Opposing coach puts Jeremy Pruitt's Tennessee rebuild into perspective: 'It's going to take five years to get it done'

[sjt18]

I do agree somewhat but I believe the situation that transpired with Schiano was a one time thing. I mean what does demanding excellence and having high expectations as a fan really mean? Other than making one feel better in the confines of their home? Do you think if people went to Fulmer or those above him and demanded things that anything would get done? No it wouldn’t.

One person? Don't know. Maybe if Fulmer is wise enough to want someone to tell him the truth. But CFB is a consumer business. If just the boosters and admin show up for games and buy licensed products... they'll have to fold the tent.

Sears made the mistake of not listening. Lots of businesses have gone the same way. Those of us who assure UT's tv ratings stay high... matter. Those who go to games or buy shirts... matter.

When UT is good... there's little temptation to skip the game and go to the lake.... and might be temptation to skip a wedding. When they're not good... a lot of us get a better late season tan.

At the end of the day, there is going to be a 3/4 empty Neyland stadium. 70-85k fans aren’t just gonna stop showing up. Haslam still has his hands in the pie. Most of the same morons that have been there for the last decade are still there. So you can pretend like demanding this or that or we should have high expectations actually works. But you are deluding yourself.

I think they realize that 3/4 full stadium... has an impact on recruiting and advertising and licensing and....

If they don't see it then it CAN get worse. Many have said (maybe including you) that a generation of recruits has grown up never seeing a great UT team on the field. We recognize that public image hurts the program in recruiting and just about everything else. Fans ARE punishing the program for its mistakes. To accept mediocrity would be to make the mistakes worse.

 

[XknoxvolsX]

In fantasy land it’s tge only way. In reality, we fans have little influence over what happens. We can pretend we do to make ourself eel better but that’s it.

You can demand excellence until the cows come home. But we all know the powers that be at UT don’t care what we think. The only chance we really have is too hope that whatever coach we have is the one. There are no sure fire certainties in finding a head coach.

I feel your sentiment! I used to think the exact same way.

Here is how I figured out how it all works. The administration really does not care what and how we think. For the most part, the revenue is all they care about. It is sort of how a large corporation runs. They really don't care how the workers feel. They only care about how the board of the company feels.

The problem is when too many of the workers walk out and thus the bottom line is felt by every one.

In our case, I began to notice during the 03/04 seasons that the attendance was very down. It would aggravate me how the announcer would claim 100 K plus in attendance but one could literally see 10 K plus empty seats. Again, the administration didn't care because they already had their money. Tickets are sold to outlets and order buyers such as Ticketmaster etc. The food services are bid out and usually, Marriott would end up winning the vending contract. Again, administration didn't care. They already received their money. Then, great wise one Mike Hamilton raised ticket prices-for everyone. Still, even when Larry Seivers publicly stated he had had enough, Hamilton and others in administration did not care. This, even with all of the fan rhetoric. What finally began to happen is people stopped purchasing the product and with that, the "add-ons", in this case it is the vending.

So, ticket outlets stopped purchasing tickets or reduced the price they would give for them due to demand. Then, vendors such as Marriott stopped bidding as high for the vending contracts.

This my friends, is how it all works.

 

[XknoxvolsX]

One person? Don't know. Maybe if Fulmer is wise enough to want someone to tell him the truth. But CFB is a consumer business. If just the boosters and admin show up for games and buy licensed products... they'll have to fold the tent.

Sears made the mistake of not listening. Lots of businesses have gone the same way. Those of us who assure UT's tv ratings stay high... matter. Those who go to games or buy shirts... matter.

When UT is good... there's little temptation to skip the game and go to the lake.... and might be temptation to skip a wedding. When they're not good... a lot of us get a better late season tan.


I think they realize that 3/4 full stadium... has an impact on recruiting and advertising and licensing and....

If they don't see it then it CAN get worse. Many have said (maybe including you) that a generation of recruits has grown up never seeing a great UT team on the field. We recognize that public image hurts the program in recruiting and just about everything else. Fans ARE punishing the program for its mistakes. To accept mediocrity would be to make the mistakes worse.

I have to agree with you on this SJ. The documentary on "The U" proved your point. Before they brought in the inner-city kids Miami football almost folded. Then, when they began to win, enrollment sky rocketed and so did apparel. I believe it was Michael Irvin that stated such.

 

[KBVol]

That a fact, or opinion?

Fact.

 

[Boca Vol]

I have to agree with you on this SJ. The documentary on "The U" proved your point. Before they brought in the inner-city kids Miami football almost folded. Then, when they began to win, enrollment sky rocketed and so did apparel. I believe it was Michael Irvin that stated such.

But the stadium was "empty" for 90% of the games. Very rarely would they sell out the Orange Bowl. The famous Doug Flutie game...may 20K in the stands.

 

[kbear01]

Tennessee will take a giant leap forward this season by going at best 9-3 and at worst 8-4. Tennessee going into the Bowl Season will be ranked in the Top 25.

I love your optimism. I just can't see it. Hope I do, eventually.

 

[KeyVol14]

I'm just comparing all of the great recruiting everyone said about all three coaches.

Lol Dooley I don't believe ever had a top ten class.....no excuse for that

 

[VolInDayton]

Breaking: anonymous coach sells a message that tennessee will suck 4 more years so you shouldn't go there if you are a recruit.

 

[Roustabout]

5 years is right. Doesn’t mean 5 years of .500 play though. Expect continuous improvement but at a gradual pace.

2019: 6 or 7 wins
2020: 7 or 8 wins (we should drop the Oklahoma game)
2021: 9 or 10 wins
2022: 10+

Stability and patience are key.

The biggest challenge is the schedule. No relief ever. This isnt the SEC of the 90s.

 

[photovol]

From Lindy's - Opposing coaches view
" Butch Jones is doing a really good job. I'm impressed with him. He's a real down-to-earth dude, not the pompous arse like Derek Dooley was"

Butch Jones takes originality to new heights......NOT EVEN CLOSE, but his used car salesman approach is entertaining if nothing else.....good riddance BJ

 

[diehardvolsfan]

I think 9-10 wins a season will be the best that Coach Pruitt will do at Tennessee until 2023 and it will be hard to leap over Georgia and Florida.

2019 8-4 or 9-3
2020 9-3
2021 9-3 or 10-2
2022 9-3 or 10-2
2023 9-3 or 10-2

I’m almost certain Pruitt won’t be at TN by 2023 unless he wins a SEC title between now and then. If he’s still here by 2021 I’ll be impressed...

 

[Tennesseefan2019]

I’m almost certain Pruitt won’t be at TN by 2023 unless he wins a SEC title between now and then. If he’s still here by 2021 I’ll be impressed...

If Tennessee is winning 9-10 games a season by 2021 Coach Jeremy Pruitt will be head football coach at Tennessee for a long time to come(that is unless Alabama comes calling)!

 

[Volsfaninva917]

I’m almost certain Pruitt won’t be at TN by 2023 unless he wins a SEC title between now and then. If he’s still here by 2021 I’ll be impressed...

Fulmer isn't going to fire anyone if they're winning 8-10 games every year, even if it doesn't result in a league title.

 

[KBVol]

The biggest challenge is the schedule. No relief ever. This isnt the SEC of the 90s.

Schedule wouldn’t be near the challenge so many say it is if Tennessee was remotely worth a damn. Think about it.....what did we all do 20-25 years ago when they released the schedule? We literally looked at it and identified the 1, maybe 2 games that keep us from being undefeated and in the running for a national title (spoiler alert, the 1 game was always Florida), and we blew past most everybody else and (correctly) labeled them a W.

Now, we’re trying to decide if we have a chance vs lowly Vanderbilt and SCar at home and, optimistically, put them in the “tossup” column.

So, I say schedule, smchedule.....if UT ever gets back to being a top notch program, the schedule won’t be the issue that it now and has been for the last decade.

 

[Tennesseefan2019]

Schedule wouldn’t be near the challenge so many say it is if Tennessee was remotely worth a damn. Think about it.....what did we all do 20-25 years ago when they released the schedule? We literally looked at it and identified the 1, maybe 2 games that keep us from being undefeated and in the running for a national title (spoiler alert, the 1 game was always Florida), and we blew past most everybody else and (correctly) labeled them a W.

Now, we’re trying to decide if we have a chance vs lowly Vanderbilt and SCar at home and, optimistically, put them in the “tossup” column.

So, I say schedule, smchedule.....if UT ever gets back to being a top notch program, the schedule won’t be the issue that it now and has been for the last decade.

So I guess you're hoping for 4-5 wins

 

[STL0611]

Of course opposing coaches say 5 years. Recruiting talk.

 

[Boogievol]

Of course opposing coaches say 5 years. Recruiting talk.

Exactly what I was thinking. The program is headed in the right direction, we will be much improved this season and by year four coach Pruitt will have them back in the top ten.

 

[KBVol]

So I guess you're hoping for 4-5 wins

How in the world did you get that out of my post?

I’ll say it again....the only reason anybody is lamenting our schedule is because our team is so bad. If we were one of the top programs in the conference right now, we’d be looking at 3 games and only 3 games we would even consider possible to be losses....Florida, Georgia, Alabama. Instead, we’re only seeing 3 sure wins....UTC, Georgia State and BYU/UAB.

By the way, I’m hoping we win them all, I just know that’s not gonna happen. 6-7 wins is the likely outcome imo.

 

[TNnative]

Even Saban said Dooley was a good coach.

Snappy comeback.

 

[TNnative]

I do agree somewhat but I believe the situation that transpired with Schiano was a one time thing. I mean what does demanding excellence and having high expectations as a fan really mean? Other than making one feel better in the confines of their home? Do you think if people went to Fulmer or those above him and demanded things that anything would get done? No it wouldn’t.

At the end of the day, there is going to be a 3/4 empty Neyland stadium. 70-85k fans aren’t just gonna stop showing up. Haslam still has his hands in the pie. Most of the same morons that have been there for the last decade are still there. So you can pretend like demanding this or that or we should have high expectations actually works. But you are deluding yourself.

As to the Schiano thing, there was plenty than the Penn State thing that bugged me about attempts to hire him. Him sending his D to attack a QB taking a knee (Eli vs TB believe). And when I read here our former AD was going to offer him 36 hours before it was announced, I wondered what the poster was smoking. I thought, "No way". But when everyone went ballistic, eve though I didn't agree with the way it was done, I am still damn glad we didn't end up with him.

Not so sure I agree it was a one time thing though. Kinda like expecting an active volcano not to erupt. And since it "got results" that time? It will probably happen again for good or ill.

One question about that last paragraph. If "70-85K fans aren't just gonna stop showing up" how is Neyland stadium gonna be 3/4 empty? Or did you just not do the math between beers?

 

[TNnative]

How in the world did you get that out of my post?

I’ll say it again....the only reason anybody is lamenting our schedule is because our team is so bad. If we were one of the top programs in the conference right now, we’d be looking at 3 games and only 3 games we would even consider possible to be losses....Florida, Georgia, Alabama. Instead, we’re only seeing 3 sure wins....UTC, Georgia State and BYU/UAB.

By the way, I’m hoping we win them all, I just know that’s not gonna happen. 6-7 wins is the likely outcome imo.

They really need to get 8 regular season wins this year to secure better support. And winning a bowl game would be better. One of those wins must be Vanderbilt. Pruitt and his staff have had a year with a better S&C program to improve this team. He doesn't need to rely on Phillip Fulmer comment to appease Vols fans. He just needs the wins to prove he is the right guy. Patience is just not the forte of this fan base.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Even if Pruitt doesn’t work out and gets canned, there’s no guarantee we’ll hire a big time HC.

Administration will screw it up and we’ll be starting from day 1 again.

Rinse & repeat.

 

[Mccage]

Kills me to say a loss to UF is acceptable but I'd take that this season.

Fl. Beat a not so good Michigan Team in their bowl game 41 to 15. Take away 3 defensive TD's and it's 21 to 15. Fl. ran the the ball pretty good but so did a lot of teams against M. Frank's was around 50 % with his completions and had less than 180 yd's passing. After that game the TV boys were already to anoint them top 10. They forgot
that Missouri monkey stomped them in the swamp a few weeks earlier. During butch's era Tn should have beat them every year.
I'm one of the few that think their not that much ahead of us. I'm not sold on Mullen being Fl's savior I mean who did he beat at MS. that he didn't suppose too?
Our game against them last year was over in the 1st QT. and we played poorly but their wasn't a lot of diff. talent wise. JMO

 

[Boca Vol]

Schedule wouldn’t be near the challenge so many say it is if Tennessee was remotely worth a damn. Think about it.....what did we all do 20-25 years ago when they released the schedule? We literally looked at it and identified the 1, maybe 2 games that keep us from being undefeated and in the running for a national title (spoiler alert, the 1 game was always Florida), and we blew past most everybody else and (correctly) labeled them a W.

Now, we’re trying to decide if we have a chance vs lowly Vanderbilt and SCar at home and, optimistically, put them in the “tossup” column.

So, I say schedule, smchedule.....if UT ever gets back to being a top notch program, the schedule won’t be the issue that it now and has been for the last decade.

Zackly! During the 90's you circled Bama and UF....didn't overlook UGA and that was about it except the big OOC game (UCLA, ND, etc).

Vandy managed to keep it close during many games in the 90s but they always found a way to lose to UT.

 

[STL0611]

Exactly what I was thinking. The program is headed in the right direction, we will be much improved this season and by year four coach Pruitt will have them back in the top ten.

You're going to be criticized for being a pumper, but man you’ve got me excited.