Dooleyites

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.

“Every time you play the #1 team in the country, beat them, or this fan base will hate you”

 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! 

“If you tell your guys to wrap up and hit hard and they don't, it's your fault”

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.  

“Make sure the team you used to coach has ZERO success, or this fan base will hate you"

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.

“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!”

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. 

“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.”

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

The Truth

COUNTDOWN CLOCK WIDGET

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This is the reality that fans need to go ahead and accept.  You can throw out all the numbers and stats you want, but there is only one that matters now and that is the number of fans in Neyland Stadium.  After talking to UT fans last week I began to realize more and more how important the Florida game was for Derek Dooley.  I knew we were going to lose but I enjoyed the optimism of other fans.  However after listening to more and more fans share their excitement it made me realize the coming reaction if we did lose. 

Dooley still has several supporters who live on message boards declaring anybody who thinks Dooley will be fired is crazy, but empty seats at Neyland will get you fired faster than any loss.  I am not calling for his job.  I don’t have to.  He has done a good job getting recruits interested in UT, but who believes in him as a coach?  Dave Hart said back in the summer there are no more excuses.  Any fan that thinks Dooley is going to take this team to UGA and Mississippi Mistake then come home and play Bama and USCjr and come out on top is delusional.  If we go 0-2 in our next two SEC games there will be more Bama fans at Neyland than UT fans. 

The reason the clock is set for October 29^th is because we fired Fulmer and Majors the Monday following USCjr.  People laughed at me when I said we should fire Dooley the day after NSD.  It isn’t that I don’t like him but I knew he would not turn the program around.    Since Dave Hart did not pull the trigger after the Kentucky game we had to wait until the recruits signed.  I said then if we don’t make the change now then we will the Monday after the South Carolina game.  Well if you don’t believe me start counting the empty seats this weekend.

GBO

The Drop

Do you remember Allama Matthews?  Well if you don’t then maybe this name will ring a bell, Jabar Gaffney.  Oh yeah that guy.  Matthews is the official that took it upon himself to redefine the rule of what was considered a catch.  On September 16^th 2000 with seconds to go in the game and Florida was trailing Tennessee until Jesse Palmer threw a pass to Jabar Gaffney in the end zone that bounced off his chest and hit the ground.  Matthews came running in from the side with his arms in the air ruling it a touchdown. 

Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville argues
a call with Head Linesman Allama Matthews
 during their NCAA college football game against
 top-ranked Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium
 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008.
 (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

The call itself was terrible but what made it so difficult to take, as a Vol fan was the fact UT dominated Florida on the ground.  Tennessee ran 78 plays for 343 yards versus Florida’s 64 plays for 329 yards.  Travis Henry ran the ball 37 times for 175 yards to help us out rush Florida 203 yards to their 39 rushing yards.  We had the ball almost 14 minutes longer than Florida.  To think we had the ball almost an entire quarter longer than them may help put this in the best perspective.  We dominated the line of scrimmage, but it ended with a ridiculous call.   

Matthews ran down the goal line selling the call.  He kept bouncing his hands in the air signaling touchdown.  This was before officials used replay (like that would have mattered) so the officials huddled up to discuss the play.  A few moments later Head Umpire Al Ford signaled touchdown and the game was all but over with a 14 seconds on the clock. 

Ironically Matthews had some ties to both of these teams.  Matthews a native of Jacksonville Florida played high school football at Jackson High and earned a scholarship to play football at Vanderbilt.  In 1982 he earned All American honors and played on the last Vanderbilt team to beat Tennessee and Florida in the same year. 

The 2000 Florida game was the last game he called at Neyland until last year’s UGA game.  Once again he made his presence known by throwing a flag and calling interference on Tennessee on a critical 3^rd down that would keep an UGA drive alive.  Why was he own our field again?  The tribal knowledge was that Fulmer had made it clear to the SEC office that Matthews was to never call a game at Neyland again.  Now he shows up a few years later after Fulmer is fired in our stadium.

Should Matthews be allowed to call Tennessee games again?  There are some folks that are convinced he is a great guy who has no ill will against Tennessee and would never make a call out of resentment.  I mean why would we ever think a Jacksonville Florida native who played for Vanderbilt would have it in for Tennessee?  In October 2004 the Florida Times Union interviewed Matthews about life after football and when asked about the emotions of fans after critical calls he said,

"Having played collegiately and professionally, I know how much players work to prepare for games and all the game-planning that coaches do," Matthews said. "The added incentive to go out and do a good job comes from my understanding of having played the game."

Does this make you feel better knowing that he cares about making the right call because he played the game?  Well this is not the only game that Matthews was a part of screwing up.  In the UGA and Georgia Tech 1999 game Matthews was one of the referees under Head Umpire Al Ford who was suspended after an incorrect fumble call against Jasper Sanks lost the game for the Bulldogs.

Now we approach Florida week again and I promise you that every time we play them at home I think of the 2000 game.  It is so clear in my mind.  Florida fans still laugh at UT fans because we refuse to let this go.  They act as if it was a catch and there was no harm done.  However one week after the 2000 game Florida gave up 504 yards to Kentucky but still won 59-31.  One Florida Times Union writer said,

“Without the four Kentucky turnovers that led to 28 points, who knows how dangerously close Florida might have been to giving back the gift presented them a week ago by SEC line judge Allama Matthews?”

So you tell me how are we supposed to take it when a game is stole from us and gift wrapped for Florida?

This game is always so critical to both teams and once again this season’s game has a major impact on the direction of our program.  With some of the nation’s best recruits attending the game and the divisional race on the line we cannot afford to lose a game due to some BS call.

I am not some crazy delusional fan that believes football games are sacred and are of higher importance than world issues, but as a fan I invest time and money.  I don’t think it is too much to ask to have games called correctly.  The NCAA office must have agreed this call was bad for the game because they adopted a rule at the end of the season to define a catch.  My point is that it doesn’t matter if Allama Matthews is against Tennessee or not.  It doesn’t matter to me that he wants to make the correct call.  The issue is he blew a call and failed to do his job.  Human nature tells me he will never be able to see Tennessee in an objective light after how the ending and the events that took place after the game.  Allowing him to call our games again is simply wrong and the SEC office knows it.  We as fans should not have to settle for this guy calling anymore of our games.  I don't condone mean or harmful behavior towards other people, but we are the paying customer and the SEC office needs to be reminded we will not tolerate this guy calling anymore of our games!

GBO

Week 2 and a FCS Murder

How nice has it been this week?  After ending last season in the bowels of Hell losing to that dumpster fire basketball cheating school we needed to come out and get that win last Friday night.  Although at times it was obvious we have areas to improve on nobody can deny some of the threats we now have on campus.  Now we have a strange addition to our schedule and play some nobody before the week we all live for each year. 

This week Texas A&M and Missouri are baptized into the conference.  You have to give the league office some credit how they set this week up.  We have a divisional game and a cross divisional game on two new SEC campuses.  Everybody will be watching to see how these two new teams play in their new conference.  This isn’t UGA’s first time welcoming new members.  In 1992 they introduced South Carolina to the conference with a 28-6 defeat.  Arkansas that same year started their conference season by beating South Carolina 45-7 but then loss to their first traditional foe Alabama 38-11.  I would expect similar results this weekend.  Maybe not by those margins, but both Missouri and A&M will be shocked by the speed of the front 7 and will not have much to give in the 4^th quarter.  Although they lose in their first games I do expect both teams to play well and challenge other SEC teams each week.

The SEC east is wide open and I think each week we will see a few teams move around as leaders.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Florida looks like the leader after this Saturday.  After taking a lot of heat this week for their play against BGSU they will be focused and prepared.  Their baboon of a coach is the most prepared of all SEC coaches to go into A&M due to his time at UTjr (Texas).  Not to mention the Aggies are playing with a brand new QB who will make his first start under a new coaching staff due to Hurricane Isaac’s visit last week.

What does this mean for us?  Nothing!  Tennessee has its own path to travel and it begins next Saturday.  In order for us to have the type of season to be relevant we have to beat Florida.  There will be tons of big name recruits for both football and basketball on campus next week, and if Tennessee can get a win there will be a snowball effect of momentum in recruiting.  More importantly it will put us back in the topic of conversation as a team who can compete on a high level.

This Saturday I hope to see an absolute beat down in Neyland.  I would like to see Bray with 280 yards and 3 TDs at the half and then Worley play the entire 2^nd half.  We need to score a lot of points and create some highlights, but we also need to get some new guys on the field.  Jason Croom , Justin King, and Drae Bowles to name a few are guys that we need to log in several minutes.  There are talks about Pig Howard playing, but everyone says he is not in game shape so his snaps will probably be limited.  We also need to get our young DBs on the field and what few LBs we have left to clock in some time. 

This weekend has an odd feel for Vol fans as we already have a win over an ACC team on the books and now we face a FCS team that we will destroy, but everyone knows the season has yet to start.  This is our final week of fall camp.  The season begins on September 15^th and it is building up to be a night of excitement like we have not had in Knoxville in a while.

GBO

It's Football Time in Tennessee

Finally.  I thought this day would never arrive and now we are about to start another season.  In my 35 years as a Vol fan no offseason can even come close to compare to this one.  I thought the 2011 season would never end, and then late in the 4^th quarter of the Kentucky game I was hoping it would not end.  It did.  As the Kentucky fans stormed the field to celebrate the end of the streak I could not believe that Tennessee Football had fallen so low. 

During the offseason I dove into every type of information I possibly could to find out what are we doing to get back on top.  For the first time ever I got into the bowels of recruiting, coaching hires, and workout reports.  While so many friends and family members looked to have given up hope occasionally I would learn about something we were doing that finally showed promise.

Today I write to you to encourage you and give you great hope that we are only hours away and UT Football will begin to claw its way out of the mire and take back its God given right as a premiere football program.

Why will this team be better?  In order for you to compete at any level in the game of football you have to be good at the line of scrimmage.  Tennessee this offseason could not have done anything better to improve its defensive front.  This coaching staff should be given some credit by putting guys where they can make an immediate impact.  Against NC State we will start three Jucos.  Maurice Couch has proven he is an SEC talent and a leader of this team.  With him and Darrington Sentimore on the ends we will be much improved and the guys backing them up have played in more SEC games than they have.  Not to mention the man in the middle Daniel McCullers who comes in at 360lbs.  As for our linebackers we now have put some guys in a position to make plays.  Dooley said that when our starting LBs are on the field it is our best unit on the team.

On the other side of the ball we now have an SEC offensive line that is pissed off and nasty.  When Dooley started the O-line had zero starts and now has over 100.  The addition of Tiny Richardson at left Tackle has put Dallas Thomas in a better spot for him and we have speed to pull tackles and guards to create mismatch in the running game.  Rajion Neal worked out all summer with the O-line and he is a little bigger and faster than 2011 Heisman finalist Monte Ball from Wisconsin.  Make no mistake this team will run the ball well!

The best way I know to relate this upcoming season is to think about the 2006 team.  Erik Ainge was coming back for his junior year and had yet play an entire season as a starting QB.  We had our old OC back and were tougher on the O-Line again.  We had a nasty attitude and a terrible taste in our mouth from the 2005 season that ended on senior day with a loss to Vandy.  When we took the field against Cal there were pads popping early and orange jerseys flying to the ball.

I have heard for two weeks the typical down trodden fan accepting the fact we are in a tough game with NC State.  There is no way we lose this game.  If you think this team who has not been on a field since Lexington will let this golden moment pass them by then you are only thinking of the 2010-2011 football team.  Daniel Hood said “we will always be remembered as the team that broke the streak to Kentucky until we win again”.  This is the mindset of this football team.  They have worked their tails off this summer and have heard the heartache of the VolNation.  These players are ready for the Dome……… are you?  Vol Fans are you ready for success?  Are you ready to rock Cumberland Avenue again?  Are you ready to chant SEC after we have sung Rocky Top for the 97^th time in the Dome? Well I am, and God willing I will be there to see it all happen!  

GBO

Meanwhile, 7 months later

43 days

As we inch closer to August 31^st, we are starting to hit milestones that feed the big orange monster.  This afternoon, Derek Dooley will take the stand at the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Alabama.  What surely looked like a firing line of hot seat questions, has, overnight, potentially turned into a recruit war with Florida.  Dooley will surely get asked multiple times about the academic status and eligibility of Phillips; questions he most certainly was not anticipating being asked.

Dante Phillips, the former 4* DT Florida commit who was denied entry by UF admissions, committed to and was accepted into the University of Tennessee, per an announcement last night.  Phillips joins fellow incoming D-Line monsters Darrington Sentimore, Daniel McCullers, and Danny O’Brien; the difference in Phillips?  He’s already got a personal vendetta against the Gators.  My confidence level in Derek Dooley just went from 5% to 10%.

I still haven’t gotten over losing to Kentucky, and maybe I never will.  In my mind, Dooley committed an unforgivable sin.  I knew the streak would end one day, but come on, not to that Kentucky team.  Not to a wide receiver playing quarterback on 3 days practice.  Just unacceptable.  Throw in the turnover on the staff, and I’ll gladly tell anyone who will listen that Derek Dooley is over his head and won’t last.

However, as we chug through these milestones (the next one is when the Vols report to camp on August 3^rd), I can’t help but start to get excited.  Basically, I’m tired of attacking our own, and I’m ready to go after some NC State, Florida, and Georgia cronies.  I skipped Georgia State and Akron on purpose, because if I even have to acknowledge anything with those teams, then none of the other games are going to matter, because we’ll get to start talking about the next head coach after Dooley.

Anyway, back on topic with Media Days.  Dooley is taking Tyler Bray, Herman Lathers, and Ja’Waun James with him.  Sure, we all would’ve loved to see Da’Rick Rogers get the nod, but I think we can all understand why he didn’t.  The real question, since we all know Dooley will field questions about the temperature of his desk chair, is if Barbara Dooley will be in the crowd.

Okay, that’s my last Dooley shot for a while.  There’s plenty of negativity swirling, and even though I want to join in, I’m going to choose not to.  Dooley has taken his criticisms, put them in the trash bin, and still slapped together, arguably, a better staff than what bailed off of the perceived sinking ship.  He also assembled an *excellent* recruiting class.  Sure, it’s not the highest ranked class (17^th overall (6^th in the SEC) per Rivals), but the class filled many areas of serious need.  Defensive line aside, running back, wide receiver, and the defensive secondary got some serious depth.  Would’ve liked to pickup at least one more running back or offensive lineman, but it was still a really good class, in spite of all the turmoil and discontent swirling around Knoxville.

So as we sit 43 days from Atlanta, and 15 days from Fall Camp, my cynicism is draining, and my excitement level is rising.  It’s a new year, and I can’t do anything (aside from heavy drinking) to erase last year.  It feels like this Tennessee team is primed to be explosive, offensively and defensively, it’s just a matter of making it happen.  I feel like these guys are hungry; I just hope their as hungry as the rest of big orange nation is.

I wonder how long it will take before the Gator jort-holes start ripping Dante Phillips and Tennessee’s low admission standards.  I can hear them now: “Anyone can get into UT.  We have standards at Florida.  UT’s admissions are so low so the dumbass rednecks can get in to watch football.”

Or this one: “Dante Phillips sucked anyway.  He wouldn’t have played even if he did come here, we’re loaded with D-linemen.”

He’s a 4-star lineman, registered at 6’6”, 268 lbs.  Monster.  You don’t just throw an athlete with his skills and accolades to the curb because you didn’t need him.  Hopefully Tennessee actually lets him in, and we don’t walk away from this looking worse than Florida did.

UT Picks Up Game Breaker at WR

Following one of the worst weeks of news in Tennessee Football history last week, UT fans now are breathing refreshing air.  First there was the news break that Derek Dooley had hired former Vol RB Jay Graham to coach RBs and now the announcement of one most sought after WR in the nation.

Today 4 star standout WR Alton “Pig” Howard from Orlando Florida Edgewater announced that he is a VFL!  Howard has been highly sought after and has 21 official offers according to rivals.  Howard is listed as  5’9” 178lb and runs a 4.4 / 40 time.  The addition to the current list of recruits is another emphasis this staff is committed to upgrading in speed.  It also is another message to the state of Florida that UT Assistant Coach Darin Hinshaw is a Beast in recruiting and continues to go into Florida and make UT known among top recruits.  

Expect Howard to make an immediate impact to this football team.  He plans to graduate from high school this month and he will enroll at UT in January.  This will allow him to begin workouts with team and get bigger, faster, and stronger.  This also means we will get to see Howard in the Orange and White Game.

The addition of Howard to this team will be dual threat.  He is athletic enough to run the Wildcat package and will defiantly be in the hunt and the mix in the return game.  Look for Howard to line up in the slot and attack the middle of the field against the 2012 opponents.  This addition to the team will only make this Passing attack more dangerous as Tyler Bray will now have another dangerous target to make plays in space!

Ladies and gentlemen welcome the “Pig”!

Go Vols

Radical 

My Therapy (Caution: Lengthy)

I’ve been eerily quiet the last month or so.  After some early season rants about Florida, Georgia, Conference Realignment, defending Derek Dooley, and countless pot shots at the ACC and other SEC teams, I felt the need to take a step backward after watching how poorly this year’s Tennessee football team has performed.  Over the last month, I’ve taken gut shot after gut shot, each and every Saturday.  Even when Tennessee beat MTSU and Vanderbilt, there were caveats I just couldn’t digest.

If I could just vomit on my keyboard and it would translate to this webpage, I would stop writing right now.  If I knew exactly what I wanted to say and how to say it, I would’ve posted a long time ago.  I am so disgusted and embarrassed with the state of Tennessee football.  I have never been more ashamed to associate myself with a brand.  Even as an alumnus, I would rather tell a complete stranger I’ve played all the LEGO games on Xbox, I’ve read the entire Harry Potter series, and I watch Glee and Grey’s Anatomy every week than to profess my love, loyalty, passion, and obsession with Tennessee athletics and all things bathed in the PMS151 shade of orange.  It’s too difficult to dodge the jokes and insults initiated by the word “Tennessee.”  It’s too painful to attempt to explain the reasons when asked “What the hell happened to Tennessee?”

I supported Lane Kiffin.  I loved the enthusiasm and the confidence.  I’m not one to talk a lot of trash (I pick my battles), so I didn’t agree with many of Kiffin’s media shots.  But damn it, he was OUR coach, and if OUR coach believes in what he’s saying and doing, then damn it, I’ll stand behind him and defend him.  Maybe this is the reason I (all of us) felt so betrayed when he left like a thief in the night.  Tennessee got their pants pulled down and exposed.  Lane Kiffin had us all believing Tennessee was a hot program, rapidly making waves in recruiting and media circles nationwide.  Maybe we were, hard to say now.  When Lane Kiffin jet for USC, he officially turned Tennessee into a mid-tier program.  Perhaps we were already a mid-tier program, but the orange-colored glasses and kool-aid kept the Big Orange Veil down in Knoxville.  We die-hards couldn’t see through or around it. 

Lane Kiffin ripped down the curtain and officially made Tennessee a stepping stone; a middle of the road program.  The type of school where a coach goes to build a resume to campaign for a better job.  This thought saddens me to no end.  Remember 1998?  What an awesome time.  Tennessee was a monster program in the 90s, we must be a football powerhouse, and everyone across the country must believe it also.  Unfortunately, Tennessee is far, far removed from 1998.  Tennessee has underachieved far more times than overachieved since, and I don’t see the trend changing.

Tennessee fans often wonder why ESPN shows us no love.  I’ve noticed, over the last two years, Tennessee gets about as much air time as every other school not in the top 25.  We just aren’t relevant outside the state, and especially outside the SEC. 

I support(ed) Derek Dooley.  I knew last year we were severely talent depleted, but we played hard against some really good opponents.  We were fed the youth and inexperience excuse, and I accepted it as truth.  This year started off so well.  Tennessee thumped Montana, then came out and mollywopped Cincinnati.  Tennessee was competitive in Gainesville, and it was obvious Justin Hunter’s injury was devastating to the entire team.  The ensuing weeks are inexcusable.  Dooley’s press conferences have gone from funny and sarcastic to insulting and annoying.  The VFL program seems like more of a crutch; a weapon to use against anyone saying negative things about the program.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to not be in the news for arrests and failed drug tests, but Dooley’s job 1 is to win football games, or at least it should be.  Designing apparel, modifying blueprints, entertaining the media, and making it difficult for former players to come back should be WAY down the list.

I completely understand the impact of firing Derek Dooley right now.  Four coaches in five years is nearly as bad as three in three.  For the program’s sake, Dooley has to be kept around to attempt to right the ship.  I don’t like it, but it is what it is.  Feelslike98.com has a wonderful article right now describing all the things Derek Dooley hasn’t done to warrant being the head coach at Tennessee.  17-20 in 3 seasons at Louisiana Tech should not get you into the Tennessee head coach conversation, let alone an interview.  But it did, and here we are. 

Change has to be made, if for no other reason than Tennessee's abysmal running and kicking games.  How can Tauren Poole go from over 1000 yards to under 700 in year two of an offensive scheme?  How can Tennessee accept such inconsistency with its place kicker and punters?  How can a team, second only to Alabama in bowl appearances, with the recruiting budget, facilities, and funding of Tennessee, be so broken and in pieces to the point no high profile coach would want to come here?  What is the turn-off at Tennessee?  Are we too passionate?  Are we too fickle?  Are we too demanding, nosey, or inquisitive?  You can’t tell me our fanbase is so ravenous it scares coaches away.  Is the pressure to win at Tennessee just too overwhelming?  I just don’t buy it.  Any of it. 

So, here we are.  We’re stuck, two years in, with a coach who STILL hasn’t proven he can win a meaningful game.  All I see is a laundry list of mismanaged games, poorly coached and out of position players, questionable play calling, no improvement, and I’ve yet to see a gameplan where I said “Damn.  We had ‘em.  If we had just a few more plays, we had ‘em.”  Sure, we’ve had flashes, but this staff’s inability to adjust is killer.  The first half of the Alabama game was masterful; however, Alabama realized we were stacking against the run, made an adjustment, and blew us out the 2^nd half.  Thus is the story of Tennessee football.  At least you could tell Lane Kiffin knew how to manage the game and put a plan together, whether he had the talent to win or not.

It really hurts when you see the positive momentum being generated by the in-state school to the West.  It also hurts to see Ohio State, fresh off of NCAA sanctions and in the midst of probation (sound familiar?), stick with the 1-year interim strategy (where is Kippy Brown?) and lands the hottest free agent head coaching name in college football today.  How can Ohio State rebound from a scandal in less than 18 months and move forward while Tennessee is still stuck spinning its tires. 

Does the Tennessee athletic administration (future or present) truly believe spending the money on a high dollar coaching staff is impossible?  I will never understand why we are unwilling to throw upwards of $4M / year at a head coach.  The return on investment and the economic boost to the Knoxville area would be gigantic.  Good Tennessee football is great for business.  Fans will spend more money on orange gear, spend more money at restaurants, spend more money in the bookstore, spend more money on, and at, the game, spend more money at the bar, and spend more, spend more, spend more.  See a pattern?  The bottom line: When Tennessee wins, everyone wins.  And I mean everyone.  You think enrollment went down after 1998?  Hell no. 

Here’s an example from my life.  I marched saxophone for 4 years in the Pride of the Southland marching band.  In 2002, the directors encouraged people to learn other instruments to realign the numbers.  The Pride was maxed out, easily at 350 people.  By the end of band camp in 2005 (fresh off of an SEC east title and a Cotton Bowl thrashing of Texas A&M), the band was making roster cuts to reduce the numbers.  Since the 2005 season (finished 5-7 with a loss to Vanderbilt), the band’s numbers have been declining at a steady rate, to the point the pregame drill (and the opening of the T) had to be made smaller so it was still able to be formed.  Kids want to be at Tennessee (and in the band) when the team is winning.  The football team’s struggles since 2005 and the Pride’s declining numbers aren’t exclusive from each other.

I won’t quote Einstein here about insanity, because we all know the quote.  Something has to change, and it has to change soon.  Tennessee fans are restless.  The decline of Fulmer and rise of Bruce Pearl really hurt the perception of the football program, and it gave Tennessee fans a taste of how an energetic and exciting coach can really boost a team.  Lane Kiffin decimated the remnants of Fulmer’s top recruits, and Kiffin's one class is labelled as one of the biggest recruiting busts of all time.  If Dooley has one saving grace, it’s his recruiting.  So far, the recruiting numbers seem to be stable.  I know all the negative discussion and “Fire Dooley” jargon can’t be good for recruiting, but I also imagine a 102k-capacity stadium with 75k people can’t be good either.

I’ll end with a quote from a friend of mine from Virginia Tech.  He’s from Richmond and hasn’t been tainted by Knoxville media in regard to his opinion of Tennessee:

" I feel bad for you and Tennessee in general.  Not sure what the heck is going on.  You guys should be able to land a big name coach and land some of the best recruits in the nation.  I never did understand the Dooley hire, but I never knew anything about him other than he coached at Louisiana Tech, which didn't exactly jump out at me as "the next Tennessee head coach". "

How are we supposed to get behind this guy (Dooley) and shower him with unwavering support?  Maybe it's just me, but I consider the loss to Kentucky to be unforgivable.  No matter what Derek Dooley does with the rest of his time at Tennessee, he'll always be the coach who lost to Kentucky. 

Hot Seat: Dooley Days are Counting Down

Before I begin let me say this post does not reflect everyone at RockyTopics.  This is a difficult situation right now, but I feel completely confident in saying Derek Dooley is not the man for the job at the University of Tennessee.

During the week of the Vanderbilt game I told folks if we lose to Vandy and UK Dooley will be fired.  After what we have seen over the last 24 hours it is easy to see what the fan base would be thinking if we had lost both of those games.  You don’t lose to Kentucky and Vandy.  You never lose to a Kentucky team this bad, and we did so Dooley better be glad he got that Vandy game to finish 1-7 in SEC play.

I realize our program is down.  We were not going to win a lot of games this year and I get that.  Dooley cannot help we have a depleted roster and a huge talent gap.  I have supported Dooley since he has been here, but I have disagreed with him as the man for the job since the day he was hired.  Look, I know he is not getting fired this year.  He is here for year 3…………. or is it 2 in Dooleyism?  Regardless of how long he has been here the overwhelming issue is Derek Dooley is not qualified to be the HC at a SEC school.

I know we have the speech police out there telling everybody to shut up because if you have an opinion and speak it you are hurting recruiting.  You know what sheep?  I pay for my season tickets, and they don’t give rebates for junk games in junk seasons.  DD is making major cash and I don’t feel sorry for somebody who makes 2 million dollars and the worse thing in their life is they lost a bunch of football games and people are mad.  Are you kidding me!  We are supposed to give them a break because they are a good guy! WTH is wrong with you people.  Derek Dooley is just like every other coach out there he does not care about the specifics of your life.  He has tons of people everyday tell him how much they love him, and you have a better chance meeting your US Senator who will help prepare a multitrillion dollar budget than to have a conversation with this guy or his peers.

Let me ask you this question.  If Tennessee was playing a game this week and Derek Dooley got food poison the night before and could not make it to the game would it make any impact to the outcome of the game?  Dooley has no credentials as a coach or as specialist of an area in the game.  What does he do?  Pick who should kick?  How in the world do people think Cheney should be fired but not Dooley?  Jim Cheney is 10X more qualified to be the HC then Dooley.  The only reason he isn’t a HC is because his appearance.  Dooley has the southern accent and good ole boy look and he gets 2 million dollars to point the blame at everybody but himself.  Incase you have not noticed I am urinated off!

Here is the bottom line Derek Dooley will be fired one day at UT.  My guess is it will happen next year after the South Carolina game. (Seems to be the normal time to fire a coach).  For all of you that are so worried about recruiting I can assure you that all we are doing is putting off the obvious.  He will not get it done and we will have to replace him.  Then next guy will come into a much better situation and that means the interest level in our program will be much higher this time among coaches looking for a change.  The next football coach at UT will be the highest paid coach in the Eastern Division.  The new AD knows how this works and he understands that the Athletic department keeps the lights on so he will not have a problem telling donors they are going to pay for the next guy.

The best thing Derek Dooley can do during this offseason is getting the biggest splash possible in recruiting.  If he has an in the pocket recruit he better get them to the podium to announce soon.  Then when the season begins he better win.  I hope he proves me wrong and turns out to be a great coach, but I think we all know what is going to happen.

Go Vols

Radical

Hot Seat: Derek Dooley Has to Start Winning

I want to be real clear about this right off the bat.  I do not want to see Derek Dooley lose his job, and more importantly I believe firing him would put this program further behind schedule to rebuild.  With that said I strongly believe there is a very good chance Dooley will be fired at the end of the year.

There really isn’t anybody out there saying this is even possible, but we live in a world dominated by sports in the moment and results are supreme.  UT fans by nature love their coaches.  We have never made a habit of firing coaches.  Most of the coaching changes in my lifetime have been around basketball but we have never seen a hair trigger firing.  So what could lead to an early dismissal of Dooley?  The answer is obvious Vandy and Kentucky.

Vanderbilt and Kentucky are the cesspool of the SEC.  These two programs are absolutely a disgrace to the conference.  Considering how bad these two programs are plus the thought of losing to them would lead to horrific images and sounds on the TV and radio.  If Tennessee loses to these two teams this year they will finish the season at 0-8 in SEC play for the first time in school history, and it will be the first time since 1964 Tennessee has lost to both teams in the same year.  It would also be their first 4 win season in 34 years and the first back to back losing seasons in 100 years of Tennessee football.

Do I think Tennessee will lose to both Kentucky and Vandy? No, but it is very possible.  From what I have seen so far this year there is absolutely no reason to believe Tennessee will beat Vandy.  Derek Dooley is 10-0 with the spread and 0-13 against the spread since he has been at UT.  The last time Tennessee scored in the 2^nd half was late in the game against UGA on Oct 8^th.  There is no way Tennessee can beat Vanderbilt if they do not score in the 2^nd half.  I know UT fans don’t want to hear that we are out manned against Vandy but we are.  You can say all day that Vandy is Peabody U and we have more talent but that is not the case.  Don’t get me wrong there is never an excuse to lose to Vandy!  However we are basically a Junior Varsity football team.  If you don’t believe me then take notice of the senior class this Saturday night when they come through the T and ask yourself how many of them have been contributors.  Just look at these numbers to grasp what type of football team we have.

§  Senior Class 13 players 4 starters

§  Junior Class 19 players 5 starters

§  Sophomore Class 35 players 7starters

§  Freshman Class 40 players 6 starters

My fear is that Tennessee will just pack it in after a loss to Vandy and then walk through the motions against Kentucky.  Even though UK is horrible you cannot just lie down and beat a SEC team.  Most people think Dooley has one more year.  Personally I think he needs two more years.  I want to be clear and say I am not a Derek Dooley fan.  I am a Tennessee Fan.  (I don’t care who the coach is as long as we beat Florida and Alabama.)  I did not want to hire him in the first place, and when we hired him I said we just hired another Mike Shula.  Ironically he has the same record as Shula at this point with a 10-13 record in his first 23 games.  Even though this is pathetic you cannot place all the blame on Dooley.  He has taken over a program that basically has been through a series of events that only major probation could create such an uneven class level.  This mess did not happen overnight and it will not be fixed over night.

The good news is Tennessee will be back.  We can easily see in recruiting circuits that UT has a lot of Pop out there and some nice prospects are starting to pay attention to UT. Peter Sirmon and Darrin Hinshaw are creating networks among 2012 and 2013 recruits that is going to pay off if their staff is still in place long enough to bring these recruits into the program.  Dooley and his staff will have a top 10 class this year based on what I have heard from the guys they have committed plus who they think they may get by February.  The 2013 class is also looking like there is a possibility to land a good class because the staff has had time to build so many relationships with high school players and coaches.

If Dooley can survive another year there will be enough players on campus to compete in the SEC, but he may never have the chance to coach a full roster.  If Derek Dooley is going to be a coach much longer at UT he is going to have to start winning games that he probably should not win, but for now he has to beat the teams we never lose to.

Go Vols

Radical

Response to the South Carolina Fans

Dear Cock,

Thanks for playing our game this week “How to make a Cock Pissed”!

The funny thing is we like USCjr fans.  So far you win the award for the most passionate about their schools pride.  UGA fans and FU fans are the cesspool of fan bases.  You guys are much more fun to be around whether it is in Knoxville or when I have been to Columbia.  As usual the Gamecock fans around me Saturday night were some of the most respectable fans that been to our stadium.  This is the very reason why I hope you guys win the East, but I seriously doubt you will.  

To be honest I did think we would win.  When you lose a player like Lattimore in this league it is tough to survive.  Just so you know I hated like heck to hear about his injury because he is a dynamic player and may have a chance to make a lot of money.  Win or lose I would have rather seen him on the field Saturday night.   

After we turned the ball over on the goal line in the 3^rd qtr I figured many of you were beginning to write your response to my last post.  This became very clear after reading posts, tweets, and messages asking to meet me so we could fight.  I offer no apologies to anything I said.  Your program has won 4 bowl games in 100 years and that is just the plain truth.  This current UT football team is the worst team in my lifetime and we will still win 5 games.  You guys went 1-22 in two years.  That is the definition of dumpster fire. 

By no means am I attempting to live in the past.  Sports are about the “here and now”.  I just wanted to share some facts that would ruffle Gamecock feathers to create fun and entertaining conversation.  We did not “Troll” on SC or internet sites as we were accused by some of you.  As a matter of fact 90% of the post’s traffic came from USCjr sites that require membership and annual fees.  I have never met anybody as juvenile who would pay money to be members of South Carolina online sports talk so don’t blame RockyTopics!    

  

I also will not make any excuse for why we lost.  UT should never lose to USCjr.  What I completely will stand on without question is your team is average at best.  Bama and LSU are head and shoulders above everybody in this conference.  You guys did not accomplish anything Saturday by beating us.  The Eastern division is terrible and the only reason you guys may win it is because nobody else is worth talking about.

For those of you who hate me than all I can say is, your school is a joke.  For those of you who loved the trash talk and shot back with fun and friendly competition then I say, we will see you next year in Columbia!

Until then,

Go Vols

Radical

South Carolina: The Story of Conference Expansion Mediocrity

With all the talk of conference expansion and the fact this is South Carolina week I wanted to take moment to share with you a simple fact.  If your team has been average or less in the history of the program than you can only expect to be an expected win for the other SEC opponents.  Take note Texas A&M and Mizzou fans!

Each year football fans look at their schedule and count the automatic wins and then of course try and determine what kind of record they can expect.  In the SEC there are a few teams we can look at expecting them to be wins.  South Carolina is always one of those teams.  I know the USC fan base is living in some allusion right now because they won the East last year, but the fact is that is the best they will ever do is a season like last year.  How good is that?  They got beat 56-17 in the SEC Championship game and finished the season 9-5.  When Steve Spurrier was hired at USC Lee Corso said “South Carolina will never win a SEC title”, and lets face it he is right.

Assume the Position

The “Yell Leaders” and the Mizzou fans need to learn something from USC.  Expect average.  South Carolina fans probably would say “hey RockyTopics” we beat you last year.  Our response is, “sure every once in a while you guys will win, but we promise you we will beat you way more than you beat us”.  Not even close! However the Big 12 refugees can rest assure in one thing and that is their programs are not near the dumpster fire as the Gamechickens.  You guys are more like Arkansas (another team yet to win a SEC title).  So don’t expect to be relevant!

Hope

Seriously USC will not beat UT this weekend.  The spread came out Sunday night -7 for USC and was -4.5 by Lunch Monday.  Why?  Because USC is nothing more than a homecoming game each year.  They are 1-4 against the spread the last 5 times they have played UT!  Do you think I am being unreasonable?  Well I say if you think they are a serious opponent then you have no idea how bad this program has been and still is.  In 20 seasons USC not only has yet to win a SEC title they have never won more than 9 games in a season, and they only have done that twice! Did you know USC all time record is 543-539-44 (.502)? 

Realistic Expectations

Although USC has had a break-even all time history, since joining the SEC they have only got worse in the last 20 years with a record of 115-116-1.  That is not even the worst figure to consider!  To prove to you how bad South Carolina has been and is do you realize their SEC record since joining the conference is 41-71-1?  That’s pathetic and reeks of dumpster fireness!

South Carolina is a joke and they are nothing to fear.  Today they are #13 in the country and they will not finish ranked.  They have only 1 loss coming into the end of October and this Saturday will be the1^st of 4 more losses before this season ends.  There has never been a season for the Gameroosters that they have won more than 5 SEC games and this year they will do well to win 4.  South Carolina truly is nothing more than a win to most SEC teams and I look forward the win this weekend!

Go Vols

RR

Spurrier and Staff working on Gameplan Typical Carolina Football

SEC: What 2 Watch 4 - Week 8

12:00, Commonwealth Stadium

Lexington, KY

ESPNU

Record [point spread]:

Jacksonville State (5-1, 4-0 OVC)
Kentucky (2-4, 0-3 SEC)  [-9.5]

W2W4: Jacksonville State has a recent history of beating bad SEC teams.  Look no further than Ole Miss just a year ago.  JSU knows they can compete, and Jack Crowe has the team believing they are better than Kentucky.  Led by Washaun Ealey (formerly of UGA), I think Jacksonville State is definitely primed to dominate the bottom of the SEC.  Kentucky is bad, folks.  Really bad.  They're slow all over the field, and their offense is atrocious.  If Jax State gets the momentum early, this could be a runaway game.

On a side note, Kentucky spent $200,000 on Big Blue Madness last week.  Want to know how much Kentucky plans to spend on its "football team and recruiting travel" in FY12?  You guessed it, $200,000. Link.  Can we now please officially label Kentucky as a basketball school?  And perhaps ship them over the ACC?

Prediction: Jacksonville State, 20-13

12:21, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium

Oxford, MS

SEC Network

Record [point spread]:

#9 Arkansas (5-1, 1-1 SEC) [-15.5]
Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3 SEC) 

W2W4: And attempting to take the bottom spot away from Kentucky, we move on to Ole Miss.  Are these folks tired of Houston Nutt yet?  Of course they are.  And you mean to tell me those Hotty Toddy-old cotton money-plantation-owning-so's-and-so's just west of the Mississippi can't afford a $6M buyout?  Give me a break.  C'mon Ole Miss, "Nutt" up and show you care about competing in the SEC.  On the other side of the field, Arkansas is rolling right now.  They were humbled by Alabama, but came back fighting against Texas A&M.  Now Arkansas is sitting at 5-1, #9 in the nation, and Tyler Wilson is showing why he was pre-season All-SEC.

Prediction: Arkansas, 38-3

3:30, Tiger Stadium

Baton Rouge, LA

CBS

Record [point spread]:

Auburn (5-2, 3-1 SEC)

#1 LSU (7-0, 4-0 SEC) [-21]

W2W4: If there were ever a battle of two luckier teams, I'd like to see it.  The Mad Hatter was forced to suspend 3 players for this game, and two of them are starters.  Spencer Ware and Tyrann Mathieu won't play against Auburn, but John Chavis will just roll in another playmaker, and Michael Ford will probably have a career game.  Auburn's ability to simply just make plays will keep this game much closer than the experts think, and I don't expect this to a be blowout.  I think Auburn will be able to run the ball, control the clock, and ultimately shorten the game.  I wouldn't be surprised if some crazy special teams play swings the momentum one way or the other.

Prediction: LSU, 27-20

7:00,  Vanderbilt Stadium

Nashville, TN

ESPNU

Record [point spread]:

Army (2-4)
Vanderbilt (3-3, 1-3 SEC) [-11]

W2W4: Vanderbilt surprised me last week against Georgia, in more ways than one.  First, they actually had a shot to win the game.  Second, Logan Stewart's RIDICULOUS chop block against Kwame Geathers.  SportsByBrooks has a nice summary here.  After the game, James Franklin stated he was changing the view of Vanderbilt forever.  He sure is.  And the SEC seems all for it, by suspending both Stewart and Geathers for half a game.  No way Geathers should have been suspended for his reaction.  No.  Way.

I don't expect the game to be close.  Vanderbilt's a little iffy stopping the run, but Army just isn't very good.  They'll play hard, but in the end, I think Vanderbilt probably scores on defense to pull away.

Prediction: Vanderbilt, 24-10

7:15, Bryant-Denny Stadium

Tuscaloosa, AL

ESPN2

Record [point spread]:

Tennessee (3-3, 0-3 SEC)

#2 Alabama (7-0, 4-0 SEC) [-29.5]

W2W4: Another week, another "sure loss" predicted from the experts in regard to Tennessee.  Sure, things look bad, but you never say never.  Stranger things have happened, and even stranger things have happened during the 3rd (4th) Saturday in October.  Sure, Trent Richardson runs in beast mode, and Alabama's defense is NFL-esque.  If Tennessee can run the ball effectively, avoid turnovers, and win special teams, I believe they have a chance.  Will it be easy?  Hell no, and it'll take a near-perfect game.  But this rivalry seems to have an effect on both teams, and only God knows what the effect will be.  Maybe Alabama overlooks Tennessee?  Maybe the confidence gained in the first half of the LSU game is enough to have Tennessee believing they can compete?  Maybe Devrin Young becomes the first Tennessee player to house a kick return in 8 years?  Who knows.  One thing I know for sure, I'm guaranteed to say "Buck Fama" at least 200 times on Saturday, and by the end of the night, I'll probably be saying it without the filter engaged.

If you're going to the game down in Tuscaloosa, be sure to stop by T-Town MensWear.  I hear they've got some great discounts.

Go Vols.  Buck Fama.

Prediction: Tennessee, 20-17