Thoughts that will make people angry

[volfannbama]

Can someone provide a Cliffnote version of the OP?

Nonsense, thats all

 

[Zues1]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah

 

[Zues1]

Tennessee still the #12 team for all time wins with only one SEC school ahead of UT. Bama. All the other sec members are sucking wind. This on the heels of one of the worst stretches in Tennessee history.

 

[GRN1926]

This a foolish and pointless post. See no reason to even make it..

Fulmer is working to fix the booster problem though. His attention is being paid to the boosters specifically outside of the Haslam family. Whether you are a lover of Fulmer or not, he is working diligently to improve TN and reunite the base for the better of TN vs one family's ego. Dickey, a great AD, has been around campus regularly too. Phil is being smart, leaning on successful people from TN's past that knows how to get things done. TN will only stand to benefit if he is ultimately successful.

 

[DD4ME]

Pruitt said it best in his post game show.

This is a top tier program. My job is to make sure we have a top tier team.

 

[Vato]

Can someone provide a Cliffnote version of the OP?

Yes.... yada yada yada bla bla bla. I know a lot because I am a true fan.

 

[volcop1]

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.[/QUOTE]
some teams have never won a NC

 

[GRN1926]

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

some teams have never won a NC[/QUOTE]

Georgia hasn't won any since the early 80's, Notre Dame since the early 90's, Oklahoma since early 00's, Florida since early 00's. OP's statement doesn't make me angry, it's just foolish

 

[chattaboogie]

I’m crying right now. Get some auburn and get some South Carolina. We pay that **** back out!

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

 

[ABINGDON VOL FAN]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

Nothing new here Captain Obvious-Every point in your post has been mentioned hundreds of times in the last 10 months.

 

[volfannbama]

I’m crying right now. Get some auburn and get some South Carolina. We pay that **** back out!

Huh?

 

[YankeeVol]

And even after all those “facts” and everything else this program has gone through, we still manage to pack out a 100k plus stadium just about every weekend. There aren’t many programs in the country that could survive the garbage we have gone through which is proof that UT is definitely a national power.

And sell out our away allotment

 

[Roustabout]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

You're right. You essentially stole my post from a couple of weeks ago. I'd say this is all tied back to when Doug Dickey and Joe Johnson left. As Fulmer has referenced, everyone was pushing and pulling in the same direction.
The administration has been an embarrassment. Multiple presidents and chancellors. Confused priorities. A bunch of idiots on the board and of course, the Haslams. I think the mob reaction over Schiano was evidence that enough was enough.
UT has a chance since both the president and chancellor roles will be replaced.

Fulmer was the stabilizing force we needed. I don't think he'll take a lot of **** from these academic types.

I would add that despite all this, UT is a national power, albeit a really jacked up one that is not having the results it ought to. Look no further than Alabama or Notre Dame for an example of how even the most elite can fall.
But the truth is 95% of the programs don't have what UT has. UT has the history, facilities and donor base to be elite. It's not an accidental that we have a 100k seat stadium and a practice facility paradise. It's also amazing to consider how many tickets are sold despite the problems and how long they've gone on. That is why UT still gets consideration from so many recruits and still has a very strong presence with players in the NFL.

 

[HwyChile]

Wast there anything in our post that everybody did not already know? Why put all the negative history up front and then say let's enjoy this win? All of what you wrote could have been a couple of sentences, and the negative stuff could have been a introductory clause to one of the sentences. Your long-winded negative part of the post overwhelmed the good news.

 

[wmcovol]

I agree with most of what OP said. A lot and I mean a lot of the programs problems aren't even on the field. I hope Fulmer as AD and Boyd as President can put the pieces in place to get this corrected.

 

[17Vols]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

I bet you couldn’t wait to tell your kids that Santa’s not real.

 

[BigBadVol]

Some people just can't enjoy the least bit of success. So much effort for such a negative post.

Bingo!

 

[KBVol]

Scroll to bottom for TL;DR version...

I always end up watching UT late Saturday night or sometime Sunday, via DVR. While perusing the board this afternoon after watching yesterday's win, I saw this thread and thought, "Wow, that's a serious case of fandom blurring the line between fantasy and reality." It made me think back to all the threads on here since I've joined that were focused on Tennessee's prestige, status, and what we "deserve" in a head coach based on "who we are" as a football program.

So, here are a few thoughts certain to rustle some people's pantaloons.

Let's begin with facts:

The last time Tennessee won the east was 2007. And, let's face it... we fell backwards into that one.

The last time we beat a team ranked in the Top 10 was 2006.

The last time Tennessee won a national title was 1998. 20 years ago. Let that sink in.

These facts alone should indicate that we are not a national power anymore. But, wait, there's more!

The Coaching Carousel

Each successive coaching search has been bigger circus than the last.

Fulmer getting fired and Kiffin getting hired was okay, even understandable. Some people clearly weren't pleased because he was young, arrogant, and brash. But, he was an "up and comer" who had a great offensive mind, had just had a stint as an NFL HC, and was bringing a great staff. With a traditional staple of UT football on his way out the door, Hamilton gambled on Kid Football.

When Kiffin left in the middle of the night, we got Dooley. He was not the first choice for HC, and many, many people called it out as a bad hire. However, Hamilton's back was against the wall, and we moved forward. Until we began moving backward. Dooley then proceeded to urinate all over the program, in more ways than one, and we sank really, really low.

After Dooley was dismissed, Hart proceeded to offer the job to multiple candidates, none very impressive, but all of whom turned us down. The most conspicuous was Strong who left us at the altar to remain at Louisville. Then we got Butch Jones as head coach, the man who was Dooley's signature win at UT while Jones was at Cincinnati.

(A little aside here, but it warrants mentioning because we're talking about progressively amateur coaches being hired each time: Did anyone hear Daniel Hood's interview in which he said that when Jones arrived at UT, Hood and several defensive players had to alert him to the line-up tell that allowed them to animalize his Cincinnati team? Let that sink in for a minute. But, I digress...)

Then Butch is fired after losing all of his SEC games, and we proceed to lose the rest of our SEC games, a feat not accomplished by any other UT HC in the history of the school. This began Grudenpalooza, Part Deux. Now, I'm not going to run an entire timeline. Most of us remember this pitifully embarrassing debacle. But the quick synopsis is:

Gruden (I know, I know, he was never coming), Kelly, Frost, Mullen are named.
Then we hired Schiano.
Then we unhired him.
And then we went after Gundy, and got him a healthy raise.
And then we went after Campbell, and Cutcliffe, and Brohm, and Doreen (!!!), and Leach.
And then we fired Currie.
And then we hired Fulmer.
And then we proceeded to look at Tee.
And Mel Tucker.
And Steele.
And I think Sumlin was in there somewhere, even though he'd just been fired for not being able to cut it at A&M.

<Takes a deep breath>

Then, we hired Jeremy Pruitt.

So, what does all this mean?

Tennessee does not have a healthy administration.
It doesn't have a healthy athletic department.
It doesn't have a healthy relationship with its boosters.

And, largely because of all this, it hasn't had a good head coach in over a decade. The level of disfunction on display during this coaching search was at a surreal level. If Hollywood made a satirical film about a college football program, it couldn't be any more crazy than UT is.

It's time that everyone continually posting that UT is a "national football power" and "Top 10 job nationally" recognizes this.

Is there any good news?

Yes. Having said all that, I think I see actual game day coaching in Pruitt and his staff. I think there appears to be true player development. I'm pretty sure I saw them just beat a team they weren't supposed to beat. Let me say that again: we beat a team we weren't supposed to beat yesterday. That's a good thing.

The Auburn win was a good win, because it was a win. But, it was also a good win because it came against an SEC opponent. An SECW opponent at that. A ranked, SECW opponent, in fact. It's been a loooooooong time and a lot of UT HC's since that happened. And the offense looked pretty darn good against a good SEC defense.

Yes, Auburn has issues, had turnovers, etc... but, we won. In Auburn.

Let's try to enjoy it, shall we?

TL;DR version:

Tennessee is not a national power, and we haven't been for sometime. <Dodging pitchforks> The good news is, we just might have a real head coach. Finally.

Strongly disagree that we don’t now have a strong Athletic Department. Our previous ADs since Dickey left have all been asshats......until Fulmer took over last year and has added much needed stability, focus and confidence from the fan base. And btw, it was Fulmer who hired the Head the “real football coach” you referenced at the end.

 

[Volador]

Sorry, but your post disappoints me. We won this weekend. I have been on the fence for a decade or two w regards to the Vols and we won in Auburn this weekend, and I want to enjoy our little bit of limelight. Your thread, albeit lengthy and quite full of pontifications, is nothing more that you saying that you don't want to be happy. Please go play in the other sandbox until you are ready to let all of VN gloat, if only for 4 more days.

 

[GrizzlyVol]

Good grief I moved on from that 10 months ago but that's just me. I'm happy with how it all worked out actually surprised it turned out as well as it did after that cluster

 

[casetopia]

not angry. just bored.

 

[m1al]

View attachment 172186

Industrial sized Jenga blocks?

 

[chattaboogie]

Sorry, but your post disappoints me. We won this weekend. I have been on the fence for a decade or two w regards to the Vols and we won in Auburn this weekend, and I want to enjoy our little bit of limelight. Your thread, albeit lengthy and quite full of pontifications, is nothing more that you saying that you don't want to be happy. Please go play in the other sandbox until you are ready to let all of VN gloat, if only for 4 more days.

Damn, honestly I can’t help but say wtf are you? This ain’t your board. Don’t tell us what we may or may not believe.

 

[SKBubba]

AP all-time top 25:

14 TENNESSEE (638 Points)

Total appearances:582, 51.28% of all polls
First appearance:1936
No.1 ranking:18
Championships:Two (last 1998)
Best full decade:1990s appeared in 93.49% of polls.
Worst full decade:1980s appeared in 29.19% of polls.
Poll point:From 1936-59, no Southeastern Conference team had more poll appearances (134) than the Volunteers.