ESPN thinks we go 4-8 next year

[bamawriter]

Georgia has not played a game outside the south in over fifty years!:realmad:

2010: UGA @ Colorado
2009: UGA @ Oklahoma St
2008: UGA @ Arizona St

You and I must have different understandings of what states make up the South.

 

[TGVol]

Just out of curiosity, you think Butch is the lucky one not us, what coach do you think we would have ended up with? All of our top choices turned us down. Also what makes you so certain we have a losing season this year?

Any football coach should consider himself lucky to be at UT. This is historically one of the best football jobs in the country, there is always a huge fan support, and amazing facilities - certainly the most beautiful 100k+ stadium in the country. There is not much not to like here other than fans being impatient (true at any big program) and rebuilding can take a while - this combined with fans being impatient makes it risky and is why some well known coaches turned us down.

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

no. what's moronic is expecting a guy to perform wonders with an inherited roster full of turds when competing against the best conference in america and adding a non conference game against a top 10 opponent on the road his first two seasons.....just for fun.

throw in injuries and a bunch of inherited guys with no talent learning a new system on offense and defense and it's just been peachy.

now in year 2, tennessee has 53 1st and 2nd year players on the roster.

the 2nd year hasn't started yet and people are beginning to question if he's the guy.

if you want to be critical, that's cool. but, you have to look at the whole picture

Honestly. With the OL last year all he had to do was to outbid AU for Artis Payne and he probably would've had a 9 or 10 win season. It'll take some luck and pluck to get to a bowl this year and if it doesn't happen next year will be do or die time. If it doesn't work out i just hope that Hart is not around to screw us once again.

 

[triad280]

no. what's moronic is expecting a guy to perform wonders with an inherited roster full of turds when competing against the best conference in america and adding a non conference game against a top 10 opponent on the road his first two seasons.....just for fun.

throw in injuries and a bunch of inherited guys with no talent learning a new system on offense and defense and it's just been peachy.

now in year 2, tennessee has 53 1st and 2nd year players on the roster.

the 2nd year hasn't started yet and people are beginning to question if he's the guy.

if you want to be critical, that's cool. but, you have to look at the whole picture

good post 99...why can't more Vol fans be reasonable and level headed about this? in other words,Smarter...

 

[RiseToTheTop]

2010: UGA @ Colorado
2009: UGA @ Oklahoma St
2008: UGA @ Arizona St

You and I must have different understandings of what states make up the South.

he made a mistake i guess.. dont be a smartass troll

 

[BeattieFeathers]

he made a mistake i guess.. Dont be a smartass troll

prior to 2008.....did uga win any of these road games?

 

[bamawriter]

he made a mistake i guess.. dont be a smartass troll

No, he spouted off a falsehood that he could have easily corrected with a 30 second Google search. One's criticism is rendered moot if one's criticism is completely inaccurate.

 

[bamawriter]

prior to 2008.....did uga win any of these road games?

They beat ASU.

 

[butchna]

Fulmer was fired for having two losing seasons in four years. Butch will have two in two. Butch was nowhere near the first choice of the fans or the AD. I think he was lucky to get the job not the other way around. Three years is plenty of time to prove whether he can win here. No excuses.

So don't play the games cuz we gonna lose...because Fulmer was fired six years ago? k: chief...clear as mud :salute:

 

[99gator]

No one was asking him to perform wonders. A bowl game, a win over Vanderbilt, any improvement over the worst record of the worst coach we've ever had... those aren't lofty expectations.

And everyone has injuries. Muschamp had as many as anyone and I don't see you wanting to give him a pass. Everyone in the SEC has to play a tough schedule. Muschamp had to play the national champion and I don't see you wanting to give him a pass.

There are things that happened in 2013 that haven't happened in 30+ years, since WWII, and in some cases.....ever.

And it was year 3 with no one believing Florida has a chance of making it to Atlanta in year 4. That it's not even possible. People are hoping for a Ron zook level of achievement.....again, in year 4.

Totally different situation.

 

[WilliamDuVOL]

i expect 7-5 and a new head coach in 2015

Two questions: Is that what your fans in general want after last season? And, who do you see those losses coming to? (Note: if you don't say Tennessee there shall be no butthurt on my end, it's a legit question.)

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

So don't play the games cuz we gonna lose...because Fulmer was fired six years ago? k: chief...clear as mud :salute:

Not sure what you mean. We're gonna play em and more likely than not lose most. Hopefully he can recruit another top 5 class and we see what's what come 2015. Last year and this year are write offs.

 

[BeattieFeathers]

There are things that happened in 2013 that haven't happened in 30+ years, since WWII, and in some cases.....ever.

And it was year 3 with no one believing Florida has a chance of making it to Atlanta in year 4. That it's not even possible. People are hoping for a Ron zook level of achievement.....again, in year 4.

Totally different situation.

Florida has been fortunate to have hired SOS and CUM in the last 25 years. Prior to 1990, Florida's history was meh.....Whoever is coaching Florida must hope for a mediocre FSU and Miami. If Miami is a surging powerhouse, Florida's efforts to recruit south Florida will be thwarted. Florida's sustained level of success for 25 years was unprecedented in this league. I'm not sure they will ever return to that level of consistency. They may be more up and down like most teams with exception of Bama have become. And frankly, I think Saban has won his last national title. I see Alabama settling into a more up and down program. This league is too tough to dominate.....

 

[VolunteerHillbilly]

Florida has been fortunate to have hired SOS and CUM in the last 25 years. Prior to 1990, Florida's history was meh.....Whoever is coaching Florida must hope for a mediocre FSU and Miami. If Miami is a surging powerhouse, Florida's efforts to recruit south Florida will be thwarted. Florida's sustained level of success for 25 years was unprecedented in this league. I'm not sure they will ever return to that level of consistency. They may be more up and down like most teams with exception of Bama have become. And frankly, I think Saban has won his last national title. I see Alabama settling into a more up and down program. This league is too tough to dominate.....

Bear Bryant did refer to UF as the sleeping giant in the SEC. It didn't awake until he was gone but he saw it coming I think.

 

[BeattieFeathers]

Bear Bryant did refer to UF as the sleeping giant in the SEC. It didn't awake until he was gone but he saw it coming I think.

true.....i'm lowering the bar for expectations of all teams in this league. With the new multi billion dollar SEC contract, everyone will have the "resources" including Vandy. This is going to be more of a dog eat dog league than ever before. The difference will be who has those Time Tebows,Carl Pickens,Cam Newton types to get them over the top.

 

[oregonvol]

There are things that happened in 2013 that haven't happened in 30+ years, since WWII, and in some cases.....ever.

And it was year 3 with no one believing Florida has a chance of making it to Atlanta in year 4. That it's not even possible. People are hoping for a Ron zook level of achievement.....again, in year 4.

Totally different situation.

You actually make it sound eerily similar.

The last time UT had 4 straight losing seasons it was pre-WWII. Most on here wouldn't expect to get to Atlanta by year 4 either (or at least most wouldn't dare criticize the coach if he fails to get there). It seems like most on this board would be totally satisfied with a Zook level of achievement. Over 76% declared a 5-7 season a job well done.

 

[BeattieFeathers]

Two questions: Is that what your fans in general want after last season? And, who do you see those losses coming to? (Note: if you don't say Tennessee there shall be no butthurt on my end, it's a legit question.)

Florida should never expect a Vol loss. We are going to beat them when they dont expect it. Probably not this year.....hope I'm wrong!

 

[VolAllen]

Florida has been fortunate to have hired SOS and CUM in the last 25 years. Prior to 1990, Florida's history was meh.....Whoever is coaching Florida must hope for a mediocre FSU and Miami. If Miami is a surging powerhouse, Florida's efforts to recruit south Florida will be thwarted. Florida's sustained level of success for 25 years was unprecedented in this league. I'm not sure they will ever return to that level of consistency. They may be more up and down like most teams with exception of Bama have become. And frankly, I think Saban has won his last national title. I see Alabama settling into a more up and down program. This league is too tough to dominate.....

Maybe we could call Urban Meyer something other than CUM.

 

[triad280]

Maybe we could call Urban Meyer something other than CUM.

why? this is VN,its how we roll...

later rednecks

 

[99gator]

You actually make it sound eerily similar.

The last time UT had 4 straight losing seasons it was pre-WWII. Most on here wouldn't expect to get to Atlanta by year 4 either (or at least most wouldn't dare criticize the coach if he fails to get there). It seems like most on this board would be totally satisfied with a Zook level of achievement. Over 76% declared a 5-7 season a job well done.

Again, the difference is that jones is responsible for one of those and he had to play the season with Dooley's players

 

[sjt18]

i agree with you on the level of expectation.

however, at what point do you remain calm and wait it out and what point do you jump ship.

I am calm. The standard and expectations shouldn't be based on whim. It has an emotional element but it needs to be mostly objective.

He'll get at least 3 years. I would probably be a bit quicker trigger than the guys in charge but assuming he makes some modest improvement this year to 6-8 wins I think he's almost certain to get a 4th year so long as there isn't a major regression in '15. I think his records could be 5-7, 7-5, 7-5... and he'd still get a 4th year. After that would be pretty sketchy though since it will be ALL his players and development.

if he's a game off of expectations with a team as young as tennessee will field, do you give up on the guy?

Criticize? Yes. Not that I have any power as just a fan but he'd have to do something fairly significant in '15 to win me back if he goes 5-7 again this fall with a similar level of competitiveness. I think that would be generous since I think that would involve losing to at least one opponent that has less talent.

or are you simply taking note of the fact he hasn't met expectations yet?

Yes. And stating what I think expectations should be. I really just expect tangible improvement and demonstration that he has the talent to compete with other top level coaches. I've seen enough re-building in sports and business to know that improvement isn't always at an even pace. The curve isn't smooth. But the trend should be up.

I WILL have a hard time stomaching another 5-7 season. It would be slightly more tolerable though if the team is playing better at the end than at the beginning.

 

[sjt18]

he lost to uab in 2000......way before he won any titles. try again!

And? Jones has already used his mulligan too. Saban has proven FAR more than Jones. Your comparison is simply not valid.

And as for this margin for error argument for spurrier and saban, what sense does that make?

Seriously? They don't have to prove they have the talent to win against the best of the best. They've proven it. Saban loses to ULM... but you KNOW he has beaten many great teams before that.

USCe was Jones' first career win against a top 25 team. Previously he was like 0-6 or something. He has done nothing to earn a longer rope.

Wouldn't you think a younger coach with less stature would need more time?

Absolutely not. The more time you give a guy who is likely not up to the task... the deeper the program sinks leaving the next guy with an even harder task. That is PRECISELY why Dooley should NOT have been given any more time. Apparently Hart was still on the fence until sometime around Troy, Mizzou, Vandy. That's still scary to me... that Hart's bar is that low.

This isn't the minors... he's not in the coaches' developmental league. This is the top echelon of CFB. If he isn't ready then he CANNOT get the chance to learn OJT. The program simply cannot afford that.

Especially with a roster as pathetic and pitiful as ours was when he got here?

Dooley inherited a pretty similar situation. In two years he'd lost one game that he should not have lost and that with only one SEC quality WR and a QB playing with the flu... and a bad attitude. Yet he was RIGHTLY on a hot seat heading into year 3 needing a great season to save his job.

If Jones goes 5-7 this fall then he will have lost to two teams that had less talent... and he will have a worse record than Dooley at that point. The RIGHT guy won't be equal to or just a little better than Dooley. The "RIGHT" guy will be MUCH better than Dooley and will show it ON THE FIELD with WINS.

Our defense last year was embarrassinly slooooooooow and no amount of coaching would have helped.

That's not true. They appear to have made a conscious decision to play their style without much modification rather than adjusting to the strengths they had. That's fine. It may work much better in the long run. But that D roster had more potential than what Jancek got out of it.

AND yours is a specious argument anyway. No one asked them to be "great"... just not horrible. No one asked them to do something with what they did NOT have... only to do something with what they DID have.

But, you guys keep up with the sabor rattling because that's what our fanbase is known for. keep it up.....eace2:

Dude. The only fanbases that don't sound this way when their team is in this kind of valley are those accustomed to being there and not particularly concerned about getting out.

Stating standards and expectations you think a HC should meet is NOT "saber rattling". I don't know what you do in life but NO ONE EVER does anything of significant importance without high goals and standards. The kind of mediocrity that you not only seem to expect but appear to accept... NEVER results in great things.

 

[sjt18]

Oh, btw, that same team that lost to a 7-4 UAB team... beat a RANKED UT team led by Fulmer the next game. They finished 8-4 with 5 SEC wins with 3 of those coming against teams that finished with a winning record. This... after taking over a team that had been 3-8 the year before... and not really because they had underachieved their talent.

 

[sjt18]

i expect 7-5 and a new head coach in 2015

This is my problem with you generally. Subtle arrogance. You tend to lecture us about having expectations that are too high... then state equal or higher expectations for UF. I find absolutely NO reason that UT fans should accept anything less of the Vols than you expect of UF.

I hate UF and would love to see you have and keep a loser coach. However I don't expect it. You won't tolerate it. You'll demand change and it won't take two consecutive losing seasons for that to happen. Yet somehow you think we're being "unfair" if we don't accept subpar results.

 

[sjt18]

no. what's moronic is expecting a guy to perform wonders with an inherited roster full of turds when competing against the best conference in america and adding a non conference game against a top 10 opponent on the road his first two seasons.....just for fun.

Roster full of turds... with 6 or 7 guys who will be on an NFL roster this fall in all likelihood? OK.

now in year 2, tennessee has 53 1st and 2nd year players on the roster.

the 2nd year hasn't started yet and people are beginning to question if he's the guy.

if you want to be critical, that's cool. but, you have to look at the whole picture

Why are you questioning Muschamp and predicting his demise? He didn't inherit a very good situation from Meyer. Season before last he gave you a solid 11 win season. We have just as much reason if not more to question if Jones is the guy as you do to question whether Muschamp is the guy.