ESPN's Travis Haney says....

[SSVol]

As a product development engineer, I always laugh at the marketing objectives that sound grand and glorious but have zero basis in reality. The freakishly high expectations of the UT fan base amount to the same. Wanting it doesn't make it so. Willingness to spend money doesn't make it so either...look at the litter of failed products and companies.

The game in the SEC isn't remotely the same now as it was in '98. To a great degree I believe that is why Fulmer ultimately didn't make it...the game changed and he didn't change with it. Consider that since he left, it has changed even more...Saban has overseen that. Y'all can do what you want, but wisdom would dictate that you temper you expectations...you'll be a lot happier in the long run.

Saban sells championships, Malzahn can reasonably do the same...since he is likely responsible for theirs, and Meyer sells championships too. And UT? We sell Tradition. That's highly sought after with 17 year olds...right? Again, I will be tempering my expectations...

 

[OnceAVol]

As a product development engineer, I always laugh at the marketing objectives that sound grand and glorious but have zero basis in reality. The freakishly high expectations of the UT fan base amount to the same. Wanting it doesn't make it so. Willingness to spend money doesn't make it so either...look at the litter of failed products and companies.

The game in the SEC isn't remotely the same now as it was in '98. To a great degree I believe that is why Fulmer ultimately didn't make it...the game changed and he didn't change with it. Consider that since he left, it has changed even more...Saban has overseen that. Y'all can do what you want, but wisdom would dictate that you temper you expectations...you'll be a lot happier in the long run.

Saban sells championships, Malzahn can reasonably do the same...since he is likely responsible for theirs, and Meyer sells championships too. And UT? We sell Tradition. That's highly sought after with 17 year olds...right? Again, I will be tempering my expectations...

Guys Just continuing the above perspective, these recruits have seen during their high school careers these big SEC teams winning SEC championships and national championships, they know who Miles, Saban, Spurrier, and Urban are and what they have done.

They were in Grammar school the last time UT was really relevant on the SEC scene, much less the national scene. For most of them, that was eons ago, remember they are 17-18 year old kids.

When they are reading sports stories or watching games, what do they know of UT. They know we get beat nearly every game by all the big teams in the SEC, even lose to Vandy and KY. The smaller schools push us to the limit, if we win. Most of them don't even remember Wyoming beating us.

They know that UT has lost games that we actually won, at least the coach actually walked to middle of the field as the winner.

They hear stories from Recruits in classes ahead of them about why they signed with winning schools and not losing ones. They know our coaching troubles.

All of this makes an impression on young kids. We are paying the price for that now.

Us old fans remember the good ole days when we stomped AL year after year, and we want those days back. The kids simply don't see it the way we do. Winning is what will change the kids perspective on UT.

CBJ needs to recruit the best players he can, Coach them up to the max for their talent, scheme the best game plan for each game, develop a team with a tough winning attitude and be the best game day coach on the field for each game. He has to do these things in order to win, in this conference.

If he does this we will very soon be back at the top where all of us want to be.

Our previous coaching staffs let us down, Now we have CBJ and I will support him until he proves that he is letting us down too.

 

[Wolfeman_Vol]

My point was that there are always extenuating circumstances to every situation. To blindly set goals without considering the things that can or will affect its outcome is asinine.

There are outside circumstances that will effect a coach's rebuilding job and timeline. There are outside circumstances that have to be considered pertaining to the goal of faster-than-light travel.

Apples to apples from that perspective.

Going to mars would be nice. Setting a date for tomorrow would be unrealistic, no matter the expectations of a certain few. The reason for this is due to circumstances, not excuses.

There are differences between causative circumstances and excuses.

:hi:

I'm picking up what you're laying down, my friend. I'm not thinking anyone is blindly optimistic about a 10 win season coming up. I just feel that we have talented players that can win games. I also think that Dooley beat the "we aren't a very good team" mentality into them year after year. Eventually people will start believing that sort of thing if you pound it into their head long enough. Butch wants them to believe they're winners, and carry themselves as such. He's going to hold them responsible and not give them an excuse to lose like Dooley did.