“The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” Vince Lombardi
Walking out of Neyland Stadium Saturday night I felt spent, empty, and discouraged. The sting was fresh and the reality of a home conference loss hadn’t fully set in. We had yelled and cheered as loud and as long as we could. All the time, energy, and effort to do our part; and we still lost.
Catching the KAT back to the Coliseum seemed longer than usual. ‘The drops, how many were there? The plays, Auburn had run a huge amount of plays. Special teams, the state of the offense in general; my mind numbed.’
Reaching home around 12:30 a.m., I couldn’t resist watching it again. Why? Was I a glutton for punishment? Besides, it would still be there tomorrow. Still, I needed to find something to feel better about this game. I couldn’t do it. I felt drained and for the first time, I wondered to myself . . . “are things really on the right track?”
Late Sunday morning and sure enough the final score was still 26-22. But, now a perspective was on the horizon and closing fast. I did know Tennessee had over 400 yards of offense. The quarterback had not thrown an interception. The defense held a potent Auburn offense (which averages 5 per game) to two touchdowns.
And as I looked up all the details, I remembered something that wasn’t listed on any website stat sheet or box score. The Vols never gave up. As discouraging as the offense played in the first half. As bad of position it left the defense in time and again. The Vols never gave up.
How Jonathan Crompton has not just walked away and never looked back is beyond me. Many wish he would. He hears it, he knows he has not played like what we’re accustomed to. But he will not give up.
We pay our money to go the games, spend a few hours on home Saturdays enjoying the festivities and taking in the game that is Tennessee football. But that’s it. It’s easy to give up. It wouldn’t cost us hardly anything. There is no hard work required. The emotional tie is certainly the most vested thing that fans possess.
Lane Kiffin has said from the beginning (all of ten months ago) that this would take time. There is an issue of pride. We want our team to win and win now. Auburn’s winning, whats going on? What is going on is that the building process is a bigger one than the Tigers.
What matters at this point when some are waning in their support and others are wondering if things are really headed in the right direction is this:
Are those involved in the Tennessee program working hard?
Are those involved dedicated to the job at hand?
Are they determined to apply the best of their selves to the task at hand?
These are the questions that matter most. We can cover the stats from another hundred angles. Coaching decisions can be argued back and forth by the fans and that’s fine.
But I’m not aware of anyone outside the coaching staff who has a strategy, insight into the talent at hand, and more riding on bringing this program back to prominence than they do.
What we can do is a take a deep breath, maybe two. Realize that it will come. Maybe not at the speed we all wanted to see, but it will get there.
And perhaps take another Lombardi quote to heart, “The greatest accomplishment is not in ever falling, but in rising again after you fall.”