Kiffin article about UT; front page ESPN

#76
#76
USC was the one team, the only team he leaves for, just can't blame him for leaving. Its like if one of us was offered the Tenn job while employed elsewhere, we'd take the job in a second.
I was very upset at the time but most of us would have done the same imo..
I don't hold it against him at all. I also would never put myself back in a position to get burned by him again.
 
#79
#79
Always thought TN would have won more had he stayed. I always enjoyed him as a coach because he was very entertaining. :cool:

As our AD now talks about improving the "fan experience", with wins hard to envision this remaining year, the ever entertaining and team motivating Kif vs Beldar the Boring might be cause for getting some excitement and more than 85,000 fans at a game.
 
#80
#80
So....elephant in the room but what is Layla up to these days?

Never forget the day she stopped by our tailgate and talked to us. If you have met her you know that she is hot as she looks in pictures, great smile and movie star looks.
Best of all, she also seemed genuine, friendly, and not conceited at all.
Now, back to Lane....carry on.
 
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#81
#81
I had forgotten about Ole Miss absolutely destroying us. That team won 7 and I think everybody agrees that was overachieving. Probably had 4 or 5 win talent level.
IIRC, we had a few linebackers/d-linemen out with injury and were playing several backups. Ole Miss gameplanned around that and ran the ball as they wished that day.

I went with a couple friends. First Vol loss I'd ever seen in person.
 
#83
#83
I remember Nu'keese's wildcat run to start the Auburn game. Went like 65 yards only for us to stall out and settle for FG.... That was the theme of that game.
Fun fact: I was finally diagnosed with malaria that night. I watched that game in the ER.
 
#86
#86
Big spender. And **** off with the getting over shizz. He had a Butch Jones season and inherited a much better team than what Jones left behind. He was a young, promising coach but he had some stubborn fails. Dropped two future starting QBs and set us up with Matt Simms. Ran the ball 4 straight times against UCLA...stubbornness. The Ole Miss game was a total coaching fail and the beginning of his daddy’s descent. Wasn’t a failure in his one season but he also wasn’t this messiah some of you have built up either.

lol... big man internet cussing
 
#87
#87
Also, there are 2 alternate realities I'd pay good money to see through:
1. What happens if Kiffin doesn't leave after his first year.
2. What would happen if Mike Leach was hired.
3. What would happen if Jimbo Fisher was hired by UT.
 
#88
#88
I remember Nu'keese's wildcat run to start the Auburn game. Went like 65 yards only for us to stall out and settle for FG.... That was the theme of that game.
Best part of that playcall was Crompton standing on the sideline talking to Kiffin and they both had their heads down pretending to look at the play sheet before he ran into the field.
 
#90
#90
Big spender. And **** off with the getting over shizz. He had a Butch Jones season and inherited a much better team than what Jones left behind. He was a young, promising coach but he had some stubborn fails. Dropped two future starting QBs and set us up with Matt Simms. Ran the ball 4 straight times against UCLA...stubbornness. The Ole Miss game was a total coaching fail and the beginning of his daddy’s descent. Wasn’t a failure in his one season but he also wasn’t this messiah some of you have built up either.


You actually think he had a better team than Pruitt inherited. He had to play 2 walk on o linemen who weighed about 275 lbs each. He had Crompton as QB who had never shown the ability to be drafted. The talent was so bad they were 30 pt underdogs to Florida.
I cannot predict whether he would have been a good or bad coach had he stayed, but his trajectory looked a lot better than CJP currently has. At the time I didn't like his attitude and comments, but to him it was his coaching style to get the team ready. Not seen the team that focused on game days since. I actually think he would be a more successful coach at Tenn now than he would have been before. At least he know how to be a HC and no doubt has a good offensive mind.
 
#92
#92
Another iteration of Kiffin's "any publicity is good publicity" program. I wonder who he had to convince to do this story on him. He's done absolutely nothing has a head coach, with plenty of opportunities to prove himself, yet some slober over him like he's the second coming of Vince Lombardi. The job he has now is a true indicator of his ability/potential.
 
#93
#93
I've been saying for years that Kiffin instilled a swagger and confidence in that team that had been missing for years and hasn't been seen since. He worked magic with Crompton, turning him from a five star bust into a NFL draftee. The fly in the ointment was Ogeron's low class attempt to steal Tennessee pledges. I get it that he was a professional with no sentimentality, but SC is a recruiting Mecca. If it had been to Ogeron's benefit, I suspect he would have lit a match to Neyland on the way out. I'm looking forward to his next firing.
 
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#95
#95
Another iteration of Kiffin's "any publicity is good publicity" program. I wonder who he had to convince to do this story on him. He's done absolutely nothing has a head coach, with plenty of opportunities to prove himself, yet some slober over him like he's the second coming of Vince Lombardi. The job he has now is a true indicator of his ability/potential.
Kiffin firmly fits into the "great coordinator, poor head coach" category. At a big time program, he needs strict adult supervision conducted by someone whose authority is unquestionable. That's the setup he had at USC under Carroll and Alabama under Saban.

The thing with Kiffin is that I don't think he's much of a leader, an executive, or a manager. He needs to have his head buried in the offensive playbook, watching film, and drawing up plays. When you give him managerial or oversight functions, especially at a big program, he's a proven disaster.
 
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#97
#97
That 2009 team was the last team to overachieve. Dude got screwed at USC too, thinking he had 55 (might have been 65) scholarship players his last year there.

I’d take him back right now.
He took that job knowing (or he should have known) that significant NCAA penalties were coming. He might not have known the exact number of scholarships he was getting docked, but he knew he was walking into a not great situation.
 
#98
#98
I was gonna say. I definitely remember the Georgia (who wasn't great that year) and South Carolina (who was ranked at the time we played them, but also was not great that year) games. I also remember the UCLA game, Ole Miss game (Dexter McCluster just scored another TD), and the beatdown from Virginia Tech in the bowl game.

People remember the past as being better than it was - that season was a roller coaster ride, and then the coaster crashed.

Well he never lost to Kentucky and Vanderbilt.....
 
#99
#99
I was hoping that would be mentioned in the article. Was there ever any real truth to the rumor he wrecked a Lexus full of co-eds (at least the way I heard it)?
AFAIK, it isn't a rumor he wrecked the Lexus. That's a fact. Who was in the car with him (if anyone) and if he was hammered was where rumor took over.
 
He took that job knowing (or he should have known) that significant NCAA penalties were coming. He might not have known the exact number of scholarships he was getting docked, but he knew he was walking into a not great situation.

Yes, I agree. I’m just saying Pat Haden never liked him and wanted his own guy. And look how that turned out, Sark got fired for not being able to hold his liquor.
 
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