- Joined
- Nov 23, 2012
- Messages
- 76,918
- Likes
- 110,765
From what I see, these are the valid routes we go on for our coaching search...
Option 1 - We've been subjected to smoke and mirrors for the past couple of months (I say couple of months since I believe Dooley was told well before the Vandy game he would not be returning and we've been pursuing a coach for a good while now). We've gone after Gruden, thrown enough money at him for salary and staff to where it's impossible to say no. He's signed but we are waiting on legality issues to work themselves out and/or completion of the MNF contract for this year. He gets full control over football ops. Dave Hart looks like he saves the day, straight up pulls the hero act at the PC, sells book deal in landing the big fish and unicorns pull the chariot up the Vol Walk with Gruden and company prior to games. (for the record, I'm full Gruden and love Option 1 BTW)
Option 1A - Gruden talks have failed for some reason or other. Hart pulls a sneaky one and lands a big name hire that we aren't expecting (not completely possible since we've thrown out about every name from Pop Warner to the NFL by now). Majority of fans take a deep breath and say "well, it isn't THAT bad of a hire, I can dig it." We may go 7-5/8-4 in first season. Attendance is on the rise, recruits like what the new coach is doing, program gets back on its feet. We're fat dumb and happy in the end.
Option 2 - With limited options out there right now for HC positions (and eliminating the left field choices we may or may not think about), go the Arky route. Put in Chaney as interim HC while Hart does a full on coaching search over the next year. Our storm of being turned down by everyone at the dance goes into a bad memory and gives Hart the chance to conduct a hard target search prior to the 2014 season. I mean, what's the worst we can expect for the 2013 season? Another 5-7 season? Been there, done that. Can we survive another 5-7 season? I don't know. But Arky did pull off a pretty big land in their coaching search. If it pays off...that remains to be seen.
Option 2A - Again, limited options/please for the love of God no more Dooley hires situation. Put Fulmer back in for a single season while again, hard target search. If he wants back into coaching so bad, make him fight for his job. Again, Hart does his search Arky style over the next year and we get back into the 2014 season running or keep Fulmer in if his record speaks for itself. What's the worst thing that can happen? We go 5-7...again? What's the best? We potentially win the SEC East and head into the championship game?
Option 2B - Same limited options with Arky style search, but with a twist. Chaney stays on as interim HC, Hart is sent packing back to Bama and Blackburn or Fulmer steps in as AD. Blackburn/Fulmer conducts coaching search while driving the Brinks truck and lands big fish (and hopefully the fish we need)
Option 3 - Hart botches up the coaching search and continues to get turned down. Boosters step in (which I don't trust Cheek as far as I could throw him, so he is eliminated from doing the actual legwork. He listens to the money and will act accordingly), replaces Hart with Blackburn/Fulmer and search begins anew, loads Brinks truck up with cash and no limits contract, lands big fish because all parties are happy.
I say Fulmer because despite the man's record in his final season or two, he still led our team to a National Championship and is still respected in UT athletics. Maybe not as a coach, but as an Athletic Director, I feel it's someone we know for a fact has UT at heart (no pun intended) and would trust to do our entire athletic department justice.
Option 4 - We end up hiring someone out of FCS because we've run out of options in the NFL/FBS. Remain in the bottom of the pack in the SEC and continue to perform dismally on the field and in recruiting. $18M vanishes since ticket sales are horrid and more funds are needed inside the AD to continue to run operations. Hart fired after boosters step in. We got further into debt due to buyouts on current coaching staff plus future staff, remain at SMU levels for a decade since nobody will touch our program.
Realistically? We're running pretty strong on Option 4. But since there is NO information coming out of the AD except "I heard it from a janitor that put together shredded paper and spelled the name Strong, Davis and Gruden" rumors, we could end up with a big surprise.
Option 1 - We've been subjected to smoke and mirrors for the past couple of months (I say couple of months since I believe Dooley was told well before the Vandy game he would not be returning and we've been pursuing a coach for a good while now). We've gone after Gruden, thrown enough money at him for salary and staff to where it's impossible to say no. He's signed but we are waiting on legality issues to work themselves out and/or completion of the MNF contract for this year. He gets full control over football ops. Dave Hart looks like he saves the day, straight up pulls the hero act at the PC, sells book deal in landing the big fish and unicorns pull the chariot up the Vol Walk with Gruden and company prior to games. (for the record, I'm full Gruden and love Option 1 BTW)
Option 1A - Gruden talks have failed for some reason or other. Hart pulls a sneaky one and lands a big name hire that we aren't expecting (not completely possible since we've thrown out about every name from Pop Warner to the NFL by now). Majority of fans take a deep breath and say "well, it isn't THAT bad of a hire, I can dig it." We may go 7-5/8-4 in first season. Attendance is on the rise, recruits like what the new coach is doing, program gets back on its feet. We're fat dumb and happy in the end.
Option 2 - With limited options out there right now for HC positions (and eliminating the left field choices we may or may not think about), go the Arky route. Put in Chaney as interim HC while Hart does a full on coaching search over the next year. Our storm of being turned down by everyone at the dance goes into a bad memory and gives Hart the chance to conduct a hard target search prior to the 2014 season. I mean, what's the worst we can expect for the 2013 season? Another 5-7 season? Been there, done that. Can we survive another 5-7 season? I don't know. But Arky did pull off a pretty big land in their coaching search. If it pays off...that remains to be seen.
Option 2A - Again, limited options/please for the love of God no more Dooley hires situation. Put Fulmer back in for a single season while again, hard target search. If he wants back into coaching so bad, make him fight for his job. Again, Hart does his search Arky style over the next year and we get back into the 2014 season running or keep Fulmer in if his record speaks for itself. What's the worst thing that can happen? We go 5-7...again? What's the best? We potentially win the SEC East and head into the championship game?
Option 2B - Same limited options with Arky style search, but with a twist. Chaney stays on as interim HC, Hart is sent packing back to Bama and Blackburn or Fulmer steps in as AD. Blackburn/Fulmer conducts coaching search while driving the Brinks truck and lands big fish (and hopefully the fish we need)
Option 3 - Hart botches up the coaching search and continues to get turned down. Boosters step in (which I don't trust Cheek as far as I could throw him, so he is eliminated from doing the actual legwork. He listens to the money and will act accordingly), replaces Hart with Blackburn/Fulmer and search begins anew, loads Brinks truck up with cash and no limits contract, lands big fish because all parties are happy.
I say Fulmer because despite the man's record in his final season or two, he still led our team to a National Championship and is still respected in UT athletics. Maybe not as a coach, but as an Athletic Director, I feel it's someone we know for a fact has UT at heart (no pun intended) and would trust to do our entire athletic department justice.
Option 4 - We end up hiring someone out of FCS because we've run out of options in the NFL/FBS. Remain in the bottom of the pack in the SEC and continue to perform dismally on the field and in recruiting. $18M vanishes since ticket sales are horrid and more funds are needed inside the AD to continue to run operations. Hart fired after boosters step in. We got further into debt due to buyouts on current coaching staff plus future staff, remain at SMU levels for a decade since nobody will touch our program.
Realistically? We're running pretty strong on Option 4. But since there is NO information coming out of the AD except "I heard it from a janitor that put together shredded paper and spelled the name Strong, Davis and Gruden" rumors, we could end up with a big surprise.
