Derek Dooley- Year One

#26
#26
kohlrums said:
As much as I like the guy, and think this program is going in the right direction, I have to go C+/B-.

Funny, it would be an A- given the lack of depth and talent had they held on and won the games that they had won when the clock initially struck zero.
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Yea those games didnt help, I was bothered just as much by the timing of bringing Bray in against Scar. I would have rather seem him start against them, but Matt was having his best game and the feild position was horrible. Poor timing on that move if you ask me.
 
#27
#27
utgibbs said:
B-

1. The Kiffin / Hambone factor cannot be underestimated. Dooley brings stability / style.

2. We can't be sixth in recruiting SEC, but I reserve judgment on "inside / outside" and the five point plan if attrition < 15%. Dooley must hit the heights next recruiting cycle.

3. Offense got lucky in the last four games. Head scratching play calls at times. Fortunately, it rolled our way against KY and Ole Miss. We will miss our senior ball catchers next year.

4. LSU and UNC just kill me.

Without the Kiffin / Hambone effect, it's really hard to give more than a C. Still a lot of question marks. However, "the Kiffin effect" just can't be underestimated. He was Sherman reincarnate to UT football.
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This class is one of the best in the conference, period. I might give AL and AU a slight nod, but we did exceptionally well. People are going to be very surprised at how good this group is.
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#28
#28
Coach Dooley taking this team from 2 and 6 to a bowl game is worthy of an A. Dooley did a exceptional job and if it weren't for the two end of game debacles that weren't entirely his fault, if at all, then everyone would be singing his praises. Keep up the great work Dooley! You Tha Man!
 
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#29
#29
BigPapaVol said:
This class is one of the best in the conference, period. I might give AL and AU a slight nod, but we did exceptionally well. People are going to be very surprised at how good this group is.
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No way these guys are any better than our senior leaders, IMO.
 
#30
#30
With the situation the program was in, three coaches in three years, Kiffy leaving us like he did, I dont see how you can grade him less than a B. Keeping the recruiting class pretty much in tact and adding Da'Rick, 6-6 record and a new years eve bowl?? Solid first year IMO!
 
#31
#31
SLOBBER_KNOCKER_U said:
Coach Dooley taking this team from 2 and 6 to a bowl game is worthy of an A. Dooley did a exceptional job and if it weren't for the two end of game debacles that weren't entirely his fault, if at all, then everyone would be singing his praises. Keep up the great work Dooley! You Tha Man!
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funny how we were only 2 seconds away from being 8-5. Not even a full 2 seconds. That would have been a miracle year, instead it went as I and many others predicted. Dang it, would have loved to have been wrong!
 
#32
#32
kptvol said:
Really lucky how we repeatedly threw the ball and repeatedly moved it downfield after an entire season of banging our heads against the wall with the run game.
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Lucky? Give Dooley credit for changing his philosophy half way through the season. And how about Bray looking like the next Manning. I give this staff a solid B, but saying it was lucky might be under appreciating the job they did the last half of the season
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#33
#33
Dooley's first year: C+/B-

Outperformed expectations in general, and the recruiting class was outstanding, but losing a couple games on coaching blunders and still having horrid special teams keeps the grade from being better.
 
#34
#34
milohimself said:
Dooley's first year: C+/B-

Outperformed expectations in general, and the recruiting class was outstanding, but losing a couple games on coaching blunders and still having horrid special teams keeps the grade from being better.
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I don't think the UNC loss was really due to a coaching blunder.
 
#35
#35
I would say B+ for year 1. CDD is/was certainly above average.

And&#8230;although I enjoyed and appreciated the OP's post and agree with most all of his points...

The reason I say B+ over his B- is I feel the OP left out a category that MUST be considered. And that is the total state/abysmal disarrayof the UT Football organization that was inherited&#8230;which was more than a mess.
CDD's professionalism, organizational skills and demeanor were (and continue to be) EXCEPTIONAL, especially considering what the organization looked like 13 months ago.

Are we in much better hands and heading in a much better direction than we have in years? Yes.

Just my 2 cents...
 
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#37
#37
Neyland Law Vol said:
CDD=

robinson-e1291746839267.jpg
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:eek:lol: gimme some of what you're smokin'... C to C+ at best...
 
#38
#38
B. In the first year of anything a person does if it's coaching, marriage or what ever you learn through trial and error in the first year
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#39
#39
TAF said:
I would say B+ for year 1. CDD is/was certainly above average.

And…although I enjoyed and appreciated the OP's post and agree with most all of his points...

The reason I say B+ over his B- is I feel the OP left out a category that MUST be considered. And that is the total state/abysmal disarrayof the UT Football organization that was inherited…which was more than a mess.
CDD's professionalism, organizational skills and demeanor were (and continue to be) EXCEPTIONAL, especially considering what the organization looked like 13 months ago.

Are we in much better hands and heading in a much better direction than we have in years? Yes.

Just my 2 cents...
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I agree with this. You don't recover from two complete turn overs in the football department easily. Plus, CDD's putting in long term solutions, not just quick fixes. The recruiting class was the final exam and it makes up for the October troubles.
 
#41
#41
I also give him and A+++ for pre/post game press conferences. He is hilarious with a no BS approach that makes him, in my opinion one of the absolute best. Last season I really look forward to his press conferences and can't wait for some more. Keep it up CDD!!!
 
#42
#42
We made a bowl and no one thought that was possible in August.

IMO, we got better as the year went on.

We had a great recruiting class and filled a lot of needs.

I give him a B.
 
#43
#43
zjcvols said:
Derek Dooley's first year is complete. The football is done, Dooley has his first full, true recruiting class, and we are already looking to year two. So, how did he do in year one? Let's go over some things and give him a final grade.

1. How did he do in-game coaching? Obviously the most important thing for a head coach is...coaching. Well, this one has mixed reviews. In late game situations (LSU, UNC) the team failed miserably. From not running a QB sneak with inches to on 4th down to letting UNC drive down the field and get a FG (albeit some controversial calls), the team could not close out games. Doesn't 8-5 sound a hell of a lot better than 6-7 for the program? The team played solid against the SEC East champion the entire game, and competed very well in the first half of Oregon/Bama and had good gameplans. The sidelines were a zoo till later on the year, and we had too many illegal formation/shift/offsides penalties in my opinion. He did well rallying the team from a bad start and getting to a bowl. You can't put a lot of blame for Dooley against UNC. It was just a lot of help for UNC from the officials. The LSU game you can blame him. Letting Jarrett Lee convert a 4th & 13 just can't happen. And that thirteen men thing.

2. Did the team improve? Yes and no. The offense became better when Tyler Bray was named the starter and had some explosiveness to it. However, against a decent team we probably lose the final two games of the season if we play the way we did. Luckily it was Vandy and Kentucky. The Ole Miss game was impressive and the best game all year, and everything went our way. That was a solid win for this team. The defense didn't seem fixed and while the offensive line gelled pass protection wise, the running game was significantly worse.

3. How much can be blamed on the talent/depth of the team? A lot of it. To be honest, the defense was pathetic talent wise. We had very few bodies at tackle, and our ends were disappointing till late. The backers couldn't run with Bama's offensive line it seemed sometimes and our most consistent corner was playing wide receiver in the spring. The offense had talent, and had good moments, but with a green offensive line (three true freshman and a redshirt freshman started the UNC game), there just wasn't any consistency for the run game. This was, in no way, a nine or ten win team.

4. How did we do against the best team? The most exciting part of the Lane Kiffin era was how we played against the top tier teams. After getting destroyed by Bama and Florida the two previous years, Kiffin was a healthy kicker from shocking Bama and a decent quarterback from beating Florida. This year? It wasn't pretty. We played four good/solid teams (Oregon, LSU, Alabama, USCe) and went 0-4 with a total combined score of 143-61. That's an average loss of 36-15 (21 point loss on average). The team wasn't as good this year, and the depth hurt us a lot. However, we played Oregon and Bama well in the first half. But there is a first half and a second half.

5. How was the recruiting class? For a 6-7 team in the SEC getting a top ten-twelve class...very good. He addressed almost every need (still short on LB's) and pulled in very, very good players. There are guys who can contribute immediately and some interesting prospects for the future. You can't really ask for much else other than a better NSD finish, but it's not like we picked up nobody that week. We obviously need to see results, but in terms of getting good prospects ranking/offer list wise, it's look like we'll be solid as long as Dooley is here.

6. Is there stability? Yes. We only had one coaching casualty with Chuck Smith, but replaced him with someone inside the program who played in the pros. We had some players leave, but that was going to happen no matter who was coach. We haven't had any legal incidents in a while (knock on wood) and the fanbase is at peace for a moment (the first time in a while). Dooley has done a good job calming the storm.

Conclusion: So what's the final verdict? Dooley didn't do anything spectacular for the season. There wasn't any sort of stamp on the season. When your best win is against a 5-7 Ole Miss team, what does that say about the year? The team was young, didn't have a lot of talent, and had to go through another type of system however. The recruiting will help this year and in the future. The talent base is getting better. Jim Chaney and the offense has a bright future and I believe that it will only get better. I'm not sold in any capacity on the defense and Justin Wilcox. You can't show me anything that says Derek Dooley is a championship coach. You can't show me anything that says Derek Dooley won't be a championship coach.

My final grade for year one: B-

Go Vols!!! :hi:
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Great post. I'd give him a B due to doing what he did with little depth and experience. :good!:
 
#44
#44
B- because we beat everyone we should have minus UNC (yes I know we were dogs in this game).
I would have given an A had we not had TONS of sub issues multiple times, and beat a team we had no business beating ex: LSU.

All in all a great year, and look forward to more with Dooley at the helm.
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#45
#45
B-
CDD showed us he can recruit and yea, there were some in-game blunders, and yea there was controversy, but I think CDD did a supreme job his first year.
 
#46
#46
Incomplete.

If he builds off of it and goes on to have a successful career here, then the takeaway from this year will be how he held the team together when it could have collapsed. If he's a failure, then all people will remember about 2010 is 13 men on the field, Rommel, and shower discipline.
 
#48
#48
Instead of using a grading scale, there's an easier more accurate way to rate the first year.

I'd give it a 6-7.
 
#50
#50
The Chinese fire drill at the end of the LSU game keeps him away from "A" range. The decision to sit Matt Simms, Start Bray, and wing it all over the field keeps him above "C" level. Great recruiting effort this year. Dooley deserves a B.
 
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