Forde Bashes Vols

#27
#27
TAF said:
Not much you can argue with here. Just have to be proven right or wrong on the field.
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Actually, there is a lot you can argue with there. The way Tennessee has recruited suggests there is better talent than the results showed last season and also, there are many players on this year's team who were members of back to back 9-4 seasons which included two wins over Georgia (this year's prohibitive favorite) as well as two blow out bowl victories... that would seem to contradict his "no proven winners" remark. I don't expect much from this season but I don't think they will be 2-6 headed into November. Florida is a winnable game at home... and I think they get it done. Forde just doesn't like Tennessee and he is mostly a very negative pundit, anyway. Has anybody ever seen the guy smile? He keeps a scowl on his face at all times.
 
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#28
#28
TAF said:
Not much you can argue with here. Just have to be proven right or wrong on the field.
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I'd argue with the "general lack of talent" comment. Hopefully that bulletin board material will help UT.

Forde should know better than to write something like this so close to season start. He'll get attention... but even more if he's wrong.
 
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#29
#29
Most national pundits are picking us to start 2-6 because Vegas has us as underdogs in 6 of first 8 games.
Truth is, nobody knows how good or bad we will be relative to those teams until we play them.
As is almost always the case with our Vols, the Florida game usually reveals our true selves.
 
#30
#30
VFL-82-JP said:
I don't think it's specific to Tennessee. He's just incredibly biased in general; comes out strongly positive about a few teams, and really negative toward all the rest. Not a very good human being behind the pen.
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He's a national writer - it's customary he speak in glowing terms about the usual...Ohio St, Michigan, Notre Dame, etc.

Michigan is a team begging to be put on a "temper your expectations list" but they are noticeably absent. Instead he puts Michigan St, a team Michigan and Ohio St fans are very pleased to see there.
 
#31
#31
I don't like the adjectives he uses

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#33
#33
VFL-82-JP said:
Hmm. You and I may not have read the same paragraph. Because there's a lot I can argue with. For example:

"...Tennessee will be 2-6 entering November." -- if he'd said "could," this wouldn't be a big point of contention. Since he said "will," it is infinitely arguable.

"...you start with a general lack of talent...." -- wrong. The consensus from places like ESPN and 247 and Rivals and others is that there's a significant amount of talent on Tennessee's roster. It simply hasn't (previously) been used well. And you couldn't find anything to argue with here?

"...an unproven head coach...." -- Okay, if he'd said "a championship-winning coordinator who hasn't yet been proven as a head coach," there would be no room for argument. By making our coach sound like a guy found on a street corner, just some joe, he makes this point--again--infinitely arguable.

"...an uninspiring quarterback situation...." -- I'll bet Guarantano's high school coaches, as well as Chryst's, would love to argue this point with him. So would a lot of Vols fans.

"...a barbaric schedule...." -- No, not at all. Our October stretch is a real gauntlet, but our schedule in general is no harder than a couple of dozen others among the Power 5 programs. Infinitely arguable.

"...Maybe athletic director Phil Fulmer will appoint himself Head Offensive Assistant Coach by November." -- Ludicrous.

So TAF, maybe you couldn't find much to argue with here, but I sure found plenty. It was an idiotic article written by a has-been with an axe to grind and a need for clicks.
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You keep dealing with "what-ifs"and opinions...I'll watch what happens on the field this Saturday, and the Saturday's after. I'm no real fan of Forde...but, right now...the reality is...Tennessee is at the bottom of the barrel in the SEC. The good news...the only way to go is UP. The bad news is...you CAN'T do that "on paper" or "by opinion"...and until it is proven on the field, such "feelings" or "opinions' to the contrary to what was written here are "hopes and dreams" of what Tennessee could be. But don't worry Snowflake...I'm hoping for success on the field, too. Just want to see it since I haven't seen much of it since...about...2001. Sorry to 'trigger" you.
 
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#34
#34
TAF said:
You keep dealing with "what-ifs"and opinions...I'll watch what happens on the field this Saturday, and the Saturday's after. I'm no real fan of Forde...but, right now...the reality is...Tennessee is at the bottom of the barrel in the SEC. The good news...the only way to go is UP. The bad news is...you CAN'T do that "on paper" or "by opinion"...and until it is proven on the field, such "feelings" or "opinions' to the contrary to what was written here are "hopes and dreams" of what Tennessee could be. But don't worry Snowflake...I'm hoping for success on the field, too. Just want to see it since I haven't seen much of it since...about...2001. Sorry to 'trigger" you.
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Heh, man, I'm not triggered. And I agree with much of what you just said. The real deal IS going to happen on the field. And we're all excited to see what happens.

One thing you're wrong about, though. The 2018 Vols are not at the bottom of anything. We're 0-0, just like everyone else in the SEC. And I happen to believe we've got a pretty good chance of winning as many as we lose in conference play this year, if not even better than that.

So don't worry about me. Disagreeing with you isn't very taxing, and I don't feel stressed or triggered or anything. But appreciate your concern.
 
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#35
#35
VFL-82-JP said:
Hmm. You and I may not have read the same paragraph. Because there's a lot I can argue with. For example:

"...Tennessee will be 2-6 entering November." -- if he'd said "could," this wouldn't be a big point of contention. Since he said "will," it is infinitely arguable.

"...you start with a general lack of talent...." -- wrong. The consensus from places like ESPN and 247 and Rivals and others is that there's a significant amount of talent on Tennessee's roster. It simply hasn't (previously) been used well. And you couldn't find anything to argue with here?

"...an unproven head coach...." -- Okay, if he'd said "a championship-winning coordinator who hasn't yet been proven as a head coach," there would be no room for argument. By making our coach sound like a guy found on a street corner, just some joe, he makes this point--again--infinitely arguable.

"...an uninspiring quarterback situation...." -- I'll bet Guarantano's high school coaches, as well as Chryst's, would love to argue this point with him. So would a lot of Vols fans.

"...a barbaric schedule...." -- No, not at all. Our October stretch is a real gauntlet, but our schedule in general is no harder than a couple of dozen others among the Power 5 programs. Infinitely arguable.

"...Maybe athletic director Phil Fulmer will appoint himself Head Offensive Assistant Coach by November." -- Ludicrous.

So TAF, maybe you couldn't find much to argue with here, but I sure found plenty. It was an idiotic article written by a has-been with an axe to grind and a need for clicks.
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- The "talent" comment is ignorant. This is not a top 10 roster but its better than the national guys would know. They see 4-8.
- Pruitt is an unproven head football coach. Qualifying that with his creds as a coordinator is not enough to nitpick over for me.
- We have a ? at QB until somebody proves they are capable. I wouldn't expect to hear anything but glowing remarks from either HS coach.
- Of the 8 games he used as a sample (2-6) he expects us to lose to WV, UF, UGA, AU, Bama, and SC. I don't expect that they go 0fer that group but that idea is no more outrageous than thinking they split either.
- Fulmer getting involved as a coach almost sounds like a joke based off his previous assumptions. I doubt he really believes that. But if he does that is ludicrous.

He went off the reservation with some of that, but the general idea that UT is what we have witnessed until they prove otherwise is not ridiculous in and of itself.

For the record, I think UT is 4-4 through 8 games.
 
#37
#37
A general lack of talent?

More like an example of uninformed journalism from an indolent hack. A simple analysis of our roster thoroughly disproves that statement. And the palpable rancor in his wisecrack concerning ADPF appointing himself Head Offensive Assistant Coach further proves this to be no more than a drive-by hit piece.

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#39
#39
Legit question: Is everyone assuming we have a lack of talent solely based off our record last season?
 
#40
#40
when was the last time Forde wrote something that you didn't come away from it saying "the guy doesn't know his ass from 3rd base?"
 
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#42
#42
deezvols said:
Legit question: Is everyone assuming we have a lack of talent solely based off our record last season?
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Yes. I highly doubt the national media have taken time to do more than a surface level dive into our team following a 4-8 season and national coaching search debacle. It's lazy but it is to be expected. Butch recruited well while here but did not develop a single player. The talent is certainly on the roster, but after a 4-8 season it's easy to see why national pundits think the cupboard is barren.
 
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#44
#44
deezvols said:
Legit question: Is everyone assuming we have a lack of talent solely based off our record last season?
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Yes, I never see any other reasons given. I don't see any of the pundits discussing where we have been in the recruiting rankings since 2015 or how many injuries this team has dealt with the last two seasons. They see 4-8 overall and 0-8 in the SEC and assume that is 100% attributable to a lack of talent rather than at least somewhat due to coaching and preparation.
 
#45
#45
Catbone said:
Hes not wrong. We will indeed go 2-6 with a chance of winning last 4 to make a bowl.
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Dear Vol Fans, There is no reason to attend any games or support the team. We are destined to lose. We should re-purpose the stadium for soccer. Cancel all your planned trips to Knoxville. Close down Football related businesses. All football scholarships will be revoked at the end of this season if we even finish the season. I am sorry but, we have no chance of improvement by changing from a former marching band trumpet player to an actual coach who played football at major universities, who's father is a legendary football coach, and who has a handful of National Title rings. I couldn't agree more. It's pointless.
 
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#46
#46
GREENnTN said:
when was the last time Forde wrote something that you didn't come away from it saying "the guy doesn't know his ass from 3rd base?"
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He is almost always negative and he will take a public perception of something and turn it into an established fact. You might have noticed that he holds the belief that Fulmer is a meddler who can't be trusted. That is because he has always run with the perception that Fulmer went behind Johnny Majors back in '92 and lobbied for the head coaching job. He has never provided any proof of that, but still speaks of it as an established fact anyway. The same is true for the perception that Fulmer sabotaged the coaching search last year and then lobbied for Curry's job. He has no proof but speaks of it as being undeniable anyway. Forde is negative... and not a very good journalist.
 
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#47
#47
This statement "Maybe athletic director Phil Fulmer will appoint himself Head Offensive Assistant Coach by November." just makes the entire article stupid. Instead of providing useful info he decides he will be a smart azz.
 
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#48
#48
deezvols said:
Legit question: Is everyone assuming we have a lack of talent solely based off our record last season?
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Multiple people in national media, who have not looked at our roster in comparison to other teams are, yes.

Someone did an analysis the other day on here that showed the average star rating of our current roster was a full tenth of a point higher than Florida's, which is quite a bit when you're talking about an average. Florida, based on name recognition and hiring a more widely-known coach (surface-level stuff) is unanimously thought to have a big turnaround year even though they also won only 4 games last year.
 
#50
#50
TAF said:
Not much you can argue with here. Just have to be proven right or wrong on the field.
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A lot of people will still argue... but these were my exact thoughts... prove him wrong! The men's basketball team last year was picked to finish 13th in the SEC... just saying..
 
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