And anybody with half a brain knows that you're 100% correct. The reaction to all of this is embarrassing.
Link?
What's embarrassing is how pathetic we'll look if we end up with Jimbo Fisher, Al Golden, Charlie Strong or Larry Fedora. Especially if we have 3 more seasons of 7 losses.
Living in big 10 country, I can tell you that everyone I know still laughs about Lane Kiffin, told me he was a tool the first time he opened his mouth and they all believe Tennessee has become irrelevant. Heck, go read Vandymania or Hogville and even they think our team has become a joke. That's coming from fanbases that don't even have an SEC championship under their belt.
If you think the reaction from our fanbase about Hart is embarrassing, you should step outside of Tennessee and see what fans say about our team. For the most part, they don't acknowledge Tennessee football and when they do, it's pure mockery. Don't let being in the SEC fool you, they just view the top few teams as dominant and everyone else as bottom feeders. The fact that Vandy has made it to consecutive bowls and we've finished below .500 that past three seasons has given credence to that belief.
I'm glad you're really confident in the coaching search but calling our fans embarrassing for being wary just adds fuel to this dysfunctional situation. This football program has become a laughing stock around the country. My good friend who doesn't even follow the SEC closely other than the top teams, just texted me the other day laughing that he read an article about our athletic department having a 4 million dollar deficit. That is how people view Tennessee football at moment, a punchline.
Not sure why you're essentially calling people stupid if they don't believe Hart did everything he could to get Gruden. Could just as easily say it's stupid to believe he did because unless you're Hart or Gruden, you're just assuming. To each their own but if we don't end up with Gruden, the only thing I find embarrassing is myself for having spent so much time in the Gruden thread and believing it's a done deal, an MOU was signed etc. It was the exact same stuff being saie by Arkansas fans since April. As far as I know, we all got trolled and none of the stuff said was true at all. It's obvious at least one fanbase was lied to and if one was lied to, common sense would tell you both were lied to seeing as it was the exact same info.
To each their own but I guess I'm just a halfwit because I'm in the camp that will be pissed off with Hart if we end with Jimbo Fisher, Al Golden, Charlie Strong or Larry Fedora. Quite frankly, I think Bob Stoops wouldn't be that great of a hire either. Despite playing in the Big 12 and bordering Texas, he's lost at least 2 games in 12 of 14 seasons. His resume is no better than Fulmer's or a number of other coaches that have been in the SEC the past 10 or 20 years. And doing it in the SEC is obviously harder, especially if you're comparing Tennessee's pipeline to Oklahoma's.
I really can't help but be down given the names that have been floated around. If the lists that have been mentioned are true, people have a right to be upset. Should just let the academics keep that 18 million because another Dooley-esque hire like Golden or Strong will be the same as flushing it down the toilet.
