Is it wrong to expect more?

#1
DaytonLawVol

DaytonLawVol

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#1
Looking around here and rockytop.com the last week or so, Id say the tennessee fans that post online at least, are about 80% in favor of getting rid of Fulmer. The remaining 20% fall into 2 categories...

1. "Be careful what you wish for, its hard to recruit at tennessee, who can do any better etc..."

2. "Quit your whining, we are spoiled, Fulmer won us a championship, he is a Tennessee guy etc..."

My question to those 20%, is why dont you expect more? Tennessee is a great job, a national program that has been able to attract recuits from Florida to Oregon. We have been able to do this because once upon a time, Fulmer was a great recruiter, and our dominance of the 1990s. The problem is, the 1990s are gone, and high school football players know little to nothing about our program back then. That ship has sailed, we cannot hang our hats on 1998 anymore...nobody cares. We must move on.

Is the grass greener on the otherside? I dont know. We may land outselves a Shula, or we may land ourselves an Urban Meyer, who knows. What I do know is that I have no hope for anything better. I am 100% convinved that Fulmer will NEVER,EVER win another SEC championship. With a new coach, at least I have hope for the future. It may be the wrong guy, it may be the right guy...but I cannot stand to see us continue to wallow in what we have become.

As Albert Einstein once said..."insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result."
 
#2
#2
Fulmer Fatigue seems to finally be hitting the masses.

Change will be a roll of the dice. The Vols are not stacked with talent. It isn't going to be an express ride to the top no matter who we hire.
 
#3
#3
A roll of the dice is a much better opportunity for us than simply walking out of the casino, as we have for the past 5 or 6 years.
 
#4
#4
Lexvol said:
Fulmer Fatigue seems to finally be hitting the masses.

Change will be a roll of the dice. The Vols are not stacked with talent. It isn't going to be an express ride to the top no matter who we hire.
Click to expand...

They were worse when Saban came. Bring in one of the following and see what happens:

1. Bill Cowher
2. Bronco Mendenhall
3. Chris Peterson
 
#6
#6
What I don't understand is why do people think that if we do hire a lemon of a coach, that is the end of the game? We already have grown our own lemon coach as it is. If we are unsatisfied with the next one, we find another after 3 or 4 years. It isn't an all or nothing bet. You keep rolling the dice. If you play the game you may lose, but if you don't play the game you certainly won't win.
 
#7
#7
its definitely not wrong to expect more... i mean students now pay for tickets to games, all the coaches received a pay raise in the last year... and we have a top line, top rusher, and eric berry... why not expect more???
 
#8
#8
SECjunky said:
its definitely not wrong to expect more... i mean students now pay for tickets to games, all the coaches received a pay raise in the last year... and we have a top line, top rusher, and eric berry... why not expect more???
Click to expand...
you have apparently missed all of the games.
 
#9
#9
IMO, I think its never wrong to expect more....even if your the best. I think Phil got to the top, let it get to his head, and the game has been passing him ever since.
 
#10
#10
When LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are good is means very bad things for UT football. We are good when we get the top talent in those states. Now that they each have their repective state locked down, it's no wonder we are struggling.

As Nick Saban told Mal Moore before signing his contract:
Nick: You think I'm a good coach?
Mal: Yes, of course, you're the best.
Nick: I'm only as good as the players we have. Now, let's go get some players.
 
#11
#11
UTK is the ninth winningest program in the history of college football. You should be able to expect a team that upholds that standard.
 
#12
#12
It's worth the risk for change. There are a number of guys i think could do a fine job. My first pick would be Brian Kelly. But as far as recruiting goes bottom line is you put a good product on the field the recruits will come. Yes we don't have the advantage of UF, Texas, USC, Bama or UGA but we've always seemed to have faired ok. We just need a coach that can fully utilize the talent we have.
 
#13
#13
JMBIGORANGE said:
It's worth the risk for change. There are a number of guys i think could do a fine job. My first pick would be Brian Kelly. But as far as recruiting goes bottom line is you put a good product on the field the recruits will come. Yes we don't have the advantage of UF, Texas, USC, Bama or UGA but we've always seemed to have faired ok. We just need a coach that can fully utilize the talent we have.
Click to expand...

Our glory days come when UF, UAT, UGA, and/or LSU are struggling. They are all rolling now and that significantly shrinks our recruiting ground - which is bad.
 
#15
#15
BigPapaVol said:
seems a copout to me.
Click to expand...
eh, there's some truth to it, but it's not THE reason we've been successful, just because of our competition's faults.

what is a far truer statement is that while we may not have been THE dominant team in the league over any significant period of time a la Bama in the 60's and 70's or Fl in the 90's, or even Auburn/GA in the 80's, we generally are, and have been, one of the top teams in the conf, competing at a level that has garnered multiple championships in multiple decades.

3 SEC titles in the 90's. 2 in the 80's i believe. from 1985 to 1998 (14 years) TN won the SEC 5 times. 85, 89, 90, 97 and 98. and though we don't like to talk about it, TN has represented the EAst in the title game 5 times since 97 (97, 98, 01, 04 and 07).

that's 8 opportunities to win the SEC in a 22 year span. That's a title shot every 2.75 years.

that's an actual title every 4.4 years. (keep in mind i'm not discussing specific coaches, rather expectations for the PROGRAM).

so as for expectations, we SHOULD have high expectations, our long history dictates that, and so does our recent history.

which is why to go a full decade with out a championship begs the criticism this program is currently under. cause at this point, it's not that we're not winning c'ships, 2 of hte last 4 years we haven't even been competing anywhere near a c'ship level.
 
#16
#16
1. "Be careful what you wish for, its hard to recruit at tennessee, who can do any better etc..."
Click to expand...

That's the thing that concerns me about firing him to be honest w/ y'all
 
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#17
#17
orangeblood said:
They were worse when Saban came. Bring in one of the following and see what happens:

1. Bill Cowher
2. Bronco Mendenhall
3. Chris Peterson
Click to expand...
Why do people always look to the mid major coaches? Peterson had one game that put him on the map, and I don't think Mendenhall has any big wins yet.
 
#18
#18
UT IE 95 said:
When LSU, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida are good is means very bad things for UT football. We are good when we get the top talent in those states. Now that they each have their repective state locked down, it's no wonder we are struggling.

As Nick Saban told Mal Moore before signing his contract:
Nick: You think I'm a good coach?
Mal: Yes, of course, you're the best.
Nick: I'm only as good as the players we have. Now, let's go get some players.
Click to expand...

I agree with the recruiting difficulties because of the rise in those programs. That said, I think a top-notch game coach could offset the recruiting deficit to a great extent. It's not like we are not getting pretty good players now. It's just that they are not being developed nor are they being taught to execute.
 
#19
#19
Honestly, I don't see a lot of risk with making a change at this point. We are definitely on the decline, and have been for a number of years. The product on the field is boring, glum, and lacks discipline as far as penalties, execution, etc. We need a new infusion of something, and the way I see it, there are no guarantees in anything in life. Yes, we do deserve better. We are not the University of Memphis, for crying out loud.
 
#20
#20
UT IE 95 said:
Our glory days come when UF, UAT, UGA, and/or LSU are struggling. They are all rolling now and that significantly shrinks our recruiting ground - which is bad.
Click to expand...

We are down but are still pulling some key guys from surrounding areas. Our 06' class had Berry, Jones, Martin, Paige, Creer and Moore. Most of these guys were gatorade player of the year in their states. That was coming off 2005. Like i stated, put a good product on the field and these kids will want to come.
 
#21
#21
My bad. Those guys were from the 07' class. But still that's still only one year removed from a losing season.
 
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