Why were we better with Kiffin?
IMO the Kiffin debacle blew the top off the popsicle stand. And all the issues that had been held under wraps couldn't be held in. Dooley came in to stop the hemoraging but wasn't given enough time to let it heal back to normal before he could truly take advantage of a healed program. That's IMHO.
Now let's not forget Kiffin went 7-6 and Dooley went 6-7 his first yr. Kiffins Bama game was Dooley's LSU game. Many like to harp on the end of the game but don't give him credit for going into BR and giving them a game. Especially when Jefferson runs for a long TD on one of the first plays of the game. I was on the 4th row 30 yd line UT side at that game. All lsu fans before and after told me that Dooley was a good coach and it was a good hire. Many even jokingly said they'd trade miles for him. It was a crazy moment the last few seconds and because I saw it all go down cause it was on my side of the 50 I don't fault Dooley for the 13th man. It's a part of the game.
Also let's not forget that the issue at the end of the unc game caused the NCAA to make a rule change, so that's pretty much saying we got screwed.
Let's not also forget the scedule strength Dooley had to deal with his first season and the other 2. He faced the sec east, which was somewhat down but always tough, the top 3 teams in the SeC west (and one being the eventual NC) and Oregon.
Sorry but gots to move on...
Then you also understanding moving on from the person that shows he's not up to the task of the rebuild? I was all for giving CDD time to get the job done. I was one of his biggest supporters until about halfway through last season.
His team deteriorated. His decisions led to the worst D in UT history. His lack of leadership produced teams that quit on him.
His results proved that he is not the man for the job. I wish him no ill. I have little emotional response. It just is what it is.
I'm hitting the reset button and beginning anew. I am hopeful for the new staff. I see much that gives me hope. Time will tell for them as well, and their results will be what we judge them by, when all is said and done.
Difference in you and I is that I don't think he was given the oppurtunity to show if he was the man for the job. The decision he made on D...U mean moving to 3-4 which all on here was happy about? Everyone knew it was going to be a tough transition, but all were ok with it because our O was going to be stout. People like to only look at the d as the only problem but don't give him any credit for the strides he had on the O. He stuck with Chaney when people wanted him gone, I had started losing faith in him too, and we had one of the greatest Os in UT history. Yes we lost but it showed IMO that Dooley being able to have stability in one area it could be good. Takes time to fix the whole problem. And let's be honest here...Sunsari may or not have been the guy Dooley wanted to hire. So let's consider that in the argument bashing his decisions.
I remember a thread during the season where someone said that he was concerned with the speed of the Os scoring, and how it would affect the D negativly. He got bashed for it just like I am now. I agreed with him, and it was concern of mine. Deerpark (iirc) posted a while back that the coaches were pissed that Bray would change the plays and wouldn't throw the short pass like the play design. I'm certain they wanted to slow the pace of the game down just so the D wouldn't get tired. Unfortunatly they didn't get help from Bray.
Other than the likes of Bray I really didn't see the team quiting on him this past season until the Vandy game. I saw a team that went to the wire and fought hard to the end. The D had its issue but IMHO I think those guys fought thier tails off. They heard all of the negative talk about how bad they were and they fought hard. Honestly IMO the O didn't help them out and left them out hanging. Don't forget that the O fumbled the ball at the end of the USC and miss st game not the D. Remember the O had the chance, given to them by the D, twice to put the mizzou game away in the 4th while the game was 28-21. They scored to tie it up on a play that was made up by DB in the huddle...that's tough to call as a coach IMO. The D played hard and I was proud of them all season, but everyone wanted Gruden and didn't see the good because they wanted Dooley fired cause Gruden was coming accordingly to their brothers neighbors uncles cousins babysitters baby daddy's dog groomers dad...
As you can tell I can go on and on on my opnion over the last few yrs. But I have a lot of people that believe that their insults faze me.
You bring up a great point. The whole system is broken. The first thing a coach needs to bring is a winning attitude. Looking back now I think that may have been one of Dooley's biggest downfalls was not bringing a winning attitude to the team. To be a winning football team you have to have a certain amount of swagger and be able to believe that you are going to win. Dooley basically prepared our team for defeat. Always talking about how terrible we were. Trust me buddy, I jumped on the Dooley train full force. Looking back now I believe I may have been just a little blinded. I do agree with you that he brought a certain amount of stability to the program. I do not think we would have ever gotten back to the level that Tennessee Football belongs at under him.
I see your pt on the winning attitude part but I think he showed it in a different way. He's a lot like me in the approach he took. Which can be a problem as you can tell by people that don't get where you r coming from at first. He came out and told everyone that we are not good. And we weren't. Pt blank. not to the standard we need to be. It wasnt against the players talents, but the whole organizational part of it. The foundation wasn't there. I looked at it as him telling us the fans..."hey we are mess right now and it's going to take time to get it fixed. We have long road to hoe. Ups a downs. Good and bad don't blame these players who are working thier tails off"...and I'm sure he told the players something else to give them confidence they can fight through it.
Don't forget that Dooley grew up around the rabid fanbases of the SEC. He knew he needed to simmer the expectations of the fans or he would be brought down by the infamous Legion of the Miserable. And it happened this past yr. like I said previously if the Gruden crap never was a part of this season IMO it would have turned out different. That negativity engulfed the program and brought down the season come Nov. Again IMHO.
Again I need to get to defending myself. But thanks for changing your approach in the dialogue. :hi:
And why would or should they understand it through "your eyes"? You have an "opinion" just like everyone else, "just an opinion!"
"Through my eyes" is equivalent to "my opinion" imo To bad you didnt see it that way.
Okie Volum, there is a difference between a POV and ignorance, maybe one day you will know the difference. No more comments on your threads from me. Good luck!
Ok bud. :good!: Thanks for feeling like you are so important you had to say something and not back up anything you said. Only a coward would call someone ignorant and then run without saying why. I'm sure your parents are proud of you. :hi: