Pennington: If Kiffin wins, he can keep on talking

Cocky. Brash. Arrogant.

Pick up a newspaper anywhere in the SEC and those are just some the words you'll see used in connection with the name Lane Kiffin.

In just two months on the job, Kiffin has made it clear to the rest of the conference that he doesn't have a whole lot of respect for the old guard.

To Kiffin, paying homage to the men who've already won in the SEC must rank somewhere behind sending Al Davis a birthday card.

And that's OK. Steve Spurrier didn't genuflect or curtsy at the mention of Alabama or Tennessee when he arrived in Gainesville.

Of course, he held back on the verbal slings until he'd at least won a game or two.

But unlike Saint Steve, Kiffin has talked before he's walked. He's crowed before he's showed. And that means he'd better be ready to back things up come fall.

But right now, as a Vol fan, you could care less. "He called Urban Meyer a cheat even though Meyer hadn't broken a rule? So what! I love it!"

As a Tennessee fan, you like seeing a little swagger from your head coach. For far too long, Florida coaches have cracked jokes and burned out scoreboard bulbs at the Vols' expense. Now is the time for Smokey to bark back.

And, heck, Kiffin's "cheat" comment came at a private function for Vol fans anyway. UT fans didn't get mad when Spurrier made his "You can't spell Citrus without UT" crack to a group of Gator boosters, did they?

Oh.

To be honest, that's really the only issue I have with what's gone on this week. When Kiffin tossed his verbal grenade toward Meyer, Tennessee fans loved it and Florida fans felt outraged.

If Meyer had said the same thing about Kiffin, Florida fans would have loved it and UT fans would have screamed. That's the hypocrisy of fandom.

For years, Tennesseans hated Spurrier. He had no class. He made jokes at our expense. Etc, etc.

Well, like it or not (and most seem to like it), Tennessee now has a Spurrier of its own. They may even have an uber-Spurrier. After all, even the ol' ball coach only jokingly hints about coaches cheating. He's never actually publicly called one a cheat.

For years, Spurrier has been viewed as a jerk by Vol fans. Shoot, even Florida fans probably knew, deep down, that he was a jerk. But he was their jerk. And if a guy is your jerk, then anything goes.

For Tennessee and Kiffin, it's a case of "if the mouth fits."

So UT now has its own loudmouth. You can love the swagger. You can praise the confidence. But Kiffin is already the chirpiest football coach Tennessee has had in half a century. Maybe ever. And there's no arguing it.

In his opening presser, he said he couldn't wait to "sing Rocky Top all night long" after beating Florida this fall. That's good-natured stuff, no different than Jim Tressell telling Ohio State fans that they would be proud of his first team when they played Michigan.

But he took things a bit further when he announced his coaching staff. "We stole this guy from 'Bama, that guy from Auburn, and this guy from Mississippi State." Tennessee fans had no problem with that, but it sure got noticed by fans (and probably coaches) at Alabama, Auburn and Mississippi State.

And now he's taken things to a whole new level, calling a man with two national championships a cheat.

Kiffin's a loudmouth. But he's our loudmouth. And if he wins, he can keep right on talking.

Spurrier got that kind of leash because of his success. Meyer hasn't been as lippy as Spurrier, but he's been more than happy to run it up on folks whenever he got the chance. 59-20 anyone? Again, winning makes everything A-OK.

Bill Callahan went to Nebraska with a cocksure attitude, too. He took down photos, tossed former players out of the weightroom and talked about all the great changes to come. Much as Kiffin has done.

But unlike Spurrier and Meyer, Callahan didn't win. And his attitude made for a shorter rope. Kiffin might want to take note of that.

But maybe the Vols' new coach will whip a 5-7 team into a highly competitive club in his first year. Maybe this new staff's coaching ability will be the big story come fall.

Or maybe the Vols will be pummeled by more talented Florida and Alabama teams on the road, and the national media will focus on the revenge that Meyer and Nick Saban will have taken out on Count Talkula.

Either way, Kiffin has ensured that the Vols will be a story in 2009. That should count for something. Too few times in the past decade has Tennessee actually been a national story. Kiffin's accomplished that goal before he's even coached a game.

And maybe all of this talk and bluster is part of a grand plan. Spurrier was known for having a copy of Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" in his office. Perhaps Kiffin also has a copy.

Perhaps he came across one of the old master's strategies: "Feign madness, but keep your balance."

Sun Tzu recommended hiding behind "the mask of a fool, a drunk, or a madman to create confusion about your intentions and motivations. Lure your opponent into underestimating your ability until, overconfident, he drops his guard. Then, you may attack."

Loudmouth or genius, he's Tennessee's guy. And as long as he wins, Vol fans won't give a Big Orange hoot about what he's saying and who he's ticking off by saying it.

John Pennington hosts the Hall's Salvage Sports Source on Sunday at 11 a.m. on WATE.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!