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From Columbia State writer Seth Emerson's Blog...
We return to one of our more popular segments, going behind enemy lines (to borrow a phrase) for an interview with a counterpart on the opposing beat. This week its Wes Rucker, who has for several years now covered Tennessee for The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Here you go:
So do people in Knoxville think Lane Kiffin is a crazy genius, or just crazy?
As someone who lives in Knoxville, and just a stones throw from campus, I see Lane Kiffin as an immensely popular figure with UTs younger fans, and someone whose popularity with the older fans is growing. I think for every fan who rolls their eyes when Kiffin makes an outlandish statement, there are two putting their fists in the air. This is a proud, proud program, and I think fans grew tired of teams that seemed too tight in big rivalry games the past few years and were often blown out of the building in big situations.
For all the controversy thats surrounded Kiffin much (but not all) of it justified there are two undeniable improvements he has already made to this program. Nearly every player on the field is playing as physically as possible nearly every week, and no arrest reports have surfaced since he arrived in December. Its been a long time since both of those statements could be said in the same year around here. These players genuinely fear the wrath of coaches who didnt recruit them, and the ones still here are, from most accounts, doing what theyre told when theyre told to do it.
These Vols are tougher than last seasons Vols, so far, and thats the biggest difference Ive noticed. They have holes, and they were never going to be serious SEC contenders this season, but Kiffins hand and footprints from slaps on the back and kicks in the tail are already all over this program.
More than 10 players have left the UT program since Kiffin arrived in January. There were myriad reasons for the partings of ways, but most boiled down to this: Quite simply, things go Kiffins way when hes in charge, or they dont go anywhere. Thats why his past few years have been so consistently controversial, in my opinion. Kiffin has a plan, and he follows that plan, and he has little use for dissension. Hes wired a lot like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and other super-successful, type-A-personality coaches, from what Ive witnessed but hes also a lot younger and a lot less experienced, so he handles things differently in public than other in similarly high-profile positions.
Few would argue that Kiffins players play hard, though. They practice hard too hard, some have argued and they play hard. The Oakland Raiders were consistently physical and generally competitive despite talent deficiencies in Kiffins short tenure, and the same could be said of these Vols. Kiffin was hardly given a chance to start the rebuilding process in Oakland, though, much less finish it. He was hampered from the beginning, regardless of who or what caused that highly-public divorce. That hasnt been the case at UT. Kiffin has gotten nearly everything hes asked for here in Knoxville, so we should get the chance to see whether his plan will work.
We return to one of our more popular segments, going behind enemy lines (to borrow a phrase) for an interview with a counterpart on the opposing beat. This week its Wes Rucker, who has for several years now covered Tennessee for The Chattanooga Times Free Press.
Here you go:
So do people in Knoxville think Lane Kiffin is a crazy genius, or just crazy?
As someone who lives in Knoxville, and just a stones throw from campus, I see Lane Kiffin as an immensely popular figure with UTs younger fans, and someone whose popularity with the older fans is growing. I think for every fan who rolls their eyes when Kiffin makes an outlandish statement, there are two putting their fists in the air. This is a proud, proud program, and I think fans grew tired of teams that seemed too tight in big rivalry games the past few years and were often blown out of the building in big situations.
For all the controversy thats surrounded Kiffin much (but not all) of it justified there are two undeniable improvements he has already made to this program. Nearly every player on the field is playing as physically as possible nearly every week, and no arrest reports have surfaced since he arrived in December. Its been a long time since both of those statements could be said in the same year around here. These players genuinely fear the wrath of coaches who didnt recruit them, and the ones still here are, from most accounts, doing what theyre told when theyre told to do it.
These Vols are tougher than last seasons Vols, so far, and thats the biggest difference Ive noticed. They have holes, and they were never going to be serious SEC contenders this season, but Kiffins hand and footprints from slaps on the back and kicks in the tail are already all over this program.
More than 10 players have left the UT program since Kiffin arrived in January. There were myriad reasons for the partings of ways, but most boiled down to this: Quite simply, things go Kiffins way when hes in charge, or they dont go anywhere. Thats why his past few years have been so consistently controversial, in my opinion. Kiffin has a plan, and he follows that plan, and he has little use for dissension. Hes wired a lot like Nick Saban, Urban Meyer and other super-successful, type-A-personality coaches, from what Ive witnessed but hes also a lot younger and a lot less experienced, so he handles things differently in public than other in similarly high-profile positions.
Few would argue that Kiffins players play hard, though. They practice hard too hard, some have argued and they play hard. The Oakland Raiders were consistently physical and generally competitive despite talent deficiencies in Kiffins short tenure, and the same could be said of these Vols. Kiffin was hardly given a chance to start the rebuilding process in Oakland, though, much less finish it. He was hampered from the beginning, regardless of who or what caused that highly-public divorce. That hasnt been the case at UT. Kiffin has gotten nearly everything hes asked for here in Knoxville, so we should get the chance to see whether his plan will work.
