For those who keep thinking we'll hire a superstar NFL or college coach.

[LebanonVolunteer]

He has built a team that lost to FIU...He almost lost to them again...He has built a team that is decent by Big East standards....His wins are padded by the weak teams he's played...It reminds me of all the hype around Turner Gill...He was a hot topic until he got a major job, He lasted two seasons..Strong is Dooley 2.0...Period...No thanks

I think he has done alright at Louisville. He took over a team that had been 6-6, 5-7, and 4-8 the 3 years before he got there. They have went 7-6, 7-6, and are 5-0 this year with Strong. If your looking for improvement, he is showing it. Louisville is also not an easy place to recruit at with all the SEC schools scooping up all the talent locally. JMO

 

[tm3]

The "tons of cash" part is totally wrong my friend.

Former AD Mike Hamilton spent $$$ like a drunken sailor and UT is almost broke compared to most other schools.

The dumbest thing he did was the contract extention to Fulmer with a huge buyout clause that lost us many Millions of $$$.

The next dumb thing was giving laMe kiffScum everything he wanted including the HIGHEST paid coaching staff in the country.

Neyland looks great BUT he should have done the rehab in stages and only when he had extra money to pay for everything.

Our new football training complex is excellent with some of the really smart changes that CDD had made and it should help recruiting some but it cost a ton of money.

Now add in the many millions of $$$ for the buyout of CDD and his staff and we're way back in the red again.

Haslam just spent HUGE money to buy a NFL team for a long term investment AND he's stuck funding huge money for his sons political ambitions so he's not going to toss UT the kind of big money he used to throw around.

Economy is way down so big $$$ boosters are tighter with their money for awhile.

Nick Saban type money on top of everything else just is NOT going to happen.

Saban makes MORE $$$ all by himself then our WHOLE coaching staff makes.

AD Hart is a smart guy and he knows he has to run ALL our sports programs and can NOT further break the bank just on our football program.

Also THINK about this...If we were to get a new head Coach then he would want his staff...The O and D systems would change...He would want at least 4 or 5 years to get his recruiting classes in and that could easily set us back another 4 or 5 years and then it's another new staff and another 4 or 5 years.

THINK...We did a big buyout with Fulmer, had a disaster with laMe kiffScum and now CDD only has 2 of his recruiting classes on campus so IF we fired CDD it would PROVE to every top coach or serious up and coming coach that Tennessee is NOT patient and probably will NOT give the next coach time to totally rebuild.

There's many reasons why a top named, successful coach would NOT want to risk their coaching career to come to Tennessee.

Past winning history means nothing when considering the future for a new coach and traditions mean even less.

It's also much harder to recruit good players for Tennessee and that's a big factor as well.

AD Hart has to be very careful about what he does for at least another year or 2.

He has to use his brains and NOT just fan emotion.

VFL...GBO!!!

of all the speculation, all of this imo is probably closest to the truth.

another factoid to add to the above list is that UT has a history of going "on the cheap" that spans different ADs.

while i really wish that UT would go the bama or OSU route of putting out whatever it takes to get a proven winner, i think that we are left to debate strong vs smart vs whoever else might be available for dooley-range dollars.

 

[dw0731]

My take on the situation is I'm just going to support the team and hope they play better each game. Whatever happens at the end of the season happens. All of our conjecture on is CDD going to be back is pointless and likely contributes to some recruits not commiting to UT. No one has any idea what the rest of the season holds and what Hart will do after. Most people think that 7-5 plus a bowl win saves CDD for another year. I'm not so sure of that. Hart has to consider fan apathy or more to the point attendance and season ticket sales. It isn't an easy solution but if CDD at the end of the season doesn't have enough wins than I think 3 years is enough time to evaluate him. And maybe a 5 million buyout is in the best interest of UT and hopefully get a coach who can win. Not counting CDD out at all and hope he can win in October at least once and get to 8 wins in regular season. That means winning 5 of next 7 games, which at least one (Alabama) is almost a sure loss. There were some positives to the Florida and Georgia losses but also some glaring weaknesses. The basics like getting off blocks sometimes is horrible. It is embarrassing that a simple run off tackle can result in a 80 yard TD untouched by any defender. The tackiling of Byron Moore is really bad and Brent Brewerr just takes poor angles in pursuit and usually ends up whiffing because of that. But the emergence of McCullers as a force in the middle and the play of AJ Johnson are definite positives.

 

[k-town_king]

He has built a team that lost to FIU...He almost lost to them again...He has built a team that is decent by Big East standards....His wins are padded by the weak teams he's played...It reminds me of all the hype around Turner Gill...He was a hot topic until he got a major job, He lasted two seasons..Strong is Dooley 2.0...Period...No thanks

The only thing Gill and Strong have in common is being Black. And how would Strong be Dooley 2.0? Strong bas proven he can win at a lower level ( still higher than LT) and was a successful coordinator . When has Dooley done any of that ?

 

[VOLnMiami]

I think he has done alright at Louisville. He took over a team that had been 6-6, 5-7, and 4-8 the 3 years before he got there. They have went 7-6, 7-6, and are 5-0 this year with Strong. If your looking for improvement, he is showing it. Louisville is also not an easy place to recruit at with all the SEC schools scooping up all the talent locally. JMO

He has beaten Southern miss which is 0-5...FIU which is 1-5....Kentucky which is 1-5...Missouri State which is 0-6 and his marquee win this season is Hanging on to beat UNC which is 4-2....So.....This is the great coach you guys are talking about wanting to take over UT's football program?....Really?lol:

 

[VOLnMiami]

And just one more thing, For those saying that hiring a new coach and staff will set us back years do not have any idea what they are talking about...If you hire the RIGHT coach there will be little if no transition...Couple of good examples, Hoke at Michigan..He took over a catastrophe of a program and took them to a BCS bowl in his FIRST YEAR!...Won it too by the way....Jim Mora Jr at UCLA, it's his first year there and they are light years better than they were the past 10 years....That program was pathetic....The improvement is amazing at UCLA and one more for the hell of it...Rich Rod at Arizona...Have you seen Arizona play in the past 5 years or so?....Not much of a team those years and pretty much never mentioned in the national spotlight...This is his first year there and he is already making huge strides and competing with some good teams...He is a DC away from maybe getting over the hump in a short amount of time...Not sure WHY he couldn't do it at Michigan but his style works at Arizona.

 

[drodvol]

And just one more thing, For those saying that hiring a new coach and staff will set us back years do not have any idea what they are talking about...If you hire the RIGHT coach there will be little if no transition...Couple of good examples, Hoke at Michigan..He took over a catastrophe of a program and took them to a BCS bowl in his FIRST YEAR!...Won it too by the way....Jim Mora Jr at UCLA, it's his first year there and they are light years better than they were the past 10 years....That program was pathetic....The improvement is amazing at UCLA and one more for the hell of it...Rich Rod at Arizona...Have you seen Arizona play in the past 5 years or so?....Not much of a team those years and pretty much never mentioned in the national spotlight...This is his first year there and he is already making huge strides and competing with some good teams...He is a DC away from maybe getting over the hump in a short amount of time...Not sure WHY he couldn't do it at Michigan but his style works at Arizona.

Wonder if there HC left a month before the season started or if there best player tore an acl the first game and by chance did there QB break his thumb midway through the season. Understand your frustration but there are too many variables to make this comparison.

 

[Orange81]

We already have our superstar. GBO.

 

[MiramarVol]

Can't drink shots of Louis XIV on a beer budget. You get what you pay for. You want a Maserati, but can't afford the clutch. Money does all the negotiating itself.

 

[VOLnMiami]

People keep saying UT is broke...They aren't broke folks...The money that pays for the coaches comes from a lot of different areas...They CAN afford anybody they want...It's just do they.

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

And just one more thing, For those saying that hiring a new coach and staff will set us back years do not have any idea what they are talking about...If you hire the RIGHT coach there will be little if no transition...Couple of good examples, Hoke at Michigan..He took over a catastrophe of a program and took them to a BCS bowl in his FIRST YEAR!...Won it too by the way....Jim Mora Jr at UCLA, it's his first year there and they are light years better than they were the past 10 years....That program was pathetic....The improvement is amazing at UCLA and one more for the hell of it...Rich Rod at Arizona...Have you seen Arizona play in the past 5 years or so?....Not much of a team those years and pretty much never mentioned in the national spotlight...This is his first year there and he is already making huge strides and competing with some good teams...He is a DC away from maybe getting over the hump in a short amount of time...Not sure WHY he couldn't do it at Michigan but his style works at Arizona.

Nice try but those aren't SEC schools and they DID have alot more talent to compete with the teams they play.

We still do NOT have SEC/NFL talent at most spots on a 2 deep gameday roster like most of the top SEC teams have and until we do have better player talent and EXPERIENCE for a solid 2 deep roster it's not logical to think we'll Win against the top SEC teams unless we get some luck along the way and the last time Tennessee was real lucky was against Arkansas in 1998.

Try to compare apples to apples the next time.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

People keep saying UT is broke...They aren't broke folks...The money that pays for the coaches comes from a lot of different areas...They CAN afford anybody they want...It's just do they.

Wrong again my friend and I explained much of this in several other posts if you had taken the time to read them.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[QVOL81]

Just look to when Kiffin left, we went after Muschamp who turned us down, and then David Cutcliffe who also turned us down. We chose Dooley over Calhoun. Dooley & Calhoun were our top 2 finalists.

IF we fire Dooley this year, and at this point it is a 50/50 shot it will happen. Were not getting Gruden or any other Superstar College coach. It just won't happen.

I don't completely remember, but weren't we in a hurry to hire a coach before NSD?

 

[QVOL81]

And just one more thing, For those saying that hiring a new coach and staff will set us back years do not have any idea what they are talking about...If you hire the RIGHT coach there will be little if no transition...Couple of good examples, Hoke at Michigan..He took over a catastrophe of a program and took them to a BCS bowl in his FIRST YEAR!...Won it too by the way....Jim Mora Jr at UCLA, it's his first year there and they are light years better than they were the past 10 years....That program was pathetic....The improvement is amazing at UCLA and one more for the hell of it...Rich Rod at Arizona...Have you seen Arizona play in the past 5 years or so?....Not much of a team those years and pretty much never mentioned in the national spotlight...This is his first year there and he is already making huge strides and competing with some good teams...He is a DC away from maybe getting over the hump in a short amount of time...Not sure WHY he couldn't do it at Michigan but his style works at Arizona.

Meyer at OSU doesn't seem to of lost anything, actually seems like he improved the program since Tressel leaving

 

[VOLnMiami]

Wrong again my friend and I explained much of this in several other posts if you had taken the time to read them.

VFL...GBO!!!

I quit reading your novels because they make zero sense and are quite laughable..Get some facts FIRST before posting...Thanks :good!:

 

[Titan&Volfan4life]

I quit reading your novels because they make zero sense and are quite laughable..Get some facts FIRST before posting...Thanks :good!:

Perhaps your not reading posts with some facts and logic to them is what's hurting your thoughts and opinions my friend, LOL.

VFL...GBO!!!

 

[FredWhite2]

Children,

1. We were still paying Fulmer's buyout when we hired Kiffin and Dooley. Therefore offering TOP dollar was not condusive to making money in the athletic department.

2. The state of the program did not offer BIG TIME coaches (i.e. Muchamp etc.) a great opportunity or one that they wanted. They all knew how long this would take and how much of a project this program would be. Add that to the scrutiny the coach would receive and you have to see how no one wanted this job a couple years ago.

3. Not being able to pay Nick Saban-like $$$ would not lure BIG TIME established coaches away especially to a program that was in the state ours was in at the time.


It's all common sense I just wish our fan base would do research and actually educate themselves before opening their mouths sometimes...

 

[VOLnMiami]

Also THINK about this...If we were to get a new head Coach then he would want his staff...The O and D systems would change...He would want at least 4 or 5 years to get his recruiting classes in and that could easily set us back another 4 or 5 years and then it's another new staff and another 4 or 5 years.

Absolutely incorrect..How do you figure?..If the talent is THERE then the new systems will take care of itself...You make it sound like these kids have never played football before.

There's many reasons why a top named, successful coach would NOT want to risk their coaching career to come to Tennessee.

Name a few...

Past winning history means nothing when considering the future for a new coach and traditions mean even less.

Really?..Tell Alabama that or even Notre Dame or Southern Cal for that matter....Hart has to make a grand slam hire or HIS job could be on the line..He is losing money as is, a bad hire would seriously hurt his job standing...Remember, Football pays the bills at UT.

 

[sanddune50]

Just look to when Kiffin left, we went after Muschamp who turned us down, and then David Cutcliffe who also turned us down. We chose Dooley over Calhoun. Dooley & Calhoun were our top 2 finalists.

IF we fire Dooley this year, and at this point it is a 50/50 shot it will happen. Were not getting Gruden or any other Superstar College coach. It just won't happen.

That's a great analysis. I love how you glossed over the fact that whoever was fired had 3 weeks to hire a staff and finish off a recruiting class. I'm sure that had nothing to do with it.

 

[drodvol]

Children,

1. We were still paying Fulmer's buyout when we hired Kiffin and Dooley. Therefore offering TOP dollar was not condusive to making money in the athletic department.

2. The state of the program did not offer BIG TIME coaches (i.e. Muchamp etc.) a great opportunity or one that they wanted. They all knew how long this would take and how much of a project this program would be. Add that to the scrutiny the coach would receive and you have to see how no one wanted this job a couple years ago.

3. Not being able to pay Nick Saban-like $$$ would not lure BIG TIME established coaches away especially to a program that was in the state ours was in at the time.


It's all common sense I just wish our fan base would do research and actually educate themselves before opening their mouths sometimes...

Good read:salute:

 

[bigeasy]

People keep saying UT is broke...They aren't broke folks...The money that pays for the coaches comes from a lot of different areas...They CAN afford anybody they want...It's just do they.

yet they were in the hole last year by $4million....I think it is more so people think UT has unlimited funds to pay anything to anybody. UT only has 2 million in reserve funds. (The next lowest SEC school is 10 million BTW)

 

[apsuVol92]

seems legit :crazy:

 

[VOLINVONORE]

Absolutely incorrect..How do you figure?..If the talent is THERE then the new systems will take care of itself...You make it sound like these kids have never played football before. Name a few...Really?..Tell Alabama that or even Notre Dame or Southern Cal for that matter....Hart has to make a grand slam hire or HIS job could be on the line..He is losing money as is, a bad hire would seriously hurt his job standing...Remember, Football pays the bills at UT.

With your thought processes, you have to be older than my 74 years, or you have lived in Miami too long.

 

[molsen81]

I know this is old news, but can someone confirm that we went after Cutcliffe? I don't remember this and I'm a little baffled that he would turn us down unless he just didn't like Hambone.

 

[tm3]

I know this is old news, but can someone confirm that we went after Cutcliffe? I don't remember this and I'm a little baffled that he would turn us down unless he just didn't like Hambone.

Cut issued a "not interested" to the media, which many interpreted as his denial of a formal offer.