Brian Rice Twitter

[vol-un-tear]

I want to know who the quitters are. Looked to me like Warrior was one.

 

[Sudden Impact]

Do any of you believe that when CJP started calling out a group of players and holding them accountable that he was providing information to the fan base....

Pruitt's messages Tiptoeing in....recruit over them 25 new recruits to start the fix. Players not playing like they were taught.... Letdowns...the list goes on an on.

Subliminal messages sent by a coach that knew what was happening and knew it was going to happen.....

Kids are fickle... so if they decided to lay down they were laying down....can't beat it into them like the old days.....Neyland, Bryant.

CJP will get their attention and cut bait on the ones who not here to give their all......the sandbaggers....will be gone....

They have already been identified and told for the most part and you can't carry this group forward......

 

[McDad]

Surely possible but I keep thinking on Pruitts comments about players who "wanted to play the right way" and "how you practice is how you play" etc. Maybe he was able to get the slacker guys to RAH RAH up for some games in the middle of the year but toward the end, they see that they are losers, they are not going to the NFL, so what is the point of them working hard when they can just coast into mediocrity?

I remember CJP saying more complimentary things about practice as the season developed. In fact, i think we were feed several articles about how practice improved. CJP also said how we practice is how we play. Did the losers play hard at practice and play soft during games?

 

[volfannbama]

Yes but my god you can’t say with upmost certainty that there weren’t players cashing in and already looking ahead to the holidays. It was very evident. You can coach and try to motivate players all you want but if they aren’t determined to get better and perform then it’s soley on the players a**

Yeah, mason did a good job have his team fired up ready to play, pruitt didnt.

 

[SCRocket]

They should have beaten Notre Dame. Don’t act like they’re not better then their record indicates.

 

[KeyVol14]

Yeah, mason did a good job have his team fired up ready to play, pruitt didnt.

Yes no doubt I see what your saying but these players showed the same crap last year. I think it’s more of the roster mentality added with the fact that they’ve created bad habits from previous staffs and under development leading to what we saw these last two weeks.

 

[volfannbama]

Yes no doubt I see what your saying but these players showed the same crap last year. I think it’s more of the roster mentality added with the fact that they’ve created bad habits from previous staffs and under development leading to what we saw these last two weeks.

Yeah I agree with that. I just put pruitt ultimately responsible, because he is. The problem with saying this is that "coach worshippers" will jump to his defense and suggest I want him fired because they refuse to see an honest critique.

 

[KeyVol14]

Yeah I agree with that. I just put pruitt ultimately responsible, because he is. The problem with saying this is that "coach worshippers" will jump to his defense and suggest I want him fired because they refuse to see an honest critique.

I don’t see that at all. I enjoy fair criticism

 

[RiverVol]

It’s Pruitt’s job to get this team playing their best. Instead he just talks about how we won’t be good until we get better players.

Nope. It's Pruitt's job to develop a program that can win consistently in NCAA Div I & the SEC. This is much bigger than a game or a season.

What he walked into was not a "feel-good story", and what has to be done will not be nice or comforting or fun. He has already changed the tone of what is an acceptable effort at UT and what talent level is acceptable at UT. That change has been absolute and it has not wavered. His language and content of his discourse with the media has reflected that.

You can say that he has "hurt these players' feelings" or that his talk has made them "quit on him" - after hearing that they are not SEC quality talent over and over and over in the press. The truth is hard. If these players had not been recruited out of their depth, they would be starters at Div-II and below schools, and they would be playing great, and they would've never heard repeated disparaging comments about their level of play - graduating with fond memories of college football. The UTK football program went through a cataclismic near-destruction that is still claiming victims. The players that were good, but not SEC good, will be trying to shake off this hurt for a long, long time. What happens emotionally to a college-age-male when they hear these messages about their shortcomings in a sport that consumes their life is complex and beyond my depth - but very few of us could be tough enough to be rise above the impact and not let it affect our effort on the field. It is not their fault. The players that were out of their depth were a small part of an incredibly complex organizational disaster.

Pruitt wasn't hired to gracefully transition them out the door. I imagine expectations for the football program have been well communicated, and he knows what it takes to meet those expectations. Coach Pruitt probably knows his timeline pretty well, and he knows how far away from his goal the program is. The amount of improvement that needs to be made within the given time frame probably leaves the coaching staff no time for southern charm.

I hate the way it must feel for the players who are impacted negatively. I wish every Vol player that has been a part of the past 4 years (and before) well. I grieve where they were the victims of a really weird and busted system.

I hope Coach Pruitt and his staff, and their families take a breath and see each other for a minute. I hope they hear from Vol Nation that we appreciate them and the incredibly tough vocation they work at. Their Christmas break will not look like (or feel like) many of ours. Those coaches won't see their families much this winter at all.

We all have our gripes. It's important to remember that Vol football is OUR culture, and OUR coaches need to know that we care and support them. We've had enough bitterness and doubt for a lifetime. We can make a change. We can help make this process more fun for the coaches, their families, the players and ourselves. Address specific issues but turn and stand with the humans that have to live it every day.

We can all gripe at the end of next season if things haven't changed.

 

[VolForLife83]

Same thing happened to Dooley in 2011. The fact that those players were even on the field is a sign this coaching staff doesn’t know what they are doing

CJP has said many times, he needs help (recruits) there is not enough bodies to plug other players in

 

[volfannbama]

I don’t see that at all. I enjoy fair criticism

Wasnt saying you, many do. They are easy to spot because they throw out "you just want him hired" " you just like the coaching search" etc at the first hint of criticism.
I was not a fan of Pruitt calling out the players in public. I thought it was a bad tactic. Pruitt has forgot more about football than ill ever know, but I know alot about leadership and what he did was a bad idea. Last night we saw it play out.

 

[DeepSpringsVol]

Im not excited about sorry players leaving. We know the scholarship rules on what can be signed. So attrition doesnt help us imo. Its not like we can sign more players on signing dau because of players leaving. I admit getting rid of cancerous players is one thing. But thinking scrubs leaving is gonna get us back quicker. That i dont see happening.

 

[goldenvol]

Then

If u havent played sports in college then u dont understand..Most kids would rather go home then playing in a BS low tier bowl game..Trust me..Im not saying that was the case tonight but I can guarantee they would rather go home

Then they need to stay home and let kids who care about the program play. The university needs the publicity, the money, and the team needs the practice.

 

[MAUSERWERKE]

This is where you and I completely disagree.

THE TRUTH is that it is actually the OPPOSITE. He has his players' and his teams' BEST INTEREST at heart because he CARES enough to CORRECT THEM. It is actually WISE to allow players to feel shame about their pathetic performances. IF they don't have the work ethic to do the necessary things required to get better and perform in an acceptable manner--then they do not deserve their scholarship.

These guys have to comply with academic standards of performance, and they have athletic standards, too.

You're wasting your breath here, sir because the coaches and teachers in my life that earned my respect and admiration were always those who refused to encourage and cajole mediocrity in my performance. The man who taught me how to play baseball actually played with Willie McCovey and always said to out entire team: "boys, if I didn't care about you, I'd never say anything to correct you or motivate you to get better."

He never hesitated to correct us, but he also never hesitated to praise us, too!

CJP had done BOTH of those things for the VOLS this year.
You guys have chosen to forget what CJP said after the UGA game--how he praised his team in the loss for their resolve and refusal to give up and to keep fighting. Why doesn't CJP get any credit now for that? He's the same Coach that he's been all this year. And he's coaching the same way now that he did then.

I know that I'm too abrasive in my comments some times, but there's a couple of things that you seem to believe that I will NEVER accept.

1. It's NOT a LACK of caring concern for a coach to point out mistakes and failures in the performances of his players--it actually PROVES THAT HE CARES; and
2. It's NEVER acceptable TO RESENT the ONE in authority for poor performances in his subordinates. Losers do that.

You and those like you make a sport out of violating these two RULES. And that's just the way it is because, unlike the way our society has now trained a generation--they don't hand out participation trophies for just showing up in the real world.

Good post. I have never coached at any level, but it seems to me job #1 of any coach is to figure out which players really want to be there, and which ones are just going through the motions. Which players are committed and which ones really aren't. It would be nice if we lived in a world where participation trophies actually meant something. But we don't.

 

[MikeVol44]

Wasnt saying you, many do. They are easy to spot because they throw out "you just want him hired" " you just like the coaching search" etc at the first hint of criticism.
I was not a fan of Pruitt calling out the players in public. I thought it was a bad tactic. Pruitt has forgot more about football than ill ever know, but I know alot about leadership and what he did was a bad idea. Last night we saw it play out.

No sir....I have to disagree totally with you. Leaders lead and the duty of subordinates is to FOLLOW.

You saw a bunch of quitters on the field last night who just didn't want to perform. They can BLAME the coaches because it is fashionable these days to blame the guy in authority for your own mediocrity and lack of commitment to work to get better and do things the right way.

The fact that many of CBJ's leftover rejects NEVER bought in to CJP's demands is leaking out everywhere as we speak. There are other threads on this board documenting this. IN fact, one thread exists that says the mediocre attitude of some PLAYERS about working hard to be champions had a direct effect on Crouch's recruitment to the Vols.

But, you guys just keep on blabbering away and blaming CJP for this walking cluster ____.

But time will reveal what's going on here. IT did for CDD and it has for CBJ....

 

[MikeVol44]

Do any of you believe that when CJP started calling out a group of players and holding them accountable that he was providing information to the fan base....

Pruitt's messages Tiptoeing in....recruit over them 25 new recruits to start the fix. Players not playing like they were taught.... Letdowns...the list goes on an on.

Subliminal messages sent by a coach that knew what was happening and knew it was going to happen.....

Kids are fickle... so if they decided to lay down they were laying down....can't beat it into them like the old days.....Neyland, Bryant.

CJP will get their attention and cut bait on the ones who not here to give their all......the sandbaggers....will be gone....

They have already been identified and told for the most part and you can't carry this group forward......

Thanks for noticing. CJP has manned up and owned it all season long--that's all he can do. But he'll get his players recruited and on board and then all of the dead wood will sit the bench or flat out leave. I say let the exodus begin.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I believe Brian is correct. It is obvious that some players gave up before games were decided. One can not have wanted to win very badly with the performances I saw Against UF, USCe UMo, and Vandy. On the other hand, we saw some frehmen who play better and btter as they gained experience. Attitude, the will, to woke hard to win, is the biggest component to winning. It is the only thing which kept Auburn is the Bama game last night until talent and depth took over the game.

 

[Volfan2012]

Well Pruitt did say after the Spring practice game that some players had quit yet we never seen anybody leave. So now will we see some players and coaches leave? You would think yes happens after you lose to Vanderbilt you have make some changes and you should already have a good idea what those changes are. Vanderbilt was giving up 436 yards per game we got around 240 something is not right.

 

[Vol524]

Same thing happened to Dooley in 2011. The fact that those players were even on the field is a sign this coaching staff doesn’t know what they are doing

Dude you have to have enough players to play. SMH You can't show up with 5 on offense and 6 on defense.

 

[volbeast33]

I dont understand why it can only be shared after the season is over.

Pruitt started it every time he was interviewed.

 

[volfannbama]

No sir....I have to disagree totally with you. Leaders lead and the duty of subordinates is to FOLLOW.

You saw a bunch of quitters on the field last night who just didn't want to perform. They can BLAME the coaches because it is fashionable these days to blame the guy in authority for your own mediocrity and lack of commitment to work to get better and do things the right way.

The fact that many of CBJ's leftover rejects NEVER bought in to CJP's demands is leaking out everywhere as we speak. There are other threads on this board documenting this. IN fact, one thread exists that says the mediocre attitude of some PLAYERS about working hard to be champions had a direct effect on Crouch's recruitment to the Vols.

But, you guys just keep on blabbering away and blaming CJP for this walking cluster ____.

But time will reveal what's going on here. IT did for CDD and it has for CBJ....

So Pruitt couldnt get some to by in? Sounds reasonable.

 

[Sudden Impact]

So Pruitt couldnt get some to by in? Sounds reasonable.

Not a problem.. but when a recruit sees it then it just validates a symptom of the problem (Crouch)

 

[BeecherVol]

Pruitt is ultimately responsible for the teams overall performance.

True. And short of a scandal, this year wasnt going to make or break him here. His AD (who hired him) is a guy that felt like he wasnt given time to right the ship when he was fired. Unless Fulmer is fired or retires before year 3 probably even 4 Pruitt isnt going anywhere until then.

If hes at 5 or 6 wins in year 3 or 4 it wont matter that he missed a bowl this year.

If hes 10-2 or winning the east in year 3 or 4, it wont matter that he missed a bowl this year either.

 

[BeecherVol]

So Pruitt couldnt get some to by in? Sounds reasonable.

It would be a surprise if they all did considering the drastic differences in styles.

 

[volfannbama]

True. And short of a scandal, this year wasnt going to make or break him here. His AD (who hired him) is a guy that felt like he wasnt given time to right the ship when he was fired. Unless Fulmer is fired or retires before year 3 probably even 4 Pruitt isnt going anywhere until then.

If hes at 5 or 6 wins in year 3 or 4 it wont matter that he missed a bowl this year.

If hes 10-2 or winning the east in year 3 or 4, it wont matter that he missed a bowl this year either.

He certainly gets 3 years minimum. I dont take anyone that says otherwise seriously, whether they agreed with the hire or not.