Important Mindset for Tennessee Fans

[AstonRoyal]

I really like Josh Pate, I think he has great objective insights into college football and has always been fair on his opinions about Tennessee.

He gives really good advice in this video around the 4:39 mark (I set the video to start at that point) where he has, what I believe, a very important message for Tennessee fans:

I need you guys to be careful. I think most of you know better but some of you may not. Don't be drawn into all these "playoff scenarios", it is not even Halloween. I know you're not worried about UT Martin, and that's fair, worry about Kentucky. Worry about Kentucky, then worry about Georgia. And then you've got back-to-back road games to end the season.

Look... worry about what's in front of you. And there's gonna be someone really sarcastic in the comments saying "It doesn't matter what the fan base is thinking, it only matters what the team is thinking." You'd be shocked how much a team's mentality reflects that of the fan base. You know why? Because they're not robots that get put in a shelf 6 days of the week inside the athletic complex. They're out amongst these people. So believe it or not sometimes what gets said gets adopted, and a mood outside ends up creeping inside.

I'll be the first to admit I started thinking about SEC Championships and Playoff implications when we beat Alabama. I get it can be easy to think about that kind of stuff, especially when we've had as rough of a past 2 decades as we've had.

I do recognize and agree that the best way for this team to succeed is to focus on the next game one week at a time. Luckily from the press conference's Heupel has already been pounding that point home to the players and they've received that message well. I'm also not accusing the entire fan base of already looking ahead, this is mainly for those like me who were guilty of it. All I'm trying to say in this post is as a fan base, let's mirror that mind set and try and make the players jobs a little easier.

 

[Orange931]

Doesn’t matter what the fans talk about. As long as the team is mentally prepared, it has no effect.

 

[VOLfrombama]

Doesn’t matter what the fans talk about. As long as the team is mentally prepared, it has no effect.

This. Heup and Co have done an amazing job up to this point keeping everyone in the locker room focused, calm, and ready. Heup deserves our support and personally I believe he is up to the task.

What we say as fans has no bearing on the team, other than maybe to fuel their fire to compete and probably make Heup and Co preach more to their point of 1 game at a time and tune out the chatter.

 

[Hacksaw]

There's only one reason I can think of why you might want to limit your expectations. If you think that by keeping your expectations LOW, you'll be LESS disappointed by failure, then maybe you'll somehow feel better about it if we fail.

I've learned over the past 15 years that I'm going to hate losing just as much no matter what. So I may as well expect the moon and ride the wave as long as it lasts.

 

[General Jack]

Every moment along this journey should be savored. We've waited so long for this success just soak it up.

 

[JoAllan]

ESPN’s model says Tennessee has a 48.7% chance to make the playoff right now.

If Tennessee loses only to Georgia and doesn’t make the SEC title game Tennessee has a 65% chance to make the playoff.

If Tennessee wins out but loses in the SEC championship game they have a 76% chance to make the playoff.

If Tennessee has 1 loss but beats Georgia and wins the SEC title game Tennessee has a 96% chance to make the playoff.

Tennessee is in a good spot right now. Of corse they have to take care of business………but really isn’t life just a bit nicer and feel better and make you a bit happier………living with expectations?

If something happens………fine I wasn’t expecting it before the season. Sure I’d be a bit disappointed………but the ride would be way more fun.

 

[VOLtaism]

Doesn’t matter what the fans talk about. As long as the team is mentally prepared, it has no effect.

Thats correct and some people like to look forward, not me, but I can see where it could be fun predicting what happens if everyone wins out. Each to his own.

 

[RDU VOL#14]

I don’t think our schedule could’ve been planned better than it has. I think this UTM game was the perfect placement after the biggest win a very long time. You follow that up w/ a night game, wearing black unis, a little manufactured enthusiasm and energy maybe needed so you don’t look past UK and see what the next week is.

 

[VAWL FAN]

There's only one reason I can think of why you might want to limit your expectations. If you think that by keeping your expectations LOW, you'll be LESS disappointed by failure, then maybe you'll somehow feel better about it if we fail.

I've learned over the past 15 years that I'm going to hate losing just as much no matter what. So I may as well expect the moon and ride the wave as long as it lasts.

This 100%

 

[NATHAN05]

I'm not going to lie.......I bought into the heup......just picked up 2 National Title tickets from ticketmaster for Jan 9 for myself and my 72 year old dad........He took me to 100s of Tennessee games as a kid starting in about 87 until I graduated UTK in 03'..........Now I'm hoping to take him to a National Title game.

 

[OrangeTsar]

Mr Pate is 100% correct. The players hear the chatter about the Play-off and it can be a distraction. Let’s not get way out over our skis here. We have some tough games coming up. Focus on what happens next, not six weeks down the road. Don’t be the wide receiver who drops the pass because he takes his eye off the ball early and starts planning his moves to the endzone.
As Yoda Said of Luke……
All his life has he looked away... to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was... what he was doing.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

I love Josh Pate, but we could sleep walk to a win over Kentucky. They are just not very good.

But we also can't not play aggressive because of the tempo, so it's just inherently difficult we lower our intensity. We also just haven't seen us have a lack of effort under Josh.

There is something to what Pate is saying though, like if everyone is overconfident it could bleed into the program.

 

[CascadeVolunteer]

JP has officially become my favorite college football source. Not because he is high on our Vols, but he brings that constructive feedback that keeps everyone grounded in reality.

 

[TnVol!]

Beat UT Martin!!

 

[Hacksaw]

I'm not going to lie.......I bought into the heup......picked up 2 National Title tickets for Jan 9 for myself and my 72 year old dad........He took me to 100s of Tennessee games as a kid starting in about 87 until I graduated UTK in 03'..........Now I'm hoping to take him to a National Title game.

We all hope so, too!

 

[Allvols1996]

I really like Josh Pate, I think he has great objective insights into college football and has always been fair on his opinions about Tennessee.

He gives really good advice in this video around the 4:39 mark (I set the video to start at that point) where he has, what I believe, a very important message for Tennessee fans:



I'll be the first to admit I started thinking about SEC Championships and Playoff implications when we beat Alabama. I get it can be easy to think about that kind of stuff, especially when we've had as rough of a past 2 decades as we've had.

I do recognize and agree that the best way for this team to succeed is to focus on the next game one week at a time. Luckily from the press conference's Heupel has already been pounding that point home to the players and they've received that message well. I'm also not accusing the entire fan base of already looking ahead, this is mainly for those like me who were guilty of it. All I'm trying to say in this post is as a fan base, let's mirror that mind set and try and make the players jobs a little easier.

I’ve underestimated this team, so just going to enjoy the ride.

 

[terrypedigo]

Talk to me after the DAWGS game THEN WE WILL SEE WHERE WE ARE AT.

 

[Arrested Devolopment]

Like most of you here, I feel optimism about the team, the coaches, and the program. If that causes me to dream a little about what's possible (beating UGA, running the table, winning the SECCG, playoffs, NCG...), I call that hope. If we don't make any of those goals - that's totally cool because this team has performed way beyond most everyone's expectations, except possibly their own. So, thanks for the tip, Pate - but I choose hope.

 

[Odiodin]

I like Josh and agree with most of what he says on the podcast... but..

This fanbase is more focused on Kentucky and Georgia than Alabama is on Miss St or Georgia is on Florida.

Heck, I've even seen people worried about UT Martin's passing numbers.

I think we'll be alright. We just cured some BVS and are talking some much earned smack, but we are long way from emulating Ohio State levels of arrogance.

 

[orangemadam]

We just need to worry about Ky.

Yes, Ky is very capable of beating the Vols. After that game, then worry about UGA.

Levis is gonna light up our weakas_ defensive secondary. KY 42 UT ? (better be more than 42)

 

[saxvol]

We just need to worry about Ky.

Yes, Ky is very capable of beating the Vols. After that game, then worry about UGA.

Levis is gonna light up our weakas_ defensive secondary. KY 42 UT ? (better be more than 42)

Levi's is going to be on his back at least five times.
Their O line is hot garbage.

 

[ftsandersvol]

This. Heup and Co have done an amazing job up to this point keeping everyone in the locker room focused, calm, and ready. Heup deserves our support and personally I believe he is up to the task.

What we say as fans has no bearing on the team, other than maybe to fuel their fire to compete and probably make Heup and Co preach more to their point of 1 game at a time and tune out the chatter.

As of right now, it looks like no moment is too big for anyone on this team. That’s a true sign of good coaching and a really good team.

 

[LadyinOrange]

Like most of you here, I feel optimism about the team, the coaches, and the program. If that causes me to dream a little about what's possible (beating UGA, running the table, winning the SECCG, playoffs, NCG...), I call that hope. If we don't make any of those goals - that's totally cool because this team has performed way beyond most everyone's expectations, except possibly their own. So, thanks for the tip, Pate - but I choose hope.

We beat Florida and Bama in the same season. Anything else is gravy to me.

 

[Midas]

We just need to worry about Ky.

Yes, Ky is very capable of beating the Vols. After that game, then worry about UGA.

Levis is gonna light up our weakas_ defensive secondary. KY 42 UT ? (better be more than 42)

You trippin

 

[JoAllan]

We just need to worry about Ky.

Yes, Ky is very capable of beating the Vols. After that game, then worry about UGA.

Levis is gonna light up our weakas_ defensive secondary. KY 42 UT ? (better be more than 42)

You understand KY hasn’t scored that many all season…….right?

Not FCS Youngstown, not Miami Ohio, not Northern Illinois, not anyone. The most they have scored vs an SEC team is 27.

Only Florida and Bama have scored more than their average on Tennessee, everyone else Tennessee has held below their average.

Florida scored 1.6 points more than average
Bama scored 4 points more than average

Yet somehow KY is going to score 16 points more than they average……..not to mention KY has one of the worst scoring O’s Tennessee has faced………OK!!!