The Culture problem with TN football

[rocky top buzz]

Great article form AtoZ in Nashville about the culture problem ion TN. I have thought this same thing a lot. This is why when UT lost last year, they lost badly. At the first sign that the other team has gotten ahead the culture was to give up and "oh well we tried our best... orange slices for everyone!" You hear some of the old guys like Joey Kent who rarely lost, a loss was devastating. Tennessee needs to get back to that point.

Tennessee's culture is still a big problem for Jeremy Pruitt

 

[vol445]

That is problem #1. I blame the everyone is a winner generation. That attitude breeds failure imho. ANd when added to learning to be a head coach it’s compounded.I do believe he gets it done tho

 

[memtownvol]

Spot on. This is why many of us said this rebuild would take time. He will need a couple more recruiting classes to truly flip the roster and begin to win big. And even if he is not the permanent long term solution, the next guy will have a better group of players as a whole to begin with. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that but only time will tell.

 

[volfannbama]

That is problem #1. I blame the everyone is a winner generation. That attitude breeds failure imho. ANd when added to learning to be a head coach it’s compounded.

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

 

[vol445]

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

Of course there are exceptions to the rule. And I thought it was a bad idea from the start

 

[5FingerVolPunch]

The positive thing is, the freshman that are playing don't exhibit that mentality. That's why they're playing. A couple more recruiting classes like that should do it.

 

[zjcvols]

Ah, blaming the previous coaching and his players for a toxic culture that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the next coach to win.

A tradition unlike any other at Tennessee.

 

[boomvol]

The positive thing is, the freshman that are playing don't exhibit that mentality. That's why they're playing. A couple more recruiting classes like that should do it.

Agreed, that's why I'm not giving up on Pruitt yet. His guys seem to have that edge that you look for, and if we can turn that attitude from an outlier to a standard, we will be in great shape as a program.

 

[savannahfan]

Spot on. This is why many of us said this rebuild would take time. He will need a couple more recruiting classes to truly flip the roster and begin to win big. solution, thAnd even if he is not the permanent long term e next guy will have a better group of players as a whole to begin with. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that but only time will tell.

Herein lies part of, if not a whole lot of our problem within VolNation. "It's the next man up syndrome". This may work with players, but not so well with coaches. I think we as a group need to get hard-bull headed as to our staff and head coach. If we display a "stay the course" attitude (for lack of a better term) it will help the staff in turning around the players and recruiting the kind of guys we all want. Winners!! Not "oh wellers". I wonder how many real winners we miss out on just because they see this "loser mentality" and a good chance of a coaching change during their career. I am glad to hear you point this out as your post explans.

 

[FLVOL_79]

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

Get off my lawn!

 

[G8rh8r]

To me, the mentality you’re describing stems from a lack of discipline. The discipline to execute, the discipline to wake up and work out when you don’t want to, the discipline to know your place on the team, the discipline to accept corrections with the right mindset and make the corrections, and the discipline to make a game plan and stick to it.

 

[Hacksaw]

 

[ALLVOL 4LIFE]

My issue with all of this is simple! Pruitt wants to be and acts like a hard ass right? If there are kids on the roster that are not buying in or giving their all, put BOOT to ASS! Send them packing! If you gonna lose, lose with your player and players that care. Pruitt is the chief and he need to continue to clean house at a faster pace IF we still have these types of players. Why waste his time or ours? He has 50 players that he recruited, that’s a little over a 2 deep, (I know every position won’t be covered by those 50) he can cherry pick from the remaining 35 scholarship players plus all the walk-on’s!

This excuse is is not working for me at this point! Live and die with the ones that want to be there. Everyone...U may go now!

 

[savannahfan]

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

Agree.. Yes, my and the next generations have help create the less than overall competitive attitude that we think has always been a part of this nation. As to players of team sports, (not so much for individual players, they know why they are playing, to win, be the best) we have been giving everyone trophies at the end of games and seasons for sometime now. Many kids don't understand "winning", just getting the reward (trophy), they think that's the real thing. I played! Bue the way this holds true with all parts of the "American Way". If someone can't make it, just give them what they want, or the government throws money at the problem hoping it will go away.

 

[jwilliams]

My issue with all of this is simple! Pruitt wants to be and acts like a hard ass right? If there are kids on the roster that are not buying in or giving their all, put BOOT to ASS! Send them packing! If you gonna lose, lose with your player and players that care. Pruitt is the chief and he need to continue to clean house at a faster pace IF we still have these types of players. Why waste his time or ours? He has 50 players that he recruited, that’s a little over a 2 deep, (I know every position won’t be covered by those 50) he can cherry pick from the remaining 35 scholarship players plus all the walk-on’s!

This excuse is is not working for me at this point! Live and die with the ones that want to be there. Everyone...U may go now!

I'd say he's doing exactly what you suggest... we're "dying" more than we're "living" so far... fingers crossed it changes soon.

 

[DonDiego]

Ah, blaming the previous coaching and his players for a toxic culture that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the next coach to win.

A tradition unlike any other at Tennessee.

On the other hand, we can not blame the previous staff. We can blame this coach and this staff for not winning much 15 games into their tenure. That way, we can keep turning over staffs repeatedly and assure the continuance of the toxic culture.

 

[Gandalf]

Its also something Pruitt is not likely to be used to either. He has already lost more games at TN than his entire career as a DC. I suspect (based on every single report of his personality) he does not care for it much, irrespective of his seemingly non-nonchalant expression in public briefings. In fact, my strong suspicion is part of the disconnect is Pruitt having come in and said, in effect, "Imma gonna teach you boys how to WIN...or I am going to get me some boys who can". That process is still ongoing.

 

[ALLVOL 4LIFE]

I'd say he's doing exactly what you suggest... we're "dying" more than we're "living" so far... fingers crossed it changes soon.

Well my thing is, this staff has recruited 2 QB’s and hired a New OC that’s suppose to be a QB guru. Why is our very most important position on the field, performing the worst? And we have Wenkie and Tee Martin to help. Nothing is gonna make me understand why we don’t have a serviceable QB right now.

 

[SKBubba]

It goes deeper than UT football or Butch Jones or the AD or the admin or whatever. It's a Knoxville thing. Let's hope Pruitt doesn't succumb to it.

 

[landscapingvol]

The effects of social media and technology on this generation is absolutely a "generational issue". Facts are kids/teenagers/young adults aren't as actively participating in organized sports. Youth leagues are dying all over the country which is why more and more players are playing AAU. Many players today simply do not want to put forth the effort it takes to be successful. It has gotten worse over the last 10-15 years or so. It isn't just a problem a UT but it is magnified at UT when the results on the field suck as bad as they have.

 

[05_never_again]

Its also something Pruitt is not likely to be used to either. He has already lost more games at TN than his entire career as a DC. I suspect (based on every single report of his personality) he does not care for it much, irrespective of his seemingly non-nonchalant expression in public briefings. In fact, my strong suspicion is part of the disconnect is Pruitt having come in and said, in effect, "Imma gonna teach you boys how to WIN...or I am going to get me some boys who can". That process is still ongoing.

I think that's been a really underrated factor. If Pruitt seems disinterested, and he very well might be, it is because the guy isn't used to losing. He's never been at a struggling or rebuilding program...ever. Even back when he was coaching high school. Most of his current staff hasn't been at bad programs either.

 

[Vfl2407]

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

Don’t see any generational problems in places like Clemson.
It sickens me how they are so much better than us.
Have you been to that little podunk town in the middle of nowhere.

 

[rocky top buzz]

Ah, blaming the previous coaching and his players for a toxic culture that makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the next coach to win.

A tradition unlike any other at Tennessee.

But I think there is a lot of truth to it. Kiffin leaving created an obvious disaster. Dooley trashed relationships with former players and high school coaches. Jones was able to recruit top kids based on a culture of misleading, hence so many 4 and 5 star kids transferring out. All of those problems are culture. The reason Kirby was able to step in and have a lot of success at UGAly is because Richt had a good culture, he was just a little too much like Jones in that he was more worried about champions of life than champions of football. I'd prefer to have both.

I think Pruitt being a pure football coach will help with the culture. I don't think it should take 5 years to get back to winning 7+ games, but if Pruitt isn't the guy I think he can correct the culture for the next guy.

 

[peaygolf]

Its not a generational thing, there are fierces competitors in this generation, just like every other. I always find it funny that the generation that created the generation complains continually about the generation it created.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

Great article form AtoZ in Nashville about the culture problem ion TN. I have thought this same thing a lot. This is why when UT lost last year, they lost badly. At the first sign that the other team has gotten ahead the culture was to give up and "oh well we tried our best... orange slices for everyone!" You hear some of the old guys like Joey Kent who rarely lost, a loss was devastating. Tennessee needs to get back to that point.

Tennessee's culture is still a big problem for Jeremy Pruitt

This is not new, and I believe everyone found out what was happening internally while Butch was the HC, he destroyed the culture from within and it migrated to the football team. This is why CPF brought in Pruitt, to fix this thing both internally and externally. That is probably a bigger challenge than recruiting. How many of us have worked in a "toxic" environment, but could not figure out just why it was that way? Its a culture issue "group think", if you disagreed with Butch, he was going to make things miserable for you or you didn't get played. This impacted a bunch of players who had this apathy type attitude and now, that is hard to shake, hiring any coach, is not going to cleanse UT of that amnesia of what it takes to build a winning program, not a team. This will take.........yes.......TIME.