Marvin West on our new staff

[sjt18]

I still think this is a "Moneyball" type of staff. Beyond the resumes, there appears to be a strong alignment of values, how to lead kids, and football philosophy. Hope I'm right...

 

[Dudleys87]

His secondary got torched at UCF too.

So they’ll be no changes from the last staff. Seems to follow Tennessee like a needy ex.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

I'm still trying to decide if Martinez coming back is good or bad. How did Justin Coleman go from burnt toast at UT under Martinez to good/very good starter in the NFL?

I don't remember Justin being "burnt toast."

I mean, his junior and senior seasons were Butch's first two years...we went 5-7 and then 7-6, culminating with a win over Iowa in the Gator Bowl. So neither of those squads was chasing championships--but I don't remember Justin being part of the problem.

Looked up his stats for those two years. In 2013 he recorded 46 tackles, 8 passes defended and an interception returned for a touchdown. Then in 2014 he had four interceptions (4th in SEC).

Was he burnt toast? I absolutely don't remember him being bad at all. I do remember Willie Martinez-coached DBs having trouble getting their heads turned around to find the ball, but don't remember if Justin was among the lads with that shortcoming.

 

[Volanta]

I read the title and thought we hired a coach named Marvin West

I keep thinking Mayor Adam West from family guy

 

[knox73]

Regarding Martinez, he has terrific knowledge of the SEC including his previous time with the Vols. If you read most message boards, fans are typically down on the secondary coaches - the last line of defense takes the hit for other weaknesses. Martinez adds much to the staff overall so I am glad he is back. He seemed to identify some under the radar talent who turned into outstanding SEC defensive backs.

The overall staff to me looks like a great blend of teaching coaches who also can recruit. The offensive scheme and style may sell skill position players while the veterans on defense are strong recruiters in talent rich areas. The squad Pruitt leaves behind is far better than what he inherited and I think he tried to base his old staff on recruiting ability rather than coaching acumen. Pruitt looked ahead to the 2021 season as his time to move the program up but sloppy management in other schools' home bases brought Jeremy down. I expect he will get a decent settlement from UT after a little time passes.

Heupel starts from a decent base of personnel and a favorable schedule. Keep in mind that old man Saban will retire in a few more seasons - Auburn is in a complete rebuild with the Vols hiring their top 2 recruiters - Florida retains its strong recruiting base but with a coach that is thin skinned and could move to the NFL at any time. LSU will fall out with Big Ed and be starting over soon. Kiffin will be looking for another job after Year 3 and just maybe he can con Florida State, Miami or some NFL sugar daddy to give him a big payday.

The Vols are ready to move back to the top ranks of the SEC with Heupel and his gang who have chips on their shoulders and will score and then score some more which will be fun to watch for a change.

 

[JohnWardForever]

Tennessee football staff better than expected - Knox TN Today

Sure is refreshing to read an article by a REAL Sports Journalist. I'll go one more, the Best; Marvin West.

 

[njvols]

I still think this is a "Moneyball" type of staff. Beyond the resumes, there appears to be a strong alignment of values, how to lead kids, and football philosophy. Hope I'm right...

Good analogy. With past two coaches, we've had the self anointed "best staff in america" and one of the "best staffs in america" anointed by VN. What I've come to realize is the singularity of a good resume(s), doesn't really matter if everything's not in concert w/ HC vision (assuming the vision isn't flawed).

 

[sjt18]

Concerning Martinez... he's a position coach who realizes he's a position coach. He has the experience to help you. He can coach technique. But he's not going to be the guy who makes your D a success or failure. He's going to be a solid, steady coach of players. As a recruiter... he helps a bunch.

 

[tennrich1]

CJH put a staff together that helps him to overcome the challenges of the SEC as a first year coach. A defensive staff that has experience in recruiting and gamedays. To me that was a sign that he is willing to put people in a position and let them do their job unlike the last two staffs. Dabo did the same thing at Clemson, surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and go play ball. CJH can focus on offense while knowing the defense is taken care of.

My father-in-law who was a long time Vice President of a major company once told me the biggest mistake people make is hiring people who are less talented and intelligent than they are. He said to ALWAYS hire people for leadership jobs that are smarter and sharper than you and leave them alone. Hopefully, that's what CJH is trying to do. Not suggesting he's not smart etc just he's trying to do what you suggested Dabo does. Why have people under you leading others who couldnt step in and do your job? I guess insecure people couldnt do that but man....give me a subordinate that requires near zero supervision from me any day of the week!

 

[IndianaVol]

My father-in-law who was a long time Vice President of a major company once told me the biggest mistake people make is hiring people who are less talented and intelligent than they are. He said to ALWAYS hire people for leadership jobs that are smarter and sharper than you and leave them alone. Hopefully, that's what CJH is trying to do. Not suggesting he's not smart etc just he's trying to do what you suggested Dabo does. Why have people under you leading others who couldnt step in and do your job? I guess insecure people couldnt do that but man....give me a subordinate that requires near zero supervision from me any day of the week!

Best guy I ever worked for always told us two things - "I have two jobs: one is to give you all the tools and resources you need to do your job. The second is to be the dumbest guy in the room."

 

[Majors]

My father-in-law who was a long time Vice President of a major company once told me the biggest mistake people make is hiring people who are less talented and intelligent than they are. He said to ALWAYS hire people for leadership jobs that are smarter and sharper than you and leave them alone. Hopefully, that's what CJH is trying to do. Not suggesting he's not smart etc just he's trying to do what you suggested Dabo does. Why have people under you leading others who couldnt step in and do your job? I guess insecure people couldnt do that but man....give me a subordinate that requires near zero supervision from me any day of the week!

Absolutely. Hire people that make you better and fill in the gaps for your voids.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

I read the title and thought we hired a coach named Marvin West

Some of us old timers eagerly await articles from Marvin West. I wish we could read a new article from him every day.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

My father-in-law who was a long time Vice President of a major company once told me the biggest mistake people make is hiring people who are less talented and intelligent than they are. He said to ALWAYS hire people for leadership jobs that are smarter and sharper than you and leave them alone. Hopefully, that's what CJH is trying to do. Not suggesting he's not smart etc just he's trying to do what you suggested Dabo does. Why have people under you leading others who couldnt step in and do your job? I guess insecure people couldnt do that but man....give me a subordinate that requires near zero supervision from me any day of the week!

I use this principle for 40 years. It never failed me. Some people are afraid to hire the smarter people you can find. They are usually the ones who fail the fastest in their job. Some say," gif I hire some one too smart, they will take another job when you can not continue to promote them. My reply was I would rather have to hire another employee and have them leave in five years, that have to keep a dumb one for ever.

 

[Vol Main]

Tennessee football staff better than expected - Knox TN Today

Not a lousy commie in the whole bunch.

 

[turnuptheVOLtage]

I am glad to see that he seems to realize that TN needs a defense. It seems that winning ball games and not ego is leading to some of the hires.

I just don’t get this line of thinking. Does anyone seriously think CJH was sitting there thinking “yeah I don’t need a good defense; I’m so good at offense”? This is expected. Would never have anything to do with ego.

 

[VOL_Lyfe]

I keep thinking Mayor Adam West from family guy

Wild Wild West?

 

[UTP69]

Regarding Martinez, he has terrific knowledge of the SEC including his previous time with the Vols. If you read most message boards, fans are typically down on the secondary coaches - the last line of defense takes the hit for other weaknesses. Martinez adds much to the staff overall so I am glad he is back. He seemed to identify some under the radar talent who turned into outstanding SEC defensive backs.

The overall staff to me looks like a great blend of teaching coaches who also can recruit. The offensive scheme and style may sell skill position players while the veterans on defense are strong recruiters in talent rich areas. The squad Pruitt leaves behind is far better than what he inherited and I think he tried to base his old staff on recruiting ability rather than coaching acumen. Pruitt looked ahead to the 2021 season as his time to move the program up but sloppy management in other schools' home bases brought Jeremy down. I expect he will get a decent settlement from UT after a little time passes.

Heupel starts from a decent base of personnel and a favorable schedule. Keep in mind that old man Saban will retire in a few more seasons - Auburn is in a complete rebuild with the Vols hiring their top 2 recruiters - Florida retains its strong recruiting base but with a coach that is thin skinned and could move to the NFL at any time. LSU will fall out with Big Ed and be starting over soon. Kiffin will be looking for another job after Year 3 and just maybe he can con Florida State, Miami or some NFL sugar daddy to give him a big payday.

The Vols are ready to move back to the top ranks of the SEC with Heupel and his gang who have chips on their shoulders and will score and then score some more which will be fun to watch for a change.

Hope you got something there. Sounds good. Count me in.

 

[BigOrangeYankees]

I read the title and thought we hired a coach named Marvin West

Me too

 

[njvols]

Best guy I ever worked for always told us two things - "I have two jobs: one is to give you all the tools and resources you need to do your job. The second is to be the dumbest guy in the room."

We've certainly accomplished this PLENTY over the past decade. I'd like to be a fly on the wall..."Hey guys...aight...a buddy of mine gave me a box of McDonalds bags...any ideas on what we should do with them?"

 

[Jravol78]

Me too

guilty here too , I was really confused before I opened the thread . For the record I’m still really confused, just not about Marvin West being on the coaching staff.

 

[amaralfan1]

For all the fans unaware, Marvin West is among the best sports writers in the south. I mean this is a guy who has been covering the Vols since 1955. He has seen it all and his opinion is about as close to a "gold standard" as exists in sports journalism.

As for Martinez, the guy is a fantastic DB coach with a long reputation. There was never any chatter about him being a bad coach until his short stint as DC at UGA.

 

[BigOrangeSky]

Until proven different, UT is the Greendale Community College of college football.

 

[amaralfan1]

Until proven different, UT is the Greendale Community College of college football.

The Human Beings did get better once Troy Barnes took over signal calling duties.

 

[cobbwebb0710]

I read the title and thought we hired a coach named Marvin West

Soon...
👀
GBO!!

 

[Falcons02]

I don't remember Justin being "burnt toast."

I mean, his junior and senior seasons were Butch's first two years...we went 5-7 and then 7-6, culminating with a win over Iowa in the Gator Bowl. So neither of those squads was chasing championships--but I don't remember Justin being part of the problem.

Looked up his stats for those two years. In 2013 he recorded 46 tackles, 8 passes defended and an interception returned for a touchdown. Then in 2014 he had four interceptions (4th in SEC).

Was he burnt toast? I absolutely don't remember him being bad at all. I do remember Willie Martinez-coached DBs having trouble getting their heads turned around to find the ball, but don't remember if Justin was among the lads with that shortcoming.

Maybe I'm thinking of Emmanuel Moseley? I just remember throwing things at the TV as yet another bomb went over our secondary's collective heads as they had no clue the ball was thrown to their guy.