Dooley Already Lowering Expectations

9 and he's safe (for better or worse)

8 is ify.

7 or less and start figuring out your clever marketing themes using the name "Smart" in 2013.

And apparently Tenny D and I have mutual friends as most of mine are pathological liars too.

 

Several here know infinitely more information and from much closer / more credible sources than I ever will have access to, but from what I've been told, there was a sizeable faction of boosters who were (sincerely) talking about handling it as soon as the team returned from Lexington.

A few others tried to stem the tide by reminding everyone of the cost involved in such a move, and in response, personal pledges were made to cover sizeable portions of not only the cost of a buyout, but to bring in the caliber of replacement they felt was needed.

As we now know, the group (if a single family can be called a "group") who wanted to wait won out, but the issue was very much in doubt for a lot longer than most anyone realized at the time. I've heard that Dooley's going underground for several weeks after the loss wasn't happenstance, but was strongly suggested by protective others who feared that even (another) a single mindless quip about Nazi's, showering, or excuse-making might tip the already delicate balance of the debate. Also, heard from several people that he was busy making the rounds during that time, presenting his case, and ostensibly, while intermittently wringing his hands and sweating blood.

At one point, it seemed 50-50 to keep him. if you think he's looked absolutely lost in shell-shocked bewilderment since being hired, then his reaction following the blowback from the KY loss was his masterpiece. He simply had no conception of what that loss did to his grip on retaining that position, and the fallout that ensued from it, and some would say that he continues to express surprise that "one loss" had so drastically and forcefully change the totality of his fortunes and circumstances - but it certainly did.

But that's likely a lie, rumor-mongering in its best and brightest form, and should not be trusted as being accurate, nor considered as being in any way factual, by anyone, for any reason.

Besides, if Hubbs / Hyams / Travis haven't told you it happened, it clearly didn't.

Others can add / edit / confirm / deny / correct as needed.

 

I woulda chipped in a 20

I live a couple blocks from Thunder... that's not chimney smoke coming from Thunderdome... it's steam.

 

I hear that property values in Jasper are on the uptick.

That, when combined with the fact that his self-imposed semi-isolation seems to have concluded, bodes enormously well for us.

 

In a perfect world this statement is true.

But one only has to peruse TOOS for about a minute and a half to glean that, to a large portion of our miserable fan base, the statement is false.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: inertia and the status quo is a dangerous mother[uck fay]ing combination

 

I can confirm that this is almost verbatim what I heard. I will add that I was told and still heartily agree that Dooley being canned after the UK game would have come to fruition if one of a couple coaches would have answered the inquiries.

 

Interesting stuff. Good work fellas

 

I don't give a shit who replaces him at this point...I just want him gone. I can't deal with this for another 3 seasons. Next season will be hard enough...and we have a qb and two receivers who could realistically all be taken in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Think about that. Have you ever seen a team with a first round qb, tossing it to two first round receivers, and you're debating on whether or not they'll win 7-8 games? Any other program would parlay that situation into preseason conference championship and national championship discussion. We're hoping we can beat NC State on a neutral field.

This dude must go. Kirby Smart will do. I don't give a [uck fay]. I'd get behind Mr. T at this point. Just somebody other than Dooley.

 

I don't have near the inside info that some of guy have, but I have heard all of this, and heard it just as recently as the O&W game. You gotta wonder who the big names were that Hart was talking to directly after the loss, and for that matter, how good of a job that Dooley done sucking up to some folks? All I know is that if the people in the AD, and those with big time money were as upset as I was, he probably would be a Special Teams assistant in the CFL today.

 

Also, are we saying that the Haslam family stemmed the tide on Dooley's canning? If so, they are bastards.

 

His step-dad/guardian was let go by LC. Apparently was hired by Oak Ridge. May or may not have grade issues as well.

Some say he's got major attitude problems as well. Never know quite how to dissect that statement when dealing with a 17 year old stud athlete.

 

Which may be why a certain group/family pleaded for patience.

Trust me, the patriarch may look calm in public, but I'm not 100% that's the behind the scenes stance.

 

The thing that I have tried to explain on TOOS about Dooley is this:

Yes we know that the roster was thin and that all the talent was inexperienced. However, as a season goes on, we need to see visual proof that the team is improving. The W/L record may not improve, but the teams execution, tackling, route running, and all of tose things should be getting better by the end of the season. I don't think we all of a sudden got worse overall when Bray and Hunter went down, it was just that, those 3 were going to mask our deficiencies in the other areas. When they got hurt, we saw the true colors of a [ddiapos] coached football team, and it was grounds for dismissal if we are as serious about our football as we act that we are.

 

Yes, I think that is what pisses off many on here about the "process" talk. I have no personal football background, but everyone I know that does says his process blows. For him to pretend otherwise and try to blow smoke up our ass is an insult of the highest order.

 

I can tell you first hand Peter Sirmon said [uck fay] his process and bolted. I can only assume Wilcox did too as well as others.

 

Yeah. The process definitely seems to be Bray-to-Hunter for six and little else.

 

That's one of the things I'm worried about.

Who will take the job if offered? Will we be willing to pay?

 

If we pay like the market demands we pay now, we'll get some good options. If we expect people to just fall over to come to Knoxville, we'll end up with another "who?" hire.

I'm not discounting the tradition and value of the UT brand, I am just looking at the real world modern landscape of college football. We have all the tools to be successful but a good coach. That is the most difficult ingredient these days. No reason to have low self-esteem and think we can't get someone elite, no reason to have an over-inflated ego and think we can hire a super bowl winning coach for less than what Saban or Kiffin is making.

The 4 to 5 million a year price tag for a championship caliber coach is the gorilla outside our backdoor.

Ya, I said it.

 

If (2),
Then (1) == lots and lots of highly qualified coaches

 

A thousand times, bingo.