1)"It was kind of like the perfect storm". - CPF on the 2005 season to KNS in late December 2005
2) Really, it took a lot of different variables to happen at kind of the same time. Whether it be schedule, whether it be injuries, or quarterbacks or inconsistencies of the receivers or offensive front, or penalties we just never ended up doing much. - CPF on the 2005 season to KNS in late December 2005
3) "Watching some [bowl] games, when you knew you were better than 90 percent of the teams you're watching. - CPF's "thoughts" as he was watching the 2005-2006 bowl season in cbssportsline.com article.
4) "We had some kids that just flat-out lied to you. That goes back more to their upbringing". - CPF upset because some football recruits backed out on UT without informing the school (from Tennessean, early Feb 2006)
5) "We were 17 points from being 9-2". - CPF making another odd statement on the 2005 season (from KNS)
6) "We all believe it was an aberration last year". - CPF on the 2005 season
7) Its a good thing I have built some equity. - Quote attributed to CPF during the NBC broadcast of the 2005 Tennessee-Notre Dame game.
8) "I think we assumed too much as to where we were ability-wise," - Fulmer to the AP at the end of February 2006, throwing his players under the bus yet again.
9) "This season reflects some of the assumptions that were made: Oh, were going to have a good football team, and we didnt take care of the little things well enough as a team. - CPF on the 2005 season
10) "I'll do a complete audit of the entire program. - CPF in USA Today on November 26, 2005
11) If I could sprinkle magic dust on it, heck, I'd fix it. - CPF after yet another home loss to Georgia on October 8, 2005.
12) "I have worked really hard in the last several days. I'm not ready to announce anything or anybody at this particular point, but I have made some good contacts and good strides toward contacting people that we think would be good for our program. We'll do a thorough search''. - CPF on the OC "search" to the AP on 11/16/2005
13) Our offensive line, I expect to be as good as we have had at Tennessee. CPF at SEC media days in Birmingham prior to 2005 season.
14) "We all are going to take a real hard look at special teams and make sure we're coaching it as hard as we can. I felt like we had been, and certainly, it has our full attention now." CPF in September 20, 2005 Chris Low article
15) Were good a couple of weeks on special teams, then all of a sudden, the football gods mad. CPF quote from 11/11/2005 Daily Beacon article, apparently still clueless that special teams at UT have been horrible for YEARS (and obviously forgetting how bad it was on September 20, 2005).
16) Its not that Steve Caldwell did a bad job at all. But I want more eyes, more discussion, more people involved in the kicking game. - CPF on 3/1/2006, putting Chavis and Cutcliffe in charge of various aspects of special teams in hopes of getting the football god to be a little nicer
17) I don't think, philosophically, we've totally determined what we are going to be just yet". CPF in 4/1/2006 KNS
18) "The magic is not in the plays, schemes or even the guy calling the plays. The magic is in the effort and the execution. That's where we've made some strides. CPF, after orange and white spring game blaming failure on the Jimmys and the Joes again, in 4/10/2006 AJC.com article.
19) "David has improved the toughness of our team. We're fundamentally better. He has been very demanding of tempo and execution. The daily practice habits improved. Not that we were practicing poorly, but not the cross your t's and dot your i's extent that we are now." CPF to Ron Higgins (Memphis Commercial appeal) in 4/12/2006, apparently admitting that he (the head coach) half assed it in 2005
20) I dont have a crystal ball to be able to tell you that. If I start talking about last year and say it was just a few plays, you guys (the media) kind of twist that sometimes. The truth of it is that if we make a few plays, weve got a chance to win eight, nine or 10 ballgames last year. CPF in 4/10/2006 Chris Low article when asked: Just how quick a fix is it coming off last seasons 5-6 debacle?
21) A couple of them should have been made a couple years before that, but that's hard because you're just coming off an Eastern Division championship and some good years. But getting to where we got to, we were patching it in some ways and should have made some changes before that. I was talked out of it, actually. But ultimately, it's all my responsibility." CPF to Chris Low in Destin, Florida on 5/31/2006 (Nashville Tennessean - 6/1/2006), admitting that he should have gotten rid of some dead weight coaches earlier and also admitting that people talk him (the head coach) out of making important decisions.
22) "I've been in it long enough to know that things occasionally will go in cycles. I've seen the ups and downs of most programs in that (meeting) room. This league is very competitive year in and year out, and we've won a lot of close games. But so has whoever else that's been the dominant team at that time. Last year, we weren't able to make those plays to win the close games. We've got to find a way to make them, and we will." CPF quotes to Chris Low in Destin, Florida on 5/31/2006 (Nashville Tennessean - 6/1/2006) CPF making excuses
again.
23) "If it takes a year or if it takes two years or whatever it takes, Tennessee football is going to be right back in the middle of things. It always has been and always will be." CPF quotes to Chris Low in Destin, Florida on 5/31/2006 (Nashville Tennessean - 6/1/2006). Translation: CPF doesnt have a clue on when the program will be back actually competing for championships.
24) "I know it sounds like I'm asking for two or three years to get it turned around. That's not what I'm saying. We're expecting to compete for the championship next year, and we'll see how long it takes. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work. Whether it takes one year or two years, we're absolutely going to get it done." CPF quotes to Chris Low in Destin, Florida on 5/31/2006 (Nashville Tennessean - 6/1/2006) Translation: I dont know what the hell Im talking about because I have contradicted myself (see #23 above).
25) "Arron Sears, Eric Young and David Ligon thats three darned good ones. I dont think theres anybody in the conference that has anybody better. CPF in the KNS on July 18, 2006
26) "We all felt like we weren't getting everything out of the program last year. But we had just won the division the year before, so it wasn't like everything was broken. Sometime between that Eastern Division championship and a really good-looking football team coming back with all the distractions, with the injuries, with the schedule, with the surgeries and with too much assuming on my part we lost something. CPF in The Tennessean on 8/4/2006
27) "We have been really into what we're doing here. We've had a sense of urgency to get where we want to get to. The players feel it. The coaches are certainly into us being as good of a team as we can be whatever that is. CPF in The Tennessean on 8/8/2006
28) There are some areas that if we take the next step we will be a lot closer to where we need to be CPF after a scrimmage on 8/8/2006
29) "If we're not better, we're going to have similar results. So how important is that?" snapped Fulmer, his voice rising. "It's very important that we play well. You take two or three special-teams plays that we didn't make or gave up, and we're in a bowl game last year. How much difference does that make in how everybody feels?" CPF in The Tennessean on 8/27/2006 when asked about the importance of special teams.
30) "I don't think we are even gonna watch the film. I don't see a reason to really. We'll take a look at it and see if there is a reason to." CPF speaking to Bob Kesling in the post game show after the 9/9/2006 Air Force game.
31) "We had some guys who I don't know what they were doing, to be honest with you," Fulmer said. "I don't know if they were thinking too much. But we will address that again (Monday), and we will get it better." CPF in The Tennessean on 9/19/2006 talking about yet another pitiful display of special teams in the 9/16/2006 Florida loss
32) We should have played him more," Fulmer said. "Sometimes, when you get into close games, it's the old pucker factor, to be honest with you. You don't want to put a guy in a game that hasn't been there in a tough situation." CPF in an AP article on September 21, 2006 on why LeMarcus Coker wasnt seeing the field much at the beginning of the 2006 season.
33) "You guys are amazing because if we werent throwing the ball well,, youd want to know why werent throwing the ball well.- CPF in response to media questions regarding the lack of a running game (in the KNS on 11/17/2006)
34) LaMarcus is not quite as physical as he needs to be quite yet, as far as some of the protection things and a lot of what we were doing at the line against their pressure looks. CPF explaining the sparse number of touches Coker had in the 1/1/2007 Outback Bowl loss to Penn State
35) There's another level of play out there that we haven't quite found yet, to be able to beat good teams like Penn State," Fulmer said. "They're certainly one of the top two or three teams that we've played this year. It comes down to a few plays always, and there were a few (Monday) that made a huge difference. CPF in Chris Lows 1/3/2007 Tennessean article.
36) "This is the best and most fun year of coaching I've had in a long time, as far as enjoying the team and the coaches. I'm looking forward to next year. I really think before I retire we'll win another national championship." CPF to Ron Higgins in the Memphis Commercial Appeal on 1/3/2007
37) "From our standpoint, it was a nice comeback year especially considering the issues we had and our schedule. You have a one-point loss to the national champions, a four-point loss to LSU. The bottom line is you've got nine wins. Nine wins is OK at Tennessee. It's OK." CPF on the 2006 season in the KNS on 1/21/2007
38) "That is kind of the smurf patrol running around out there. I want them to be a little pack of smurfs going around and kicking everyone's butt." CPF talking about Roshawn Fellows, Marsalous Johnson and Antonio Gaines in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press on 2/24/2007
39) There are some guys that are going to be some miserable, Fulmer said. As they say, you comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. CPF talking about Spring practice 2007 in the Chattanooga Times-Free Press on 2/25/2007
40) The next time we do it and we WILL hold that trophy up again I'm going to take some time and enjoy it. CPF in June 14, 2007 Randy Moore article on scout.com when asked what specifically he learned about his program from the '98 national title
41) I feel great, and I think there's a lot more to do here. I absolutely think we can win another championship, maybe more than one, and that's what we go to work every day to accomplish." CPF in 3/6/2007 Chris Low article
42) I keep telling you all this, but if we dont slip down on the 1 (yard line) and get two or three penalties, weve got a pretty decent average, Fulmer said. It wouldnt have been one of the tops in the conference, but the middle of the conference probably. You all want to go the other way, like were just God-awful. Statistically, we were. But in reality we werent. CPF blaming the Jimmys and Joes yet again for the Vols horrendous special teams play (that ranked 117 out off 119 in the nation in yards per kickoff return) during the 2006 season - from the KNS on 8/24/2007
43) Its not just catching it and running with it. Theres a lot of things that can happen, Fulmer said. You have to make a decision on a sideline, on a squib kick, who knows what. A little experience would help. But youve got to live in your hopes and not your fears. CPF on kickoffs/kickoff returns in KNS on 8/24/2007
44) I want to know, Fulmer said. Once we get through with Cal and Southern Miss and get into the conference schedule, I want to have all that resolved. CPF on the kickoff returns in KNS on 8/24/2007
45) Theres no substitute for experience, added Fulmer, even if youre a limited player. Theres been people that won championships with limited players that know what to do and can make plays. And Eriks not a limited player. CPF on limited players in the KNS of 8/25/2007
46) "They have a dynamic return -- we knew that going in," Fulmer said. "The first ball we punted was supposed to go out of bounds. He got his hands on it. They got away with a couple of clips, but we should have made the tackle. Like a lot of other areas, things in the kicking game must improve." CPF in 9/3/2007 Chattanooga Times-Free Press article making excuses and commenting on another pitiful display of special teams play following the Cal loss.
47) "I think we miscalculated the speed of Harvin, which we shouldn't have and that allowed them to get the ball out off the 1-yard line," - CPF in 9/16/2007 KNS article regarding the speed of one of the fastest Florida Gators
48) We did a crappy job of getting him on the ground. We've just got to kick where we're supposed to kick it and tackle the guy. It should have been (kicked) out of bounds or right at the sideline.'' CPF in the KNS on 9/15/2007 after the Vols special teams gave up an 83 yard punt return for a TD in the 59-20 drubbing by Florida
49) "Certainly, this wasn't representative of what we intended for it to be down here today. We knew we had a tough schedule at the beginning of the season. We've really got to look at ourselves, our players, our coaches, our leadership and go back to work.'' CPF in the KNS on 9/15/2007 after the 59-20 Florida debacle.
50) "I believe in what we're doing. I believe we've got to get a lot better at what we're doing. We've been a good running football team in the past. We're going to be able to get back to doing that better. I certainly think we could play the perimeter game better (when) we play a team with the speed that Florida has on the perimeter." CPF in 9/17/2007 Chattanooga Times Free Press, still thinking what worked in the past will still work.
51) We haven't had this many that I can remember since I've been here, so we're working to correct that. CPF in 9/24/2007 Tennessean article regarding the big plays given up by special teams early in the 2007 season.
52) Today wasnt our day. We got it handed to us, big-time handed to us. I said coming in we had to play really well as a team, offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. We didnt do any of the three. CPF in the KNS on 10/20/2007 after the 41-17 beatdown against Bama.
53) We were in open sets and three-wide sets. Hes not a great pass receiver, or at least weve got better guys at that, and didnt get him in the game. We should have. Hes a good player. - CPF in the KNS on 10/20/2007describing Montario Hardestys skill set and talking about why Hardesty didnt play one snap against Bama, including on 3rd and 1 when we gave it to a 4th string tailback.
54) "We practiced really well this week. Maybe we need to practice crappy and play better." CPF quoted in Jason King article on yahoosports.com on 10/22/2007 after the Bama beatdown.
http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news;_...yhoo&type=lgns
55) We made the decision to give Coach Clawson complete autonomy with the offensive unit and it has been fun to watch that part of our team develop this spring. There were some times in early scrimmages that I didnt know if we were going to get there but by the time spring drills ended, we were right on track. I think the thing that most people will notice that is different about out offense will be in the passing game. There will be a lot of the West Coast look to that. We had basically ran the same offense for the last sixteen years and most of it could be traced back as far as 1982. It will be fun to give some people a different look, CPF quoted on Big Orange Caravan trip to Henry County on 5/12/2008 in the Paris Post-Intelligencer.
http://www.parispi.net/articles/2008...7846906007.txt
56) Yeah, I know who you are. You're a good player. You're going to be a better player when you grow into your feet. 2005 quote from the Tennessee-Kentucky high school All-Star game attributed to Phil Fulmer as relayed by Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon from Collierville, TN, in an 8/18/2008 Chris Low article. Jarmon wasnt recruited by Tennessee and has become one of the top defensive ends in the SEC.
57) "We'll play six or seven teams better than that team this year. CPF in 9/5/2008 KNS article after the UCLA meltdown
58) "The reality is he has a ball security problem and not a fumbling problem," CPF in 9/6/2008 KNS article on Arian Fosters ball security problem.
59) I don't like it when it doesn't seem like people are responding to coaching in pressure situations. It's easy to talk about it in meetings and do it in practice but you've got to make sure it happens in games. I'm more than a little upset about some of that, thinking that we're above coaching. It's immaturity in most cases." CPF in 9/9/2008 KNS article once again blaming the Jimmys and Joes for the UCLA loss.
60) Obviously our team was either uptight or something. That wasnt us. CPF in the 9/21/2008 Chattanooga Time Free Press after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville.
61) A couple of things, Id have probably booed, too. - CPF in the 9/21/2008 Chattanooga Time Free Press after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville
62) I pride myself on having the ability to coach the kicking game, Fulmer said, almost defiantly. Brandon James is a good returner, but hes not that good. - CPF in the 9/21/2008 Chattanooga Time Free Press after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville
63) Weve got seven special-teams coaches, - CPF in the 9/21/2008 Chattanooga Time Free Press after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville
64) Our team, Fulmer said, it seems like weve got to learn things the hard way. - CPF in the 9/21/2008 Chattanooga Time Free Press after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville
65) "That loss is on me. I'm a big boy with broad shoulders. I can handle it.'' CPF in 9/21/2008 Knoxville News Sentinel after the 30-6 beatdown to Florida in Knoxville
66) "We didn't all of a sudden get stupid here". CPF on the 9/22/2008 VolCalls show.
67) "The mind is a powerful thing and we have to put it to use. CPF on the 9/22/2008 VolCalls show
68) Because somebody boos in the stands doesn't mean you don't have the support. That just means they're passionate about what they do. They just want to win," Fulmer said, adding that he had received calls of support from friends and family. "Ninety-five percent of them probably never played football before, or maybe not played a sport. I don't know. I can't tell you all that. I would have booed a couple things I saw out there if I'd have been in the stands. That goes with the territory when your fans and your people are passionate about what they want to see on the field. I wouldn't have it any other way from that standpoint. Now, do I like to be booed? No. Do I want to be booed again? No. But if I stay in this profession, you don't think I'm going to have an opportunity to get booed? That just goes with the territory." CPF to the media on 9/23/2008 as reported on
GoVolsXtra.com: University of Tennessee sports news from The Knoxville News Sentinel
69) I have never been an excuse maker. CPF to the media on 9/23/2008 as reported on
Breaking News - Chattanoogan.com
70) Weve won 148 football games in my time here at Tennessee and lost a little bit less than that a lot less than that, actually and we didnt all of a sudden get stupid as coaches. We know what were doing, and were going to go to the practice field and correct and work and put our football team on the field with the best advantage that we can possibly have. CPF to the media on 9/23/2008 as reported on
GoVolsXtra.com: University of Tennessee sports news from The Knoxville News Sentinel
71) "We are a couple of field goals from being 3 and 1". CPF, twice, on the 9/29/2008 VolCalls show
72) This is a very important time for us as we fight like heck to stay in the championship mix and hope somebody else gets beat." CPF in 10/6/2008 Tennessean article
73) "Whether it's administrative support or friends that are in crucial positions, I appreciate how everyone has handled this and has been supportive," Fulmer said Tuesday. "That's been a real positive for us. I look forward to rewarding that support." CPF in 10/15/2008 Tennessean article
74) There's concern -- I'm not going to sit here and say there's no concern. There's concern by everybody who loves Tennessee athletics about where we are and having the opportunity here to still turn this season around, but I just couldn't be more pleased. And also, with some of the friends we have here at the trustee level, those friends have been really good...contrary to what you might read." CPF in VolunteerTV.com article by Wes Boling
75) All I know is well keep working to get it fixed. CPF in the KNS on 10/27/2008 with the same ole same ole after yet another disappointing loss, this time to Alabama.
76) I took Vicky back to watch Pat's 1000th win and we're in the box and everything's great and all of a sudden they crank up Rocky Top and she gets emotional. Which I understand. It was hard, really hard. And it's still hard on my girls, it's been hard on my friends, a lot of Tennessee people because it was such a surprise." CPF in Clay Traviss book On Rocky Top
77) "I think there's no reason that you don't win eight or nine of those ballgames. That's the truth. Auburn's a crappy team that year, we just happened to play crappy. UCLA, I mean we score going in (when Arian Foster fumbled with the Vols leading 14-7) and it may have been 35-7, they'd probably quit or something. Wyoming? I mean that was a joke. My team was drained, it was unbelievably difficult just getting them out there." CPF in Clay Traviss book On Rocky Top when asked what his expectations were entering his last season as Tennessee head football coach.
78) We had a chance I think if Id hired the staff from Michigan, Fulmer said at a Little Rock Touchdown Club luncheon. Which looking back, that might have been a hell of a lot better idea than what I did. CPF quote in article on
GoVolsXtra.com: University of Tennessee sports news from The Knoxville News Sentinel on 9-21-2009 indicating he might have gotten Ryan Mallet to transfer to Tennessee and blaming Dave Clawson for being fired.
79) The knock on the talent, we had four guys play in the Super Bowl, we had two first-rounders this year, looks like four or five guys are going to be drafted," Fulmer said after the first round of the draft. "I think it's just par for the course when somebody replaces somebody and they have maybe a holier-than-thou attitude of arrogance or whatever. Then that's just kind of normal. There are certainly good players at Tennessee, and it's a shame what we've gone through with losing as many guys from the program for whatever reason, counting the really good players that I had committed my last year." CPF quote in article on
GoVolsXtra.com: University of Tennessee sports news from The Knoxville News Sentinel on 4-25-2010 again attempting to deflect responsibility and shift blame for the current state of Tennessee football.
80) If something comes up that really strikes me as something that is important, then I would look at it, he said. At this point that hasnt happened. Well just see where God leads us. Phil Fulmer in 12/10/2010 govols.com article discussing getting back into the head coaching arena.
81) I have talked to some people along the way and my feeling at this particular point is that we had an unbelievably great run at Tennessee, and I truly believe we would have been right back on track if it had just been left alone. To go and try to do something like that again at a school that has had its struggles isnt something that appeals to me a whole lot. I was interested in listening, but when it came right down to it, Tennessee is my home. My family is here, and my grandchildren are here. Phil Fulmer quote in David Pascall in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on 1/26/2012 discussing why he couldnt bring himself for pursue the at least three college coaching vacancies he had been linked to.
82) Im happy and comfortable, and everybody who basically had anything to do with me leaving is gone, he said. Im at peace with what Im doing. - Phil Fulmer quote in David Pascall in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on 1/26/2012
83) What happened to us basically was our leadership. We had four presidents in six years. We ended up with an athletic director that wasn't prepared for the job. Not a terrible guy or anything like that. He got twisted like a pretzel by the middle management of the university. We lost a lot of the edges that you have to have. (Current athletic director) Dave Hart's very aware of those, and he's working to change things. We didn't get dumb or lazy all of a sudden. There were obviously some things that were different. When you have a great president and a great athletic director and you replace them with substandard people that have no idea, what do you expect is going to happen? And you do that three other times? It's crazy." Phil Fulmer quoted in 8/18/2013 article written by Mark Inabinett on
Alabama Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - al.com.
84) And then I made a conscious decision not to chase another (coaching) job because my children, my grandchildren are right there, and they've been there a long time. And I knew wherever you go it's probably not going to be as good as Tennessee, particularly me being a Tennessean. So I chose to leave, I guess, the record for what it was, which was good." Phil Fulmer quoted in 8/18/2013 article written by Mark Inabinett on
Alabama Local News, Breaking News, Sports & Weather - al.com.
