This season went better than I expected

[Joe Vols]

I didn’t have high expectations after last year.
Here’s why:
1. We didn’t have enough freshmen who came in ready to be game changers.
2. Our senior leadership just wasn’t a big enough presence.
3. Most of this team was terrible last year, and proved they didn’t want grind week after week.
4. G has improved this year, but he still isn’t ready to be a starter in the SEC. He will be ready to start next year.
5. Our lines on both sides of the ball are not SEC caliber.
6. We beat 2 teams this yearvI didn’t think it was possible for us to beat. That’s why it was better than expected.
7. We go bowling this if we didn’t have WVU on our schedule.
I think this team over achieved at times, and at other times they were who they have proved to me to be over the last few years. Scared to be physical.
I didn’t say I was happy, but I didn’t have any expectaions of getting to a bowl. Even after we beat UK I didn’t think we would beat Mizzou or Vandy. If I were Pruitt I would sign at least 6 O linemen and 6 D linemen this year. Minimum
On the coaching front, the best case scenerio for us is to retain all of the current coaches. This team needs to focus on signing the recruits we’ve spent more than a year building relations with. Every time a coach leaves he takes some recruits with him.

 

[cheftrapgod]

I didn’t have high expectations after last year.
Here’s why:
1. We didn’t have enough freshmen who came in ready to be game changers.
2. Our senior leadership just wasn’t a big enough presence.
3. Most of this team was terrible last year, and proved they didn’t want grind week after week.
4. G has improved this year, but he still isn’t ready to be a starter in the SEC. He will be ready to start next year.
5. Our lines on both sides of the ball are not SEC caliber.
6. We beat 2 teams this yearvI didn’t think it was possible for us to beat. That’s why it was better than expected.
7. We go bowling this if we didn’t have WVU on our schedule.
I think this team over achieved at times, and at other times they were who they have proved to me to be over the last few years. Scared to be physical.
I didn’t say I was happy, but I didn’t have any expectaions of getting to a bowl. Even after we beat UK I didn’t think we would beat Mizzou or Vandy. If I were Pruitt I would sign at least 6 O linemen and 6 D linemen this year. Minimum

You're right. In a few years we might take The University of Vanderbilt to the second half.

 

[peddi631]

Correct thinking and don't worry Joe we have more of them than any other team in the country.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

When I had an office on 2nd Ave, I used to walk past the same panhandler at least five days a week. Every day he'd ask me for a dollar and every day I'd tell him to get a job. After years of this near-daily ritual, for no reason I can recall, I gave him a $20 before he even asked. I never gave him another dime.

 

[FLVOL_79]

I figured this was a 3 win team with a ceiling of 4 wins. They shattered those expectations. JG will never be prepared to be a starter in the SEC. He is absolutely the least mobile quarterback in division 1 football. Almost every other QB can at least scramble and pick up a few yards or save themselves a sack. JG? No. Career rushing is like -100. Remember that huge KY QB, Jared Lorenzen? He had more rushing yards as a freshman than JG has in his entire career...and he was almost 300 pounds... If as a QB you can't evade pressure sometimes, not all he time, and use your legs to pick up a few positive yards, you might not be good.

 

[1985Vols]

I didn’t have high expectations after last year.
Here’s why:
1. We didn’t have enough freshmen who came in ready to be game changers.
2. Our senior leadership just wasn’t a big enough presence.
3. Most of this team was terrible last year, and proved they didn’t want grind week after week.
4. G has improved this year, but he still isn’t ready to be a starter in the SEC. He will be ready to start next year.
5. Our lines on both sides of the ball are not SEC caliber.
6. We beat 2 teams this yearvI didn’t think it was possible for us to beat. That’s why it was better than expected.
7. We go bowling this if we didn’t have WVU on our schedule.
I think this team over achieved at times, and at other times they were who they have proved to me to be over the last few years. Scared to be physical.
I didn’t say I was happy, but I didn’t have any expectaions of getting to a bowl. Even after we beat UK I didn’t think we would beat Mizzou or Vandy. If I were Pruitt I would sign at least 6 O linemen and 6 D linemen this year. Minimum
On the coaching front, the best case scenerio for us is to retain all of the current coaches. This team needs to focus on signing the recruits we’ve spent more than a year building relations with. Every time a coach leaves he takes some recruits with him.

Some good points, however, we need team speed as well. Basically we need more talent at 22 positions ( I think punter and ok are fine).

 

[MurphyVol]

We hit the exact record I predicted, although with different wins and losses than I expected.

The good:. Beat a solid Auburn team and did it on the road.

The bad: the losses were not competitive. I didn't expect to see so many blowouts. Not sure in 30+ years I've seen 6 losses where we were dominated beginning to end.

It was definitely a mixed bag of a season with losing 4 of our last 6.

I can't see us winning more than 6 next year without some unexpected positive turn (like JG takes 2 steps forward or Shrout is ready to take over etc).

 

[Cartervol]

All except the blowouts to teams with equal or slightly better talent. Otherwise it finished right where the talking heads had it to begin with. First years are always a mixed bag and usually up and down. Can he build anything out of it will be what i'm watching next year.

 

[illinoisvolfan1]

I had expected us to make a bowl this year. 6-6 and maybe 7-5 best. Oh well. After seeing the OL play a few games and the crap D most of the time, it became apparent that probably a bowl wouldn’t happen.

 

[JonGrudensAgent]

I had tickets to Atlanta before the season. Guess I won't be using them now.

Seriously, agree with the O line and D line comment on recruiting.

It wouldn't bother me to never see any of those O linemen from yesterday get a snap or Friend on the sidelines here again. They were pathetic for most of the season.

 

[GMRobbins]

If it weren't for the Auburn win I'd say this season went pretty much as expected. I look forward to seeing how the recruiting class fills the many holes on both sides of the line. JP had no magic potion for this season and the deciding factors on his coaching abilities we've yet to see! Just hope we don't wait another 15 losses to begin seeing them!

 

[Bucket18]

Im not sure we advanced past this.

 

[OrangeUTopia]

Just getting rid of Butch and not having the team quit in the middle of the season like last year should've resulted in more than just one additional win.

I expected at least 6-6, but more importantly hoped to see a more fundamentally sound team that improved as the season progressed. Instead we looked much like year including a total collapse down the stretch.

Pruitt will get at least 3 years and hopefully can get more talent in here, but I'm starting to think 6-6 or 7-5 may end up being our high water mark.