I don't care about other teams, their coaches, fans, boosters, or anyone else associated with their programs. Period. I don't care if they like us, hate us, loathe us, respect us, or whatever other adjective you want to put on it.
I. Just. Don't. Care.
What CLK said was, in fact, wrong - Meyer wasn't cheating when he called Nu'Keese on his visit to Tennessee. It was an off-the-cuff remark that one might expect a newly named 33-year old coach to make when speaking (for only the second time, mind you, since being named coach) in front of a large gathering of fans. Personally, I don't think that it was calculated in any way, but rather, simply said in the heat of the moment.
However, the real story here is what it has done, not to our the other schools - but to us, the Volunteer Nation. It has touched something both primal and fundamental in the core of the fanbase - and roused us from a nearly 20 year slumber filled with mush-mouth euphamisms, and idiotic catch-phrases. For far too long, we've allowed "hope" to be our guide, and have forsaken our "will" along the way.
It has made us remember that the Gay-tors / Turds / LsWho's of the world are not untouchable gods who are to be feared and revered, lying above and beyond our barbed and stinging comments - and most importantly, that they damn sure aren't above being beaten senseless, either on the field or or in recruiting. Obviously, those schools (and others) would have much preferred that we remain as the Conference's bumbling fools and lovable losers, as some or much of their recent success depended upon our willingness to fulfill that role. CLK's comments have signified an end to that charade, once and for all. Well, get used to it because you're going to have to contend with the Tennessee Volunteers once again. The gauntlet has been thrown at your collective feet, and we do not intend to withdraw. Ever.
That those schools, and the rest of the nation, appear to be so shocked and dismayed by CLK's comments - and the reactions which it has garnered from our fan base - only further proves my point.
Here's where the real fear should come into all of this for you - what happens when both Bama and the Gay-tors pin a 50+ point loss on us next year.......but we just keep coming. Moreover, what happens when it only makes us LOUDER? What happens as we continue to close the gap - however quickly or slowly it might occur? What, then, Gay-tor nation? What then?!
Bullies don't win a lot of fights, but instead, their favorite tactic is to scare people away from the fight long before the first punch is thrown. They do this by attempting to frighten the would-be opponent(s) with dreaded predictions about how horrible it would be if they ever really "unleashed" their full power upon you. Eventually, some upstart comes along and refuses to continue to buy the bluff any longer - and leaves the bully with no choice but to hit him as hard as he can, right on the nose. If those most dire predictions of utter destruction don't then come true (and they never do, because it was a fascade), the threats are no longer believable, by anyone, at any time, anymore. The bully, having lost his greatest strength - fear - just stands there, exposed, as the fraud he is. Usually, this is quickly followed by the bully receiving the most hellacious a**-whipping anyone ever conceived. Needless to say, the bully doesn't bully much anymore.
So, hit us with the worst thing you've got this year, or next, as hard as you possibly can. Get it in, and get it over with. Enjoy it. Relish it.
Once done, we'll be the one(s) standing there in front of you, bloodied but unbowed - smiling. And now, you'll know what comes next.
