Fans deserve better

[SKBubba]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful still showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

Not sure we fans "deserve" anything. However there surely will come a time when we quit showing up. Or maybe we will just become like Ole Miss and talk as much about our tailgates and atmosphere as we do our footbal team.

 

[Offset Eye]

I was at a party with mostly UT fans and it was great. Then the game started and it was awful. I can only imagine what it must have been like in Knoxville. Only happy person at the party was a Kentucky fan that was relegated to watching the UK game on a 22" TV. Her joy made it even more miserable.

 

[Grudenator]

The sad thing is, is that most fans don’t understand transition and want wins right now. A lot of people don’t fully understand the character of the players that butch recruited. I think butch couldn’t of found a lazier group of 4 and 5 stars

 

[Alex10]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

Yes, yes they do

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

The sad thing is, is that most fans don’t understand transition and want wins right now. A lot of people don’t fully understand the character of the players that butch recruited. I think butch couldn’t of found a lazier group of 4 and 5 stars

Yep. It's all CBJs fault. Totally to blame that this staff hasn't focused on fundamentals. He could not be more to blame that the admin provided a 3 ring circus coaching search and settled on our 7th choice

CBJ the man with more control than anyone deemed possible.


yep CBJ is apparently the devil

 

[Cartervol]

They've deserved better for a long time. No return on the investment for a time..There are more fed up fans at this point than i've seen at any point in the last 3 hires. They've been taken for granted, probably going to start biting back now. Not going to set any attendance records this year.

 

[The Original Fade]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

Your last 2 sentences contradict each other

 

[Grudenator]

Yep. It's all CBJs fault. Totally to blame that this staff hasn't focused on fundamentals. He could not be more to blame that the admin provided a 3 ring circus coaching search and settled on our 7th choice

CBJ the man with more control than anyone deemed possible.


yep CBJ is apparently the devil

If your a 5 star senior offensive lineman who gets schooled every single play, then no that is not pruitts fault

 

[rjd970]

There is absolutely nothing redeemable about the Bama game this year. Will be at least 50% Bama fans in Neyland. Upper deck my only be half full, rammer jammer nonsense will be blasted loud, and the team will get run out of the stadium. I really hope Pruitt doesn’t invite a single recruit to that game. It will be a Bona Fide recruiting weekend for Bama.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

If your a 5 star senior offensive lineman who gets schooled every single play, then no that is not pruitts fault

Who currently has the job of teaching technique? Who currently has the job of teaching scheme? Who currently has the job of strength building?

If your answer was CBJ to any of the above maybe I should just block you... Wish our O line could work a little more on that skill while at practice.

 

[JoAllan]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

How does ANY Tennessee deserve better? Sure we all want better, hope for better, and expect better in the future; however last year Tennessee lost more games than any season in history, got hammered by a BAD Vandy team, from last year til now the team lost more than it gained..........how exactly did you think Tennessee was going to fair vs Florida.

Fans seem to forget last year happened.........and that it happened because BJ let Tennessee get to such a bad state. Last year was not an accident.........they were not good..........not at all, they were horrible........this doesn't get fixed over night.

Give the coaches, players and the program some time, as the coaches stepped into a nightmare.

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

There is absolutely nothing redeemable about the Bama game this year. Will be at least 50% Bama fans in Neyland. Upper deck my only be half full, rammer jammer nonsense will be blasted loud, and the team will get run out of the stadium. I really hope Pruitt doesn’t invite a single recruit to that game. It will be a Bona Fide recruiting weekend for Bama.

The positives though are that I can afford to take my entire family as tickets should be available in abundance.

Those poor scalpers are hating this crap more than the fans.

 

[SKBubba]

Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting Tennessee fans should expect an overnight miracle, or even that they should have won that game yesterday.

At this point, fans would likely settle for at least a little more effort. Or any at all. Any sign of getting better instead of worse. Not getting historically blown out in their own house by a similarly bad team.

Fans did their part.

 

[1985Vols]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

Our fans are probably the best in the country. We have continued to to support pathetic football, for the last 10 years now. I for one am done. I am an alumnus and have been going to games for 50 years and had season tix since graduating . This program seems to be in shambles, multiple poor coaching hires, boosters that are in control ( the same ones that own the Browns) and it seems just a lot of bad luck ( yes I think we are cursed sometimes). After last night, I am pretty much done until he administration, coaches and players show that they care enough and are competent enough to actually filed a competitive football team. The price on my ticket last night was $135 and if that wasn't one of the biggest rip-offs ever,, I'm not sure what is. So, no more season tickets for me until this garbage turns around and we put a real football team ( that is actually coached) on the field. I refuse to pay exorbitant prices for poor products and am certain I'm not the only fan that feels this way. This isn't being a bandwagon fan, it's Called not wasting money.

 

[FLVOL69]

We were downtown yesterday taking in the game day atmosphere. There was orange everywhere. There was an air of excitement and anticipation.

On the way up, we drove along Neyland Drive. Tailgaters were everywhere. Millions of dollars worth of beautiful Vol Navy boats lined the docks four deep and the party was on at Calhoun's.

Downtown at the bars and shops and on the streets, there was a lot of friendly talk about the team, the new coach and talk of optimism, tempered by unknowns. There was good-natured jawboning with the few Gator fans around. A sign outside Clancy's said "feels like 98."

We saw families and kids from all over, all decked out in orange. As we made our way down towards Cumberland, we saw one kid wearing a Peyton Manning jersey walking with his dad towards Neyland Stadium. The kid was grinning from ear to ear.

When we got to Cumberland, there was a sea of orange. There were tailgaters in every available space. The mood was electric. Fans clogged the streets, sidewalks and bars. There was music and dancing. It was party central.

Then we came home to watch the game. The fans in the stands were loud and proud. 108 decibels, the announcers said. Then, disaster.

When it was all over, I felt bad for all those fans, especially the families and the kids.

UT puts on a grand spectacle. It is one of the greatest traditions in sports. The marketing and hype around the program is as polished and as good as it gets anywhere. People spend millions of dollars supporting the team. Little kids look up to the coaches and players for inspiration. And despite the downward spiral in recent years, they still believe. Little kids are still excited to go to the game with their dad sporting their Peyton Manning jersey.

The faithful showed up for the game.

The team didn't.

There's plenty of blame to go around. Fans get it that the program is in transition and that the path back to greatness is long and difficult.

Fans deserve better than what they got yesterday.

And then sadly reality set in..

 

[Orange_Vol1321]

The sad thing is, is that most fans don’t understand transition and want wins right now. A lot of people don’t fully understand the character of the players that butch recruited. I think butch couldn’t of found a lazier group of 4 and 5 stars

Stop with this BS.

 

[Roustabout]

Yes we do

 

[vol-un-tear]

Went to Roosters Friday night and had a blast!

 

[Ten_Titans]

The sad thing is, is that most fans don’t understand transition and want wins right now. A lot of people don’t fully understand the character of the players that butch recruited. I think butch couldn’t of found a lazier group of 4 and 5 stars

" Pruitt was a hothead. His players hated him and he made a culture of losing. It will take 4 years for <insert Haslams favorite scrub coach > to turn it around"

-You in 3 years.

 

[Grudenator]

" Pruitt was a hothead. His players hated him and he made a culture of losing. It will take 4 years for <insert Haslams favorite scrub coach > to turn it around"

-You in 3 years.

lol that will really be you. If your not optimistic then find another team to follow.

 

[Ten_Titans]

lol that will really be you. If your not optimistic then find another team to follow.

Lol. If optimism is the requirement now, UT will have less fans than Vandy.

Your screen name says it all. Don't worry about the people that live in real life too much. Just keep doing your thing.

 

[Grudenator]

Lol. If optimism is the requirement now, UT will have less fans than Vandy.

What good is it though to dog the team and the coaches 24/7. What recruit would want to go to a school where their own fans trash the program. People need to learn how to be patient. We have a whole new coaching staff.

 

[jakez4ut]

The sad thing is, is that most fans don’t understand transition and want wins right now. A lot of people don’t fully understand the character of the players that butch recruited. I think butch couldn’t of found a lazier group of 4 and 5 stars

that's complete BS. the vast majority of fans all off season saw this team for what it was, at best a 6 or 7 win team...just go to a bowl game. there are always a few on either side of that, but the majority of TN fans know what this team would be.

when i see posts like this, it does make me feel like we deserve better.

why are we the ones that have to watch us lose to all our rivals EVERY YEAR. we've 1 game against FL in the last 14. and these are NOT GOOD fl teams. we've lost to Bama 12 years in a row. we're 3-7 against UGA in the last 10. Vandy is 4-2 in the last 6.

enough is freaking enough. the fans are the ones that have been here going thru all this crap.

we're the ones being told to be patient year after year after year.

somebody get me a team that can at least LOOK LIKE It belongs on a field with another SEC team. screw winning the division. win one conf game for crying out loud.

win 1 game you're not supposed to. beat the teams you're supposed to. go to a bowl game.

we talk about having a standard? we haven't come close to that standard in 15 years. we talk about having expectations...BS. we get great hype videos, and lay eggs on Saturdays.

i've been a TN fan my entire life, i graduated from that university. i want to be proud of that program again. not continually embarrassed by it and then be told to keep my mouth shut when it's abysmal, and that i'm part of the problem and an unrealistic fan. bull.

i hope Pruitt is the right guy. i think at his core he's a good coach and we have staff of good coaches.

but they haven't been here the last 10-15 years... WE HAVE. so forgive me if i'm not on the "oh well, there's always next year" bandwaggon.

i wish i was to be honest, it'd be easier. but nope, i'll be watching every saturday like an idiot.

 

[Tin Man]

I was there, boys 'n' girls. The pregame atmosphere was as described by the OP. Vols fans' noted hospitality was evident. Pruitt's assessment of the Vols play - too many mistakes, didn't execute - is accurate.

Personal aside: Tennessee yielded 24 points on turnovers, a safety, and lost one scoring opportunity due to a fumble through the back of the end zone and another through a turnover in the red zone. It's hard to imagine a team that would overcome that.