Where is this football program, in your mind?

#51
#51
Improvement is not apparent in a straight line. We're seeing waves, with the Auburn and Kentucky games being real positives. They were the peaks of the season. Is improvement a general trend? I think it is, and I want to say yes, but of course the W/L columns suck, while the Missouri and Vanderbilt games give me pause. The season ended with those two losses, so we are left questioning and wondering. If Pruitt gets a winning OC and the staff closes well with a talented class of recruits, which includes impact players on both O&D lines, then I will think that they are doing their jobs, that the program is moving in the right direction, and I will look forward to seeing more wins next year.
 
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#54
#54
Vol Main said:
Improvement is not apparent in a straight line. We're seeing waves, with the Auburn and Kentucky games being real positives. They were the peaks of the season. Is improvement a general trend? I think it is, and I want to say yes, but of course, the W/L column sucks and the Missouri and Vanderbilt games give me pause. The season ended with those two games, so we are left questioning and wondering. If Pruitt gets a winning OC and the staff closes well with a talented class of recruits, which includes impact players on both O&D lines, then I will think that they are doing their jobs, that the program is moving in the right direction, and I will look forward to seeing more wins next year.
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Ky and Auburn wins can be partly attributed to bad QB play....
 
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#55
#55
njvols said:
Agree, but don't know if Sanders wants back into the fire that he left w/ Fulmer, and probably perfectly fine doing a nice job as HC until he gets a loftier opportunity as HC.
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Publicly Sanders may demonstrate respect for PF but that's to project a public image. He's got 2 natty rings and coached Winston while OC under J.Fisher. Not too bad of a resume. Simply stuck to Cutcliff's offense in '98 which he really can't take credit for. Overlooking him in favor of Clawson was a slap in the face and many felt he was made a scapegoat. This period is when a downturn was made in football. PF never gave him control and now with all the transitioning going on year in and year out at all schools it's evolved into a money game. I'm a firm believer that UT should have stuck with as many alumini on the staff as possible. Saying bye to D.Dickey and bringing in Hamilton,(an outsider), was a huge mistake because all UT needed to do was make Chavis HC. All UT would've needed was a new OC which is the exact situation we find ourselves in at this moment. A simple lack of foresight and an administration catering to certain boosters is UT's downfall. Hindsight may be 20/20 but I got my doubts if any lessons will be learned over recent blunders. The coaching climate at UT just isn't viewed as attractive because too many cooks wanting to stir the pot. That has been my opinion but hopefully PF is well aware of this and a change is being made.
 
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#56
#56
CA_Vol said:
It took Bama and UGA a year to compete for a National Championship. Now, I fully admit that our situation is drastically different and more difficult. But telling ourselves that there are no “quick fixes” ignores that this “rebuild” is a decade old. And we can’t even do the basics, like hire a staff member without a controversy.
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I feel you. But, no matter how many years into this "Rebuild" we are, the facts remain. We have no depth in the trenches. Which is where the games are won and lost. This wasn't a glaring issue while Dobbs was QB. He exploited it, and made big plays. But, good defenses with good DC's stopped us cold. Otherwise, we pretty much just outscored our opponents, like a Big 12 school. We have talent at RB. But not the durability to be every down backs. Good o-lines push us around on the d-line. I feel like we've made some progress in the def backfield. Young, talented and raw. I felt like we were making progress with our lb's and db's. Then Vandy just torched us. We are talent starved. Depth is still a problem, all over. Add to this, we do not have a reliably consistent QB, who is willing to spend extra time in the film room, breaking down defenses, with their OC. I don't think anyone expected JP to fix that in one year. Currently, we are the worst program in the SEC. Exactly where we were, before and after Butch. Minus two 9 win seasons, where Dobbs and company carried us.
 
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#60
#60
TNfan#2 said:
There is the possibility of Randy Sanders up at ETSU.

Former ties to UT. From Morristown originally.


At first I was against Randy Sanders because of the way he "slid" as OC. However, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea. A lot has changed in 20 years, and he knows how to call a run, play action game, which, from everything I read, that's what Pruitt is looking for.
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#61
#61
OP needs to look inward and at the record against Vandy the past 7 years for his answer.

Rock bottom and it is a strain on the eyes to see where Pruitt is the guy to turn it around.
 
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#62
#62
tbones0711 said:
Publicly Sanders may demonstrate respect for PF but that's to project a public image. He's got 2 natty rings and coached Winston while OC under J.Fisher. Not too bad of a resume. Simply stuck to Cutcliff's offense in '98 which he really can't take credit for. Overlooking him in favor of Clawson was a slap in the face and many felt he was made a scapegoat. This period is when a downturn was made in football. PF never gave him control and now with all the transitioning going on year in and year out at all schools it's evolved into a money game. I'm a firm believer that UT should have stuck with as many alumini on the staff as possible. Saying bye to D.Dickey and bringing in Hamilton,(an outsider), was a huge mistake because all UT needed to do was make Chavis HC. All UT would've needed was a new OC which is the exact situation we find ourselves in at this moment. A simple lack of foresight and an administration catering to certain boosters is UT's downfall. Hindsight may be 20/20 but I got my doubts if any lessons will be learned over recent blunders. The coaching climate at UT just isn't viewed as attractive because too many cooks wanting to stir the pot. That has been my opinion but hopefully PF is well aware of this and a change is being made.
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My orange colored fandom thinks/hopes we’ve got some real football folks making decisions now. I think the dysfunctional nature of UT football is largely gone but it takes awhile to sweep out all the cobwebs.
 
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#66
#66
Jack Burton said:
Fulmer was handicapped by Hamilton limiting his budget for good hires. He already brought a calming effect to the school after the coaching search debacle which makes me more confident than anyone since Dickey. If a Tennessee guy like Fulmer can’t right the ship then we need to move to the ACC.
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Your opinion. Others (such as myself) would say that the man that broke the program is now given the keys to try and fix it. He had more than enough chances when he was here to do that.

Prepare for more mediocrity.
 
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#67
#67
On the cusp of needing a hard reboot a la UAB. That will never happen because simpletons keep pumping money into a rotten system, but it would be the only way to clean up the mess.
 
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#68
#68
kbear01 said:
Well, keep in mind, Johnny Majors had already won a National Championship, and was very successful, before returning to Knoxville. JP is a first-time NCAA Head Coach, and at a very Prestigious and historically respectable university. As much as I hate to say this, UT IS NOT a good place right now, for proven Coordinators. As it stands, it is really only a good place for players, who want to play, right away, and coaches/coordinators who are looking to prove themselves, like HC JP. Is there a Johnny Majors like hire out there? A UT graduate, or a Legacy hire, or someone that has ties to UT? That was the only reason I ever bought into the Gruden drama, at first.

Did I hear someone say Tee Martin? Dale Jones?
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No “Johnny Majors hire” would ever come to fruition in 2018-19. You no longer get 8-9 years to produce a winner. If JP, like Majors did, has a sub .500 season in year 4, he’ll be out.
 
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#71
#71
after reading this thread I definitely feel better about the program now...Vols of constant sorrow...:D

GO VOLS...RECRUIT LIKE HECK!
 
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#73
#73
We are the worst team in a 14-team league, and in the midst of an all-time low for the program. Over the past 10 years, one could easily argue Tennessee was the worst team in the league.
 
#75
#75
Bottom of the barrel and no signs of surfacing. Very little to be optimistic about anymore. Fall Saturdays aren't exciting, there's no electricity around the stadium before games. It all just sucks.
 
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