Guitar Shots to the Head: Picking Up the Pieces

In the 90’s I often wondered what it felt like to be and LSU or a Georgia fan. Both proud programs experienced quite a bit of turbulence while Tennessee was riding the wave. The fertile recruiting grounds of Louisiana yielded absolutely nothing but a losing record for the decade. The Bulldogs faired a little better, but in terms of relevancy to the college football landscape, they were persona non grata.

Now I know how their fans handled the lean years. They did it just like UT fans are doing it today. They trudged through the hard times remembering the better days, thinking they deserved better, and deluding themselves about how long it had actually been since they were relevant. That is where we are as a program and a fan base.

Enter the new head football coach in Knoxville. Derek Dooley begins his inaugural season as an SEC head coach behind the eight ball. UT has its hardest schedule in the last 5 years, and it will perform with 72 scholarship players.

Forget what you read on the message boards. They are a microcosm, and do not represent the fan base in total. Those who consider themselves educated in all things pertaining to Vol football should be wary. Patience is not a virtue of the Vol fan base. Losses are going to lead to a groundswell of discontent.

To top it off, the fan base was already fooled once. Last year, the Volnation threw its’ weight behind an unproven commodity. Fans watched with glee as they took their shirts off, jumped up and down on the sidelines, and showed promise of a better future. Fans bought it hook, line and sinker. Frankly, most don’t have the energy to live on blind faith any longer.

I know it sounds frightening, but there is a silver lining. Dooley knows it. He won’t need a translator for his weekly Vol Calls stint. From the rednecks in Georgia, to the Cajuns in Louisiana he has lived SEC football. Before the hate mail starts, let me say that there are thousands of people who lived amongst these heathens. That alone doesn’t qualify them to be a head coach at the University of Tennessee.

By his own admission, Dooley set off to be his own man. Now he is the Head Man on the Hill. Personally, I think it is great that he is embracing the job, the fans and the traditions at UT. Unfortunately, the Vol Walk doesn’t win ball games. The maxims, on the other hand, might come in handy.

The chances of winning an SEC championship this year would be similar to winning Mega Millions and Power Ball on the same day. What Dooley and the Vols can do is minimize the mistakes. They can get the plays in on time, avoid stupid penalties, and play with effort. It is going to be a long season, but the little things will go a long way

Welcome to the big leagues, Coach. We know you are picking up the pieces, and we are pulling for you. As you already know, we are not really as patient as we appear.