Adams: Back to future? No sequel please

How simple is this?

You're probably feeling all orange and fuzzy just thinking about it. UT coach Phillip Fulmer rehires his former offensive coordinator, and the world spins back to 1998. Your "National Champions" car tag is back in style.

When the Vols and Cutcliffe parted company, both were on the rise. They were on their way to a national championship game, and he was on his way to the head-coaching job at Ole Miss.

Seven years later, the Vols are staggering through a 3-4 season, and Cutcliffe is recovering from heart surgery while contemplating a return to coaching, a year after he was fired by Ole Miss. The reunion is a natural.

It's a natural. And it's convenient. But is it the best move?

I'm not so sure -- for a couple of reasons.

First of all, health permitting, Cutcliffe wants to be a head coach again. Why wouldn't he? Look what he did at Ole Miss: five consecutive winning seasons and only one losing season in six years as head coach. Those qualify as glory days at a program which hasn't won an SEC championship since 1963. If Ole Miss officials weren't so deluded about their self-worth, they might have figured that out. But that's another story.

Suppose Cutcliffe doesn't get the head-coaching job he wants at the end of this season. He then rejoins the Vols, helps right the offense, improves the quarterbacks, stays healthy -- and accepts another head-coaching job at the end of next season.

Because of Cutcliffe's health problems, a school might be hesitant to hire him this year. It would be less hesitant if he went through a successful season as UT's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

And his resumA(C) would look better than ever. His poster pupils, Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, might both be in the Pro Bowl by then. Moreover, if UT shows any improvement on offense -- and that's almost inevitable -- Cutcliffe would get the credit.

So he could get the head-coaching job he wants, and UT could start looking for another offensive coordinator.

Since Cutcliffe has so much to offer, UT might be willing to take that risk. When you can drop the Manning's name in a quarterback recruit's living room, what else do you need? Moreover, Cutcliffe knows UT's offense as well as Fulmer does. That would make for a smooth transition.

But maybe "smooth" isn't what UT's offense needs. Maybe it needs a jolt.

While reporting on UT's opponents, I hear the same thing from opposing coaches week after week. They all talk about UT's stability, its consistency, and its great talent.

They mean it as a compliment. But when does "stability" become "stagnant?" And when does "consistency" become a "quagmire?"

Granted, when UT has great players, the offense usually functions fine. But this team doesn't have a Peyton Manning at quarterback, a Travis Henry at running back or a Peerless Price at wide receiver.

Randy Sanders fell on the sword for UT's fallen offense Monday. He resigned as offensive coordinator but will stay on as quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.

This isn't Sanders' offense. It's UT's offense. Walt Harris called plays for this offense. So did Fulmer and Cutcliffe. It's basically the same offense UT has been running for years. Opponents know it as well as the Vols.

That doesn't mean they can stop it when Manning is throwing or Henry is running. But UT probably won't ever have another quarterback as good as Manning, and it hasn't had a runner of Henry's caliber since 2000.

Fulmer always has bounced back from disappointing seasons. He has done so without changing the offense or making massive changes on his staff.

After an 8-4 season in 2000, UT went 11-2 and finished in the top 10 in 2001. After going 8-5 in 2002, the Vols went 10-3 in 2003 and 2004.

They're bouncing back. But they aren't bouncing back high enough to win the conference championship.

So why not try something different, something like Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville did after the 2003 season? He hired Al Borges and gave him a free rein with the offense. The results were spectacular.

Borges turned quarterback Jason Campbell into a first-round NFL draft pick. He found a way to maximize the talents of star running backs Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown. He helped lead Auburn to a 13-0 season.

A year later, despite losing three offensive players in the first round of the draft, Borges' offense leads the SEC in both points and yards per game.

That's the kind of hire Fulmer needs to make. Then, he needs to get out of the way and give his new play-caller as much control with the offense as John Chavis has with the defense.

It's not 1998 anymore. It's time to look ahead, not behind.