State Of The Program Trap Is Up.

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by hatvol96, Oct 12, 2011.

  1. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    What do you think?
     
  2. 615 Vol

    615 Vol Chieftain

    How many more years does Hart give Dooley? My concern is if he goes out and wins 8 or 9 games and gets an extension like Fulmer used to. 8 or 9 wins are great compared to 6 but it's still not where UT should be most years.
     
  3. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    Hart won't be doling out extensions for mediocrity. Dooley needs to show significant progress next year, then contend the next. Otherwise, he's done.
     
  4. tvolsfan

    tvolsfan Chieftain

    Agree with just about all of it.

    What constitutes significant progress in your mind?

    Looking at the schedule, it softens up considerably. I still wouldn't be surprised if Tennessee wins 10 games.
     
  5. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    If I'm UT's AD and Dooley wins fewer than 8 games against that lightweight schedule next year, I'd fire him immediately.
     
  6. tvolsfan

    tvolsfan Chieftain

    Anything less than 9 wins would tell me Dooley isn't a great coach and that his recruiting is probably overrated, too.

    I'm just glad people on Volnation won't be the ones making the decision or 9-4 might get him 4 more years.
     
  7. cotton

    cotton Stand-up Philosopher

    I couldn't have said it better. Well done, as usual.
     
  8. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Right on.
     
  9. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Hard to disagree with any of that. With the attrition and injury bug hitting who it did you don't like excuses but its hard not to change your expectations. I thought this team had the ability to win 7 and possibly 8 games this year, and put up a fight in the games they didn't. That along with a solid bowl showing and you propel yourself into signing day and the next year, which would be our best chance to win the east straight up in a while. Now your scrambling to hold the season together and hope you still win the games you should. Dooleys objective after Saturday night changed to just holding it together.

    I like Dooley, I think he has handle himself and the situation he walked into well. I think he has proven to have a staff along with himself that are solid recruiters. Given some more time they may reach the level required to stand toe to toe with the teams we want to beat the most, right now we are step behind where we need to be. Has he proven he belongs at one of the nations elite programs as a coach? Not yet. I think he will get a fair chance to do that. Next year will not be his last unless he just bombs out, but it will be his midterm and give a peek at whether he can make it the next year.

    I think he can go along way by taking a good look at his OL and DL and making some moves there after this year. He doesn't have the luxury to wait and see next year, thats when he needs to make a positive step.
     
  10. Lexvol

    Lexvol Guest

    I've always thought Dooley had three to earn four. I think several people "in the know" have 2013 circled as the year that we should reclaim big boy status in the SEC.
     
  11. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    This about captures it, but I would add one additional comment.

    Dooley's strategy all along has been to emulate the Saban model, get bigger at every position and play smashmouth football. The hiring of Ron McKeefery lends credence to that theory, and getting big bodies at every position seems to be a priority in recruiting. Dooley has even mentioned this in reference to what McKeefery brought to the table in relation to Wylie. But on the way to getting bigger and more physical, two things happened. First, they got considerably slower... everyone... everywhere. Second, he saw that Bray/Hunter/Rogers were the road to success and prioritized the passing attack over smashmouth. Hunter -- and now Bray -- go down, and we are left with a finesse team that is slow and doesn't run it very well.

    I think Dooley's intuition about size is right -- especially in this league -- but we have to get some speed on the field somewhere.
     
  12. KingWebbsticles

    KingWebbsticles Chieftain

    Great write up Hat.

    I told my father during the UGA game after Darr's first "punt"...

    "If I were Dooley, I would tell Darr that if he doesn't average 40 yards per punt for the rest of the year, he would lose his scholly. We can get some high school kicker from East Tennessee to walk on and do what he is doing right now."

    Of course, after that, he kicked the ball pretty well for the rest of the game.

    Palardy on the other hand is in a tricky situation. Labeled as the best kicker in the nation, expectations have been unfair to him. It isn't his fault that his Aquinas team was so good it didn't need a FG kicker. He hasn't had a lot of experience kicking in game situations. Yes he struggled as a freshmen last year but all freshmen struggle at any positions. This year he has had a couple of misses, but they haven't been the best situations either. A 50+ yard field goal isn't expected to go in every time. He has plenty of leg (evident of the 51-yarder going into the stands) but needs to work on the accuracy.
     
  13. Lexvol

    Lexvol Guest

    I wouldn't be at all shocked to see Dooley begin making some roster space "Saban style".
     
  14. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    Demps doesn't score that long touchdown if JJ is in the game.
     
  15. Lexvol

    Lexvol Guest

    Got to add Hunter to the list given our running back situation.
     
  16. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Coupled with Hunter, solid shot at both.
     
  17. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    No one should be calling for his head. My gut feeling is if Dooley were not able to win the requisite games by 2013, he might get fired, but he would leave the program on pretty solid ground with a brand new football facility and guys on the roster that could win some football games. There's no shame in that in my mind.
     
  18. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    What maybe the undoing (and it won't be this year and prolly not even the next) is that Dooley will prove to be a "good" coach and a "good" recruiter in a conference where you have to be "great" at both. Including your staff. I think that is kinda where Hat was going with someone else sliding in and advancing UT back to the top after Dooley got the ball rolling again.
     
  19. VOLinDAWGland

    VOLinDAWGland Contributor

    Word is he's planning on taking a full 25 player class which means a few currently on the roster will have to go. He's not going to get all sentimental with non contributors when his career is on the line.
     
  20. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    He's gonna have to be willing to do some things that are hard to do. Players and coaches both.
     

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