Deep breath...and here we go

[NEO]

Everyone of us has had a moment in their life when they just thought it couldn't get any worse. Whether it was when you were a teenager, a job you hated, a job you lost, or a break up...maybe even a family death.

And while alot of these moments seems unbearable, and that things would never get better, the reality is they always did--and would.

I truly feel TN was at that moment up to a few months ago. It was rock bottom. Fans, players, and rivals all looked at the scenerio and considered it a wrap. "Those Vols had a nice ride but the SEC has changed and they will never be the same again," was the consenus of many people--including many on this site.

Then it went from bad to worse.

We fired the coach and many of us were on the Gruden ride. Yeah, wasn't that fun. Instead of being realistic we went with the Chucky dream and got so swept up in it that all other coaches were like drug-out meth hookers missing teeth. Then Gruden fell through. Then Strong fell through. Then we were back to the same feeling we hads during the coaching search for Dooley. The oh crap we are f%^^&&ed feeling.

But then something happened--

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.

We hired a real coach. A coach who clearly wants to be here. A coach that is turning the preception of this team around very quickly.

I say all of this not because North just committed (welcome home young man!) and not because Bell appears to be a commitment but because of this...

Rivals.com

Click on the page and go to recruiting. Every player popping up, Boyd, Gibson, etc, has an article and it includes us. We are hot again. We are getting in people's heads.

I personally don't know were we will end up because CBJ took over with very little time but the fact is he connects with players. He is bringing an energy we haven't felt since about 01...like anything is possible.

Please let that sink in...we have 5 stars actually placing us in their final two and are serious about it. Whe is the last time we felt we could actually go up against Bama with a recruit and win? Von Bell may just be that.

So the point is, it's deep breath time. We made it through one of the worst periods of TN football ever and we are now back in the game.

And NSD.......... we may shock the world!

 

[Wickerhead]

Kaboooooooooommmmmmm!!!!!

 

[FLVOL_79]

That moment in my life was when I was standing in a field in Pakistan at the end of September in 2001...and I said to myself "WTF but I'm in the AIR FORCE!"..

 

[Batman1948]

Well said---I live over a 1000 miles away from Knoxville but I can almost feel this thing turning around. Coach Jones just looks like a football coach. I believe we finally have the right guy in place to bring us back to glory. The best part of this is that he has a solid staff that has been with him for a long time. That's key---staff changes every year doomed Coach Dooley.

I'm ready to get this party started

 

[StarCityVFL]

I like the post, shame however Dave Hart and Jimmy Cheek will get credit for a great coaching hire they fell a$$ backwards into....

 

[SuperDave]

Click on the page and go to recruiting. Every player popping up, Boyd, Gibson, etc, has an article and it includes us. We are hot again. We are getting in people's heads.

UT has always had a nice ass!

 

[lostsheep]

Hoping your opinion is correct...but am reserving judgement until we actually see some results on the field over the next couple of years.

I'm sure we all felt/said the same things about Dooley when he 'salvaged' his first recruiting class as well and we managed to play in a bowl game his first year.

When we've managed to put a couple good classes together, have a couple of winning seasons and get out of the red financially...I'll believe things are actually starting to get better.

 

[globadoc]

I like the post, shame however Dave Hart and Jimmy Cheek will get credit for a great coaching hire they fell a$$ backwards into....

Actually, I give most of the credit to Butch, who could be coaching at Colorado or Purdue right now. But he stuck it out, even through Hart and Cheek unsuccessfully chasing down Gruden/Strong, knowing he had a chance to coach here. To me, that was the most telling thing. He was willing to let the two birds in the hand fly away so that he could wait on the Big Orange bird in the bushes. Now he's here and doing one helluva job...so far.

So the credit is his and not so much anyone else in the administration.

 

[globadoc]

When we've managed to put a couple good classes together, have a couple of winning seasons and get out of the red financially...I'll believe things are actually starting to get better.

I think you would agree that they sure as heck aren't any worse.

 

[Rudy123]

Everyone of us has had a moment in their life when they just thought it couldn't get any worse. Whether it was when you were a teenager, a job you hated, a job you lost, or a break up...maybe even a family death.

And while alot of these moments seems unbearable, and that things would never get better, the reality is they always did--and would.

I truly feel TN was at that moment up to a few months ago. It was rock bottom. Fans, players, and rivals all looked at the scenerio and considered it a wrap. "Those Vols had a nice ride but the SEC has changed and they will never be the same again," was the consenus of many people--including many on this site.

Then it went from bad to worse.

We fired the coach and many of us were on the Gruden ride. Yeah, wasn't that fun. Instead of being realistic we went with the Chucky dream and got so swept up in it that all other coaches were like drug-out meth hookers missing teeth. Then Gruden fell through. Then Strong fell through. Then we were back to the same feeling we hads during the coaching search for Dooley. The oh crap we are f%^^&&ed feeling.

But then something happened--

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.

We hired a real coach. A coach who clearly wants to be here. A coach that is turning the preception of this team around very quickly.

I say all of this not because North just committed (welcome home young man!) and not because Bell appears to be a commitment but because of this...

Rivals.com

Click on the page and go to recruiting. Every player popping up, Boyd, Gibson, etc, has an article and it includes us. We are hot again. We are getting in people's heads.

I personally don't know were we will end up because CBJ took over with very little time but the fact is he connects with players. He is bringing an energy we haven't felt since about 01...like anything is possible.

Please let that sink in...we have 5 stars actually placing us in their final two and are serious about it. Whe is the last time we felt we could actually go up against Bama with a recruit and win? Von Bell may just be that.

So the point is, it's deep breath time. We made it through one of the worst periods of TN football ever and we are now back in the game.

And NSD.......... we may shock the world!

I like this however; over many recruiting classes, I have learned to wait a year or so before I get excited about a class.

For instance: Gerald Williams was huge for us because he chose us over the hated Gators. However; it took years before he was a student here or played in a game.

Mike Edwards, Bryce Brown, NuKeese Richardson, all signed and we were happy about it but they didn't stay long enough to make the impact on the field that they could have made.

Now that our popularity is rising, we don't have to settle for the troubled 5* recruits that other programs are weary of, but we will be able to get some real solid 5* recruits who have no baggage and are likely to stay 3 or 4 seasons.

 

[92volalum]

Op i give u credit for positive vibe but im still in a wait n see mode..

We had a coach that could win 8 or so games in Johnny majors.. He was fired for several reason but the biggest was phil fulmer promised to take recruiting to a new level.

Will cbj be Johnny or phil? We need phil level...

 

[kohlrums]

I effing love Butch Jones. This team will be 8-4 next year-I have no doubt. Well, maybe a little doubt, but I can't see having less than 7 wins with this HC. They will finally start to win some games they are not supposed to.

I hope South Carolina enjoyed their little resurgence, because it's going to be Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia again in the East.

 

[soda23]

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.


uuhhhh , you obviously didn't watch the game and have never heard of Billy Ratliff......it wasn't luck

 

[ItsAllVols]

I agree, but as I watched our defense play the last few years it just remind me of each of the recruiting years we have not landed stud defense players, I know it doesnt happen over night and have seen some movement in this process....We just need a guy like Carl Lawson...that kid has so much humility for such a STUD PLAYER...I love the thought of Von Bell signing and thinking about the future players with the last name of Barry...our D is just going to blossem....CBJ just gets this...you can see it in his recruiting...I love the holes he is filling at every level of the D... Go Big Orange

 

[kohlrums]

Just to add one more thing-if we land some of these guys Butch Jones and Tennessee WILL be the story on NSD, because everything else that happens will be business as usual (Bama, ND, and Florida in the top 10, blah, blah, blah).

But if Butch turns these 5 and 4 stars on NSD in front of everyone Tennessee will be getting crazy kinds of love all day.

 

[Orange Blood n IL]

Very well said sir!!! This post deserves a BOOM imo. I too was looking at recruiting web sites earier and seen the same thing. There is also a video link on ESPN where Tom Luginbill thinks we will be the suprise of National Signing Day, and even if we fail with some of the above mentioned recruits, he as well as several other analysts were amazed at the job CBJ has done thus far and can see a bright future for our beloved Vols! Rise to the Top is in full effect, and while I am a major homer, I know that it won't be immediate, but I have faith in this program that I love so much, and I'll never give up on this team...Never! GO VOLS! RISE TO THE TOP!

 

[Vol-in-Atlanta]

I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it's a long way back to the top. We are coming off such a low bottom any bounce feels good. I hope you are right about CBJ, but it will take more than just a great coach to turn this thing around. It will take time, resilency, additional recruits, stability in coaching ranks, dips in our opponents capabilities, etc. We have a great program, we'll be back - but don't loose it if it doesn't happen overnight.

 

[tnvols72]

That moment in my life was when I was standing in a field in Pakistan at the end of September in 2001...and I said to myself "WTF but I'm in the Chair FORCE!"..

fyp

you must of been AWOL ????

 

[govols105]

we all hope we are on the rise to the top, but only time will tell, not the recruiting rankings (though it is fun to see where we get and talk about the rankings.) but the results next season will show if we are climbing up the hill or being buried beneath it.

 

[KBVol]

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.


uuhhhh , you obviously didn't watch the game and have never heard of Billy Ratliff......isn't wasn't luck

Well said, we didn't get lucky. Stoerner tripped over the foot of his o guard (or tackle, can't remember which) after Ratliff blew him up. We then promptly, via Travis Henry, ran the ball down Arkys freakin throat to win the game. No luck, execution. Just sayin

 

[Backwards K]

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.


uuhhhh , you obviously didn't watch the game and have never heard of Billy Ratliff......isn't wasn't luck

Beat me to it. I'm tired of hearing some UT fans try to cheapen that National Championship just to fit their agenda. Tennessee had the best team in the nation that year and they have the trophy to prove it.

Ratliff drove Burlsworth back causing him to step on the QB's foot. Then UT drove the ball down Arkansas' throat to score the winning TD. Not only that, the Vols were on a 25-3 run to end the game.

 

[KBVol]

I appreciate the enthusiasm, but it's a long way back to the top. We are coming off such a low bottom any bounce feels good. I hope you are right about CBJ, but it will take more than just a great coach to turn this thing around. It will take time, resilency, additional recruits, stability in coaching ranks, dips in our opponents capabilities, etc. We have a great program, we'll be back - but don't loose it if it doesn't happen overnight.

Well said on your part. It'll also take getting Jimmy Cheek in check if not out of the way. But I feel really positive about our situation with CBJ and the boys. Headin in the right direction

 

[KBVol]

Beat me to it. I'm tired of hearing some UT fans try to cheapen that National Championship just to fit their agenda. Tennessee had the best team in the nation that year and they have the trophy to prove it.

Ratliff drove Burlsworth back causing him to step on the QB's foot. Then UT drove the ball down Arkansas' throat to score the winning TD. Not only that, the Vols were on a 25-3 run to end the game.

You are correct sir! Thanks for the details.

 

[Obsessedvol]

Everytime someone makes one of these "the dark times are leaving" post...something really bad happens again, so I really hope you're right lol.

 

[pacer35_80]

Everyone of us has had a moment in their life when they just thought it couldn't get any worse. Whether it was when you were a teenager, a job you hated, a job you lost, or a break up...maybe even a family death.

And while alot of these moments seems unbearable, and that things would never get better, the reality is they always did--and would.

I truly feel TN was at that moment up to a few months ago. It was rock bottom. Fans, players, and rivals all looked at the scenerio and considered it a wrap. "Those Vols had a nice ride but the SEC has changed and they will never be the same again," was the consenus of many people--including many on this site.

Then it went from bad to worse.

We fired the coach and many of us were on the Gruden ride. Yeah, wasn't that fun. Instead of being realistic we went with the Chucky dream and got so swept up in it that all other coaches were like drug-out meth hookers missing teeth. Then Gruden fell through. Then Strong fell through. Then we were back to the same feeling we hads during the coaching search for Dooley. The oh crap we are f%^^&&ed feeling.

But then something happened--

We got lucky. I'm not sure if it's Arkansas fumbling the football for no reason lucky but it may be up there.

We hired a real coach. A coach who clearly wants to be here. A coach that is turning the preception of this team around very quickly.

I say all of this not because North just committed (welcome home young man!) and not because Bell appears to be a commitment but because of this...

Rivals.com

Click on the page and go to recruiting. Every player popping up, Boyd, Gibson, etc, has an article and it includes us. We are hot again. We are getting in people's heads.

I personally don't know were we will end up because CBJ took over with very little time but the fact is he connects with players. He is bringing an energy we haven't felt since about 01...like anything is possible.

Please let that sink in...we have 5 stars actually placing us in their final two and are serious about it. Whe is the last time we felt we could actually go up against Bama with a recruit and win? Von Bell may just be that.

So the point is, it's deep breath time. We made it through one of the worst periods of TN football ever and we are now back in the game.

And NSD.......... we may shock the world!

soo....are you still predicting Randy Shannon as DC on signing day?