Let's have a realistic approach...

[Carl Pickens]

Realism? In a football forum? In a TENNESSEE football forum? That's almost an insult.

Finding realism in the football forum would be like finding Sasquatch’s hideout

 

[JoAllan]

They must enjoy getting blown out by double digits

Someone can teach the ignorant.......there’s no helping the stupid.

 

[FortPayneVol]

I believe the OP's opening statement is probably correct. This is Tennessee football after all. We have a reputation to protect.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

It’s not so much a reasoning as it will be the excuse they give. As for “credible sources”, everyone behind a computer who wants to in a logical, educational way can claim they have credible sources. You don’t know who is or isn’t—most likely the latter—someone in the know unless they actually prove it. You’re right, if enough boosters come and say “how much to let him go?” Then Fulmer won’t make the call. But that’s not going to happen because that’s not how we run football in this town. Perhaps your naivety is getting the best of you?

The Covid narrative was a good one two months ago. It is not after Muschamp and Gus were fired. The Covid excuse will not be given as the reason Pruitt is retained one more year because he will be gone soon. Plus are you oblivious to the breaking news yesterday with confirmation of investigations into possible NCAA compliance violations? There is even some chance that Pruitt could be let go for “cause” which would eliminate his buyout. The one source here providing some information regarding the thought processes behind the scenes has been reliable for years plus there are other credible sources here who have been very reliable with the information they provide. It is in your best interests to find out who they are because it will be a good reference point for you when posting your opinions on VN. They are not “just somebody behind a computer”.

 

[lewis co vol]

Tennessee has made two glaring mistakes in the last coaching search .we hired an athletic director with no athletic director experience. Then he hired a head football coach with no head coaching experience then gave said coach a raise and extension before the first game was played this season. I have no faith that this mess will get straightened out I see it only getting worse.

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

The Covid narrative was a good one two months ago. It is not after Muschamp and Gus were fired. The Covid excuse will not be given as the reason Pruitt is retained one more year because he will be gone soon. Plus are you oblivious to the breaking news yesterday with confirmation of investigations into possible NCAA compliance violations? The one source here providing some information regarding the thought processes behind the scenes has been reliable for years plus there are other credible sources here who have been very reliable with the information they provide. It is your best interests to find out who they are because it will be a good reference point for you when posting your opinions on VN. They are not “just somebody behind a computer”.

Again though, as credible as they may be, it doesn’t fit the mold of TN administration as of late. You don’t have to be an insider to grasp how incompetent they are. He isn’t being fired. Regardless of how much we all want him gone and unpopular he is, he’s here until some point in 2021.

 

[VOL_Lyfe]

let's have a realistic approach

wrong forum, wrong AD, wrong school

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Again though, as credible as they may be, it doesn’t fit the mold of TN administration as of late. You don’t have to be an insider to grasp how incompetent they are. He isn’t being fired. Regardless of how much we all want him gone and unpopular he is, he’s here until some point in 2021.

You sure about that? Are you a booster or University of UT employee or board member? Look at my last post again. It’s been edited about a possibility Pruitt could be let go for “cause” and the buyout eliminated.

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

You sure about that? Are you a booster or University of UT employee or board member? Look at my last post again. It’s been edited about a possibility Pruitt could be let go for “cause” and the buyout eliminated.

I see you’re from Abingdon. I’m from Bristol. So I tell you what, let’s make a bet here. If Pruitt is out by the end of January, I will happily send you a case of whatever local beer you like (Wolf Hills, State Street Brewing, Damascus, etc.). But as far as I’m concerned, it’s not going to happen. This whole “fired for cause” is wishful thinking on all our ends. My sad but true prediction: this investigation turns out to be nothing and we self impose a couple scholarship reductions.

 

[AshG]

Finding realism in the football forum would be like finding Sasquatch’s hideout

My address is....

Kidding. I'm not Sasquatch, just Bigfoot. Takes two feet to be Sasquatch.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

I see you’re from Abingdon. I’m from Bristol. So I tell you what, let’s make a bet here. If Pruitt is out by the end of January, I will happily send you a case of whatever local beer you like (Wolf Hills, State Street Brewing, Damascus, etc.). But as far as I’m concerned, it’s not going to happen. This whole “fired for cause” is wishful thinking on all our ends. My sad but true prediction: this investigation turns out to be nothing and we self impose a couple scholarship reductions.

I’m not a betting man or a drinker. I’m not in this to win a wager. Gave you what I consider a heads up and counter argument to your post. I had the same opinion as you two months ago and even argued against others here when they said Pruitt should and would be fired this year. The goal posts moved and thus my opinion had to shift. We can offer congrats to each other here on VN when it is apparent that Pruitt will last another year or be fired. Good Luck.

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

I’m not a betting man or a drinker. I’m not in this to win a wager. Gave you what I consider a heads up and counter argument to your post. I had the same opinion as you two months ago and even argued against others here when they said Pruitt should and would be fired this year. The goal posts moved and thus my opinion had to shift. We can offer congrats to each other here on VN when it is apparent that Pruitt will last another year or be fired. Good Luck.

That’s a fair response. On a personal note, and just to clarify, I do believe he SHOULD be fired. However, knowing what I know/have seen about the powers that be at TN, he will not be.

 

[GUNTERSVOL]

Tennessee has made two glaring mistakes in the last coaching search .we hired an athletic director with no athletic director experience. Then he hired a head football coach with no head coaching experience then gave said coach a raise and extension before the first game was played this season. I have no faith that this mess will get straightened out I see it only getting worse.

So, how do Clemson and GA rectify their mistakes this late in the game? What idiot gave Saban his first shot? Go Ck out Dabo’s first few years. GA fared better. It is a crapshoot and some have a longer learning curve. I will live with what our admin decides. Especially one run by a guy who has invested his life to being here and was elected by his peers to be President of their organization.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

That’s a fair response. On a personal note, and just to clarify, I do believe he SHOULD be fired. However, knowing what I know/have seen about the powers that be at TN, he will not be.

Everybody reaches their limits accepting the continued failures of this program. I believe even groups like the boosters and Administration who have made bad decisions in the past can learn from their mistakes and take a different course this time. I hope so anyway.

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

So, how do Clemson and GA rectify their mistakes this late in the game? What idiot gave Saban his first shot? Go Ck out Dabo’s first few years. GA fared better. It is a crapshoot and some have a longer learning curve. I will live with what our admin decides. Especially one run by a guy who has invested his life to being here and was elected by his peers to be President of their organization.

Clemson plays in a weak ACC and UGA has a rich recruiting in their backyard. Neither has been a tradition rich program when compared to ours. Comparing them to us is apples to oranges. We’re not a program where you can come in and learn on the job. That’s what SC, Vandy, UK are meant to be.

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

Everybody reaches their limits accepting the continued failures of this program. I believe even groups like the boosters and Administration who have made bad decisions in the past can learn from there mistakes and take a different course this time. I hope so anyway.

Same here, and I’m sure they will. But it won’t be in 2020.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

That’s a fair response. On a personal note, and just to clarify, I do believe he SHOULD be fired. However, knowing what I know/have seen about the powers that be at TN, he will not be.

One more thing-If Pruitt remains for another year I will have to back way off my emotional attachment to this program and VN. It’s just not healthy for me.
I’ll be a UT fan but it will be way down the list of what’s important in my life.

 

[lewis co vol]

So, how do Clemson and GA rectify their mistakes this late in the game? What idiot gave Saban his first shot? Go Ck out Dabo’s first few years. GA fared better. It is a crapshoot and some have a longer learning curve. I will live with what our admin decides. Especially one run by a guy who has invested his life to being here and was elected by his peers to be President of their organization.

We can't afford anymore learning curves he should not have been made the permanent athlete director.idont care how much he has invested he made a bad hire and a bad business decision when he gave the raise and extension to Pruitt' in a covid year everybody seems to throw around he took a raise himself also didn't he?

 

[Checker_the_Shire]

One more thing-If Pruitt remains for another year I will have to back way off my emotional attachment to this program and VN. It’s just not healthy for me.
I’ll be a UT fan but it will be way down the list of what’s important in my life.

Man I’m right there with you. The apathy for me has already set in. I watched yesterday’s game purely because I wanted to watch the Vols with my little 2 1/2 year old like I did with my dad. But the passion and excitement wasn’t there at all, just the nostalgia of years gone by.

 

[sjt18]

I, like a majority of fans on this site, do not like Pruitt. I haven't been a fan since the day we hired him. I fell for the Grumors, but I also thought they were too good to be true. Love or hate me, I was a Mike Leach fan and was utterly pissed when we pulled the plug. I say all this to say, let's have a realistic approach to the current state of the world and how all this will really unfold.

Pretty much makes the rest of what you wrote very "UN" realistic.

Gruden was never a serious thing. Credit the guy for knowing himself and the kinds of football players he can and wants to lead.

Leach? UT's philosophy of play this year was NOT to run up and down the field and score lots of points. Pruitt is still stuck in the past where you avoid mistakes on O and win with D. Yet handicapped with a bad QB and conservative philosophy... UT's total O was 1 yard less than MSU. Vandy held them to about 200 yds. UT was 12th in scoring... MSU was 13th.

And this is before you consider how the LSU game skewed their overall numbers. He might have "potential"... but it is just as likely that he's gone in 3 years.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Man I’m right there with you. The apathy for me has already set in. I watched yesterday’s game purely because I wanted to watch the Vols with my little 2 1/2 year old like I did with my dad. But the passion and excitement wasn’t there at all, just the nostalgia of years gone by.

Only reason I watched was to see how HB/JT would play and to to get some indication of what we had at Qb next year. Except for one good TD drive from each, I was disappointed. I did not see a significant upgrade from JG.

 

[sjt18]

So, how do Clemson and GA rectify their mistakes this late in the game?

What mistakes are you referring to? Clemson hired, and fired, a Bowden with a 62% win rate because that wasn't good enough. Dabo was under pressure for having one bad season within his first 3... not 3 within his first 3.

I LOVED UGA's stupidity for years... unfortunately UT didn't take advantage. They accepted the perennial bride's maid Richt for YEARS after it was obvious that he wasn't going to compete at the top no matter how much talent he pulled in from one of the best recruiting situations in the country. I'm not a fan of Smart. I'm not convinced they haven't done the same thing again.... and UT still isn't taking advantage. But you seem just fine with that.

What idiot gave Saban his first shot?

Saban almost didn't happen. Going into his last year at Mich St he was on a hot seat. He had one good season then leveraged it to get the LSU job.

Go Ck out Dabo’s first few years.

4-3 as an interim dealing with the wake of Bowden being fired... 9-5 with a division title... 6-7... 10-4 with a conference championship.... I'd take that.

It is VERY relevant that Clemson fans were split on Dabo after the 6-7 season and ESPECIALLY after they lost their bowl vs USF. He was DEFINITELY on a hot seat with a 19-15 record at that point. They got what they got BECAUSE THEY DID NOT LOWER THEIR STANDARD LIKE YOU WANT UT TO DO.

It is a crapshoot and some have a longer learning curve.

It is a risk and you can NEVER afford a "longer learning curve" in this era of sports media and recruiting. You need talent and you can't get it if you don't perform.

I will live with what our admin decides. Especially one run by a guy who has invested his life to being here and was elected by his peers to be President of their organization.

I like Fulmer. I hope he makes the right choices. Those running the AD behind the scenes have done nothing over the last 20 years to earn the kind of blind faith you're giving.

 

[sjt18]

Only reason I watched was to see how HB/JT would play and to to get some indication of what we had at Qb next year. Except for one good TD drive from each, I was disappointed. I did not see a significant upgrade from JG.

Really? I did.... when I put it in perspective of where they are in their learning curve- especially HB. If JG had played, you would have seen the same or worse from a 5th year player. I don't mind the mistakes that come with effort and learning. That's how they get better. I'm not encouraged by the prospects of Pruitt returning. I do think UT has talent at the QB position.

 

[hUTch2002]

If you’re going to keep Pruitt through November of 2021, you might as well shut Neyland Stadium down and turn it into another Basketball Arena.

No worries. COVID will take care of the first part of your post. Excuse me, the reaction to COVID will.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Really? I did.... when I put it in perspective of where they are in their learning curve- especially HB. If JG had played, you would have seen the same or worse from a 5th year player. I don't mind the mistakes that come with effort and learning. That's how they get better. I'm not encouraged by the prospects of Pruitt returning. I do think UT has talent at the QB position.

I’m just talking about yesterday which were the first legit defenses both played against this year. The previous reps were against Vandy and mopup time in a couple of other games.

1) HB just has trouble recognizing the internal clock needed in getting the ball out. He had this issue in HS in the videos I watched but I sorta dismissed it because of his rating. Two fumbles yesterday-very JG like. Coaching may help but like JG sometimes you are born with this awareness or you will never develop it regardless of the coaching.

2) JT - great arm , almost too great. As someone here pointed out to me about JT a couple of weeks ago , you don’t have to throw 90 mph on every pass. Can JT be coached to use touch on the routes that need it? I don’t know, he may not have the ability to be accurate trying to finesse the ball when needed. He may never have that ability.