As we are all aware there is an on-going coaching search for
the next head coach for the great University of Tennessee. With coaching searches, as in anything, there
are people for it and people against it.
In this instance I cannot for the life of me understand how people
cannot see that it is time for Dooley to go.
The people who want to retain Dooley have been named “Dooleyites”
because of their love of him.
The Dooleyites Argument
You can currently look on any UT sports forum and find
Dooleyites uniting and posting on forums how Dooley needs more time, and how it
isn’t his fault it is the players, and how no one could have turned this
program around based on the shape it was in when he took it over. Below I have copied and pasted some of my
favorite Dooleyite comments from some of the forums. Enjoy:
Dooley: "Well Jon if you do come coach here I have some advice.
1. Make sure you're undefeated by your second season, or the fan base will hate you
2. Every time you play the #1 team in the country, beat them, or this fan base will hate you
3. If you lose a bunch of starters, don't mention it in press conferences, or this fan base will say you 'make excuses' and they will hate you
4. If you tell your guys to wrap up and hit hard and they don't, it's your fault
5. Make sure the team you used to coach has ZERO success, or this fan base will hate you"
Gruden:"Yeah I'll pass"
Gruden to Dooley: Derek, you can keep this job! There's no way in hell to make these fans happy! I took a winning program in Tampa from Tony Dungy and just trashed it, there's nothing for me to do here!
Dooley "so john what was your record your last three years at Tampa bay?"
John"21-26"
Dooley "Good luck here with that record"
Doesn't matter how many people post to the contrary followed by "Period", "book it" or "take it to the bank", getting beat by the BCS #s 1,2,11, and 12 isn't getting him fired. Gruden,Fulmer,Petrino,Smart or you high school coach isn't coming to UT. You can either pull for more wins now, or you can hope we implode so you predictions will seem validated. Just the facts. UT fans are reminding me of people who wanted the economy to get worse to blame Obama, or things to get worse in Iraq to blame Bush.
I can’t help but laugh at these people when I read these
comments. I am a person that likes to
use data when making a decision and clearly these people don’t or they are just
stupid. Somehow some way they really
feel like Dooley is the man for the job and they are ready to throw a hissy fit
on forums if you call them out on it.
The Rational Side:
Here is the counter argument I make to all the Dooleyites:
“Make sure you're undefeated by your second season, or the fan base will hate you”
I haven’t heard anyone say that Dooley should be producing an
undefeated caliber team here at UT.
All we want right now is a win the same thing we wanted last year
and did not get. Something that we
haven’t seen in the Dooley era, but let’s be fair we almost had 2 big victories
just to have them ripped from us a few minutes later because our coaching staff
can’t count and the fact the Dooley has the biggest black cloud over him.
Once again you are miss-understanding what rational
people are expecting. Let’s just beat
someone that matters. Maybe a ranked
team or what about beating a SEC team besides Vandy!
I don’t want a coach to tell his players to do something I
want a coach that can coach and embed football fundamentals into a player. I want a coach that can build a young man up
and make him play above his level in big games and make their players believe
in your system. I haven’t seen any of
that in the Dooley era. In fact I have
seen the opposite. I have seen great
players quit and become undisciplined because they may get told something but
they are not being coached.
Come on that is just stupid!
The fact that Dooley’s former program has done nothing but get better
since his departure only speaks to the lack of ability he has to get it done
here. Dooley had a losing record there
just like he does here. That is not a coincidence
people that is a lack coaching ability and nothing else.
This one really gets under my skin. I sit here today as I type this wearing
orange because I am a fan of UT sports even though I know we are going into a
game tomorrow that more than likely UT is going to get their tails kicked.
However I will be watching the game in its entirety and routing for UT because
I am a fan, however I am not a fan of Dooley. Do not attack me for
understanding that the UT football program deserves better. The problem is people are becoming a fan of
coaches these days and not the sport programs themselves. People are a fan of Dooley because who his
dad is, or the fact that he is a southern man, or the fact that he is a family
man. All those things are great but
don’t let those things lower the standards of a traditional power house in the
SEC.
Then what is going to get him fired? Those teams are number 1, 2, 11, and 12
because Dooley couldn’t beat them. It is
the coach’s job to put a game plan to go out that attacks the other teams
weaknesses. Ok maybe the number 1 and 2
teams don’t have that many weaknesses and we have already discussed that I
think everybody understands at this time we are not asking to Dooley to go out
and beat every team, specially a 1 or 2 team) but we are asking to be
competitive in those games and you can’t say that the number 11 and number 12
teams did not have weaknesses. The fact
is our game plans were pour in those games and the UT coaching staff did not do
their job and give their team a fair shot to win. Also don’t forget that we used to be that
number 1, 2, 11 and 12 team and why was UT there in the ranking I ask? Because UT was better than them and they
couldn’t beat us.
The fact of the matter is that Dooley is done and anyone
that refuses to see that is just plain out of their mind. Let’s let go off this black cloud over the UT
football program and move on to greater things.
It is time people to reclaim our spot atop the SEC and be a force to be
reckoned with.
JDub
