Comments by b_appleton
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Posted on October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
WHAT!!?? THE TN D WAS ON THE FIELD THE WHOLE GAME. WE HAD SINGLE DIGIT RUSHING YARDS AND JUST A FEW MORE FIRST DOWNS!! NO! NO WAY DEFENSE CAN TAKE BLAME FOR THIS GAME.
GEORGIA HAS FRESH LEGS, GREAT RUSHING AND BLOCKING ***FROM A YOUNG LINE VS TENNESSEES "EXPERIENCED" LINE****
WE ARE GONNA START GETTING INJURIES KICK IN ON DEFENSE RUNNING THEM LIKE THAT...
THIS HAS GOTTA STOP. THERES SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE TEAM. TIME TO MAKE SOME MAJOR CHANGES.
Posted on October 11 at 7:25 p.m.
ART HOGAN CALLING THE BOTTOM OF TENNESSEE FOOTBALL!!!
Posted on October 11 at 7:23 p.m.
Lets give some props to Nick Stephens. Kids got a gun and really put together some nice plays! Actually did well on that rollout, scramble touchdown to put us at 14. I like this kid. Hes gonig to be a competitor! Funny what a little competition can do... I knew it was time for a change when Crompton said "no matter what, Im the guy" Signaled a little too much comfort and complacency to me... I hope this has Jonathan working hard and getting better. Somethings gone wrong there that needs to be fixed.
Man, 1 yard rushing... tears in my eyes here... That is not Tennessee football.
I feel that was the beginning of the end for Fulmer. He is like the McCain of the SEC. He may be good and worthy, but has to fight too much, and there is need for something to shake things up in this circumstance.
Posted on October 9 at 4:51 p.m.
offensive line needs to push opponents off the line and create momentum for our backs to run downhill... Eliminate stupid motion, personal foul penalties. Make special teams plays (hit FGs and cover punts better)...WRs need catch the ball. If we eliminated two or three of those things, we are a 3-1 team... You put the right players in at QB/RB who play with more intensity and a sense of urgency, and can make better choices and hit the holes, and youre 4-0.
Its that simple guys.... and that my friends is coaching.
Posted on October 7 at 1:22 p.m.
I say this all aside from the fact that Im a Vol fan, always will be. I went to the UAB game, and certainly thought TN had changed in the 10 or so years that have passed since I went to school there.
As a student, I attended every game. Never left til it was over. Lost a girlfriend because of it once (TN vs FL in 1992 in the pouring rain! She missed the better part of the best game Ive ever witnessed!! Well count that the second best 1990 45-3 was a POUNDING!!!) Its part of the experience... but I didnt sense the same kind of passion we had back in the day. I was in school when Peyton, Shuler, Kelly were all there. It was the most memorable time in my life..... and I wish that these kids had that same experience now. Sorry that they dont.
Posted on October 7 at 1:11 p.m.
"The good news is, that by being at a place like Tennessee, you subject yourself to both sides of that equation," he said. "When we're doing well, they're going to cheer extra hard. And when we're struggling a little bit, they're going to let us know about it. I think that's one of the good things about being at a place like Tennessee."
I read this statement, and was sort of disturbed. Then I read it again. This time it made me angry. I cant decide whether Im being belittled, or patronized in this statement. Where do you draw the similarities between the execution we have on the football field this season to the statement " struggling a little bit"? AD Hamilton, apparently you arent watching the same games I am. We are horrendous.
An even greater departure from reality was the contract negotiations last year. I typically dont say this to other people... but Mr. Hamilton, you sir have no business sense, whatsoever. You should not be allowed to make business decisions at your level, even if its imperative that you be in your position.
Renegotiating a salary package for no reason other than the fact we went to the SEC Championship and lost, then went to a bowl game for what was a very ugly win. I deal with bid/ask spreads all day long.... Its what I do - supply/demand curves. Where was the other bid than necessitated a higher contract? Where was Fulmer going? Michigan? Miami? Syracuse? Iowa? Florida State?!!!!
Common sense would have said that coming off what was an abysmal season two years ago, you still had bargaining power to say "great year! do it again next year and we'll certainly take things up a notch!" No. Ignorance.
Fulmer should be considered as a RIF, and you sir should be too. Thats $6mm dollars, plus additional compensation youll probably get out of court, thats going to end up being more like $10mm --- all because you are ignorant.
Where I work, $10mm mistakes arent up for discussion. You are fired. Full stop.
I love Tennessee football, and believe me its where I pray that we win forever more... but $3+mm per year to coach a collegiate football team that has the facilities and draw that we have is far too much. At this run rate, we will be in 2010 season with a coach who is paid $7mm or so/year. Last time I checked, Coach Fulmers name tag doesnt say Goldman Sachs at the bottom... In Tennessee, that kind of money could do a lot of good in better hands, with people that need it. Its growing to be an insult to the fans and the people of Tennessee who love and adore Tennessee football, and spiraling out of control, especially for the product thats being put on the field. On the other hand, if you dominated college football and the SEC - I could MAYBE see a salary thats commensurate with those levels. But mediocre, and 2-4, facing a second losing season in the last four years, facing an even worse 09 season... Man, something is foul in Tennessee!
Posted on October 6 at 2:43 p.m.
It was midway thru the 3rd qtr and it was 3rd down and 8. We had the ball and tried to hit a receiver five yards off the line underneath cover, and into the strong side of the field for the D. The announcer said it best, but only after two people who were in the room with me who played for UT and in the NFL : "why did we run that play there? There was no route there to even get the first down!!" To hear statements like that scare me.... Coach Chavis has to see that and wonder "what the ....?!"
I believe that you guys have the right idea that a coach may leave, but itll be the one youre not expecting. I see Coach Chavis finding a lifeline to get helicoptered out of this mess... Maybe for a HC or another teams coach at another program thats in fuego! If that dam busts, girls... we will def be in trouble!!!
Im pretty much resigned to the fact this is going to be more than a 'rebuilding' year. This is going to be a "retrenching" effort to try and keep jobs, and try and get guys/recruits to even consider us. I hate say that, but its where I think we're going here.
Posted on October 5 at 10:10 a.m.
I think you all have the wrong coach "going" here. Think about the incentives to stay are... and for whom. I wouldnt be surprised to see Chavis go somewhere else for a five year deal at another school - and get out of this mess....
Fulmer is actually smart for staying on and selling himself. Why wouldnt he? But for Chavis, hes facing a downgrade with all this mess - unnecessarily... and would be wiser to jump ship to a HC position (which is maybe what we should do here) or to another D Coach position at one of the places opening up...
Say what you want about this statement, but you know its true. The impact of this statement and its effects make it true...
Posted on October 1 at 12:39 p.m.
this is like a broken stock/investment. The fundamentals here of this story are broken, so until you start putting into place some things that longer term are going to bring some intermediate execution, so as to "table up" and start thinking long term again, you are just spinning your wheels. I think its fair to say that with the games we've dropped and the competition we have around us, that fans are starting to look thru this season. Lets face it, Fulmers not going anywhere. So you might as well look thru this season and start Stephens. Dont start Stephens thinking hes going to be the next Peyton manning. Not fair. it is fair to have some urgency...
We need to be finding solutions now FOR NEXT YEAR RIGHT NOW!
THIS YEAR IS NOW WHAT 6-5 COACHES OFFICIALLY CALL A "REBUILDING YEAR"
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Posted on October 13 at 7:36 a.m.
I would prefer to never see the G Gun again. Its a gimmick. Defenses can read it like a book, to run right or left. We have enough problem running north-south between the tackles these days. Go Vols!
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