Tempered expectations revisited

#1
NickZ4UT

NickZ4UT

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Sep 4, 2009
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#1
So after the AP game I saw a lot of folks preaching doom and gloom and now after we have dropped consecutive games to the number 2 and 19 teams in the country respectively I'm seeing much of the same. We have a depleted roster, we all knew this coming into the season and you aren't going to find quick replacements for 70% of the offensive production we lost on this roster. It should be obvious that it's going to take a recruiting class or two before we can really start competing with these teams. Everyone on this board is so quick to give up on this staff or these players, a dose of objectivity can go a long way to improving your perspective. For example, we didn't play a great game yesterday and yet the team kept fighting through the final whistle, that's the mentality I want to see from my team, I don't care how big the talent gap is.

People need to realize it's a process and yes, we are ALL tired of losing, but keep in mind, so are the players and the staff. With that in mind we should all be willing to give this staff a bit of leeway and just believe in what they are doing until they give you a reason not to. For me, I see nothing that the staff has done to make me lose faith, in fact I liked the QB switch, you don't really have anything to lose and at least you tried to do whatever you can to win, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I hope everyone can just calm down and breath a little bit, the sky isn't falling and all is not lost. I realize this isn't our strong suit after years of mediocrity but we all just need to be patient.
 
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#2
#2
I tried to read this, I really did, but next time please give me a paragraph or line break or something.
 
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#4
#4
I expect our beloved Vols to win 6 games and go to a bowl game. If they don't do that it is on the coaches. Everyone is preaching about how Ut doesn't have any talent, but a lack of talent can be overcome by a good coach. Just look at what James Franklin did at Vandy in 2011.
 
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#6
#6
AZVOLSFAN said:
I expect our beloved Vols to win 6 games and go to a bowl game. If they don't do that it is on the coaches. Everyone is preaching about how Ut doesn't have any talent, but a lack of talent can be overcome by a good coach. Just look at what James Franklin did at Vandy in 2011.
Click to expand...

I hear what you are saying but he didn't have the schedule that we have, not even close.
 
#7
#7
ReelfootVol said:
Where is our great offensive line everyone talks about?
Please tell them to get into the game. We need them.
Click to expand...

They're there, but our offense is so one dimensional that we aren't keeping defenses honest. No one is concerned about our passing game, it makes scheming much easier.
 
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#8
#8
NickZ4UT said:
I hear what you are saying but he didn't have the schedule that we have, not even close.
Click to expand...

He did lose to Arkansas 31-28, the same Arkansas team that stomped us 49-7. And he took our Vols to overtime. We clearly had more talent then his 2011 team, but his coaching made up for a lot of that.
 
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#9
#9
If we can still do this, we go 6-6 and go to a bowl game which in my opinion was the real goal of this season anyway (improvement upon last season). Extra practices and game could do good for our experience and building depth for next year.

08/31/13 vs. Austin Peay W
09/07/13 vs. Western Kentucky W
09/14/13 at Oregon L
09/21/13 at Florida L
09/28/13 vs. South Alabama W
10/05/13 vs. Georgia L
10/19/13 vs. South Carolina L
10/26/13 at Alabama L
11/02/13 at Missouri W (win this one or Auburn)
11/09/13 vs. Auburn L (win this one or Missouri)
11/23/13 vs. Vanderbilt W
11/30/13 at Kentucky W
 
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#10
#10
phowell23 said:
If we can still do this, we go 6-6 and go to a bowl game which in my opinion was the real goal of this season anyway (improvement upon last season). Extra practices and game could do good for our experience and building depth for next year.

08/31/13 vs. Austin Peay W
09/07/13 vs. Western Kentucky W
09/14/13 at Oregon L
09/21/13 at Florida L
09/28/13 vs. South Alabama W
10/05/13 vs. Georgia L
10/19/13 vs. South Carolina L
10/26/13 at Alabama L
11/02/13 at Missouri W (win this one or Auburn)
11/09/13 vs. Auburn L (win this one or Missouri)
11/23/13 vs. Vanderbilt W
11/30/13 at Kentucky W

12/13 Bowl Game W
Click to expand...

Updated post --> successful season, must win 7 games total. 3-2 vs. SC, Mizzou, Aub, Vandy, UK gets us there. I
 
#11
#11
AZVOLSFAN said:
He did lose to Arkansas 31-28, the same Arkansas team that stomped us 49-7. And he took our Vols to overtime. We clearly had more talent then his 2011 team, but his coaching made up for a lot of that.
Click to expand...

I dunno, this might be the least talented team we have ever fielded in the modern era. We have also lost some key players to injury and other circumstances, not that I think that would have made a big difference on Saturday but I think it's unfair to compare the two. Not every situation is the same and I don't think 2011 Vandy would have faired any better in these four games than we have.
 
#12
#12
phowell23 said:
If we can still do this, we go 6-6 and go to a bowl game which in my opinion was the real goal of this season anyway (improvement upon last season). Extra practices and game could do good for our experience and building depth for next year.

08/31/13 vs. Austin Peay W
09/07/13 vs. Western Kentucky W
09/14/13 at Oregon L
09/21/13 at Florida L
09/28/13 vs. South Alabama W
10/05/13 vs. Georgia L
10/19/13 vs. South Carolina L
10/26/13 at Alabama L
11/02/13 at Missouri W (win this one or Auburn)
11/09/13 vs. Auburn L (win this one or Missouri)
11/23/13 vs. Vanderbilt W
11/30/13 at Kentucky W
Click to expand...

Exactly my point, getting bowl eligible is the goal, that's where we start, to borrow Jones' catch phrase "brick by brick"
 
#13
#13
We could just as easily lose to Vandy, Missouz and Auburn. I think we beat MU, and lose to Vandy and AU.
 
#14
#14
AZVOLSFAN said:
I expect our beloved Vols to win 6 games and go to a bowl game. If they don't do that it is on the coaches. Everyone is preaching about how Ut doesn't have any talent, but a lack of talent can be overcome by a good coach. Just look at what James Franklin did at Vandy in 2011.
Click to expand...

Vandy didn't play Oregon in'11. Did they even play Alabama that year? Their schedule was no where near as strong as ours.
 
#16
#16
AZVOLSFAN said:
I expect our beloved Vols to win 6 games and go to a bowl game. If they don't do that it is on the coaches. Everyone is preaching about how Ut doesn't have any talent, but a lack of talent can be overcome by a good coach. Just look at what James Franklin did at Vandy in 2011.
Click to expand...

3 years and in and James Franklin has ZERO quality wins. He damn near lost to UMass yesterday. Enough. This TN team will be judged on it performance against Auburn, Missou and Vandy. Those games are the difference between 4 and 7 wins.
 
#18
#18
We won't lose to Vandy. They are worse than us right now by far. See yesterday's stellar performance.
 
#19
#19
NickZ4UT said:
So after the AP game I saw a lot of folks preaching doom and gloom and now after we have dropped consecutive games to the number 2 and 19 teams in the country respectively I'm seeing much of the same. We have a depleted roster, we all knew this coming into the season and you aren't going to find quick replacements for 70% of the offensive production we lost on this roster. It should be obvious that it's going to take a recruiting class or two before we can really start competing with these teams. Everyone on this board is so quick to give up on this staff or these players, a dose of objectivity can go a long way to improving your perspective. For example, we didn't play a great game yesterday and yet the team kept fighting through the final whistle, that's the mentality I want to see from my team, I don't care how big the talent gap is.

People need to realize it's a process and yes, we are ALL tired of losing, but keep in mind, so are the players and the staff. With that in mind we should all be willing to give this staff a bit of leeway and just believe in what they are doing until they give you a reason not to. For me, I see nothing that the staff has done to make me lose faith, in fact I liked the QB switch, you don't really have anything to lose and at least you tried to do whatever you can to win, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I hope everyone can just calm down and breath a little bit, the sky isn't falling and all is not lost. I realize this isn't our strong suit after years of mediocrity but we all just need to be patient.
Click to expand...

Losing is not acceptable.
 
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#20
#20
VolunteerTitan3 said:
Vandy didn't play Oregon in'11. Did they even play Alabama that year? Their schedule was no where near as strong as ours.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying that we should have beat Oregon or Florida, at least not before the game. The gators, tried to give us the game yesterday. But, Franklin took a team that shouldn't have made it to a bowl, because of good coaching, and made a Bowl game. Which he then lost to CBJ. My point is this team isn't lacking so much talent that they can't make a bowl game. And if they don't it's on the coaching staff.
 
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#21
#21
HARTUPM said:
Losing is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

Well you better get used to it this year. You have to be realistic with the talent we have and the schedule. Perhaps we sneak into a bowl with a 6-6 record, and that'll be great for this team. And while I won't be satisfied until we start winning again, I understand that it's a process that may take a little while- I'm never happy with a loss, nor do I accept them, but reason tells me that I have to expect them this year. Butch May be the answer but there are no instant fixes with the state our program is in.
 
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#22
#22
NickZ4UT said:
So after the AP game I saw a lot of folks preaching doom and gloom and now after we have dropped consecutive games to the number 2 and 19 teams in the country respectively I'm seeing much of the same. We have a depleted roster, we all knew this coming into the season and you aren't going to find quick replacements for 70% of the offensive production we lost on this roster. It should be obvious that it's going to take a recruiting class or two before we can really start competing with these teams. Everyone on this board is so quick to give up on this staff or these players, a dose of objectivity can go a long way to improving your perspective. For example, we didn't play a great game yesterday and yet the team kept fighting through the final whistle, that's the mentality I want to see from my team, I don't care how big the talent gap is.

People need to realize it's a process and yes, we are ALL tired of losing, but keep in mind, so are the players and the staff. With that in mind we should all be willing to give this staff a bit of leeway and just believe in what they are doing until they give you a reason not to. For me, I see nothing that the staff has done to make me lose faith, in fact I liked the QB switch, you don't really have anything to lose and at least you tried to do whatever you can to win, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I hope everyone can just calm down and breath a little bit, the sky isn't falling and all is not lost. I realize this isn't our strong suit after years of mediocrity but we all just need to be patient.
Click to expand...

Agree, but a huge portion of our fanbase will refuse to accept the reality of the situation and will point fingers at everyone from the waterboy to the Chaplin. Everyone seems to forget the pile of s**t the man stepped in. It's going to take time. I'm tired of getting my a** kicked like everyone else but it is what it is. Before the season, all you could hear was "He gets it", now it's like "Get the f**** out". I would think people could see it but I'm probably a little too old school and too much of a realist. People are whinning and complaining about play calling. You scheme to the players you have. Obviously, we don't have the talent right now. 4 games into the season and all the armchair coaches are roaring! Wow!
 
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#23
#23
AZVOLSFAN said:
I expect our beloved Vols to win 6 games and go to a bowl game. If they don't do that it is on the coaches. Everyone is preaching about how Ut doesn't have any talent, but a lack of talent can be overcome by a good coach. Just look at what James Franklin did at Vandy in 2011.
Click to expand...
We had a losing record last year and we lost all the firepower in the offense. The offense is all we had last year and it's top weapons are gone, so how are we supposed to be better this season?
 
#24
#24
LibertyVolance said:
We had a losing record last year and we lost all the firepower in the offense. The offense is all we had last year and it's top weapons are gone, so how are we supposed to be better this season?
Click to expand...

In that case, we will lose all our starting O-line and the starting Rb. And all of the starting D-line, as well as two possibly three starting LB's. How are we gonna be any better next year? Coaching.
 
#25
#25
HARTUPM said:
Losing is not acceptable.
Click to expand...

I didn't say it was, but that's the attitude that has everyone running around acting like it's the end of the world. We are not a good football team, that is directly related to depth and quality of talent. This is a first year coach who is trying to implement a new system with players he didn't recruit, it's absurd to think he's going to come in here and wave a magic wand and turn them into a top 10 team. So yeah losing to Oregon and Florida isn't the end of the world and no I don't like it but you people need to step away from the ledge.
 
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