Comments by Pompey

Written on Mark Pancratz, Marco Harris candidates for director of basketball operations:

in response to Classof72:

Dave Hart needs to find Coach Martin a Bammer. You can't have too many Bammers.

....to be the very best we are going to have to stop thinking strictly in terms of alums or we will miss some good talent...!

Written on Mike Strange: Tyler Bray can look to Warner, Moon, Romo for inspiration:

....I have little patience with those who are gifted and do nothing to build on their gifts. Bray has gotten by with poor game preparation until now. Not being drafted should be a sobering experience for Bray and we will see how he responds....the piper awaits to be paid....!

Written on Jarnell Stokes staying for junior season at Tennessee:

.....and now the sage is set for Cuonzo Martins final exam...!

Written on RB Marlin Lane 'absolutely' on track for return to Vols, Butch Jones says:

in response to volinlm:

Good for him. Hope he makes it back.

....Lane will provide quality back up to the starters....

Written on Vols cram before final exam:

....the long and treacherous climb back to respectability now begins....the fall of this great program is one of the saddest stories in all of sports. I hope that the climb back is one of the most inspiring......we shall see...!

Written on With big hits looming via graduation, Tennessee on the prowl for linemen to sign in 2014:

in response to Huttdawg100:

If I could get one question answered it would be directed towards Mike Hamilton:

What did Dooley do or say in that interview that made you pick him?

....in fairness to Hamilton the word about him was already out in college circles and no good coaches wanted to even talk to him much less work for him...Dooley was one of those few..!

Written on Tennessee baseball gets pounded again; Dave Serrano apologizes:

in response to Witch_Doctors:

Witch Doctor say Serrano the right man. Just going to take time to recover.
Bones never lie.

....I second that motion....!

Written on Director of recruiting J.R. Sandlin no longer with UT football:

in response to olozbal#646632:

I'm not versed in the job titles, but I hope this guy wasn't truly our main guy on recruiting if he was making 55k a year in a multi million dollar business.

...Butch Jones is the closer this guy was an administrator....lot of difference. I am betting CBJ not happy with his work....we shall see.

Written on Little separation in quarterback battle after scrimmage:

...I don't know if Butch Jones can coach a lick. What I do know is that he has an unusually high skill level in public and player relations which can result in both recruiting at a high level and changing Tennessee football culture for the better...

Written on Report: Former Auburn players detail payments, academic fraud, drug culture, criminal cover-ups:

....several lessons here:

For those who believe than only an alum should coach their college team...get over it!

I hate every body in the SEC except one....UT. If you are an "SEC fan" get over it!

If Auburn is not guilty no harm. If they are don't kill the messenger when you don't like the message.

Finally, the fans share much responsibility for the mess college sports is in.

Written on Bittersweet: Florida defeats Florida Gulf Coast 62-50:

....nothing sweet about a Gator win...nothing!

Written on Mack Brown wins Neyland Award; Lee Corso the Lindsey Nelson Broadcasting Award:

....it will be nice for Mack to receive that award the year before he is fired....!

Written on Mike Strange: Tennessee has resources but no Final Fours:

....the hard truth is the University of Tennessee athletics has always been average. In men's sports Knoxville has never even been close to Tuscaloosa, Gainesville, or Columbus. Poor management of the AD and a corrupt "ole boy" mentality of "good is good enough", has crippled an athletic program that has outstanding facilities. Bricks and mortar do not substitute for championships so the mind set at Tennessee must change before anything else does.......

Written on Offseason could be time to evaluate Cuonzo Martin's contract:

....next year is Martin's final exam. His agent would like a bigger pay day, I get that, but this smacks too much of how Hamilton did business...need we say more?

Written on Time was needed for Vols to build chemistry without Jeronne Maymon:

...Dooley's "final exam" came in the 2012 season...Martin's will be given in 2013/14...we shall see.

If Martin doesn't pass Greg Marshall is my pick for replacement....!

Written on Mercedes Russell named Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year:

in response to fake_basketball:

The LV's keeping getting these "GREAT" recruits but can't make it back to the final four.

.....Baylor has a center who is a man....what are you fake...hummm..?

Written on Riyahd Jones' long journey to SEC has unlikely ending at Tennessee:

in response to tovolny:

His attitude is at a high latitude...I bet the kid makes us a good one.

By the way, my cousin's adopted son (plays linebacker) says that Groom is better this year than Patterson was last year. He was hurt last year, so I don't know much about him. Haven't seen much about him this spring...does anybody know what the word is?

...all I know is that Groom came to Tennessee highly touted, but if he can run a route he will be a better receiver than Patterson.

Written on Cuonzo Martin baffled by Vols' NCAA tournament snub:

in response to BrassMonkey:

It is pretty simple really. When Martin decides to coach the team in November, December, and January we will have a shot at the big boy tourney. Until then we will have to rely on a "too little, too late" rally in February. Then we will peter out in March and ruin our chances early in the SEC tourney. Just like we did last year against Ole Miss. Look for a 1st or 2nd round NIT flame out. We are actually lucky MTSU made the big dance, because we would have been embarrassed by them again this year in the NITs.

....next year will be the final exam for Martin as a big league coach. I think that he will pass....but we shall see.

By the way I thought that your balls would have been frozen off by now BrassMonkey....

Written on Tennessee, Alabama in good form for rematch:

....time to end this nonsense...Tennessee is the better team...get it done and move on to the big dance....!

Written on In full-pads practice, Vols crank up intensity:

...I have always thought that the Dooley story is a sad one. The man had so much going for him it was hard to see how he could have failed.
Jones on the other hand is dreaming that he has died and gone to heaven...it's now up to him to make that dream real.

Written on PG Darius Thompson likes Cuonzo Martin, UT program:

.....Stokes is going nowhere this year, Mama Stokes will see to that. As for Jordan he will listen to Martin and come back next season to put polish on his emerging game....with the return of Maymon and addition of Hubbs we may be looking at a "Great Eight" or better next season....!

Written on Vols concentrating on wins, not NCAA tournament:

in response to johnlg00:

We'll see what place they are in when the SEC tournament is over. No other team in the league could have lost as important a player as Maymon was to the Vols and finish better than the Vols will finish this year.

....spot on, let the nay sayers continue to be miserable....

Written on Mike Strange: Win over Missouri brings Vols all the way back:

in response to SevenT:

Tennessee will be lucky to make the NIT field

Just Saying

....please get back on to your medication....just saying!

Written on Chairman hopes slimmed-down UT athletics board will be more relevant:

....well do tell, the "ole boy" club took a hit...more of this needs to be done to return UT to the national conversation in sports. This has been a form of corruption and much more of it still exist.

Written on Robert Gillespie hired as Tennessee's new running backs coach:

in response to FanNotSheep:

Who?

Why?

Vols have an Alabama/Florida State athletics director, now they've got a Gator on the coaching staff. Oh well, if you can no longer beat 'em, hire 'em -- I guess.

...if you can't produce your own you will have to hire their's....it's time we ate the humble pie and get on with it...!

Written on Lady Vols waiting on results of MRIs on Ariel Massengale, Isabelle Harrison:

....the orange curse stricks again, and again, and again....UT's athletic program is "star crossed"....!

Written on Tim Spencer interviews for Vols' running back job:

....until those responsible for oversight of the athletic department for the past few years are brought into accountability Tennessee will continue to rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic....!

Written on John Adams: Losing Jay Graham is more than just losing a running backs coach:

Tennessee football is, and has been, on life support. The entire university has been mismanaged over many years while those who were supposed to provide oversight were on the golf course, or at black tie affairs congratulating each other. Dave Hart is trying to salvage what is left of the athletic department and must from time to time think that he signed up for mission impossible. In all of this one assistant coach leaving the football program pales in comparison.

Football coaches have never been known for making great career decisions, but in recent times head coaches have mostly averted disaster since they now have agents who have given some guidance in that department. Assistant coaches are on their own and free to make mistakes. With this as a background if it is true that Jay left Tennessee to be coupled with Randy Sanders his troubles are just beginning. Even at his tender age Jay should know that making career decisions based on friendship is a high risk proposition. Florida State is a famously underachieving football program who has suffered the loss of several coaches lately and who’s fans are very divided on “Jumbo” Fisher. Fact is, if “Jumbo” don’t soon find his “sea legs” at FSU his a** is out and so is his crew.

The whining in the media and among the fans over this issue is troubling. If Tennessee does not soon break this "ole boy" obsession they will never return to the major league. Yes, it is great to have an alum as a coach and even better as a head coach, but it is rare. Quickly name me one major program who’s head coach is an alum. Jay is a young coach who has every right to better himself as he see’s fit.....it’s business, nothing personal, and Jay will either reap the benefits of that decision or suffer the consequences. One running back coach will neither make or break Jones’s attempt to return this pitiful football program to where it once was. Now we better understand why new coaches generally don’t keep the previous staff.

Dave Hart is swimming up stream in his attempt to professionalize UT’s athletic department and this mentality is a good example why.

Written on Jay Graham reunites with Randy Sanders, Sal Sunseri at Florida State:

...I can not believe that Woodbery injected race into this already sad news...

Written on Jay Graham leaving Vols for Florida State:

Jay is a young coach who want's to better his career by coaching for a winner...who can blame him. .....UT football is in crises so don't expect to hear a lot of good news for the next couple of years....the jury is still out as to whether UT will end up as a major or mid-major football program in the future...!

Written on John Adams: Vols should be California dreaming in football:

....good idea but I am looking forward to the big linemen and running backs that Jones will bring in from the mid-west....

Written on Neyland Stadium's time at the top of SEC over? Reports say Texas A&M's stadium will be bigger:

.....you don't get over the distruction of hurricane Hamilton in just a couple of years. Tennessee is a poorly managed university from top to botton and those in charge of oversight are on the golf course....f o u r !

Written on Mark Wiedmer: Calipari has more problems than solutions at Kentucky:

....the media made such a big deal about Noel being out and all but suggested that was the reason they lost....UT's best player has been out all year....!

Written on Four Alabama football players arrested on robbery charges:

....I sincerely hope that these young men are not injured by the slap on the wrist that they are about to receive.....!

Written on Behind the scenes with Butch Jones and UT's coaches: Jokes, stories and pronunciation work:

....Butch Jones is all that stands between UT and Mid-Major status.....might want to support him whether or not you like him....!

Written on Memphis gives Butch Jones a standing ovation:

....going in the right direction....

Written on UT assistants fired up at thought of full recruiting year:

....for the first time in over two generations Vol football fans are living in an upside down world. Butch Jones has inherited a football program on life support.
What should Vol football fans do? DEMAND ACCOUNTABLE OVERSIGHT OF UT's ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT! This will pay the largest dividend in the use of your time and energy. No more Mike Hamilton's....never again!

Written on Ole Miss lands nation's No. 1 player:

....as a Vol fan I am looking at a world turned upside down.....!

Written on Mike Hamilton defends department's debt practices:

....Mike Hamilton was allow cut a wide swath of destruction through Tennessee's athletic department by those who were supposed to be providing oversight...simple as that..!

Written on James Franklin apologizes for calling Saban 'Nicky Satan':

....look for Franklin to replace Spurrier as the mouth of the south...never thought this was good for college sports especially from coaches....!

Written on Vonn Bell enjoys his visit to UT:

....Mike Hamilton was allowed to cut a wide swath of disctruction through UT's athletic department laying waste to several major sports. It will be several years to come before UT will be back in the major college sports conversation....I do not envy Butch Jones!

Written on John Adams: Tough times ahead for UT football :

in response to volthrunthru#658770:

I wish this Fall was going to be different. Jones will do no better than Dooley on-field: beat Austin Peays & get racked up by Oregons, Floridas, Bamas & SC's. I am ill at ease from what I have seen. Here's why:

a. A widely respected friend-a friend among Cincinnati powerful says people there were stunned when Jones left. Jones had assured townies, school & players how much he wanted stay, a few weeks before bolting.

b. Here, Jones proclaims he will have the best coaching staff in the USA. He hires his from Cincinnati, without talking to several available widely respected, nationally known coaches/coordinators.

c. He claims he has wanted to coach here all his life. Strange for a Michigan guy---especially one who wanted to stay in Cincinnati.

d. He says UT can win the SEC with Tennessee H.S. players, which East, West, &---to a lesser degree--- Middle Tennessee fans, want to hear. Within two days Phillip Fulmer, who could have said nothing, says Jones has never recruited nationally, but must, he is to succeed here.
When he left, Jones made sure to take one of UC's committed recruits---a 2-star lineman. Maybe from UC or Central Mich., a 2-stars is national recruiting. Not in the SEC. SEC Coaches doing that when leaving, are not very well thought of.
e. Trust is apparently not bedrock in cultures that he comes from.

1) This week we learned that his mentor, Kelly, at N.D. , whom Jones followed at Central Mich., then Cincinnati---as Kelly got better jobs---does the same kind of you-gotta-cut-the-cards when he talks.

Having proclaimed love for N.D., Kelly then interviews at Philly. Then we learn Notre Dame football under Kelly has covered up lies by his premier player---lies designed to get support from those who bestow post-season honors.

2) Also Jones told John Adams, for this article, a story which embarrasses the President of the University of Cincinnati, but makes Jones look prescient.
My take-away:
a. Jones tells everybody what they want to hear.
b. Jones tells things to make himself look good that make others look bad.
c. Phillip Fulmer, in the meeting w/Jones, could not have missed discussing how mentally NOT tough & undisciplined Vols were w/Kiffen or Dooley.

Jones needs backing of Fulmer and former Vol players; so he hires a popular explayer...plus says what Fulmer wants to hear...says everywhere in Tennessee what they want to hear...tells recruits and parents what THEY want to hear. Jones does so to position himself. Jones is no reincarnation of The General; he is a masterful politician.

This guy gets multiple million$, plus his mid-major staff raises of 50%, his own contract makes him richer than the town he came from, regardless.

No wonder he tells everybody what they want to hear; Cheek, the Pres & Hart certainly told him what HE wanted to hear.

That will work until Oregon takes the field. Maybe Jones will have figured out by then what Oregon wants to hear.

....people like you will never be satisfied with any coach. If a Vol fan at all, you are at best a fair weather fan who will climb aboard the bandwaggon only when its winning...seen it all before.

Written on John Adams: Stokes, Golden performing better as a disappearing act:

...Golden was not recruited as a point guard, was never intended to be a point guard, and is not a point guard.....clear?

Written on Mike Strange: Steve Stripling hopes to bring stability to ever-changing defensive line coaching position :

....if this man can recruit lineman in the mid-west things could get interesting very fast....

Written on New SEC coaches play catch-up in recruiting:

....UT football is going to be a very hard sell....as Butch is now finding out!

Written on John Adams: Vols chasing Vanderbilt in recruiting :

....my how the mighty have fallen...one of the saddest stories in all of college sports....!

Written on Tennessee running back Quenshaun Watson away from team due to personal issues; return is uncertain:

....looks as though things may get worse be for they get better....poor ole Tennessee...!

Written on Mike Strange: Some schools do football and basketball right :

....UT is one of the sadest stories in college sports....Tennessee is a case study of what happens to a college athletic department that has no oversight....!

Written on Vols fall into a Steele trap, 68-65:

......Tennessee basketball follows Tennessee football into the abyss.........UT athletic department headed for an historic low..........the ghost of Mike Hamilton continues to haunt......!

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