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Struggling to see light at the end of tunnel here (kinda long)
Posted on 9/13/15 at 11:25 pm
Posted on 9/13/15 at 11:25 pm
This is the first time I've read the board since Saturday morning. I have a lot of concerns and here is really the only place I can be completely objective about it
Let me begin by saying I'm only 21, but I've been a vol fan since before I can even remember anything. Like before I knew how to read, I knew that I was supposed to be a vol fan. Any other team felt like high treason. I'm from Johnson City and my grandad played basketball at UT in the 50s. He lived in the dorms under the stadium and still recalls the interactions he had with Doug Atkins, Majors, Bob Haslam, and Hank Lauricella. He's had season tickets since the 70s. My dad has been going to games since he was a kid, so have i, Since I was 8 (02 UT/Miami). My first real college football memory was being 10 and barely seeing wilhoit's field goal sail through the upright from P52 with like 8 seconds left to beat the gators in 2004. I vaguely remember walking down the ramp and the chaos that ensued that night while trying to find my dad's friend who came with us with a separate ticket (who happened to be a UF fan). Ever since then, I was hooked.
That was also my last "great" memory as a college football fan. I don't remember the Wyoming game in 2008, but I do remember Fulmer being fired and the Kiffin um.... year. Rocky Block, and being in my room watching espnews while kiffin announced he was going to Southern Cal. Then Dooley got hired. Went to the Oregon game. Watched the LSU debacle. Getting screwed in the music city bowl sucked. Got a little momentum in 11 after Cincy and then Hunter tears his ACL on the 1st play at UF, they fall apart. Lose to UK for the first time in a generation. Then there was 2012, I was at the UF game when they fell apart in the 2nd half. Dooley gets fired after he gets ran outta the stadium by James Franklin. In comes Butch. He's got all the right things to say but not a very hot track record. Watched from the stands as Pig fumbled out of the endzone vs UGA in OT. The 1st SC game was great but it just kinda felt fluky. Losing to Vandy at home was unacceptable. 2014 rolls around. Still haven't gotten over 10-9. The SC win was fun while it lasted but its obvious where that program is headed now. They had a chance to step up against Mizzou and they get handled at home. Struggle against a really bad Vandy team and blow out a completely overmatched Iowa team. Now it's OU week, Ticket prices thru the roof, Ton of recruits scheduled to be in. They go up 17 to nothing. Its their chance to make a statement... And they gag on it... Again.
I guess I'm just trying to get someone to reel me in here. All I see is a program that is spinning its wheels in the mud. I'm losing faith in Jones rapidly but the last the we need is another fking coaching search. If Butch loses at UF and wins 6 or 7 again, wtf happens? Are we supposed to be content with this? We gave the dude an extension...
I don't Like the trends I'm seeing with the AD. All I've ever really seen is Tennessee lose big games in my life so I could be overreacting. Have I gone full potato or am I justified here?
Let me begin by saying I'm only 21, but I've been a vol fan since before I can even remember anything. Like before I knew how to read, I knew that I was supposed to be a vol fan. Any other team felt like high treason. I'm from Johnson City and my grandad played basketball at UT in the 50s. He lived in the dorms under the stadium and still recalls the interactions he had with Doug Atkins, Majors, Bob Haslam, and Hank Lauricella. He's had season tickets since the 70s. My dad has been going to games since he was a kid, so have i, Since I was 8 (02 UT/Miami). My first real college football memory was being 10 and barely seeing wilhoit's field goal sail through the upright from P52 with like 8 seconds left to beat the gators in 2004. I vaguely remember walking down the ramp and the chaos that ensued that night while trying to find my dad's friend who came with us with a separate ticket (who happened to be a UF fan). Ever since then, I was hooked.
That was also my last "great" memory as a college football fan. I don't remember the Wyoming game in 2008, but I do remember Fulmer being fired and the Kiffin um.... year. Rocky Block, and being in my room watching espnews while kiffin announced he was going to Southern Cal. Then Dooley got hired. Went to the Oregon game. Watched the LSU debacle. Getting screwed in the music city bowl sucked. Got a little momentum in 11 after Cincy and then Hunter tears his ACL on the 1st play at UF, they fall apart. Lose to UK for the first time in a generation. Then there was 2012, I was at the UF game when they fell apart in the 2nd half. Dooley gets fired after he gets ran outta the stadium by James Franklin. In comes Butch. He's got all the right things to say but not a very hot track record. Watched from the stands as Pig fumbled out of the endzone vs UGA in OT. The 1st SC game was great but it just kinda felt fluky. Losing to Vandy at home was unacceptable. 2014 rolls around. Still haven't gotten over 10-9. The SC win was fun while it lasted but its obvious where that program is headed now. They had a chance to step up against Mizzou and they get handled at home. Struggle against a really bad Vandy team and blow out a completely overmatched Iowa team. Now it's OU week, Ticket prices thru the roof, Ton of recruits scheduled to be in. They go up 17 to nothing. Its their chance to make a statement... And they gag on it... Again.
I guess I'm just trying to get someone to reel me in here. All I see is a program that is spinning its wheels in the mud. I'm losing faith in Jones rapidly but the last the we need is another fking coaching search. If Butch loses at UF and wins 6 or 7 again, wtf happens? Are we supposed to be content with this? We gave the dude an extension...
I don't Like the trends I'm seeing with the AD. All I've ever really seen is Tennessee lose big games in my life so I could be overreacting. Have I gone full potato or am I justified here?
This post was edited on 9/13/15 at 11:27 pm
5
Posted on 9/13/15 at 11:51 pm to Dr._Jimes_Tooper
First, I'll say that game was lost in an egregious manner and I really don't want to hear anything other that it was an inexcusable loss. That is a game you have to win. This loss and the UF loss last year are two I'll remember for a long time.
That said, this program is so much better than it was with Dooley. People love to point out that butch has the same record, but that's irrelevant. What is relevant is the in game coaching which has been mostly lackluster. I think most of us were wait and see on the coaching and it seems that we can all see where that's headed. Obviously the athletes on the field are something to watch. I saw pretty good football against a top 15 team for 3 quarters and those guys played their hearts out, it was an awesome atmosphere.
I still think this team makes some noise and gets some good wins but I wouldn't be surprised to see another head scratching loss or two. There is a lot of football left to be played this year.
Unless this team completely tanks, there is no way you fire this dude IMO. I would bet that some assistants get sacrificed after this season though.
That said, this program is so much better than it was with Dooley. People love to point out that butch has the same record, but that's irrelevant. What is relevant is the in game coaching which has been mostly lackluster. I think most of us were wait and see on the coaching and it seems that we can all see where that's headed. Obviously the athletes on the field are something to watch. I saw pretty good football against a top 15 team for 3 quarters and those guys played their hearts out, it was an awesome atmosphere.
I still think this team makes some noise and gets some good wins but I wouldn't be surprised to see another head scratching loss or two. There is a lot of football left to be played this year.
Unless this team completely tanks, there is no way you fire this dude IMO. I would bet that some assistants get sacrificed after this season though.
Posted on 9/14/15 at 12:02 am to Dr._Jimes_Tooper
Man I really don't know what to tell you
Last night I legit tried to figure out if I could just make myself not care anymore, not even watch the games and just be a casual observer of CFB just like so many other people, but at the end of the day I bleed orange and there's just no way I could make myself not care anymore. I, like you, have been a Tenn fan from the moment I knew what a football was. My grandparents made sure of that and there's just no way I could remove myself from it all, just gonna have to suck it up and DWI
as for Butch, I think we are just in wait and see mode with him now. He's gonna have to prove it to us on game day at some point. As Rob said, there's basically no way we can fire him after this year but for me personally he HAS to be Florida. There's just no excuse to lose to that team again, I know it'll be tough cause it's in the swamp but still.........he HAS to win that one or I'll be permanently unconvinced of his abilities as a coach
Last night I legit tried to figure out if I could just make myself not care anymore, not even watch the games and just be a casual observer of CFB just like so many other people, but at the end of the day I bleed orange and there's just no way I could make myself not care anymore. I, like you, have been a Tenn fan from the moment I knew what a football was. My grandparents made sure of that and there's just no way I could remove myself from it all, just gonna have to suck it up and DWI
as for Butch, I think we are just in wait and see mode with him now. He's gonna have to prove it to us on game day at some point. As Rob said, there's basically no way we can fire him after this year but for me personally he HAS to be Florida. There's just no excuse to lose to that team again, I know it'll be tough cause it's in the swamp but still.........he HAS to win that one or I'll be permanently unconvinced of his abilities as a coach
Posted on 9/14/15 at 2:50 am to Wishnitwas1998
I was hoping the conservative game plan in the Florida loss last season was Butch just trying to hold on because of our inexperience and how young we were. It really got me worried watching Butch do the exact same thing in this game. We were the better team on the field for once, and Butch took his foot off the gas because he started coaching not to lose instead of coaching to win the game. Then I have to admit I got pretty aggravated at Butch this morning with all the usual coach talk about were young & we need to learn how to win. In my opinion Butch and his staff need to put 90% of this loss on their shoulders. But since Butch has been at TN I've yet to hear him take blame on anything. We will see how this seasons going to go when we get down in the Swamp.
Posted on 9/14/15 at 3:15 am to Dr._Jimes_Tooper
I'm 24. Started pulling for the Vols since early 2000's. I became the hardcore fan I am today around 2004. Sometimes I wish I wasn't even a football fan, but it's seriously a drug to me that I will never come off. We haven't been too competitive for nearly 10 years now and the losses have gotten easier because the care level has gone down. My thoughts now and including after last nights choke show is "well, thats just classic Tennessee football."
Im standing behind Butch this year unless we somehow only win 4 or 5 games this year. Next year (even though thats what we have been saying for 8 years now) should be 10+ wins though. He has recruited lights out but the coaching has really plateaued. He is wayyyy too conservative. He needs to grow some balls.
Im standing behind Butch this year unless we somehow only win 4 or 5 games this year. Next year (even though thats what we have been saying for 8 years now) should be 10+ wins though. He has recruited lights out but the coaching has really plateaued. He is wayyyy too conservative. He needs to grow some balls.
Posted on 9/14/15 at 11:49 am to Dr._Jimes_Tooper
This hit me right in the feels
Posted on 9/15/15 at 9:43 am to Dr._Jimes_Tooper
I'm 32, I've seen Tennessee at its best, and at its worst. There's light at the end of the tunnel, I know it.
My dad is 67, too young in 51 to remember that team. He said to me the other day. "I've been watching Tennessee football for over 60 years, and they've broken my heart every year, except for one, and it was worth it ".
My dad is 67, too young in 51 to remember that team. He said to me the other day. "I've been watching Tennessee football for over 60 years, and they've broken my heart every year, except for one, and it was worth it ".
Posted on 9/15/15 at 9:47 am to Vols&Shaft83
I'm 46 and I have seen the good and bad also. I was mad but not crushed because I have been in "believe it when I see it mode" for a few years now. It's sad to be that way, when we couldn't move the ball in the 3rd and they scored in the fourth I had a feeling we were going to lose.
I agree we are in better shape than when Dooley was here, but I don't think Butch can get us over the hump.
I agree we are in better shape than when Dooley was here, but I don't think Butch can get us over the hump.
Posted on 9/16/15 at 3:26 pm to DoUrden
Butch is a pussy.
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