida being down doesn't help us as much as Georgia being down does because of proximity. Unfortunately Georgia has had Richt and Smart for 20 years and both are better than average coaches/recruiters.

Coaching is the key here. We've not had an elite coach here since Neyland. But even the modestly good ones loaded the roster and finished in the top 5 in the country.
 
#41
#41
I don’t agree with the assessment.

But, there is a difference between being mediocre for 8 years with a couple of good years sprinkled in and being terrible for a decade and a half.

The problem with a lot of the comparisons to other programs that are often made is that either (a) they weren’t nearly as bad as what Tennessee has been or (b) they weren’t as bad as long.

The problem with making absolute statements like Staples makes though is he has no clue who the Vols are hiring as coach, no clue who TN will recruit in the future, and no idea what happens with Bama when Saban retires or if Mullen jumps to the NFL or other moves in the SEC.

What happens if TN manages to land and develop a string of good to great QBs like Clemson has done?

They have sustained a run of excellence from Boyd to Watson to Lawrence now.

Just another talking head making a brash statement to get a rise out of his followers.
 
#42
#42
What a joke. But that’s what these guys do… Just flap their gums. Do you think he would’ve predicted 10 years ago that Clemson would be where they are today? Of course not. Knoxville has everything you need to succeed. Amazing facilities, incredible tradition, and the best conference in football, Tennessee producing an unbelievable amount of in-state talent these days, big cities within a 300 mile radius that are rapidly growing...the list goes on and on. Nebraska is a fly over state. The whole state is in bfe. There literally 50 times the number of blue chip recruits available annually within a 5 hour drive of Knoxville compared to Nebraska. Now...that’s not to say tn will be back. It depends almost 100% on the coach. Hit a home run and who knows.
 
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#44
#44
I don’t agree with the assessment.

But, there is a difference between being mediocre for 8 years with a couple of good years sprinkled in and being terrible for a decade and a half.

The problem with a lot of the comparisons to other programs that are often made is that either (a) they weren’t nearly as bad as what Tennessee has been or (b) they weren’t as bad as long.

99, I understand what you're saying, but I will caution you that although you are generally a tolerable Florida fan, this isn't the time for an opposing fan to jump in to the 'Tennessee will never rise again' argument.

Again, not bashing, because you add to most discussions, but this may be a time and place you wanna sit out, brother.
 
#45
#45
Alabama did not go 15+ years. Where do you all get this from?
Listen lizard, the problem wasnt with the talent level. It was coaching and the shift at the president/chancellor level that screwed Vols football. You give Saban the talent that Butch Jones had and he wins with it. Especially with the total backing from the whole university.

Our leadership just burned our program to the ground by not supporting the coach and AD. Look at what LSU did for Wade. They told the NCAA to screw off. Our frigging leadership has made the choice to become pansies.

Nobody goes against the "program" at Alabama. They dont get caught because they know how and when to lie.

You look at Clemson before Dabo and you honestly say they would be a perennial powerhouse. They got the right leadership and then stood behind the right coach.

We wont be powerful again until the upper leadership decides to be "all in" with winning. Until then we will remain a dumpster fire, but the foundation for success still remains.
 
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#46
#46
They won the SEC in 1999. They won 10 games in 2002 and 10 games in 2005

Isn’t that’s what Staples said Tennessee might do occasionally? If you think late Stallings, Dubose, Franchionne & Shula had Bama consistently competing for national championships, more power to you.
 
#47
#47
Stallings won a SECC in 92. Dubose won one in '97. Saban won his first in what, 2011? Bama won 1 SEC title in 19years.
Stallings won in the national championship and the SEC in 1992. Dubose won the SEC and went to the Orange Bowl in 99'. They were on probation and were ineligible or they would have gone to the SEC championship game in 02', Saban went to the SEC championship game in 08' and lost, Saban won the SEC in 09' along with the national championship. Our drought has not had these sort of bright spots.
 
#48
#48
If UT hires a good coach the program can make themselves relevant sooner rather than later. The school made UT football irrelevant by hiring horrible coaches. Landing a quality AD today was a huge step in the right direction.
This is what matters. College programs won't be successful winning programs just because of who they are or what their name is. Several schools have reached the highest highs only to fall into mediocrity or worse after a coaching change.

Any school can turn to crap if they hire a bad coach.
 
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#49
#49
I don’t agree with the assessment.

But, there is a difference between being mediocre for 8 years with a couple of good years sprinkled in and being terrible for a decade and a half.

The problem with a lot of the comparisons to other programs that are often made is that either (a) they weren’t nearly as bad as what Tennessee has been or (b) they weren’t as bad as long.
Tennessee has had some decent years sprinkled in as well. 2007 won the East, 2015 and 2016 were disappointing, but still solid years. Don’t wanna hear anything about being bad for too long from a gator fan. Florida has been bad or mediocre for most of their history.
 
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#50
#50
Segment from a 2006 article as Shula was fired and Alabama was in the Independence Bowl. Rich Rod had just turned them down. This was common sentiment between 2001 and 2006.

"Since the retirement of the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant in 1982, the Alabama football program has been the epitome of inconsistency.
The Crimson Tide has been unable to sustain anything positive, and the reasons are obvious -- coaching turnover and the effects of NCAA probation.
Consider this remarkable fact: The 2009 team will be Alabama's first since 1995 that will not be diminished by NCAA penalties.

The Alabama job would seem to be among the more prestigious in college football, yet big-name coaches have not flocked to the Tuscaloosa campus for interviews.
"I would think there are a lot of guys who would like to be the head coach at Alabama," OSU coach Mike Gundy said. "You would think that in the history of football, it has to be one of the top 10 programs."

Whether it's a legacy of NCAA problems or the impossibly high standards set by Bryant, elite coaches seem skittish about shouldering the responsibility of rebuilding and sustaining the Alabama monster. In 1995 and 2001, the NCAA levied harsh sanctions against the Tide program.

The new coach will be Alabama's eighth since Bryant retired. The new coach will be Alabama's fifth in this decade alone. Mike DuBose was followed by Dennis Franchione, who was followed by Mike Price, who was followed by Shula. For various reasons, DuBose, Price and Shula were dismissed."
 
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