Why is 8 - 4 "realistic"?

#1
Eddie Vol Halen

Eddie Vol Halen

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#1
Naturally, there has been a lot of talk about 8 - 4. This was the "expectation," it was "realistic," it's progress.

No doubt it's progress. No doubt this is a hell of a better football team than when they were looking for Rommel.

But if anything, what this season has proven is that it was VERY realistic to have the expectation at 10 - 2 (my prediction). Quite frankly, we are a group of coaches finished with their Big-5 OJT away from being 12 - 0. And that's very realistic.

The question is: is Butch finished with his OJT? Does he know better how to handle a true Top 10 team? Should Azzanni and Mahoney be allowed to coach Team 120? What about others? Is Debord truly good enough? What about Jancek and his 4th quarter crew?

I'm not going to lie. The nature in the way we have thrown away greatness (and I place the blame 100% on the BSiA) this year has put me on the fence with Butch. In every loss he has made huge coaching errors - errors which converted the better team into the losing team. To be honest, there is nothing left to judge progress. Only bad things can happen from here on out and those MUST NOT HAPPEN.

I suppose the bowl game opponent may give us an indication of whether we are over the collective OJT and moving forward to competing for the SEC. Team 120 should. It was more than realistic to believe Team 119 as well.

Win the East
Beat Florida
 
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#3
#3
Problem is, the all knowing, never get anything wrong, perfect analysts started this over zealous hype train in the off season that had a lot of people thinking we were gonna win the dang SEC after coming off of a 7-6 season. Why? Because of 2 top 5 recruiting classes? Most realistic fans and Butch himself tried to curb the hype. I'll be pretty damn happy with a 8-4 regular season and a bowl win. That's huge progress in my opinion.
 
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#4
#4
Theres noone left to beat us. We had our tough schedule. I wish we could have won two of those but oh well. We're a 9 win team once the bowl is over. That's progress.
 
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#5
#5
Going into this season I thought we should win or compete to win in every game except Florida & Bama. I felt 10-2 was the best case, with 8-4 meaning we lost all four "big" games (i never considered anything less). Well, we traded Georgia for Arkansas, but we still lost four games in the first half of the year. So, this season overall has been a disappointment. But, we have led Florida & Bama going into their final drive of both games, on the road.

Next year we have to figure out how to beat Florida & Bama at home. Then there is Bristol, @ Georgia and @ Texas a&m. Five game schedule imo. We need to go 3-2 at a minimum. If we sweep all 5 we will have a monster year. If we lose all five I think folks are going to be done with Butch.
 
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#6
#6
5FingerVolPunch said:
Problem is, the all knowing, never get anything wrong, perfect analysts started this over zealous hype train in the off season that had a lot of people thinking we were gonna win the dang SEC after coming off of a 7-6 season. Why? Because of 2 top 5 recruiting classes? Most realistic fans and Butch himself tried to curb the hype. I'll be pretty damn happy with a 8-4 regular season and a bowl win. That's huge progress in my opinion.
Click to expand...
They were correct. Butch blew the Oklahoma & Florida games after double digit leads in the second half. We had 14 points spotted to us against Arkansas. Led Bama with them needing a touchdown to win at the end of the game. In all honesty, we SHOULD be on top of the East, with either one league loss, or at best undefeated. We lost all of these games ourselves instead of us being dominated by the other team like we have in the past 7 years. We have made huge strides in my opinion.

That Georgia win was a big deal. Gives Butch his first real win (beating South Carolina and a has been Spurrier is not impressive to me). He needs to close this thing out strong and hit the ground running next year. No excuses in 2016.
 
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#7
#7
Were not a top 10 team. While the coaching was definately questionable in the UF loss and the OK loss, they still put the team in position to win on more than one occasion but nobody made a play when it was there to be made. The coaches are also responsible for us having the players to be competitive against anybody in the country. Butch represents Tennessee the way I think it should be represented so in my eyes he has a long leash. To claim these coaches are the reason we arent 12-0 is ridiculous. As much as I like Dobbs, he seems to have regressed this year. Honestly, were probably a QB away from 12-0 and thats coming from a Dobbs fan.
 
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#8
#8
5FingerVolPunch said:
Problem is, the all knowing, never get anything wrong, perfect analysts started this over zealous hype train in the off season that had a lot of people thinking we were gonna win the dang SEC after coming off of a 7-6 season. Why? Because of 2 top 5 recruiting classes? Most realistic fans and Butch himself tried to curb the hype. I'll be pretty damn happy with a 8-4 regular season and a bowl win. That's huge progress in my opinion.
Click to expand...

While the OP is over doing it a bit, failure to acknowledge the lackluster coaching in a few games requires orange tinted glasses imo.
 
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#9
#9
volberry said:
Theres noone left to beat us. We had our tough schedule. I wish we could have won two of those but oh well. We're a 9 win team once the bowl is over. That's progress.
Click to expand...

I find it hilarious that people automatically assume were going to win a bowl game when we have no idea who were going to play, when and if we even go to a bowl game.
 
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#10
#10
Not necessarily blaming the coach, but it his responsibility. They players don't coach themselves. The point I'm trying to make is that we could be in position to win the East outright. The analysts were correct to pick us. The fact that we will have qb in place again next year (while Florida & Georgia will be scrambling yet again) means we should be the favorite in the East again next year.
 
#11
#11
8-4 is "realistic" because the vast majority of fans accept mediocrity as a standard of excellence. They have been conditioned by a political and academic system that looks at success like it is a plague.
 
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#12
#12
Debord just tell Dobbs to keep his head on a swivel, feel the pressure, and take off running if nobody's open. My offensive game plan the rest of Dobbs career.
 
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#13
#13
One of the youngest teams in the country going against one of the hardest schedules in the nation. That is why 8-4 is an acceptable expectation.
 
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#18
#18
Depth (especially with the plague of injuries we've had) is still a major issue whether you guys want to acknowledge it or not. Yes, we have the talent to compete and win games, but the truth of the matter is, part of the reason we're sucking in the 4th quarter is because our guys are winded. We don't have the depth to rotate like Bama, Florida, etc etc etc do. I agree the vanilla play calling trying to hold on to the lead in the Oklahoma and Florida games sucked, but I feel like that's been corrected. We played to win against Bama all the way til the end. I really feel like next year will be a special season. I know we've been saying that for too many years now, but you can't deny there's improvement. That being said, if we lose another game this season I'm gonna explode.
 
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#19
#19
Eddie Vol Halen said:
Naturally, there has been a lot of talk about 8 - 4. This was the "expectation," it was "realistic," it's progress.

No doubt it's progress. No doubt this is a hell of a better football team than when they were looking for Rommel.

But if anything, what this season has proven is that it was VERY realistic to have the expectation at 10 - 2 (my prediction). Quite frankly, we are a group of coaches finished with their Big-5 OJT away from being 12 - 0. And that's very realistic.

The question is: is Butch finished with his OJT? Does he know better how to handle a true Top 10 team? Should Azzanni and Mahoney be allowed to coach Team 120? What about others? Is Debord truly good enough? What about Jancek and his 4th quarter crew?

I'm not going to lie. The nature in the way we have thrown away greatness (and I place the blame 100% on the BSiA) this year has put me on the fence with Butch. In every loss he has made huge coaching errors - errors which converted the better team into the losing team. To be honest, there is nothing left to judge progress. Only bad things can happen from here on out and those MUST NOT HAPPEN.

I suppose the bowl game opponent may give us an indication of whether we are over the collective OJT and moving forward to competing for the SEC. Team 120 should. It was more than realistic to believe Team 119 as well.

Win the East
Beat Florida
Click to expand...

In that last little bit you said competing in the sec... Do you not realize that we haven't lost to any body sec or not by more that what 6? So therefore we are "competing!" and technically we can still want he east! So don't say all that damn non sense if you are going to wrap it up with you want to compete with sec teams bc we already are and coulda won those games! Yes we should have a better record but just Bc that doesn't mean you should just jump ship! Good god I'm so sick of ppl like you say in sh** like this! Support you team, be grateful, and shut up for a while!
 
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#20
#20
If they are not a 10+ win team when the 2014 and 2015 classes are seniors and Juniors you can complain.

Let's not forget the players have to block and tackle for 4 quarters.
 
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#21
#21
He is on schedule for 8-4. Anything less and I join the OP's views. What he says is probably true but you going to have to let it play out next year. I'm sure expectations next year are going to be 10-2. Then we will know the answers to OP's concerns.
 
#22
#22
OrangeByBirth said:
8-4 is "realistic" because the vast majority of fans accept mediocrity as a standard of excellence. They have been conditioned by a political and academic system that looks at success like it is a plague.
Click to expand...

You're really overanalyzing this.
 
#23
#23
5FingerVolPunch said:
Problem is, the all knowing, never get anything wrong, perfect analysts started this over zealous hype train in the off season that had a lot of people thinking we were gonna win the dang SEC after coming off of a 7-6 season. Why? Because of 2 top 5 recruiting classes? Most realistic fans and Butch himself tried to curb the hype. I'll be pretty damn happy with a 8-4 regular season and a bowl win. That's huge progress in my opinion.
Click to expand...

As it turns out, the guys "predicting" the 9-3 and 10-2 records were right. As it stands right now, looking at how the season has ACTUALLY PLAYED OUT, given that we've led in every game (including 2 TD 4th qtr leads over both OU and Fla and a lead with 3 mins left in the game vs Bama) it was more correct to say that they'd be much better than a 1 or 2 game improvement over 2014....unfortunately, some egregious coaching errors in 2 of those 3 games costs us a special season that was well within our grasp.

As it stands now, we still have a chance to hit the "floor expectation" IMO by beating 5 inferior teams to close the season. Let's see what happens.
 
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#24
#24
I admit, we had some questionable coaching calls earlier this season. I still question if we have the right guys in the wheelhouse, but I was impressed with the way we played UGA and Bama. Bama especially.

This season has been a nail biter of a rollercoaster ride and I hope it's leveling out because I think all our nerves are shot.
 
#25
#25
ScornedPapaVol said:
They were correct. Butch blew the Oklahoma & Florida games after double digit leads in the second half. We had 14 points spotted to us against Arkansas. Led Bama with them needing a touchdown to win at the end of the game. In all honesty, we SHOULD be on top of the East, with either one league loss, or at best undefeated. We lost all of these games ourselves instead of us being dominated by the other team like we have in the past 7 years. We have made huge strides in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Clearly the Florida and OK games were horror shows of coaching.

Alabama made championship plays to win the game. I can live with that EXCEPT for "analytics." I believe Medley will have a great career at Tennessee, but in two seasons he's well under 50% at 40+ yards. Not just near misses either - real bricks thrown up. When he had TWO chances to make that 50 yarder (and I don't expect many 50 yard FGs), I said to myself - if Butch sends him back out for 40+ it's on Butch.

We know what happened, and I think it failed a TREMENDOUS Team 119 effort.

The point is - coaching mistakes KEEP happening. And it's happened from Day One. We excused it as youth or depth, but who can forget Bonehead Bajakian? The TOs?

Is the BSiA learning to coach big time football? Are they getting better? I want to say YES, but then you can trace each loss, not to talent or execution or lack of fight from Team 119, but major Saturday coaching decisions.

Again, I see everything going well Monday to Friday but falling apart - at the critical moments - on Saturdays and all of it the responsibility of CBJ.

The BSiA has to do something VERY special in 2016.
 
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