Take A Step Back

#1
LawVol13

LawVol13

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#1
and reflect on the situation Derek Dooley inherited. I'll readily admit that he wasn't my first choice or even in the top 10 after Kiffin left; however, it's just a fact that he's stepped into the toughest situation that I've ever seen in UT football in my lifetime. Let's examine what has transpired.

Offensive Line: We lose every single offensive lineman from last year's squad, four seniors and a dumbass. Now, we're consistently playing 3 true freshman, a JUCO Center that arrived on campus in August and a Senior that basically hasn't played a down since he was on campus until this year.

Defensive Line: We knew this was a primary area of concern going into the season. Then we immediately lose a starting DE and a starting DT, which is crippling. Now, we have a true sophomore, a true freshman walk-on, and a couple of DEs trying to play tackle for us.

Quarterback: We're playing a guy that couldn't cut it at Louisville and put up mediocre stats at JUCO. Looks like Bray might be taking the reigns, another true freshman.

Schedule: We've played one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. Bama and Oregon may very well be in the National Title game this year, and LSU still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Conclusion: Considering everything that's transpired, Dooley deserves a chance. He's walked into a mess, and it's really impossible to evaluate him on 7 games when we've played 5 teams with vastly, vastly, better personnel. Give him a shot, and support him through this year. If we don't see significant improvement next year, then it's absolutely fair to question whether he can get it done. Go Vols.
 
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#5
#5
LawVol13 said:
and reflect on the situation Derek Dooley inherited. I'll readily admit that he wasn't my first choice or even in the top 10 after Kiffin left; however, it's just a fact that he's stepped into the toughest situation that I've ever seen in UT football in my lifetime. Let's examine what has transpired.

Offensive Line: We lose every single offensive lineman from last year's squad, four seniors and a dumbass. Now, we're consistently playing 3 true freshman, a JUCO Center that arrived on campus in August and a Senior that basically hasn't played a down since he was on campus until this year.

Defensive Line: We knew this was a primary area of concern going into the season. Then we immediately lose a starting DE and a starting DT, which is crippling. Now, we have a true sophomore, a true freshman walk-on, and a couple of DEs trying to play tackle for us.

Quarterback: We're playing a guy that couldn't cut it at Louisville and put up mediocre stats at JUCO. Looks like Bray might be taking the reigns, another true freshman.

Schedule: We've played one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. Bama and Oregon may very well be in the National Title game this year, and LSU still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Conclusion: Considering everything that's transpired, Dooley deserves a chance. He's walked into a mess, and it's really impossible to evaluate him on 7 games when we've played 5 times with vastly, vastly, better personnel. Give him a shot, and support him through this year. If we don't see significant improvement next year, then it's absolutely fair to question whether he can get it done. Go Vols.
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How dare you bring common sense in here.... JK great post
 
#7
#7
Very, very accurate reflection of our team and the mess Dooley inherited.

I don't know how long Dooley will last here, but one thing I'm sure of is if he goes he will leave the program in much better shape for the next guy than the last 2 coaches left for him.
 
#10
#10
Great post...I'd also add

Defensive Backs: Decimated by attrition. We had to replace 2 great d-backs who left after Jr. yr to persue NFL careers, lost another expected starter who couldn't meet team expectations, and one to MCL in spring.
 
#11
#11
Not worried about Dooley anyway, this team is going to have to improve week to week or it won't matter who the coach is.
 
#14
#14
I don't disagree with the post, the situation Dooley came into was very tough. The only reasonable way to evaluate Dooley to this point is in his coaching to this point and there is valid reason for criticism, some go too far with this criticism IMO while others dismiss it entirely. The truth is somewhere in the middle. The coaching staff and players need to make a significant jump next year if we want to compete in the SEC. If they do not we can look forward to mediocre 6-6 or 7-5 seasons and meaningless bowl games for the foreseeable future.
 
#15
#15
Agree 100%
LawVol13 said:
and reflect on the situation Derek Dooley inherited. I'll readily admit that he wasn't my first choice or even in the top 10 after Kiffin left; however, it's just a fact that he's stepped into the toughest situation that I've ever seen in UT football in my lifetime. Let's examine what has transpired.

Offensive Line: We lose every single offensive lineman from last year's squad, four seniors and a dumbass. Now, we're consistently playing 3 true freshman, a JUCO Center that arrived on campus in August and a Senior that basically hasn't played a down since he was on campus until this year.

Defensive Line: We knew this was a primary area of concern going into the season. Then we immediately lose a starting DE and a starting DT, which is crippling. Now, we have a true sophomore, a true freshman walk-on, and a couple of DEs trying to play tackle for us.

Quarterback: We're playing a guy that couldn't cut it at Louisville and put up mediocre stats at JUCO. Looks like Bray might be taking the reigns, another true freshman.

Schedule: We've played one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. Bama and Oregon may very well be in the National Title game this year, and LSU still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Conclusion: Considering everything that's transpired, Dooley deserves a chance. He's walked into a mess, and it's really impossible to evaluate him on 7 games when we've played 5 teams with vastly, vastly, better personnel. Give him a shot, and support him through this year. If we don't see significant improvement next year, then it's absolutely fair to question whether he can get it done. Go Vols.
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#16
#16
Finally, someone with a little common sense. We won't even mention Darren Myles, John Brown, Loften, Chase Nelson, Dave Clark, Bryce Brown, etc. etc.
 
#19
#19
LawVol13 said:
and reflect on the situation Derek Dooley inherited. I'll readily admit that he wasn't my first choice or even in the top 10 after Kiffin left; however, it's just a fact that he's stepped into the toughest situation that I've ever seen in UT football in my lifetime. Let's examine what has transpired.

Offensive Line: We lose every single offensive lineman from last year's squad, four seniors and a dumbass. Now, we're consistently playing 3 true freshman, a JUCO Center that arrived on campus in August and a Senior that basically hasn't played a down since he was on campus until this year.

Defensive Line: We knew this was a primary area of concern going into the season. Then we immediately lose a starting DE and a starting DT, which is crippling. Now, we have a true sophomore, a true freshman walk-on, and a couple of DEs trying to play tackle for us.

Quarterback: We're playing a guy that couldn't cut it at Louisville and put up mediocre stats at JUCO. Looks like Bray might be taking the reigns, another true freshman.

Schedule: We've played one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. Bama and Oregon may very well be in the National Title game this year, and LSU still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Conclusion: Considering everything that's transpired, Dooley deserves a chance. He's walked into a mess, and it's really impossible to evaluate him on 7 games when we've played 5 teams with vastly, vastly, better personnel. Give him a shot, and support him through this year. If we don't see significant improvement next year, then it's absolutely fair to question whether he can get it done. Go Vols.
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Very well stated! I totally agree 100%!!:thumbsup:
 
#20
#20
LawVol13 said:
and reflect on the situation Derek Dooley inherited. I'll readily admit that he wasn't my first choice or even in the top 10 after Kiffin left; however, it's just a fact that he's stepped into the toughest situation that I've ever seen in UT football in my lifetime. Let's examine what has transpired.

Offensive Line: We lose every single offensive lineman from last year's squad, four seniors and a dumbass. Now, we're consistently playing 3 true freshman, a JUCO Center that arrived on campus in August and a Senior that basically hasn't played a down since he was on campus until this year.

Defensive Line: We knew this was a primary area of concern going into the season. Then we immediately lose a starting DE and a starting DT, which is crippling. Now, we have a true sophomore, a true freshman walk-on, and a couple of DEs trying to play tackle for us.

Quarterback: We're playing a guy that couldn't cut it at Louisville and put up mediocre stats at JUCO. Looks like Bray might be taking the reigns, another true freshman.

Schedule: We've played one of, if not the toughest schedule in the country. Bama and Oregon may very well be in the National Title game this year, and LSU still has an outside shot at a BCS bowl.

Conclusion: Considering everything that's transpired, Dooley deserves a chance. He's walked into a mess, and it's really impossible to evaluate him on 7 games when we've played 5 teams with vastly, vastly, better personnel. Give him a shot, and support him through this year. If we don't see significant improvement next year, then it's absolutely fair to question whether he can get it done. Go Vols.
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I appreciate you posting this saving me the time to pretty much pose the exact same thing today.

One other note - during the storm delay of Ark/Ole Miss the announcers brought up Syracuse. They were even worse than we are last year. Right now they are sitting at 5-2 with a fairly young team themselves, although granted it's in the big East. Change doesn't happen overnight, but year 2 could show drastic differences.
 
#22
#22
Agree with your post 100%, it will absolutely take time and Dooley should get that time. But the fact that Dooley needs time to bring in talent does not excuse some of things we've seen on the field this year and I think those 2 things need to be separated when discussing this staff.

There's a difference between giving a guy time to bring in talent and depth and giving a guy until 2012 to consistently make sure we have enough men on the field (just one example of the continuing lack of discipline). In other words, even though our guys lack depth and talent, doesn't mean that they have to lack discipline, and that's ultimately on the coaching staff, starting with the HC.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I personally would feel much better about our losses if they didn't include such a lack of discipline. If we get run over b/c we have no depth and are gassed in the 3rd quarter, fine. If we are just not as talented, fine. Those things are cured by recruiting and time. What is really hard to cure is a CULTURE of a lack of discipline. I'm not saying things have arisen to that level yet, but, serious question -- does anyone on this thread think that our discipline has actually gotten better over the course of 7 games? In my opinion, things have gotten worse.
 
#23
#23
The Tall Gguy said:
Not worried about Dooley anyway, this team is going to have to improve week to week or it won't matter who the coach is.
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W-50-0(We beat a high school)
L-48-13(Dooley's 1st showing of not making 2nd half adjustments)
L-31-17(another loss to Florida)
W-OT-32-29(over UAB!!!!)
L-16-14(blame it on Les Miles all we want but our coaching staff dropped the ball)
L-41-14(Coaching staff and players never got off the bus....Good job DD for having the boys ready!)
L-41-10(2nd showing of piss poor 2nd half adjustments and apparently not knowing how to overcome tough circumstances)

Where is the improvement???? We are in a free fall and dooley is not the parachute, he is a F($&ing anvil!!!

Hamilton dropped the ball when we hired this subpar WAC coach and we need to rid ourselves of him quickly! The only difference between Dooley and Mike Shula is the fact that we're not on probation YET. I understand this is a bad situation he took over and any coach would have problems but he really looks lost at times and the players are playing as if they just want to drift through this season. Sorry for the venting but this is just my opinion and I really hope he proves me wrong.
 
#24
#24
I think it's fair to do an initial evaluation based on what we see in November. The competition level goes down several notches after SC. With 8 games under their belts, even true Freshmen should be playing noticably better than they were in September. Even if they go 2-10, it's not like Dooley's gong to get fired but it does give me an idea as to what these coaches can do when they are not completely outmanned.
 
#25
#25
RockyTopThriller said:
W-50-0(We beat a high school)
L-48-13(Dooley's 1st showing of not making 2nd half adjustments)
L-31-17(another loss to Florida)
W-OT-32-29(over UAB!!!!)
L-16-14(blame it on Les Miles all we want but our coaching staff dropped the ball)
L-41-14(Coaching staff and players never got off the bus....Good job DD for having the boys ready!)
L-41-10(2nd showing of piss poor 2nd half adjustments and apparently not knowing how to overcome tough circumstances)

Where is the improvement???? We are in a free fall and dooley is not the parachute, he is a F($&ing anvil!!!

Hamilton dropped the ball when we hired this subpar WAC coach and we need to rid ourselves of him quickly! The only difference between Dooley and Mike Shula is the fact that we're not on probation YET. I understand this is a bad situation he took over and any coach would have problems but he really looks lost at times and the players are playing as if they just want to drift through this season. Sorry for the venting but this is just my opinion and I really hope he proves me wrong.
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Moronic.
 
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