I still don't understand all the animosity toward Butch Jones

[firedog28]

IMO Butch stumbled into getting Dobbs who was going to Az. St I believe and the Aero program being here helped.The games we won during Butch years were due to having Dobbs mostly.Kamara & Hurd and others helped but Dobbs was the key.After Dobbs left Butch was done.He had no savior!

 

[Vol$_Deep_11_9]

Lol you're out of your mind if you think any coaching staff in america would've passed on Trevor Lawrence. I'm not a butch fan at all, but let's use some common sense here..

So basically not recruiting him doesn’t qualify as that? The kid was committed here and was told he didn’t fit Butch’s system. Common sense is not sending that sort of talent, along with two other local WRs on their way to Clemson. Common sense is building your system around a guy like Trevor Lawrence.

 

[Remy]

In fairness, Butch's first 9 win season, I saw zero people complaining at season's end, ZERO here on VN. Many of us did not like his onfield coaching, we thought he was learning big boy football with some of his calls but nobody was calling for his head. By the end of his second 9 win season, it was easy to see the wheels had fallen off, we all knew he had one season left. LOTS of critics here then as well. Like others have mentioned his last season he didn't even try at all, he was just drawing paychecks from UTAD, just like he is today living in Tuscaloosa.

 

[jim pique]

He treated May of the vol players horribly,lying to them and us,vol nation and the public.Blame was never on him always others.Sounds familiar.

 

[Vol$_Deep_11_9]

In fairness, Butch's first 9 win season, I saw zero people complaining at season's end, ZERO here on VN. Many of us did not like his onfield coaching, we thought he was learning big boy football with some of his calls but nobody was calling for his head. By the end of his second 9 win season, it was easy to see the wheels had fallen off, we all knew he had one season left. LOTS of critics here then as well. Like others have mentioned his last season he didn't even try at all, he was just drawing paychecks from UTAD, just like he is today living in Tuscaloosa.

I was 100% on the Butch train until 2017. I was willing to give him a pass on 16 because injuries happen and I feel like down the stretch they really piled up that season. Carolina stung but the Vandy game that year really opened my eyes to him. Go into the 17 season, Florida beats us last second, again and that’s when the wheels got wobbly. I was ready to cut the man loose after Georgia throttled us in Neyland 41-0 or whatever the score was. I won’t discredit him completely, he done some good things in his tenure here. The 2016 season was fun as hell for the first half of the year but the proof was in the pudding looking back.

 

[BigOrangeMojo]

I think UT fans are too impatient. We have caused ourselves a lot of grief.
I think Butch would have turned things around given a little more time.

Lurking around on Volnation again Lyle? Can you hurry up washing my vehicle. These tires arent gonna wash themselves.

Maybe he is right. We are impatient

 

[Volfan76]

Lol you're out of your mind if you think any coaching staff in america would've passed on Trevor Lawrence. I'm not a butch fan at all, but let's use some common sense here..

Does it really matter if he passed on him or his complete incompetence pushed him away?

 

[daugag02]

Lol you're out of your mind if you think any coaching staff in america would've passed on Trevor Lawrence. I'm not a butch fan at all, but let's use some common sense here..

The "Butch Jones turned away Trevor Lawrence" story is 100% false.

He made a major mistake with Trevor that cost us him and Emory Jones, but he was actively recruiting both players until they both said no.

 

[sport3500]

Dave Hart was in a bind for a coach after Gundy and Strong both declined the head coaching job in 2013. Hart promotes an assistant coach from the Dooley staff on a four or five year deal and then move forward is what he should have done.

 

[HarderKnox59]

Not retaining Chaney and Pittman when they wanted to stay.
Squandering the 2016 season with bad coaching decisions.
Being willfully incapable of seeing Alvin Kamara's talent.
Telling Trevor Lawrence to go kick rocks.
Don Mahoney as an oline coach.
"Champions of life"

That's just off the top of my head, give me a few minutes and I'm sure the rest of that debacle will come back after I unblock it from my memory.

You forgot the turnover trash can, 5 star heart. Plus the Voluntary workout program. Then of course going to work for Bama and posing with the victory cigar after the game.

 

[Vol$_Deep_11_9]

Does it really matter if he passed on him or his complete incompetence pushed him away?

It don’t, either way he’s not here and it’s on Butch. If he passed on him, that’s dumb, what’s even dumber is the fact that he wasn’t willing to scheme around a talent like Lawrence. But if we are being honest that was one of the many things Butch failed at.

 

[Vol$_Deep_11_9]

The "Butch Jones turned away Trevor Lawrence" story is 100% false.

He made a major mistake with Trevor that cost us him and Emory Jones, but he was actively recruiting both players until they both said no.

Butch’s incompetence didn’t have anything to do with it either. If I’m wrong on him turning him away, so be it, but I’m sure him not being able to coach his way out of a wet paper bag had something to do with it as well.

 

[Tin Man]

Butch wanted the job. That was his saving grace. He believed that Tennessee is a career destination.

Dobbs was the reason for the Vols success during Jones' tenure. No Dobbs? 4-8, 0-8, and Tennessee is still paying for it.

 

[Vol$_Deep_11_9]

Butch wanted the job. That was his saving grace. He believed that Tennessee is a career destination.

Dobbs was the reason for the Vols success during Jones' tenure. No Dobbs? 4-8, 0-8, and Tennessee is still paying for it.

Dobbs saved his bacon more than once.

 

[VolinMichigan]

I think Butch’s hubris and inability to admit that he was wrong, and change because of that, drove coaches to leave and players to not respect him. The fact that he’s petty enough to make UT pay him his buyout instead of trying to redeem his career by making a fresh start as a HC at a new school tells me what kind of person he is. A guy who’s more interested in settling scores than actually doing the thing he claims to love - coaching football.

Butch undoubtedly was in over his head here. He got a taste of what it’s like to be the guy at a big time program and he couldn’t hack it. Would have expected him to be a head coach at a smaller school by now, but I guess he’ll get there when he gets there. He’s probably blown any chance of getting another Power 5 HC position.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Of all the critiques of him, I've never understood the "he's a terrible person" stuff. Does most of that smoke come from Brett Kendrick and his mom? As for mental abuse of players, I think there's a big difference between actual mental abuse of players and being such a poor coach that the only tool in your toolbox is to yell at people. Butch isn't really a coach or a teacher of the game - he's a glorified high school coach or gym teacher and stands around in practice or gym class and yells at people. Annoying? Hell yes. Abusive? Well, it takes more than just that to be abusive, IMO.

I certainly buy that he wasn't a good coach and mismanaged various aspects of the program, which understandably frustrated and pissed people off, but I've never quite gotten the attacks on him as a person.

Let me say first that I am one of the last people to ever turn on a head coach at Tennessee, especially on this board. I am probably loyal to a fault. I take major issue with people taking unnecessary shots at coaches, like many were doing towards CJP last September. I don’t typically have a problem with questioning the coach, but when it comes to personal stuff such as appearance and other things I find that to be lazy.

When it came to Butch I was just like everyone else, hoping for the best and really seeing things headed in good direction for a time. However, it always seemed like things didn’t add up with his schtick. Somebody fell on a helmet, or something mysterious happened, there was just always some BS line. There has always been this weird smoke associated with him coming from his players and former players. Even this past weekend you have Kahlil McKenzie and Alexis Johnson talking about how they’d love to do a tell all on Butch for Netflix. There’s Daniel Helm’s father writing a letter to the AD where he describes how Butch made Helm get up and say “I am a pu$$y“ in front of the entire team for a period of time and then told him to go after UF‘s players knees. Helm’s dad went on to say that he needed to get his son away from Butch because he was afraid Helm would knock him out and actually thought another player could, due to the verbal attacks. Those are just a few examples. There’s one rumor that has to do with his actions towards a female on campus. I don’t know the details of that or the validity to it, but more than a few talked about it as fact on here. One glaring thing that has bothered me is that I don’t recall any former player standing up for Butch. Maybe they have, but I’ve never heard a Josh Dobbs, Derek Barnett or some of the really great standouts from Butch’s time here make a supportive comment. Even Dooley has guys that would talk about how he took care of them when a family member passed or had personal issues. I also recently began listening to podcasts with guys like Swain and then some 247 guys and they all mention how much he lied to his players over and over again. The one thing they all agreed on was that Butch Jones was bad for Tennessee Football and not because he was a poor coach, but because of the environment he created.

 

[CINCYVOL]

Go ahead and shoot me, but I just don't get it.
Yes, Butch was in over his head. Yes, his in-game decisions were often bad. And yes, his decisions lost us a few big games.
But ... But ... But he also got us back into the spotlight. We were ranked in the Top 10 and beat Georgia and Florida in 2016. Then 2017 happened and people forgot all that came before. I was glad to see Butch go, but I have no animosity toward the guy. He was just a transition guy. So why does everyone seem to despise him so much?

Even though Butch May have been a character, he was sorely lacking in it. Didn’t treat players well, wasn’t truthful, and he smoked his victory cigar in Neyland while yucking it up on social media. Unlike school, Jones has no class.

 

[Boca Vol]

Even though Butch May have been a character, he was sorely lacking in it. Didn’t treat players well, wasn’t truthful, and he smoked his victory cigar in Neyland while yucking it up on social media. Unlike school, Jones has no class.

There were many on here praising Butch's character early in his tenure at UT. Plenty of proof on this board.

 

[butchna]

Where did u get that?

Fiction. Makes some feel good to think we turned down talent. Lawrence was never going to sign up.

 

[butchna]

So basically not recruiting him doesn’t qualify as that? The kid was committed here and was told he didn’t fit Butch’s system. Common sense is not sending that sort of talent, along with two other local WRs on their way to Clemson. Common sense is building your system around a guy like Trevor Lawrence.

He was never committed here.

 

[butchna]

There were many on here praising Butch's character early in his tenure at UT. Plenty of proof on this board.

You go by what you see. I liked the energy in recruiting and embracing former Vols. By the time Antone Davis was wronged there were plenty who questioned.

 

[butchna]

Dave Hart was in a bind for a coach after Gundy and Strong both declined the head coaching job in 2013. Hart promotes an assistant coach from the Dooley staff on a four or five year deal and then move forward is what he should have done.

He had nobody that deserved an interim...much less 5 year deal.

 

[utvols74]

His inability to notice talent, develop talent and properly utilize talent killed him. This on top of silly slogans, gimmicks and an unusually stubborn attitude toward his "system", "best coaches in America" etc. left UT fans scrambling for logic and reason

 

[Pride85]

Again, where did this come from? Link?

Is this you Butch? If not, you seem to be in the extreme minority that doesn't get it. I supported him to begin with like every other coach at my alma mater. Even I couldn't tolerate his last year.

 

[CharVolunteer]

Go ahead and shoot me, but I just don't get it.
Yes, Butch was in over his head. Yes, his in-game decisions were often bad. And yes, his decisions lost us a few big games.
But ... But ... But he also got us back into the spotlight. We were ranked in the Top 10 and beat Georgia and Florida in 2016. Then 2017 happened and people forgot all that came before. I was glad to see Butch go, but I have no animosity toward the guy. He was just a transition guy. So why does everyone seem to despise him so much?

I agree. Butch gave Tennessee everything he had after Dooley had left the program for dead. I thought his biggest mistake was remaining loyal to his original coordinators for too long. And there is no evidence that he wouldn’t take Trevor Lawrence.