Strange: Straight talk from the voice

Derek Dooley: Q&A (Part 1 of 3)

Derek Dooley talked Wednesday about relationship-building. Boy, where to start.

Tennessee football has seen more fractured relationships here lately than Desperate Housewives.

Think of it as Survivor: Neyland Drive.

The long-term Phillip Fulmer relationship was broken traumatically. The short-term Lane Kiffin relationship that followed was broken abruptly.

Now it's Dooley's turn to build relationships. He's been working at it for about two months as he begins his first spring practice at UT today.

He likened it to dating.

"You can't sell yourself in one night,'' Dooley said. "And you can't do it in a text message or an e-mail.

"You have to sit down and share time, share conversation.''

Dooley's priorities have been obvious. He's been sharing his time and his conversations with his recruiting targets, his players and his staff.

If the fan base and the media are feeling a little ignored - and they are - well, Dooley asks that they buck up and be patient.

Players come first. That was a major tenet of Dooley's message Wednesday.

For one thing, they've had a rough ride in the past 17 months. They're on their third head coach, their third training regimen, their third philosophy.

"I can't sit here and say the transitions have had no effect on the program,'' Dooley said. "But I also think players are resilient, especially good players.

"It doesn't matter who comes in and coaches 'em. They're going to work their tails off, buy into the program and they're going to go. ... So I'm not concerned about the bulk of our team.''

But in a broader picture, he is extremely concerned about the players' lives, their college experience. Installing a comprehensive player-enhancement program is high on his agenda.

He wants them to be productive on and off the field, to be better people when they leave than when they arrived.

"You wonder why I'm not out there speaking?'' he said. "That's why.

"I'm trying to put all this stuff in.''

So will he be out there speaking eventually, to SportsCenter and to the Kiwanis Club?

Yes, but probably not as often as the fans or the media would like.

Before he faced the microphones and the cameras Wednesday, Dooley invited the media into another room to present his policies.

"Golly, they keep coming,'' he said, watching the men and women who cover UT football gather around.

There were more than 40 of us. Certainly more than he dealt with at Louisiana Tech and that will be an adjustment for the new coach.

He said he hoped we could all live by the golden rule and respect the parameters of each other's professions. He believes the program needs one voice and that voice will be his.

He said access will not be as limited as we fear. But understand it will be limited.

Don't plan bringing the kids down to watch scrimmages, in the spring or August. A scrimmage, Dooley reasons, is practice and practice is closed, except for a few warm-up drills the media will be allowed to observe.

"There's a certain element of privacy needed to win games,'' he said.

Later, on the record, Dooley vowed that he embraces the responsibility to connect with the community. Up to a point.

"I also think you can get too caught up in that and neglect your team,'' he said.

"I think you can get too much of a coach. I think people get sick of hearing and reading the guy, 'cause, ultimately, I'm going to keep saying the same stuff.

"Probably my biggest challenge here is being able to balance all that.''

So, bottom line, the relationships with those of us outside the Neyland-Thompson Complex will take a little longer to build.

But Dooley says he likes us and respects us, both the ones wearing press passes and the ones wearing orange shirts and hats.

"Thank you guys for coming,'' he told us at the end of his press conference. "We'll see you tomorrow - at practice.''

Mike Strange may be reached at strangem@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6276.