In whom do we Trust?

Saturday night after the game, my family and I went to eat. We talked about all the fun parts of the game, how hard we yelled. How the defense just would not give in. That with all the miscues, the Vols still could have won the game. How Jonathan Crompton just does not seem to get it and basically lost the game for us.

CUT: Stop right there. Did I really say that? ‘Yes, yes sir you did’. At the heart of Tennessee football is a passion. That passion is for winning and the pride of being part of a winner. So it goes without saying, we take this thing called Tennessee football seriously. Take for instance just one slogan that comes to mind: “Life…its Orange and White”.

As a fan, I without a doubt understand how it feels when we lose. My most heartbreaking sports memories as a kid were Tennessee losses (a 10-9 loss to Pat Sullivan, Terry Beasley and Auburn comes to mind).

Here in lies the point. For all the time, energy, and passion any one of us as fans expend following the Vols no one carries the responsibility that Lane Kiffin does. It’s not our fault, we try our best, it’s just not on our shoulders.

Lane Kiffin is at the helm of this ship. He has outstanding officers around him to help guide this program though murky waters and into smooth sailing. He gets paid to make things work. His staff that he assembled gets paid to assist him in making things work. After a certain period of time, if Lane like anyone else in the precarious position of coaching does not deliver, he will lose his job.

Day after day, night after night, on and on and on. Travel, deciphering video, evaluating talent, game planning, tutoring, mentoring, practice, the media. . Oh and a young family. Who, even remotely comes close to how vested these coaches are.

Not me, not by a long shot. When we finished eating, I went home and did not give the game another thought (Ok, the truth is I wrote an article and watched the first half of the game on DVR). But the point is, had I not given it another thought, it would not matter.

So I’m going to take back what I said about Jonathan. Coach Kiffin said he is ‘blown away by the hatred’. That’s a strong statement. It’s also sad. But if anyone qualifies to say that, it’s him. It is his decisions that affect his team, his future, his livelihood, and by extension, our team.

He says Jonathan is the guy, I have tended to disagree, but then again, I’ve never drawn a paycheck from the University of Tennessee, Southern Cal, or the Oakland Raiders.

In my newfound patience, I’m going to go with; Lane Kiffin knows what he’s doing. It does not matter what the exact reason(s) may be. He has worked with, evaluated and placed in Jonathan hands the responsibility to lead this team. I on the other hand have never spoken to JC or stood near him while he’s thrown a pass.

So yeah, you could say it is a trust thing. Actually, as fans we can and have said a lot of things. But in the end the question is: Who are we going to trust?