Fred White on Tennessee's best team ('99) and Cam Sutton

#26
#26
Freak said:
It's funny. I know most people think Tennessee is on the right track, but the excitement level around town seems lower than I can remember it. Anyone else notice it, or is it just me?
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duckman398686 said:
The side effects of 3 years of Dooley in Knoxville.
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EZE said:
The football program has had negative momentum for over a decade. People don't have any reason to believe and get emotionally invested. I think everybody has just numbed themselves to the losing.

Recruiting success has at least stopped the negative slide, but people are going to need to see success on the field to get "all in." Then we can start building on positive momentum for a change.

Just getting to a bowl game would help. Getting there and winning to finish something like 8-5 would be even better, but 8 wins will be difficult.
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It took years to kill the positive Vol fan enthusiasm so it might take it a while to return to it's previous full throttle mode.
 
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#27
#27
vollygirl said:
It was destiny. :)

Gah, that was a fun year. I remember getting up every morning and putting the TV on ESPN to see where we were ranked. I miss those days.
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My senior year on Rocky Top. Took one class, paid extra activity fees for student tickets. Got a chunk of goal post as a momento. Best year of my life
 
#28
#28
Freak said:
It's funny. I know most people think Tennessee is on the right track, but the excitement level around town seems lower than I can remember it. Anyone else notice it, or is it just me?
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Loving Tennessee football is akin to being in a bad relationship...just when you think you're ready to jump ship, they do something that makes you want to stay with them. I'm a glutton for punishment:)
 
#29
#29
FallBranchChick said:
Loving Tennessee football is akin to being in a bad relationship...just when you think you're ready to jump ship, they do something that makes you want to stay with them. I'm a glutton for punishment:)
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The way I see it, those of us who survived Dooley and are still around to tell about it get our true fan cards validated for life. :)
 
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#30
#30
Freak said:
It's funny. I know most people think Tennessee is on the right track, but the excitement level around town seems lower than I can remember it. Anyone else notice it, or is it just me?
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its coming back Freak, we already sold out a opener and I will bet we sell out several games this year.
In Chattanooga there seems to be a lot of excitement this year, I wonder how big of a turn out we will have downtown Friday for the POTS.
 
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#31
#31
It all depends on what you're looking for out of Tennessee Football. Those of us who have an irrational love for it, who were raised on it, who bleed orange, we are willing to defend and offer support regardless of the state of the program just because it's Tennessee. Those who are fans because Tennessee happens to be the closest college team, or they watched a game that one time, or their boyfriend/girlfriend is a Tennessee fan, won't come back around and invest until they know they'll get a return.

It takes all kinds. It's all good.
 
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#32
#32
You lost a guy like Al Wilson, who laid the wood at LB, but wouldn't put up with any **** from teammates slacking off. Guys like that made the difference between 98 and 99.
 
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#33
#33
vollygirl said:
It all depends on what you're looking for out of Tennessee Football. Those of us who have an irrational love for it, who were raised on it, who bleed orange, we are willing to defend and offer support regardless of the state of the program just because it's Tennessee. Those who are fans because Tennessee happens to be the closest college team, or they watched a game that one time, or their boyfriend/girlfriend is a Tennessee fan, won't come back around and invest until they know they'll get a return.

It takes all kinds. It's all good.
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Amen, Sista!
 
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#34
#34
I was at the swamp in 99 for toss sweep no where to Jamal and Alex Brown sack fest.
Most dissapointing team in UT history.
 
#37
#37
I have posted this before, but saying '99 team was more talented than '98 team makes no sense. First, they lost 3 games. Second, was Al Wilson's replacement better than Al? Was Peerless Price's replacement better than Peerless? Was Jeff Hall's replacement better? Was Shaun Bryson's replacement better? Was Randy Sanders better OC than David Cuttliffe?

I know given the choice I'd field the '98 team over the '99 team every time.
 
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#38
#38
I too was at the '99 florida game. The atmosphere was electric, a night game, so incredibly noisy especially when you figure all the gator fans who'd been drinking for a good part of the day. Thought we were a bit unfocused. And the coaching was stupid. I don't think we ever really altered the snap count in the game, which would have negated Brown's rush, and running Jamal twice at the end of the game when we had a chance to tie or win it was stupid. Had Tee run a bootleg after a fake to Jamal I'm sure he would have scored as florida was expecting us to run Jamal and loaded up to stop him. I believe Bob Stoops was UF's defensive coordinator that year. That UT team was LOADED, but no doubt we missed Wilson's fire and leadership.
 
#39
#39
We know promoting Sanders to OC was a massive mistake. After he took over the offense got worse every year.
 
#43
#43
99bubble said:
Truer words have NEVER been spoken. What a nightmare.
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We have had our heart broken. Once we had someone walk out on us, the other was trying to make a relationship work that from the start knew wasn't going to work. We now have a coach that is working well, but based on some of the threads here still have the fear going on. (Going to Michigan)

I cannot wait till the next two games as it will show where we are at and how far we need to go. Hopefully its 1st and goal and not 4th and 15.
 
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#44
#44
Four things come to mind after reading that article:

(1) To borrow a metaphor, a lion that has gorged itself after a kill simply will not possess the same hunger for some time. That is why it is so much more difficult to repeat as national champions than it is to win one in the first place. It is just human nature.

(2) The iron-willed leadership of Al Wilson was a priceless asset that fueled the '98 national championship team but, as Fred White observed, was sorely absent the following year.

(3) Tee Martin plateaued his senior year. This was not his fault but reflects instead quite clearly that Cutcliffe was a far better quarterback coach (and offensive coordinator) than Randy Sanders.

(4) The two big regular season victories over Florida and Arkansas in 1998, which were won at home, became exceedingly narrow road losses in 1999 and by virtually identical margins. We beat Florida 20-17 in '98 and lost 23-21 the following year; the Arkansas games in both years were won by the home team by identical 28-24 scores.
 
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#45
#45
Volosaurus rex said:
Four things come to mind after reading that article:

(1) To borrow a metaphor, a lion that has gorged itself after a kill simply will not possess the same hunger for some time. That is why it is so much more difficult to repeat as national champions than it is to win one in the first place. It is just human nature.

(2) The iron-willed leadership of Al Wilson was a priceless asset that fueled the '98 national championship team but, as Fred White observed, was sorely absent the following year.

(3) Tee Martin plateaued his senior year. This was not his fault but reflects instead quite clearly that Cutcliffe was a far better quarterback coach (and offensive coordinator) than Randy Sanders.

(4) The two big regular season victories over Florida and Arkansas in 1998, which were won at home, became exceedingly narrow road losses in 1999 and by virtually identical margins. We beat Florida 20-17 in '98 and lost 23-21 the following year; the Arkansas games in both years were won by the home team by identical 28-24 scores.
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The last one is something I hadn't thought about, but playing those two teams on the road certainly makes a difference. And both were revenge games.
 
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#46
#46
Freak said:
It's funny. I know most people think Tennessee is on the right track, but the excitement level around town seems lower than I can remember it. Anyone else notice it, or is it just me?
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I think it is because most folks are resigned to the fact that this year is going to be tough. No matter how much you believe we are on the right track, it is hard to get that excited when you know we still have some ass wuppins to endure.
 
#48
#48
Freak said:
I heard Fred White on Big Orange Hotline this week and thought I would share a few of his comments. I've always heard folks speculate about the talent comparison between the '98 and '99 teams, but thought it was especially interesting coming from Fred.

I also find it interesting to consider how the more talented team performed considerably worse. Does this mean that things such as leadership, work ethic and chemistry can be just as important as talent, to some degree?

He also, like most this year, had very high praise for Cam Sutton.

Was 1999 Tennessee’s most talented team?
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At least 4 guys won super bowls from that 99 team and At least 6 played in super bowls.
 
#49
#49
walkenvol said:
Worked out pretty well in that National Championship Game?
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than Sanders for the national title, since he was the OC all year and the offense was his. But Sanders did run the show in that game. Let's remember that we were playing against fsu's second- (or was it third) string QB in that game, and he wasn't very good. We caught a massive break there.
 
#50
#50
armchair said:
than Sanders for the national title, since he was the OC all year and the offense was his. But Sanders did run the show in that game. Let's remember that we were playing against fsu's second- (or was it third) string QB in that game, and he wasn't very good. We caught a massive break there.
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That qb was good enough to beat UF by 2 scores
 
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