The excitement of the unknown

#1
orange+white=heaven

orange+white=heaven

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Feb 16, 2005
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#1
One press conference. Simple answers... Physical..recruiting.. Do what we have to to win..maintaining tradition.. Patience...

The reality of the present is that we really don't know whether Mike Hamilton's career hire is a good one or not. Won't know until probably this time next year.

But from where I'm sitting it sure is fun not knowing...

What will a new Tennessee offense look like? Don't know... The guess is that at first it look pretty much like Lane did to start his presser, nervous, maybe even a bit clunky... but sure of where it's going, and with the coaching to see that it gets there.

A new look Defense? Don't know. But Monte Kiffin has forgotten more defense than most SEC coordinators know, so one would have to figure that defense will once again be a strong suit for the Volunteers. And I'm betting that third and long won't be nearly so easy for a Wyoming or Air Force to convert next season.

Recruiting? Don't know for sure, but here's the really great part... For all the tireless genius the now departed Fulmer was credited with in this department, Hamilton appears to have found a youthful match to Fulmer's long standing trump card at the helm of UT football.

Yes, these are unknowns that I can damn sure live with.

It's great. To be. A Tennessee Vol.
 
#2
#2
orange+white=heaven said:
One press conference. Simple answers... Physical..recruiting.. Do what we have to to win..maintaining tradition.. Patience...

The reality of the present is that we really don't know whether Mike Hamilton's career hire is a good one or not. Won't know until probably this time next year.

But from where I'm sitting it sure is fun not knowing...

What will a new Tennessee offense look like? Don't know... The guess is that at first it look pretty much like Lane did to start his presser, nervous, maybe even a bit clunky... but sure of where it's going, and with the coaching to see that it gets there.

A new look Defense? Don't know. But Monte Kiffin has forgotten more defense than most SEC coordinators know, so one would have to figure that defense will once again be a strong suit for the Volunteers. And I'm betting that third and long won't be nearly so easy for a Wyoming or Air Force to convert next season.

Recruiting? Don't know for sure, but here's the really great part... For all the tireless genius the now departed Fulmer was credited with in this department, Hamilton appears to have found a youthful match to Fulmer's long standing trump card at the helm of UT football.

Yes, these are unknowns that I can damn sure live with.

It's great. To be. A Tennessee Vol.
Click to expand...

49 states!
 
#4
#4
i think it will require some patience, but i think Kiffin and the staff he eventually puts together will get TN back to where we want to be. I can't believe after watching yesterday that he couldn't get recruits excited about coming to TN.

i'm not going to judge anything on next season. but i do think the future is bright.
 
#5
#5
Looking into the crystal ball a year from now, the Vols success or failure next season lies somewhat outside of Kiffin's control. The expectation is for Kiffin to beat the teams we should beat (which is what Fulmer didn't do and brought us to this point) - W KY, UCLA, Ohio, Mem, Vandy, and UK.

USC and AU should be winnable games at home. UM on the road is looking tougher with each win Nutt notches in his belt. They will also have an experienced QB - which frankly I think will be really good next year.

Then you have the trifecta of UF, UAT, and UGA. We all know how tough it is to win with a rookie signal caller. All of those teams could have green horns under center next year. UAT will for sure - I'm not even sure who JPW's backup is? UGA and UF could potentially lose not only QB's but their lynch-pin offensive playmakers as well. If UF loses Tebow and Harvin that's huge. If UGA loses Stafford and Moreno that's huge. But if all those guys come back - it spells trouble for everyone else in the league - including Kiffin.
 
#6
#6
The excitement will be stretched across several events:

1. Naming of staff - not completed until after the NFL playoffs
2. The final kick of recruiting
3. Spring practice reports
4. O&W game
5. Summer arrests or not
6. Fall practice
7. The first game.

Man - what a tease we are in for
 
#7
#7
Not expecting much, especially when arguably the two best coaches in college football, went 6-6 at their respective schools in their first season.
 
#9
#9
Kiff has got to prove himself but.....I haven't had this bubbly feeling about Tennessee football in a long time...I'm so excited about this new direction we're heading in....GO BIG ORANGE!!!:rock:
 
#10
#10
orange+white=heaven said:
Looking forward to it all.

This whole thing now has a positive momentum that hasn't existed for some time...
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my only word of caution........i recall many, self included, feeling the same thing after last season at the prospect of having "new blood" at OC.......the great recruiting class........all the returning starters.......etc, etc, etc.......
 
#12
#12
TENNFOLD1974 said:
Kiff has got to prove himself but.....I haven't had this bubbly feeling about Tennessee football in a long time...I'm so excited about this new direction we're heading in....GO BIG ORANGE!!!:rock:
Click to expand...

X2!!!

Can we have an Orange and White bowl game this year!!:)

I can't wait for the next O & W game, I hope it is a sell out!! (It could happen!)

GO VOLS!!!!!:rock:
 
#13
#13
vader said:
You, sir, are a buzzkill
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yeah, i know.......call it lesson's learned.

i was one of the ones that was pretty darn optimistica bout this season.

losing to UCLA and Wyoming? gulp.
 
#14
#14
XtennesseeX said:
Not expecting much, especially when arguably the two best coaches in college football, went 6-6 at their respective schools in their first season.
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You said it. What the preseason ranking of the Vols at #3 didn't teach me about utter dispair and dissappointment the Clawson situation did. I'll watch the '09 season with a positive outlook but temper that with an open mind that Rome wasn't built in a day.
 
#15
#15
XtennesseeX said:
Not expecting much, especially when arguably the two best coaches in college football, went 6-6 at their respective schools in their first season.
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Look at next year's schedule.

7 wins is all but certain, 9 wins is realistic.

I'm not drinking any kool-aid but there is no reason Tennessee should fear Ohio or Western Kentucky.
 
#16
#16
TENNFOLD1974 said:
Kiff has got to prove himself but.....I haven't had this bubbly feeling about Tennessee football in a long time...I'm so excited about this new direction we're heading in....GO BIG ORANGE!!!:rock:
Click to expand...

To continue with Jakez buzzkill mission, everyone was pretty bubbly about football heading into this year with the comments from Clawson about his offensive goals.
 
#17
#17
justingroves said:
Look at next year's schedule.

7 wins is all but certain, 9 wins is realistic.

I'm not drinking any kool-aid but there is no reason Tennessee should fear Ohio or Western Kentucky.
Click to expand...

100% agree, I've been saying the same thing.
 
#18
#18
Given the "raw" talent we have on the team, 8 wins is certainly doable. Part depends on how different the new schemes are.
 
#19
#19
How about looking at it this way - we should certainly have a better record than we did this year!
 
#20
#20
justingroves said:
Look at next year's schedule.

7 wins is all but certain, 9 wins is realistic.

I'm not drinking any kool-aid but there is no reason Tennessee should fear Ohio or Western Kentucky.
Click to expand...

What is the 7th win you are counting on as certain - AU, USC, or UM? The first six should be a given.
 
#21
#21
jakez4ut said:
my only word of caution........i recall many, self included, feeling the same thing after last season at the prospect of having "new blood" at OC.......the great recruiting class........all the returning starters.......etc, etc, etc.......
Click to expand...
but most with sense provided the caveat that the new blood only meant something to the extent that Fulmer's fingerprints went away.
 
#22
#22
jakez4ut said:
yeah, i know.......call it lesson's learned.

i was one of the ones that was pretty darn optimistica bout this season.

losing to UCLA and Wyoming? gulp.
Click to expand...

UT IE 95 said:
To continue with Jakez buzzkill mission, everyone was pretty bubbly about football heading into this year with the comments from Clawson about his offensive goals.
Click to expand...
I respect the issuing of the cautionary tale...but...

Even if things are clunky next season, there won't be the nightmare of negativity we just endured around here. My point would be this is a good thing, hell a great thing...
 
#23
#23
I'll be happier when I have even a small idea of what will happen on offense. So far all the great positives I've heard about the Kiffin hire is focused on defense.
 
#24
#24
dan4vols said:
You said it. What the preseason ranking of the Vols at #3 didn't teach me about utter dispair and dissappointment the Clawson situation did. I'll watch the '09 season with a positive outlook but temper that with an open mind that Rome wasn't built in a day.
Click to expand...
well said.....
justingroves said:
Look at next year's schedule.

7 wins is all but certain, 9 wins is realistic.

I'm not drinking any kool-aid but there is no reason Tennessee should fear Ohio or Western Kentucky.
Click to expand...
i agree with that, just saying that a a whole new staff......it's just a lot to ask for in year one w/no extra practice from a bowl game etc....to realistically put an expectation on next year at 8 or 9+ wins and say that if they don't reach that then the season was not successful.

i can't do that at this point. Will i be surprised if they win 8 or 9 games? no, not really. but i think it's more realistic that we win the games we should, lose the games we should and take are chances on the toss ups.

7-5 to 9-3 is the range, depending on how the toss ups go, i would think.

i'm just not putting the floor at 9........that's all.

BigPapaVol said:
but most with sense provided the caveat that the new blood only meant something to the extent that Fulmer's fingerprints went away.
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:question: what you talkin' about Willis?

in all seriousness, all we had to go on was wat Fulmer said all along that it was going to be his offense. i don't think we'll ever know how much/how little constraint he put on Clawson this past year.

i only know that he said it was his.
 
#25
#25
Kiffin runs a pro style offense and he his known for his offense. He was a quarterback at Fresno State. His dad is the defensive guy.
 
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