I've said it before, and I'll say it again; this is the best Tennessee team we've seen in years.
Yes, there are too many busts on defense and fails in the kicking game. There have been some odd decisions, bad throws and dropped passes, etc. But we watched all of those things for decades.
When Dooley came here, there was a freshman offensive line with only one experienced player, no center and zero depth. Did you get that? There was no center. There was zero depth...for freshmen starters. How long did it take to create that disaster? How long did it take for Dooley to fix it? It's fixed; the offensive line is among the very best in the nation, right now. How many years did Tennessee go without recruiting defensive linemen? That went on year after year after year, before Dooley. We have D-linemen now, some truly great players with good guys in the two deep, because Dooley got them and coached them. Running game? Sure there is a very proud tradition. But with the exception of Montario Hardesty's senior season, the running game had been pathetic for a long time, going way back through Fulmer's years. Don't tell me otherwise because I watched the games; the running game sucked for years, and that's a fact. Tennessee's running game is respectable this year; it's very much improved, producing against the toughest defenses in the conference. However spotted our passing game might be, it is feared by every team in the league.
The W/L column is very disappointing. But don't even tell me this is not the best, most competitive Tennessee team in many years. By season's end, Tennessee should be a solid middle tier team in the SEC, up from the freaking bottom. Mediocrity is not acceptable, you say. Get real people; Tennessee was not even close to mediocre when Dooley arrived; the program had hit the bottom...that's bottom as in the bottom. It was one of the worst teams in the whole country, playing against the very best in the country. Because we don't like that terrible reality, we don't want to think it or say it or support the man who is pulling us back up from it. The fact is that this year there was exciting competition in every game but one, and that is against several top ten teams. The failures stand out, but so do the improvements. Only the frustrated blind fail to see them.
I think Dooley has the qualities necessary to be a successful coach in the SEC. He keeps working to get things right, and he's close... very close. Maybe he won't get there, but if the improvements continue then his eventual success on a higher level seems inevitable.
Yes, there are too many busts on defense and fails in the kicking game. There have been some odd decisions, bad throws and dropped passes, etc. But we watched all of those things for decades.
When Dooley came here, there was a freshman offensive line with only one experienced player, no center and zero depth. Did you get that? There was no center. There was zero depth...for freshmen starters. How long did it take to create that disaster? How long did it take for Dooley to fix it? It's fixed; the offensive line is among the very best in the nation, right now. How many years did Tennessee go without recruiting defensive linemen? That went on year after year after year, before Dooley. We have D-linemen now, some truly great players with good guys in the two deep, because Dooley got them and coached them. Running game? Sure there is a very proud tradition. But with the exception of Montario Hardesty's senior season, the running game had been pathetic for a long time, going way back through Fulmer's years. Don't tell me otherwise because I watched the games; the running game sucked for years, and that's a fact. Tennessee's running game is respectable this year; it's very much improved, producing against the toughest defenses in the conference. However spotted our passing game might be, it is feared by every team in the league.
The W/L column is very disappointing. But don't even tell me this is not the best, most competitive Tennessee team in many years. By season's end, Tennessee should be a solid middle tier team in the SEC, up from the freaking bottom. Mediocrity is not acceptable, you say. Get real people; Tennessee was not even close to mediocre when Dooley arrived; the program had hit the bottom...that's bottom as in the bottom. It was one of the worst teams in the whole country, playing against the very best in the country. Because we don't like that terrible reality, we don't want to think it or say it or support the man who is pulling us back up from it. The fact is that this year there was exciting competition in every game but one, and that is against several top ten teams. The failures stand out, but so do the improvements. Only the frustrated blind fail to see them.
I think Dooley has the qualities necessary to be a successful coach in the SEC. He keeps working to get things right, and he's close... very close. Maybe he won't get there, but if the improvements continue then his eventual success on a higher level seems inevitable.
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