JA granted temporary restraining order against NCAA eligibility rules

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

I did not say that Heupel was a mediocre coach that I am aware of?

My point was that in order to win, we have to play a completely different game than Indiana-in a sense anyway

Under Heupel we are never going to be a supremely disciplined team. 5 years of history shows that.

Undisciplined teams rarely break into the elite unless they are just ridiculously talented.

The hallmark of Saban's teams was discipline and talent. That made them extremely hard to beat. Even when he didn't have his best talent, the discipline could carry the team.

Cignetti showed that to be true at Indiana. It's hard to imagine he had more raw talent than Ohio State or Oregon or Alabama but he beat them all.

The Maxims will tell you that it's discipline.

If Heupel isn't going to give us that hardcore discipline, it's EXTREMELY unlikely we're going to have enough resources to buy enough talent to overcome the mistakes.

 

[UTK]

This season is most likely not going to be very good. With the schedule we are facing, we would most likely struggle with some hybrid of Manning and Brady in their primes under center

So say we put up another 8-4 or 7-5 type season-which would not be bad with our schedule honestly.

Then in 2027 we are screwed with no experience

We can keep kicking the can, but eventually it's gonna kill us. Botch not getting any experience for when Dobbs left sealed his fate here and I can see Heupel kinda walking down the same path here.

Just my opinion. That and $5 will buy you coffee. I don't think you can disagree that eventually though- the piper is going to come calling for our lack of development.

If Joey comes back we can win every game on the schedule. The defense may not be elite in year 1 under JK but it’ll still be dramatically better. It also benefits George MacIntyre to keep getting better and start in his third year in the system. The thing to also understand is, George and Faizon will probably get the majority of reps in Spring anyways, so they’re not getting robbed of any reps. I don’t think you can say there’s been a lack of development at the QB position. Nico left like a moron after 1 year. Merklinger wasn’t going to pan out sure. CJH made Hooker and Milton way better players than they were when they first got here. It’s not the norm to start freshmen in this sport.

 

[MontyPython]

I think this is extremely good news for Tennessee. Monumental.

In today's system, the old rules about development are out the window. We needed a proven QB who can produce now. JA is that guy. He should improve over last year with a full season under his belt. If our D improves, we got a shot at the playoffs.

I do understand and agree with the sentiment that *all* of this is complete BS. 8 years in the college ranks - it became a career for him. But... Good for him and good for us.

It's a brave new world eh. Only those who can adapt to today's reality will survive and succeed.

 

[vols22]

I read your post just as you were speaking like Slingblade

People like you are part of the problem with UT fans today. Only thing you know how to do is bash people that have a different opinion. Real mature.

 

[vols22]

We had issues later in the season against teams because we could not get the other team's offense off the field.

Thats very true too.

 

[volfan607]

If anbody deserves another year it's Joey...

- 2 years of JUCO
- Screwed over at UCLA
- played 2025 with a tumor

No... We need to go back to the 5 years to play 4 model and require people to sit out a year if they transfer. College athletics, especially football, are getting absurd with the NIL and transfer options. No loyalty, no pride... just about the money now.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

No... We need to go back to the 5 years to play 4 model and require people to sit out a year if they transfer. College athletics, especially football, are getting absurd with the NIL and transfer options. No loyalty, no pride... just about the money now.

So you'd rather FORCE loyalty by making players either play for us or sit out?

There's a reason why that rule lost in court and UT/TN joined the lawsuits against it.

 

[TheVolsFrog]

No... We need to go back to the 5 years to play 4 model and require people to sit out a year if they transfer. College athletics, especially football, are getting absurd with the NIL and transfer options. No loyalty, no pride... just about the money now.

Not happening. Cow is out of the barn on that one and backed by legal precedence.
Only way it goes back is with an AntiTrust exemption and agreed upon rules

 

[volfan607]

So you'd rather FORCE loyalty by making players either play for us or sit out?

There's a reason why that rule lost in court and UT/TN joined the lawsuits against it.

It worked back in the day. The players and their families shouldn't dictate to the universities things such as playing time and status. Bust your ass, work hard, and make your way into the rotation instead of quitting like a child. Presently, kids sign to a school, don't get to start day 1 and bounce. It's a problem when you have kids playing at 3 schools in 3 years.

 

[SayUWantAreVOLution]

It worked back in the day. The players and their families shouldn't dictate to the universities things such as playing time and status. Bust your ass, work hard, and make your way into the rotation instead of quitting like a child. Presently, kids sign to a school, don't get to start day 1 and bounce. It's a problem when you have kids playing at 3 schools in 3 years.

It worked by force. It's obvious that as soon as players could transfer, they transferred.

It wasn't loyalty. It was illegal force applied by the NCAA to keep players from transferring. That's not me talking, that's several courts and the Attorney General of the State of TN.

 

[xpsyclonex2002]

I think you missed the point of my original post.

but he didn't like you stated previously. everything else is would've, could've, should've

 

[MontyPython]

It worked back in the day. The players and their families shouldn't dictate to the universities things such as playing time and status. Bust your ass, work hard, and make your way into the rotation instead of quitting like a child. Presently, kids sign to a school, don't get to start day 1 and bounce. It's a problem when you have kids playing at 3 schools in 3 years.

It's done, man. The battle is already fought and lost.

You can cry about how you would like things to be, but that really does nothing to help our team get more wins.

College football is what it is now. The likes of Lane kiffin have blossomed in this environment because he's understood the epic changes that have occurred. If we don't change, we're going to get left in the dust.

 

[S.C. OrangeMan]

No... We need to go back to the 5 years to play 4 model and require people to sit out a year if they transfer. College athletics, especially football, are getting absurd with the NIL and transfer options. No loyalty, no pride... just about the money now.

Now let's apply that to you.
It's absurd how much money you make for a job that doesn't create viewership and create millions of revenue. It's absurd that you are allowed to ever change jobs. We should cut your salary by 50%, keep you from ever changing jobs, and then praise you for your "loyalty".

 

[sami]

I think CJH needs to take a little blame for that too, one of the dumbest set of calls and clock management I've seen, can't believe they called a T/O and went right back to the same play

100% agree. To me, it's 80% on Josh and 20% on Joey. Alabama called a f***king time out because they saw what play was coming and had clearly scouted it. I'm no genius, but I turned to my wife and said "hope he change the call". Yeah, Joey threw it behind the receiver, but the Bama DB knew what was coming and jumped the throw. The clock management during that sequence is a whole other issue.

 

[Shrimp&Grits&Vols]

People like you are part of the problem with UT fans today. Only thing you know how to do is bash people that have a different opinion. Real mature.

Geez buddy didn’t mean to get your panties in a wad it was a joke and I agree with most of what you said. Carry on

 

[Delmar]

It worked back in the day. The players and their families shouldn't dictate to the universities things such as playing time and status. Bust your ass, work hard, and make your way into the rotation instead of quitting like a child. Presently, kids sign to a school, don't get to start day 1 and bounce. It's a problem when you have kids playing at 3 schools in 3 years.

“Back in the day” is long gone and is never coming back. We either learn to like this new normal or find something else to do/follow. Some will stay with it and some won’t.

 

[MontyPython]

“Back in the day” is long gone and is never coming back. We either learn to like this new normal or find something else to do/follow. Some will stay with it and some won’t.

This.

I'm trying to adapt myself to figure out how to root for a team that really doesn't have loyal team members anymore... just paid, short-term employees.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

This.

I'm trying to adapt myself to figure out how to root for a team that really doesn't have loyal team members anymore... just paid, short-term employees.

That is why I continue to hope that the judicial AS THE WORLD TURNS will lead to firing up a bipartisan congressional effort to return the NCAA to a modified amatuer model with a well worded set of laws judges can’t twist around.

No problem with worthy players getting paid, but to force the 90% of schools that cannot compete into a pay for play organization is nuts. How many schools in TN can get close? How many can’t? Their reps and senators can provide an alternate path for the worthy outside the educational environment. Go to school OR go to work when worthy.

 

[DaddyChad]

Probably also has a better NIL package. If he has more years. Enter the portal again or stick around.

I mean we paid Merk to be a backup here. No one would’ve felt comfortable if he had to play in a single game but it is what it is. I think the kid from CO at least has more upside that Merk

 

[DaddyChad]

Well, for one thing-by the time the 2026 season is over-we will have paid GMac roughly $5 million and Brandon $3 million lol

I don't think even the most friendly UT court will give Joey another season in 2027. So we are gonna be right where we were yesterday minus GMac next off-season. Nobody around who has ever seen live fire


And spend about 8 million alumni $ on QBs who will never see the field over two seasons in the process lol.

Like I said, I like Joey-I really do. But the guy is an 8-4 QB at best in the SEC. It is what it is man

Would you rather have a "safe" 8-4 and play in a bowl game nobody watches or take a gamble that could see you go 2-10 or 12-0?

Quite frankly 8-4 is just purgatory man. Not good. Not bad. Just there. Botch level garbage
If that is the limit of aspirations for this program, I may be in the wrong place then. Even lowly GT is already talking smack about whipping us this fall as we have no heart.


Complete and utter mismanagement-and this coming from a guy who supported Heupel when everyone else was bashing him after the Vandy game.

Where did you get those numbers from?

 

[DaddyChad]

It worked back in the day. The players and their families shouldn't dictate to the universities things such as playing time and status. Bust your ass, work hard, and make your way into the rotation instead of quitting like a child. Presently, kids sign to a school, don't get to start day 1 and bounce. It's a problem when you have kids playing at 3 schools in 3 years.

You know I had an idea about taking elementary kids out of school and forcing them to work a year digging ditches or some other horrendous manual labor bc they would then care more about their educations going forwards.

Unfortunately the days of child labor and colleges having any leverage over players are a thing of the past.

 

[valoisvol]

Who’s paying for his defense team. Does that come out of his 2mil that we’re promising him. Alot of money for a so so QB. He better be a first team all American by the end of next season

 

[volfan607]

You know I had an idea about taking elementary kids out of school and forcing them to work a year digging ditches or some other horrendous manual labor bc they would then care more about their educations going forwards.

Unfortunately the days of child labor and colleges having any leverage over players are a thing of the past.

How do you equate adults going to college for free to forced child labor?

 

[volfan607]

Now let's apply that to you.
It's absurd how much money you make for a job that doesn't create viewership and create millions of revenue. It's absurd that you are allowed to ever change jobs. We should cut your salary by 50%, keep you from ever changing jobs, and then praise you for your "loyalty".

Not the same. These kids are getting full rides to attend college.

 

[DaddyChad]

How do you equate adults going to college for free to forced child labor?

I’m saying both are ridiculous ideas.

Free college eduction isn't free. It’s contingent on them playing football. Those games generate billions for the programs. It’s stupid for the players not to be paid a fair amount. The problem is we don’t have a fair system