Let's be honest

[PelhamUT]

I don't want a "yes" man. I don't want a coach that gives "warm fuzzies" and attempts to show how the glass is half full. I don't want a coach that presents himself in a certain way just to please the easily offended. We need a coach to tell us like it is. A coach who is sick of losing and is not afraid to show it. A coach who won't stand for mediocrity in either practice or games. An elite recruiter that will build our recruits strength, improve their knowledge and natural ability, and keeps the intensity and aggression for 60 minutes. For those that find our current coach unlikeable, short of words, not fulfilling their particular needs by fitting into their idea of "a real coach", go ahead and find fault in our coach as it's the way most do when they don't have anything to offer except selfish negativity. I like CP, I believe in CP, and will one day celebrate with CP when he succeeds in pulling us out of the mess that the glass half full, spouting warm fuzzies that a car salesman; a lawyer; a con artist backed by a billionaire has put us through for so long. When he does then tell me your po'd because he don't do a coaches show.

 

[UTK]

You’re worrying about things that simply don’t matter. As long as he isn’t a scumbag or a terrible guy, I don’t care what his personality is. Like you said, wins and losses are all that matter. We will see. I will say, if you heard his pregame speech against Kentucky..he’s nothing like his public persona. He’s passionate and speaks with intensity. Pass players rave about him. He just hates the media side of the job and puts on a generic face tbh. Plus, this season has ate at him, he can’t stand losing.

 

[VOLnMiami]

I think and know Fulmer went out looking for a clone of himself...Sad to say that type of coach doesn't do too well in todays game...I won't lie, I hate the offense...Too old and boring and low scoring and will never be anything more than that...No imagination at all...I think it was a knee jerk hire...Fulmer went out and got himself a good ole southern guy and pretty much wants him to play HIS style of playing and that is what we are getting with Pruitt...I guess time will tell as I am not going to make judgements on him after one season as he hasn't gotten anything to work with but from what I've seen so far I am not a big fan...I guess time will tell.

 

[MemphisVol77]

I don't dislike him.

His grammer annoyed me at first but doesn't bother me now.

As long as he wins 9 games by 2019 with notably upgraded talent going into 2020 he'll be Aaiigghhttt in my book.

 

[OneVolNation]

The man came in and took control of a team that was winless in the SEC last season and already knocked off two ranked teams with the same squad. He's had decent recruiting, he has the vision of building a team that will compete for National Championships. Rebuilds take more than one season. I like him just fine and apparently so do recruits. Whatever doubts fans may have had, let's give him the opportunity to build. It would be disingenuous to say let's be honest in a thread and then make a premature judgment on someone who hasn't had an honest chance to finish what he's working on for us.

I love the fire that I see when the team is getting after it. The Auburn and Kentucky games were complete "Team Wins" and everything was working. I think he puts all of his heart, mind, soul, strength, energy, effort, passion, and time into his work and it is showing results with those conference wins against ranked teams as recent examples. He's going to be here anyway, so we have two ways to look at it which are either look for reasons not to like him which I don't think is the right way or we can make the best of what we have and do all we can with all we got. If we do that, we're doing our part as fans.

Listen. We couldn't start some negative campaign against him and then act like it's his fault if that kind of cancer started to infect the program. If on the other hand we can starve out that kind of attitude, then it has nothing to feed on and we can enjoy the healthy turnaround of the program that Coach Fulmer has made possible for us with Coach Pruitt and enjoy celebrating more results like Tennessee's victories over ranked Auburn and Kentucky teams. Yeah, it sucks that we got demolished by Missouri and I'll be honest and say I'd be disappointed if we don't find a way to beat Vanderbilt Saturday. He's shown us a glimpse of the promised land with the two upsets, but it will take time before we see that be consistent for a whole season once we get a couple of seasons of recruiting his players for his system and a couple of seasons of the team playing in the system.

 

[AshG]

We don't deserve the coach we want. Post after post after negative, mind-numbing post on here proves that our most engaged fans (determined by amount and intensity of social media participation) are largely fickle and entitled.

I'm not saying that we deserve 0-11 and to be coached by Greg Schiano. Not by any stretch of the imagination is that what I'm implying. History and tradition only go so far in bringing interest to professionals. Kiffin, Dooley, and Jones turned that history and tradition into a wall-hanging in a trophy room. Rebuilding a program such as ours requires and individual who understands winning, is rooted in fundamentals, and gets the fact that history and tradition are paid for with blood and sweat over the course of time. He's not wasting his time jumping around with his shirt off yelling odd mottos; he's not likening our program to historical figures; he's not building a house out of sticks and putting a facade of paper bricks on it.

Players have said that he has had to teach them how to practice. If you watch video from the beginning of the year to now, you will see a progression of fundamentals that are still being absorbed and implemented in place of the sloppy work that was there before.

I'm sorry if watching CJP suffer through sharing a room with Kessling makes you feel down about our hire. That says more about you than him. If you need someone to blow smoke up your backside and make you want to run through a wall every time they're on TV, you either need therapy or medication (or both).

Fundamentals come first. Everything else will follow.

 

[Alto1]

I don't want a "yes" man. I don't want a coach that gives "warm fuzzies" and attempts to show how the glass is half full. I don't want a coach that presents himself in a certain way just to please the easily offended. We need a coach to tell us like it is. A coach who is sick of losing and is not afraid to show it. A coach who won't stand for mediocrity in either practice or games. An elite recruiter that will build our recruits strength, improve their knowledge and natural ability, and keeps the intensity and aggression for 60 minutes. For those that find our current coach unlikeable, short of words, not fulfilling their particular needs by fitting into their idea of "a real coach", go ahead and find fault in our coach as it's the way most do when they don't have anything to offer except selfish negativity. I like CP, I believe in CP, and will one day celebrate with CP when he succeeds in pulling us out of the mess that the glass half full, spouting warm fuzzies that a car salesman; a lawyer; a con artist backed by a billionaire has put us through for so long. When he does then tell me your po'd because he don't do a coaches show.

You’re worrying about things that simply don’t matter. As long as he isn’t a scumbag or a terrible guy, I don’t care what his personality is. Like you said, wins and losses are all that matter. We will see. I will say, if you heard his pregame speech against Kentucky..he’s nothing like his public persona. He’s passionate and speaks with intensity. Pass players rave about him. He just hates the media side of the job and puts on a generic face tbh. Plus, this season has ate at him, he can’t stand losing.

Both of these post are well stated and I couldn’t agree more..............

Good job!

 

[Alto1]

The man came in and took control of a team that was winless in the SEC last season and already knocked off two ranked teams with the same squad. He's had decent recruiting, he has the vision of building a team that will compete for National Championships. Rebuilds take more than one season. I like him just fine and apparently so do recruits. Whatever doubts fans may have had, let's give him the opportunity to build. It would be disingenuous to say let's be honest in a thread and then make a premature judgment on someone who hasn't had an honest chance to finish what he's working on for us.

I love the fire that I see when the team is getting after it. The Auburn and Kentucky games were complete "Team Wins" and everything was working. I think he puts all of his heart, mind, soul, strength, energy, effort, passion, and time into his work and it is showing results with those conference wins against ranked teams as recent examples. He's going to be here anyway, so we have two ways to look at it which are either look for reasons not to like him which I don't think is the right way or we can make the best of what we have and do all we can with all we got. If we do that, we're doing our part as fans.

Listen. We couldn't start some negative campaign against him and then act like it's his fault if that kind of cancer started to infect the program. If on the other hand we can starve out that kind of attitude, then it has nothing to feed on and we can enjoy the healthy turnaround of the program that Coach Fulmer has made possible for us with Coach Pruitt and enjoy celebrating more results like Tennessee's victories over ranked Auburn and Kentucky teams. Yeah, it sucks that we got demolished by Missouri and I'll be honest and say I'd be disappointed if we don't find a way to beat Vanderbilt Saturday. He's shown us a glimpse of the promised land with the two upsets, but it will take time before we see that be consistent for a whole season once we get a couple of seasons of recruiting his players for his system and a couple of seasons of the team playing in the system.

We don't deserve the coach we want. Post after post after negative, mind-numbing post on here proves that our most engaged fans (determined by amount and intensity of social media participation) are largely fickle and entitled.

I'm not saying that we deserve 0-11 and to be coached by Greg Schiano. Not by any stretch of the imagination is that what I'm implying. History and tradition only go so far in bringing interest to professionals. Kiffin, Dooley, and Jones turned that history and tradition into a wall-hanging in a trophy room. Rebuilding a program such as ours requires and individual who understands winning, is rooted in fundamentals, and gets the fact that history and tradition are paid for with blood and sweat over the course of time. He's not wasting his time jumping around with his shirt off yelling odd mottos; he's not likening our program to historical figures; he's not building a house out of sticks and putting a facade of paper bricks on it.

Players have said that he has had to teach them how to practice. If you watch video from the beginning of the year to now, you will see a progression of fundamentals that are still being absorbed and implemented in place of the sloppy work that was there before.

I'm sorry if watching CJP suffer through sharing a room with Kessling makes you feel down about our hire. That says more about you than him. If you need someone to blow smoke up your backside and make you want to run through a wall every time they're on TV, you either need therapy or medication (or both).

Fundamentals come first. Everything else will follow.

And yet, two more excellent post!

I whole heartedly agree with these as well.

 

[peddi631]

Just another stupid thread full of emotion. I THINK Coach Fulmer made a good hire and I plan to give him the time he needs to rebuild this mess.

 

[Evergrenevol]

I know a lot of you are internet tough guys and actual conversation is far less likely than getting flamed. I don't hold it against you, it's just the East Tennessean fighter blood that flows through your veins. And no, this isn't a "knee jerk" reaction after a loss thread. This is a legitimate question/concern/conversation/get the gears in your head turning thread.

Do any of you guys actually like our coach? I know winning cures all. But I mean do you actually like the dude? Dig deep. Actually think about the question. Are you proud to call Jeremy Pruitt the coach of our beloved Vols? Or did Fulmer and our university totally just whiff the hell out of this thing the way they always do?

It would be fair to wait until the end of the season to judge, and even then seems a bit premature. But I'm not necessarily talking about his win/loss record. I'm talking about him as a representative of our program. Forget the 5-6 start. I can look beyond that.

Most of you are going to throw hateful things in my direction and tell me to go back to my momma's basement, but some numbers tell me that others may feel the same.

2009, Lane Kiffin's first and only season. 7-6 record. We averaged 100,000 fans in the seats.

2010, Dools first season. 6-7 record. We averaged 100,000.

2013, Butch Jones first season. 5-7 record. We averaged 96,000.

2016, Butch Jones best season. 9-4 record. 101,000 average attendance.

2018, Jeremy Pruitt's first season. 5-6 record. 92,869 average attendance. 3 games didn't even hit 90k.

There should be a spike in enthusiasm for a coach's first season, so why such a large drop in attendance? Lane obviously got fans excited. I remember it vividly. He was the first coaching change I had experienced and it was a feeling of new blood and a new era. Dooley received far less enthusiasm from the fans, but it was expected given the sudden and strange departure of Kiffin. Butch came in and really had the fan support. He said all the right things, knocked recruiting out of the park, beat Steve Spurrier in his first season. Hell, he crushed it.

Pruitt. It irked the hell out of me the way he answered Bob's question in the 2nd episode of The JP Show regarding running through the T for the first time. I stated that it bothered me right after it happened in the JP Show thread and caught some heat for it. Guess what? It still bothers me. Even more so now that we're 5-6. "It was uhhh....different", was the line. Mind you, this episode was following a win. It wasn't after getting straight whipped by West Virginia. No. It was after beating lowly ETSU, Pruitt's first win as the Tennessee head coach. His attitude sucks, and it's not good for business.

Do I like Pruitt more than Schiano? You're damn right I do. Do I like him more than Mike Leach? Not even close. Les Miles? Nope. Dan Mullen? Hard to say. Butch Jones? I don't think so. Dooley? I'm not sure.

Win, and of course, I'll shut up. But Coach Pruitt, you're making $4,000,000 a year to coach football. Ideally, you're supposed to win the games. If you don't, however, at least give us the impression that you're a good dude and that you're happy to be in Knoxville. Because at the end of the day, you're still going to be rich, and we're still going to be sitting on cold, hard, metal bleachers hoping that things change.

I'll go on record right now and say I have doubts that this experiment is going to work out. I think Mike Leach, Les Miles, or Dan Mullen would have been a better choice. And I'm not saying fire the guy. That's not going to accomplish anything. But win or lose, I don't really like this dude, and I'm feeling super disconnected from Tennessee football because of it.

Flame away.

Yeah, I like him because he’s a straight shooter, he’s a good teacher, and he does know football. With that said, there are things that concern me. For the first time in over 50 years, I saw a Tennessee team come out unprepared when they played West Virginia. Lazy English was cute at first...it’s getting old..

The team’s won a couple of big games that surprised me, so there is hope! I have to remember that Pruitt’s a first time head coach who’s learning on the fly.

I’m not sure his Gipper speeches are his forté just yet.. Motivational speaking 101 dictates that you NEVER include “OK?” or “Aight?” in between statements in your speech. It makes you sound like your asking for your audience’s approval. The team certainly doesn’t come out of the tunnel on fire....I clearly remember that our teams would mirror our coaches’ enthusiasm and fire.

Is the roster he inherited stocked with top 20 talent? I see the youngsters learning how to play football. Many of us have lived through some of the best and worst of UT times....All we can do is hang in there and keep supporting Pruitt and the VOLS!

 

[guido4198]

Do I "like him"...???
No, not really.
I don't like his dour attitude...even after the great Kentucky win.
I don't like the way he disrespects his players.
I don't even like the way he dresses. What the h*ll is that MU-MU thing he wears all the time..??
I'm not good enough to parse out his coaching decisions but it does strike me as "odd" that a coach who freely acknowledges the poor quality of his players keeps trying something as difficult to properly execute as the onside kick, which doesn't work because the players he keeps telling us (and them btw) aren't good enough to play on his ideal team aren't executing.
But that doesn't really matter does it..??
I would really like to see this be the first year of the "Pruitt Era". One that goes on for a decade and more. A return to Big Orange Football being consistently in the top 10 and a MAJOR bowl game every year. I'd like to see the UT-Bama game return to being a hard fought competitive matchup every year.
If Jeremy Pruitt can make it happen...it won't matter if I like him or not. Come to think of it...it doesn't matter now either, but you asked.
Go Vols...!!!!

 

[Evergrenevol]

But you have to wonder if some recruits are feeling the same way as I am. It’s easy to have that attitude and get them to Bama. It seems extremely difficult to have that attitude and get them to Knoxville. If I were a parent and my kid had offers from Kirby, Saban, Mullen, etc....I don’t see how Pruitt competes with them.

Actually, he was voted “National Recruiter of the Year” In 2012. By most accounts, players and recruits like him.

 

[SmokeyLives]

Wow, after the Auburn game lots of folks said “Pruitt’s the man.” After Charlotte, peeps were saying he’s not the man. After Kentucky, folks were calling him SEC Coach of the year. Now, after Missouri boat raced us in our beloved Neyland, the guy’s a whiff?

He’s a hard nosed football coach who wants to recruit well and coach ‘em up to win. The opposite of the previous carnival barker. If he’s successful at ‘cruitin, he’ll have Tennessee winning and probably will still think running through the T is different. But after he gets all this Tennessee love, hopefully he’ll come around on the traditions. Like him or not, we gotta roll with him.

Aight?

 

[HoptownVol]

Oh gheez, this again?

 

[volgrad500]

Actually, he’s been voted “National recruiter of the Year.” By all accounts, players and recruits love him.

To be fair, Larry Porter was also named recruiter of the year (I think twice, even).

 

[LMU-Law UT-Love]

Just beat Vandy

 

[LosingFaithVol]

He 's at the point where he is hoping to put together one decent season and move on to another job with less expectations. Really don't think he likes the fans or university very much.

 

[ThreatLevelOrange]

I know a lot of you are internet tough guys and actual conversation is far less likely than getting flamed. I don't hold it against you, it's just the East Tennessean fighter blood that flows through your veins. And no, this isn't a "knee jerk" reaction after a loss thread. This is a legitimate question/concern/conversation/get the gears in your head turning thread.

Do any of you guys actually like our coach? I know winning cures all. But I mean do you actually like the dude? Dig deep. Actually think about the question. Are you proud to call Jeremy Pruitt the coach of our beloved Vols? Or did Fulmer and our university totally just whiff the hell out of this thing the way they always do?

It would be fair to wait until the end of the season to judge, and even then seems a bit premature. But I'm not necessarily talking about his win/loss record. I'm talking about him as a representative of our program. Forget the 5-6 start. I can look beyond that.

Most of you are going to throw hateful things in my direction and tell me to go back to my momma's basement, but some numbers tell me that others may feel the same.

2009, Lane Kiffin's first and only season. 7-6 record. We averaged 100,000 fans in the seats.

2010, Dools first season. 6-7 record. We averaged 100,000.

2013, Butch Jones first season. 5-7 record. We averaged 96,000.

2016, Butch Jones best season. 9-4 record. 101,000 average attendance.

2018, Jeremy Pruitt's first season. 5-6 record. 92,869 average attendance. 3 games didn't even hit 90k.

There should be a spike in enthusiasm for a coach's first season, so why such a large drop in attendance? Lane obviously got fans excited. I remember it vividly. He was the first coaching change I had experienced and it was a feeling of new blood and a new era. Dooley received far less enthusiasm from the fans, but it was expected given the sudden and strange departure of Kiffin. Butch came in and really had the fan support. He said all the right things, knocked recruiting out of the park, beat Steve Spurrier in his first season. Hell, he crushed it.

Pruitt. It irked the hell out of me the way he answered Bob's question in the 2nd episode of The JP Show regarding running through the T for the first time. I stated that it bothered me right after it happened in the JP Show thread and caught some heat for it. Guess what? It still bothers me. Even more so now that we're 5-6. "It was uhhh....different", was the line. Mind you, this episode was following a win. It wasn't after getting straight whipped by West Virginia. No. It was after beating lowly ETSU, Pruitt's first win as the Tennessee head coach. His attitude sucks, and it's not good for business.

Do I like Pruitt more than Schiano? You're damn right I do. Do I like him more than Mike Leach? Not even close. Les Miles? Nope. Dan Mullen? Hard to say. Butch Jones? I don't think so. Dooley? I'm not sure.

Win, and of course, I'll shut up. But Coach Pruitt, you're making $4,000,000 a year to coach football. Ideally, you're supposed to win the games. If you don't, however, at least give us the impression that you're a good dude and that you're happy to be in Knoxville. Because at the end of the day, you're still going to be rich, and we're still going to be sitting on cold, hard, metal bleachers hoping that things change.

I'll go on record right now and say I have doubts that this experiment is going to work out. I think Mike Leach, Les Miles, or Dan Mullen would have been a better choice. And I'm not saying fire the guy. That's not going to accomplish anything. But win or lose, I don't really like this dude, and I'm feeling super disconnected from Tennessee football because of it.

Flame away.

Much like others have responded, our enthusiasm and attendance has more to do with a 10 year stretch of failure on many fronts. This isn’t Fla coming off one 4 win season. It’s the annual parade of losing to good teams by 30-40 points. It’s the new tradition of losing to Vandy. We have a long way to go.

With that said, we completely blew the hiring process and Pruitt had many of the qualities needed. Media savvy and BS skills are not among them. Butch was over his head and crafted a veneer which masked a program falling apart. But 4-8 (0-8) overrides any relationship he had with the media or press; he had to go.

Pruitt is surly, petty, and very demanding. In short, he can be a real jerk sometimes. Saban gets away with it, but Brett Bielema didn’t. If he wins, it will be overlooked. If he doesn’t, you’ll hear more of this scuttlebutt and his support will erode.

 

[GetEmVols]

I know a lot of you are internet tough guys and actual conversation is far less likely than getting flamed. I don't hold it against you, it's just the East Tennessean fighter blood that flows through your veins. And no, this isn't a "knee jerk" reaction after a loss thread. This is a legitimate question/concern/conversation/get the gears in your head turning thread.

Do any of you guys actually like our coach? I know winning cures all. But I mean do you actually like the dude? Dig deep. Actually think about the question. Are you proud to call Jeremy Pruitt the coach of our beloved Vols? Or did Fulmer and our university totally just whiff the hell out of this thing the way they always do?

It would be fair to wait until the end of the season to judge, and even then seems a bit premature. But I'm not necessarily talking about his win/loss record. I'm talking about him as a representative of our program. Forget the 5-6 start. I can look beyond that.

Most of you are going to throw hateful things in my direction and tell me to go back to my momma's basement, but some numbers tell me that others may feel the same.

2009, Lane Kiffin's first and only season. 7-6 record. We averaged 100,000 fans in the seats.

2010, Dools first season. 6-7 record. We averaged 100,000.

2013, Butch Jones first season. 5-7 record. We averaged 96,000.

2016, Butch Jones best season. 9-4 record. 101,000 average attendance.

2018, Jeremy Pruitt's first season. 5-6 record. 92,869 average attendance. 3 games didn't even hit 90k.

There should be a spike in enthusiasm for a coach's first season, so why such a large drop in attendance? Lane obviously got fans excited. I remember it vividly. He was the first coaching change I had experienced and it was a feeling of new blood and a new era. Dooley received far less enthusiasm from the fans, but it was expected given the sudden and strange departure of Kiffin. Butch came in and really had the fan support. He said all the right things, knocked recruiting out of the park, beat Steve Spurrier in his first season. Hell, he crushed it.

Pruitt. It irked the hell out of me the way he answered Bob's question in the 2nd episode of The JP Show regarding running through the T for the first time. I stated that it bothered me right after it happened in the JP Show thread and caught some heat for it. Guess what? It still bothers me. Even more so now that we're 5-6. "It was uhhh....different", was the line. Mind you, this episode was following a win. It wasn't after getting straight whipped by West Virginia. No. It was after beating lowly ETSU, Pruitt's first win as the Tennessee head coach. His attitude sucks, and it's not good for business.

Do I like Pruitt more than Schiano? You're damn right I do. Do I like him more than Mike Leach? Not even close. Les Miles? Nope. Dan Mullen? Hard to say. Butch Jones? I don't think so. Dooley? I'm not sure.

Win, and of course, I'll shut up. But Coach Pruitt, you're making $4,000,000 a year to coach football. Ideally, you're supposed to win the games. If you don't, however, at least give us the impression that you're a good dude and that you're happy to be in Knoxville. Because at the end of the day, you're still going to be rich, and we're still going to be sitting on cold, hard, metal bleachers hoping that things change.

I'll go on record right now and say I have doubts that this experiment is going to work out. I think Mike Leach, Les Miles, or Dan Mullen would have been a better choice. And I'm not saying fire the guy. That's not going to accomplish anything. But win or lose, I don't really like this dude, and I'm feeling super disconnected from Tennessee football because of it.

Flame away.

He’s a football guy and I like him more than Butch and Dooley. We will see what he produces in 4 years. You will be missed though.

 

[CINCYVOL]

I know a lot of you are internet tough guys and actual conversation is far less likely than getting flamed. I don't hold it against you, it's just the East Tennessean fighter blood that flows through your veins. And no, this isn't a "knee jerk" reaction after a loss thread. This is a legitimate question/concern/conversation/get the gears in your head turning thread.

Do any of you guys actually like our coach? I know winning cures all. But I mean do you actually like the dude? Dig deep. Actually think about the question. Are you proud to call Jeremy Pruitt the coach of our beloved Vols? Or did Fulmer and our university totally just whiff the hell out of this thing the way they always do?

It would be fair to wait until the end of the season to judge, and even then seems a bit premature. But I'm not necessarily talking about his win/loss record. I'm talking about him as a representative of our program. Forget the 5-6 start. I can look beyond that.

Most of you are going to throw hateful things in my direction and tell me to go back to my momma's basement, but some numbers tell me that others may feel the same.

2009, Lane Kiffin's first and only season. 7-6 record. We averaged 100,000 fans in the seats.

2010, Dools first season. 6-7 record. We averaged 100,000.

2013, Butch Jones first season. 5-7 record. We averaged 96,000.

2016, Butch Jones best season. 9-4 record. 101,000 average attendance.

2018, Jeremy Pruitt's first season. 5-6 record. 92,869 average attendance. 3 games didn't even hit 90k.

There should be a spike in enthusiasm for a coach's first season, so why such a large drop in attendance? Lane obviously got fans excited. I remember it vividly. He was the first coaching change I had experienced and it was a feeling of new blood and a new era. Dooley received far less enthusiasm from the fans, but it was expected given the sudden and strange departure of Kiffin. Butch came in and really had the fan support. He said all the right things, knocked recruiting out of the park, beat Steve Spurrier in his first season. Hell, he crushed it.

Pruitt. It irked the hell out of me the way he answered Bob's question in the 2nd episode of The JP Show regarding running through the T for the first time. I stated that it bothered me right after it happened in the JP Show thread and caught some heat for it. Guess what? It still bothers me. Even more so now that we're 5-6. "It was uhhh....different", was the line. Mind you, this episode was following a win. It wasn't after getting straight whipped by West Virginia. No. It was after beating lowly ETSU, Pruitt's first win as the Tennessee head coach. His attitude sucks, and it's not good for business.

Do I like Pruitt more than Schiano? You're damn right I do. Do I like him more than Mike Leach? Not even close. Les Miles? Nope. Dan Mullen? Hard to say. Butch Jones? I don't think so. Dooley? I'm not sure.

Win, and of course, I'll shut up. But Coach Pruitt, you're making $4,000,000 a year to coach football. Ideally, you're supposed to win the games. If you don't, however, at least give us the impression that you're a good dude and that you're happy to be in Knoxville. Because at the end of the day, you're still going to be rich, and we're still going to be sitting on cold, hard, metal bleachers hoping that things change.

I'll go on record right now and say I have doubts that this experiment is going to work out. I think Mike Leach, Les Miles, or Dan Mullen would have been a better choice. And I'm not saying fire the guy. That's not going to accomplish anything. But win or lose, I don't really like this dude, and I'm feeling super disconnected from Tennessee football because of it.

Flame away.

I like our current coach, I trust Fulmer. We have to give the man some time and that is the rub. We have been down so long and have been riding this hamster wheel of perpetual rebuilding, but I do believe our current coach knows what it takes to win, and will do so.

 

[overseasorange2]

Two words - "Playing Time". By openly stating we dont have the horses to do the job now, he is setting the expectations for those young bucks who come in =- and lets them know if they are as hot as they think they are, they will jump over others in line.

But if the players think they are that good, then they will have the thought that they will get playing time at any school they choose. It still amazes me the Trevor Lawrence and Justin Feilds both picked schools that were pretty much set with QB's. Turns out they were correct.

 

[JobuVol]

I think CJP is fine. Football attendance is a bad barometer to judge a coaches popularity IMO. A couple of posters have noted that it's a national trend. Plus, for me it's just too damn expensive to go to a game anymore. I have a family of 4. If I want to go to a game vs. a team not named UTEP it costs me $400 in tickets. I'd love to go, just can't afford it. I imagine others are in the same boat. Just my $0.02.

 

[Vfl2407]

I've taken numerous folks into Neyland Stadium to watch a game. And I've always hoped that they felt what I felt when the T opened up and the team ran through it. I really find it to be one of the most spectacular elements in all of college football. And to describe it as "uhhh....it's different" is a total slap in the face to the fans, our state, our history, and our tradition.

A lot of people here want to compare Pruitt to Saban. The difference is Saban is actually a funny guy. Sure, he's an ass sometimes, but he's got how many trophies? I find the comparison to be wishful thinking.

Don’t expect Pruitt to ever care about traditional things or rah rah stuff.
The T, Vol Walk, Vol Navy. - he could care less.
He is a good ole southern boy football coach....period.
I think, money aside, he’d be just as happy coaching in an empty stadium with no fans.

 

[The Original Fade]

I like Pruitt a lot. I would rather have his honesty, no matter how it’s delivered, any day of the week. The previous 3 coaches made a habit of peeing on your leg and telling you it’s raining.

 

[VolRoger]

I'll go on record right now and say I have doubts that this experiment is going to work out. I think Mike Leach, Les Miles, or Dan Mullen would have been a better choice. And I'm not saying fire the guy. That's not going to accomplish anything. But win or lose, I don't really like this dude, and I'm feeling super disconnected from Tennessee football because of it.

Flame away.

No flaming you personally. Not my style. Here's my response to your stadium attendance decline.

1. No SEC title since 1998. That's 20 years.
2. No division title since 2007. That's 11 years.
3. 12 year losing streak to Bammer.
4. Lost 13 of 14 to Florida. Several of those have been against really bad Gator teams.
5. Last time we beat our 3 big rivals in the same season was 2004.
6. People in general are less inclined to pay ungodly prices to show up in cold stadiums and sit in bleachers when they can watch at home. This is happening at all spectator sports venues.

To blame declining attendance on our current coach is nonsensical.