Guitar Shots to The Head: Green Light!

Long before the SEC athletic directors realized the revenue potential of March Madness my grandfather sat me down and unwrapped the great mystery of sports in the south. Before soccer moms and the three point shot, in every southern state, save Kentucky, he explained to me that there were two sports that mattered. The first was football and the second was spring football.

On the cusp of yet another spring practice season, most fans across the southern region will be held hostage by bad football. As UT fans, we will hang on every word written about our team in the KNS. How is Crompton? Is our defensive line coming together? Are there any injuries to report? Who will step up and lead our team?

I am ashamed to say that I too will be just as interested in the team as most of you, but there is a sad reality to the entire situation. We won’t know any more about our football team at the end of April than we know right now. Questions about the Vol’s football program are rarely answered in the spring.

Given that fact, my advice for the UT football coaching staff is very simple. Use a little bit of your time this March to check out the Bruce Pearl coaching clinic. I know…it is trite and over used. But in this case it is not an apples and oranges comparison. As you watch Pearl and company make their tournament run the Big Orange Basketball team will give a masterful clinic on playing to win. This is how upstart programs become great. Night after night they hit the court, have fun, and they play to win. In other words, you will never see this team build a seven-point lead with three minutes to go and stop shooting.

By giving Chris Lofton and company the green light, Bruce Pearl says “to heck with the shot clock” and relentlessly attacks opponents from both sides. In the beginning, this was a risky proposition that paid off tremendously. After all, had Chris Lofton wound up in Kentucky blue or Cardinal red his story would be much different that the one he has written in Knoxville.

Tubby Smith never really learned how to use a pure shooter. In his “defense first” philosophy Lofton would have been a liability. On the other hand, Rick Pitino used pure shooters to build his dynasty at UK, but keep in mind that he too used them like Donovan used Lee Humphrey during the Gator’s first national championship run. They would come off the bench to deliver the three-point dagger. Most likely, under either coach Lofton would have been relegated to a sixth man type of role.

Dave Clawson, please take note of what you are seeing. When Pearl got to Knoxville and gave Chris Lofton the green light he immediately dismissed three yards and a cloud of dust. Instead he has opted for a high-octane offensive style of play that has energized Knoxville. This basketball team is doing more than winning. They are creating a product that is actually fun to watch.

Now, if we must pay such close attention to spring football please allow us to make one request about this Volunteer football team. Show us all that you are ready to put the pedal to the floor and give our offense the green light. Go Vols!