Media/blog comparison of Coach Jones and the other SEC hires

#1
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Volosaurus rex

Doctorate in Volology
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#1
I apoplgize if this has already been posted, but here is one media representative/blogger's assessment of Coach Jones's hire:

"Butch Jones, Tennessee

Grade: B+
Coaching history: Click here Butch Jones Coaching History

The Buzz: Tennessee fans as a whole aren’t excited about this hire. However, are they more bummed about the hire or the fact that three coaches in Jon Gruden, Mike Gundy and Charlie Strong turned the job down? I would argue the latter. Butch Jones is a proven winner at two different stops in Central Michigan and Cincinnati, with a 50-27 career record and four conference titles in six years. The reality is that we won’t know how good of a hire this is for at least two years. He has a major rebuilding project ahead of him, assuming the big three do enter the NFL Draft, but a bowl game next season is very realistic. Jones goes against Tennessee tradition with a spread offense, but he’s an energetic and passionate coach who will command respect from his players and earn respect from the fans, something Derek Dooley never had in Knoxville. However, from the front end, it seems Jones is a winner and should turn out to be a good coach and solid hire. Jones is a way better hire than Dooley was in 2010."

For his assessment of the other three new SEC hires, see Grading the SEC
 
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#2
#2
What was Dooley's grade when we hired him? Anyone recall?
 
#3
#3
I don't remember what the actual grade was when he was originally hired in 2010 but if I had to guess it would have been a "C"
 
#7
#7
Key word being solid.. I think most vols wanted a contender n not a solid hire.imo.

We will know plenty by nsd n if cant recruit its going to be a long two years
 
#8
#8
I think all that's missing is the wins.. Tennessee needs wins and momentum.. The recruits will come when Tennessee provides them something to believe in.. I don't know what to think about this hire yet.. All i see is a guy that has had success in his last two stops.. Also he said he'd assemble the best staff in the country.. Still waiting on that best staff in the country.. I guess the best coaches were all at Cincinnati...
 
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#9
#9
I keep reading he runs a spread style offense but I keep seeing CBJ saying its a pro style?
 
#10
#10
Pro said:
What was Dooley's grade when we hired him? Anyone recall?
Click to expand...

Good question. Worth a longer posting, so here goes. (With help from Google and this KNS archive.)

Stewart Mandel of SI graded him as a C (See here).

Tennessee (Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech head coach): C
It's no secret Tennessee whiffed on several more qualified candidates, most notably Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. It settled instead for a 17-20 WAC coach who happens to be the son of an SEC coaching legend. Dooley has the pedigree. He spent six years working for Nick Saban and helped win a BCS title. But he's also an entirely unproven commodity who went 4-8 last season.
Click to expand...

Same article graded Butch Jones' hire at Cincy as an A, Brian Kelly (ND) an A, and Charlie Strong as an A+. Of course, they also rated Turner Gill a B and Skip Holtz an A-. Kiffin was graded as a D, FWIW.


Rivals (link):

Dooley - C
Jones - C+
Strong - B
Kiffin - C
Gill - B
Holtz - A
Kelly - B+

Scout (link):
Reason to question the hire: It's not like he set the world on fire before taking over the Tennessee job. He's unproven as far as his upper-level coaching skills, and while he has a great family name (he's the son of legendary Georgia coach, Vince Dooley), he has yet to show anything special enough to assume that Tennessee is about to become a superpower again.

The Early Hunch: Dooley was a booby prize in the chase for a head coach and the expectations aren't through the roof.
Click to expand...

LA Tech fans rated him as a B-B+ on average.

USA Today (link) defined him as risky, but a good candidate based on his name and the recommendation of his uncle, Bill Dooley. (really.)

Bottom Line: Not one of the articles seems to describe Dooley as a "winner". Everyone defined him as a classy guy, a man of integrity and character, and eventually a good coach given time (perhaps all true), but not really a winner. In retrospect, the handwriting was on the wall.
 
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#11
#11
saxvol said:
I keep reading he runs a spread style offense but I keep seeing CBJ saying its a pro style?
Click to expand...

He also said that he is hesitant to use the word "spread" because of the connotation of finesse associated with it. He definitely said that we will run a physical, uptempo offense and that there are two ways to wear down your opponent, physically and psychologically.

By the way, thanks for the retrospective analysis, Globadoc.
 
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#12
#12
Volosaurus rex said:
He also said that he is hesitant to use the word "spread" because of the connotation of finesse associated with it. He definitely said that we will run a physical, uptempo offense and that there are two ways to wear down your opponent, physically and psychologically.

By the way, thanks for the retrospective analysis, Globadoc.
Click to expand...
Butch Jones runs a pro style offense, as well as Kevin Sumlin. Pro style offense is a even looser term than the spread. Just look at the Packers. Pro style is just having a philosophy of balance. No matter the formations.
 
#13
#13
Most NFL teams run a shot gun based offense that people in college often call the spread. This is different from the spread option which is usually called the spread option.
 
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