Comments by johnlg00#206211

Written on UT dismisses tight end Cameron Clear after felony theft charge :

in response to greatest:

If Dooley is able to get it done this year i will happily come on this site and admit i was wrong. As long as my beloved UT wins, i don't care who gets the credit.

That is a remarkable statement, given the constant anti-Dooley vitriol you have become famous for on here. You and your few pals, who know who they are, are absolutely wrong about the way most Vol fans look at Dooley. In fact, the attitude that you ascribe to us is so far from our actual feelings that the way you describe them is enough to invalidate anything else you say.

NO ONE thought that Dooley was the absolute best man for the job when he was first hired. There was of course no consensus on who that might be or, more to the point, who we could get. NO ONE is satisfied with Dooley's record to this point. However, it is NOT just an excuse to say that he did not have a team that could compete at a high level in the SEC. I could agree that he didn't get all anyone possibly could have gotten out of the team these last two years. However, he has steadily made good the deficiencies in numbers and talent.

We DO expect the team to look better next year and if it doesn't, Dooley will likely be in trouble. However, the flip side must also be true. If the team DOES look considerably better and has a decent year, then surely, in the name of simple fairness, Dooley should get some credit for that. That is all we have ever believed about Dooley, and you accusing us of loving Dooley more than we love the program doesn't make it so.

If you are now willing to join us in that kind of attitude--just simply wait and see how he does with what should be a highly competitive squad before pulling the trigger--you wouldn't have so many people trying to reach through their computer screens to throttle the life out of you!

Written on Lawyer for Debby Jennings questions UT's interest in resolution :

in response to Ears_Whitworth_in_Orange_Pants:

Yeah..Grassy knoll. If you think Vol Lettermen of the last two generations, those who played with and for Phillip Fulmer, aren't real in their disgust - think again. If you think that this treatment of "Tennessee Women" by of all things an "Alabama Man" sits well - think again. If you think for a second an "Alabama Man" and a "Florida Man" (Cheek) care about how great UT athletics are - think again.

I haven't had a great deal to say about this situation, except that the general idea to streamline operations and save money where possible is a good one, but that the process is nearly always messier than anyone finds desirable.

However, I do have one question. This is not a slam; I really do want to know what you think. What motive do Cheeks and Hart have for deliberately running UT athletics into the ground, if that is what you are saying? Nearly every program in the country, academic or athletic, is made up MOSTLY of people who didn't go to school or coach or play ball at their present place of employment. If they want to keep their jobs and have a chance to get another one as good or better, they pretty much have to do a good job where they are, regardless of where they came from.

Now, it is perfectly legitimate to question whether they are doing as well as they could or wonder if someone else might do it better, and it is the fan's time-honored right to express any opinion they choose about the specifics of the program's policies and personnel. That said, why would you think they are TRYING to sabotage the program, since their future employment and reputation are riding on its success? It's not as if "I wrecked the UTAD" is the kind of thing that would be viewed as a positive in a future job-hunting situation.

Written on Cuonzo Martin demanding effort on and off court:

in response to VolzsFan:

So football got their players into a bunch of music appreciation classes for the spring to move their GPA needle. A 2.55 team GPA is very good regardless of what other teams might be. Look around the country and you would see that. The spring semester is a time when basketball is traveling a ton and missing classes. Some of those other sports do not miss classes due to travel. Baseball usually plays on the weekend with a home mid week game. Football virtually never misses a class. Zo may have never coached in an NCAA tournament game, but making these guys men, he is doing a great job.

Again, another stupid fan comment from gpomeroy. That person clearly does not know college sports.

I guess GP didn't notice the part that showed the BB team's GPA had IMPROVED each semester under Martin. Not saying 2.55 is anything to write home about, but it is adequate and trending in the right direction.

Written on John Adams: A healthy Pat Summitt would have had Debby Jennings' back :

in response to HoraceMorris:

Anyone think Pat knew this was coming (cutting people close to her) and she decided to retire a year or two early because she couldn't stand up to Hart given her condition or it was too sad seeing those go even though she knew it had to happen?

I would not presume to answer your questions, but it does not seem improbable that Pat might have seen the writing on the wall.

With regard to your screen name, are you the former UT football player of that name? If so, I remember you well and thought highly of you, though I doubt you would remember me. If not, you picked a good one.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to Rich_Is_Re-born:

UH....10.3 in the 100 is SMOKING FAST!!!!! Puff puff pass man,you've obviously reach your limit.

Right; I'm pretty sure a 10.3 in the hundred meters is less than a second off the world record. Pretty good for a football player.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to BIVOLAR_BEARE:

Too warm and fuzzy, Dr. Phil..You need not grovel so, besides John doesn't need you to convince him he's great..He already has a real high opinion of himself and he's never wrong..If you don't believe me just ask him..

Cheap shot, B_B! I try to be a responsible member of the board. If I have an opinion, I will state it. If I have facts to support it, I will present them. If others attack it, I will consider the source and the merits of the objection. I may then continue to defend my position. So yes, I do have a high respect for my own opinions, but I try not to be openly contemptuous of others' opinions. I even more rarely engage in the kind of personal attacks some on here seem to revel in. However, I have also been known to publicly change my mind when presented with superior evidence. So unlike many on here, I can admit when I am wrong. However, I will admit it doesn't happen all that often(;-P)!

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to Dooley_Fan:

Theft is not the result of material deprivation. That is a pathetic excuse. Theft is the result of poor character. If material deprivation were the catalyst for theft, I would've grown up to be the world best thief.

When it boils down to it, these kids ARE getting paid. It's called a SCHOLARSHIP. Most college students leave college with a ton of debt and a poor job market to assist with debt recovery. Conversely, scholarship athletes get free tutoring, favoritism in the classroom, free food, graduate with little or no debt, and have a platform to generate a mammoth network for post collegiate employment in the real world. Those who have NFL/pro sports potential get free training for jobs that most Americans would die for: play a child's game for hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. Now, we are talking about how poorly we treat them? Really?

My brother was a scholarship athlete. I mention this to validate that I understand how this works. My brother would not dream of complaining about a free education because he isn't stupid.

If getting a free education isn't fair, I have a solution: quit and pay for college like I did.

The reality is, most of these guys would never even consider going to college if football were not part of it. Football isn't making them victims. Football is the biggest blessing they have.

I pretty much agree with everything you said, but I DID say that while material deprivation might be one reason for theft, it was NOT an excuse for it. As for how much athletes get for what they do, I generally agree with the idea that a free college education is a handsome reward for those who actually value one.

It's just that the headlong rush to build the best possible athletic teams almost inevitably means that athletic ability will trump academic desire or readiness, as far out on the margins as the system will allow. Many of these guys who have the kind of talent we value at a place like UT would perhaps rather play in a pro minor-league system, even for not much more than room-and-board, since no one would be worried about academics and they would be preparing for their chosen career.

The other side of the issue is how much the schools make from the efforts of the student-athletes. In broad terms, the value of a college education, especially of the type that most student-athletes receive, has not increased much if at all over the last 30 years or so while the amounts the schools pull in have multiplied by a factor of ten or more. The time and travel demands on the players have increased to fulfill the terms of those lucrative media contracts, cutting into both time and urgency for school work and normal human needs for rest, relaxation, varied interests, and freedom.

As I said in an earlier post, there are just too many contradictions in the relationship between colleges and big-time athletics for the present edifice to endure much longer. The current model is beginning to crack under the existing strains. All kinds of proposals that may seem totally outlandish now will transform the whole field of intercollegiate athletics over the next 10 years or so. I'm not saying I love it, I'm just saying that fans of college football will have LOTS to get used to over the coming years, including a changed relationship between money and college athletes.

Written on Lawyer details Debby Jennings' departure from UT; legal action considered :

in response to JBVols1698:

Patt Summitt was asked on more than one occasion if she would coach the men and she declined.

And I think that has to do more with the players. What 18 year old stud basketball player is going to listen to a female coach? Maybe they should... but it just wouldn't work in most cases. Especially with the maturity level of most 18 year old D1 basketball players

And also Pat Summitt made more than a lot of top men's coaches. More than Jim Boeheim more than Roy Williams and those are the facts.

I suppose Pat's base salary might have been higher than Williams or Boeheim's, but I am certain their total annual compensation dwarfs Pat's package. In fact, the local paper here in Greensboro, NC, recently stated that Williams gets over $4mil/yr. I doubt Pat's best year for total income--say, after her 2008 NC, when she also had a book out--was ever half that.

Written on Lawyer details Debby Jennings' departure from UT; legal action considered :

in response to BruisedOrange:

When the next history of UT athletics is written, it will note that the Athletic Department entered this century as a large, stable family--a fact ultimately proven by their ability to successfully and cheerfully assimilate such a geographical and cultural outsider as Bruce Pearl.

But with the firing of Phil Fulmer, that family stability was rocked as if by sudden divorce. The fresh wound was ripped open again when the department was abandoned by the new coach-of-the-future.

The popular and energetic Bruce fell to temptation, and had to leave the family to preserve the family. Then the matriarch--the true backbone of Tennessee athletics--announced that she was slowly being taken from us, and herself.

And now, rolling in predictably and inevitably, like a huge destructive storm front on weather radar, the economic destruction of a double-dip recession rumbles just over the horizon. Tickets will go unsold, corporate sales of box suites will drop drastically, gifts and donations will dry up, while the Conference bets the house on TV contracts to get their universities through what comes.

All of that pre-historical perspective to say this:

I don't like WHAT Hart is doing. I don't like the WAY he's doing it. But there's a logical voice--that I really don't feel like listening to right now--whispering that maybe Hart has seen the future, and that the bridge to our future can either be slow, meandering and painful... or quick, direct and painful.

We're a fanbase still in mourning. All the stages of grief are on display daily in our posted comments. Meanwhile Hart is, hopefully, carrying on like the family lawyer, making tough, unpopular decisions to get our house in order and preserve the family estate.

Hopefully.

Great post! Plenty of food for thought there.

Written on Lawyer details Debby Jennings' departure from UT; legal action considered :

in response to bmgvirgo#210233:

Here is the good story http://www.metropulse.com/news/2012/m...

Thanks for the link. It is interesting to me, whether speaking of the UT athletic department or government at any level, that everybody can intellectually support the idea of "cutting out the waste and fat", but often forget that this can only be accomplished by letting people go. Some of those people have always done a good or even great job, but anyone who wants to build an efficient organization must constantly reassess who is doing what, what it costs to do that, whether or not those things still need doing, and a whole host of considerations that guarantee that it will at times be a messy, painful process for all concerned.

There is a vast and growing literature and personal experience base of how to conduct downsizing in a logical yet compassionate manner. It would appear that Hart and his supporters are not familiar with any of that knowledge, virtually ensuring the avalanche of lawsuits this process is already producing. As I have mentioned before, I know a number of people who have either been released or probably fear that they will be. Looked at purely from an organizational-theory standpoint, it makes sense to clarify reporting structures and reduce or eliminate costly peripheral operations.

However, in the real world, the application of such abstract policies results in heartache for real human beings. That is why the process is always so painful and thus so hard to bring about. Worst of all, there is no guarantee that such sweeping change will have the desired effects or will result in lasting beneficial change. This is another change that will take time to fully reveal itself as a good or bad thing, but, like life in general, it will probably be a bit of both.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to snakeplissken:

He wasn't much of a lawyer anyway. His daddy got him the job with that law firm, and all Derek ever did was clerical research work for the other attorneys who actually went to trial.

He wasn't a lawyer that long, and his duties were on a par with those of most junior associates. The most senior partners and associates are the ones who usually go to court, building their cases on the research the younger associates find. If the research and the resulting case is good enough, the case may not go to trial at all. A law degree is a useful thing to have, whether one actually practices law or not.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to gomer:

Please show us Dooley doubters facts as to why dooley will succeed, and not your blind baseless stupidity. Because i can ive you countless facts that give us enough reason to assume Dooley will fail. Let's start with his La tech record.....

Did no one ever teach you what "assume" means? To assume makes an a## out of you and me. We KNOW what Dooley's record is to date and we DON'T like it. We are not ASSUMING he will succeed, we just think he has the best CHANCE to succeed that he has reasonably had, and any loyal Vol fan ought to be willing to grant him that chance.

It is not "blind, baseless stupidity" to believe that a team with returning starters, experienced back-ups, and promising newcomers just MIGHT be better than the crew of leftovers, flops, and scrubs who were here when Dooley arrived. It also OUGHT to make a difference to anyone with a brain that last year's "death march" schedule, which would have waylaid any team in the country, has been replaced with one better suited to the current state of our program, i.e., about the same as that of MOST SEC teams MOST of the time. I can't help it if that seems like "blind, baseless stupidity" to you, even though I guess you ought to be able to recognize it, since you spout enough of it yourself.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

in response to ProfessionalHandicapper:

More proof on why they should be paid at all schools. These kids can't even mow a yard of anyone remotely associated with the University. Other students get free rides and can work jobs, these players have no time for work nor can they accept money for fear of the NCAA. I hate a thief, but these players need some spending money like the rich kids have. Pay them enough to live on. They are used to make millions and then discarded. They work long hard hours, get seriuos injuries, rehab for hours, all so the large Universities can get mega rich on TV contracts. They cant even market themselves. Thats why the Fab Four left Michigan years ago, their jersey sales made everyone rich but them. If a top football player had started facebook most likely he would have been shot down by the NCAA for using other students on campus to start his own business. Pay em enough to have things the rich kids have given to them.Like a laptop.

Well, first let's agree that while theft can be a result of material privation, it is not excused by it. Any psychologist or law-enforcement official can tell you that people steal for all kinds of reasons, of which material need is only one.

That said, I agree with you--words that don't often come off my keyboard--that athletes need and deserve more than they get for what they do. I don't know what the ultimate solution might be, but I don't see the whole edifice of present-day big-time college athletics surviving more than another 10 years or so. There are just too many inherent contradictions in the relationship between athletics and colleges, as it has evolved over a century and a half, and the player-compensation issue is only one aspect of the overall problem.

If I had to make a WAG, I would say that eventually there will be a complete system of minor-league professional sports and college-sponsored sports played by non-scholarship players. I'm not saying I'm loving it, but that seems to me like one way it could go.

Written on Vol tight end Cameron Clear suspended after theft arrest :

WAY too bad for both Cameron and the team. If you looked up "unlimited athletic potential" in the dictionary, Cameron's picture would be there. It was ALL out there for him to seize with both hands, and instead he seized the belongings of another. He could have been an impact player leading a Vol resurgence and made himself a state-wide hero for life. He could have had the pro career he no doubt dreamed of his whole life. Of course, all those things may still happen; he is young and someone will likely give him another chance. I just hope it isn't at UT.

It is not possible for coaches to prevent young men in particular from being knuckleheads, but they can at least ensure they don't keep any around. That may send a message to future would-be knuckleheads that they might need to clean up their act if they want to play at UT. If Dooley is to build a PROGRAM, he must be absolutely clear about his policies on discipline and infractions and he must enforce them ruthlessly. As head coach, he has two main jobs--build and run the squad in an efficient, ethical, businesslike manner and field a consistently competitive team. He has not done so well on the latter, possibly because of mistakes and omissions in the former area, though it is hard to know that for sure, not having a direct pipeline into the locker room.

Call me old-school, but I think any coach who coddles promising but rule-breaking players hoping it will result in more wins deserves neither wins nor a job. Yeah, yeah, some of the best players in football history were rebels and rule-breakers, even criminals. There is something to be said for trying to redeem the lost souls. However, as long as college athletics has any connection to publicly-supported educational institutions, respect must be paid to the values and ideals of a civilized society, and those who can't embody those ideals should not be tolerated. There just has to be a line somewhere that CANNOT be crossed without dire consequences.

Written on Warlick says Jasmine Phillips will add to 'overall depth' for Lady Vols:

in response to Theo:

Welcome Jasmine! We are glad to have you and look forward to you helping write the next great chapter on Lady Vol Basketball.

Is it just me or is this team shaping up to be fast and athletic. Maybe a little different than LV teams of the past with a large, sometimes not mobile, center. Could be really fun to see what Holly, et al do with speed.

Pretty much the way I see it, too. I don't necessarily see them going to a full-bore, helter-skelter, 94-foot style, but I do think they just have to play faster on both offense and defense. On defense, they will have to apply enough pressure to force live-ball turnovers. This of course exposes some of their biggest weaknesses of the last several years--lack of foot-speed to contain dribble penetration and late help-side defense. They just can't allow most quality opponents to set up and methodically pound it inside on them, so they need to disrupt the offense before it can really get started.

On offense, they will have to SCORE off of nearly all the live-ball turnovers they force. They will have to look for every reasonable opportunity to run it up the floor and take it to the hoop. When forced to set up, they will be better off in a well-spaced, four-out/one-in arrangement which leaves the lane mostly open for drivers and should leave open shooters on the perimeter to receive kick-out passes. This of course exposes yet another long-standing shortcoming--lack of enough shooters confident enough to knock down open shots regularly.

I think the Lady Vols have enough of the right kind of players to play this way, but they must commit to it early and push it for all it's worth until they run out of gas or out of bodies. I think this is their best chance to be a competitive, and hopefully winning, team this year.

Written on UT football improves GPA in spring :

in response to RockyMountainVol:

Well, let's test your "logic":

If Dooley fails to sign a kid, Dooley's a lousy recruiter.

If a verbal commitment changes his mind, Dooley's a lousy recruiter.

If Dooley gets a commitment from a kid, he'll just lose him anyway, so Dooley's a lousy recruiter.

So, you got all your bases covered. No matter what Dooley does, you'll advance an argument that Dooley's a lousy recruiter.

Very open minded of you.

I think Dooley's a pretty good recruiter, but there's one thing I'm absolutely, positively sure of:

Every single kid that Dooley has recruited is a better football player and a far better person than you ever turned out to be, lil Jeffy.

Good one! It is one thing to still be dubious about Dooley's long-term future, but these particular negaVols display a personal hatred and contempt, not only toward Dooley but toward anyone who dares disagree with them, that borders on the pathological. As you and I have pointed out in different ways, these guys will NEVER give Dooley credit for any good thing he does or even admit that he HAS done any good things, nor will they give him any credit if he DOES do well. Don't know why such people even want to call themselves "fans", but we still mostly have free speech in this country.

Written on UT football improves GPA in spring :

in response to GerryOP:

You're correct john, this year Coach dooley should have enough of a solid enough base to show significant progress. But don't forget, it took Saban five years in East Lansing and Harbaugh four years at Stanford to get things competely turned around ... and neither one of them walked into as big of a mess that Dooley walked into in Knoxville.

The worst is over ... time to start looking ahead. The future is now.

101 and counting...

You know, the most tiresome thing about bantering back and forth with the trolls and negaVols is that you KNOW they will continue to belittle Dooley--and anybody who doesn't think he should be ridden out of town on a rail, tarred and feathered, this afternoon--no matter how successful he might be.

If the Vols beat NCSU, then NCSU was no good. If the Vols beat Florida, they weren't any good either. And so on down the schedule. Then when they lose to a good team, that will just prove that they can't beat a good team. If they DO beat a good team, then the other guys just didn't bring it that day, or the refs helped them, or they got lucky. And so on. If they make the SEC Championship game, they backed in; if they lose, then that just proves Dooley wasn't the guy. And so on. In other words, if Dooley went undefeated and won the national championship...well, MAYBE they would change their tune, but most likely they would just quietly disappear.

I'm not saying what W-L record Dooley needs to keep MY support, but for the more rabid anti-Dooleyites, it is certain that there is NO level of success Dooley could attain that would change their minds about him.

Written on UT football improves GPA in spring :

in response to FanNotSheep:

Look up how girls do in high school and college compared to boys. Read an article about the vast difference in maturity between boys and girls in this age group. Realize that many athletes come from disadvantaged households, and understand the peer pressure that most male athletes deal with that says being smart is not cool. If there's one thing a male athlete wants to be, it's cool.

Finally, compare the number of athletes Pat Summitt had to keep track of versus the UT football program. We aren't taking apples and oranges here. We are talking apples and unicorns. No disrespect for the job Summitt has done over the decades, but let's try to be fair, OK?

The academic advantage of females begins early and only widens as they advance through the system. There are a host of psychological, psycho-social, and even physiological reasons why this is so. Athletes are no worse in this respect than male students in general. Guys will respond to firm standards rigorously enforced, but the academic mindset just doesn't take hold as easily in the male brain. Of course there are exceptions, but women dominate every academic field except for the math, engineering, and physical science fields, and their numbers are rising in those fields as well. The level of performance required to get an "average" college degree should be well within the grasp of nearly all student-athletes, male and female. The guys just may need a bit more prodding to make that happen.

Written on UT football improves GPA in spring :

in response to Huttdawg100:

Great job on picking those grades up.

BTW, Phil Steele has us ranked at #27 in his 2012 preseason poll ahead of Auburn and MS State:

http://www.philsteele.com/

Generally, I don't really think preseason polls matter, but Steele generally has a good feel for UT. The big thing I'm looking at is the fact that he has us listed as a Most Improved Team this year. Da'Rick Rogers was named preseason All American, but Bray and Hunter got snubbed in his preseason all SEC picks. Is there a DB in the country that can shut down Hunter? It's the Randy Moss effect: he's going to demand a double team. Really, who are you going to double: Hunter? Rogers? Patterson? Rivera?

Thanks for posting this link. I don't know who Phil Steele is, but he certainly found a number of positives for the Vols for this upcoming season. Most interesting to me were the vast increases in the number of starts the returnees have. The trolls and negaVols will NEVER admit that the youth, inexperience, and lack of depth Dooley has had to contend with these last two years had anything to do with the Vols' poor record--nope, in their eyes it is ALL Dooley's fault. The Vols should look a whole lot better next year for the experience and depth factors alone. Either way, we should have enough info to know whether or not Dooley is the man to take us forward.

Written on Josh Richardson to gain culture, experience, with Athletes in Action :

in response to Chris4Vols22:

Richardson has the most consistent mid-range jumper on the team.

If so, that's not saying a lot, unfortunately. I guess I could be wrong, but my impression was that Richardson shot around 30% from the field last season. He was a bit more effective within 10' or so than I expected. He has made the occasional 3-pointer. However, if I needed one guy to get his own shot to win the game, he isn't the one I would go to right now.

Written on Juco forward Jasmine Phillips signs with Lady Vols :

in response to richvol:

Holly has yet to get a post player for next year...we are hurtin'...

Just what I was thinking. No doubt Ms Phillips is a scrappy, athletic player, but as a 5'11" post player, she would have to be really something to make a positive difference this year. Hope she can.

Written on Josh Richardson to gain culture, experience, with Athletes in Action :

Josh, have fun, see a lot, learn a lot, and don't forget to pick up a jumper while you're gone.

Written on Dooley: UT recruiting on track despite staff turnover:

in response to gomer:

Thats because the Doolaid Drinkers like to ignore the facts and conveniently acknowledge any kind of propaghanda about there saviour Dooleave that makes them feel all warm and fuzzy inside. 4-12 is the truth and that was under Dooleave's watch not Fulmers. They like to pretend that Fulmer and Kiffin wave there magic wands and make the vols lose every week.

You like to pretend that Dooley was foolishly handed the keys to a fully-functioning football machine which he then proceeded to run into the ground. A more apt comparison would be some shade-tree mechanic trying to fix up a 10-year-old family sedan to run in NASCAR races. Little by little the parts have been assembled to build a truly competitive vehicle. Whether Dooley is the man to drive it to victory remains to be seen. In any case, this is the first team that can largely be considered "his", which is why this is a pivotal season for him. It's just that most of us want to see Vol success soon, and IF Dooley is the one to bring it, then great. If he is not, his successor will inherit a FAR better situation than Dooley did, and Dooley should at least get some credit for that.

Written on Debby Jennings announces retirement after 35 years at UT :

Let me hasten to add that my remarks above were more observational than condemnatory, and I am NOT expressing unqualified support for Hart's personnel decisions and practices. It's just that some of the departures will at least SEEM fairer than others, and most were all but inevitable eventually.

Written on Debby Jennings announces retirement after 35 years at UT :

in response to Pompey:

....the athletic department is bloated with "ole boys" feeding at the trough. University employees should be treated no differently than the private sector and times are tough everywhere. It will take years to clean up Hamilton's mess and Hart has begun that process...

For some years, I held an extremely minor position in the athletic department--sort of on the outside of the inside, so to speak--and I know exactly the kind of people you are describing. I knew a number of them. Most of them were good people and were often helpful to me. A number of them do indeed embody the tradition of UT sports, part of its living institutional memory. However, it was clear to me that there were several people with rather high-sounding titles who didn't seem to have that much to do. There is an entire largely faceless cadre of career AD employees with deep connections in the state and the university who make, or at least made, pretty good money for not too much largely enjoyable work. In other words, nice work if you can get it. Such a housecleaning is probably long overdue.

Written on Dooley: UT recruiting on track despite staff turnover:

in response to gomer:

I don't think anyone is hoping for failure. Saying a coach is a failure beacause well judging by his results he's a failure is not wishing he's a failure. It's called the reality you delusionals like to ignore.

OK, if that's the way you see it, Dooley IS a failure. Failure or not to this point, he IS the coach next season unless he stumbles badly early. If he wins eight games next year, that may not be enough to satisfy all those who believe that there are always only champions and losers and who seem to assume that every team starts from exactly the same place every season, but it will look like progress to enough people who count.

Surely you would consider an 8-4 regular season a moderate success. Surely you must, if you continue to insist that they will have a losing record. At that point, Dooley can no longer be considered a "failure", though such "fans" as yourself may continue to do so. Your position at least SEEMS to me to be: Dooley is a failure; the team can't break .500 next year; if the team DOES break .500 next year, Dooley must STILL go because he is a failure. That is called circular reasoning; you state your conclusion as your major premiss. Most of us think this season will be, or at least SHOULD be, better than the previous two. That would be enough improvement for THIS year.

Written on Dooley: UT recruiting on track despite staff turnover:

in response to gomer:

Everytime I watch a college football show and they mention an opposing team like Georgia or South Carolina for example and break down there schedules they never even mention the Tennessee game. You would think if people expected UT to go 8-4 or as some of you delusionals will claim 12-0 you'd think Ut would at least be a key game on an opposing teams schedule.

But i guess 1-7 in sec play is great in fairyland.

Sounds to me like we've got 'em just where we want 'em! I hope every team that plays the Vols this year goes into the game with the absolute conviction that they will lay waste to Big Orange Country. Imagine the hurt pride if it doesn't happen. I'm not predicting a won-lost record. I think Dooley's future absolutely DOES hang on his record this year. I'm just saying it is not very fan-like to predict, or even hope for, failure before the season even starts.

Written on Dooley: UT recruiting on track despite staff turnover:

in response to VolinCalif:

Hit my first golf ball at age 40. After that I just couldn't stop. Got down to a 7 handicap before IPF and sever Rh. Art and old age put me on the shelf full time. Played all around this country and loved every round. Darn I miss that game.

I feel for you, buddy! I too took up "The Game" late in life. I don't carry a USGA handicap, but I play a lot of rounds. I used to be a bit of an athlete, but golf--and on a cart, at that--is about all I can still do these days. I hope I don't have to find out if I can live without it!

Written on Dooley: UT recruiting on track despite staff turnover:

in response to greatest:

Six commitments for 2013. Wow! Alabama has 12 commitments with 9 out of 12 four stars or better. Saban already has a better class than dooley will finish with. Please tell me dooley delusionals how we hope to dethrone bama with this joke of a coach? I have forced you to admit he is not a great coach. Since he is not a great coach and cannot come close to out recruiting saban, how are we going to win a championship?

There is only one answer you can come up with. You true UT fans don't care about championships. All you care about is 7-5 and a bowl. Lest i forget, above all else you want dooley to remain the coach no matter what the results.

Running out of fresh tinder, so you have to burn another straw man, are you? There is NO ONE on this board who, as far as I can remember, EVER said anything LIKE they "want Dooley to remain the coach no matter what the results." We all want the Vols to win--except maybe you until Dooley leaves, no matter what he does.

So you are saying that Dooley has to go "no matter what the results". How then does that make you less prejudiced and delusional than all the people you so freely disparage? Most of us say, "If Dooley wins this year, he deserves to stay." We will just see what the final record is and then we shall see what happens. The flip side is obvious; if the team isn't better, Dooley has to go.

To reiterate, I don't know ONE true Vol fan who doesn't agree with what I have said. They want the team to win, not because Dooley is the coach but because the Vols are our team. You and your buddy Sammy are very nearly the ONLY ONES who keep on saying that Dooley has to go NO MATTER WHAT HE DOES GOING FORWARD. How does believing that make you better Vol fans than the rest of us?

You dodge answering any implication that you actually ARE hoping the Vols will lose in order to get rid of Dooley. You simply laugh off any suggestion that he might NOT fail to show progress, but it will be interesting to see how your views evolve as the season unfolds. See, true fans are covered either way; they love their team ALL the time. They may not love everything that involves them, but at bottom the true fan is always there. A pity you seem not to have experienced unconditional love, either way.

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to Bubba_Knows:

Slow News Day:
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-t...

The water looked rather more orange than red to me!

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to greatest:

Supporting 1-7 is not my idea of good sense. Only in the bizarro world of delusionals is it good sense. I think i need to simplify the concept a little more for you delusionals. Winning is good. Losing is bad. The idea of playing the game is to win, not lose. Hopefully, that will cause a breakthrough for you.

Nobody can go back and play last season over! It's gone! It's not the fact that he went 1-7 that is so great, it is the fact that he has a much better team coming up this season. He is NOT going to be fired before the season starts, so the concept of "support" is pretty much beside the point. If he wins, MOST Vol fans will be happy; if he doesn't, NO Vol fans will be happy. So no, we don't expect Dooley to go 1-7 again in the league and expect to remain the UT head coach. And I'm fine with that. You continuing to insist that Dooley be fired RIGHT NOW, while KNOWING it won't happen, and deeming anybody who doesn't agree as delusional is pretty delusional itself.

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to greatest:

Yet another "true UT fan" denigrating a former vol while propping up an imposter of a coach. The dooley charade ends this year.

"Sammy" is living proof that not all former Vols, or former any other kind of football player, are still in possession of their good sense years later, not to mention having lost their manners in the bargain. You and he are two of a kind. You never slam Dooley without slamming anybody who DOESN'T slam Dooley, knowing perfectly well that nearly everybody you attack are long-time, game-attending, donating fans of all things UT, and not a few degree-receiving alumni, who merely want our program to succeed. So I don't see how you are likely to win any friends on here among such people. As to your stated objective, getting rid of Dooley ASAP, you know perfectly well that that isn't going to happen for months yet, and perhaps not at all, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY. So you choose to divert yourself with an apparently non-stop, boring, repetitive, insulting line of rap that can have NO OTHER PURPOSE than foisting your nonsense on everybody when there is NO CHANCE that what you want will come about when you want it to. THAT is the kind of person we gladly denigrate, but only because that is what you and he do ALL THE TIME, and we are MORE than tired of it.

Written on John Adams: Fulmer selection reminds UT fans of better days:

in response to BIVOLAR_BEARE:

The early 90's were JM's teams and they were better than decent..I seem to remember some 11&1 and 10&2 records..Dickey had a good run (though short) in the late 60's and early 70's..But of all the teams I've watched in 40+ years the 85 team was to me the most complete as far as complete offense and solid defense..GBO!!

The 1985 SugarVols were fun to watch that night in the Superdome, but their record going into that game was 8-1-2, IIRC. A number of key injuries led to fits and starts throughout most of the season. It was magnificent to watch them come together at such a moment, and they provided us with some thrills along the way, but they were hardly a well-oiled machine for much of the season.

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to WetumpkaThumpa:

HELLO! Do you not see the irony here??? Let me simplify it for you, Dave Hart did the exact same thing to Bobby Bowden as AD at FSU that Mike Hamilton as AD at UT to Fulmer. Both Fulmer and Bowden thought they were treated unfairly by their old bosses and both thought they deserved more time at their respective schools. You are correct, Hart didn't fire Fulmer but he did treat Bowden much the same way that Hamilton treated Fulmer. I'm not sure that Fulmer is going to really want to cozy up to a guy that pretty much treated Bobby Bowden the way Mike Hamilton did him. You understand now?

OK, I think I get your point now. I'm just not sure it's such a big deal. Encounters like that must happen all the time in football. They can have any relationship that suits them according to their circumstances now. I just don't see it as a significant shared past or whatever.

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to WetumpkaThumpa:

P.S. I'm sure that Fulmer really wants to be around a guy that did the same thing to Bobby Bowden at Florida State that Hamilton did to him at Tennessee. That's what I was getting at there.

Maybe I'm just exceptionally dense today, but I see no reason for anxiety either way between Hart and Fulmer. While I guess there could be a passing recognition of the irony, there isn't anything Hart could do to Fulmer, no matter what opinion of him Hart might have, nor any reason I can imagine why he would want to. Fulmer could be far more dangerous to Hart if he chose to do so than Hart could be dangerous to Fulmer. Or am I still missing something?

Written on Dooley, Hart laud Fulmer:

in response to WetumpkaThumpa:

INTERESTING! Didn't Dave Hart force out another legend in Bobby Bowden at Florida State before he was forced out himself? I think so..........................Sounds so eerily familiar.............

Not sure I get your point. Could you elaborate, please?

Written on John Adams: Fulmer selection reminds UT fans of better days:

in response to Rich_Is_Re-born:

Yes the program had slid a bit, no denying that. But several of the best coaches to ever coach also joined the league. I just find it funny how those who defend Dooley so easily bash Fulmer. Dooley will never be the coach Fulmer was. Go to any un-biased fan or media outlet and ask them what they think of Fulmer, then Dooley. Most have Dooley at the bottom of the barrel.

Another thing...I notice how many want to give Chavez credit for Phil's success, along with Cut. Well don't they recruit? Were they not part of the 59-20 thrashing at UF in 07'? Or the total embarrassment to Bama Saban's first year..the one where Chief REFUSED to change it up and allowed DJ HALL to have 200+ recieving yards. The same game Arian Foster had 13 carries for 91 yards at halftime, yet only got a couple carries the second half. Yet it was all on Phil. But when Dooley's teams don't adjust, it's on the assistants. You win as a team and lose as one. The slide can't be laid on just Phil. Chavez was part of that IMO, as were many of the long term assistant coaches. Do they not recruit? I see them ALL at other jobs now, and they are all doing well coaching and recruiting. But it's all on Phil. I just think it's unfair to smash Phil, then elevate Dooley to something he is not. And if given time, it's hard to think that the likes of Fulmer and John Chavez couldn't have turned it around. JMO.

I guess all I'm really trying to say is that "bashing" of anybody BY anybody is not one of the more attractive aspects of on-line communication for me. We fans generally don't know enough about how a football team functions in all its myriad aspects to speak knowingly about what is happening in the class rooms, locker rooms, weight rooms, practice facilities, and dorm rooms or apartments. The role of head coach is multifaceted, with many different constituencies to answer to. Coaching football at a place like UT is a HARD JOB, no matter who is doing it. There is no earthly reason why people need to make inferences about someone's intelligence and/or character just because they aren't satisfied with a team's performance on the field. We all know that at a place like UT, success on the field is ESSENTIAL, though the precise definition of "success" may be debatable. UT's teams under Fulmer were notably less successful in, say, his last five years than they were in his first five years. Dooley's teams likely can't be worse than they have been or he will soon be gone. All of these "facts" are about all anyone needs to know generally how we got where we are today. For some posters to continue to say that Dooley must be fired NOW because he is just too stupid, or selfish, or egotistical, or any other slur anyone wants to use, to continue to be the head coach. That is just a futile, boring, insulting way to continue expressing oneself, and I just don't get why people seem to like it so.

Written on Tennessee vs. N.C. State to kick off at 7:30 p.m.:

in response to trubleoj#657755:

Can't wait! I'll be the Big Orange T in the middle of the wufpac caravan on I85 from tobacco road.
UT-State on Friday night and Braves-Phillies on Saturday day.
They got some talent. Big redhead Glennon has a NFL arm and O'Brien puts together solid teams. If they play like the end of 2011 and we play like the start this will be an exciting, high scoring game. I expect our WRs and RBs in space and the UT secondary to be the difference.

Throw the Ball Down the Field!

The main thing I, another NC resident, keep hearing about NCSU is how great their defensive secondary is. The 'Pack may not be the best possible match-up for the Vols in their first game. The Vols might have to get the running game cranked up early; NCSU just might be good enough to slow down UT's passing game.

Written on Trae Golden undergoes knee surgery for meniscus injury:

Too bad they didn't fix it sooner after the end of the season. If his knee was that bad, it probably didn't help him to go through that whole off-season training regimen. He could have had the work done and then taken a month or two to get back up to speed and ready to go for a busy summer and a huge season next year. But he should have time to do all that anyway. I just hope the knee is "fixed" this time.

Written on John Adams: Fulmer selection reminds UT fans of better days:

Note to all: Notice that in no instance in the post above did I attribute any negative character references to Philip Fulmer. I have met him on several occasions. He seemed open and interested in what others had to say. As far as I have ever known, his personal character is beyond reproach. His love of the state and the university is bone-deep. All I was attempting to do was to give one reasonably-informed fan's view of how things looked from the outside in Fulmer's last years.

While I agree that there are ample reasons for pessimism over Dooley's long-term prospects, there is right now--in the preseason, when everybody is unbeaten--equally ample reason, in terms of personnel, to expect much better, if he is indeed going to be "The Guy". It is not necessary to add additional speculation about his character to any reasonable criticism of his record so far. We will all see how it plays out soon enough. Enjoy your summer!

Written on John Adams: Fulmer selection reminds UT fans of better days:

in response to Rich_Is_Re-born:

Although the program wasn't quite where it was in the 90-early 2000s, it's not like the program was ANYWHERE NEAR where it's at now! That's a big lie told by Dooley's fans...and that's fact. What got Fulmer was the hiring of Dave Clawson, simple and plain. If Cutcliff would have came back, or Phil had hired the Michigan crew, that 08 team that went 5-7 would have competed for the SEC if not a NC. That roster was simply loaded. So why the Dooley clan CONTINUES to blame Phil for the current state of the program, I tend to think the firing of Fulmer just might be the reason for the current state of the program. And I felt it was time for him to go. But it now looks as if I was wrong. The only difference between me and MANY other people is that I'll admit I was wrong.

While I don't necessarily disagree with your Fulmer "what-if's", the signs of decline that became increasingly obvious were not only a steadily-worsening overall SEC record, but a widening gap between UT and its principal rivals. The lack of precision on the field and what surely seemed like a lack of cohesion on the sidelines showed up more and more as fundamentals of all types were executed worse and worse, to say nothing of the lengthening list of unsavory off-campus incidents. The program seemed to be in a state of progressive decline, at least compared to the rest of the league. I'm pretty sure that wasn't just an illusion on my part.

Fulmer's last team surely did have the talent to be more competitive than they were, as there were a pretty fair number of them who at least got a sniff at the NFL. The fact that there have been so few since shows the talent gap that was opening up between UT and the SEC elite. The talent crash which actually occurred on Dooley's watch was set in motion by the failure of most of Fulmer's last two or three classes and the general turmoil of having three coaches in three years. It may be argued that Fulmer's recruiting classes would have looked better if he and they had stayed on through their whole scheduled tenure, but it was being argued at the time that, while Fulmer was a great recruiter, he didn't seem to excel at developing players.

I'm not saying Dooley was the best man we could have gotten; I'm just saying that he was one of the few who would have taken the job for what we were willing to pay. In any case, it is much too late to go back and revisit the hiring decision now.

I am pulling for Dooley to do well because I want UT's program to do well. I didn't regard him as a savior when he came in and I don't regard him as a failure for what he has done so far, given how little he had to work with. Like all Vol fans, I am frustrated at the lost opportunities the team had to be better in the last couple of years, but it says a lot for Dooley's perseverance that he has now assembled a squad which should be able to look most of the rest of the conference in the eye for more than a quarter or two.

If he fails to bring about significant on-field improvement next year, then he will likely have to go, fair or not. As for all those who want him gone NOW, all you are doing at this point is huffing and puffing at a locked door, hindering Dooley's efforts to get the program back on track, and coming across as more interested in venting and insisting on being right than in providing support to the team you claim to love.

I'm not directing this at you, Rich, and I apologize for the parts that may not be relevant to your post.

Written on John Adams: Fulmer selection reminds UT fans of better days:

in response to bigfan865:

I am thankful for all CPF did for TN and glad he is getting this honor. BUT...some of you act like he was fired, undeservingly, after winning a NC. Have you forgotten that while we did beat KY his last year, it took 4 overtimes! Not exactly dominating! CPF lost his edge as a coach and the developer of his top recruiting classes. His personality and reputation got good players to TN but he quit coaching them up. It was time for him to go. Don't blame Dooley for any of that. Dooley inherited a mess from Kiffin who had inherited an empty pantry from Fulmer. Congrats to CPF on this honor. Good luck to CDD on getting us back as a top program.

Well said! Agree with all.

Written on Dooley's new staff fresh start for Vols:

in response to Salma_Hayek_is_my_Wife:

You rate NC State behind Kentucky? They beat Clemson last year. The same Clemson that beat FSU. The same Free Shoes University that beat UF last year. NC State might be a challenging opponent to UT. Don't overlook them because they are in the A.S.S. I mean ACC.

I would agree with not underestimating NC State. They have an experienced, ball-hawking defensive backfield behind a pretty good front seven. They have a competent, experienced QB and a veteran O-line. I consider this one almost a must-win for the Vols' confidence, but it will be a real achievement to actually pull it off.

Written on Derek Dooley expects upgrade in classroom:

in response to orangeman1:

I agree with most of what you're sayin, but you cant give credit to Dooley for LaTech going to a bowl 2 years after he left AND give credit to him for going to a bowl 2 years after he got there. Wouldnt the credit go to the coach before him for recruiting the players that he took to a bowl then? Also, LaTech had 1 losing season in the 3 years before Dooley and UT had 1 losing season the 4 years before him(players leaving was the biggest factor) I hope Dooley can get it done at UT. I am holding judgment about his abilities until I see what he can do with an experienced roster this year. I expect at least 8 wins this year with no excuses.

Most of my post was directed to those who seem to hold Dooley responsible for the condition of the roster when he got here; otherwise, they would have to admit that it was just GOING to be tough to win in the SEC with that squad, no matter who the head coach was. It was going to take ANYBODY at least a couple of years to restock the roster. They look at Dooley's W-L record and conclude that there was NO redeeming value in his tenure either at LA Tech and at UT. I'm just saying it isn't as simple as that. I am saying that there are ample grounds for cautious optimism for next season, based on better skill, depth, and experience than UT has had in about five years now. Even if there weren't such grounds, I will still support the Vols and whoever happens to be coaching them.

Written on Derek Dooley expects upgrade in classroom:

in response to wallingdad:

I understand what he came into. you have explained it and explained and explained. ok.
does that explain the losing at La Tech?
I never stated that he came into a top 10 program.

life is tough. sorry. but one is graded on results, not difficulty in the task. I agree the task is difficult. he has to deal with it.

LA Tech was ALSO a losing program when Dooley came in there. He took them to their first bowl in many years. He expected a good season the year after that but his team had a major run of major injuries to key players. However, the players he largely recruited and developed took LA Tech to another bowl last season.

So I grant you that Dooley doesn't have the sterling won-lost record most fans would look for in a head coach at a major football-playing university. That said, SOME consideration must be given to the circumstances he inherited at both places. We all agree that the time for excuses is over. Rightly or wrongly, I think the majority of fans will feel that they have seen enough to know whether Dooley remains the coach after this season. As a Vol fan, I hope he is successful, since it CAN'T look good for the program if the Vols are forced to hire their fourth head coach in five or six years. At least, Dooley will leave the Vols better-stocked with talent than they were when he came here.

Written on Holly Warlick next new coach Tennessee is showing off on caravan:

in response to volboy81:

whether you believe theyll succeed or not, whether you like them or not, if youre a Tennessee fan...BACK THEM! Rome wasnt built in a day and Mike Hamilton's messes cant be fixed in a day either! We are on our way back! GO VOLS!!!

Preach it, brother! Fair enough, anybody who wants to criticize any of those three people for any reason is free to do so. Some might say there is ample room for any degree of reasonable skepticism about the long-term prospects for any of them. That being said, as long as they lead competitive teams from UT; conduct themselves with dignity; enforce tough, fair, reasonable standards for their players; and show evidence of getting better, they deserve the support of all Vol fans until their on-field/court performance proves they are the people for the long haul--or not.

Written on Dooley ‘fixing’ UT staff:

My mistake; if you strip off the trolls' posts, the average intelligence per post on the thread would go way UP! Just got in from a hard day at work and my fingers had a mind of their own.

Written on Dooley ‘fixing’ UT staff:

in response to gc_scvol:

And GVX lets this go on and on hoping somehow this will attract readers to this site.

It must be working! This is the most posts I've seen on a single thread in months. Of course, if you strip off the 50 each by a half-dozen of the usual troll suspects, the actual average intelligence per post is WAY low.

Written on David Climer: NFL Draft puts UT's lack of talent on full display:

PS to Walt: I'm not saying that Majors is a better coach than Battle or vice-versa. I'm only saying that the figures I propose as the standard for comparison is more valid than a simple comparison of career records at UT. There are always a host of factors that go into career totals that aren't always apparent in the bare numbers themselves.

Written on David Climer: NFL Draft puts UT's lack of talent on full display:

in response to WaltGoVols:

But Majors was at UT much longer than Battle.

Their respective records were 59-22-2 and and 116-62-8. So Majors, even with a slow start because of the failings of Battle, Majors had a chance to make the statistics work for him over time.

But he didn't.

I hate math, but Majors had twice as many wins but three times the losses that Battle had.

It can't be fairly claimed that Majors "rebuilt" the program. Words have meanings, records give insight.

Walt

UT '81

First, I was not one who claimed Majors "rebuilt" UT football. However, if you are going to "inflate" Battle's record by counting his first three years when he was playing with the leftover stars from the Dickey regime, it puts a different light on Majors' record if you also count his bad record in his first three years playing with Battle's leftovers. Since the 25-scholarships-a-year limit was in effect by the time Majors got to UT--and which was NOT in effect when he signed about 100 guys in his first Pitt class, the foundation of his later championship team--then the fairer comparison between Battle and Majors would be to compare how each did WHEN HE HAD TO PLAY WITH HIS OWN PLAYERS. I don't know and I don't care to take the time to find out, but I would guess that the records would be much closer with those stipulations in place. In any case, simply to use the numbers you cited, which I have no reason to doubt, to "prove" that Battle was a "better" coach than Majors is, IMHO, a spurious argument. That is all I'm saying.

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