Still a year away

[BigOrangeTrain]

With all the hype I am sure no one wants to hear it but we are still one year away. 7 or 8 wins is a successful season next year. 2016 will be the year we are another year older, more experienced, deeper at all positions and ready to compete. Don't get upset with 7 this year, still a process and it is working And foundation has been laid.

Then in 2016 you will say 2017 is the year. There are only 2 things that should keep us from winning 9 games, major injuries and bad coaching. The excuses have to stop sometime.

 

[chargervol]

Ha, sorry I was being a bit facetious since you were calling him out, but since you were nice I will take your post seriously. I think what he means to say is that the other poster makes a claim based on his "feeling" and then throws out anything he can to "support" it. This is opposed to logically thinking something through to the point of reaching a meaningful conclusion, and then showing others how you reached that thought with logical statements of support. I dont believe he is saying you cant have a different opinion. That is the way I read it anyway.

He could have been, that's why I included the "not you (him) in particular" part.
We have all seen the word excuses used too often. And people seem to honestly believe that others feel the need to justify to them.

Sjt knows me well enough to know I was calling out the phrase, not him.

 

[Nationdom]

Then in 2016 you will say 2017 is the year. There are only 2 things that should keep us from winning 9 games, major injuries and bad coaching. The excuses have to stop sometime.

Those are the only two things that keep this UT team from winning at least 9.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Those are the only two things that keep this UT team from winning at least 9.

Exactly. No more wait until next year excuses. UT is as talented as any team in the East.

 

[Nationdom]

Exactly. No more wait until next year excuses. UT is as talented as any team in the East.

Damn right we are. It literally makes me lose sleep when people say that they are happy with 7 wins and it's a "successful" season. We have top 15 talent in the country right now. BY the end of the year we should be top ten, talent wise, after a little development and experience.

 

[coffeevol]

Damn right we are. It literally makes me lose sleep when people say that they are happy with 7 wins and it's a "successful" season. We have top 15 talent in the country right now. BY the end of the year we should be top ten, talent wise, after a little development and experience.

Not happy with 7 wins, but it is a process, 7 wins and Butchs seat shouldn't be warm.

How about our terrible oline are they going to magically transform into all SEC talent? Like or not the process is still on going. Do we have potential to win 9? He'll yeah we do, do we have a team that could trip and win 7 seven, yep. Maybe try a sleep number bed and realistic expectations to help you sleep, lot of you all will be the first to call for his head if he doesn't win 10 this year. Still a year away from competing for SEC titles is all I am saying.

 

[KBVol]

Not happy with 7 wins, but it is a process, 7 wins and Butchs seat shouldn't be warm.

How about our terrible oline are they going to magically transform into all SEC talent? Like or not the process is still on going. Do we have potential to win 9? He'll yeah we do, do we have a team that could trip and win 7 seven, yep. Maybe try a sleep number bed and realistic expectations to help you sleep, lot of you all will be the first to call for his head if he doesn't win 10 this year. Still a year away from competing for SEC titles is all I am saying.

Still a year away from playing in the SECCG and only winning 7 games are 2 different things imo. Lotta separation between the 2. It typically takes a 10 or 11 win season to represent the SEC East in the championship game. I'm not saying Butch has to win 10 or 11 games this year.....but looking at the upperclassmen, experience and overall talent we have, this team should win 8-9 games to continue to show progress.

We don't need the OL to be "all-sec" this year, just improve to an acceptable level. We have a lot of talent surrounding them at the skill positions, including a dynamic, playmaking QB. If they improve from being the 14th best OL to the 9th or 10th best I think we'll be good and much improved as an offense. It's Butch's job, in his third year, to be able to put a quality, cohesive OL on the field. It's hardly an unreasonable expectation.

Bottom line, if they only win the easier games they're supposed to and lose 5 of 6 vs the better competition/teams we play this year, very little to no progress will have been made since last year.

I certainly won't be one to call for Butch's head if he "doesn't win 10 games", because I believe 8 or maybe even 9 wins is the reasonable expectation. But in year three, if he loses 5 of 6 to Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Bama and Missouri, he will completely lose my faith and support that he's the right coach.

 

[RockyMtnsVol]

I disagree. I think 8 wins is the minimum. We're not as young as people think...

 

[BaldBiker]

I disagree. I think 8 wins is the minimum. We're not as young as people think...

I'm 50.

 

[walkenvol]

But in year three, if he loses 5 of 6 to Oklahoma, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Bama and Missouri, he will completely lose my faith and support that he's the right coach.

A little over the top don't you think? What if all 6 of those games are very close and all the close calls / bad breaks / key injuries go against UT and they only win 7 then CBJ goes out and signs another top 5 recruiting class. Will you still have completely lost your faith in CBJ?

 

[KBVol]

A little over the top don't you think? What if all 6 of those games are very close and all the close calls / bad breaks / key injuries go against UT and they only win 7 then CBJ goes out and signs another top 5 recruiting class. Will you still have completely lost your faith in CBJ?

Nope, not over the top at all. How about in 2016, we suffer some key injuries, sign another great class, and only win 7 again? Then what? 2017? 2018?

Injuries are part of the game, everybody suffers them to some degree every year. Georgia lost the best RB in the country last year and didn't miss a beat. In 1985 we lost one of the best QBs in our school's history, plugged in a 5th year "low talented" senior and went on to finish 4th in the country. At some point close doesn't count and excuses fall on deaf ears. He has to start winning football games.

 

[volgrl]

If we stay healthy, particularly at QB, then anything less than 8 wins is just mediocre coaching and a concern for how we compete in the future.

 

[checkerboards09]

Nope, not over the top at all. How about in 2016, we suffer some key injuries, sign another great class, and only win 7 again? Then what? 2017? 2018?

Injuries are part of the game, everybody suffers them to some degree every year. Georgia lost the best RB in the country last year and didn't miss a beat. In 1985 we lost one of the best QBs in our school's history, plugged in a 5th year "low talented" senior and went on to finish 4th in the country. At some point close doesn't count and excuses fall on deaf ears. He has to start winning football games.

There are some on here that claimed Jones needs 5 years to "clean up the mess" and "have his players". I can't help but laugh at that considering his first class would have already graduated a year earlier when that 5 years rolls around. "The year" will keep getting pushed back if he doesn't succeed this year or next, bank on that.

 

[Nationdom]

There are some on here that claimed Jones needs 5 years to "clean up the mess" and "have his players". I can't help but laugh at that considering his first class would have already graduated a year earlier when that 5 years rolls around. "The year" will keep getting pushed back if he doesn't succeed this year or next, bank on that.

It's the people that settle in life, with everything. I strive for the best in everything and I want it now, not one year from now. Don't let them get to you. The power of this team will be remembered for ages. To know football, is an art, a gift and I've found out that a lot of people on here struggle with it. They will be pleasantly surprised, I will not be.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

There are some on here that claimed Jones needs 5 years to "clean up the mess" and "have his players". I can't help but laugh at that considering his first class would have already graduated a year earlier when that 5 years rolls around. "The year" will keep getting pushed back if he doesn't succeed this year or next, bank on that.

It became his team the day he signed the contract.

There were plenty of roster issues left from Dooley but he didn't walk into a completely bare cupboard.

Some on here prefer to stick their heads in the sand and continually pine for " next year" eternally though.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

A little over the top don't you think? What if all 6 of those games are very close and all the close calls / bad breaks / key injuries go against UT and they only win 7 then CBJ goes out and signs another top 5 recruiting class. Will you still have completely lost your faith in CBJ?

At some point, coaching should factor into alleviating the bad breaks, bad luck, and close calls.

Missed assignments, poor ball security, getting penalized, all these are issues that can be corrected through coaching.

 

[checkerboards09]

It's the people that settle in life, with everything. I strive for the best in everything and I want it now, not one year from now. Don't let them get to you. The power of this team will be remembered for ages. To know football, is an art, a gift and I've found out that a lot of people on here struggle with it. They will be pleasantly surprised, I will not be.

I expect a big year as well. We've got all the pieces so its definitely time.

 

[sjt18]

No reason not to expect 8 wins and maybe more unless Dobbs gets hurt.

There is no reason not to expect 8 wins even if Dobbs does get hurt. The Vols will probably start 5 Srs on O and 4 on D. Supposedly that was what was lacking from the last couple of teams, right? Granted they may not possess the talent to push the team to 10 or 11 wins but 8 isn't a very high bar against this schedule.

Of the full time QB starters who began their stint during Fulmer's years, Shuler was a true Soph, Manning was a true Fr, Martin was a Jr, Clausen was a Fr, Ainge/Schaeffer were Fr, and Crompton was a Jr.

Three of six were Fr starters. Dooley's established starter, Bray, became starter as a Fr.

The avg number of wins for those 4 starting Fr was exactly 8.

A well coached Fr QB is a liability that a good coaching staff can work around.

 

[sjt18]

That is highly debatable. What is undebatable is how poorly we matched up against them. I dont think you should say we lost because we were out coached in the Mizzou games.

Then honestly... you weren't watching the same games. Granted, Pinkel IS a very good coach who is getting more out of his roster than most coaches would. But Jones still has to beat him and ESPECIALLY when he has the kind of talent AND experience advantage that he will have this fall.

 

[UTK]

9-3 at least. Have to beat UF period. Those are the things that need to happen fhis season. Period. No more excuses

 

[sjt18]

Given you weren't talking to me,I really mean no offense but am really curious.
I see this a lot "you are just looking for ways to make excuses"....
What does that even mean? I'm not directing this at you in particular. I have just seen this arrogant phrase once too many.

It isn't an arrogant phrase. Some even incidentally admit that's what they're doing.

They want to set their expectations low so they cannot be disappointed. The incidental effect is that they set the bar so low that they're "happy" with much less than they should be with respect to the situation. So... they throw excuses out now to justify the low expectations that often contradict what they've said before AND that they don't apply equally to other programs and coaches.

For instance those who count Mizzou as a likely loss on their way to predicting a 5 loss regular season. Mizzou's leading returning WR had 5 receptions last fall as a Fr. They don't return a single WR that had a catch before last fall and the total for their returnees is 12 catches... for their combined careers.

Yet the same people who say Jones can't possibly be expected to win because of a lack of experience, depth, and talent at a couple of position groups just assume that Mizzou will manage their situation at WR... and on the DL... and at RB.

Hope that explains it... and demonstrates it to be a substantive observation/criticism and not "arrogance".

I know that I have stated -I will be disappointed with less than 8 wins but that is just my opinion. If his opinion is 7 wins, he just as entitled to it as you or I are to our opinions.

No one said that people aren't entitled to their opinion. But this is a public forum where the merits of those opinions are open for scrutiny and debate.

If my opinion happened to be 7 wins, I would say as much. I have no idea why you guys think that anyone else is so concerned with any of you, that they feel the need to make excuses. I will always say what I think, because I don't give a dam how any of you feel about my thoughts or about the staff.

They are expressing an opinion... that they think defends Jones. It does... but not very well if he comes up short.

If you really didn't care what anyone thought of your opinions then you wouldn't post them in a public forum for others to read... nor would you write a post like this one.

Our opinion happens to be the same on this subject but trust me, when it differs, it's not because anyone here strikes me important enough that I would ever make an excuse. If anyone ever feels I am, they think much more of themselves than I think about them.

IIRC, you have made excuses for some of Jones' failures and shortcomings.... or you might say you defended him from unfair criticism or whatever. Again, this is a forum designed for the discussion of thoughts and opinions... that's all we're doing.

 

[MedicT]

Then honestly... you weren't watching the same games. Granted, Pinkel IS a very good coach who is getting more out of his roster than most coaches would. But Jones still has to beat him and ESPECIALLY when he has the kind of talent AND experience advantage that he will have this fall.

Then honestly, we must ask again, what qualifies you to make such a statement? Your opinion is in the minority so it would be interesting to read how you arrived at such. Your qualifying statement is full of conjecture and opinion and as such does not support your idea with any validity.

 

[chargervol]

It isn't an arrogant phrase. Some even incidentally admit that's what they're doing.

They want to set their expectations low so they cannot be disappointed. The incidental effect is that they set the bar so low that they're "happy" with much less than they should be with respect to the situation. So... they throw excuses out now to justify the low expectations that often contradict what they've said before AND that they don't apply equally to other programs and coaches.

For instance those who count Mizzou as a likely loss on their way to predicting a 5 loss regular season. Mizzou's leading returning WR had 5 receptions last fall as a Fr. They don't return a single WR that had a catch before last fall and the total for their returnees is 12 catches... for their combined careers.

Yet the same people who say Jones can't possibly be expected to win because of a lack of experience, depth, and talent at a couple of position groups just assume that Mizzou will manage their situation at WR... and on the DL... and at RB.

Hope that explains it... and demonstrates it to be a substantive observation/criticism and not "arrogance".

No one said that people aren't entitled to their opinion. But this is a public forum where the merits of those opinions are open for scrutiny and debate.

They are expressing an opinion... that they think defends Jones. It does... but not very well if he comes up short.

If you really didn't care what anyone thought of your opinions then you wouldn't post them in a public forum for others to read... nor would you write a post like this one.

IIRC, you have made excuses for some of Jones' failures and shortcomings.... or you might say you defended him from unfair criticism or whatever. Again, this is a forum designed for the discussion of thoughts and opinions... that's all we're doing.

I said I don't care enough about anyone else to worry if they think my opinion is an excuse. You already know that, you just can't help but respond.

As far as everything else you said - B.O.T. said anyone o.k. with less than 9 wins is making excuses. You said 8.

You know your not making excuses, you have formed an opinion based off of what you see....
Same as those who you implied just because their # is lower than yours.

Yours is not an excuse and neither is theirs.

 

[sjt18]

Then honestly, we must ask again, what qualifies you to make such a statement?

What qualifies YOU to question my qualifications?

Your opinion is in the minority so it would be interesting to read how you arrived at such.

I have explained that directly to you on MULTIPLE occasions. If you didn't read then... then you are "unqualified" to be spoon fed again.

Your qualifying statement is full of conjecture and opinion and as such does not support your idea with any validity.

Except that it is backed up by recruiting rankings AND the opportunities players from those 4 squads have gotten or will get to play at the next level. Even if you want to dispute the Recruiting Sites' abilities to evaluate talent accurately... you can't argue much with the NFL's ability to evaluate college talent.

Now... what is YOUR back up for the belief that Mizzou was more talented and that their wins weren't the product of better coaching?

 

[photovol]

Vol's could be anywhere from 1-3 years away from winning the SEC, or as we all know, it could be longer, unfortunately.