Wow- Phil Steele on Butch Jones Hire

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perico

perico

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ESPN Insider Article by Phil Steele:


Don't bet against Butch Jones
Why new coach will have Tennessee competing for SEC East title by 2014
By Phil Steele

The Tennessee Volunteers' hiring of Butch Jones today from the Cincinnati Bearcats has raised plenty of questions among Vols fans. The first concern has to do with his readiness to take the big step up to coaching in the SEC. Second, he has to overcome the perception that he has ridden Brian Kelly's coattails to success in his previous stops at Cincinnati and Central Michigan.

The biggest question that Tennessee fans are likely to have today is this: How quickly can Jones get the program back into its traditional role of contending for SEC titles?

Oddly enough, I had my own doubts and misgivings when I first met Jones, but those were quickly laid to rest by his sharp focus and no-nonsense demeanor. He knows his X's and O's, but he also knows how important continuity is to a program, as there has not been much attrition at either of his head-coaching stops when he took over.

Thus far in his career, he has built up smaller programs working within the confines of their limited resources, but in Knoxville he will be working with one of college football's biggest bankrolls thanks to the SEC's large television contract and the 102,455 fans who pack Neyland Stadium for every home game.

In early November, I wrote in my bold predictions column that, after a 3-5 start to the season, the Vols would win their final five games, including the bowl, and Derek Dooley would keep his job. My reasoning was that Tennessee had already faced its toughest opponents of the season in Alabama, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia and that Dooley had done a good job of taking care of business against the teams he was supposed to beat in his career.

Tennessee looked like it was on its way to winning out with a 21-7 lead over Missouri at the half (the score made the game seem closer than it really was, as the Vols had a 383-64 advantage in rushing yards at halftime), but the end result was a painful 51-48, four-overtime loss. That defeat carried over into the next game, a 41-18 beatdown by Vanderbilt that earned Dooley the pink slip. Those two results, in certain respects, made Tennessee appear to be a worse team than it really was this season.

The reason I'm optimistic about Tennessee's outlook, starting with next season, is that the cupboard is not bare. In 2012, the Vols compiled their best offensive numbers since Peyton Manning was behind center. Jones is likely hoping that the SEC leader in passing yardage this season, Tyler Bray, will turn down the NFL and return to school and that Bray's go-to wide receiver Justin Hunter will do the same. (It's certainly possible, since both players' stocks have dropped throughout the course of the season.) If both players return, Tennessee should be a bowl team next season, even with a brutal schedule that features road trips to Oregon, Florida and Alabama.

While Jones has never coached in the SEC, just remember that neither did Nick Saban when he entered the league in 2000. Saban was a successful MAC coach at Toledo before working his way up the ladder at Michigan State and being hired by LSU. The same holds true for Les Miles, who was also a Midwest guy before continuing the success Saban started in Baton Rouge.

The bottom line is that Jones is a man who knows how to build a program and use the talent he has available, having compiled a 50-27 record in his six seasons as a head coach. He has won or shared four conference titles during that time, posting a better win percentage and more conference titles at Central Michigan than what Kelly produced before him.

Jones is about to become the Volunteers' fourth head coach in six seasons, and he will give the program a stability it has lacked. He knows how to shape the talent on hand into a strong team, and by 2014, he will have the Volunteers contending in the SEC East.
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#2
#2
Wow that was a strong statement I hope that he is right I am tired of being the laughing stock of the league.
 
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#3
#3
I like Jones. I like his history of winning conference championships and I like his youth. I think he will be a good coach here and one our rivals can't take for granted. But that article is a bit too optimistic for even me. Bray and Hunter returning? Not a chance. Also, comparison to Nick Saban is pretty silly at this point. Saban had accomplished alot at Michigan State (top 10 ranking, big time recruits) before coming to the SEC.
 
#6
#6
Let's see if CBJ can live up to those words. I hope that he can, but it's far from a given.
 
#7
#7
Its good to go to sleep at night knowing that the football team is finally in good hands.
 
#9
#9
QUOTE=oregonvol;7966425]I like Jones. I like his history of winning conference championships and I like his youth. I think he will be a good coach here and one our rivals can't take for granted. But that article is a bit too optimistic for even me. Bray and Hunter returning? Not a chance. Also, comparison to Nick Saban is pretty silly at this point. Saban had accomplished alot at Michigan State (top 10 ranking, big time recruits) before coming to the SEC.[/QUOTE]

Yeah it also took Saban five years to win 9 games in a season. Before that he never won more than 7 games in a season. You can compare whatever you want.
 
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#10
#10
Good article. I am behind the hire (no homo) and I think this guy will do well. Sadly too many Vol fans picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.
 
#12
#12
volfrk86 said:
Wow that was a strong statement I hope that he is right I am tired of being the laughing stock of the league.
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considering how wrong he was about last years team I wouldn't put much stock in his opinions. It's going to take more than a year or two to get the talent needed to compete against the SEC elites. Jones may be a good coach but we'll have to wait and see how he recruits.
 
#13
#13
Winners know how to win period. As long as he hires a few strong SEC recruiters this will be the beginning of a beautiful thing.
 
#16
#16
oregonvol said:
I like Jones. I like his history of winning conference championships and I like his youth. I think he will be a good coach here and one our rivals can't take for granted. But that article is a bit too optimistic for even me. Bray and Hunter returning? Not a chance. Also, comparison to Nick Saban is pretty silly at this point. Saban had accomplished alot at Michigan State (top 10 ranking, big time recruits) before coming to the SEC.
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Have to agree. I thought it was a very weak article, probably rushed, with a lot of suppositions. Jones might make a great coach, but not for the reasons stated. I think his biggest positive is the low expectations of Vol fans who, you have to admit, can be a little overzealous, as can most other CFB fans. I think if the U of T can give the guy some time, he'll build. But this is a very, very tough league to build in, especially if you have to go out-of-state for recruits. He's gonna need some time.
 
#17
#17
Lets get through Feb. and the recruitting class first. Need some excitement going into the off season for sure.
 
#18
#18
IIRC, all anyone could say about Dooley was that he worked under Saban. And that his dad is Vince Dooley.
 
#20
#20
Great words to read... very encouraging. I'm hoping for the best from Jones, and although I'm not completely sold and won't be until we see what we bring next season, as long as we don't go backwards, I'll be happy.

One of my main concerns is not about losing the 'Big 3,' (Bray, CP, Hunter)... but about the fact that we are for certain losing Rivera and Z. Rogers! Regardless, I think we have a lot of young talent that CBJ will be able to work with.

Right now I'm looking at next season's schedule like, "Crap, we gotta play Oregon the 3rd game..." .. I can not wait until people say, "Dang, we gotta play UT next weekend." Just hang in there.
 
#21
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oregonvol said:
I like Jones. I like his history of winning conference championships and I like his youth. I think he will be a good coach here and one our rivals can't take for granted. But that article is a bit too optimistic for even me. Bray and Hunter returning? Not a chance. Also, comparison to Nick Saban is pretty silly at this point. Saban had accomplished alot at Michigan State (top 10 ranking, big time recruits) before coming to the SEC.
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You need to get your history right.

Saban was 25-22-1 before his one good season at MSU. Truth is, he was on the verge of being fired. Had he returned and not continued to win, he would have been fired. He had taken the Spartans to 3 bowls... and had been blown out by LSU (7-4-1) (led by the exceptionally incompetent Gerry Dinardo), Stanford (7-5), and Washington (8-4) The avg margin was 28 pts.

He was a VERY mediocre one hit wonder when hired by an LSU program that had not been relevant on any kind of consistent basis for years. There was no reason to expect he would be anything more than another coach in a long line of mediocre to poor coaches.

Whether he "grew up" as a coach, hit perfect timing with the right roster and competition, just needed better players.... whatever it was... his career took off at LSU.

UT could be getting a guy like that. Or... they could be getting another 3 year coach.
 
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#22
#22
We want be seeing Bray, Hunter, or Patterson next season all three are gone. I think Peterman has a great chance to win the starting QB job over Worley next season. Vincent Dallas is a solid WR hopefully we can get another JC or even a freshman close to Patterson talent. The running game and Ol are solid. Everything comes down to defense and our new DC will more than likely be John Jancek hopefully he can put a defense on the field that will be decent.
 
#24
#24
UGADawg4Life said:
Have to agree. I thought it was a very weak article, probably rushed, with a lot of suppositions. Jones might make a great coach, but not for the reasons stated. I think his biggest positive is the low expectations of Vol fans who, you have to admit, can be a little overzealous, as can most other CFB fans. I think if the U of T can give the guy some time, he'll build. But this is a very, very tough league to build in, especially if you have to go out-of-state for recruits. He's gonna need some time.
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Dooley leaves two SEC caliber QB's, two productive SEC RB's, plenty of talent and depth on both lines, and talent at both LB and DB though they are thin.

If Jones cannot build on the foundation he's been left then he won't deserve to be UT's HC in two or 3 years (depending on progress or lack thereof).
 
#25
#25
CP is gone. I am not worried about Bray leaving because if Jones opens up the competiton he may not be the starter. He certainly won't choke on the field and mope around the sidelines like he did this year. Jones has been very willing to yank his QB. Bray's best move is to declare IMO... though I don't think he goes high.

Hunter is the wild card. I think he can significantly improve his draft stock by returning in part because I believe most have him overrated right now. Based on his drops and lack of physical play this year, I just don't know why an NFL scout would make him a first day pick. The physical talent is there... but it doesn't get easier to catch the ball in the NFL.
 
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