It took one game for Jeremy Pruitt to earn my respect

[08Vol]

Of course they would be blaming that. Either way I understand his choice to kick or go for it. But it was refreshing to see a coach who feels if we cannot get 1 yard they don’t deserve to score anyway. He knew 3 points wasn’t gonna get him back in the ballgame at that point. So why not put faith in your offense and gain them confidence. And that’s exactly what he did. Guarantee his offensive players gained more respect from him on that play.

Did everyone on here forget that Butch was in basically the same situation against UF in 2016 and did the same thing as Pruitt? Turnover gave us 1st and goal from like the 3. Butch went for it on 4th down and we still didn’t get it. There was a dropped TD by the TE on that 4 play drive too.

 

[Pepe]

I know many on here are mad cause we lost. I'm not. How come? Cause I know we finally got us a real football coach. Many on here know I have not exactly been on the Jeremy Pruitt bandwagon. I have been critical of him far more than many on here would like. Well it took one game (in which we lost) for me to get on board. I'm now convinced we have the right guy.

If you have any doubt that Jeremy Pruitt is the real deal, then please go and watch his post-game interview after the West Virginia game. Talk about a breathe of fresh air compared to Butch Jones. I can't believe we had to live through 5 years of that clown spinning losses into moral victories or acting like winning or losing the game doesn't matter or running away from expectations. It was refreshing for me to finally see a coach take responsibility for his team's performance and admit that the only thing that matters is the final score on the scoreboard. Pruitt also placed the blame of the loss on himself and his coaching staff for not preparing the team well enough rather than just blaming it on the players for not executing like Butch Jones always did. Remember according to Butch Jones, his coaching was never at fault. It was always the players that were to blame for losing. I also don't need to point out he's also not a wimpy coach who will take a FG from the 1 yard line like someone we know. Going for it on that 4th down early in the game is what a real football coach does.

This year might not be as great as we had hoped but I'm far more optimistic about the future of Tennessee football today than I was yesterday.

Jeremy Pruitt is a real one.

What gives you the idea that anybody needs to earn your respect? You need to get this through your little pea brain. You ain't nobody.

 

[fifties fan]

Rucker's article brought back to mind some thoughts I had real time yesterday (many of you will understand this lapse in 30-40 yrs). We could have gone to a zone, even prevent type, defense in the third quarter and possibly kept the score down a bit. But, that would have set a bad tone for the future with the younger players. Honestly, the learning curve for the whole team should have, normally would have, started with a home game against East-West Coastal State. Instead we played a team intent on promoting their QB for the Heisman. EWCS would have allowed a lot of experimentation with schemes and players. We took our medicine, now let's see if we can benefit from it. While I am very disappointed I am not devastated....this wasn't Army or Rutgers or N. Texas St. Sadly, I was there for all three.

 

[robtom]

Need recruits for his scheme. That's what I realized.

 

[kiddiedoc]

I'm more disappointed in myself, for having such unrealistic expectations.

You're not alone. Tons of fans were hoping for CJP to sprinkle some magic dust and turn us into a contender overnight. Truth is, we are in for (yet another) rebuilding process.

 

[NEVolFan]

I know many on here are mad cause we lost. I'm not. How come? Cause I know we finally got us a real football coach. Many on here know I have not exactly been on the Jeremy Pruitt bandwagon. I have been critical of him far more than many on here would like. Well it took one game (in which we lost) for me to get on board. I'm now convinced we have the right guy.

If you have any doubt that Jeremy Pruitt is the real deal, then please go and watch his post-game interview after the West Virginia game. Talk about a breathe of fresh air compared to Butch Jones. I can't believe we had to live through 5 years of that clown spinning losses into moral victories or acting like winning or losing the game doesn't matter or running away from expectations. It was refreshing for me to finally see a coach take responsibility for his team's performance and admit that the only thing that matters is the final score on the scoreboard. Pruitt also placed the blame of the loss on himself and his coaching staff for not preparing the team well enough rather than just blaming it on the players for not executing like Butch Jones always did. Remember according to Butch Jones, his coaching was never at fault. It was always the players that were to blame for losing. I also don't need to point out he's also not a wimpy coach who will take a FG from the 1 yard line like someone we know. Going for it on that 4th down early in the game is what a real football coach does.

This year might not be as great as we had hoped but I'm far more optimistic about the future of Tennessee football today than I was yesterday.

Jeremy Pruitt is a real one.

Pruitt for Coach of the Year?

 

[joevol33]

I know many on here are mad cause we lost. I'm not. How come? Cause I know we finally got us a real football coach. Many on here know I have not exactly been on the Jeremy Pruitt bandwagon. I have been critical of him far more than many on here would like. Well it took one game (in which we lost) for me to get on board. I'm now convinced we have the right guy.

If you have any doubt that Jeremy Pruitt is the real deal, then please go and watch his post-game interview after the West Virginia game. Talk about a breathe of fresh air compared to Butch Jones. I can't believe we had to live through 5 years of that clown spinning losses into moral victories or acting like winning or losing the game doesn't matter or running away from expectations. It was refreshing for me to finally see a coach take responsibility for his team's performance and admit that the only thing that matters is the final score on the scoreboard. Pruitt also placed the blame of the loss on himself and his coaching staff for not preparing the team well enough rather than just blaming it on the players for not executing like Butch Jones always did. Remember according to Butch Jones, his coaching was never at fault. It was always the players that were to blame for losing. I also don't need to point out he's also not a wimpy coach who will take a FG from the 1 yard line like someone we know. Going for it on that 4th down early in the game is what a real football coach does.

This year might not be as great as we had hoped but I'm far more optimistic about the future of Tennessee football today than I was yesterday.

Jeremy Pruitt is a real one.

This is the first time I've ever liked your post, or thought you were being realistic, no offense . That said, everybody better pray, cause the end is near!

 

[secking]

It took one game for me to realize he’s got a long ways to go before wanting my respect. Beat UF in a few weeks then that’s a good start and I’ll forget this wvu game ever happened

Florida is a good measuring stick, talent wise the two are very close, UT is probably a bit ahead to be honest. Concerning was the halftime adjustments. Thought the original game plan was good, UT was in the game at half. Good adjustments at half and Tn could come out with a win. WV instead made the best adjustments as the 3rd qtr was a completely different team vs the first half, they made the corrections and UT looked confused. Might be a one game thing but worth watching in future games. Next two are layups but watch the 2nd half against Fla to see if it’s a trend.

 

[EODVOL]

Pruitt took ownership for the loss. That speaks volumes about the type of coach and man he is, unlike his predecessor. Those who are complaining obviously don't know football nor have a clue as to where we really are as a program. I do believe Saban went 7-5 his first year at Alabama, fast forward and I am pretty sure Bama fans will gladly do it all over again. Give the man time to get the players he needs and establish his system. Lastly, if WVU winds up in the playoffs then it will put a whole new perspective on yesterdays game. I saw vast improvement yesterday, especially with the O line amd JG! Yeah first couple of series sucked but u could see them becomeing more cohesive as the game went on. I will gladly take one sack and no picks every game. Some forget how often JG was on his back last year

 

[TennesseeTarheel]

It's kind of sad to read through all these...naw...I'm just too lazy, but, Doug Mathews made a good point about how at least a dozen starters weren't even available to practice until the fall! Some were injured or not present for spring practice. So, when you consider these guys not having practiced - and group drills don 't build teams, do they? - it isn't surprising that they looked so bad at times. I was disappointed, but, that's on me for having unrealistic expectations. I really did that. I did.

 

[Pacer92]

This coaching staff has a HUGE job in front of them...

I still believe without a doubt we have the right HC and staff...

We’ve got MAC team talent in A LOT of spots..

 

[NEVolFan]

I think if we had a stronger DL, our secondary would benefit tremendously.

Agree, when Grier took a sammich break before he threw the ball does suggest we need to get more pressure in the pass rush area.

 

[RavinDave]

Fact is, it’s going to take time to unButch this team and roster. CJP is known for his recruiting ability and eye for talent/potential. BJ was not. BJ recruited people that didn’t fit his own scheme, much less Pruitt’s. I think BJ’s only real talent was trying to find players with overrated star values. A lot of star power on Rocky Top that we have never seen perform for us here under BJ.

Our new staff has been here for 9 months. We got the short end of the stick this year in opening against a Heisman candidate and power offense with a roster that primarily smells like Butch Jones. I think Pruitt turns out to be a great coach. I think if we played WVU game 10 instead of game 1 it would have been closer. Most of the SEC opened against cupcake teams yesterday and were able to get a little game experience while walking away with a win. Our guys got taught some lessons. We’ve got 2 more games before Florida and sec play to iron out some problems. I think we wind up being better than last year, but it will be next year before we start seeing real results. BJ left Pruitt a soup sandwich.

More like a sh!t sandwich

 

[Johnnyreb#VFL]

Like big Albert said.. our players are catching up to our coaches unlike years past. GBO

 

[RavinDave]

Pruitt took ownership for the loss. That speaks volumes about the type of coach and man he is, unlike his predecessor. Those who are complaining obviously don't know football nor have a clue as to where we really are as a program. I do believe Saban went 7-5 his first year at Alabama, fast forward and I am pretty sure Bama fans will gladly do it all over again. Give the man time to get the players he needs and establish his system. Lastly, if WVU winds up in the playoffs then it will put a whole new perspective on yesterdays game. I saw vast improvement yesterday, especially with the O line amd JG! Yeah first couple of series sucked but u could see them becomeing more cohesive as the game went on. I will gladly take one sack and no picks every game. Some forget how often JG was on his back last year

Good post. CBS in their zeal to portray Tennessee in the worst possible light even had a graphic showing that JG was the most-sacked QB last year with I believe it was 1 sack for every 6.3 passing plays.

 

[gr82batnvol]

I have no complaints against Pruitt at all. Things felt different. In a game one, it’s ridiculous that people have complaints. It’s just not realistic at all. A measuring stick would be, how does the team progress as the season moves forward? Not, did he change everything in game 1? Will they look better by mid October than they do now? I believe they will. Why? Because the guy is known for his coaching and development of players. I saw a much different QB yesterday. I saw an o-line adjust after the first quarter, open run lanes, and protect the QB. Go back and watch film from last season and show me where and when our QBs had time to throw the football. I am very optimistic about this coaching staff and where we are heading. Once we get the talent, we’ll be competing for championships again. It’s only a matter of time.

 

[82_VOL_83]

I know many on here are mad cause we lost. I'm not. How come? Cause I know we finally got us a real football coach. Many on here know I have not exactly been on the Jeremy Pruitt bandwagon. I have been critical of him far more than many on here would like. Well it took one game (in which we lost) for me to get on board. I'm now convinced we have the right guy.

If you have any doubt that Jeremy Pruitt is the real deal, then please go and watch his post-game interview after the West Virginia game. Talk about a breathe of fresh air compared to Butch Jones. I can't believe we had to live through 5 years of that clown spinning losses into moral victories or acting like winning or losing the game doesn't matter or running away from expectations. It was refreshing for me to finally see a coach take responsibility for his team's performance and admit that the only thing that matters is the final score on the scoreboard. Pruitt also placed the blame of the loss on himself and his coaching staff for not preparing the team well enough rather than just blaming it on the players for not executing like Butch Jones always did. Remember according to Butch Jones, his coaching was never at fault. It was always the players that were to blame for losing. I also don't need to point out he's also not a wimpy coach who will take a FG from the 1 yard line like someone we know. Going for it on that 4th down early in the game is what a real football coach does.

This year might not be as great as we had hoped but I'm far more optimistic about the future of Tennessee football today than I was yesterday.

Jeremy Pruitt is a real one.

I had my wife kick me in the nuts before I gave you a like. That's how much it hurts.