SEC Network Prediction

some setting too high of expectations for this edition of the Vols. 7 win ceiling, IF they can beat Georgia Tech..

So expecting Jones to beat the 8 teams where he has a talent advantage plus 1 of 3 where it is fairly evenly matched is too high?
 
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Honestly, I'm having a difficult time assessing what they think. Why I made the comment I did. I've seen nothing to indicate to me they have a willingness to run him off no matter what happens. Perhaps their strategy is to let him pursue another job??? I don't know.

It may be my misread of your attitude toward this whole thing... but I don't buy that UT has a talent deficit right now and if guys aren't ready to step into their roles then that's still on Jones.

Also, you throw a million at a DC plus add the staff UT has added... and 7 is the ceiling? Eight should be the absolute floor.
 
It may be my misread of your attitude toward this whole thing... but I don't buy that UT has a talent deficit right now and if guys aren't ready to step into their roles then that's still on Jones.

Also, you throw a million at a DC plus add the staff UT has added... and 7 is the ceiling? Eight should be the absolute floor.

I'm assessing what I'm seeing of the players that will be put on the field to play the games week in and week out. Where I think these players are in relation to being ready to go win football games. I will leave it to many others to state the reasons why.

Paying the DC a million bucks and adding the staff they have does not ensure a set number of wins just because you added them. Players still have to go make plays. I don't see the number of play makers required to make the plays consistently. But that is just me. Others have different viewpoints.
 
I thought those were sufficient reasons...

I'm willing to listen to your reasoning....I'd love to hear two better reasons for why he should be let go at 8-4...:hi:
well i would have fired him after the Vandy game last year. losing to USCE and Vandy last season were far more egregious than his overall records against UF and UGA.

the first two years no one expected to be competitive with those schools, so honestly, i don't really care. would have been nice to pull an upset...but hardly expected.

the last two years he's beaten GA and split FL (should be 2 in a rwo there too)...so with comparable talent, he's 3-1 against those two in the last 4 games.

that's good....really good.

and 8-4 this year, he's not getting fired. doubtful it will happen at 7-5.

but if you're going to fire him...you fire him because he just is what he is. average to slightly above average coach that can recruit and maintain bowl worthy seasons....and that's just not what TN football is.

problem with that.....the administration doesn't see things that way, and until proven otherwise, the only thing that matters over there is $$$. and you don't have to win titles or be in the playoffs to get a ton of it.

you just can't suck to the point where people stop coming to games and you're not competitive enough to get to those middle and 2nd tier bowl games.
 
It wasn't a surprise, though. Seniors graduate and NFL-caliber talent generally moves on in three years. It happens to every team and coaches plan for it. We have a few gaps to fill, but we shouldn't have question marks all over the field. We have a lot of talent, so I'm hoping we don't.

But we do in fact have question marks all over the field, on both sides of the ball...

Offense-
QB- which first year starter will it be? QD or JG?
RB- can Kelly be "the guy"? Who is/are his bavkup(s)
TE- can Wolf take a big step forward and be more consistent and better catching the ball and blocking? Who's his backup?
OL- some say the strength of the team? Can it be much better, much more physical? How good is Smith? Can Richmond play like a 5star at LT? Who are the starters?
WR- who can step up as the #2 and #3 WRs to take pressure off JJ? And....can JJ be a true #1?

Defense-
DE- we're talented here but completely unproven....neither Kongbo nor Phillips have really even played the position for Tennessee, and Taylor has gotten very, very few game reps.
DT- who's healthy enough to help a good, solid Vickers? Will Shy be healthy? How good is KMac? Can Alexis Johnson play at this level? How much will we have to play the freshmen?
LB- questions everywhere.....
CB- ditto....who's gonna start? Can Wiggins play here? Can Martin, who's been a disappointment, do a 180 and realize his potential? Is Moseley vastly improved so that he becomes a very good, above average reliable cover guy?
Nickel- honestly, if Gaulden stays healthy, we're good here
Safety- is Warrior, our most talented guy here, up to speed and ready to start and play a ton? Feel pretty good about both TKJr (although he's limited athletically) and Abernathy. Will Evan Berry be a good backup?


We have talent at most every position, but there are questions about experience and actual production just about everywhere. Virtually nowhere where we can honestly say "yeah, that position is locked down, no worries there".
 
well i would have fired him after the Vandy game last year. losing to USCE and Vandy last season were far more egregious than his overall records against UF and UGA.

the first two years no one expected to be competitive with those schools, so honestly, i don't really care. would have been nice to pull an upset...but hardly expected.

the last two years he's beaten GA and split FL (should be 2 in a rwo there too)...so with comparable talent, he's 3-1 against those two in the last 4 games.

that's good....really good.

and 8-4 this year, he's not getting fired. doubtful it will happen at 7-5.

but if you're going to fire him...you fire him because he just is what he is. average to slightly above average coach that can recruit and maintain bowl worthy seasons....and that's just not what TN football is.

problem with that.....the administration doesn't see things that way, and until proven otherwise, the only thing that matters over there is $$$. and you don't have to win titles or be in the playoffs to get a ton of it.

you just can't suck to the point where people stop coming to games and you're not competitive enough to get to those middle and 2nd tier bowl games.

agree with this statement 1000%
 
all that said, i'd just prefer us to go on and win 9+ games this season and let that do all the talking.
 
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I'm assessing what I'm seeing of the players that will be put on the field to play the games week in and week out. Where I think these players are in relation to being ready to go win football games. I will leave it to many others to state the reasons why.

Paying the DC a million bucks and adding the staff they have does not ensure a set number of wins just because you added them. Players still have to go make plays. I don't see the number of play makers required to make the plays consistently. But that is just me. Others have different viewpoints.

If you are right then the cord needs to be cut. There's no way the program should be in that condition in year 5. Adding the staff doesn't assure it... but there should be consequences if it doesn't produce it.
 
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agree with this statement 1000%

at the end of the day, all the hand wringing over butch and co is kinda pointless imo. nothing much will change until someone decides what they want this program to be.

and right now...that's all i see. so unless there's a hit to the pocket book, i don't see much changing, unless CBJ and co just figure it out and surprise folks this season.

it's also sad, because running it that way is the quickest way to lead to apathy, and ultimately affecting the bottom line.
 
problem with that.....the administration doesn't see things that way, and until proven otherwise, the only thing that matters over there is $$$. and you don't have to win titles or be in the playoffs to get a ton of it.

you just can't suck to the point where people stop coming to games and you're not competitive enough to get to those middle and 2nd tier bowl games.

Perspectives change when there are lots of empty seats and those $$$ start being threatened. I suspect a 5 loss regular season would scare the administration and particularly because some of the late season games are easy not to attend.
 
Perspectives change when there are lots of empty seats and those $$$ start being threatened. I suspect a 5 loss regular season would scare the administration and particularly because some of the late season games are easy not to attend.

yeah. ultimately that's what did Fulmer and Dooley in.

people didn't get mad anymore, they just stopped caring.

and if they continue to run this program that way, it will happen again.

i mean, really, how much entertainment can one fan base draw from going back and forth about the same things over and over again about the head coach?

everyone over there on the hill is hoping like hell this guy and this new staff figure this thing out this year or next.
 
How bout some qualifiers:
If we have no more major injuries
If Tuttle is back at 90% or more by game 3
If Wiggins solidifies the secondary.
If Sapp or McDowell solidify the lbs.
If Kongbo can reek havoc up front.
If Kelly and one other are elusive and/or bruising runners.
If Wolfe becomes a better blocker.
If we can have at least 5-8 healthy oline.
If one of our qbs shows accuracy and a little mobility.
If Jennings matures and requires double teams or zones.
If Byrd is proven to be a better wr than cb.
If Daniel continues to be a great weapon.
If Medley can increase his fg accuracy by 5-7 yards.
If Berry is healthy enuf to be a great return weapon.
If Scott calls a great game as OC.

If all of this happen and we get a little luck........
I vote for 9-3.

That is a lot of Ifs. But, I do hope you're right with the the 9-3 record.
 
I've heard Stinchcomb speak before. He absolutely hates Tennessee football. He still has a hard time about going 0-fer life against the Vols while at UGA. Not sure that colors his opinion here, but, it's great to know how much he hates the Big Orange because he was never on a team good enough to beat them.

Now, as for the prediction, Vols could go 6-6 if some players don't step up and/or if the wrong players get injured. I think the Vols go 7-5.
 
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Currie can't say publicly and unequivocally that UT football isn't winning enough games and the goal is to win championships, then look the other way if the team backslides in Year 5. He'd lose all credibility. Either UT football is moving forward or we're stalled midpack SEC.

It's likely to come to a head quickly. CBJ's agent is pushing for a raise and an extension-- and 8-4 wasn't good enough for either last year. It would be so much better for the program to take it to the next level and skip the drama.
 
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How bout some qualifiers:
If we have no more major injuries
If Tuttle is back at 90% or more by game 3
If Wiggins solidifies the secondary.
If Sapp or McDowell solidify the lbs.
If Kongbo can reek havoc up front.
If Kelly and one other are elusive and/or bruising runners.
If Wolfe becomes a better blocker.
If we can have at least 5-8 healthy oline.
If one of our qbs shows accuracy and a little mobility.
If Jennings matures and requires double teams or zones.
If Byrd is proven to be a better wr than cb.
If Daniel continues to be a great weapon.
If Medley can increase his fg accuracy by 5-7 yards.
If Berry is healthy enuf to be a great return weapon.
If Scott calls a great game as OC.

If all of this happen and we get a little luck........
I vote for 9-3.

Kongbo will not reek. He is well known for good hygiene and wearing deodorant. We should be fine otherwise.
 
..and you can't get ANYONE to see that CBJ should've already been fired!

I either get griped at for writing posts that are too long....or griped at for writing posts that are too short....

You guys are just too smart for me...

Too soon to fire him in 2015 imo, and should not have fired him last year if for no other reason than the AD situation. I honestly can't believe some of you don't get that, but whatever.

Maybe you should just stfu.

Lol, I kid Mike. :)
 
Those ought to be sufficient....but are not to most on here...who still cling to injuries for an excuse!
However, I didn't say they were the ONLY reasons....

No Tenn. team wins the East without being able to beat both UGa and Fla...or at least one of them...Besides UT...those two programs are dominant....or didn't you know that? ...CBJ couldn't even beat USCe or Vandy in year 4 with the SEC title on the line....those two losses would've been reason enough for me....

As I've stated before...

Fla fired Zook...and the 'chump (even though he won 10 games one year)...
UGA fired Donnan for winning 62.5% of his games in the SEC and almost 68% overall...after his 4th year and posting his 2nd 8-4 finish..

Bama fired Curry after he won the SEC and finished a season at 10-2 for Gene Stallings!

Heck-fire bud.....CBJ has won 58.8% overall and is 14-18 in the SEC--a whopping 43.8% overall...and 9-7 SEC (56.3%) over the last 2 years...and you can't get ANYONE to see that CBJ should've already been fired!

I either get griped at for writing posts that are too long....or griped at for writing posts that are too short....

You guys are just too smart for me...

weird edit after i responded to the original? not sure if i should re respond or what?:eek:lol:
 
But we do in fact have question marks all over the field, on both sides of the ball...

Offense-
QB- which first year starter will it be? QD or JG?
RB- can Kelly be "the guy"? Who is/are his bavkup(s)
TE- can Wolf take a big step forward and be more consistent and better catching the ball and blocking? Who's his backup?
OL- some say the strength of the team? Can it be much better, much more physical? How good is Smith? Can Richmond play like a 5star at LT? Who are the starters?
WR- who can step up as the #2 and #3 WRs to take pressure off JJ? And....can JJ be a true #1?

Defense-
DE- we're talented here but completely unproven....neither Kongbo nor Phillips have really even played the position for Tennessee, and Taylor has gotten very, very few game reps.
DT- who's healthy enough to help a good, solid Vickers? Will Shy be healthy? How good is KMac? Can Alexis Johnson play at this level? How much will we have to play the freshmen?
LB- questions everywhere.....
CB- ditto....who's gonna start? Can Wiggins play here? Can Martin, who's been a disappointment, do a 180 and realize his potential? Is Moseley vastly improved so that he becomes a very good, above average reliable cover guy?
Nickel- honestly, if Gaulden stays healthy, we're good here
Safety- is Warrior, our most talented guy here, up to speed and ready to start and play a ton? Feel pretty good about both TKJr (although he's limited athletically) and Abernathy. Will Evan Berry be a good backup?


We have talent at most every position, but there are questions about experience and actual production just about everywhere. Virtually nowhere where we can honestly say "yeah, that position is locked down, no worries there".

Well, the secondary is probably locked down-- as much as it's going to be.

CBJ has brought in Top 10 and Top 15 recruiting classes. If all of our upperclassmen are question marks, either the coaches aren't evaluating talent well or they're not developing it well. Or both.

All SECE teams have questions and all lost key players. I believe we have recruited the talent to win the division. If we fall short again, the question becomes why?
 
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Also I'm still expecting a 10-2 season. I don't see us losing all these games. Of UGA, FL and LSU I think we only lose one at most.
 
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He would survive that this year but he should have to beat UF, UGA and Bama next year or should be sent packing.

So, if we go 11 - 1 in 2018 with a loss to Alabama, you believe that Butch Jones should be fired? Explain why and then point out any sane administrator that would fire a coach following a season where they could possibly be in the CFB Playoffs?
 
Also I'm still expecting a 10-2 season. I don't see us losing all these games. Of UGA, FL and LSU I think we only lose one at most.

I think we win two of those three and lose to Bama and then lose one to a team we expect to beat.

That means 9-3. 8-4 means we lose all three of those and Bama and 7-5 adds those 4 with a game we don't exoect to lose. 7-5 may not get him fired but it would make me doubt he can get it done here.
 

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