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While David Cutcliffe was denying reports Friday that he had an offer to be Duke's next football coach, someone noticed his shoes.

They were white athletic shoes with royal blue trim. Hmmm.

A false lead, it turns out. Despite the color scheme the shoes were clearly adidas, Tennessee's brand. Duke wears Nike.

By tonight, Cutcliffe will be wearing Nike.

The curtain has fallen on Cutcliffe's Act II at Tennessee.

The man wants to be a head coach again. Wants it bad enough to take on the historic headache that is Duke football.

"I just feel like there's a lot left out there to be done,'' Cutcliffe said Friday when asked about his career goals.

That sentiment could also apply to his accepting a second tenure as Tennessee's offensive coordinator Nov. 28, 2005.

There was a lot left to be done after a train wreck of a 5-6 season that outlasted coordinator Randy Sanders by four games.

I remember Phillip Fulmer's words on the day he welcomed back Cutcliffe, his trusty offensive coordinator from the glory days of the 1990s.

"We didn't take care of the little things (in 2005),'' said Fulmer. "David has lots and lots of strengths, but that's one of them.''

Think what you want about Cutcliffe as a play-caller, but Fulmer was right. Tennessee's offense two years ago needed attention to detail and Cutcliffe provided it.

That's his legacy from Act II. He restored discipline to what had become a loose ship. It shouldn't be taken lightly.

After six years as head coach at Ole Miss and one more sitting on the sideline, Cutcliffe returned with some definitive ideas about what Tennessee's offense should accomplish.

The goal, he said, would be to score 30 points a game. The Vols reached that goal 15 times in 26 games under Cutcliffe.

That's 58 percent, hardly a staggering success rate. Consider, however, the 2005 offense scored 30 points only once, and needed overtime to do it.

The Vols' pedestrian running game improved only marginally on Cutcliffe's watch. Critics felt he sometimes abandoned the run too quickly and in hindsight, he might agree.

Sunday-morning quarterbacks also questioned the Vols' reluctance to throw down field and quarterback Erik Ainge's propensity to get rid of the ball quickly rather than allowing routes to develop.

Both were by Cutcliffe's design. Before you do good, first avoid doing bad.

One bad turnover cost the Vols a bowl game in 2006. Another was the backbreaker in the 21-14 SEC championship game loss to LSU.

Headliners that they were, those were aberrations in Act II. The offense Cutcliffe inherited offered up an SEC-high 27 turnovers in 2005. The Vols ranked third in the league in fewest turnovers in both of his recent seasons.

Whether it was turnovers, penalties or sacks, Cutcliffe's first mission was to take care of the little things.

Looking to 2008 and beyond, that offense is at a crossroads. Ainge, a four-year starter, will be gone. So, it appears, will be the coordinator.

With Jonathan Crompton, B.J. Coleman and Nick Stephens on board and an offer to Alcoa's Randall Cobb on the table, Tennessee has some intriguing quarterback possibilities over the next few years.

"I've already got a bunch of notes, a lot of stuff,'' Cutcliffe said Friday, still wearing his UT coordinator's hat. "We're just chipping away at the surface with the no-huddle.

"There's just a lot of things out there that are fun.''

Maybe he'll have fun making those notes come to life at Duke. The Blue Devils ranked 117th nationally in total offense this year.

Meanwhile, Fulmer has a critical hire to make. Unlike 2005, there's no slam-dunk candidate.

Fulmer's choice should reflect his vision of where he wants his offense to go, philosophically speaking.

Whichever direction that might be, the guy who steps into Cutcliffe's shoes would do well to remember this:

Take care of the little things.

Mike Strange may be reached at 865-342-6276 or strange2@knews.com.

© 2007, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.