Fulmer “could have coach Vols again”

#26
#26
My take was he had gotten fat and lazy. Many recruits wanted to play for Fulmer but he was no longer even doing recruiting trips. Was a time other coaches would damn their luck when Fulmer showed up to meet recruit. But not even visiting recruits, quality of the same dropped off. Then reports/claims were that he had his desk in an elevated position, basically looking down on anyone who entered his office. That he'd primarily made himself just a figurehead with little real supervision over his staff. Perhaps the NC went to his head, I don't know. There were other unsavory claims made by a high profile recruit and others that suggested PF was too lax, resting on his laurels as it were.

How about his coaching again? NO! NO! NO! The game has passed him by. He's out of date with today's offense and defense strategies, scheme, and such. I question the quality of assistants he'd attract. While I wouldn't question his dedication to come back and redeem his letting the program sink as he did, I believe his time has come and gone. As the AD, I think we're in good hands but not as a coach. But that's just me.
The drop off in recruiting was the most telling thing to me. I remember the arguments from the old News Sentinel forum. If you looked closely, the number of UT players drafted by the NFL in the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s (and especially in the first 3 rounds) was vastly greater than in the mid 2000’s. As I recall, the difference was drastic and therein lies the story. Phil just got complacent and that’s the key to his demise as coach. Just my opinion, but I also believe that contributed to the loss of discipline 2005 to 2007 when we had so many players get in trouble. Glad to have him as AD now. Seems we are at least back on track.
 
#27
#27
The headline makes it seem like Fulmer was actually thinking about taking over as coach. When in fact the reporter asked him a simple question he gave a simple logical answer not worthy of a headline. Basically making a mountain out of a molehill
It doesn't say that. You interpreted that based on decades of following Tennessee football.
 
#29
#29
While I am glad he didn't come back and try, Fulmer did not leave a mixed legacy. He is a HOF coach that won a national title, multiple SEC Titles, and consistently whipped Bama. While 2005 and 2008 were disappointing, his legacy was not mixed. 40 years from now, people will talk about how good of a coach he was.

The first 8 seasons he won 80+% of his games, won a NC and 2 SEC titles. His worst season was 8 wins.

The last 8 seasons he won 66% of his games, didn't play for a NC, and didn't win an SEC championship. His worst season was 5 wins twice.

While the good outweighed the bad for the whole picture, the program was not in good shape when he was removed. UF and Bama had hired elite coaches that had fixed their programs and was leaving us in the rear view.

40 years from now people will talk about the championships and all the games he won. They'll also talk about the state of the program when he was fired. Its all part of the history that makes up his legacy.
 
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#31
#31
The first 8 seasons he won 80+% of his games, won a NC and 2 SEC titles. His worst season was 8 wins.

The last 8 seasons he won 66% of his games, didn't play for a NC, and didn't win an SEC championship. His worst season was 5 wins twice.

While the good outweighed the bad for the whole picture, the program was not in good shape when he was removed. UF and Bama had hired elite coaches that had fixed their programs and was leaving us in the rear view.

40 years from now people will talk about the championships and all the games he won. They'll also talk about the state of the program when he was fired. Its all part of the history that makes up his legacy.


What you described was an elite coach who got passed by, not a coach with a mixed legacy. Bobby Petrino at Arky had a mixed legacy.

The program was still in decent (albeit worse) shape when Fulmer was fired. Mike Hamilton and Dave Hart did far more damage to the program going cheap/unproven 3 straight times with the HC hire than Fulmer ever did. I've said for over a decade "Firing Fulmer wasn't a mistake. Having Mike Hamilton and Dave Hart hire the replacements was the mistake"
 
#32
#32
Winning makes some folks hungry for more winning (See Saban)

Winning makes some folks happy and satisfied. The drive drops afterwards. (See Fulmer)

It's pretty much that simple.
 
#33
#33
Yep, he won a NC and a couple of SEC championships. But this program was in worse shape when he left than when he took over. I have said it many times, Fulmer without Cutcliff was just a very average coach.
I have often wondered what would have happened had Dickey hired Cutcliff to replace Majors in 1992 instead of Fulmer?
 
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#34
#34
Hire that man! When can he start?

I have always liked PF. I’m glad he is part of the program.

It looks like hiring JP will prove to be a solid move by PF. I’m rooting for him to do great things.

Full time AD. Part time coach. Give him an “inter” to run the daily duties of O-line Coach. This would free up PF to be able to coach without racking up NCAA violations. He would be able to openly recruit.
 
#37
#37
I remember reading something where Phil and his wife were flying back from Tempe after winning the title and his wife saying something along the lines of “you should just retire right now.” We still had some very talented teams, but Phil should’ve had a minimum 3 more SEC championships and 1 BCS title appearance.
That LSU loss in 2001 is still probably the most disappointing loss in my time watching the Big Orange.
 
#38
#38
What you described was an elite coach who got passed by, not a coach with a mixed legacy. Bobby Petrino at Arky had a mixed legacy.

The program was still in decent (albeit worse) shape when Fulmer was fired. Mike Hamilton and Dave Hart did far more damage to the program going cheap/unproven 3 straight times with the HC hire than Fulmer ever did. I've said for over a decade "Firing Fulmer wasn't a mistake. Having Mike Hamilton and Dave Hart hire the replacements was the mistake"
The Petrino example doesnt fit. He tarnished his legacy wrecking a bike with his sec on board.

Fulmer got passed by some, others he drifted back to. It wasnt just the case of good programs getting better. UT was going backwards at the time.

After being a really good coach for about 10 years he slipped up bad enough to get fired at his school. You have to get in a pretty bad way for that to happen.

As I said earlier. He ll be remembered for the good and the bad with the first outweighing the second.

The rest I pretty much agree with. UT has had admin issues for a long time. That seems to be in a better place now.
 
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#39
#39
Fulmer from the article:

“Though it crossed the minds of many at the school, it didn’t for the man himself thanks largely to the rigors of the profession changing from 2008 to now.
“No. I mean, that energy level that it takes to do that. Could have coached and wanted to coach, that’s two different things, right?” Fulmer told the paper. “I certainly could have come coached the team or whatever, but the recruiting and the staffing and all those things, I’ve done my time, and I had a great run. That didn’t appeal to me, nor did I ever lose confidence that Jeremy (Pruitt) was going to do it.””
 
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#41
#41
Everytime this is brought up all you guys forget who was the one who started this 15 year slide. He doesn't even need to be AD and throw his A$$ around Geez. Take the last 4 years of who won the playoff. Then look at where they ranked in recruiting after winning the big one. Then look where we were ranked after winning the NC in 98. NO EXCUSE.
 
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#43
#43
A few seen to forget how QB driven football is.

Boyd was lined up to come to Tn, after PF was fired and Kiffin was hired, Kiffin told Boyd he was not a good fit at UT and Boyd went to Clemson. We all know what happened next at both UT and Clemson.

When top rated QBs don’t produce as expected, things go haywire.
 
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#46
#46
I was ready for him to go at the time but looking back it couldn’t have been any worse for him to have gotten in there a few years out of at least ten horrid years we had in the past.
 
#50
#50
Your headline and theirs is really misleading. They quoted him literally saying "I could have coached the team" but he meant "I could not". I think he's got quite a bit of spring in his step, but the job's been pretty brutal toward everybody who's had it in my lifetime.
 
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