Butch Year 2 Cincy Interview

#52
#52
Nationdom said:
Any less would not be "understood", it would be under achieving and jones coaching ability should be questioned. New assistants should be brought in, OC, DC for example
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The bar should be Ole Miss. Hughes Freeze came in and has done really well developing that program with way less tradition, and less resources. UT isn't the only team that has to field young players. The excuses should be over. Freeze has even developed a player who UT wouldn't sniff, in Bo Wallace. Ironically, the kid is a better player than any QB we have on roster. Bottom line, Coach Jones has to win 6 games, preferably 7 (as a bowl win marking the 7th).
 
#59
#59
Lacking talent in the SEC is more severe than lacking talent in another conference. The road back continuously gets more difficult.

I would expect Butch Jones to use his same formula here as he used at Cincy and Central Michigan. At the same time, I don't think Butch has any illusions about being 5-7one year and winning the conference the next because of the overall strength of the conference and because of the schedule. I think he has, as we all say, "gets it" as far as knowing what it takes to win in the SEC. Now is the time to start winning in the SEC.

In recent years, Tennessee's schedule has been even more brutal than some of the SEC foes due to the caliber of non-conference play.

I will judge this coaching staff and Team 118 against it's ability to improve. So far, we have seen improvement in academics, significantly enhance recruitment techniques and caliber of recruits, improved engagement of the fan base, and recognition by others in the league and outside of the SEC of Tennessee being on the move.

Now, the Vols are about to start the second year under Butch where we will judge whether there is improvement in the parameter that all of us watch most which is in the number of games won. We can look at the schedule all day long and come up with scenarios that support the optimists belief due to having one year of Butch's system behind them and the stellar recruiting class that this is going to be a breakout year. Or we can look at the same schedule and based upon its difficulty and the great number of players uninitiated in SEC play that this could be the first 8 loss season. And expectedly, the pundits and talking heads come up on both sides of this equation because a bit of controversy gets them notice and provides them relevance.

For me, I buy Coach Jones comments about expecting consistency and improvement. For this season, that means a bowl game. It is characteristic that great freshman play like seniors in one game and play like freshman in another. I hope to be pleasant surprised that Butch's system of EEs, strength and conditioning, valuable coaching tips from VFLs returning to campus, enthusiasm, hard work and buy-in of the team at large will result in advancing the maturity of the team that Butch talks about. If that occurs on a consistent basis, then the season record going into the bowl will be "x" greater than break even.

It is pre-season and everyone is 0-0 so most fan bases anticipate championships. Then reality hits. No one knows how many wins the Vols will have. With consistency and improvement, the record will be better than 5-7. Butch needs to keep doing what he has been doing since he got here as far as his relentlessness in academic improvement, recruiting, and selling the Tennessee brand -- which we know he can do because he has done it -- AND improving that won-lost record. The time for measuring that factor of improvement is about to begin in Year 2.

(And I do think Butch was made aware, if he did not already know it because of the media, that the analogy of "Year 1" actually being "Year 0" would not play well in Big Orange Country.)
 
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