govolsxtra.com Accounts

Not a conspiracy theory believer nor one to think everything is rotten in Denmark. That said, this has not been handled well. If, under privacy issues, nothing can be said, the administration should make sure nothing is said. If that is the case, how can the truth be worse...for all concerned...than this vague, contradicting info? Just leads to negative views regarding all concerned. If he was dismissed, just say so. If he chose to leave, just say so. Reasons are only for the detail thirsty but Volunteer fans...and the public, for that matter, are entitled to straight talk. This involves a performer in the circus we support.

The Pat/Geno exchanges speak for themselves, are upbeat and should be the end of the story. On other stories, many Vol fans continue to bash Conn and their coach, and without fact, continue the conspiracy stuff from the past. Conn pulled something that upset Pat. I have from other sources been told Geno was a snake and in the wrong. That said, if it involved NCAA violations, CPS would have been obligated to report it...and that did not happen. Old news.

No reason not to move forward; the coaches seem to have. Congratulate them (Conn) and support us (Vols).

I guess it will never stop. Yeah, Fulmer had declining years, last couple of seasons. Guess what: Neyland had down years; go check before he gave in and went two platoon. Wyatt slumped but had two or three great years. Dickey did not win year one. Majors was spotty. No one is perfect...so...by some people's standards, Tennessee has never been a "winner," there is no tradition and...what is it we strive to be?

Fulmer is gone and what he accomplished is equal to any UT head coach. Not to respect him is to negate the NC and those conference championships. As others point out..can't have it both ways.

I vote that no action be taken. His teams have performed above average (Think of all Div I teams that have not done as well) but have not performed above expectations. If someone wants to pay him more to go elsewhere...that is a chance the University takes; it would apparently please many, if that happened.

Many current detractors likely were among those who dissented when he was hired. Not a big name, not a frenzied man in motion like Pearl and not a white man. Like it or not, admit it or not, many judge him on those perceived shortcomings. Some would find fault if he won the NC.
All that said, again, he has won but not met fan's expectations. Rework the contract when he does and give due credit for the things he has accomplished.

The waterfront has been covered. Everybody has on opinion of Mr. QB. What has sort of been missing is a critique of the article, itself. I think all the factors that draw negative attention to Bray were well laid out; the writer did not make a convincing argument to refute most of the assumptions.

That said, Bray is a man with talent who has not shown a convincing leadership mindset to give that talent a chance to excel. He did little to make others around him better. It would appear it is up to him, which route he chooses. He will get drafted. He will get a look. He will have an opportunity for a pro career. He will have to overcome all those correctly perceived attributes....in front of team mates, coaches...and fans, to realize his potential. Even odds. I would not bet against him...nor on him. I abstain.

"...you have got to have the mindset to defend" Hasn't Coach had two years to develope that mindset? Likely to do so in another year?

Lots of comments about the players not thinking this game important, no interest, letdown from not making NCAA, etc. It seemed they had no clue how to stop basic basketball...and incapable of adjustment during the game. Again, they have had all season to develope a clue or two. These guys are getting paid to perform. Yes, paid. Room, boared, tuition and the perks that go with being part of a team and surrounding that is Tennessee. Assembly line workers, dishwashers, teachers, doctors do not/cannot take a shift off. It should be beyond imagination that these players think that way. It is the coaches responsibility to assure they play or sit....or take their attitude and poor performance elsewhere. Better that an outgunned team loses, if they do their best than a team with talent win...if they do not consistently play as if they care.

This age-old argument presents valid points from all quarters. Those teams left out usually have blemishes. Half of all teams will lose in the first round....some by large margins. An argument is voiced that the SEC gets snubbed, or...this or that team was dropped to "send a message." Many conference champions or at large teams have no business in a National Championship "playhoff." But...that is what we have and everyone knows that going in. So, to remove all argument, a team simply has to win. And, win consistently and decisively. The Vols did not do that. It is an imperfect world, and to be a 16..or whatever bracket position and get sent home in the first found seems no great honor. The Vols can make a stronger case for their argument if they win the NIT; otherwise, they have no case.

Workers in all professions: assembly lines, lawyers, truck drivers, teachers..including most posters on this sight, work in a similar pay range but do not produce equally. Way of life. No different with our AD. Others have covered the subject of why are we interested, what is the point of this article or why should we care? Sure, it is "out of control." Probably was when the General was AD, in relation to faculty. It is what it is.

Yep; what you got now plus what you're going to get equals what you are going to have.

Sounds about right, KNS; thanks.

For the past five-six years, many voices have clamored to throw out the coaches, ... whoever they were, at the time. Every such voice must have understood that, if you throw out the coaches, you get to keep the obligations. We cannot now clamor at the cost since we clamored for the actions. It could be argued that the UT Athletic department simply yielded to public pressure. Now, we pay the piper.

And yes, we will see the replay as long as we open these pages to read them.

I knock JA as much as anyone, and, I always think for good reason. This bland little piece was not his usual pot shots, but, as others point out, expecting negatives, one tends to read negatives into most anything he says.

That said, one just expects more from a "Senior Columnist." Here, nothing new, nothing not seen by anyone watching and nothing not reported on by Strange, or others. As usual, one is left feeling, "Nothing I did not already know," or, "He gets paid for this"?

Never met Graham; he certainly was a good football player; he played for Tennessee. He was/is nothing more than our past running back coach.

We all hear the clamor for a "link to the past." We seem to think a lineage all the way to Neyland somehow convinces teenage kids who never heard of Johnny Majors, let alone The General. On top of that...with no criticism intended, I have never heard or read one word written about Graham as a coach. Play it back for me; when has it been mentioned that he affected our running attack...for the better or worse? Seems his work was rather anonymous last year.

So, Adams would have us believe we need a "token." I offer for consideration that any coach, who can coach, who will work hard to build relationships and can help us win is the right coach. Pedigree and color nothwithstanding.

Coach Graham just left us; so much for loyalty. Whoever we get....if he is good and if we are successful, someone else will want him. If that be the case, he will have left us better than when he arrived. Graham has not proven that in one year. Might have someday..but not yet. Big tears are not in order; just wish him well.

Made up news about nothing...other than the good fortune for the folks in Athens. (My hometown of long ago.) Any city in any state in the union should welcome the coach of a national championship team; to throw stones and to hiss "traitors" is just inferiorty and short sightedness. When our coach wins one, he or she will be sought after far and wide. And will make the journey(s) when practical. In those circumstances, we would be proud and would just consider it the good fortune for those in the audience....in whatever state.

Why not check the record: in what states did Pat Summitt visit after NC years? Did we (then) welcome the disrespect of the natives so lucky as to share some of her time?

Guess Adams woke up and noticed a hot one on some internet site.

Two things: Adams seems to set the mandate for the class of 2014, as if the current staff could not figure out their needs. Fact is, the class of 2013 is not finished, and the coaches will be working on that. First things first.

Then, there is the constant adage that "....we will never be able to recruit until we win...." If that is true, Jones has as good a chance as would Saban, Meyer or Lombardi. A known and respected writer opined the other day that, "...no coach has ever been able to turn around a down program unless he can find a way to win with what he can recruit." This it the answer to what comes first: win or recruit. We must win with whatever we get, and that can never be preordained. We must let it play out; there is no other choice.

Here's an original thought for Mr. Adams: if General Washington could get it done at Valley Forge, surely our Volunteers can come back. Or, Sgt. York, in WWI; Or, Audie Murphy in WWII. Or, just a "Win one for the Gipper speech." As oft pointed out above, talk about the obvious! Maybe KNS should restrict him to one column a week; better chance of getting a good one. Or, greater chance we would have less bad ones.

I assume everyone adding "likes" to Dooley's career left Harvard, are at the top of their profession and never had a career set-back. Otherwise, seems a lot of bricks are being tossed out of glass houses.

Dooley was not successful in the W-L column at UT and a change needed to be made. It was made. Don't recall him kicking anybody's dog, abandoning his loaner Lexus along the road or secretly riding double on his Harley.

He is gone; he was not a bad person; he very likely will out succeed most of us, before he is done. He is not our news anymore so we should let it rest.

I see many did not like this article. I sort of thought it among his least offensive. With all the nit-picking NCAA rules and regulations, it would seem they would cut out this juvenile dog and pony show recruits put on. It has become a media circus...and it is human nature to want the spotlight. Sign the contract, send it in and show up at enrollment time. Cut out all the cap nonsense.

Upon further review, I had to read in a Chattanooga on-line site that Len Kosmalski will be honored as a "SEC Legend" this year at the SEC tournament. Pity KNS could not have posted this bit of positive news rather than this police blotter bit about a hoodlum dropout.

Bones may never lie, but they can land on the wrong side of the truth. Bit by bit, word for word, as this story developes, it has verfied that MT was the victim of a hoax ("hoe-ax", as the late Lewis Gizzard used to say) and guilty of nothing more than naive and misguided romantic activities. Are all of us qualified to throw stones? That said, I cling to earlier assertions that this is a non-story, was from the start, Adams should be penalized for late hit/piling on and we all should be ashamed for killing time thinking about this.

Agree. The complaint against JA should not be that he "seems" against the Vols. While it would seem self serving if he was, neither is he apparently paid to be "for" the Vols. We should understand the "rabble he raises" as that is what journalism has come to, these days. We could accept that.

The surprise of this great award (sort of like getting a star for being the top of the bottom five in your class) is that John is just not a good writer. Those enjoying him should branch out, read some quality writing and enjoy the difference. JA never offers original thought. He never breaks news. He never does in depth analysis; he just types out the obvious.

Other quality writers offer valid critisms of results...or even efforts, without demeaning or ridiculing the individual. Other writers offer valid options for cosideration. Other writers establish respect and support from sources...and provide timely and previously unknown facts and insight. JA does none of this. He mixes attempts at satire, humor and news leaving one not knowing which he intends. I doubt he does.

We just deserve better.

Well, we can raise the Rebel flag and yell taunts across the lines all day but the fact is that Notre Dame is 26-17 all time vs. current SEC member teams. As Dizzy Dean always said, "If you can do it, you ain't bragging." So, we can hate them for whatever reasons but it should not be from a sense that they are overrated; our record against them belies that. My personal peeve is that they have negotiated themselves an equal seat at the table as other, ENTIRE CONFERENCES. Why have WE let that happen? Beats me, but it is fact.

Only sensible post thus far. That play and several others indicate a lack of discipline...regardless what Martin tries to accomplish. To me, discipline is doing what one is supposed to do..every time...all the time. Hot dogging and street ball has no place in serious competition. Even if there is only one in one hundred chances it can go wrong. That one time can get you beat...like last night.

As for this article, Adams is getting lazy. He left out baseball, swimming and lady's volleyball in a stretch to dig up negatives. Those who support him by claiming he just tells it like it is are correct...often. However, it is not always necessary to offer up this phooey; we already know how it is so what is the journalistic point?

It has become a common post, in response to critique of Adam's style, ".....Why do you read it"? While I tend to resent it, a fair question. The answer is that reading is a pleasure for many, a source of information for many and often, an opportunity for exposure to opinions other than ones own. And, we pay for this. Yes, pay...either through subscription, newstand price or through being a party to advertisments that float the boat. That said, readers should reasonably expect a quality product and Adams seldom delivers that. So, we read, always hoping for something better and more often, being let down.

Go over to the KNS story re: Martin turning down the job. Nearing 300 responses and KNS is loving it. While he does not say as much, Adams list several non-reasons for Martin to create so much buzz...especially as a coach. If UT fans crave a "name coach" so bad, why have we not thrown Denzel Washington and Robert Duval into the mix? They were good coaches in the movies...and that is likely as much savy for the college game at Gruden has. Or maybe Martin.

Factual observation. Several issues here: first, the money is public record, we are entitled to know, but the inclusion here carries a negative twist. All that money? And we reduce educational staff? And such.

What irony. Fans yell and want to fire anyone who hands out a big contract we have to eat when things go wrong. The same fans will yell and want to fire anyone who has not shelled out the big bucks when a winning coach saddles his pony and rides away. We can't have it both ways. We play our cards and take our chances.