Georgia Bulldogs
Interview with Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer.
1. How did Nick Stephens handle the job in his debut as the starting quarterback, and where does he need to improve?
A - "He made a good start. He got the ball out of there on time. In the third period he made a couple of big plays like we have been searching for offensively. During the course of the game, there were some plays he felt he could have made. For the most part, he did a really good job of managing the game and the clock, also throwing the football on time.
2. How much has the stellar play of the secondary contributed to Tennessee's rank among the national leaders in defense?
A - "When your secondary is strong, it allows a lot more freedom for your linemen and linebackers. This secondary, although young in a couple of places, shows a real nose for the football. So far, they have given up very few big plays, what we call explosive plays."
3. Can Tennessee's recent success at Athens help you prepare the team mentally for Saturday's game in a hostile location?
A - "We talk about the history every week, no matter who we play. We've won a couple of games in Athens. It's part of the history, but it doesn't prove anything. It should give the team a good feeling about going into Athens, however."
4. Explain the importance Saturday's game with Georgia can play in the Eastern Division race of the SEC.
A - It's a huge football game for both teams. We're a little behind, but if we can continue to improve, we will see what we can do the rest of the season. It would be great to get a big win."
5. How much success has Mark Richt achieved at Georgia in reaching a balance with the offense and defense?
A - "They have recruited well, they have good players on both sides, and they are coached well. They have the ability to control the football. They can run, and they can throw. On defense, they do a really good job of mixing pressure and zone. They have ability on both sides of the ball and also good special teams."
Tennessee 69, South Carolina 57 men's…
Vanderbilt 65, Tennessee 47, Jan. 24…
Signing day celebration at Neyland…
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
Comments » 70
TommyJack writes:
Man, that was enlightening.
OrangeAndWhite4Life writes:
4. Explain the importance Saturday's game with Georgia can play in the Eastern Division race of the SEC.
A - It's a huge football game for both teams. We're a little behind, but if we can continue to improve, we will see what we can do the rest of the season. It would be great to get a big win."
A little behind ??? Could be the understatement of the decade.
GO Vols !!
shipperman#280095 writes:
He has a big behind
Orangebrewbasher writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
COVolsFan writes:
The silent majority, including myself, support Fulmer and the program in both the good and the bad. The measure of a man, or in this case a fan, is when things aren’t going good. It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon when things are up.
With that said, I’m sure these comments will fill up with the typical “Fire Fulmer” banter similar to the junk found on every SEC message board and voiced on the call in shows. Just as you vocal few want Fulmer gone, idiots at SC want Spurrier gone, idiots at Auburn want Tuberville gone, idiots at UF want Meyer gone, etc.
The crazy thing is that the vocal few expect perfection year after year from Fulmer yet these vocal few largely live a life of mediocrity. Do you have the wherewithal to see the hypocrisy?
BTW – this site used to be a lot better when you actually had to pay to access the premium content. At least those of us that did pay put our money where our mouth was.
shipperman#280095 writes:
Hello Phil. That has to be you. Facew facts guys, the game has passed Fulmer by, he won't change, and it will always be uphill and downhill struggles until we get a coach who is willing to change with the game
shipperman#280095 writes:
And I would suggest there are more than a few who want Fat Phil out
VolinCalif writes:
COVF
You're right, this was a better site when it was Pay to View.
VolinCalif
jasonn1970 writes:
This "silent majority" you are talking about has been very silent of late. It's not just the message boards, btw. Almost everyone I know believes it is time for a new coach at UT. I have one friend who doesn't, God bless him.....
SKO_Vol82 writes:
Hey Phil. I just watched the film. You suck. Good-bye. (oh, if any of the Gator fans want to get rid of Meyer, we'd be glad to take him off your hands!)
shoalcreekvol writes:
To summarize: "Nothing nothing nothing coachspeak coachspeak nothing nothing". I'm tired of this.
I've reached a point where I really respect coaches who demonstrate through their interviews that they have a grasp of the specifics and have their hands in there personally managing things. The kind of thing you hear if you look back at Jerry Kill's interview after the game last weekend.
RockyTopGA writes:
@SKO_Vol82: We may need a regime change, but Urban Meyer (Urban Myth) wouldn't be any sort of upgrade. I would never want Tennessee to hire him. He walked into a national title at UF and has been underperforming ever since. Yeah, I realize he owns the Vols, but he has a very real shot at missing the SEC Championship game again this season.
richvol writes:
Those are the questions that every Vol fan would like answered. If only the writer had the cohones to ask them. Of course Phil would get mad and storm out or worse.
Also, it's not like we are trying to embarress him...those are legitimate questions that need to be answered. I hope that Hamilton is asking those very questions.
RockyTopGA writes:
I meant to add that Urban's seat heat will increase exponentially if UF loses another SEC game or two and misses the SECC game this year...
Striker writes:
Q&A with Fulmer on Georgia game:
1. How did Nick Stephens handle the job in his debut as the starting quarterback, and where does he need to improve?
A - "Uh, im not real sure, ill have to go back and look at the film".
2. How much has the stellar play of the secondary contributed to Tennessee's rank among the national leaders in defense?
A - "You betcha their play is Stellar, their stellar because ive got in their butts, and won a National Championship in 1998"!
3. Can Tennessee's recent success at Athens help you prepare the team mentally for Saturday's game in a hostile location?
A - "Im very proud of this football team, they have worked their butts off this week and If I could sprinkle magic dust on it, heck, I'd fix it.”
4. Explain the importance Saturday's game with Georgia can play in the Eastern Division race of the SEC.
A - It's very important, we're gonna have to get back to work, because its a work-in-progress. I know how important it is and you would too if you werent in the 95% of fans who didnt play or coach in sports"
5. How much success has Mark Richt achieved at Georgia in reaching a balance with the offense and defense?
A - "Coach Richt has had great success at Georgia, but not near as much as I have over the past few years. Heck, ive been to Atlanta more than he has, and i won a Championship in 1998. We both have success, but our punter lost the game for us two weeks ago, it wasnt my fault"
Moaninglikeheck writes:
I was thinking today that Phil's career is similiar to a man playing the slots at a casino.
He goes in, puts in his change, and wins a nice sum pretty quickly. The machine seems to be hitting for him with ease. Well, pretty soon the balance that he has won starts to errode as his greed gets the best of him. He put in $20, won $100, lost $10, lost $10 more, oops there went $25 just like that....oh my, another $25...(Thinking to himself, if I just keep playing this machine will hit again and I'll win some of my money back)
OK Phil, your winning percentage that you EARNED (And he did earn it) early in your career has been erroding for a few years now. At this point, it is still very respectable. If you ride off into the sunset now you'll still be a hero, a Tennessee legend, and likely a Hall of Fame coach. If you keep trying to get back that lofty win percentage that you once held the odds may just be your enemy. Thus, the old Kenny Rogers song. It really is time Phil, and most of us with any sanity still admire and respect everything you have done for Tennessee football.
Don't listen to rabid, foolish insults from certain posters who'll remain nameless. Take your career, buyout, and legacy into retirement with grace and dignity and do it because it is the right, smart thing to do.
Striker writes:
Good post
debaser11 writes:
Excellent!
I especially liked Q/A #2.
DenverVol writes:
How about we overachieve against a team that out matches us for once? When was the time we actually overachieved? '01 against Florida? Come on Vols! Lay it on the line for once and see what a little momentum can do. There's a great example of it happening just 2.5 hours west of you. GO VOLS!
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
Q- How long should we wait to start looking for a new head coach?
A- After the Georgia loss
murrayvol writes:
Remember what your mom told you: "if you can't say something nice about someone...." :)
GreerVol22 writes:
There is nothing little about anyones behind on this team...
jasonn1970 writes:
Exactly! Let's hope Fulmer exits with class and dignity and remains on good terms with the Vol program and fans. None of us who are "real Vol fans" want to see a repeat of what happened in '92.
GerryOP writes:
Phil buddy, announce your retirement effective the end of the season. Do the right thing Phil ... do it now.
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
The commenters hereon are predictable. When things go bad, the comments are "...look what THEY did!" When things go well, it's "...look what WE did!"
RoyaltyVol#280778 writes:
HIRE STEVE SPURRIER!
VolsorCat writes:
What has happened to Lucas Taylor? Is he hurt? 1 catch against Auburn and nothing against NIU. I know Crompton couldn't find him, but I didn't remember him playing much Saturday night. We should could use his 6 or 7 catches a game right now.
ggriggs939#223122 writes:
The VOLS have to meet the standards of at least FIVE groups, whereas some of the others have to meet only the standards of their coaches, nor do they have buzzards lurking everywhere ready to pounce on any tidbit that will get them in the public eye.
The local media is not paid to publish material favorable to the VOLS. Biting the hands that feed you is not good sense. Kinda like volunteering to paint the church and then stealing the necessary paint.
Volumnus writes:
Throwdown Phil,
GA 42, Vols 6(two field goals).
Prove me wrong..... This is one time I will be happy to be wrong.
Oh and if I am not, would you kindly rephrase that "little behind" statement?
Fantasyland is no place for an adult to live!
bammervol writes:
TIME TO FACE UP TO REALTIY FOLKS. THIS TEAM WILL NOT BEAT GA, BAMA, SC, VANDY. I PERSONNALY DON'T THINK THEY CAN BEAT KY OR MISS ST. THAT'S 6 MORE IN THE 'L' COLUMN. MAYBE PHIL CAN KEEP IT RESPECTABLE AND GET A WIN OVE WYOMING. THAT WOULD MAKE US 3-9. NOT BAD FOR 3M A YR WITH WINS OVER POWER HOUSES LIKE UAB, NIU AND WYOMING THATS 1M PER GAME. MAYBE IF WE PAY HIM 12M A YR HE WILL WIN EM ALL!!!
jasonn1970 writes:
You can't count 'em out against Mississippi State. Only Arkansas has looked worse than MSU as far as SEC teams go.
cjraney writes:
We need Will Muschamp.
khelton657 writes:
Does Fulmer ever have anything significant to say ? Anything that is eye opening ? Anything even memorable ? For as long as he has been there, I cannot recall him to say anything that wasn't just a "coachism" or cliche. It's like he doesn't have any thoughts of his own.
OrangeAndWhite4Life writes:
Excellent post !!
GO Vols !!
pax_americana writes:
DC,
I said at the time when Urban arrived, he would never win with his offense in the SEC. Sure, he won the national title, BUT, not with his offense. He was running a spread with Leak (and more traditional sets), but not his vaunted spread-option. It just doesn't work in this conference, too much speed on the edges of the defenses. Heck, I think Tebow is the best quarterback in the conference, and yet your offense is struggling this year (except against us of course). Seems to me, Def. Coordinators (save ours) have figured your offense out, at least well enough to beat you if they are also able to score, and face it, your D is not good enough to carry you if you are scoring less than 21 against quality competition.
Bottom line is Urban is stubborn just like most other coaches (you basically have to be a megalomaniac to get a major D1 job in the first place), and he probably will stick with his spread option and continue to lose 2-4 games per year.
I predict that once we get rid of ole' Phil, this series will change course rapidly.
Princess writes:
Fulmer says they haven't gotten stupid over night. Then
he says we're a little behind. DUH!!! Where's your sign?
airvols#371403 writes:
COVolsFan:
The silent majority, including who? I think it's the loud majority, everyone is over this phooey. This is not about supporting a coach during a down year. this is about a program that is not making improvements, anywhere. They need to retire Phil, move him to the front office and make him a hero while we still can. If this keeps up they will not ever honor him as he should be honored. Phil deserves the respect of being a winner, but he needs to move on, his time has come and gone.
pax_americana writes:
Hey Riggs,
I've consistently said Fulmer's got a room temperature IQ for about 8 years now--win, lose, or draw.
I don't place the blame on the athletes for what has clearly been the fault of the incompetent head coach.
Further, when we have won, I have still consistently criticized Fulmer and staff because it is simply inexcusable to dominate UGA and Ark. like we did last year while simultaneously getting our heads handed to us by California, UF, and Bama.
Nothing changes until the malignancy spreading through our football program is removed.
raynochonspeed#212632 writes:
All caps, huh? Your opinions must be more important than everybody else's, and you are not being heard, so you have to shout. Interesting.
AlpharettaVol writes:
Once again, the question is: Would you ask those sort of questions and make those sort of comments if you were face to face with the coaches? I expect not.
volwalk writes:
The differences in interviews between CBP and CPF are amazing. When CBP is asked a question--he usually gives very specific and detailed answers that the fans and media can understand--thus this shows that he can effectively communicate the same information to his players and coaches. CPF gives very vague and broad stroked answers and doesn't give us an answer that we as part of the 95% uneducated football fans could truly benefit. [In here lies the problem--with the lack of attention to detail)---I remember when Cutcliff came back that he said that was the biggest problem with the team's offense and that was his number one priority to correct.]
I guarantee you that most of us on this board could conduct an interview with Drew Edwards and most of us would be able to answer these questions with alot more substance.
oldbasshead writes:
I take issue with your post. I personnally don't think the majority is silent anymore. I believe that most fans and outside observers would like to see a change at the top in the UT football program. Why? All you have to do is look at the record this decade. No SEC Championships, no BCS bowl appearances, losing record against top 10 teams, losing record in SEC against FL, GA, Aub, LSU, no final top ten rankings, recruting is sliding and he has an award called the Fulmer Cup named after him which recognizes the NCAA football team with the most off field incidents. Help us understand why anyone would continue to support a sinking ship. Fulmer is a great person, but his time as UT's head football coach has come and gone. If he really loves the university, then he will resign at the end of this season.
oldbasshead writes:
I used to look forward to the Phil Fulmer show and his post game and practice comments, but now it just seems like a broken record. Nothing new, same old, same old and that is the way the offense plays.
ncvol17 writes:
Boy,you makea lot of assumptions on how others live.Are you psychic? I've been a season ticket holder for 30 years, a VASF member, and also paid on this site when it was required. I've traveled to Baton Rouge, San Francisco, Phoenix, Athens, etc to follow the team. I had no idea I lived a life of mediocrity until you enlightened me.
My one comment about our performance is there are fewer than than 3 games played in the last several years that I would want to watch again. Even the wins. We play ugly ball and squeak by or lose. The fun in Vol ball has been missing lately.
pax_americana writes:
Alph,
Not only would I tell the coaches what I think to their faces, I'm considering filing a lawsuit against them for intentional infliction of emotional distress.
CaptainSpaulding writes:
I know people thought that a quarterback change would be a panacea for this football team, but I think its obvious from the game Saturday this team's woeful offensive problems go much deeper. For one thing, we arent playing our best running backs. Creer and Hardesty should be getting the yeoman's portion of the carries. In this league, you have to some burst through the hole or it will close and you get squat. Arian Foster is a step slow, and that is an undeniable fact. He will have sizeable holes and simply get consistently caught from behind(which is a cardinal sin for a tailback at this level)or he is slow to get to the hole and it closes(which is either a sign of him lining up too deep or not being very fleet-a-foot, which is what I think). I think Creer and Hardesty provide that threat of a homerun, the ability to take a modest to decent gain and break it into a long TD run.You also have a coordinator who is tinkering with the blocking scheme of the offensive line and flipping the positions based on the play/formation, and as a result they look confused and unsure of who they should block. This line needs to get back to basics and drive block---just fire off the football and move some folks. I also dont think our receivers help matters any by not getting separation and dropping passes when they are thrown on time. Bottom line is, this is akin to the 2005 offense: everything when they have the ball is a struggle, even to the point of converting a yard or less on two or more tries and not even being able to get a first down without considerable difficulty. Defense wins championships, but the offense has to be serviceable enough to move the sticks and put points on the board. Even the 1998 offense, which was anemic at times early on, could do that.
oldbasshead writes:
You must be living in a cave. KNS asked "How many SEC games will UT win?" 7,361 votes have been cast. 82 percent said 3 or less. 3 percent said 6, 4 percent said 5 and 8 percent said 4. That doesn't sound like the majority is being silent. I can't find anybody (other than you) who support Fulmer now. Just look at the posts this week. Where are all the supporters from a few weeks ago? They are silent because they see the writing on the wall.
GoVol writes:
That is the reason Fulmer isn't an inspirational leader to the team & coaches. Says the same boring thing over & over again. Oh by the way, Fulmer has never played against a poor football team...they are all very good. And lately he is right...everyone is better than TN!
LiveFaith writes:
Hire Dave Clawson for head coach.
The guy is a serious offensive mind and has been successful at every program he has coached at. Gets the ball to playmakers in space.
volsthunder writes:
Same old horse hockey from Fulmer. "Work like heck Fulmer to keep those millions coming in", "study the film Fulmer to keep those millions coming in", "we have to tackle that rascal to keep those millions coming in". For what?? To have you as head coach and be the laughing stock of the country? Well get ready Vol Nation because this blundering buffoon will still be here next year and most likely the next. While we continue to "study the film", "work like heck" and "clap our hands" because we have a bunch of "fine young men". While they may be fine, not a single one of them has ever been coached while at the University of Tennessee. Are you freakin BLIND VOL NATION!!! What a bunch of putrid softies we have become..Its downright pathetic.....
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