I liked last year's class too and especially when you consider the absolute WORST thing Dooley did to Jones. He quit sometime mid-season in '12. IMHO, if they had not fired Dooley, he would have walked away. Sometimes you get in a situation that you cannot possibly climb out of. That's where he was.
But you still want to leave with some sort of dignity. I think he quit recruiting completely and left Jones with pretty much nothing to build on.
IMHO, Dooley wanted to be fired well before he was. He had every characteristic after losing DR and seeing the D go so badly so soon of a man broken emotionally by a challenge. He had certainly quit recruiting by the mid-point of the '12 season which would seem to indicate he had no intentions of being back.
I've seen it in business. On a lesser scale, I experienced it as a younger man. Sometimes it goes that way even for people who are capable and talented. Sometimes you just get too deep to ever hope to "fix" it.
We agree on quite a bit, and the reason being imo is that we have similar professional backgrounds. I totally agree with ur last paragraph above, and I've seen it too. It's sad. A close friend of mine lost his family when he ventured into doing his own thing, and it collapsed around him. Literally lost his mind. The guy has his MAC from a top private school, and Excel spreadsheets are literally his porn. I actually wrote a post a few yrs back on a thread about how I felt this was happening to Dooley. It was after I saw a postgame interview of his. I was told I was an idiot of course....like always. This is why I think calling Dooley incompetent is ridiculous. Saying that he is the worse in CFB history as if he took over a program at the top of its game is just crazy. He kept the W/Ls in the same range as where UT was for yrs. I'm a believer that some times taking 2 steps back to making a long strides forward is just what's needed at the level of rebuild Dooley took on. With that I do believe that Dooley would have been able to pull off 7-8 wins last year with the players he had. If CBJ were to lose 8 games, which like it or not is as much of a possibility of him winning 7-8 games, then he would take it into a realm that not even Dooley did. Yet people on here are saying that that would be ok with that while still calling Dooley incompetent. Smh.
With that said...some issues I have with what u r saying makes me want to ask u...wouldn't u have "quit" recruiting half season?? The fanbase wanted him fired, the Gruden talk had made national news, he had a player like Bray countering him like the bratty bosses kid, and his boss (who didn't hire him and I'm sure has his own agenda) never came out in support of him. Heck Haden at USC squashed the fire Kiffen talk ASAP, and it wasn't a secret he didnt care for the guy. Would u really expect Dooley to go into homes, and sit across a kid and his parents telling him to come play for him knowing he was gone?? Stressed out as heck about that weeks game too. I think it's unfair to say he had plenty of time, and he was the worse coach ever. U r in the rebuilding field in a sense if iirc from a post a long time ago...do u really think 2.5 yrs is enough time? Especially in such a highly regulated industry like CFB?? For goodness sake the guy went into BR in his first year, and took LSU to the wire. Even after Jefferson took the first play of the game 80+yds for a TD. He even took over the D for the Mizzou game, and held them to 21 up to the last min of the game. IMO the O not sealing it up with at least a FG with plenty of opportunity in the 4th was more to blame than bashing the D. At the end of the day I think the guy could be a good coach if he were to take over a program that doesn't have "rebuild" all over it or if it does a fanbase with lower expectations like USCe had at the time Spurrior came in. (yeah that guy couldn't grasp that concept at all so funny when u just gave up.) People like to bash him on his losing record as a HC, but both of his gigs were short lived and both big rebuilds. Not gigs like what Meyer or Sumlin tend to walk into as examples.
I've been reading this thread for the last 4 days or so, and finally just finished it. And I agree with u that we should win 6-8 games next year including a bowl game. I really found it interesting that throughout this thread one could just change Jones for Dooley and Dooley for Kiffen(mixed in with Fulmer from time to time), and we could be back in the '11 offseason. I find it to be hypocritical, and major memory loss by many jilted lovers. The same people that will go crazy if after this year CBJ wins 4-5 games, and if they lose to KY or something. They build themselves up so high that if there's a stumble the fall is so hard. That's why I believe we r in no way like LSU or Bama where we should look at the schedule as a season whole, but game by game as they come up. Who knows what's going to happen come Mizzou...half our team could be hurt or vice versa. I want to see close well fought games. Not surprising that only one person in this long thread stated that, and compared it to the '12 season. Cause that's what was wanted, and we got that.
Another thing I found interesting is how people like to say how bad Dooley's players are, but can't accept the possibility that CBJ couldn't use the players he had. They straight up bash them with hatred. These kids have worked hard for yrs (yes even under Dooley), and they get straight up hatred. But they'll be proud of them being Vols when they r doing well in the NFL that's for sure. Yet a multi-millionare HC gets his nads massaged by the same folks. The thing so many hung their hat on was him being able to get the best out of the players he'll get when he got hired. He was handed one of the best OLs in the country as a whole, and they are the awful ones. Has nothing to do with scheme change or they can't swallow the fact that our coaches weren't able to get the best out of them. I see some blaming Dooley and the players, but not scheme change or the current coaches. Blaming/bashing the players for being slow, but can't grasp the possibility that they weren't confident in the new scheme and hesitation slowed them down. Frankly imo if they do blame CBJ and Co and/or scheme change they'll notice the 3 fingers pointed back at them for wanting a new coach therefore a new scheme change.
Other thing I've noticed u do a lot is blaming Dooley for hiring Sunseri. Was it proven that that hire was totally on him or was it pushed on him?? The switch to the 3-4 was his demise, but if he hadn't signed DMc he may not have done it. Hindsight of course. My issue is that so many people act like jilted lover as if Dooley purposely made the move to hurt the program. Or act as if it was a stupid move and that there was a huge backlash about making the change when announced. It may have not been a stupid move if it was given time, and people knew it could have issues at first. But we'll never know.
I said it a while back, and oddly enough oregonvol (we've hashed it out a lot) believes the same thing, but if we end up needing to get another coach down the road Hart will need to go too. They would have to go at the same time imo. We can't have a new AD come in, and wanting to make his mark with his coach. Why I believe Hart allowed Dooley to burn to the ground, and why I'm not a big fan of Hart's. I will always believe theat the Gruden Fiasco cost the Vols 1-2 games in '12. That's what I care about. If he would have come out in support and eased Dooley in '12 he would have went bowling imo, and that wouldn't have fit Hart's agenda imo. An agenda that I believe has his benefit above UTs. I have a gut feeling that UTs progress is a means for his. Which is most important to him. At the end of the day imo I think CBJ gets that extra 4th year cause Hart hired him, and even if he doesn't deserve it he'll give it to him. I'm sure their will be reasons like no money for the payout, etc. CBJ needs to show progress w/o fail, and at this pt 5 wins isn't that. IMHO Dooley walked into a way different and more difficult situation than CBJ. CBJs situation isn't a cake walk by any means, but not as bad. I won't be happy with 5 wins only, but can swallow it with close games. Same I said with Dooley going into '12, and I believe he met that. It won't make me feel comfortable if we get 5 wins, cause I agree it will hurt recruiting. He had the luxury of being able to sign 35, and a boat load of legacies this past year. That's a CFB HCs wet dream, and an anomaly more than the norm. The 35 signing allows for so much more leeway when juggling recruits than having to stay in the low 20s. Something Dooley had to do. I don't think he took early commitments cause of the need to not have to take one away in case it was needed. Has the combo of being able to sign 35 and the high # of talented legacies ever happen for any team?? I can't remember ever seeing it.
6-8 games is a must for CBJ to survive imo. Not for me to think he's a good coach or not, but for him to build confidence in all involved....players, fans, recruits, and :fingerscrossed: Hart too. I want what's best for UT, and that's it.
PS: I'm sure i'll get stupid responses. Frankly don't waste ur time cause don't have time for it. I'm asking sjt cause frankly he is one of few who's opinion on some of this doesn't sound like a jilted lover who frankly tells there side only to their new lover. If anyone wants to respond, and want to have good discussion let's do it. But if u think I'm a fool, and come at me as such save it. Just don't waste ur time. Thx.
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