People that use the term "Homerun Hire"

[Dekram]

First, I would like to say that there are not many homerun hires and none of them could be called "locks". I know people will say if we got Gruden it would be a "home run hire"(puke), but we were just pawns for Gruden to line his pocket book.

Second, this phrase is really dumb and if you use it you look dumb in the process. Unless you are Nostradamus you cant tell if someone is going to a "homerun hire" (puke), because hiring a coach is just like football sometimes it comes down to how the ball bounces.

Lastly, the job at the Univeristy of Tennessee is not a prestigous as some of you would believe. Its a good job in a great conference. We have facilities ( so does all the top contenders) we have tradition ( so does 3/4 of the SEC) and we have rapid fanbase that refuses to quit using the term "homerun hire" and understand we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear.

Most of the remaining coaches on the list, which is basically down to Strong or Strong imho is going to be such a vast improvement of what we had that you will be behind him before the season starts.

So quit setting yourself up for disappointment and get on the bandwagon. It may be the bandwagon to 9-3 but it may not and you cant say either way.

 

[Slydell]

First, I would like to say that there are not many homerun hires and none of them could be called "locks". I know people will say if we got Gruden it would be a "home run hire"(puke), but we were just pawns for Gruden to line his pocket book.

Second, this phrase is really dumb and if you use it you look dumb in the process. Unless you are Nostradamus you cant tell if someone is going to a "homerun hire" (puke), because hiring a coach is just like football sometimes it comes down to how the ball bounces.

Lastly, the job at the Univeristy of Tennessee is not a prestigous as some of you would believe. Its a good job in a great conference. We have facilities ( so does all the top contenders) we have tradition ( so does 3/4 of the SEC) and we have rapid fanbase that refuses to quit using the term "homerun hire" and understand we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear.

Most of the remaining coaches on the list, which is basically down to Strong or Strong imho is going to be such a vast improvement of what we had that you will be behind him before the season starts.

So quit setting yourself up for disappointment and get on the bandwagon. It may be the bandwagon to 9-3 but it may not and you cant say either way.

It appears that you have already "settled".:hi:

 

[TennVols423]

First, I would like to say that there are not many homerun hires and none of them could be called "locks". I know people will say if we got Gruden it would be a "home run hire"(puke), but we were just pawns for Gruden to line his pocket book.

Second, this phrase is really dumb and if you use it you look dumb in the process. Unless you are Nostradamus you cant tell if someone is going to a "homerun hire" (puke), because hiring a coach is just like football sometimes it comes down to how the ball bounces.

Lastly, the job at the Univeristy of Tennessee is not a prestigous as some of you would believe. Its a good job in a great conference. We have facilities ( so does all the top contenders) we have tradition ( so does 3/4 of the SEC) and we have rapid fanbase that refuses to quit using the term "homerun hire" and understand we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear.

Most of the remaining coaches on the list, which is basically down to Strong or Strong imho is going to be such a vast improvement of what we had that you will be behind him before the season starts.

So quit setting yourself up for disappointment and get on the bandwagon. It may be the bandwagon to 9-3 but it may not and you cant say either way.

I disagree with the statement I bolded. Tennessee is a premier program in the country, we have top 5 facilities, 100k stadium, tradition and a fan base that BLEEDS ORANGE. With that said if UT does not make the RIGHT hire it will set us back quite a bit.

I will say if Gruden was never brought up, people would be saying Strong is a HR hire. A lot of our fans got so caught up in Grudenmania that anything less was considered a failure.

IF it is Strong I believe with the right staff in place it would be a HR hire, Fedora would also be a very interesting hire.

 

[99gator]

I don't think florida has ever had a "home run" hire.

Urban Meyer comes closest.

Come to think of it, they've never had a home run hire ib any sport

 

[Pacer92]

I agree! This is a good job not great. Not as attractive to outsiders contrary to what a lot of our fans think.

 

[SaintLouisVol]

. . . we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear. . .

No one wants Paul Bryant. He's a "Bammer."

However, you are correct. There is no homerun hire among those who appear to be available.

Personally, I would enjoy Gruden just because I think it would be a lot of fun for a while at least. But, he's far from a sure thing.

 

[utvolpj]

I agree! This is a good job not great. Not as attractive to outsiders contrary to what a lot of our fans think.

most attractive open job and even coaches at current BCS conf schools would consider it a step up.

People need to quit selling UT short just because of a few down years. Coaches are old enough to know

 

[SaluteToTheHill]

First, I would like to say that there are not many homerun hires and none of them could be called "locks". I know people will say if we got Gruden it would be a "home run hire"(puke), but we were just pawns for Gruden to line his pocket book.

Second, this phrase is really dumb and if you use it you look dumb in the process. Unless you are Nostradamus you cant tell if someone is going to a "homerun hire" (puke), because hiring a coach is just like football sometimes it comes down to how the ball bounces.

Lastly, the job at the Univeristy of Tennessee is not a prestigous as some of you would believe. Its a good job in a great conference. We have facilities ( so does all the top contenders) we have tradition ( so does 3/4 of the SEC) and we have rapid fanbase that refuses to quit using the term "homerun hire" and understand we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear.

Most of the remaining coaches on the list, which is basically down to Strong or Strong imho is going to be such a vast improvement of what we had that you will be behind him before the season starts.

So quit setting yourself up for disappointment and get on the bandwagon. It may be the bandwagon to 9-3 but it may not and you cant say either way.

Can we start a new thread for people who use the words "lock" and "pawn"?

 

[GBO128]

I too am impressed with our rapid fanbase.

Look this is an elite job. There is no in state school of real competition. Vandy is getting better but they don't have the resources financially, historically or facility wise to compete long term.

We are an all time top 10 program, wins wise. Our new facility rivals NFL workout complexes. And we have multiple NC's and SEC championships. On paper we outrank Auburn, Arkansas, Kentucky and any other job available right now.

Yes it is harder to recruit at Tennessee but the 2.2 million a year we spend on recruiting, which is over a million more than the next SEC school allows coaches to make up for that deficit.

We need a coach to come in, get a few wins, use the money wisely and get back to the top 5 recruiting classes every year. Any of the 3 big names right now have my confidence that they can get it done

 

[MFL]

Strong is a weak hire but it fits our status now in the SEC. Time will tell if we hired another dud or someone with hidden skills. Not sure he will be able to get top rated SEC level assistants going in.

 

[give_him 6]

Can you also address the phrase "done deal" that is being very loosely used in the Coaching Rumors/Speculation threads? Its a major problem here.

 

[alaVOL]

Personally, I would enjoy Gruden just because I think it would be a lot of fun for a while at least. But, he's far from a sure thing.

Gruden will not come unless he gets support to make UT a SEC winner. His demands for asst. money etc are to put a group together to compete and WIN this conference. There is no plan to get back on a track for Gruden. Just like Saban when he left the NFL, he wants the ability to put together a winner period.

He would be a homerun!

 

[GatorBill]

if yall hire ME it would be a homerun hire compared to Dooley. I like the Dooley as a person, pretty good dude.

I am a 100% lock to be able to out coach the guy.

***End of Hijack.***

 

[Pacer92]

most attractive open job and even coaches at current BCS conf schools would consider it a step up.

People need to quit selling UT short just because of a few down years. Coaches are old enough to know

A step up in pay and in conference! Would be a step up for Strong, yes! I think Gundy is playing the game tho.

 

[RockyTopJA]

First, I would like to say that there are not many homerun hires and none of them could be called "locks". I know people will say if we got Gruden it would be a "home run hire"(puke), but we were just pawns for Gruden to line his pocket book.

Second, this phrase is really dumb and if you use it you look dumb in the process. Unless you are Nostradamus you cant tell if someone is going to a "homerun hire" (puke), because hiring a coach is just like football sometimes it comes down to how the ball bounces.

Lastly, the job at the Univeristy of Tennessee is not a prestigous as some of you would believe. Its a good job in a great conference. We have facilities ( so does all the top contenders) we have tradition ( so does 3/4 of the SEC) and we have rapid fanbase that refuses to quit using the term "homerun hire" and understand we are not hiring Bill Belicheck(sp?), Vince lombardi, Tom Landry, or The Bear.

Most of the remaining coaches on the list, which is basically down to Strong or Strong imho is going to be such a vast improvement of what we had that you will be behind him before the season starts.

So quit setting yourself up for disappointment and get on the bandwagon. It may be the bandwagon to 9-3 but it may not and you cant say either way.

Based on our state's obesity rank, and the observed % of those in attendance at Neyland any given Saturday, I would strongly disagree with that description.

 

[SaluteToTheHill]

UT is definitely a step up from OSU if your comparing one schools history, facilities, fanbase, etc to the other.

 

[oregonvol]

I don't think florida has ever had a "home run" hire.

Urban Meyer comes closest.

Come to think of it, they've never had a home run hire ib any sport

Spurrier and Meyer were both considered to be homeruns by many at the time they were hired.

 

[BenGrimm]

I don't think florida has ever had a "home run" hire.

Urban Meyer comes closest.

Come to think of it, they've never had a home run hire ib any sport

I would say Meyer was home run. He was the most attractive name on the market the year he took the FL job. Many questioned if his system would work in the SEC but he quickly proved himself am elite recruiter. Then he had the good fortune of the perfect QB for his system fall in his lap.

 

[Boca Vol]

I would say Meyer was home run. He was the most attractive name on the market the year he took the FL job. Many questioned if his system would work in the SEC but he quickly proved himself am elite recruiter. Then he had the good fortune of the perfect QB for his system fall in his lap.

Meyer spent a couple of years at Bowling Green before moving to Utah. Yes, Utah went undefeated in 2004.

What if UF fans were screaming for Jon Gruden in 2004, would they see #2 option (Urban Meyer) a HR hire? I doubt it.

Same parallel as the the guy who said had Gruden not been mentioned then Strong would be considered a major hire.

 

[sanddune50]

I agree! This is a good job not great. Not as attractive to outsiders contrary to what a lot of our fans think.

Based on what?

 

[DD4ME]

most attractive open job and even coaches at current BCS conf schools would consider it a step up.

People need to quit selling UT short just because of a few down years. Coaches are old enough to know

Wages have gotten competitive and we are essentially broke. Heck Strong is rumored to make 3 million with incentives. It's the best job available but we are picky and so are the candidates we'd entertain. Most of them have good/great jobs at good programs where they make 2+ million and haven't seen 3 coaches in 5 years. The lure is there but so is the fear. This conference is a meat grinder.

 

[99gator]

Spurrier and Meyer were both considered to be homeruns by many at the time they were hired.

An awful lot of people thought urban would fail. The system would not work in the sec and he only performed at bowling green and utah.

As for spurrier, i dont remember a whole lot of people that were concerned about florida when he was hired. There wasn't an "oh, no. Florida's going to have to be reckoned with now" attitude.

 

[DD4ME]

I'll say this, with recruiting at a premium being located in TN regardless the beauty or distance to GA gives this job an extra degree of difficulty over one in TX, GA, AL, LA, FL, CA.

 

[BenGrimm]

Meyer spent a couple of years at Bowling Green before moving to Utah. Yes, Utah went undefeated in 2004.

What if UF fans were screaming for Jon Gruden in 2004, would they see #2 option (Urban Meyer) a HR hire? I doubt it.

Same parallel as the the guy who said had Gruden not been mentioned then Strong would be considered a major hire.

Was there a bigger name FL was after in 04? Other than Stoops who was mentioned for every job every year and not budging.

Meyer and Utah were getting A LOT of media love in 2004. Alex Smith was a Heisman finalist and they were a BCS buster. He was THE biggest name that was realistically on the market.

I would argue that Saban wasn't even a "homerun" quality candidate before taking the Bama job. Despite his success at LSU he never put back to back 10+ win seasons together at that point in his career. He wasn't even their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice. They were striking out with a the big names before reaching out to him.

 

[Boca Vol]

Was there a bigger name FL was after in 04? Other than Stoops who was mentioned for every job every year and not budging.

Meyer and Utah were getting A LOT of media love in 2004. Alex Smith was a Heisman finalist and they were a BCS buster. He was THE biggest name that was realistically on the market.

I would argue that Saban wasn't even a "homerun" quality candidate before taking the Bama job. Despite his success at LSU he never put back to back 10+ win seasons together at that point in his career. He wasn't even their 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th choice. They were striking out with a the big names before reaching out to him.

You bring up a lot of good points....which all lead back to you just don't know. Had Clemson not given up 70 to WVU, UT's season probably would have turned out differently this year with Kevin Steele as DC. UT was in most of the games and had chances against UF, UGA, State, USCe, & Mizzou. Just a stop here and there on D.

Had UT caught a few brakes and had a record of 9-3ish we would all be pretty pleased. However, UT is in their 3rd coaching search in a short period of time.

Back to your points, there are coaches out there that can be successful that aren't named Gruden.