On the sport of coach bashing...

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by O+W=H., Oct 12, 2011.

  1. O+W=H.

    O+W=H. New Member

    I play this sport only after long ninja like training. I'm patient. Interwebs are not. Dooleybashing is good internet fun. Plenty of fodder out there to argue any argument one chooses to make.

    But honestly, it's just not time to send the assasins to the house of Neyland.

    This is not a very good team. Certainly not top tier worthy, and anyone who thought otherwise should have shelved their expectations two seconds after Hunter began writhing on Florida field. He was the last straw.

    [ddiapos] and staff are yet again hamstrung by the lack of SEC worthy bodies to put in orange jerseys.

    What's to be done? You won't like the answer bash brothers... wait. Because they really are working on it.

    I can see small strides being made in changing mentality. First steps that are not long enough strides for a perpetually impatient sport like coach bashing, but to a patient observer, worth sitting through intermission to see the rest of the show.

    I haven't written about the Volunteers in a long time... feels good.

    Time for lunch.
     
  2. volfanbill

    volfanbill Active Member

    and this is exactly why I'm so glad OWH is on board. The only coach I can begin to question is Hiestand because his group should be the most overall talented besides maybe the receivers. This team is bad all around. The defense is missing Lathers, Jackson and Hughes. The offense is now missing Hunter and Bray. Special teams has definitely improved, Palardy excluded.
     
  3. Volst53

    Volst53 Super Moderator

    The 8th might not be big the biggest board about the Vols, but with threads and blogs of this quality. You can see, it's the best.
     
  4. kptvol

    kptvol Super Moderator

    Eh. I'm not calling for a complete rebuild, but I'm skeptical of offensive playcalling. The development of the OL and DBs hasn't been what it should. I understand certain position coaches like Sirmon are pretty much beyond reproach due personnel. But I don't think DB and OL are positions in that boat. Teague is supposedly your best DB and he was beaten 3-4 times deep last week by a mediocre crew of receivers. Also we've heard a lot of talk about Brewer, who's been an afterthought. The OL is young, but we've recruited extremely well there the last couple of years. And I understand that we can't expect them to be at Bama's level, but I really don't see improvement over last year. So why should we expect them to be good next year when we are primed for a breakout?
     
  5. bigpapavol

    bigpapavol Chieftain

    Well said, OWH. There have been some clear coaching issues, but the staff has to learn just like the players do. Our staff is very, very young, much like the team.

    I actually like Dooley and am generally sold on him, but the college game is most often about quality of coordinators and their ability to get kids focused. We appear to struggle there.
     
  6. lylsmorr

    lylsmorr Super Moderator

    Agreed. Agreed, agreed, agreed. Coming into the season some people were bold enough to predict 8-4 with playmakers like Hunter, Rogers, Bray, Janzen, Lathers, etc. Now, we have lost 4 of those 5 playmakers. The bad thing is that we don't have the talent/experience in the 2 deep to replace what they brought. So, I'd say Dooley was dealt a pretty crappy hand in the past few months.
     
  7. fl0at_

    fl0at_ Humorless, asinine, joyless pr*ck

    I like Dooley. I want him to work out. I think he has done great things for the program, the school and players. He is quirky funny, and his orange pants are a hit.

    That said, dude better do work. Like him or not, this is serious business, and business comes before how you feel a guy handles a press conference.
     
  8. IP

    IP Super Moderator

    Need more than one straw, damn it.
     
  9. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    Excellent post.

    Question though - what steps are being made....on the field?

    The same issues/concerns I had last year are still there. Quite frankly, in some areas, the team has regressed. Even with bad teams, there should be a level of improvement to be seen in year 2 over year 1 if the staff is good. While I get that losing Hunter was as big of a blow that could be imagined, the team just looks shoddy, and it's not solely because of a lack of talent. It's how they play and execute. The most talented positions (on paper), seem to be the least productive and look the worst.

    Granted, from this point forward, there is no reason to have any expectations whatsoever, but all in all, the product on the field in the benchmark games has left a whole lot to be desired, and quite frankly I am concerned.
     
  10. O+W=H.

    O+W=H. New Member

    They are actually younger now than they were last year.
    I won't try to defend the OLine for not running better(although opposing SEC Ds are dead set on loading up run, and we can't pass them out of it)... and not fixing snapping problems is just just mind boggling.

    What's missing is the experience to know how to react when the other guy lights you up. Players that can handle adversity. UT is still not a team that's ready to win the second half. They need more recruits, and they need more practice. Bowl eligibility is a must for that reason alone.

    When the offense had it's pieces intact, it looked like it had an identity and had improved from last season.Thats all over now.

    The DBs... there's just no closing speed back there. It's a real problem.
     
  11. cotton

    cotton Stand-up Philosopher

    I don't disagree with any of that. But I have yet to see anything that makes me think we have found the answer, either.

    We are exactly where I thought we would be before the season began. We have beaten the awful teams. We have lost to the teams that are not awful. I think that trend continues, but I don't really see us gaining any ground on the top tier of the conference, either.

    I've said before that 8-4 is no trick at Tennessee under anything like normal circumstances. That's 4-4 or 5-3 in a conference that contains Kentucky, Vandy, and the Mississippis, and 4-0 or 3-1 OOC. I don't knock Dooley for not being there yet, as he hasn't had anything like normal circumstances, but by the same token, I haven't seen anything that makes me think he has the program headed in a direction to exceed that baseline, semi-competent coaching standard.
     
  12. Chiutfan

    Chiutfan New Member

    Im with Barbara on this one. Dooley on the hot seat? seriously? Dooley came into a empty house, that wasnt taken care for the past decade like it shouldve been. Fulmer didnt recruit his last couple of years worth a crap. It didnt help when He crapped all over Foster, and he ended up being a undrafted free agent only to end being the leading rusher a season later. Fulmer didnt do a thing to reload... then kiffin came in and cheated, lied and exposed the program to all kinds of violations. He runs off like a scared rabbit for USC, and then comes CDD.. and hes has a empty house, starting freshman in the SEC... FRESHMAN.... and people think, hes not doing well? For craps sake, hes pretty much coaching highschool players and leftovers... Dooley will succeed unless those who call for his head at every mistake win out. If that does happen, University of Tennesee will never get a quality coach again.
     
  13. cotton

    cotton Stand-up Philosopher

    This is 100% true...about last season.

    We are a year further down the road. Are we any better?
     
  14. Chiutfan

    Chiutfan New Member

    You think that mess is cleaned up over night? We didnt have a enough recruits to fill a position with any depth, we're no where near ready. we havent reloaded. A year in college football is nothing.. the freshman starting on the OL have barely worked out with a strength and conditioning coach for a full rotaton yet..

    its gonna take 3 full years before we start seeing massive improvement
     
  15. cotton

    cotton Stand-up Philosopher

    I don't remember stating that the mess could be cleaned up overnight. I don't remember specifying massive improvement. I asked if you thought we were any better. I take it from your post that you do not.
     
  16. lylsmorr

    lylsmorr Super Moderator

    Yes. The problem is that the better players are freshmen playing in a dominant league where freshmen usually aren't asked to contribute as much as they are being asked to contribute.
     
  17. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    When your in the situation we have been in for the last 3 years or so you look for improvement. Dooley was not expect to win 10 games last year or this year. but you should see improvements toward that. In some areas you have, some not so much.

    Dooley has to regain even ground and eventually overtake some teams at the LOS. Thats a 2 part process. 1. you bring in more players, that takes time. 2. you have to develop what you have good or bad talent wise.
     
  18. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    The OL hasn't improved, it's actually regressed. That's a coaching problem.

    At times, the D looks completely lost. When you have DEs and OLBs covering Demps and Rainey, that's a scheme issue that starts with the coaching. CBs that never turn and look for the ball, ever. That's a coaching problem.

    I like Dooley and I believe he's got the right idea. I don't think he's got the right assistants. Add to that he's hamstrung by a roster full of freshmen and sophomores, it starts to pile up. This year was never expected to be great, but the OL should look a lot better. The defensive players shouldn't look lost the majority of the time either.
     
  19. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Yeah, young and even sub par talent should get better with good coaching. If you go backwards its pretty easy to explain. There is no reason why our OL should look as bad as they do. Has to change.
     
  20. 615 Vol

    615 Vol Chieftain

    If firing Chuck Smith is any indication than at least we have a coach that shows his loyalty to the team and university rather than his assistants. Hopefully, if changes need to be made than Dooley won't wait until it's too late or until someone else forces the changes. I'm not sure 5 games into his second season is the time when we know what coaches should be replaced but if things don't look any better after the season than I hope they'll be addressed.

    I don't think Dooley has to be a good x's and o's coach if he can be a leader and allow his assistants to do their job. That will require him to replace the ones that don't cut it though.
     

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