Failure to Communicate

#26
#26
Smokeyshowl66 said:
As I've read the various reactions to the CBJ hire, as well as reactions to his decisions since last Friday, there is a common theme emerging. For some reason, our Chancellor, our AD and our new Head Coach are all suffering from the same disease - failure to communicate effectively with the fan base. Cheek has basically said nothing publicly about the process. Hart set expectations so high, that there was probably only one name that the majority of fans would have been happy with. And now, CBJ said he was going to hire the best coaching staff in the country and has essentially just brought his UC staff with him. I am very optimistic about CBJ, but all 3 of these men need to reflect on the words they use - they are repeatedly setting up the fan base for disappointment - which is not exactly the best PR path to reenergize a fan base.
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You forget one key thing: the AD, chancellor, and Hart owe us nothing. Hart hired whom he wanted and same goes for BJ. We all must sit back and watch the product as it unfolds. The only way we make our voices heard is through the all-mighty dollar. I think we have to be optimistic as a fanbase and look at this situation for what it is--it's a mess right now. It's very fixable but we have to trust that this will get worked out. It's not what anyone wants to hear or needs but that is the situation. I'll throw support behind BJ just like if it were any other coach and it will be up to him and his abilities to get this thing going. If he fails then we go back to square one. I have a tendency to believe this guy can succeed where Dooley failed (for a number of reasons) but we will see.
 
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#27
#27
InVOLuntary said:
Yea I think as fans we need to set our expectations lower. We need to accept, as apparently the AD has, that we are not the Tennessee of old. We are now a lower tier SECE team. We should expect to win 8-9 games in a good year and 6-7 in a bad year and go to bowls that are played around Christmas and usually in a region known for something other than it's warm climate. We should not expect to compete with upper echelon teams any longer. Hey, it is what it is...
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While we're at it, we can tear down our brand new facilities, cut our stadium capacity in half and rename ourselves Ole Miss. Maybe we can be good at tailgating.
 
#28
#28
VKAman said:
While we're at it, we can tear down our brand new facilities, cut our stadium capacity in half and rename ourselves Ole Miss. Maybe we can be good at tailgating.
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Yeah, let's do all that....that'll make it so much more appealing to the coaches you wanted to have as to the one we got. You act as though CBJ is the biggest poison, we've dealt with much worse and the stadium still stands, the facilities got built, and our tailgating has not wavered.
 
#29
#29
CleVOLander said:
Yeah, let's do all that....that'll make it so much more appealing to the coaches you wanted to have as to the one we got. You act as though CBJ is the biggest poison, we've dealt with much worse and the stadium still stands, the facilities got built, and our tailgating has not wavered.
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I was being sarcastic.
 
#31
#31
InVOLuntary said:
That's my point. When you want to catch a marlin you go to the ocean, where the big fish swim. You don't go to Billy Bob's pond where Dave Hart fishes. It is my opinion Dave Hart knew he was going lower tier. I think he may have reached out to Jimbo Fisher and Bob Stoops but other than that he settled. When Tennessee decides to get in the big boy football business it will be successful and not until. There is a formula in place. All you have to do is look south and a little west.
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Exactly.
 
#34
#34
InVOLuntary said:
That's my point. When you want to catch a marlin you go to the ocean, where the big fish swim. You don't go to Billy Bob's pond where Dave Hart fishes. It is my opinion Dave Hart knew he was going lower tier. I think he may have reached out to Jimbo Fisher and Bob Stoops but other than that he settled. When Tennessee decides to get in the big boy football business it will be successful and not until. There is a formula in place. All you have to do is look south and a little west.
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For all we know he did reach out to all the "Big Name" coaches and they politely turned us down. I actually believe this to me more true than many here believe. I'm also happy that his search was kept quiet for the most part.
You people think the public rejection from the couple of coaches we know about was embarrassing. How much worse would the embarrassment be if he had made public every feeler call he put out that got a quick and quiet "Thanks, but no thanks"?
Just because WE love UT and think so highly of it doesn't mean everyone else does too. I really doubt any big name coach that is at a stable job would just up and leave to come coach at a place that has proven they won't give you more than a few years to turn around a down and out team in the toughest conference in the country. No TOP HC would risk everything they've built where they are to come here and have the fans and AD not be happy with anything but an SEC and National Championship and thats exactly what you're saying you would've expected out of a "Big Name" hire.
 
#35
#35
JFBanicki said:
For all we know he did reach out to all the "Big Name" coaches and they politely turned us down. I actually believe this to me more true than many here believe. I'm also happy that his search was kept quiet for the most part.
You people think the public rejection from the couple of coaches we know about was embarrassing. How much worse would the embarrassment be if he had made public every feeler call he put out that got a quick and quiet "Thanks, but no thanks"?
Just because WE love UT and think so highly of it doesn't mean everyone else does too. I really doubt any big name coach that is at a stable job would just up and leave to come coach at a place that has proven they won't give you more than a few years to turn around a down and out team in the toughest conference in the country. No TOP HC would risk everything they've built where they are to come here and have the fans and AD not be happy with anything but an SEC and National Championship and thats exactly what you're saying you would've expected out of a "Big Name" hire.
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You could very well be right. None of us were privy to the behind the scenes goings on. If you look at Bama's hiring of Saban it went well beyond the cursory phone call to guage interest. They identified who they wanted to be their coach and wouldn't take no for an answer. I don't believe Hart went to those extremes. JMO
 
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#36
#36
I don't think I blasted anyone and I frankly am not really hung up on this. However, assuming one would agree that this coaching transition is akin to a crisis in the business world, the way communication has been handled to date leaves alot to be desired. Know your audience, know your main message, manage that message and control the message are the fundamentals. Did UT get any of that right on this process? Nope.
 
#37
#37
Smokeyshowl66 said:
I don't think I blasted anyone and I frankly am not really hung up on this. However, assuming one would agree that this coaching transition is akin to a crisis in the business world, the way communication has been handled to date leaves alot to be desired. Know your audience, know your main message, manage that message and control the message are the fundamentals. Did UT get any of that right on this process? Nope.
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Problem was we had too many "insiders" on this board. Thus it made our expectations super high. Then we got blasted back down to reality. It took me about 2 or 3 hours to totally come to terms with reality and "fantasy smoke screen land". Once I did I researched our new coach. Seems like hes a players coach and a people person. We needed a coach who could relate to the players and get them to back him fast. That is what has been lacking. We had a militarian style coach who could care less if the players liked him. We needed a guy that could build them up not tear them down. Will this translate into wins? Cannot guarantee it. I will tell you know in my years of working in a tough unforgiving industry. Every boss that I have ever had that built us up was rewarded with profits. Every boss that beat us down ended up 1-2 years and then shown the door.
 
#38
#38
InVOLuntary said:
Yea I think as fans we need to set our expectations lower. We need to accept, as apparently the AD has, that we are not the Tennessee of old. We are now a lower tier SECE team. We should expect to win 8-9 games in a good year and 6-7 in a bad year and go to bowls that are played around Christmas and usually in a region known for something other than it's warm climate. We should not expect to compete with upper echelon teams any longer. Hey, it is what it is...
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At least your optimistic
 
#39
#39
Smokeyshowl66 said:
As I've read the various reactions to the CBJ hire, as well as reactions to his decisions since last Friday, there is a common theme emerging. For some reason, our Chancellor, our AD and our new Head Coach are all suffering from the same disease - failure to communicate effectively with the fan base. Cheek has basically said nothing publicly about the process. Hart set expectations so high, that there was probably only one name that the majority of fans would have been happy with. And now, CBJ said he was going to hire the best coaching staff in the country and has essentially just brought his UC staff with him. I am very optimistic about CBJ, but all 3 of these men need to reflect on the words they use - they are repeatedly setting up the fan base for disappointment - which is not exactly the best PR path to reenergize a fan base.
Click to expand...

Cheek can't speak right now...it is not polite to talk with your mouth full of boobers.
 
#40
#40
InVOLuntary said:
Yea I think as fans we need to set our expectations lower. We need to accept, as apparently the AD has, that we are not the Tennessee of old. We are now a lower tier SECE team. We should expect to win 8-9 games in a good year and 6-7 in a bad year and go to bowls that are played around Christmas and usually in a region known for something other than it's warm climate. We should not expect to compete with upper echelon teams any longer. Hey, it is what it is...
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I guess I should learn to expect that I'll hear crying and whining when I read you posts. Hey, it is what it is . . .
 
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