I'm no Fulmerite or anything, I agree that his time had come and gone probably well before he was fired here, and he's out of his mind, etc, etc, but I don't get this quote. He did win our last 2 SEC titles and a national title. Either he did that "on his own" or had a competent staff at that point, right? Certainly the wheels came off in a lot of ways, no doubt, but I just don't get the revisionist history some folks have with Phil.
Got fat and lazy. That is not revisionist history. That is proven in the records and stats. When Spurrier left, Fulmer failed to take advantage of the power vacuum.
I'm not disputing that at all, if you read what I said. I just never understood the concerted effort to deny Fulmer credit for anything ever.
He would be an undisputed legend if he had hung it up on his terms after the 05 season. Instead he continued the slide unapologetically.
I worded it poorly. By "on his own" I meant a staff he assembled. Chavis and Cut were holdovers. What other assistants did he bring in that were actually wanted by anyone else (Rodney Gardner being the lone exception)? Look what happened when he had to find an OC. Look at the OL coaches he hired, the WRs coaches, the RBs coaches etc. He failed to field a competent staff once a guy he had worked with for years left. I don't mean to discredit the SEC Championships or the National Title at all. Those are his. It's what he did after the fact that shows others may have played a much larger role than they get credit for. What school is going to hire a coach that has failed to build a staff?
1. Phil contacts school with opening. 2. Phil, former players tell of his greatness. 3. ????? 4. Championships.
