I agree with most of this. The problem with most fans is they've been through this wait and see period far too often recently only to be burned. They have ignored that inner voice that tells them something's off and trusted the process. And been burned time and again. They've overcorrected and now see any chink in the armor or setback as proof positive of impending failure.
Can't blame then really. I catch myself doing this and have to temper my judgements. There is some reason to be concerned but there isn't enough data to make a real judgement yet.
i think the thing that is different for me, and why my anxiety level is waaaay lower than it has been is that we've had a ton of change.
most notably the on field staff and the athletic dept administration. there's really no arguing about this staff. on paper, it's fantastic. and for the first time a what seems to be a very long time, the athletic department and football program are on the same page in regards to goals, standards, expectations, and direction.
my patiences level, or level of apathy, has changed as a result. i'm willing to be more patient right now. this isn't a dave hart, mike hamilton run ship anymore. Money is being applied to the resources that matter most........PEOPLE.
the results aren't here yet. but we knew two years ago the results were going to suffer, so again, while i hate losing to Vandy...again....i can take what happened last year with the grain of salt.
i feel pretty good about the progress we should make this year. and i'm not going to call it one way or the other on this class right now.
i will say if we land a class anywhere near the quality of the last, that at least gives us some great foundational stuff to build on.
it also probabl means that it might be year 4 before you can look at the schedule and reasonably expect 9+ wins based on the schedule, talent level, depth development etc.....
so while "the brand" tennessee has done nothing to warrant any real faith, i do think the people that are over there now have as good a shot as we've had in the past 10 years to get us there.....and even though we've had to wade thru the past 10 years, and that sucks for us as fans, that's baggage we bring with us. not this staff.....they'll either help us unload it, or add to it. time will tell. lol.