Kirby Smart takes a jab at Butch Jones

We just need to beat them on the regular. Get our own streaks going against teams that we have traditionally had streaks against us.
 
We just need to beat them on the regular. Get our own streaks going against teams that we have traditionally had streaks against us.

Yeah, we used to go streaking on Georgia...

'89-'99. 9 in a row. 11 years of ass whoopings. They tore down their goal posts when they beat a UT team ranked #21 in '00.
 
Probably the only analyst I put real stock in is Phil Steele and he did have us in the SECCG last year with an outside shot at the playoff. I like Boog for entertainment but I'm not taking him to Tunica.

My point is anybody can say "insert team here" is going to win the East. But the reality is there's way to many factors that goes in to it. I think the people making the predictions are the ones that look stupid when all said and done, not the team with 20 injuries and giving their all.
 
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Anybody being honest about last year has been well past the injuries, since they were in no way a primary factor for why we failed to win the SECe.

But the truth is not like a conversation. It's not, "okay, we've discussed that, we've now moved on to other things, we're well past it."

Truth is, injuries and the impact they had on performance were a significant factor for the Volunteers in the 2016 season. Period. Was true when it happened, is true today, will be true looking back 20 years from now.

It doesn't become less true just because we're tired of talking about it.

Were injuries the primary reason we failed to win the East last year? Hard to say. Significant contributing factor. Along with Hurd's mutiny and whatever effect that had on teamwork. Along with Butch giving over perhaps too much of a leadership role to the captains and seniors. Along with other factors we're not even aware of.

But certainly one of the more significant factors. True then, true now, true in 20 years.
 
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Why? It's Georgia. Talking **** about them is fun!

Because the whole premise of the thread is that Smart took a shot at Butch when in reality he paid him a compliment as a good recruiter and developer of talent. He was defending his lack of talent as a reason for not meeting expectations. It was not a shot at Jones imo.
 
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But the truth is not like a conversation. It's not, "okay, we've discussed that, we've now moved on to other things, we're well past it."

Truth is, injuries and the impact they had on performance were a significant factor for the Volunteers in the 2016 season. Period. Was true when it happened, is true today, will be true looking back 20 years from now.

It doesn't become less true just because we're tired of talking about it.

Were injuries the primary reason we failed to win the East last year? Hard to say. Significant contributing factor. Along with Hurd's mutiny and whatever effect that had on teamwork. Along with Butch giving over perhaps too much of a leadership role to the captains and seniors. Along with other factors we're not even aware of.

But certainly one of the more significant factors. True then, true now, true in 20 years.

It was a downward spiral starting with the coaching staffs decision to "overlook" Appy State and focus on the VA Tech game in the preseason. Team 120 never seemed focused, disciplined, or ready to play come kickoff. The injuries compounded these problems. The most disappointing thing for me was you could see the potential that was never fully realized. When they did want to play they were dominating. The second half of the Florida game was as good a performance as I have seen a Tennessee team put on in decades. But penalties, turnovers, just a lack of focus and player leadership cost them games they should have not only won but won decisively. There were a number of players who gave great effort every Saturday but there was an obvious lack of team unity and cohesiveness. We can and have speculated about why the 120 team under performed so dramatically but yes injuries were part of the story but hardly the whole story.
 
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It was a downward spiral starting with the coaching staffs decision to "overlook" Appy State and focus on the VA Tech game in the preseason. Team 120 never seemed focused, disciplined, or ready to play come kickoff. The injuries compounded these problems. The most disappointing thing for me was you could see the potential that was never fully realized. When they did want to play they were dominating. The second half of the Florida game was as good a performance as I have seen a Tennessee team put on in decades. But penalties, turnovers, just a lack of focus and player leadership cost them games they should have not only won but won decisively. There were a number of players who gave great effort every Saturday but there was an obvious lack of team unity and cohesiveness. We can and have speculated about why the 120 team under performed so dramatically but yes injuries were part of the story but hardly the whole story.

Excellent summation of 2016. Now the question is can Jones right the ship - so to speak - and get the most out of his assembled talent.
 
It was a downward spiral starting with the coaching staffs decision to "overlook" Appy State and focus on the VA Tech game in the preseason. Team 120 never seemed focused, disciplined, or ready to play come kickoff. The injuries compounded these problems. The most disappointing thing for me was you could see the potential that was never fully realized. When they did want to play they were dominating. The second half of the Florida game was as good a performance as I have seen a Tennessee team put on in decades. But penalties, turnovers, just a lack of focus and player leadership cost them games they should have not only won but won decisively. There were a number of players who gave great effort every Saturday but there was an obvious lack of team unity and cohesiveness. We can and have speculated about why the 120 team under performed so dramatically but yes injuries were part of the story but hardly the whole story.
You and JP both make good points.
 
It was a downward spiral starting with the coaching staffs decision to "overlook" Appy State and focus on the VA Tech game in the preseason. Team 120 never seemed focused, disciplined, or ready to play come kickoff. The injuries compounded these problems. The most disappointing thing for me was you could see the potential that was never fully realized. When they did want to play they were dominating. The second half of the Florida game was as good a performance as I have seen a Tennessee team put on in decades. But penalties, turnovers, just a lack of focus and player leadership cost them games they should have not only won but won decisively. There were a number of players who gave great effort every Saturday but there was an obvious lack of team unity and cohesiveness. We can and have speculated about why the 120 team under performed so dramatically but yes injuries were part of the story but hardly the whole story.

This adds up with a lot of the things I was hearing going all way back to Sept.
 
I'll tell you one thing, Kirby Smart is going to feel the heat if UGA doesn't win more games. Everybody is giving him the year 0 benefit of the doubt for last season, but how quickly that wanes when the expectations nationally are so high and you fail to deliver. When we stomp them properly this year there will mumblings of hot seats in GA instead of TN.
 
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