Circumstandes and Dynamics Have Changed...Moving On...

#26
#26
Currie will again go conservative. No Lane. No Petrino... although we just follow John Adam's advice. I think the best shot we had was with Mullen. When FL swooped in, that be left us with #4. Schiano. Currie was so tone deaf here. We need a X and O coach. Playcaller an QB developer. Seems likike Morris fits the bill.

i know morris was OC at clemson, but not much else, so i'm not sure what value he really brings, especially now.

but hey, at this point, i think as fans, we're looking to be sold on somebody. not sure we trust the salesman at this point though.
 
#27
#27
I agree with everything you said except the last statement. I don't believe we actively pursued 5 coaches. IMO Currie only went after one; and that was the one he almost hired. He may have had, and this is a maybe, just a small or limited contact with some, but do not believe he actually tried to get anyone but the one he was gonna hire. Just my opinion. I feel he had his mind set on Schiano, may have spelled wrong, from the beginning.

ok, i guess it depends on how you define 'actively'. did we guage interest? yeah, probably. did we extend offers and get turned down? don't know. i feel pretty confident in saying that we contacted (in some way shape or form) Peterson, Gruden, Mullen, Frost, Kelly, Schiano.

i do believe Schiano was at or near the top of the list from the jump, and probably had the most work done on vetting, interviewing etc....and was much more a candidate than any of us either knew, or cared to acknowledge.

and we now know Cut turned us down again, and i read in another thread that Brohm may have said no thank you as well, though i haven't seen that confirmed anywhere. but if true, we're at least down to 8 on the list.., 9 if you count Schiano.....again.

and what that tells me is that we as a program do not have good clarity on who we are vs. who we want to be vs. who we should be. and don't have the leadership to align all of that, and make the decisions that fit best for us. now in our case, that may take a little better communication....Gruden should have never been allowed to be thought of as a candidate as long as he was, hindsight being 20/20. letting that get to the point it got, looking back, was almost criminal.
 
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#28
#28
1st, couple of positives one might draw from this...
1. i think we can lay Grumors down in a shallow grave and throw some dirt on them. finally.
2. in albeit the least desierable method of doing so, we have finally seen a majority of the fan base unite and agree on something........

but on to what's next...yesterday certainly changed our circumstances, and altered the dynamics of who might be our next coach. i've gone back and forth with several on some potential candidates, and until yesterday i felt pretty strongly about those opinions. but, things have changed, our wants/needs have changed.

so as i give you this list, i realize that a name or two are going to be diametrically opposed to views i've given on some of these, as recently as last week. and these are in no particular order.

1. Les Miles....vehemently opposed to him before...now...he's a name, he's a good recruiter, he has SEC experience, he has won at the highest level, and...(this is the best quality given our current situation)...he's a very good man, and he's a great personality that would endear himself to the fans and media alike. given the short term mess we're in right now, and the roster we have right now, he's a guy that could provide some immediate help PR wise, maybe put some of this class back together, and could maybe have this roster competing in a year or two. 3-5 years later, maybe then you go after a more proven Tee Martin? fwiw. imo, where miles had little to no value 3 days ago, i think he brings a lot of value now.

2. Tee Martin...or, skip to the end and give Tee a go. doing this though, requires everyone to apply a certain degree of patience. actually a lot of patience. he's not ready for this job, even under great circumstances. but he's a TN guy, he has p5 coordinator experience, a good recruiter, and everyone could probably get behind Tee Martin right now. but for this to be a long term solution, it is going to require patience. so, be ready. we DO NOT want to be in a positon to fire Tee Martin in 3 years b/c he's not "good enough". know what i mean?

3. Jeff Brohm...i was kinda high on him early on, cooled later in favor of other candidates, but he has a great resume(experience wise that is), good offensive mind, and has paid dues at WKU, and got his shot at the P5 this year. he's not a dynamic personality, but that's ok, i don't think he's a robot spitting our cliches either... i do think he is a very good coach. but again, he's not going to wow anyone, and he's certainly not going to rock anyone's boat. would be a good, safe hire, and again, would probably require some degree of patience if he's a long term answer. i would not expect him to save this class or be an immedate impact coach in terms of w/l's.

4. Lane Kiffin. i've said it many times, had 2009 not happened, he'd be on top of most of our lists. but it did, so he wasn't on the list. well, circumstances have changed, and kiffin checks nearly every box. he's dynamic, and while douchey, he's not a bad guy. great offensive mind, great recruiter, and he couldn't care less about how he's perceived. we may be the perfect fit for him, cause we sure as hell don't care how we're perceived...lol. in all seriousness, if there is a time he could come back, now is it. some would consider it a tough pill to swallow...but more than would care to admit it, would take him back. i do feel confident in saying this...he'd make TN football fun again. it's not been fun for a while.

5. Mike Norvell...will likely be on other's lists, and he'll have options, including staying at Memphis. not sure that our situation now says a guy like this could be successfull here long term, he'd have to win pretty much immediatley. but he's widely considered a very good coach, just needing the right opportunity. not sure if TN is it for him or not.

6. Kevin Sumlin...i think he could do well here, relatively speaking. not sure how well. i think he could probably equal the 8-9 win mark Butch did. he's a solid recruiter, but he comes with some of the same baggage butch left with. but he'd be a stabilizing name, and would fall in to the category of "we could definitely do worse". he'll have options as well, and i think the only way you get sumlin here, is to throw money at him.

7. charlie Strong...much like Sumlin, but w/out some of the baggage. the downfall here is he left Texas amidst bad circumstances, and i doubt seriously he'd want to enter Tennessee during bad circumstances. still, i think he was always going to be a better fit at a school in the Southeast than he ever was going to be at Texas. his career, and our program, may both be on much better trajectories had he actually taken the job in 2013. he just had a really good season at USF, and may just like where he's at, back in the home state, and just want to stay put. can't say i'd blame him.

8. Brett Bielema...another man's trash is another man's treasure? flame away. up until his arkasas stint, the dude had an awesome resume. another good personality, and brings a style of football that we identify with. definitely has the baggage of being awful at arkansas..........so it is what it is.

(i'm not necessarily advocating for any of these guys, jmo on each as a candidate now)

i think Scott Frost is definitely off the table. even if he wanted to come here before yesterday, i'm sure going to Nebraska, or staying at UCF, both seem more attractive to him at this point.

I don't know that Brent Venebles would want to make this version of the TN job his first forte in being a head coach. he may be in play at Arkansas though.

Cutcliffe already said no....again......and i think it's safe to assume that Gruden, Kelly, Peterson, Patterson, Fuente, Franklin etc...were never realistic or viable candidates to begin with, at least from the standpoint of ever getting to the table with any of them. it does make you wonder where we started, and when. it appears we reached out to OSU, around 3 weeks ago, which means that happened before we fired Butch. i have no idea if we reached out to any of these other names prior to, or around the same time.

the two candidates that i think we probably did have some realistic shot at getting were Mullen or Frost. and i don't know that we'll ever know exactly how hard we really pursued either one, be it due to overtures to gruden, or putting a lot of effort in to Schiano... or ultimately lack of interest on their part...Mullen obviously holding out for FL and Frost, likely NE. safe to say, i think we found out again, we ran thru a list of at least 5 names before Sunday, and didn't get one.

doesn't matter now obviously...so in the interest of moving on...time to move on.

Norvell working on extension
Sumlin leading candidate for Arizona State
Lane sucks
Strong sucks
Bielema sucks
Les Miles looks good on paper until you realize how much he squandered with all those great recruits.

I'd go with:Tee, Brohm, Venables, Norvell, Troy Coach or Arky State Coach.

Maybe Dantonio is willing to give it a shot for his last 5 years of coaching.
 
#29
#29
1st, couple of positives one might draw from this...
1. i think we can lay Grumors down in a shallow grave and throw some dirt on them. finally.
2. in albeit the least desierable method of doing so, we have finally seen a majority of the fan base unite and agree on something........

but on to what's next...yesterday certainly changed our circumstances, and altered the dynamics of who might be our next coach. i've gone back and forth with several on some potential candidates, and until yesterday i felt pretty strongly about those opinions. but, things have changed, our wants/needs have changed.

so as i give you this list, i realize that a name or two are going to be diametrically opposed to views i've given on some of these, as recently as last week. and these are in no particular order.

1. Les Miles....vehemently opposed to him before...now...he's a name, he's a good recruiter, he has SEC experience, he has won at the highest level, and...(this is the best quality given our current situation)...he's a very good man, and he's a great personality that would endear himself to the fans and media alike. given the short term mess we're in right now, and the roster we have right now, he's a guy that could provide some immediate help PR wise, maybe put some of this class back together, and could maybe have this roster competing in a year or two. 3-5 years later, maybe then you go after a more proven Tee Martin? fwiw. imo, where miles had little to no value 3 days ago, i think he brings a lot of value now.

2. Tee Martin...or, skip to the end and give Tee a go. doing this though, requires everyone to apply a certain degree of patience. actually a lot of patience. he's not ready for this job, even under great circumstances. but he's a TN guy, he has p5 coordinator experience, a good recruiter, and everyone could probably get behind Tee Martin right now. but for this to be a long term solution, it is going to require patience. so, be ready. we DO NOT want to be in a positon to fire Tee Martin in 3 years b/c he's not "good enough". know what i mean?

3. Jeff Brohm...i was kinda high on him early on, cooled later in favor of other candidates, but he has a great resume(experience wise that is), good offensive mind, and has paid dues at WKU, and got his shot at the P5 this year. he's not a dynamic personality, but that's ok, i don't think he's a robot spitting our cliches either... i do think he is a very good coach. but again, he's not going to wow anyone, and he's certainly not going to rock anyone's boat. would be a good, safe hire, and again, would probably require some degree of patience if he's a long term answer. i would not expect him to save this class or be an immedate impact coach in terms of w/l's.

4. Lane Kiffin. i've said it many times, had 2009 not happened, he'd be on top of most of our lists. but it did, so he wasn't on the list. well, circumstances have changed, and kiffin checks nearly every box. he's dynamic, and while douchey, he's not a bad guy. great offensive mind, great recruiter, and he couldn't care less about how he's perceived. we may be the perfect fit for him, cause we sure as hell don't care how we're perceived...lol. in all seriousness, if there is a time he could come back, now is it. some would consider it a tough pill to swallow...but more than would care to admit it, would take him back. i do feel confident in saying this...he'd make TN football fun again. it's not been fun for a while.

5. Mike Norvell...will likely be on other's lists, and he'll have options, including staying at Memphis. not sure that our situation now says a guy like this could be successfull here long term, he'd have to win pretty much immediatley. but he's widely considered a very good coach, just needing the right opportunity. not sure if TN is it for him or not.

6. Kevin Sumlin...i think he could do well here, relatively speaking. not sure how well. i think he could probably equal the 8-9 win mark Butch did. he's a solid recruiter, but he comes with some of the same baggage butch left with. but he'd be a stabilizing name, and would fall in to the category of "we could definitely do worse". he'll have options as well, and i think the only way you get sumlin here, is to throw money at him.

7. charlie Strong...much like Sumlin, but w/out some of the baggage. the downfall here is he left Texas amidst bad circumstances, and i doubt seriously he'd want to enter Tennessee during bad circumstances. still, i think he was always going to be a better fit at a school in the Southeast than he ever was going to be at Texas. his career, and our program, may both be on much better trajectories had he actually taken the job in 2013. he just had a really good season at USF, and may just like where he's at, back in the home state, and just want to stay put. can't say i'd blame him.

8. Brett Bielema...another man's trash is another man's treasure? flame away. up until his arkasas stint, the dude had an awesome resume. another good personality, and brings a style of football that we identify with. definitely has the baggage of being awful at arkansas..........so it is what it is.

(i'm not necessarily advocating for any of these guys, jmo on each as a candidate now)

i think Scott Frost is definitely off the table. even if he wanted to come here before yesterday, i'm sure going to Nebraska, or staying at UCF, both seem more attractive to him at this point.

I don't know that Brent Venebles would want to make this version of the TN job his first forte in being a head coach. he may be in play at Arkansas though.

Cutcliffe already said no....again......and i think it's safe to assume that Gruden, Kelly, Peterson, Patterson, Fuente, Franklin etc...were never realistic or viable candidates to begin with, at least from the standpoint of ever getting to the table with any of them. it does make you wonder where we started, and when. it appears we reached out to OSU, around 3 weeks ago, which means that happened before we fired Butch. i have no idea if we reached out to any of these other names prior to, or around the same time.

the two candidates that i think we probably did have some realistic shot at getting were Mullen or Frost. and i don't know that we'll ever know exactly how hard we really pursued either one, be it due to overtures to gruden, or putting a lot of effort in to Schiano... or ultimately lack of interest on their part...Mullen obviously holding out for FL and Frost, likely NE. safe to say, i think we found out again, we ran thru a list of at least 5 names before Sunday, and didn't get one.

doesn't matter now obviously...so in the interest of moving on...time to move on.

a name not on your list and that hasnt been brought up in this particular thread yet, is mike leach
 
#30
#30
Throw the bank at Venables from Clemson.

1...He'll get our D back on top fast and D always WINS Championships.

2...He has a National Championship WIN over Bama and that will get top recruits attention fast.

3...He's been recruiting the same areas as we do and he'll already know many of the top recruits we also want.

4...He will NOT get us in NCAA hell like laMe certainly will.

5....We're not that far away from where he's living now and that could be much more attractive to the Venable family than waiting for another HC opportunity that might have his family moving way across the country.

6...He's young enough that when he's Successful we won't have another coaching search for many years to come.

Just make certain he's given plenty of $$$$ to go hire great coaches/recruiters for his staff and he just might get us turned around with a great D faster than a O minded coach could.

Now ladies and gents, go get the social media and petition going to make sure Currie keeps throwing $$$ at Venables until he says yes.

VFL...GBO!!!
 
#31
#31
Throw the bank at Venables from Clemson.

1...He'll get our D back on top fast and D always WINS Championships.

2...He has a National Championship WIN over Bama and that will get top recruits attention fast.

3...He's been recruiting the same areas as we do and he'll already know many of the top recruits we also want.

4...He will NOT get us in NCAA hell like laMe certainly will.

5....We're not that far away from where he's living now and that could be much more attractive to the Venable family than waiting for another HC opportunity that might have his family moving way across the country.

6...He's young enough that when he's Successful we won't have another coaching search for many years to come.

Just make certain he's given plenty of $$$$ to go hire great coaches/recruiters for his staff and he just might get us turned around with a great D faster than a O minded coach could.

Now ladies and gents, go get the social media and petition going to make sure Currie keeps throwing $$$ at Venables until he says yes.

VFL...GBO!!!

No Veneables would not have our D back on top quickly. Our defense is terrible. We are slow, weak and undisciplined. Whatever coach we hire will have his work cut out to change all of that. Minimum of 2-4 years before we can even think about a good defense.
 
#33
#33
Yep. Heard Les had contacted a booster already. Also read that Currie is in Dallas, presumably talking to Chad Morris. From what I have read, I would put him ahead Tee. Also read from Kingston Vol that Pruitt is the choice of the Boosters, but AD preferred Brohm. Last week Hyams said Pruitt was regarded higher than Venables, his source said Venables was hard to work with. Sumlin is a Sexton client, so l could see that as a possibility.

So he was worried about Venables being hard to work with, and went after Schiano? The Schiano that almost everyone has hated to deal with his entire career? Haha...sounds like our dipstick AD.
 
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#34
#34
In my order of preference, of those on your list:

Kiffin (edit:with a lockdown contract and VFLs on staff)
Miles
Martin
Morris
Norvell

Not on your list: Venables (who would be my overall top pick) then Leach, Taggert,

I've been saying this for going on 2 weeks now. The coach the Vols need and realistically could have gotten resides in Memphis. He checks all the boxes that the Vols need - QB recruitment/development, explosive offense, young & energetic, relentless recruiter, and great staff. Problem is, UT is a dumpster fire that he probably wouldn't touch without a long (6-7 years) and expensive contract ($5-6 million).

Not sure how a has been that was run off at a Top 5 program, an inexperienced OC, and a coach that plays and is routed annually vs Memphis are ahead of Norvell, but ok.

At this point Norvell will either be at Arkansas or back at Memphis. If he's back at Memphis, odds are his team will be better than this years version.
 
#35
#35
I would keep the current staff over some of those on the OP's original list. As for some of them:

- Lane will be Lane. UT would need to protect themselves in many different ways. He could get us in big trouble with the NCAA. He is a loose cannon at times. Great coach - but needs to understand there are rules that must be followed.

- Tee Martin: He played us last time he was interviewed. If he wasn't a VFL, not sure most would want him. Some need to ask themselves why they are on his train. I think for most it is the VFL and NC and not because he is proven. He needs to gain HC experience via a non P5 school first to show he can handle the pressure. If he doesn't do well - it will create a big divide between the fans. And the VFL players will chastise any fan that is critical of his ability and decisions.

To be honest though - the key for UT is with the coordinators. Get a good offensive mind at OC with someone who can get the most out of the QB's and we will do better next year.
 
#36
#36
Yep. Heard Les had contacted a booster already. Also read that Currie is in Dallas, presumably talking to Chad Morris. From what I have read, I would put him ahead Tee. Also read from Kingston Vol that Pruitt is the choice of the Boosters, but AD preferred Brohm. Last week Hyams said Pruitt was regarded higher than Venables, his source said Venables was hard to work with. Sumlin is a Sexton client, so l could see that as a possibility.

I had to google Chad Morris.
 
#37
#37
I would keep the current staff over some of those on the OP's original list. As for some of them:

- Lane will be Lane. UT would need to protect themselves in many different ways. He could get us in big trouble with the NCAA. He is a loose cannon at times. Great coach - but needs to understand there are rules that must be followed.

- Tee Martin: He played us last time he was interviewed. If he wasn't a VFL, not sure most would want him. Some need to ask themselves why they are on his train. I think for most it is the VFL and NC and not because he is proven. He needs to gain HC experience via a non P5 school first to show he can handle the pressure. If he doesn't do well - it will create a big divide between the fans. And the VFL players will chastise any fan that is critical of his ability and decisions.

To be honest though - the key for UT is with the coordinators. Get a good offensive mind at OC with someone who can get the most out of the QB's and we will do better next year.

your 'situational awareness' meter is broken.
 
#39
#39
Definitely time to quit dreaming of the Home Run Hire.
Absolutely agree here. We are in need of a rebuild/reset, and PATIENCE WILL BE REQUIRED. Let's really work for the future, not bring in any retread previously fired for lack of success.

1) REPLACE Mr. Curry with David Blackburn, who should have had the job anyway.

2) Take an armored car to LA and bring Tee back as HC.

3) Spend big and attract a top staff.

4) Show some patience.

Any list of top current coaches includes many who moved up from a coordinator role. Build it right with someone who cares about the university AND CAN COACH. That could lead to a long run of success.
 
#41
#41
1st, couple of positives one might draw from this...
1. i think we can lay Grumors down in a shallow grave and throw some dirt on them. finally.
2. in albeit the least desierable method of doing so, we have finally seen a majority of the fan base unite and agree on something........

but on to what's next...yesterday certainly changed our circumstances, and altered the dynamics of who might be our next coach. i've gone back and forth with several on some potential candidates, and until yesterday i felt pretty strongly about those opinions. but, things have changed, our wants/needs have changed.

so as i give you this list, i realize that a name or two are going to be diametrically opposed to views i've given on some of these, as recently as last week. and these are in no particular order.

1. Les Miles....vehemently opposed to him before...now...he's a name, he's a good recruiter, he has SEC experience, he has won at the highest level, and...(this is the best quality given our current situation)...he's a very good man, and he's a great personality that would endear himself to the fans and media alike. given the short term mess we're in right now, and the roster we have right now, he's a guy that could provide some immediate help PR wise, maybe put some of this class back together, and could maybe have this roster competing in a year or two. 3-5 years later, maybe then you go after a more proven Tee Martin? fwiw. imo, where miles had little to no value 3 days ago, i think he brings a lot of value now.

2. Tee Martin...or, skip to the end and give Tee a go. doing this though, requires everyone to apply a certain degree of patience. actually a lot of patience. he's not ready for this job, even under great circumstances. but he's a TN guy, he has p5 coordinator experience, a good recruiter, and everyone could probably get behind Tee Martin right now. but for this to be a long term solution, it is going to require patience. so, be ready. we DO NOT want to be in a positon to fire Tee Martin in 3 years b/c he's not "good enough". know what i mean?

3. Jeff Brohm...i was kinda high on him early on, cooled later in favor of other candidates, but he has a great resume(experience wise that is), good offensive mind, and has paid dues at WKU, and got his shot at the P5 this year. he's not a dynamic personality, but that's ok, i don't think he's a robot spitting our cliches either... i do think he is a very good coach. but again, he's not going to wow anyone, and he's certainly not going to rock anyone's boat. would be a good, safe hire, and again, would probably require some degree of patience if he's a long term answer. i would not expect him to save this class or be an immedate impact coach in terms of w/l's.

4. Lane Kiffin. i've said it many times, had 2009 not happened, he'd be on top of most of our lists. but it did, so he wasn't on the list. well, circumstances have changed, and kiffin checks nearly every box. he's dynamic, and while douchey, he's not a bad guy. great offensive mind, great recruiter, and he couldn't care less about how he's perceived. we may be the perfect fit for him, cause we sure as hell don't care how we're perceived...lol. in all seriousness, if there is a time he could come back, now is it. some would consider it a tough pill to swallow...but more than would care to admit it, would take him back. i do feel confident in saying this...he'd make TN football fun again. it's not been fun for a while.

5. Mike Norvell...will likely be on other's lists, and he'll have options, including staying at Memphis. not sure that our situation now says a guy like this could be successfull here long term, he'd have to win pretty much immediatley. but he's widely considered a very good coach, just needing the right opportunity. not sure if TN is it for him or not.

6. Kevin Sumlin...i think he could do well here, relatively speaking. not sure how well. i think he could probably equal the 8-9 win mark Butch did. he's a solid recruiter, but he comes with some of the same baggage butch left with. but he'd be a stabilizing name, and would fall in to the category of "we could definitely do worse". he'll have options as well, and i think the only way you get sumlin here, is to throw money at him.

7. charlie Strong...much like Sumlin, but w/out some of the baggage. the downfall here is he left Texas amidst bad circumstances, and i doubt seriously he'd want to enter Tennessee during bad circumstances. still, i think he was always going to be a better fit at a school in the Southeast than he ever was going to be at Texas. his career, and our program, may both be on much better trajectories had he actually taken the job in 2013. he just had a really good season at USF, and may just like where he's at, back in the home state, and just want to stay put. can't say i'd blame him.

8. Brett Bielema...another man's trash is another man's treasure? flame away. up until his arkasas stint, the dude had an awesome resume. another good personality, and brings a style of football that we identify with. definitely has the baggage of being awful at arkansas..........so it is what it is.

(i'm not necessarily advocating for any of these guys, jmo on each as a candidate now)

i think Scott Frost is definitely off the table. even if he wanted to come here before yesterday, i'm sure going to Nebraska, or staying at UCF, both seem more attractive to him at this point.

I don't know that Brent Venebles would want to make this version of the TN job his first forte in being a head coach. he may be in play at Arkansas though.

Cutcliffe already said no....again......and i think it's safe to assume that Gruden, Kelly, Peterson, Patterson, Fuente, Franklin etc...were never realistic or viable candidates to begin with, at least from the standpoint of ever getting to the table with any of them. it does make you wonder where we started, and when. it appears we reached out to OSU, around 3 weeks ago, which means that happened before we fired Butch. i have no idea if we reached out to any of these other names prior to, or around the same time.

the two candidates that i think we probably did have some realistic shot at getting were Mullen or Frost. and i don't know that we'll ever know exactly how hard we really pursued either one, be it due to overtures to gruden, or putting a lot of effort in to Schiano... or ultimately lack of interest on their part...Mullen obviously holding out for FL and Frost, likely NE. safe to say, i think we found out again, we ran thru a list of at least 5 names before Sunday, and didn't get one.

doesn't matter now obviously...so in the interest of moving on...time to move on.

Mils, Sumlin and Brohm would be my top 3 in that order. Miles should have been the very first call. I would be happy with any 3 of them though.
 
#42
#42
Jake. I can agree with all of those except for Bielema. I think we saw what he truly brings to the table at Arkansas. I think the success he had at Wisconsin had more to do with Barry Alvarez fingerprints still being on the program, which is still true now with Paul Cryst.
 
#43
#43
Jake. I can agree with all of those except for Bielema. I think we saw what he truly brings to the table at Arkansas. I think the success he had at Wisconsin had more to do with Barry Alvarez fingerprints still being on the program, which is still true now with Paul Cryst.

i agree with you on that. and i don't really think he'd be a viable option. just a name that's available.
 
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