optimism vs. blind hope

[Kngsport VFL]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

 

[KINGSVOL]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

A good post and from Kingsport. Great start!
Roll Tribe!
Go Vols!

 

[FLVOL_79]

In before you're called a troll and should go root for Bama orthe gators..




You are right about reasonable expectations..sadly we have a lot of unreasonable fans...

 

[DefenseWins]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

 

[1vol8]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

Welcome to VN.

I think most have reasonable expectations. Very few 10-2 predictions that I’ve seen. Most are sitting around 7-5 and that’s my prediction as well although 8-4 is definitely within reach. 9-3 is where I feel like the “reaching” begins.

 

[BeecherVol]

Dont really disagree with any of that in general.

I personally havent seen many claiming this is a 10 win team. Most are skeptical of anything over 8.

 

[GlockVol]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

Welcome to VN. Reasonable expectations and Vol Nation is like fire and water, can't mix

 

[njvols]

Goal #1 for me is relevance to the sec...not even worried about chasing second in sec east this year. If we can start taking care of SC, Vandy, KY, Miz, we are moving in the right direction. 7-5 is my take and if a few things fall right, another win or two isn’t out of the question.

 

[Hacksaw]

Thank God for optimism. I think most of us want to be optimistic and have dabbled in optimism, at one time or another, in the past. You do tend to set yourself up for a big letdown, however, when your optimism is built mostly on hope. But you never know, right?

I say let's forget about optimism for now and just concentrate on enthusiasm. That can't hurt us...right?

 

[Big Al Orange]

Goal #1 for me is relevance to the sec...not even worried about chasing second in sec east this year. If we can start taking care of SC, Vandy, KY, Miz, we are moving in the right direction. 7-5 is my take and if a few things fall right, another win or two isn’t out of the question.

9-3 but only if we can establish a running game that people have to respect. We all know if you can’t run the ball in the SEC you ain’t got a prayer.

 

[OnOne]

14~1

 

[photovol]

This time of year represents the high hopes of all Vol fans, both the pessimist and the optimist alike

 

[germantown902]

6-6 is the absolute floor and will have Pruitt squarely on the hot seat (rightly or wrongly). 7-5 is expected. 8-4 is unlikely. 9-3 is comical. 10-2 is ridiculous. I want to see them actually win games in which they are favored. I want to see this team keep every loss within 10-14 to Alabama/Georgia and within a score of the rest. I also want to see a team that has some gas left in the tank at the end of the season. Hopefully, we'll have some underclassmen who can contribute effectively.

 

[Enki_Amenra]

10-2, coy, NY 6, sec off poy, at least 1 all-american, two 1st all-SEC.

 

[chargervol]

Oh thank goodness, someone else to worry about our ability to handle disappointment.
Has to be the most caring place on the planet.

 

[GlockVol]

6-6 is the absolute floor and will have Pruitt squarely on the hot seat (rightly or wrongly). 7-5 is expected. 8-4 is unlikely. 9-3 is comical. 10-2 is ridiculous. I want to see them actually win games in which they are favored. I want to see this team keep every loss within 10-14 to Alabama/Georgia and within a score of the rest. I also want to see a team that has some gas left in the tank at the end of the season. Hopefully, we'll have some underclassmen who can contribute effectively.

I second this reasonable emotion, not that anyone cares

 

[Behr]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

Charger beat me to thanking you for looking out after us and keeping us grounded on reality. I was looking at some numbers from a poll that started on July 25 of this year, last month. It had 389 votes.

7 wins had 179 votes 46.0%
8 wins had 138 votes 35.5%
9+ wins had 14 votes 3.6% I would bet out of those 14, only 2-3 think it's actually 10 or more and I'd bet 1-2 are just trolling. Still, 3.6% ain't "many" where I come from.

I know 389 is a drop of water in a lake compared to our vast fan base, but it's obvious that VN is not unreasonable on expectations this season. Actually the ones crying about being unreasonable are the very definition of unreasonable. It's quite comical actually.

Edit: if you're wondering why the numbers don't add up, I didn't post the votes for wins under 7. Thought it was a moot point.

 

[chargervol]

Charger beat me to thanking you for looking out after us and keeping us grounded on reality. I was looking at some numbers from a poll that started on July 25 of this year, last month. It had 389 votes.

7 wins had 179 votes 46.0%
8 wins had 138 votes 35.5%
9+ wins had 14 votes 3.6% I would bet out of those 14, only 2-3 think it's actually 10 or more and I'd bet 1-2 are just trolling. Still, 3.6% ain't "many" where I come from.

I know 389 is a drop of water in a lake compared to our vast fan base, but it's obvious that VN is not unreasonable on expectations this season. Actually the ones crying about being unreasonable are the very definition of unreasonable. It's quite comical actually.

Edit: if you're wondering why the numbers don't add up, I didn't post the votes for wins under 7. Thought it was a moot point.

The 10 win "crowd" we're always being protected against.

 

[Behr]

The 10 win "crowd" we're always being protected against.

View attachment 217662

Lol, theys a scary bunch.

If the new guy wants to see unreasonable, he should go check out a JG thread.

 

[CA_Vol]

In before you're called a troll and should go root for Bama orthe gators..




You are right about reasonable expectations..sadly we have a lot of unreasonable fans...

FAHR FLVOL!!!!

 

[WoodsmanVol]

I am new to the forums, and wanted to share some thoughts. I have been a consistant fan since the 60's, and am sold out in love with the Vols football team.
Over the past several years, we have been let down over and over, So I think we should go into a season without the high win predictions that so many want to put out ahead of time

Here we are just before the season starts, with a hopefully much improved Oline, great coaches, maturing quarterback, and talented receivers, and while it looks like we're headed in
the right direction, It's not smart for people to hype it up and predict 10-2 season, so everyone will be disappointed if/when it doesn't happen.

Let's support our team all the way to January, and have reasonable expectations.

Everything will be decided on the field!

Me? I'm a Vols fan who will believe in the best of our team even when I have no reason on Earth for believing anything good about them. My heart is just too orange-ized and there's no medical remedy.

 

[livefaith]

OP, get a good look at this place. You're reasonable steadiness of mind and thought may get you banned around this land of 9-3/10-2 playoff unicorns and rainbows.

 

[AlwaysOrangeNeverBlue]

6-6 is the absolute floor and will have Pruitt squarely on the hot seat (rightly or wrongly). 7-5 is expected. 8-4 is unlikely. 9-3 is comical. 10-2 is ridiculous. I want to see them actually win games in which they are favored. I want to see this team keep every loss within 10-14 to Alabama/Georgia and within a score of the rest. I also want to see a team that has some gas left in the tank at the end of the season. Hopefully, we'll have some underclassmen who can contribute effectively.

I have to disagree, ever so slightly. I would say 5-7 is the "absolute floor".

If I had to bet on it, I would put my money on 7-5. Not surprised, but pretty darn happy by 8-4. Not surprised, but disappointed by 6-6.

But also could see a 5-7 happening. Think the odds are extraordinarily slim, but then again that's what an "absolute floor" is.

On the other, more positive side of the fence, I think 10-2 is the absolute ceiling. Extraordinarily slim chance of it happening, but, within reason, it could happen.

Also, I wouldn't put 9-3 at "comical" per se, as I think it could happen. I'm not gonna put any of my own money on it, but with the right breaks and the DL and LBs having a great year, who knows? Not gonna say I wouldn't have a laugh or two, mainly directed at the rest of the SEC, but wouldn't classify 9-3 itself as comical.

Gonna be a big year and I think we see a lot of improvement across the team as a whole, may be down a little at DL and LB, but only slightly. Expecting a marked improvement in every other position.

 

[photovol]

I have to disagree, ever so slightly. I would say 5-7 is the "absolute floor".

If I had to bet on it, I would put my money on 7-5. Not surprised, but pretty darn happy by 8-4. Not surprised, but disappointed by 6-6.

But also could see a 5-7 happening. Think the odds are extraordinarily slim, but then again that's what an "absolute floor" is.

On the other, more positive side of the fence, I think 10-2 is the absolute ceiling. Extraordinarily slim chance of it happening, but, within reason, it could happen.

Also, I wouldn't put 9-3 at "comical" per se, as I think it could happen. I'm not gonna put any of my own money on it, but with the right breaks and the DL and LBs having a great year, who knows? Not gonna say I wouldn't have a laugh or two, mainly directed at the rest of the SEC, but wouldn't classify 9-3 itself as comical.

Gonna be a big year and I think we see a lot of improvement across the team as a whole, may be down a little at DL and LB, but only slightly. Expecting a marked improvement in every other position.

Injuries are the enemy of teams like Tennessee with little depth and expierience

 

[VolunteerCeltic]

If UT drops that early game to BYU in Neyland, you will see a whole new level of fan apathy.....I dont think they will though, I happen to see them going into the Florida game at 3-0 and will give them Gators a smack in their toothless mouths.....but may not steal that one in the swamp