Fulmer “could have coach Vols again”

#2
#2
I remember during his last season thinking that he had lost his drive. I had no special information to support it, but, that was just my impression from watching from a distance. Maybe it was something happening in his life causing a distraction, but that is just my speculation. Perhaps if he had re-taken the role, he would've been great. At this point, I like him as AD, though.
 
#3
#3
The rigor of coaching at a P5 program is honestly why I think a lot of coaches "decline" after about 10 years. They just get exhausted. It's not that they are "too old" necessarily, so much as working that much and constantly being on the road for 10+ years takes its toll on you.

Look at Mack Brown; looks so much more energized after being "out of the game" for 6 years.
 
#5
#5
The former coach and competitor in him is basically saying "I haven't forgot how to coach football, Im just not interested in the time and effort required to run the program anymore."

Honestly he didn't need to try. While he has sort of a mixed legacy, the scales tip toward the good side. Coming back would have been a huge gamble in regards to that with the odds not being in his favor. The higher percentage play was hiring the guy that turns it around and getting credit for that.
 
#6
#6
The rigor of coaching at a P5 program is honestly why I think a lot of coaches "decline" after about 10 years. They just get exhausted. It's not that they are "too old" necessarily, so much as working that much and constantly being on the road for 10+ years takes its toll on you.

Look at Mack Brown; looks so much more energized after being "out of the game" for 6 years.

"Its not the years, its the mileage."
 
#7
#7
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.
 
#8
#8
OP - good topic. What makes a coach retire or "get fired"? That IS what happened to Fulmer. As much as he may have wanted to it to happen (coach again at UT), at that point it was a pipe dream. The powers that be had already put him to pasture and no way he gets back in the door.

So what are the stress points?
In Fulmer's case a couple of things happened - After Cut left, he tried to implement an offense with a new coordinator that went south for 2 reasons. 1) too complicated 2) fall off in talent (recruiting) that couldn't pull it off.

It happens to the best of them. As beloved as Spurrier was at Florida, he was pushed out internally. Gene Stallings, had a natty and he was pushed out at Alabama. You could analyze Richt all day long. A tad of an underachiever.

Bottom line - It's damn hard to maintain a top tier team for an extended period of time. Very few can pull it off. Saban and Dabo right now are at the top of the heap. The bar they set is high. I think those are the only 2 coaches that (at this point) are pretty much immune to getting fired downstream if the programs return to the top 15 ranking area. They will get a pass. Beyond those 2, I think any coach can get on the hot seat in the course of a couple of seasons, although Orgeron may have cemented his place at LSU for a good while. Regardless of the recruiting at UGA, Smart hasn't immunized himself from eventually getting tossed. Would love to see Richt and him playing golf after getting tossed.

Fulmer just might do more good for UT football as AD as he ever could have coaching.

One more statement, just for the expressed goal of stirring the pot. How long would Gruden or Schiano have lasted at Tennessee?
 
#9
#9
I remember during his last season thinking that he had lost his drive. I had no special information to support it, but, that was just my impression from watching from a distance. Maybe it was something happening in his life causing a distraction, but that is just my speculation. Perhaps if he had re-taken the role, he would've been great. At this point, I like him as AD, though.

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.
 
#10
#10
I love how the headline took what Fulmer said way out of context. Guess we are now officially into that part of the offseason where insane stories are pulled from folks' buttholes.The question asked to Fulmer was did he ever consider coaching again. He clearly said nope. of course he's not gonna say he didn't have the ability because of course he is gonna feel he can. But he realistically knows he does not want to deal with all the other things that come with it. recruiting, staffing etc... in short, he is sane.
 
#12
#12
OP - good topic. What makes a coach retire or "get fired"? That IS what happened to Fulmer. As much as he may have wanted to it to happen (coach again at UT), at that point it was a pipe dream. The powers that be had already put him to pasture and no way he gets back in the door.

So what are the stress points?
In Fulmer's case a couple of things happened - After Cut left, he tried to implement an offense with a new coordinator that went south for 2 reasons. 1) too complicated 2) fall off in talent (recruiting) that couldn't pull it off.

It happens to the best of them. As beloved as Spurrier was at Florida, he was pushed out internally. Gene Stallings, had a natty and he was pushed out at Alabama. You could analyze Richt all day long. A tad of an underachiever.

Bottom line - It's damn hard to maintain a top tier team for an extended period of time. Very few can pull it off. Saban and Dabo right now are at the top of the heap. The bar they set is high. I think those are the only 2 coaches that (at this point) are pretty much immune to getting fired downstream if the programs return to the top 15 ranking area. They will get a pass. Beyond those 2, I think any coach can get on the hot seat in the course of a couple of seasons, although Orgeron may have cemented his place at LSU for a good while. Regardless of the recruiting at UGA, Smart hasn't immunized himself from eventually getting tossed. Would love to see Richt and him playing golf after getting tossed.

Fulmer just might do more good for UT football as AD as he ever could have coaching.

One more statement, just for the expressed goal of stirring the pot. How long would Gruden or Schiano have lasted at Tennessee?
The pot has been stired enough. Put the spoon down and leave it there. We are doing very well now. Let it be.
 
#13
#13
I love how the headline took what Fulmer said way out of context. Guess we are now officially into that part of the offseason where insane stories are pulled from folks' buttholes.The question asked to Fulmer was did he ever consider coaching again. He clearly said nope. of course he's not gonna say he didn't have the ability because of course he is gonna feel he can. But he realistically knows he does not want to deal with all the other things that come with it. recruiting, staffing etc... in short, he is sane.

I typically hate the way the media grossly over sensationalizes quotes, but there's nothing out of context here imo.
 
#14
#14
Well sure, a head of lettuce could have coached the Vols back then. Wait, isn't that what replaced Fulmer?
 
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#15
#15
I love how the headline took what Fulmer said way out of context. Guess we are now officially into that part of the offseason where insane stories are pulled from folks' buttholes.The question asked to Fulmer was did he ever consider coaching again. He clearly said nope. of course he's not gonna say he didn't have the ability because of course he is gonna feel he can. But he realistically knows he does not want to deal with all the other things that come with it. recruiting, staffing etc... in short, he is sane.

Nailed it. It's interesting to watch reporters ask questions in a PC or interview. Then the next day they'll carve out a single snippet of words or thoughts from the interview, post the dudes pic, and create some Emblazoned Headline that is controversial clickbait. That's eye opening. But, when the fanbase and/or people around the country come with haste to slide on their knees to gobble down whatever the "deceiver" has written, then it's just downright sad.
 
#16
#16
He's in the role he was made for. He seems to be the type who loses objectivity when he's too close to a situation.

He simply wasn't a very good HC without Cut... and wasn't good enough at evaluating and hiring people to fire Sanders and find someone more like Cut when things started falling off.
 
#17
#17
I love how the headline took what Fulmer said way out of context. Guess we are now officially into that part of the offseason where insane stories are pulled from folks' buttholes.The question asked to Fulmer was did he ever consider coaching again. He clearly said nope. of course he's not gonna say he didn't have the ability because of course he is gonna feel he can. But he realistically knows he does not want to deal with all the other things that come with it. recruiting, staffing etc... in short, he is sane.
Agree, completely taken out of context. I thought, based on title, he could have had the job if he wanted it. That's not the question asked or answer.
 
#19
#19
Ultimately, no man has ever said at his death bed he wishes he had worked more during his life. Men wish they spent more time with their families or doing something they loved. Now, I know if you love your work and you are passionate about it, it’s far more enjoyable. But even for all the football coaches out there that love the game so much they’ll spend their entire lives involved in it in some way, it’s still very much “work” when you’re in the film room or on the road 24/7. I think that’s evident by the coaches you see stepping down and retiring when they very well could keep going for years (e.g., Shoop).
 
#20
#20
The pot has been stired enough. Put the spoon down and leave it there. We are doing very well now. Let it be.
Good point.. However it IS the offseason. The gist of stirring it a tad is that hopefully folks are waking up to the fact that we dodged perhaps heading deeper into the wilderness, and we have been pretty deep already. And, since Fulmer has been influential the state we are now in, which is positive. I honestly think he was just what the doc ordered at that particular point of history.. Curious if doubters still exist. Ga State alienated many. Are they back?
 
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#21
#21
Wish we would've hired him back when lane left and kept Jim Chaney on board. That would've solved the OC issue, and we would've been able to get Steele or Chavis to come back on board. The last decade would've been a lot different then having Dooley and butch at the helm.
 
#22
#22
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.

There's so much idiocy in this post..........I'm not even going to try..........
 
#23
#23
The former coach and competitor in him is basically saying "I haven't forgot how to coach football, Im just not interested in the time and effort required to run the program anymore."

Honestly he didn't need to try. While he has sort of a mixed legacy, the scales tip toward the good side. Coming back would have been a huge gamble in regards to that with the odds not being in his favor. The higher percentage play was hiring the guy that turns it around and getting credit for that.

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.
 
#24
#24
I typically hate the way the media grossly over sensationalizes quotes, but there's nothing out of context here imo.
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
 

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