Vols progress

#52
#52
AthensVol2007 said:
I agree that them and Clemson would hold their own because both recruit at a top 5-7 level which is good enough to win this league. What they wouldn’t experience is the runs they’ve had, especially Clemson, where they’ve made 6 of the 8 playoffs or whatever. Both can afford to slip up once and still get in, in the SEC, if you slip up once it may cost you a chance at the playoffs. We were on the verge of going 11-1 yet missing ATL and potentially missing the playoffs. Clemson has lost 1 game 4 of their 6 playoff appearances and would’ve likely made the playoffs this year with only 1 loss because there’s nobody else remotely close to challenging them in their league.
Click to expand...
Without the playoff runs if Clemson was in SEC, they would not get players and would just be USCe II.
 
#54
#54
J C Higgins said:
Definitely a great recruiter but not a great coach. IMO great coaches get the most from the player talent with which they have to work. Fulmer didn't.
Click to expand...
Didn’t get the most out of a 13-0 national championship team? How is that even possible. What could he have done better to get the most
 
#55
#55
VFL-82-JP said:
I think if they were to play in the SEC, they'd consistently end the season 9-3 or 10-2.

In other words, if they had to consistently play Bama, UGa, and now us, they would not consistently win the conference, nor consistently get to the playoffs. They might not EVER win the conference or get to the playoffs (until the playoffs expand, of course).

Just using this season and our schedule as an example, what do you think Ohio State's record would be if they had to play Pitt, Florida, LSU, Bama, Georgia, Clemson, Kentucky, and South Carolina? I included those last two not because they're barn burners, but because you at least have to focus on them, prepare for them...which means you're not preparing for the team that comes a week later.

I'm thinking OSU would have at least three losses. We know they'd lose to Michigan (a Bama-Tennessee equivalent), because they did. We know they'd lose to UGa (because they did lose to UGa). I'm betting they'd have one other loss somewhere in there, too.

The SEC schedule is brutal. They're not used to that. They're not ready for that.

There's a difference between being almost as good as UGa one or two games a year, and having to be that good 5, 6, or 7 times a season.
Click to expand...
I think they end up with a very similar record as we have. For one its doubtful they lose to SC. It would truly depend on schedule. I would say they would lose to UGa and Bama and possibly us or LSU. Other then that.... not much hope. They would not have all 4 scheduled most likely. I would also say they could beat any of those teams any given day. They had the best team of our group beaten yet went stupid with prevent and had 30 seconds to win from UGA 37. 1 timeout and proceeded to call the worst plays possible.
 
#56
#56
BigALWiLson said:
Talent level is on par with this conference right now. I see them being able to compete here week in and week out. Sure they would have growing pains like anyone else.... Some people are scared of Texas ffs... Ohio State is way more of problem in this conference than say Texas or Oklahoma. And they probably wouldn't win this conference every other year, however you would be crazy to think they wouldn't be a top team. GEORGIA damn lucky last night with Harrison. Period. Michigan doesn't have the defensive speed to win here regularly. Ohio State does
Click to expand...
I don't disagree but their ability to go undefeated or 1 or 2 losses is very questionable like they do in the B10. This is my point, Competitive yes top 2 in the conference not every year. Recruiting about the same but there are at times a difference in talent when it comes to recruiting and they may attract more or less. Lets see what happens in the USC and UCLA merger. Should be interesting for all.
 
#57
#57
Sudden Impact said:
I don't disagree but their ability to go undefeated or 1 or 2 losses is very questionable like they do in the B10. This is my point, Competitive yes top 2 in the conference not every year. Recruiting about the same but there are at times a difference in talent when it comes to recruiting and they may attract more or less. Lets see what happens in the USC and UCLA merger. Should be interesting for all.
Click to expand...
Im not saying they come here and win every year. However I would expect them to compete yearly. They recruit and have the support to be amongst the top of this conference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sudden Impact
#58
#58
GregAmsler said:
He actually stayed at Clemson, then left for Virginia the next year. That was an example of a guy who didn't strike while the iron was hot. His star was highest after 2020 and he should have taken the best offer available then. He came back, the Clemson offense sputtered with DJU and his options became far more limited, so he had to settle for UVA. Glad he didn't take the UT job.
Click to expand...

Rolling into Ktown with a dumpster fire of a roster and culture is not a good career move for a pedestrian head coach. Once you arrive and take a look at playing 1 real OOC game coupled with annuals v UK, USC, UGA, UA, UF, and the additional blessings of a round robin addition of LSU, UArk, ATM, & Barn, aaaand IF you were to go at least 10-2 you possibly get to play the best team from the west for a CHANCE to make the CFP, aaaaaand you get the additional blessing of adding UTjr & OU to the mix if your career survives that long! So, yeah hanging with Dabo until an ACC job appears doesn't sound to bad.
I think I'll take what we have.
 
#59
#59
VFL-82-JP said:
Tony didn't turn us down. He was never offered the job.

Huge dump truck-sized difference between assessing whether someone might be interested, and offering someone the job. Huge difference.
Click to expand...
We have conflicting accounts. I go with the one that insists we offered first James Franklin and then Tony Elliott the job.
 
#60
#60
Butch s said:
Unless you are 70+ years old, Fulmer is the best football coach at the university of Tennessee in your lifetime
Click to expand...
Depending on how long you live…could change.
 
#62
#62
butchna said:
We have conflicting accounts. I go with the one that insists we offered first James Franklin and then Tony Elliott the job.
Click to expand...
The version I believe is the one from the most insider of all insiders: Dan White himself.

Without ever mentioning James Franklin by name, Dan said by the time he was finished trying to sign Franklin, he already knew that the guy he was looking for was the one he'd just left: Josh Heupel at UCF.

Therefore, he never made a job offer to anyone but (a) Franklin and (b) Heupel. He had his staff put out a couple of feelers gauging interest, but nothing close to a job offer to anyone but those two fellas.

Go Vols!
 
#63
#63
EaglesVols91 said:
Nobody could have imagined this kind of success this early. We need to enjoy it because who really knows when it’ll happen again. I certainly didn’t expect the decline we’ve had since firing Fulmer…
Click to expand...
Fulmer started this mess we were in, and hired a Gump to destroy us and sit back and did nothing!!!!! Got no time for Fulmer!
 
  • Like
Reactions: volpass
#65
#65
VolMack——————$ said:
WRONG….Fulmer was putting together probably the top class when he was let go…..Great Vol fans know more than the coaches ! That’s when Clemson got Taj Boyd and Clemson dynasty came to be….Smart fans and writers !!!
Click to expand...

Fulmer supposedly had amazing recruiting classes in 2005, 2006, and 2007, and look how well that turned out in 2008.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocky Top T
#66
#66
EaglesVols91 said:
Nobody could have imagined this kind of success this early. We need to enjoy it because who really knows when it’ll happen again. I certainly didn’t expect the decline we’ve had since firing Fulmer…
Click to expand...
What signs of a decline do you see? Clemson had a couple of opt outs. They had more than enough depth to compensate. UT played the ACC champions and a team loaded with well developed talent. They did it with a back up QB and other key pieces on a roster patched together with duct tape and baling wire.

I honestly do not see any reason to think this was some kind of anomaly. The culture is sound and improving. The talent is improving. The development is top tier on O and good at the position level on D. Gameday coaching on O is top tier and "spotty" on D... but some spots are pretty bright.

The opposite was true of the decline. Not sure why it should have taken anyone by surprise. Even in an 11 game season, UT almost always scored 400 points in a season with Cutcliffe. Without him I think it happened once with the loaded 2001 squad. The drop off in offensive production was immediately noticeable when Sanders took over. Fulmer for his part was not very good as it turned out in hiring people. He kind of "lucked up" with Chavis and Cut... and then couldn't recreate a successful staff. Fulmer did not have strong leadership or the ability to hold people accountable. He protected both coaches and players instead of correcting, punishing, or replacing them. Discipline dropped off sharply both on and off the field. The culture at UT became toxic. Senior leadership was plagued with infighting and cross agendas.

This happened or was beginning to happen BEFORE the first losing season in 2005.

PS- if the rumors swirling that Banks was a discipline issue then Heupel made the choice of a strong leader. He risked the short term instead of compromising the culture he knows provides the foundation for sustained success.
 
  • Like
Reactions: krichunaka and Sudden Impact
#67
#67
youcancallmeAl said:
NO, no, no........We won't have progress until we fire Banks and annoit NIco the starter next year right now.
Click to expand...
UT was fortunate that Clemson could not finish on O. There is probably some credit to go to UT's D... but there's a ton of blame to go on Clemson's O.

Banks D still couldn't get off the field. They still gave up too many yds and played too many plays.

Some of you seem to think what they did will work consistently. There are still HUGE improvements needed on D. I am still not sure Banks is the right guy. But Heupel has more than earned enough confidence to trust his opinion. But his career will ultimately depend on how he manages the D. We've seen what he can do on O. But he has to CEO the D. It isn't his specialty. He has to have someone he can trust to get the job done.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sudden Impact
#68
#68
The Tall Gguy said:
Fulmer had 152 wins in his career
Click to expand...
He had his time. It came. It went. He didn't see it or evolve like Saban has done. Fulmer's downfall can be understood in one quote. Paraphrase: "We've won a lot of games around here doin' what we're doin'... we ain't changing now".

IMHO, he hired Pruitt trying to prove that you could still win "his way".
 
  • Like
Reactions: Native Orange, Sudden Impact and KoachKrab127
#69
#69
VFL-82-JP said:
The version I believe is the one from the most insider of all insiders: Dan White himself.

Without ever mentioning James Franklin by name, Dan said by the time he was finished trying to sign Franklin, he already knew that the guy he was looking for was the one he'd just left: Josh Heupel at UCF.

Therefore, he never made a job offer to anyone but (a) Franklin and (b) Heupel. He had his staff put out a couple of feelers gauging interest, but nothing close to a job offer to anyone but those two fellas.
Go Vols!
Click to expand...
Your interpretation veering on wishful thinking imo. I'll go with Dabo meeting with him at the last second and giving him a raise AFTER HE "put out feelers" for his potential staff and met with his family before the final decision. Maybe it was a half-hearted offer, but AP and others indicated there WAS an offer. Glad it worked out this way whatever the truth.
 
#70
#70
Sudden Impact said:
They can play with anyone in our conference, but to do it against our schedule week in and week out, I truly believe it is a different outcome at the end of the season. Day is a great Coach, but if he had to face SEC competition weekly it would be different.
Click to expand...
Precisely. Their Northwestern game gets them beat in the SEC. In fact they played a couple of "closer than it should have been" games that would have been losses in the SEC.

They beat a middling ND team 21-10. To put that in perspective, ND just "beat" USCe... with USCe having to switch players from D to O just to have enough bodies.
 
  • Like
Reactions: krichunaka and Sudden Impact
#71
#71
EaglesVols91 said:
Nobody could have imagined this kind of success this early. We need to enjoy it because who really knows when it’ll happen again. I certainly didn’t expect the decline we’ve had since firing Fulmer…
Click to expand...

We’ll have another 10+ win regular season next year. Bank on that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: EaglesVols91
#73
#73
GregAmsler said:
Nick Saban’s 1st 2 seasons rebuilding Alabama:
7-6
12-2
1-1 in bowl games

Josh Heupel’s 1st 2 seasons rebuilding Tennessee:
7-6
11-2
1-1 in bowl games

I'd say the progress is as good as anyone could expect.
Click to expand...

Hope we can duplicate what Saban did in year 3!
 
  • Like
Reactions: posivol
#74
#74
Rocky Top T said:
Fulmer screed Majors and screwed us twice! Got no time for him.
Click to expand...
What are facts is majors was a drunk and had no control of his team. Unfortunately these are the facts…Fulmer was the talk of football being the best assistant coach and coach in the waiting. These are the facts so when majors had his heart attack the writing was on the wall. Fulmer was a university man as much as any when it came to loving the university. It is what it is…..The fans on here and the writers along with the support donors took care of Fulmer…Those are the fools that I have no time for !!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: orangebloodgmc
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top