Things just feel different with Pruitt

[BACKDOC]

Not to be negative Nancy but we had all offseason to prepare for ga st and got whipped....but this is a different team now and we should be ok against whoever we play.

Yes, no Bituli, no Thompson; Warrior and JG are totally different players now too.

 

[ptcarter]

Glad you are confident. Obviously you don't know me. I better get to repenting. Got a lot of work to do. LOL

I understand. If I end up below, how I feel about football will pale to other accomplishments.

 

[Unconditional Surrender]

Pruitt has def met my expectations which were cautiously optimistic, based on his previous associations and his complete resume, such as it was. It is clear that he has made a great leap forward from year one to year two, and that in the wake of the nightmare that began the season.
While one could hope for just a little more charisma, competence goes a lot farther and I am seeing a big upside for the man.

meh

 

[tennrich1]

Coach Pruitt recognizing Missouri’s fake punt and screaming it out to his players wasn’t an isolated incident. I recall his recognition of Auburn’s offensive plays and calling certain blitzes to counter from the sidelines last year. And it made me think: when have we had a coach who was so talented at seeing the game in real time and playing it like a master of chess? Fulmer was a CEO type. Dooley...no. Butch...no. Kiffin would come closest, but on the offensive side of the ball.

Things just feel different with Pruitt. He has a great football mind. I’ve said since last year that he’s the best defensive mind on The Hill since Ken Donahue. On top of that, he’s a disciplinarian, but a player’s coach for whom players want to perform. He and his staff have obviously developed this roster, as well. He seems to have all the requisite skills to succeed.

I remember in the 90s wishing we had an X’s and O’s mind like Spurrier...a guy who gives you a tactical advantage every time out. That not only puts players in a better position to make plays, but it also creates a psychological advantage (which is really where Spurrier’s teams had Fulmer’s beat). I think we have that now on the defensive side of the ball. But I also think Pruitt has an overall great football mind, rather than just being good at one side of the ball. We heard how he told Chaney to call the JG bootleg to seal the Kentucky game.

This rebuild is still a work in progress. There are still a lot of mental mistakes to clean up. The talent still needs to improve. But we have our football coach. I’ve hoped that with the others. I believe it now. This just feels different.

I agree he’s the best we’ve had since Ken. That’s a gift and total dedication to understanding the game.

 

[Tnman1]

Pruitt is a different kind of coach, how he made a come back from Georgia State and BYU is amazing. It's really easy for a team to give up. There are not many coaches that could turn that around. Players and coaches read social media, they just do. Now, think back to what was being said on this board and others after BYU. To overcome that says a lot about him and his players. Everyone here watched Butch and company, melt under that kind of pressure.

 

[De La Cloobs]

The only thing I can blame Pruitt for at this point is how he starts the seasons. Both this year and last the team came out looking totally unprepared. We looked REAL bad. And going against Florida early in the season never helps us. If Pruitt can learn from past failures and have the team ready to dominate at game ONE next season, it could get real exciting. Imagine if the team was ready at the start of this season? We have two extra wins easy.

Other than how he starts the seasons, Pruitt has impressed me. Beat Vandy handedly and my hope is much higher as well.

 

[Tarkus]

Where specifically would you like to see an upgrade in talent?

I would like to see some bigger more punishing running backs. I would like to see an upgrade in pass rushers and we need to replace the wide receivers we’re losing but I actually think the goal should always be to upgrade every position. That isn’t a knock against current players it’s simply a desire to always get better.

 

[Vol524]

Not to be negative Nancy but we had all offseason to prepare for ga st and got whipped....but this is a different team now and we should be ok against whoever we play.

Pruitt and Chaney have admitted they didn't prepare for Ga. St. I think they learned their lesson. We should have been able to beat Ga. State on just talent but we were not playing as a team and Ga. St. did. I was upset with the Ga St. loss but without it I am not sure we become the team we have become. We just need to move on from that. Lesson learned.

 

[wmcovol]

I don’t think losing teaches you much but being a loser. Winning teaches so much more. I think the team turned around some after gutting out the Miss State game (a game they should have dominated the score) but needed a 90 yd drive in the last 5 mins to close. I think that game gave the team confidence to move forward and win these winnable games.

 

[cobbwebb0710]

Thanksgiving prayer.
Please Dear Lord bless Coach Pruitt, his staff, the players and their families and VN members and all the fans and VFLs.
Please Lord continue to bless Coach Pruitt with the patience to deal with Vol fans. May he prosper and game plan with the best and take this program to great heights and prove to be a Vol legend. Amen.
( Am I going to Hell for asking for football success? )

That depends, are you traveling to the state of Alabama, over the holidays?
GBO!!

 

[CampBlount]

Need to see more success. Remember, it wasn't that long ago that we were 1-4 with a couple embarrassing losses. Plus recruiting right now isn't exactly taking off.

Need to see some 9 and 10 win seasons before "I believe it"

We had these same type of threads early on with Butch

Or, we could just enjoy the successes while they're happening.

 

[jim pique]

From day one,Coach Jeremy Pruitt has been the right choice to me.Tells you straight up when you screw up and what you do to correct it.Very good halftime adjustments by him and his staff.Players.Will play for him.By the way, ky.and Mizzu were close games,but,where does someone think that 30-7 is a close game when the 7is in garbage time?Check your life,son.

 

[TN_Transplant]

I bought in to Pruitt when I saw the team stop quitting when breaks went against them.

Even the Alabama game, the guys fought. They played 60 minutes. The lines fought for every inch.

That's how you win football games, you play as a team and you never ever quit. And on top of that, they are getting better. They are learning the game of football. They are being coached for the first time in a decade.

Pruitt is my coach, and I'm all in.

 

[CAVPUT]

I don't see him as some sort of coaching genius. For me, it feels different because Pruitt appears to be "real/genuine" and the kids are buying in. There's a connection. I see him as the "anti-Butch/anti-Dooley".

 

[Orange to the Bay]

The coaching is there and now we just need an upgrade in talent and depth in some places. I think getting to a bowl game will show some recruits that may have been on the fence that we are on the way back. Player development,which has been nonexistent at UT for a while, is back and showing benefits. There are a lot of positives to see with the current staff.

Yeah, hell, even Botch Jones can prep for a game given a month.

 

[KB5252]

I see where you are coming from but pump the brakes. Pruitt's team lost to games they should not have. He's just getting us back on schedule. We will know more about exactly what we have in the next year or two.

There is certainly reason to optimistic but there were similar threads to this one early in Butch's tenure.

 

[Gandalf]

We have had guys who talked the talk (Kiffy, Dools and Butch) but who didnt walk the walk (actually Kiffy just walked away). Pruitt cant do much in the way of talking but he sure does seem to know quite a bit about football.

 

[FïreBall]

I swear, you guys are the most fickle fan base of all time. Do I really need to go find the threads on here after the first few games? He went from genius, to imbecile, to genius, in 6 weeks.

Little do you know we are not that fickle, it was a little longer than 6 weeks..

 

[Big Orange Rock]

Jeremy Pruitt reminds me a bit of Johnny Majors in that he seems grouchy and never satisfied. I think Jeremy Pruitt is finally getting the football program turning the corner.

Sabanesque to me. Never happy , always keep people striving for perfection and not letting them get comfortable.

 

[majorvol]

We’ve won close games that we normally have lost.

One thing this team has done is made sure to have low scoring low margin victories. Pruitt’s team in SEC play has scored more than 24 points just twice I think. (Auburn and South Carolina)..... i love the gritty wins because defense is making stops and plays we aren’t used to seeing with Tennessee.

The Kentucky stop was a UT classic..

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

I agree with much of what you said. I think the biggest boom we could get is to get a bowl game and be a 2 touchdown under dog. You give Pruitt, his staff and this TEAM a month to prepare for the game. I like our odds of winning. If we do this it would make a great impact on our recruiting. This not the same team that started this season. Stevie Wonder can see the difference. I can not remember watching a team that has made as big of improvement.

Yet there many Volnation who are not appreciative of the turnaround from the 0-2 start and still consider Pruitt a mediocre coach. Those people must be miserable in life.

 

[majorvol]

I think AD Fulmer deserves a lot of credit for the hire of C Pruitt . But also giving up the money to put a great staff to back him up. It's about time we spend money on a staff that will help the kids succeed .

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

I don’t think losing teaches you much but being a loser. Winning teaches so much more. I think the team turned around some after gutting out the Miss State game (a game they should have dominated the score) but needed a 90 yd drive in the last 5 mins to close. I think that game gave the team confidence to move forward and win these winnable games.

The team attitude changed when Maurer was inserted into the lineup during the 1st qtr vs. Georgia. There was a noticeable improvement watching the game on TV.

 

[GlockVol]

That depends, are you traveling to the state of Alabama, over the holidays?
GBO!!

No, thank God. I spent 3 years in Birmingham in the seventies in school and except for the loose women I met, I didn't enjoy the state of Alabama that much. Graduated on Saturday and started moving my stuff back the next week.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

I swear one minute we're grabbing the torches, and the next, he'll be Bama's next HC. Some think he should win SEC coach of the year

He will get votes. National sports media has already mentioned his name as a top contender even though they believe Ed O will get it.