re: How close was Dooley to being fired after the UK loss? Very close

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I don't know much about those guys and the situations they took over. I know a bit about Dooley at LT, and a lot about him at Tennessee. So far, the only reason people have to justify keeping him is by pointing to other good coaches who got off to a bad start. I hope you realize how concerning that is.

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That is not the reason I want to keep him. Im trying to give you my side of the situation.

I have seen some good things from Dooley.

We are usually always first on prospect before he blows up, Dooley and his staff are good talent evaluators. Examples from last year alone are Peterman, Patterson, Peters, and Santos. Examples this year are Jalen Ramsey, Jalen Reeves-Maybin, and Camion Patrick.

Unlike what a lot of people thought, I saw player development. Our defense went from getting torched by Florida to playing very solid last year. Aj Johnson, Mo Couch, Curt Maggit, and Brain Randolph made great strides last year and are going to be good this year.

Darick Rogers couldn't even run a route his freshmen year and last year he was 1000 yard reciever, Tyler Bray was called inaccurate and a gunslinger, yet he was one of the most accurate and smart passers until he got hurt.

The Oline went from allowing the most sacks in maybe the nation to one of the best pass blocking lines in the SEC. I expect them to do the same with run blocking this year.

Has Dooley made questionable calls, yes. But, he is a young coach and hopefully he will learn from his mistakes.