Bad Losses Happen - A Perspective

[hog88]

That's assuming that the roster is made up completely of "his players"......

There is a reason tons of freshmen are playing in his first year and what appears to be his second season.

They are all "his" players now. He could have gotten rid of any of them he wanted to.

 

[BeardedVol]

It’s not just that we lost...to a bottom dwelling Sun Belt team...which is a bad enough indictment on Pruitt’s “coaching” abilities.

It is:

1. Our players, especially on defense, look absolutely lost...as if they have very little understanding of what their role is on each play. Whether it is s run or pass, we have multiple players out of position. Have they been taught anything?

2. Our players are unmotivated and don’t seem to care to even play the games. For the life of me, I don’t know how you can’t be excited to play the first game of the season. Is the staff sucking the life out of them? Why is this our culture.

3. Our QB (in his third season) still grasps very little about the nuances of the position (protections, coverages, blitzes, etc.). Why is he not held accountable?

I could go on, but these are the main red flags I see. And if they continue, this likely will be the most futile team ever fielded by UT. This is Pruitt’s second season. They should be better than this.

This all day long, and twice on Sunday. We should not be seeing this sort of behavior from players, even those that Pruitt didn't recruit, in the first game of his second season if he's a capable HC. These aren't just rookie HC mistakes that we are going to have to suffer through, the're indicative of a coach who doesn't have control of his program.

 

[kbear01]

You yourself said he shouldn't be held responsible for what takes place in the first two years of his tenure. By your own terms, that is a free ride.

You are also fraudulently claiming that this is only an anomaly when in actuality it is the end process of a development and conditioning phase that has been purportedly going on for weeks and months now. You act like this team only gathered a day or two before the game and just happened to lose to Georgia State by plain dumb luck.

The reality, not your fantasy, is that Jeremy Pruitt has failed to develop, condition, and lead his team. What took place against Georgia State was not an accident. It was part of a faulty process.

To claim otherwise, as you are doing, is an attempt to turn what is a program-defining, generational defeat into something that happens every day.

I feel you, completely. This is where my dissatisfaction level currently rests. No one EXPECTS CJP's team to be worldbeaters. But, I feel, with considerable surety, that we EXPECT his teams to beat GA STATE on it's worst day!! AS WE VERY WELL SHOULD!!

 

[Sara Clark]

Never mind, fake account.

 

[Alto1]

It’s a cumulative effect.

First,Mizzou stomps us.

Then Vandy stomps us.

So new year, new attitude one would think!

Spring practice, so hopefully cancers getting cut out, news coaches, new talent, on our way back.

Fall camp, All players here, ALL IS GOOD!

Then BAM! Sunbelt bottom dwellers kick our ass in Neyland!

More than just one loss!

Everything ain’t AHIGHT!!

 

[BeardedVol]

That's assuming that the roster is made up completely of "his players"......

There is a reason tons of freshmen are playing in his first year and what appears to be his second season.


And yet in Dooley's case, had we had a serviceable defense, he doesn't get fired and we prolly win 8-10 games in 2012

That'st he same line that was trotted out for Butch when it was pointed out that the 2015 team underperformed for the talent on it, and then when he got "his players", he crapped the bed.

No coach has just "his players" in the first three years of their tenure, none of them, yet you still see coaches motivate and develop, even players that aren't "their players".

Pruitt himself gets a lot of credit for the defense during his one season at FSU and his two seasons at Georgia, coaching players that were not "his players".

 

[sjt18]

A lot of people defending Jones pointed to Saban's loss to ULM. This loss is more similar than any of Jones' losses.

I think at least some of the people calling for his head now... rebuked me for saying a coach should get only 3 years to show improvement. Everyone who accepts that knows there will be setbacks. There will be really bad things like this game. But you have to look at the 3 years as a whole... you can't just hang on one game.

What Pruitt does from here on matters more than this low point... but he better do something pretty good.

 

[JMSqb11]

That'st he same line that was trotted out for Butch when it was pointed out that the 2015 team underperformed for the talent on it, and then when he got "his players", he crapped the bed.

No coach has just "his players" in the first three years of their tenure, none of them, yet you still see coaches motivate and develop, even players that aren't "their players".

Pruitt himself gets a lot of credit for the defense during his one season at FSU and his two seasons at Georgia, coaching players that were not "his players".

No one will say that Butch's team underperformed in 2015. If anything they overachieved. Butch literally was ahead of the curve in after his 3rd season. His fourth season is when people wanted to project that he compete for a division title and go to Atlanta. 2015 was supposed to be another depth building year and improve on the 7 win total from 2014. Going from 7-6 to being 17 points away from being undefeated in the regular season was such a wide gap that no one expected. It set the stage for 2016 to be a playoff run year and not just being a division competing year.


And you are also leaving out in the UGA and FSU examples that Pruitt was having to replace and recruit guys at those schools instead of just restocking.

 

[BeardedVol]

A lot of people defending Jones pointed to Saban's loss to ULM. This loss is more similar than any of Jones' losses.

I think at least some of the people calling for his head now... rebuked me for saying a coach should get only 3 years to show improvement. Everyone who accepts that knows there will be setbacks. There will be really bad things like this game. But you have to look at the 3 years as a whole... you can't just hang on one game.

What Pruitt does from here on matters more than this low point... but he better do something pretty good.

The problem I have with the "we have to wait and see if we have a good coach" mindset at this point, is that it's not just this horrendous loss. We saw the fall off in player motivation at the end of last season, and that's not been corrected prior to this season. Then the staff comes out, and in an act of indescribable stupidity, starts shuffling the oline like a deck of cards because they couldn't figure out who the best players were. Then, after that loss, we find out that yet again this week in practice, the staff is shuffling players between the offense and defense; scrambling to find answers that should have been determined in the weeks of practice leading up to the first game.

After months of practice, this staff, with this head coach, can't figure out who should start and in some cases whether they should be on offense or defense. I personally don't need 3 full years to recognize ineptitude of that magnitude when it's on display. Not even Butch and his staff were that poor at evaluating the talent that they had on the team even though they were garbage at developing it.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

A lot of people defending Jones pointed to Saban's loss to ULM. This loss is more similar than any of Jones' losses.

I think at least some of the people calling for his head now... rebuked me for saying a coach should get only 3 years to show improvement. Everyone who accepts that knows there will be setbacks. There will be really bad things like this game. But you have to look at the 3 years as a whole... you can't just hang on one game.

What Pruitt does from here on matters more than this low point... but he better do something pretty good.

Still a silly comparison.

 

[sjt18]

Still a silly comparison.

No. Not really. Saban took over a team more talented than the one Pruitt inherited.... with a lot looser recruiting rules. He dealt early with bad attitudes and the poor development of the previous staff. He had a really bad loss to a bad team in his 10th game. Pruitt's came in his 13th game but his hole was deeper.

We know the rest of the story with Saban. The decisions and actions Pruitt takes at a very similar crossroads will determine his fate.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

No. Not really. Saban took over a team more talented than the one Pruitt inherited.... with a lot looser recruiting rules. He dealt early with bad attitudes and the poor development of the previous staff. He had a really bad loss to a bad team in his 10th game. Pruitt's came in his 13th game but his hole was deeper.

We know the rest of the story with Saban. The decisions and actions Pruitt takes at a very similar crossroads will determine his fate.

Yes it is.

Nick Saban was beyond proven as a HC then. Sure he lost a bad game but nobody was questioning his coaching ability. Pruitt doesn't get that luxury because he's proven nothing yet.

 

[hog88]

Yes it is.

Nick Saban was beyond proven as a HC then. Sure he lost a bad game but nobody was questioning his coaching ability. Pruitt doesn't get that luxury because he's proven nothing yet.

Plus it was year one for Saban.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

Plus it was year one for Saban.

Not to mention he started 6-2 that year, including beating the dog crap out of us.

Call me crazy but if instead of losing the first game to GSU, we instead started 6-2 including a win over Alabama but then we lost to UAB that nearly as many people would be upset.

 

[hog88]

Not to mention he started 6-2 that year, including beating the dog crap out of us.

Call me crazy but if instead of losing the first game to GSU, we instead started 6-2 including a win over Alabama but then we lost to UAB that nearly as many people would be upset.

Nope.

 

[monodenta]

There is no spin that can make this look like anything less than the disaster it is. This ain't like the team just came out flat in the first week and lost on a fluke play. They were whipped on the LoS all dam game. This is the sign of things to come. I don't see a win on the schedule this season.

 

[sjt18]

Yes it is.

Nick Saban was beyond proven as a HC then. Sure he lost a bad game but nobody was questioning his coaching ability. Pruitt doesn't get that luxury because he's proven nothing yet.

No one? Yeah. I'm pretty sure that there were some nerves. Getting it done in one place doesn't guarantee you'll get it done somewhere else... and he was coming off a pretty significant failure in Miami. At that point, Michigan St wasn't that far in the rear view mirror.... plus they had just dumped the bank on him.

No comparison is ever perfect but there are similarities. Saban didn't flinch. He tossed some players and played young guys. He developed guys who were underdeveloped.

Pruitt either sinks or rises from this loss.

 

[BACKDOC]

I think the worst thing our fan base can do is expect us to "bounce back" against BYU. They are further along as a program, have a better QB, are more physical and are stronger at the line of scrimmage. Very likely they win Saturday.

Tempered expectations.

I saw their QB throw it to the opposite team a couple of times TH night, and I only watched the first half.

 

[BACKDOC]

First of all lets take a wait and see approach; remember Clemson, you that team that just won the natty; they lost to Pitt a couple of yrs. ago. Sh*t happens. I was at the opening game in 89 when we played Colorado St. We looked terrible; only scored 17 points, but we went on to share in the SEC title. Remember the opening game a few yrs. ago against Air Force; it took a stopped two pt. conversion to win that one; again we went on to a good season. No matter what Spurrier says we were kinda snake bitten Sat.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

No one? Yeah. I'm pretty sure that there were some nerves. Getting it done in one place doesn't guarantee you'll get it done somewhere else... and he was coming off a pretty significant failure in Miami. At that point, Michigan St wasn't that far in the rear view mirror.... plus they had just dumped the bank on him.

No comparison is ever perfect but there are similarities. Saban didn't flinch. He tossed some players and played young guys. He developed guys who were underdeveloped.

Pruitt either sinks or rises from this loss.

Some nerves, yeah sure every fan base has them. But compared to who the had coaching the years prior it wasn't even close. Saban had won 2 SEC Chamionships and an NC at LSU. And coaching college and the NFL are different animals.

 

[VolsSportsFan]

First of all lets take a wait and see approach; remember Clemson, you that team that just won the natty; they lost to Pitt a couple of yrs. ago. Sh*t happens. I was at the opening game in 89 when we played Colorado St. We looked terrible; only scored 17 points, but we went on to share in the SEC title. Remember the opening game a few yrs. ago against Air Force; it took a stopped two pt. conversion to win that one; again we went on to a good season. No matter what Spurrier says we were kinda snake bitten Sat.

None of those really compare to the loss we just had.

 

[solivols]

First of all lets take a wait and see approach; remember Clemson, you that team that just won the natty; they lost to Pitt a couple of yrs. ago. Sh*t happens. I was at the opening game in 89 when we played Colorado St. We looked terrible; only scored 17 points, but we went on to share in the SEC title. Remember the opening game a few yrs. ago against Air Force; it took a stopped two pt. conversion to win that one; again we went on to a good season. No matter what Spurrier says we were kinda snake bitten Sat.

Pitt also beat a 10-3 Miami team that year. Not sure Pitt and Georgia State is an apples/apples comparison. It would be more like "you remember when Clemson lost to Coastal Carolina a few years back," which would never happen.

 

[chef3531]

Historic Losses and the Bounce Back

It sucks... losing to Georgia State. It’s a real kick in the penis. It happened, but I think this team can bounce back. We should at least give them some time and fan support for now.

I’ve read several articles about fan reactions and the players have definitely taken notice. But the players are fighting and learning from mistakes from that last game and want their best for Tennessee. I don’t think many of you realize how far fan support goes. Fans don’t realize how powerful their voice actually is.

We single handedly dethroned Currie as AD and kept Schiano from getting the job. How many fan bases can say their voice holds that much sway?

Our ridicule and mockery actually carries weight. Imagine what our praise could do. We can boo our players or encourage them to fight on. Their is no excuse for a loss to Georgia State. It’s inexcusable. Yet, this is a team full of kids learning to be men - don’t belittle them, build them.

We should demand and command greater from our team and it’s coaches. But dragging the coaches and players for a devastating loss should be beneath us. The time also hasn’t come yet to call for Pruitt’s head. He deserves more time if for no other reason than he still handedly outcoached Aurburb and Kentucky last year. Calling for a firing this early is truly absurd.

How about we actually genuinely pray to Almighy God for the PEOPLE that make up this football team instead of *****ing all over them after a tragic defeat. Half of Volnation needs to grow the hell up.

Tony Robbins, is that you?

 

[sjt18]

Some nerves, yeah sure every fan base has them. But compared to who the had coaching the years prior it wasn't even close. Saban had won 2 SEC Chamionships and an NC at LSU. And coaching college and the NFL are different animals.

Again, no comparison is exact. The point is that Saban's success was determined not by that one game but what he did after it. The same will be true of Pruitt. You are still trying way too hard to make a final evaluation of him NOW. It isn't possible... or necessary. That was my major point.

 

[JoAllan]

“Bad Losses Happen”

Losing regularly to Vandy “happens”
Losing to KY with a receiver at QB....happens
Losing by 40 to Bama & Georgia.......happens
Losing every sec game in a season...happens

Losing the Georgia State, a program in the sun belt that went 2-10 the previous season, a team played its first football game EVER in 2010..........is more than a “bad loss” and should never happen!

Also their best win ever (before Saturday and maybe even still) was against Western Kentucky.