Tennessee fans probably have a newfound appreciation for former quarterback Nick Stephens. The guy knows how to leave.
When he lost first-team snaps in spring practice, he didn't need a week or a weekend to assess the situation. He decided to transfer and didn't take his time doing it.
The next thing you know, he was signing with Division II Tarleton State in his home state of Texas. There was no suspense or drama in between.
He quit. He transferred. End of story.
Meanwhile, the story continues for UT's two other high-profile goodbye guys, offensive tackle Aaron Douglas and running back Bryce Brown. They're making more news off the team than anyone is on it. And their news value is confirmed at every stop of the Big Orange Caravan.
But as prolonged as their exits have been, Douglas and Brown also have something in common with Stephens. The three of them are giving us more insight into UT first-year coach Derek Dooley than any player who's sticking around.
They're proof Dooley isn't practicing generic coaching. In fact, if his offense is as innovative as his decision-making, the Vols might score a touchdown on Alabama this October.
Stephens provided the first hint that Dooley wasn't following the coaching herd. Given all that Stephens has gone through in four years at UT, you didn't have to be a creative thinker to assume a reduction in first-team reps might push him over the edge of Big Orange Country. And since Stephens is UT's only quarterback with significant game experience, many coaches would have taken a more devious course with the intent of luring him back for his fifth season.
Dooley eschewed mis-direction for a "straight-forward" approach, which lost him a quarterback but gained him a check mark for candor - not a bad trade-off for a coach who includes "integrity" as one of the cornerstones of his program.
The Douglas decision is more intriguing. He was just as adamant as Stephens about wanting to leave. The destination is the debatable issue.
Dooley agreed to release Douglas from his UT scholarship as long as he didn't transfer to another SEC school, a school on UT's schedule or within an eight-hour drive of Knoxville (In case you're wondering, Washington State is acceptable). Without Dooley's release, Douglas still could transfer to any school but would have to pay his own way for the first year.
Dooley's "eight-hour" restriction was the administrative equivalent of Steve Spurrier drawing up a new play on the sideline in the heat of battle. Dooley said his motive was altruistic, and - despite my innate distrust of football coaches - I believe him, mainly because of how he treated Stephens.
Dooley said Douglas told him his problems stemmed from being close to home. So he responded by mandating an eight-hour getaway. The decision, which surely wasn't embraced by the player it affected, is now being reviewed by a financial aid committee at UT.
It doesn't take a committee to conclude Dooley can think outside the coaching box. It's also apparent that you can't figure out his next move based on his last one.
I'm still mystified by Brown's state of limbo. He supposedly intends to transfer. He didn't take part in spring practice. Yet Dooley hasn't closed the door on Brown returning to the team.
In a different era of UT football (1993-2008), such lenience toward a player with Brown's potential was as predictable as "working like heck." It's more glaring now under a coach, whom athletic director Mike Hamilton described as "disciplined and hard-nosed" in Dooley's introductory UT press conference.
Dooley has yet to coach his first game at UT. He has plenty of time to live up to those adjectives.
But for now, "creative" and "unpredictable" are more appropriate.
John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.
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Comments » 35
tree_em_smokey writes:
Who cares.
transplantiam writes:
I applaud CDD in his handling of the Brice Brown deal. I don't know BB's problem but CDD can't just beg him to come on back and everything will be ok. BB is just a player, nothing more, and has to be treated with no favor. I like that CDD is letting the team have a say in this. They are the ones out there busting it while BB sits and does nothing. The confusing thing is that BB has made no decision and I think he owes the team that much.
GO VOLS!!
Huttdawg100 writes:
Dooley is molding this team in a new, dynamic image. There might be those out there that think he is a soft choir boy, but I doubt it. Something tells me that there is a monster waiting to erupt:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ycXlu...
vut56#231073 writes:
Not sure I see a point to this story; sort of followed a trend, and may have been headed toward one, until he got to the Brown bit.
We are left (I believe...not sure) that Dooley is being more lenient with Brown than even Fulmer would have been. That seems, in Adam's case, to be an implied negative.
However, it has been announced Brown is no longer a member of the team. He appears to be in school; he has gone nowhere else; there are many options that could reunite him with the team, including 1) walk on, 2) beg to come back, 3) decide to come back and run stadium steps..for a while. However, the next move would appear to be Brown's so, until then, there is no news, which is what Dooley has said all along. What more does Adams wish Dooley could or should do?
Lame .
Huttdawg100 writes:
Bryce Brown doesn't know what he wants to do. Randy Shannon knew that the guy was as looney as Bugs Bunny, and now we do too. Think about it: we weren't even on his radar in February 2009. He had committed to Miami and was considering Oregon. Enter Kiffin and Orgeron.... Now we've got another distraction that won't just leave. He needs to pick a school and go.
jcrewvol writes:
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
cjones72 writes:
hey bryce why dont you go be with your daddy lane on the west coast .
nola_vol writes:
I'm slowly gathering a sympathetic impression that Bryce Brown is a young man who always intended to maintain a high standard of personal conduct, but who has been "shepherded" through his career by several strong-minded people... who may now be in disagreement in what they are telling him to do next.
My guess is that Brown thinks he sees in Dooley the kind of character and trustworthiness he WANTS to be near and associated with. I think he also finds the idea of jumping ship personally distasteful--it isn't the image he wants to project. BUT, for him to stay at Tennessee would require him to reject his strong-willed advisors for the first time in his life.
Obviously, I could be totally wrong. Maybe someone else has knowledge to confirm or rebut.
keepitreal4vols writes:
John, turn off the lava lamp and put down the Thesaurus.
DannyVol writes:
"In fact, if his offense is as innovative as his decision-making, the Vols might score a touchdown on Alabama this October."
-- Do I need any additional evidence for my two-year long thesis about how Adams hates UT with all his withered soul? How he uses his position as editor to launch a negative campaign against UT, no matter who the coach is? Dooley tried to bring him onboard with an olive during the O&W game - and now this. He can't even be subtle in his disdain for UT football anymore.
No, it's not just for circulation, folks; it's a campaign. If you don't think it matters, think again. If you enjoy his "objective" articles, you are kidding yourself. This hateful clown needs to go; no other SEC town, maybe not even Nashville, would tolerate such garbage coming from the sports editor of its local paper.
Adams cannot make it through an artcle - sometimes even a headline - without spewing forth his contempt of UT. It's not just this article, but almost every football article he's written in the past two years.
While in journalism school, I learned about professional obligation to objectivity; Adams' stories cross that line by a mile. He cannot write a story on any subject without taking a stab at the program. No, it's not just his style either - it's a campaign.
In the last few years, Adams has written numerous very negative stories about the program which were published on gamedays when, not so coincidentally, several prominent recruits and their family's were in town. Think that has any effect? Think Adams isn't aware of that?
I won't go into enormous detail again about last year's Heisman voting at the KNS, but just know that Big Orange Nation's all-time least favorite Florida player received all three of KNS' first-place votes...while Tebow, who had his worst game vs. UT, received only about 300/6000 first place votes nationwide; KNS voted that way out of their spite and hatred of UT and its fans.
I don't know why more people claiming to have orange blood in their veins don't complain about a guy who does his his all to make the football program look bad at every possible opportunity. No, I don't want a "cheerleader with a word-processor," just someone with some measure of respect for our program and its fans.
orangecountyvols writes:
Danny Vol,
What you mentioned about J A is pretty accurate. Not just reading his articles but also listening to him on the radio tells you a lot about him. He writes the sort of articles you just mentioned and sounds the same way as he speaks.
And to think, he was allowed to be on the sideline for the O & W game.......right off that seemed to be a mistake, even though the intent was to pacify the media inasmuch as they had complained about not being allowed to know what was going on.
Anyway, he and Hooker have come across for a long time as the sort whom you described..........and speaking of negative voices, I might throw in Will West ( don't know if many have listened to him on the Sports Animal. )
When LSU comes to Knoxville don't be surprised if Adams doesn't just show up in his purple and gold attire.
The media is not supposed to show partiality to a school, but just occasionally, you'd think some of them would show some semblance of complimentary reporting. In Adams' case, this just seems to be the tone of his articles..........and who knows, maybe he likes the perception he is getting, to get the attention he wants and the heck with what the readers think. It gives him/them power and a sense that people actually might even agree with him/them.
Anyway, for a long time Adams has built this reputation and it seems when and if things don't go well for U T, he'll be the first to come up with his
"I told you so" articles. So, I'd have to be in agreement with your post on this subject.
pdhuff#552644 writes:
I am a Tenn fan.
Dooley is our corch.
He was hired to do a job.
It is our job to let him.
Doldrums.
nola_vol writes:
"Dooley has yet to coach his first game at UT. He has plenty of time to live up to those adjectives.
But for now, 'creative' and 'unpredictable' are more appropriate." --John Adams
Some journalists are not sure they like covering a figure who is creative and unpredictable. It slows down their work and and makes their job more difficult--seriously.
The trick to being happy in journalism is to reduce the pressure on yourself when you have to cover an event. This is traditionally done by organizing and pre-writing much of your article before the event begins, so that you already know what descriptions and what quotes you need to get to fill in the blanks.
The trick to being happy writing your own column is to meet your deadlines while producing copy which is creative and unpredictable. It takes a lot more time to be creative when your subject is unpredictable. In fact, it tends to reduce the creative column writer to being simply another reporter.
Reporters covering Fulmer probably had even his quotes pre-written in their articles--he was familiar and, after many years, mostly predictable. Predictability allowed columnists both the time and a relatively "blank" canvas on which to wield their creativity.
But now, covering first year coach Dooley... well, looks like they're gonna have to work like heck.
TommyJack writes:
Big East Fork dittos.
Ayres_Hall writes:
nola vol, you are wise, indeed.
We have a new leader in Derek Dooley who appears to be offering these young men an opportunity beyond the game of blocking and tackling. Bryce Brown, Aaron Douglas, and every other kid in this program would be wise to stay and grow, learn, and yes play for this University.
KCHS63 writes:
Not a fan of JA's, but.........
Tennessee does not have a quarterback. Alabama is the defending national champion. DUH.
At least John was writing about Tennessee's program. And, no, he wasn't comparing Derek Dooley to Phil Fulmer. As a matter of fact, he was calling him INcomparable. The article is a compliment, folks. You'd think Tennessee was the Bulldogs the way most of us won't let go of what we THINK is a piece of red meat. If you know anything about bulldogs, you'll know that some of them will even gulp down a paper towel if you throw it in their direction. (Wait for John to REALLY trash the Vols, then trash him. Don't go for the paper towels.)
I'm mainly hoping Derek is like his father. He took a no-name team (the "star" was kicker Bobby Etter) and won at Ann Arbor without scoring a touchdown, 15-7, and upset Alabama with a flea-flicker pass play that Doug Dickey later employed.
finn writes:
Nola, I said it before but I had a low opinion of BB due to the 'handler' circus. since then, I have done a 180 and think the guy is solid. I also think he has a lot of forces pushing and pulling him (aka...family) and he's stuck in the middle. That being said, I think you're right that CDD will be the main reason for staying if he does.
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
Mr. Adams, this was a complete dlick of a column.
It is an editorial piece, of course, and an op-ed at that.
Still, your flames of coaches in general and Fulmer in particular are classless at best.
How many young men have YOU molded?? How often do YOU have to work with semi-thugs to keep your job??
Mr. Adams, you should rename your column "one small voice" as a tribute to your apparent hero, Ellsworth Toohey.
99gator writes:
Yeah, it's john adams' fault.
Someone come up with a top 10 list of positive football moments in the last 5 years.
Are there even 10?
abnermc writes:
I haven't read an article by Adams in a couple of years. I can't believe you guys still do.
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
unusual post from you. you are usually sane and on top of tings.
my point is that there is a certain snarky attitude with Adams that rubs me the wrong way at times. Mostly has to do with his criticism of 'leadership' of coaches....which I think is the MOST demanding and hardest part many head coaches face.
I normally enjoy your posts, so please don't take too much offense here.
99gator writes:
I am not trying to flame with that post.
I just don't think adams is anti-tennessee.
But, tennessee football has not given him a lot of material to work with recently unless he wants to look like a cheerleader.
Has he written negatively about the basketball program recently?
always_vol (Inactive) writes:
I don't think he is pro- or anit- anything, to be honest. I think he's just doing a job.
UT football has been a mess since 2003. Phil blew it, and he knows it. When Cut left he made the wrong decisions. Randy wasn't a strong enough man to stand up to Phil....and too much old boy stuff crept in. Wouldn't have mattered, EXCEPT the rest of the SEC decided to up the ante by hiring great coaches.
99gator writes:
If you want to know what a real negative campaign is like from a newspaper....
The orlando sentinel still refers to steve addazio as interim head coach at florida.
Volunatic writes:
I'm not sure I catch the reference in the following sentence:
'In a different era of UT football (1993-2008), such lenience toward a player with Brown's potential was as predictable as "working like heck."'
Mr. Adams shouldn't be so vague.
Southland writes:
Alabama the standard of excellence???? is this referring to the last years of Bryant up thru one good year under Stallings in which they got on probation, and the rest of the bungling coaches they had? Standard of excellene? You have got to be kidding.Yes they won it last year and will win it again this year which is great for them but while you were out smoking dope Florida has dominated the SEC. Tennessee was the second place team during this period and Bama was an also ran for about 20 years
CoverOrange writes:
I agree that Adams is not anti-UT. I do think he is a lazy journalist who does no more research than what his office computer can google. Case in point, the reference to what Dooley told Stephens and why. From what I've seen reported, Dooley hasn't said much about that conversation, yet Adams writes like he was there and heard everything.
Adams writes like a lot of op-ed writers. He has an idea, writes it, does spell check, submits. No research, no analysis, no substantiating data.
KevDVol writes:
Dooley basically told Stephens, "If I can't distinguish you - a fifth year senior, from a high school senior and a juco transfer, then I probably need to choose a QB that will be here next year. You've been jerked around too long and you need to find a place to go and enjoy football."
Bryce Brown can leave, redshirt or beg his way back. But Dooley is not a baby sitter and he probably knows that Bryce already has one too many handlers and doesn't need another one.
Dooley should probably let Douglas go to Duke and play for Cutcliffe (if that's where he wants to go).
osbymartin#581730 writes:
Come on now...Do you know the context of that? Could he have been out of line? Yeah..Could he have been trying to fire him up? yeah...Have you never seen D coaches smack, hit, shove, almost tackle their players coming off the field. I am just saying taking a 10 sec clip or a clip that shows him getting on a player that just made a stupid play doesn't make him a monster. lol
AtLeastMyTeamHasPerfectSeasons writes:
Yep. They got to it before I did. I knew that comment about Tennessee actually might score a TD on Buma this year would draw them out. They scored one last year.
jhayes0926#638474 writes:
If you guys are so "anti" John Adams, then why read his articles and then waste space by writing up negative posts? Just skip the article and don't post. Your negative comments will not change anything. DUH.
DannyVol writes:
You are totally missing the point. His position as sports editor allows him to have some impact on the perception of our program. Since he writes unneccesarily negative stories all the time, he negatively effects the program. If you are a UT fan that shouldn't sit well. If you don't care what he writes or actually like his digs, we probably are very different types of fans. Once again, I don't expect a cheerleader in the position of sports editor, just not an enemy of the program.
DannyVol writes:
Thanks for your reply, Orangecountry. Your points are well taken. The fact that more fans -or even a majority of them - don't call Adams out for his treatment of the program and its fans bothers me almost as much as what he writes. He is an absolute disgrace; the fact that he is allowed to run roughshod over the program I have loved since I was a kid really bothers me. His brand of journalism is not objective in the least, but simply a negative campaign against the program. If people simply tolerate it because he's benn there for so long, that's disappointing. As long as he continues to bash the program, I will continue to bash him with every unneccesarily negative story he writes. I encourage everyone who loves the program to pay attention to his stories and do the same.
DannyVol writes:
That's actually a very good point. I suppose it's my watchdog personality and journalism background which makes me read his garbage. However, as sports editor he has some manner of influence on the perception of the program. I just want to remind UT fans that he's a snake and a true enemy of our beloved program. If I get carried away, so be it -- I can't stay silent while this talentless hack tries to slam the program I've loved my entire life.
DannyVol writes:
I know you said you were not an Adams fan, but if you know that Adams is going to eventually "REALLY trash the Vols," then why defend him at all? I don't know about you, but if I knew for certain that someone was laying low for someone or something I love, that's all it takes and I'm on them.
Anyway, that's beside the point: the "might actually score a touchdown on Alabama" comment cannot be taken any other way and that type of garbage is in every article.
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