How?

[Weezer]

Thank you for the responses.

First, it's interesting to me to note some of the responses, though not blatantly obvious, raise the old "fan card" arguement. I absolutely 100% support the team no matter what. That is what makes me a Vol fan. Through good times and bad, I have never wavered with my support for the team. I am not, nor have I ever been, a bandwagon fan just supporting the team when it wins. But coaches are not the team. They are hired professionals, paid very well I might add, to do one thing, rise to the top. So supporting or not supporting a coach should never be a test of someone's fanhood.

Someone made a comment that he/she believed in Butch because the team did. That made a lot of sense to me. When players voiced support for Kiffin and Dooley, it always seemed like lip service because what we saw on the field didn't jibe with what they would say. So far at least, the players actions on the field have completely supported their loyalty to CBJ. I think that speaks volumes.

When it comes to recruiting, stars are pretty, but they mean very little to me. I guess my issue is trusting the staff evaluation 100%. I'm not used to UT being out front on finding players, so the idea scares me. I understand CBJ has found hidden diamonds before, but we're not talking about an exact science. Honestly, I think I'd be in love with the idea of him finding these hidden gems if not for the recent state of our team. I'm ready to win again, and taking chances may be necessary, but it's not easy for me to accept.

Also on recruiting, it scares me that I still see needs we haven't met and the number crunching is not adding up. And all these early commits are spectacular to see, but we all know how fickle teenage athletes can be. As NSD gets closer, they start to question and flip flop back and forth. So much can happen, both positive and negative, between now and February. So yes, the uncertainty of CBJ showing he can keep his class together certainly worries me.

Butch Jones the person comes across as a very likeable guy. I'd love to sit down and just talk football with him. But Butch Jones, the coach of my beloved Vols, still worries me. No doubt a large part of that is recent history, but be that as it may, I still want to see things happen before I totally buy into him. Please notice I say him. I'm all in for the team, but coaches should always have to prove themselves to some degree. We saw what happenned when that wasn't expected in the late Fulmer years.

We won't win every game, and I know that. But how you lose can speak volumes about a team and their coach. This gaunlet of games beginning with Oregon is where I believe I'll start to find answers to many of the questions I have. I look forward, win or lose, to seeing how the team does on and off the field. If they hold it together through this stretch, play hard(maybe even pull of an upset or two), and maintain their discipline, then I'll be able to say I'm impressed. That will give me confidence we're headed in the right direction.

Just to conclude, the real point I was hoping to make with this thread is that we're all Vol fans. We don't have to share the same opinion to want what's best for the team. I get tired of seeing insults traded rather than actual communication on VN. We may have completely different opinions on what this team needs, how players or coaches are performing, or any number of other things, but that does't make us more of a fan than any other. Every Saturday, we all go to "church" and root for our Vols. That's what fans do. So next time you start to question another poster's "fanhood", remember they, like you, want to see this team rise up from the ashes. Tennessee belongs on top, and I hope we get back there soon.

 

[MidTNVolunteer]

Thank you for the responses.

First, it's interesting to me to note some of the responses, though not blatantly obvious, raise the old "fan card" arguement. I absolutely 100% support the team no matter what. That is what makes me a Vol fan. Through good times and bad, I have never wavered with my support for the team. I am not, nor have I ever been, a bandwagon fan just supporting the team when it wins. But coaches are not the team. They are hired professionals, paid very well I might add, to do one thing, rise to the top. So supporting or not supporting a coach should never be a test of someone's fanhood.

Someone made a comment that he/she believed in Butch because the team did. That made a lot of sense to me. When players voiced support for Kiffin and Dooley, it always seemed like lip service because what we saw on the field didn't jibe with what they would say. So far at least, the players actions on the field have completely supported their loyalty to CBJ. I think that speaks volumes.

When it comes to recruiting, stars are pretty, but they mean very little to me. I guess my issue is trusting the staff evaluation 100%. I'm not used to UT being out front on finding players, so the idea scares me. I understand CBJ has found hidden diamonds before, but we're not talking about an exact science. Honestly, I think I'd be in love with the idea of him finding these hidden gems if not for the recent state of our team. I'm ready to win again, and taking chances may be necessary, but it's not easy for me to accept.

Also on recruiting, it scares me that I still see needs we haven't met and the number crunching is not adding up. And all these early commits are spectacular to see, but we all know how fickle teenage athletes can be. As NSD gets closer, they start to question and flip flop back and forth. So much can happen, both positive and negative, between now and February. So yes, the uncertainty of CBJ showing he can keep his class together certainly worries me.

Butch Jones the person comes across as a very likeable guy. I'd love to sit down and just talk football with him. But Butch Jones, the coach of my beloved Vols, still worries me. No doubt a large part of that is recent history, but be that as it may, I still want to see things happen before I totally buy into him. Please notice I say him. I'm all in for the team, but coaches should always have to prove themselves to some degree. We saw what happenned when that wasn't expected in the late Fulmer years.

We won't win every game, and I know that. But how you lose can speak volumes about a team and their coach. This gaunlet of games beginning with Oregon is where I believe I'll start to find answers to many of the questions I have. I look forward, win or lose, to seeing how the team does on and off the field. If they hold it together through this stretch, play hard(maybe even pull of an upset or two), and maintain their discipline, then I'll be able to say I'm impressed. That will give me confidence we're headed in the right direction.

Just to conclude, the real point I was hoping to make with this thread is that we're all Vol fans. We don't have to share the same opinion to want what's best for the team. I get tired of seeing insults traded rather than actual communication on VN. We may have completely different opinions on what this team needs, how players or coaches are performing, or any number of other things, but that does't make us more of a fan than any other. Every Saturday, we all go to "church" and root for our Vols. That's what fans do. So next time you start to question another poster's "fanhood", remember they, like you, want to see this team rise up from the ashes. Tennessee belongs on top, and I hope we get back there soon.

Dude - great sentence to paragraph ratio. Use of proper punctuation...You had to be an English major. Say it ain't so

 

[KBVol]

I see your point, I think many are following blindly.
But at the same time, Kiffy and Dooley had many boneheaded moves between them. Kiffy with his mouth and recruitung tactics, Dooley with his moronic analogies, idiotic transfer rules, and the whole ban on former players.
As far as I know Butch has yet to have a PR gaffe, he has recruited well, he has recruited well in the state, so I guess its so far he has dint things the right and effective way

With all due respect I think it's virtually impossible for most to follow blindly given the last 4 years. Most, like me I think, said "who" and "what the ...?" when CBJ was first hired. Then after looking at his track record most became cautiously optimistic. Then after how he embraced the program/traditions/job, most felt even better. Then after seeing how he's recruiting most felt even better. Then after watching the discipline and effort the team is playing with, especially the 2nd half vs WKU, most feel even better about him.

To me, it's not a blind follow....he's earned my faith in him by his actions over the last 9 mos.

 

[JOEY'S ALL VOL !!!]

I think the OP asks a valid question and truthfully I read the same responses with Dooley's staff, maybe from the same guys. "I trust the staff, yada, yada, yada". I agree with the Reagan notion "Trust but verify". In this case I recognize the record of success that CBJ has earned over the last half-dozen years of his career. I also have a lot of confidence in his approach overall. His staff researches what everyone else does and they incorporate the best of their research results into their approach. This is a smart guy committed to succeeding. I think he's very confident but more than that because of his approach to the job and the success he has earned it's a lot easier for his kids to believe in him and believe in the staff's approach. Football is a game of inches and every added ounce of effort is so measured. Because of his approach, his hard work, and the resultant success, he has credibility with the team. I could continue writing my positive assessment of what I am seeing so far but I think most people already know all these things. Will he make mistakes? Absolutely. No doubt in my mind. He is not Jesus Butch Christ! He's our football coach. That said, I don't believe the mistakes when they do happen will either be often or consistently repeated. I based this on my ability to evaluate both management and leadership effectiveness. This guy is so far above Dooley it would be like comparing the 40 times of Moseley and McCullers. I don't how he's going to get us back to the top but it doesn't appear that he is going to be able to sign all of the Adoree Jackson type players we need right away so he's going to have to build some on his own and I think he can. Every recruit is not going to be a sure thing but assuming Moseley can be developed in a couple years or so that might give us Evan Berry (4.3 speed) at one corner and this guy at the other (also 4.3 speed). It's probably a shot worth taking. Let's hope it works out.

As to the star ratings I don't rationalize the differences and I don't Boom the 4*s and see every 2 or 3 star we sign as a diamond in the rough. Sapp was a 2 star as has been said. He's been here a long time on scholarship. Alan Carson was also a 2 star. He's still here too. Sapp is one of our best linebackers. I still don't know if that says more about Sapp or more about our roster but as CBJ is fond of saying, it is what it is. I don't see a lot of benefit in expressing my disappointment every time something doesn't go the way I'd like and I don't think it's warranted either, simply because as a rational person I absolutely realize the job these guys have is still very challenging and presently more challenging because of inherited circumstances. I think they need at least a little bit of wiggle room for the next three years or so. That's not blind faith; that's jmo.

Solid post ... :good!: