Football: List of Demands

Discussion in 'Vols Football' started by Tenacious D, Dec 14, 2011.

  1. Tenacious D

    Tenacious D The law is of supreme importance, or no importance

    With the current state of our program being taken into full consideration, suppose the following:

    You have 30 minutes in a room with Hart and the Top 15 biggest boosters.

    They ask you one simple question, "How do we get this program back on track, and as quickly and certainly as is possible?" - and then turn the floor over to you, and ask for your list of suggestions.

    What would they be, ranked from moat important to least, and what's the (basic) reasoning for each?

    Think about what REAL answers you'd provide, and how you'd support their execution.

    P.S. - this will be of immense help to some things in the works, so be as earnest as possible, please.
     
  2. hatvol96

    hatvol96 Well-Known Member

    1. Enough of the infighting. If the Fulmer supporters and Majors loyalists in the room can't put things behind them and work together to get this train back on the tracks, they can all get the hell out.
    2. We have to have an exit strategy for the Dooley Error. We all know he's going to fail. It's time to start making back channel contact through intermediaries to find out what our options are now.
    3. We've got to quit acting as if the purpose of this program is to build lavish buildings. Money is much better spent on quality coaches than on extra square footage in the new weight room.
    4. Failed assistant coaches are to be terminated immediately. If your unit went the entire season and showed no measurable progress, the door is that way.
    5. Ask the SEC office to book us for a couple Thursday night slots. We've got to get back in front of the national audience. Playing 5:30 ESPNU on Saturday isn't cutting it.
    6. Bob Kesling is gone. Name one person who has ever told a story about one of Kesling's great calls. They don't exist.
    7. Set a realistic course for getting back into contention. Focus on beating the the middle of the pack for right now. You've got to pass them before you start worrying about Alabama and LSU.
    8. Demand this program have an identity. Right now, we have no discernable offensive or defensive brand. That's unacceptable.
    9. Quit acting as if we are an on the job training program. Hiring the Matt Lukes and Terry Josephs of the world as assistants over the past decade is a major reason we are in our current predicament.
    10. Reach out to the rank and file Vol fan. There's no reason to have the wide swaths of empty seats we've seen lately in Neyland Stadium. There are plenty of fans who don't have the money to pay the steep face value for tickets. If need be, run a fleet of buses through town on Saturday to civic groups, churches, Boys and Girls Clubs, etc. to pick up folks and bring them to the game. Make the stadium food more affordable. Hell, while you're at it, make it edible. Send Sodexho packing and go back to the days when the stands were independently run.
     
  3. rbroyles

    rbroyles Chieftain

    Damn, I cannot find fault with any of hat's points. About the only thing I would add is to include hat in your group permanently, or until he begins some sort of campaign to bring back Kiffin.

    I particularly like the Thursday night game idea. It has worked for VA Tech.
     
  4. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    1. Retain [ddiapos] for this year with the understanding that it is SEC title or bust. If they win it in 2012 you aren't in the mess you think you are, and you have laid a solid foundation for the future.
    2. If and when that doesn't happen offer Bob Stoops 8 million dollars a year to coach the team. If he turns you down, keep offering until he files a restraining order against the university. If Stoops never bites, make calls in this order: Al Golden, Art Briles, and Mike Gundy.
    3. Make Charles Davis and Peyton Manning permanent advisers to the AD. They are the brightest and most prominent of our former players. Use them to our full advantage.
    4. Shore up the communications arm of the department. Too many people have been able to control the message and it has caused tremendous harm to the program and University.
    5. Get rid of the "Power T" and bring back the UT interlocking logo. While you are at it bring back the Davy Crockett musket logo. Remind people of the good ole days.
    6. Groom another Vol historian the likes of Haywood Harris, Gus Manning, and Tom Mattingly. Too many people in our fanbase have short memories and can't appreciate the legacy of our team. Have this person populate the newspapers and the airwaves with the great stories of teams past.
    7. Offer free tickets to students and provide greater community outreach. Have a limited-seating "walk-up" section where fans can get cheap seats moments before kick-off, or a special "parents with kids" section.
    8. See the Cumberland Strip as a crucial part of the University and as a tool to further advance the goals of the University.
    9. Alongside the "Legends of the Game" idea, have a "fan" of the game, or a "season-ticket holder" of the game. Tell their story. Make the fans feel like they belong.
    10. Re-negotiate TV deals to have more afternoon, or late afternoon games. The night games should be reserved for marquee match-ups, not homecoming tilts against MTSU.
     
  5. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    Don't like the coaches you suggest contacting following Stoops, but otherwise it's a solid list.
     
  6. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    I'm a big Al Golden fan and admire what the other guys have been able to do. But for me it would be Stoops or bust.
     
  7. volfanjo

    volfanjo Chieftain

    I used to think Thursday night games were for middling SEC teams, and then I realized... we are a middling SEC team right now. I agree with that logic. Good idea.
     
  8. LawVol13

    LawVol13 Chieftain

    I respect all of the coaches you listed, but I wouldn't be in favor of any of them being hired at Tennessee. My position on the coach situation is very clear: the goal is to get someone to win championships. To do that, you have to be willing to do the following things: 1) quit looking for a bargain coach; 2) don't take no for an answer; 3) if you want a particular coach, make an offer that no human can refuse. If Stoops turned me down, we'd go after another established, winning coach. And, it's nothing against the guys you mentioned, but Briles was coaching high school ball 12 years ago, and Golden did an admirable job at Temple but hasn't really done anything to suggest to me he can win championships in the SEC.

    The standard is clear in this league: you compare the coach you're looking at to Nick Saban and then decide if you think he can compete with him.
     
  9. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    So it's Les Miles or bust?
     
  10. CardinalVol

    CardinalVol Uncultured, non-diverse mod

    Hard to argue with hat's points, but I will try to list some that bug me.

    1. Look Dooley in the eye and say win the east, 10 wins, including one over Bama or Florida, or he's gone. Get your list together and get a top notch coach in here when this inevitably doesn't happen. Be willing to spend to big $$$ to get a proven commodity in here that will bring a proven staff with him.

    2. Rid the group of the biggest cancers that cause headaches from the top (aka - Thunder).

    3. Cut single game ticket-prices, especially in the south endzone. No one is paying $50+ bucks a pop for those with the current product on the field. Let the "common fan" be able to go to a game again and build some fan loyalty. Offer family deals - do what it takes to fill Neyland again and make it a fun experience.

    4. Along those lines, don't charge students for tickets.

    5. Get Johnny and Phil together and tell them that we don't give a damn if they want to kill each other in private, if they love this university as much as they say they do, put on a facade of reconciliation in public to try to unite the fanbase.

    6. We play Mississippi State next year after an off week. There is no reason on earth that this shouldn't be a Thursday night game on ESPN. Make it happen.

    I think that is my take.
     
  11. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Am I reading too much into this?
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2011
  12. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    1. 10 games or bust in 2012. Losing to South Carolina, Florida, Georgia and Alabama and still ending with an 8-4 record doesn't cut it here for a 3rd year head coach. Finishing worse than third in the East ever, barring sanctions or 7+ injured starters, is a slap in the face to Tennessee football.

    2. It costs millions of dollars to get and retain a winning head coach. Putting a piss poor product on the field costs millions more.

    3. Don't charge students. Cut single game ticket prices and introduce a "family package".

    4. Run either Johnny or Fulmer off if they can't coexist. Also, let it be known that no one gives a rat's ass if you're a "Fulmer" guy or a "Johnny" guy as neither are the coach at Tennessee any longer. Also, seeing as how Fulmer never produced any assistants worth a shit, there's no reason to bring him up.

    5. Open the facilities up to former athletes. The door is always open, you don't have to call. Stop by and someone will make time for you. What happened with Omar Gaither was ridiculous and a guy like him is someone you want around those guys. He busted his ass for years, played every LB spot and made NFL money.

    6. However, if a former player believes he can coach a position better than the current coaches, tell him to get out or apply for a position on the staff.

    I didn't really add too much. Hat, Jo and Cardinal pretty much nailed it.
     
  13. justingroves

    justingroves supermod

    Probably not
     
  14. Beechervol

    Beechervol Super Moderator

    Several good points already made.

    I think the Johnny/Phil and Kiffin/Dooley fighting is put to rest by the guy (whoever that is) that starts winning and competing for titles. Easy to bicker about/for one or the other when your in the tank.

    Hat makes a good point on where the money is going. Is it paying back the way you want it? IE whats the returns look like?

    1. My main point would be. 12' is one of the most important years going forward for UT football. The current HC has yet to prove he can get it done, he's gonna get this year to do that. Considering his overall track record you have to have plans in place before Dec of next year as to what you can and can't do.
     
  15. cotton

    cotton Stand-up Philosopher

    This is a lot more aligned with my thinking. Identify the best coach in the nation that might be available to take the job and do whatever it takes to land him.

    Hat's list is good, but aside from Kesling and promos for Billy Bob, every other item on his list would be addressed in some way by hiring the right guy.
     
  16. tvolsfan

    tvolsfan Chieftain

    I agree completely with this.

    I'm not sure what you mean by this. I think Tennessee needs to get the right coach, and the wins will come.

    It's reasonable to expect wins over the middle of the pack first, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean by making it the focus.
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2011
  17. 615 Vol

    615 Vol Chieftain

    1. If you can't beat them, copy them (look at what successful schools are doing, what works) Hart should know first-hand coming from bama, the importance of paying top dollar for a head coach
    2. As Justin said, it cost a lot more to suck than it does to pay top price for a staff
    3. I don't think you have to make a lot of price cuts to tickets if the product is worth paying for, hence the reason number 2 makes sense along with filling seats
    4. Shoney's sucks too because they also went cheap, pay the chefs or serve shit, Dooley is a Shoney's chef sending steaks out at Ruth's Chris (SEC), Terry Joseph is flipping burgers at McDonald's
    5. You can't drive a Cadillac on a Buick budget


    OK, all of mine say the same thing, but that would be the point I would drive home.
     
  18. joevol320

    joevol320 New Member

    9-10 games should be the criteria. with that schedule, there should be no reason for us to win at least 9. winning 8 games means we've not improved at all
     
  19. fl0at_

    fl0at_ Humorless, asinine, joyless pr*ck

  20. JayVols

    JayVols Walleye Catchin' Moderator

    I wouldn't even say 9. Every excuse used this year will not apply next year. After next year the big 3 are likely NFL bound. 10 wins in 2012 or go back to GA so you can suckle from your momma's teat.


    I also agree with the spirit of Hat's, Cardinal's, and Jo's posts (except for HC choices).
     

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