Keep Phillip Fulmer

#229
#229
anyone watching the office tonight on tbs....or should i got to a tbs forumn to post that ole great vn wizard of intelligence and insight volfanbill...
 
#232
#232
Sudeepvol said:
I was listening to the Sports Animal and this morning at about 10 AM (I think it's hosted by the Knoxville News Sentinel) and they made quite a few great points about Phillip Fulmer and why people really need to get off of his back.

1.) The man has GREAT consistency coaching in the toughest conference in the land. Over 15 years, he is probably averaging 9 wins a season. That stat is very comparable to Spurrier's. I do not think we can get a proven coach that is as consistent as Fulmer year in and year out.

2.) Winning Percentage. a 74% winning percentage in 15 years of coaching the toughest conference is almost unheard of.

3.) Some fans may say we're not as good as we used to be. Look at the SEC top to bottom in the nineties. Look at the SEC top to bottom now. Enough said.

4.) Recruiting. Top 5 recruiting classes year in and year out. There isn't great talent in the state of Tennessee so the coaching staff has to go around the country ever year and convince young men to play football out of the state. Fulmer doesn't have it as easy as Urban Meyer does where all the talent they need is right in their own state.

Bottom line is, no other coach (save for Spurrier) can achieve great consistency in wins and recruiting in the toughest conference over such a long period of time.

Get off his back.
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1) Ok over the past 15 years he is averaging 9 wins a season. How about over the past 5 years?

2) See number 1

3) Actually we aren't as good as we used to be. We don't put nearly the same number of players in the pros, and I don't think going from averaging one loss a season to 4-5 is as a result of the conference being better. It shouldn't cause that big of a change.

4) We don't consistently have top 5 recruiting classes any more. Last year's was great, if not one of the best we've ever had, but 03 and 04 weren't top 5 and 06 was a joke. I also guarantee that we won't have a top 10 class this year. We'll be lucky to be top 15. Not that it's horrible because last year's class was so good, but it's not consistently top 5 either.

5) Save Spurrier, Meyer (you know Florida will always be good as long as he is around), Saban, and Richt.

I'm with you in that I don't think it's time to fire Fulmer, but I'm not happy with times of late either. I think there are reasons to be optimistic because this team is so young, and you can tell the potential is there.
 
#236
#236
Cartervol said:
Phil deserves credit for making tennessee football a house hold name and elite team of the 90's. Thats all i have to say on the matter.
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What?????? Tennessee football was a household name before Fulmer took over.
 
#237
#237
VolfanMike said:
as bad as i hate to admit it....Michigan would stomp us this year....
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NO BIG TEN TEAM WOULD STOMP US. We would beat Ohio St. or Michigan or Illinois 4 times out of 5. There's D-1 AA, there's D-1 A, and there's SEC.

We got down early on the road twice in a young season, almost evened it up (twice) and then let it slip away (twice). These Vols look better than any I've seen in a long time.

No ranked team in the nation wants to play #25 right now.

Michigan stomp us, HA
 
#238
#238
I don't think we would beat OSU 4 out of 5. They aren't that good, but I doubt we would take 80 percent over most of the unbeaten teams right now...
 
#239
#239
AndyKellyJ said:
NO BIG TEN TEAM WOULD STOMP US. We would beat Ohio St. or Michigan or Illinois 4 times out of 5. There's D-1 AA, there's D-1 A, and there's SEC.

We got down early on the road twice in a young season, almost evened it up (twice) and then let it slip away (twice). These Vols look better than any I've seen in a long time.

No ranked team in the nation wants to play #25 right now.

Michigan stomp us, HA
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:eek:lol:
 
#240
#240
If CPF wins out makes a respectable showing against LSU in the championship game, and finds a way to win his bowl game there is simply no way his seat stays hot.
If they play the rest of the season the way they played against the Dawgs, they should be ok. A very competitive game in the conference championship, and a reasonably "comfortable" bowl win might convince me that this team could be ready for the Gators when they roll into town next year.

As it stands right now, I still see talent and coaching deficiencies that make me believe it cannot happen. If it does, I will back off. Until then, it is just wait and see. It is not about CPF...it is about feeling competitive in every game.
 
#241
#241
Lexvol said:
If CPF wins out makes a respectable showing against LSU in the championship game, and finds a way to win his bowl game there is simply no way his seat stays hot.
If they play the rest of the season the way they played against the Dawgs, they should be ok. A very competitive game in the conference championship, and a reasonably "comfortable" bowl win might convince me that this team could be ready for the Gators when they roll into town next year.

As it stands right now, I still see talent and coaching deficiencies that make me believe it cannot happen. If it does, I will back off. Until then, it is just wait and see. It is not about CPF...it is about feeling competitive in every game.
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I agree with lex, with the exception that I stand firm in my belief that the game has passed Fulmer by. There will be, as there has been in the past, brief flashes of brialliance from the coaching staff from year to year...but when you "plot" all the wins and losses, the data curve has a pronounced downward slope. Thus...my stance that it's time to seek a new leader for UT Football.

I'm surprised that all the Fulmer supporters can't, or won't, look at the last five years...the record against UF, UGA, and ranked teams...and the horrendous bowl record. If, as Fulmer supporters claim, CPF has raised this program to "national prominence", then why is his record, say, over the past 5 to 7 years against the top SEC teams, top 25 teams, and bowl opponents so poor?

Tennessee football was "on the map" before CPF arrived. Yes, he turned UT football from a small dot into a big circle on that map, but in the past five years, the college football interstate has passed UT by, and our place on that map has gone almost unnoticed, save for providing highlight clips on ESPN when UT gets spanked by a top-ranked opponent. Or a bowl opponent.

I love UT Football. I like Phil Fulmer. But I'm a UT fan first and foremost. The program comes first. How sad that CPF can't, or won't, acknowledge what the majority of Vol fans believe, and do the right thing for the team he claims to love.

go vols.
 
#242
#242
hatvol96 said:
Yeah, Tennessee never fielded nationally ranked teams before Fulmer became the head coach. That Neyland guy was awful. The Dickey Era was pathetic. Majors' last four years were an embarassment. We should rename the stadium after Fulmer.
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The problem is not these coaches, per se; all were great in one way or another. The problem is their loss of fire and the loss of commitment. Neyland may be the only one that never really lost the discipline necessary to win. Somewhere along the line every coach needs a change of venue to reinvigorate his spirit and determination. Neyland went from coaching to war and then back to coaching. He was able to reinvigorate his interest and appreciate his situation. Phil is too content to win it all again.
 
#243
#243
I do not like where the program has been at the last couple years. I think it might be time for a change in coaching. I am not completely ready to say that yet, though. But, what I am going to point out is that the "decline of the program" cannot all be attributed to our program and our coaches. We have dipped some in recent years, but most of the decline we are seeing is from the rest of the SEC inclining. I think our decline is grossly exaggarated. We have declined some, but the rise of LSU, Auburn, and Georgia in recent years distorts the amount of our decline. We will never be at the level we were in the 1990's. I don't care who you get to coach.
 
#244
#244
In the end, it's all about results. What is a reasonable time frame to give a coach to win a SEC Championship?

I think people have to be specific what the goals are for the program and what is a reasonable amount of time to give someone to achieve them.

Fulmer's a nice guy, family man, been in the UT program a long time. That shouldn't change the expectations of the program.

Is there any coach in any conference in the country who isn't expected to produce a Conference Championship in a 10 year period? UT had a top 10 finish in 01, and SEC runner-up in 01 and 04. Is that good enough?
 
#245
#245
Yeah, getting hammered in bowl games by the likes of Maryland and Clemson isn't evidence of decline. Losing to Vanderbilt doesn't belie serious erosion in your level of talent.
 
#246
#246
therickbol said:
We have dipped some in recent years, but most of the decline we are seeing is from the rest of the SEC inclining. I think our decline is grossly exaggarated. We have declined some, but the rise of LSU, Auburn, and Georgia in recent years distorts the amount of our decline. We will never be at the level we were in the 1990's. I don't care who you get to coach.
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So as long as everyone else in the SEC moves forward, it's okay for Tennessee to stand still? Shouldn't we expect our program to improve also? And how does the improving SEC explain the inability to win bowl games?
 
#247
#247
GreyWolf1129 said:
I agree with lex, with the exception that I stand firm in my belief that the game has passed Fulmer by. There will be, as there has been in the past, brief flashes of brialliance from the coaching staff from year to year...but when you "plot" all the wins and losses, the data curve has a pronounced downward slope. Thus...my stance that it's time to seek a new leader for UT Football.

I'm surprised that all the Fulmer supporters can't, or won't, look at the last five years...the record against UF, UGA, and ranked teams...and the horrendous bowl record. If, as Fulmer supporters claim, CPF has raised this program to "national prominence", then why is his record, say, over the past 5 to 7 years against the top SEC teams, top 25 teams, and bowl opponents so poor?

Tennessee football was "on the map" before CPF arrived. Yes, he turned UT football from a small dot into a big circle on that map, but in the past five years, the college football interstate has passed UT by, and our place on that map has gone almost unnoticed, save for providing highlight clips on ESPN when UT gets spanked by a top-ranked opponent. Or a bowl opponent.

I love UT Football. I like Phil Fulmer. But I'm a UT fan first and foremost. The program comes first. How sad that CPF can't, or won't, acknowledge what the majority of Vol fans believe, and do the right thing for the team he claims to love.

go vols.
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last 5 yrs against Florida = 2-3
last 5 yrs against UGA = 3-2

that's obviously not a good record, but you can't say its a bad one either. He's winning half of his games against teams with similar talent and personnel. By your logic, Mark Richt should be gone too?
 
#248
#248
hatvol96 said:
I don't him to get fired. I want him to do his job. Win conference championships.
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For once, I agree with you. I think a new hire delays the possibility of winning a championship for many years. May even have to go through several coachs before finding the right match. Everybody brings up Pearl's quick success... but how many coachs did the Vols go through before getting Pearl? Fulmer has the team and the ability to start winning now. Even after one of the worst losses in UT history, he currently is in control of his own destiny and in contention for an SEC Championship. At this point, there are no excuses... the Vols should be favored in their remaining regular season games.
 
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