Minority here

[rusty11]

Doesn't matter, because right now we can't beat LSU or Miss State either.
Do we want to qualify for a bowl game by playing an easier schedule, like Notre Dame. Then we think we are good but get blown away in Championship game by Bama

And how do you know that if we won more games by not playing them that we wouldn't be able to beat them in a championship venue? They keep us down. We lose good players taking a whipping and can't beat the teams we should beat after playing them. That cost's us more wins and more good recruits. You think a kid cares if we play Bama and only win 5 games? What if we didn't and won 10?

 

[Roustabout]

I saw DK Jr getting slapped around all night. I saw him get driven into the turf twice and thrown around like a rag doll 2-3 times

And that was just in warmups

 

[rusty11]

It is going to take awhile. Even if we have the #1 recruiting class in the nation next year they are still just freshmen and will need some coaching up. I think we will start to see the type of talented, well coached players needed to succeed in the SEC in the next 3 year.

When we quit playing Bama and finally beat USC, Kentucky, Vandy, and Missouri. Because like it or not playing Bama costs us players and that cost's us victories and that costs us the recruits we need to finally beat Bama someday. But we must play Bama. God I wish a freak storm or something would result in us missing the game one year and then we win every other game we play. Maybe it would open some of these by Gawd traditionalists eyes.

 

[CR-vol]

Yeah, taking a loss that results in lost players to injury and more losses to teams we should beat every year seems to be everybody's idea of progress! Progress is winning and winning gets recruits. By getting our ass kicked by a team in the other division we have no chance of either. But, hey we played the best and I'm sure they are glad to have us on their schedule because we will be forever down because we can't rise up without beating the teams we play after they whip us every single year! Once again, had we played anybody but Bama last week we would have beaten Muschamp!
But hey, that just gives you all something to complain about every week. When we win, everybody is happy. Bama just keeps us on the losing train. I guess coaching searches are all we have left and it is because we keep playing Bama!

Injuries can happen in any game and I don't live in a world of "if's". We're not a good team this year, will be lucky to win 5 games, and likely would have lost to SC under any scenario. If we can't beat Alabama we're just not a good team. If we have to lose to them from now on, then so be it. It isn't going to be like that forever. The streak will get broken and go the other way. And I don't care about teams who play cupcake schedules in weak confrences. Tennessee has never been one of those teams. I don't want to be associated with that kind of Tennessee team. The road to CF greatness goes through Tuscaloosa and I look forward to that game every year win, lose, or draw. You don't stick up the white flag and walk away from your biggest rival. Craziness.

 

[CR-vol]

We don't lose to other teams because of anything Bama did to us. We lose because we don't have the right players.

 

[photovol]

Got to somehow get through this year and concentrate on getting better athletes/players
That’s about all we can do at this point
Go Vols

 

[MaTaLa]

White guy here. Pretty much agree.

Not a minority unless you leave West Virginny

 

[MaTaLa]

We don't lose to other teams because of anything Bama did to us. We lose because we don't have the right players.

You misspelled Coaches

 

[GetYouSomeofThat]

Why were they so gassed? We had the ball 38:33, they had it 21:27. We had it 21:18 in the second half, they had it 8:42. When is the last time our defense was on the field so little against an SEC team?

They were gassed because it's a good excuse to cover coaching deficiencies.

 

[photovol]

hear a lot of "we just dont have the players".... when can we expect some ? one more year... two more years.... three more years... four more years..... never ?

Never going to Happen

 

[CR-vol]

You misspelled Coaches

No, you're wrong. With few exceptions most of the players that were left over from Butch are quitters. They laid down and quit last year like the softies everyone knew they were. Doesn't matter that Butch sucked. They're still a bunch of quitters and that's what they'll always be known for.

So Pruitt a rookie coach comes in and has to deal with that predominant mindset among his players. You see these freshmen he has brought in and how well they are coming along? When there's more guys with hungry attitudes like that and the quitters go away this team will win.

My takeaway from the Bama loss was that they got trounced but some of them didn't lay down and quit. I had the same take on the South Carolina game. This is a team largely composed of quitters that was rightly expected to be lucky if they came out of this season with 3 wins. We were underdogs to South Carolina.

They had more experienced coaches and better players yet we only lost by 3 points. Shot ourselves in the foot with stupid errors. My expectations this year are that we lose to all of these teams we are underdogs to. Which included SC and includes Mizzou, UK, Vandy who all currently own us.

If we win, great. Expectations were beat. If we lose at least don't lay down and quit like last year and at least keep the game close. If we come out with 5 wins we have improved on last year's lay down and quit ways.

We have the right coaches and things are improving. You can't expect to turn around a bunch of quitters in 1 season.

 

[rusty11]

Injuries can happen in any game and I don't live in a world of "if's". We're not a good team this year, will be lucky to win 5 games, and likely would have lost to SC under any scenario. If we can't beat Alabama we're just not a good team. If we have to lose to them from now on, then so be it. It isn't going to be like that forever. The streak will get broken and go the other way. And I don't care about teams who play cupcake schedules in weak confrences. Tennessee has never been one of those teams. I don't want to be associated with that kind of Tennessee team. The road to CF greatness goes through Tuscaloosa and I look forward to that game every year win, lose, or draw. You don't stick up the white flag and walk away from your biggest rival. Craziness.

Talk about absolutes.."If we can't beat Bama, the best team in history, we suck." We wouldn't be ducking them if we quit playing them every year. We would meet them in Altlanta with a team that can beat them because not playing them means we beat everybody in November, we win 10 games, get good recruits and eventually beat UGA and UF and win the East every year. Then we play Bama in Atlanta when it means something. But as it stands, at 53 years old, I will probably never see another SEC Championship UT team. Of course if we quit playing them there is also the scenario where they don't make the SEC championship game and we do and we win, and we win a Natty. So, to the hardliners it would be tainted because we didn't play Bama. Wow, just wow!

 

[barryjim]

It is going to take awhile. Even if we have the #1 recruiting class in the nation next year they are still just freshmen and will need some coaching up. I think we will start to see the type of talented, well coached players needed to succeed in the SEC in the next 3 year.

Can't stand thought of waiting that long...

 

[CR-vol]

Talk about absolutes.."If we can't beat Bama, the best team in history, we suck." We wouldn't be ducking them if we quit playing them every year. We would meet them in Altlanta with a team that can beat them because not playing them means we beat everybody in November, we win 10 games, get good recruits and eventually beat UGA and UF and win the East every year. Then we play Bama in Atlanta when it means something. But as it stands, at 53 years old, I will probably never see another SEC Championship UT team. Of course if we quit playing them there is also the scenario where they don't make the SEC championship game and we do and we win, and we win a Natty. So, to the hardliners it would be tainted because we didn't play Bama. Wow, just wow!

It's a silly idea to raise our hands and ask pretty please can we not play our traditional main rival anymore so we can have the easy street to victory. We'll beat them again and probably hang our own streak on them in the process. Dynasties always fall. Going to be sweet when it does. I'm done beating a dead horse and glad to be in the sane majority on this one.