The message boards are erupting, the sports talk radio lines are buzzing, the faith in Phillip Fulmer once again wavering.
Everyone wearing orange is turning red.
After fans pledged to keep their expectations realistic following a 5-6 reality check, their sentiment is right back to normal 10 weeks into the season. A one-loss Tennessee team dropped two straight games to top-10 schools, and everyone got mad all over again.
It was Phillip Fulmer who said the wind blows hardest at the top of the flagpole, and Hurricane McFadden certainly blasted the Vols off their perch.
And you know what?
I applaud that attitude. Assuming fans arent ready to fire everyone on the staff again, a 7-3 record should not ever, ever, be expected at Tennessee. The coaches are disappointed. The players are disgruntled. So why shouldnt the fans feel the same way?
Embracing close losses is why South Carolina fans are happy to become bowleligible.
If Erik Ainge had agreed with me Wednesday when I told him a 7-3 mark, given the circumstances, was realistic, Tennessee fans should have been disappointed.
But he didnt.
"Its tough to say, Yeah, to be 7-3 is OK. It could be worse, it could be better," Ainge said. "We lost two of those football games by a total of five points. We feel like we could have and should have won those games. Thats how I feel. Its tough to say you accept a 7-3 record. I dont think we can."
If running back LaMarcus Coker had agreed with me Wednesday when I told him a 7-3 mark, given the injuries to Ainge and Justin Harrell, was forgivable, Tennessee fans should have howled.
But he didnt.
"You want to have the perfect season and go undefeated or lose one game and still go to the SEC championship game and win that," he said. "Were 7-3 right now. In a sense, yeah, were disappointed."
So Ill be the voice of reason. Ill be the one who says Tennessees 7-3 record is pretty understandable under the circumstances.
Let me explain.
Go back in time to August, when the 5-6 wounds were still fresh, confidence was lacking and the defensive front seven was being rebuilt. And then, someone told you Harrell the lone returning starter on the front seven who shunned the NFL to return for his senior season would suffer a season-ending injury against Air Force.
Remember, Harrell and the Vols shut down Californias Heisman Trophy candidate, Marshawn Lynch, in the opener. Minus Harrell, the Vols rank eighth against the run in the SEC.
This person, who really should be laying down some bets, also said Jonathan Crompton would play the first significant games of his career against the countrys No. 1 defense and a national championship contender. Oh, and the Vols would end up playing three games against top-nine teams.
With visions of dropped passes, goofy interceptions and no-look passes thrown out of the end zone still fresh in your mind from a year ago, what would you think Tennessees final record would be? Id say 7-3 is about right. "With everything that happened," Ainge finally conceded, "it could be worse."
Of course, back in the midto-late 1990s, injuries and tough schedules didnt seem to faze Tennessee. And yeah, the Vols are 40-20 since 2002. One loss for every two wins is not Tennessee football. Its Minnesota football. The Vols are nowhere close to reaching the levels of the 1990s.
But theyre much, much closer than last year.
layers Not Happy-Just Like Fans
