Last year Phil first year Butch

[Grizzly Vol]

I havent given up but i did expect to beat vandy and ky

Then you and myself are in the same boat. Let's hope we end the season with some momentum.

 

[Backwards K]

What if Taji Bold would have came?

Or Bryce Petty. Both were committed to Fulmer and Kiffin told them both they were not good enough to play in his system.

 

[The_topis_Rocky89]

Butch isn't responsible for the talent level. Fulmer was (responsible for the talent he had when he went 5-7)
Fulmer peaked in 1998 and Volnation will always be thankful.
He also managed to loose to Memphis with Manning at QB.

They went 5-7 bc the team was shocked he got fired tajh Boyd as our qb and some other studs would have turned it around

 

[knoxvols11]

I think he would have and I'm sure others feel the same way,I forgot who said it,but didn't he have a hell of a recruiting class coming in ? water under the bridge though

I did think the Vols were a 6 win team this year,for some reason at one time,I did think they would do a hell of a lot better than that

Grizzly Vol said it best
"Expecting an immediate turnaround after everything that has went down in the last few years? Yes asking way too much."

No! Because if he was that good of a coach the program would have never tanked to begin with. As for the "recruiting" he always had (top) classes but look how marganalized the teams were the last ten years!

 

[JMSqb11]

Butch isn't responsible for the talent level. Fulmer was (responsible for the talent he had when he went 5-7)
Fulmer peaked in 1998 and Volnation will always be thankful.
He also managed to loose to Memphis with Manning at QB.

Fulmer can no longer be blamed for talent level. It's been five years since he was here and he could only be blamed for talent up to last year.

 

[livefaith]

I like that Butch sometimes claps like Fulmer. Makes me smile even though it usually means something ****ty just happened.

I've Thot the same thing after every disaster this year. It's exactly what Phil was lambasted for. Lol.

 

[indian rick]

Fulmer shuold not still be here, he is the one that got all this started because he got lazy his last 3 years. Duh!

 

[MRobVFL]

I think for the most part, we've expected a National Championship since 1999.

With that said I expected to make a bowl game this year, but just because we didn't make it, I don't think Butch isn't doing his job. This team has had talent, but for whatever reason, they haven't been able to win in the past 4 years. I don't expect a Caoch to come in and change that over night.

Butch IS doing what he was hired to do. He is turning it around. We have the #2 class in recruiting... AFTER 4 losing seasons.

Let the captain actually turn the ship around before we judge his ability to navigate the SEC.

 

[AlaskaVol]

Never meant to imply the talent level now is Fulmers fault, hence the past tense "was". I am saying that Fulmer won only five with the talent he inherited from himself. Butch is coaching Kiffin and Dooley recruits- lot of turnover, defections and filler.

I over reacted.

 

[govols/cc]

If we still had Fulmer the same folks would be crying about 8-10+ winning seasons too.

 

[AlaskaVol]

No! Because if he was that good of a coach the program would have never tanked to begin with. As for the "recruiting" he always had (top) classes but look how marganalized the teams were the last ten years!

We were not tanked then, but we sure are now. If Butch can coach as well as he recruits, we may get back to "near Fulmer" levels in 3 years. He might get lucky and Saban and a few of the better coaches might move on. That would help him a lot.

 

[Volt]

I over reacted.

Lol. Losing to Vandy in 20 degree weather has us all a bit testy. I think we can all agree that Fulmer gave us some great years and that Butch at worst is Zook on steroids and at best can be Fulmer, with the drive and passion of Pearl on a Red Bull drip.

 

[knoxvols11]

We were not tanked then, but we sure are now. If Butch can coach as well as he recruits, we may get back to "near Fulmer" levels in 3 years. He might get lucky and Saban and a few of the better coaches might move on. That would help him a lot.

That's what helped Fulmer-with the exception of Spurrior, the SEC was down during the firat part of his tenure.

 

[knoxvols11]

We were not tanked then, but we sure are now. If Butch can coach as well as he recruits, we may get back to "near Fulmer" levels in 3 years. He might get lucky and Saban and a few of the better coaches might move on. That would help him a lot.

My bad, I should have said to get back to that "near Fulmer level" he needs to have someone else come in and build the program then come in and take it over

 

[BeardedVol]

You could've fooled me. I really do believe there are some people on here who want to fire everyone and start over. But as I said in my first post, I didn't want to group everyone into the overreacting stereotype.

We should all be disappointed in how this season has played out. As you said we have regressed and I'm sure we'd all like to know the cause, but given the schedule and the obvious lack of depth, this season was going to be a trying one.

There will always be people calling for the coaches head. But the main problems I see and are most disturbing to me, are the regression in the basics. Tackling has gotten worse. Catching open field passes has gotten worse. Special teams have gotten worse. I know we have a hard season, but these are the basics that should be improving every week by some amount.

This season that has not been the case. I don't think we can chalk these shortcomings up to lack of talent, depth or schedule.

 

[Gramps]

I think for the most part, we've expected a National Championship since 1999.

With that said I expected to make a bowl game this year, but just because we didn't make it, I don't think Butch isn't doing his job. This team has had talent, but for whatever reason, they haven't been able to win in the past 4 years. I don't expect a Caoch to come in and change that over night.

Butch IS doing what he was hired to do. He is turning it around. We have the #2 class in recruiting... AFTER 4 losing seasons.

Let the captain actually turn the ship around before we judge his ability to navigate the SEC.

I think we had a real shot at another NC the 2001 season. I believe that is the best team Fulmer had from top to bottom.

 

[Grizzly Vol]

There will always be people calling for the coaches head. But the main problems I see and are most disturbing to me, are the regression in the basics. Tackling has gotten worse. Catching open field passes has gotten worse. Special teams have gotten worse. I know we have a hard season, but these are the basics that should be improving every week by some amount.

This season that has not been the case. I don't think we can chalk these shortcomings up to lack of talent, depth or schedule.

I can agree with all of that. Tackling and catching are both fundamentals of football taught at an early age. That's where my comment about all of us wanting to know why we have regressed in certain categories was made. I refuse to believe that we don't work on the fundamentals in practice. So then wouldn't that fall on the players for not transferring the practice reps to the games?

Now I know baseball is completely different from football, but what I tell players is that in practice take the instruction and utilize them in games because once you are out there nothing can be done for you by the coaches. They have to execute.

 

[majorvol]

Spelling a little off but I know who you mean. IMHO it wouldn't have made any difference. Kiffin didn't want him anyway. I'm glad it worked out for him at Clemson.
Seems like a good dude.
GO VOLS!

Jack and coke makes me spell funny..LOL