Monday CJP Press Conference

[JMSqb11]

You realize that doesn't make sense. You're essentially saying these decisions UT are making have been right? How's that worked out for us? If you could go back, would you fire them sooner? Obviously, yes. Dooley had 3 and should've been fired at 2. Jones had 4 and should've been fired at 3. Each of their final years took the program to a new low.

Here's another option, just spit balling here, but how about you evaluate each coach individually. If we hired a new coach who went 0-24 in his first 2 seasons, then following your advice we need another year to make sure he's not the one! Sadly, your sense of logic follows closely to Tennessee's admin. Which is why we are the laughing stock of college football.

Dooley’s Downfall was Sunseri. If there was any chance he kept Wilcox at DC, no way he gets canned given the fact our offense was lights out in 2012. Butch’s failures with the 2016 second half of the season ultimately made his seat for 2017 win or get fired. He didn’t win and we saw what happened.

There is no way you fire either Dooley after 2012 given the returning players with addition of Patterson and there’s no way you fire Butch after 2016.

And once again, you’re not listening to what I said. Season 3 is when a coach is should be judged fairly. Being judged fairly has as much to do with what’s on the field as much as off the field aka recruiting.

And under your logic, you’re saying you wouldn’t hire anyone for a job because you’re scared they would go 0-24. You don’t hire people to fail.... you hire people because you think they can succeed. Sitting here and saying well they could go 0-24 is hogwash. Nothing is a given but under that logic, Pruitt wouldn’t matter anyway since he isn’t 0-13 in his Coaching record here.

 

[NEVolFan]

Another one in over his head

Sure seems and sounds like it. Hell the audience asking questions had more passion than Pruitt. Ah...Ah...Ah.

 

[JMSqb11]

In other words, Pruitt is not responsible to make sure the team he puts out on the field is well-coached, well-prepared, and well-conditioned. Got it.

In your second year of control you don't get a free pass for failing to do the things you have control over as a head coach, especially when you are facing a less-talented team and are defeated because they are better-led, better-trained, and have much more of a "want to" than most of your players showed on Saturday.

You may not have control over the talent level in your early years in charge. But you do have control over how well your team is prepared to play, how well they are trained for gameday, and your ability to put your players in the best position to win games.

In your words, Pruitt has to guarantee every player must buy in 1000% regardless if he recruited them or not and regardless if those players want to or not. Pruitt and the staff can only control players so much. People are fooling themselves if they think Pruitt has gotten 100% buyin from every player he inherited so far. That would literally be the first time ever a new coach was able to achieve that with holdovers.

Glad to know you want a 100% always perfect, never failing dictator instead of a football coach.

 

[KeyVol14]

What are you talking about? I never had a problem with Butch getting fired up or showing emotion.

In fact, I feel that Football is a game of emotion and momentum. It’s played best when players are fired up and emotional about beating their opponent. Therefore, it’s only logical for a coach to show emotion on the sidelines. But, I’m sure that offends this younger generation that fell they are being bullied or harassed just because a coach gets in their grill during a game.


I am when they are playing a team like Georgia State that doesn’t have the athleticism to cover UT’s WR’s. UT should have hung 50 on them and JG should have had over 500 yards passing to JJ and Q.

Idc how the coaches act on the sidelines as long as they win and obviously since we lost now we're questioning his dimeanor

 

[BeardedVol]

Butch was on an upward trend in his first three years and followed a great model. His last two years are when he got exposed as a coach.

Notice back in 2015 people had issues with the 4 close losses but they all pointed to 2016 as a year when everyone was back and we would be set up to make a run. There was no one on here that had a problem with how Butch ran the program his first 3 years. I would say his support and approval was at his highest point then with the exception of the time right after UGA win in 16.

And yes, 3 seasons of a coach is a good and fair number of games to judge him by because he’s then coaching with the young men he specifically recruited and brought in and trained his way. Not players that are juniors and seniors who have had to relearn playbooks, schemes, and systems.

The fact you have a problem with this is amazing. It’s like you think firing Pruitt now will somehow cause less damage than letting him go after 3 or seasons.....

Interesting change of heart that you've had since we hired Pruitt.

Butch underachieved and Mullen has overachieved given how horrible MSU was prior to his hire.

Tell me again, why is it that now, you believe that Butch overachieved, rather than underachieved?

And yes, Great coaches make a big jump from year 1 to 2. Its not that hard to comprehend. Some of you guys have been befuddled by the Butch years thinking this is a 4-5 year rebuild. Yall literally dont understand football

Why is it that now you no longer believe that great coaches make a jump in year two, and that it will take Pruitt 4-5?

 

[Mike Moffett]

Well at least he explained what happened. On almost every play there were 10 Vols doing it right but 1 guy would make a mistake. I guess it was just bad luck that Ga St happened to attack the very area where the mistake was being made. Aight.

 

[JMSqb11]

Either of those records and I cut my losses with him this season, and maybe in November...especially when consider with the finish last season. He may have been a great coordinator, but he couldn’t motivate a camel to drink at an oasis as a head coach.

That’s fine. We all have opinions. Only way I would can him is if recruiting has absolutely tanked going into this December. If his recruiting stays good or better going into December and he doesn’t make a bowl, Year 3 is when I say you have to win to see a year 4. It’s also when his buyout gets cheaper too in December 2020

 

[Herman Hickman]

He can either kick a whiteboard or he can polish it with his tongue. He can kick a ref's rear or kiss him on the cheek. It doesn't matter.

Just put a team on the field that is prepared to play football. That isn't too much to ask, especially against cellar-dwelling Sun Belt competition.

 

[Roustabout]

Ok? These guys care, aight.
We have guys that can lead, ok?
Blah, blah, blah

 

[LittleVol]

Well, I'm a child of the 70s during the Bill Battle days. The digital age has given folks a bigger voice than in those days. Folks want instant gratification. Fulmer and Pruitt warned that the entire roster needed purging which takes a few years, but people got their hopes up during the off season. There is no excuse good enough to explain a loss to GA State, but the reaction of some people is off the charts. At least wait to see what we look like this Saturday. What other choice do we have?

Start a different QB, maybe??

There's all kinds of things he can do differently, but he's just not trying it.

 

[NEVolFan]

So is is meek and mild demeanor in the presser really him or is he BSing everyone. Almost like he is not heavily invested in his job... where is the passion for his body of work. Spring ball, summer workouts, fall practice, and he can't even field a team to play competitively for 4 quarters against the weakest team he will ever play.

There's issues in this program that we do not understand.... yet.

 

[dcm3w]

Only one defensive sub error...LOLOLOLOLOL

That was the biggest one.

 

[VolforFootball]

Good grief...

You're right. I meant to say TN football died 10 years ago.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

You're right. I meant to say TN football died 10 years ago.

Then why are you on a TN fan message board?

 

[JMSqb11]

Interesting change of hear that you've had since we hired Pruitt.



Tell me again, why is it that now, you believe that Butch overachieved, rather than underachieved?



Why is it that now you no longer believe that great coaches make a jump in year two, and that it will take Pruitt 4-5?

So let’s take this step by step. Butch underachieved when you look at his career at Tennessee altogether. He overachieved in 2015. I have been consistent in saying that. Nowhere will you see or find that I said Butch’s career at Tennessee was one of overachievement. Secondly on that topic, you can over achieve in a season but still have a career at a job of underachievement. It’s not hard to comprehend. And that’s what i have always said. It’s why everyone was so giddy going in 2016. And it’s why everyone was giddy this past basketball season because our team really overachieved last year when Admiral and Alexander were juniors.

To your second point, there was and will never be a close contest in who’s better regarding Butch and Mullen. Mullen’s career has been mostly upward trend and Butch’s has been a peak and then crater.

Thirdly, most normal jobs where a coach takes over doesn’t have recruiting deficiencies, toxic cultures, administration corruption/mismanagement. I would call that the average opening where a school can recruit top candidates to interview and ultimately hire. In that case, most GREAT (which is what I said clearly) coaches make a jump in a normal year 2 at a new program. Tennessee is not that case. You have to be blind or have been in a coma since Butch’s firing to Hoke’s booting Jennings to Schiano Sunday. The next coach wasn’t taking over a normal job or program. And once again, you are stating something I never said. I always said and will day again for the millionth time, I will reserve judgement on whether Pruitt should or should not be fired until season 3. I’ve literally never said anything other than that.

The state of the program that Pruitt or any other coach took over was not a normal situation....

 

[buryMEinORANGE]

“Does this team have a leader?” Pruitt doesn’t say one players name aight. Atleast bring Tee Martin out of the booth and down to the sideline.

 

[BAMA-DAWG]

I think the word, "lack," does not mean what he thinks it means.

I think what hes sayin is we dont "like" effort. "Lack" is Sand Mountain-ese for like. Simply saying that the boys and coaching staff do t like to do hard things.

 

[BeardedVol]

So let’s take this step by step. Butch underachieved when you look at his career at Tennessee altogether. He overachieved in 2015. I have been consistent in saying that. Nowhere will you see or find that I said Butch’s career at Tennessee was one of overachievement. Secondly on that topic, you can over achieve in a season but still have a career at a job of underachievement. It’s not hard to comprehend. And that’s what i have always said. It’s why everyone was so giddy going in 2016. And it’s why everyone was giddy this past basketball season because our team really overachieved last year when Admiral and Alexander were juniors.

To your second point, there was and will never be a close contest in who’s better regarding Butch and Mullen. Mullen’s career has been mostly upward trend and Butch’s has been a peak and then crater.

Thirdly, most normal jobs where a coach takes over doesn’t have recruiting deficiencies, toxic cultures, administration corruption/mismanagement. I would call that the average opening where a school can recruit top candidates to interview and ultimately hire. In that case, most coaches make a jump in year 2. Tennessee is not that case. You have to be blind or have been in a coma since Butch’s firing to Hoke’s booting Jennings to Schiano Sunday. The next coach wasn’t taking over a normal job or program. And once again, you are stating something I never said. I always said and will day again for the millionth time, I will reserve judgement on whether Pruitt should or should not be fired until season 3. I’ve literally never said anything other than that.

The state of the program that Pruitt or any other coach took over was not a normal situation....

Your literal exact words:

So because he can recruit kids that Butch had no chance at, thats saying our roster is in horrible shape? Lol okay.

And yes, Great coaches make a big jump from year 1 to 2. Its not that hard to comprehend. Some of you guys have been befuddled by the Butch years thinking this is a 4-5 year rebuild. Yall literally dont understand football

So I ask you again, why at the beginning of Pruitt's tenure were you of the opinion that we should see a 2nd year bump, but today, that is unrealistic? Did you stop understanding football?

 

[gunner]

Question, should Georgia States offense have been able to score in the double digits on our defense? Should their offense been able to stifle our defense athletically and physically?

Offense sells tickets but defense wins championships. Allowing a scrub team like Georgia State to score 38 was the biggest wow statement about the game. They should have never approached 10.

We all knew that this defense was going to struggle this season because they lost all the starters and depth along the line. We fully expected them to struggle early, but to get better as they gained experience.

We also expected the offense and JG to carry this team until the defense came along because they were a veteran group.

I didn’t expect JG to play so poorly against an inferior opponent.

I didn’t expect him to commit 3 turnovers.

I did expect him to get the ball to the WR’s in the vertical passing game and score almost at will against this defense.

But, he didn’t do his job against an inferior opponent.

JG should have put up 50 on GSU and he didn’t do his job. This is his third bad game in a row, so he is what he is at this point, just an average QB with a losing record and no leadership ability who is afraid to throw the ball down the field.

I don’t think the Vols will win a game this season with a QB that struggles so mightily to see the field and get the ball to the playmakers.

This team goes through JG just like the Auburn and Kentucky games last season when he plays good the Vols will win.

When he doesn’t play good they they will lose. Plain and simple.

 

[mudhen]

We'll get better. Can't get any worse.

Wanna bet?

 

[Herman Hickman]

So is is meek and mild demeanor in the presser really him or is he BSing everyone. Almost like he is not heavily invested in his job... where is the passion for his body of work. Spring ball, summer workouts, fall practice, and he can't even field a team to play competitively for 4 quarters against the weakest team he will ever play.

There's issues in this program that we do not understand.... yet.

He's in B.B. King mode. The thrill is gone and he now fully understands just how in over his head he is right now.

When you've gotten pole-axed by the Pee Wee Herman of the Sun Belt, a meek and mild stance is far better than a bold and blustery approach.

 

[JMSqb11]

Your literal exact words:



So I ask you again, why at the beginning of Pruitt's tenure were you of the opinion that we should see a 2nd year bump, but today, that is unrealistic? Did you stop understanding football?

I clearly said great coaches. Are you able to call someone taking their first head coaching job great right on the spot? You must be because you also said you can determine a coach a success and long term solution based on 13 games.

I also made it clear that most GREAT coaches in normal programs can make jumps in year 2 as well.

You literally are a child. I have been consistent in everything.

Funny you chose to skip over my response about Butch being an underachiever when I was right and said that all along.

 

[JMSqb11]

So is is meek and mild demeanor in the presser really him or is he BSing everyone. Almost like he is not heavily invested in his job... where is the passion for his body of work. Spring ball, summer workouts, fall practice, and he can't even field a team to play competitively for 4 quarters against the weakest team he will ever play.

There's issues in this program that we do not understand.... yet.

He could be lost or shellshocked because this is his first non success in big boy football in his career. This ain’t gonna be easy. It’s all how he responds the rest of the season.

 

[Tennesseefan2019]

He's in B.B. King mode. The thrill is gone and he now fully understands just how in over his head he is right now.

When you've gotten pole-axed by the Pee Wee Herman of the Sun Belt, a meek and mild stance is far better than a bold and blustery approach.

If I knew that I was that much over my head as a head coach I would hold a press conference and announce that i'm resigning my position as Tennessee head football coach.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

So your answer is yes? Are you still gonna beat that drum if we win vs BYU? Are you gonna beat that drum if we somehow were to beat UF?

I don’t live in a guarantees world so don’t even drop the we are or we are not in terms of wins and losses for the rest of the year.

Florida? You think we might beat Florida? It could happen, anything could happen, but that's hope based on quasi-religious belief, not any facts to date, from what I've seen their DL is going to eat us alive. Even if somehow we did beat Florida though (which I'd love to see it happen), it's just delaying the inevitable with Pruitt. I have never, ever, in my 35 + years of watching football seen less effort from a team than we got Saturday. That it could happen in the first game of the season is appalling. With this loss at home to a 26 point underdog, 2-10 Sunbelt team, picked last in its conference which could have been a three touchdown loss if the GA ST coach felt like it, combined with the Mizzou and Vandy no shows with bowl eligibility on the line last year AND Pruitt's bull**** attitude I'd prefer he be gone sooner rather than later, but that's just me. You can sit back and wait for the last precincts to report and the absentee ballots to be counted if you want to, but I'm telling you, we can call this based on early returns, we may muster up a win here and there to prolong the inevitable, but we're going to be looking for another head coach again by the end of the 2021 season at the latest.