Butch has hired Jimmy Sexton to rep him

[Creek Walker]

...And according to Michael Bratton, he followed that confirmation with this comment: "This place is very challenging, blocking out the outside noise."

I'm not sure Butch could make it any clearer at this point that he's on an interim basis in Knoxville.

[HerbTarlekVol]

I have a feeling that John Currie won't be bending over for Sexton like some of his predecessors have when it comes to contract negotiation.  Sexton was able to abuse his status as a UT alumnus with Hamilton, in particular. 

Butch just doesn't get it.  He calls the fans "outside noise", but he doesn't seem to get that the reason a MAC level football coach can make $4.5 million per year at an SEC school is because of the "outside noise".  If he wants to go back to Western Michigan, where the fans don't really give a rats ass, he can eliminated the "noise" and make about $400K per year, playing in front of 18K fans - on a good day. 

Every time we think that Butch has turned a corner he comes out with something like this that just leaves one shaking their head and asking why he would feel the need so say something like that in public.

[BanditVol]

I have a feeling that John Currie won't be bending over for Sexton like some of his predecessors have when it comes to contract negotiation.  Sexton was able to abuse his status as a UT alumnus with Hamilton, in particular.  

Butch just doesn't get it.  He calls the fans "outside noise", but he doesn't seem to get that the reason a MAC level football coach can make $4.5 million per year at an SEC school is because of the "outside noise".  If he wants to go back to Western Michigan, where the fans don't really give a rats ass, he can eliminated the "noise" and make about $400K per year, playing in front of 18K fans - on a good day.  

Every time we think that Butch has turned a corner he comes out with something like this that just leaves one shaking their head and asking why he would feel the need so say something like that in public.

No, it leaves YOU shaking your head.  I could give a rat's ass.  Just win baby.

And as a reminder, both Saban and Urban Meyer...UNQUESTIONABLY the two best coaches in the game today, both got their start in the MAC.  Another little tidbit I've never emphasized...Butch also spent 3 years in the All American Conference after being in the MAC.

And yet you stubbornly insist on referring to his MAC heritage from 2007 to 2009 at...CENTRAL Michigan (not Western) as if that somehow matters.

I'm not shaking my head at Bruce, I'm shaking my head at YOU.  

In before you can say it to me....fizzle YOU HTK!  

[BanditVol]

Let me add that it causes me great pain and consternation to admit that Meyers and Satan are at the top of their profession, but regardless of what I think about satan's recruiting tactics, they uncontestably are.

[murfvol]

There are worse things than a motivated coach. Hopefully he kills it this year, and we all want him to get a raise and extension.

[HerbTarlekVol]

No, it leaves YOU shaking your head.  I could give a rat's ass.  Just win baby.

And as a reminder, both Saban and Urban Meyer...UNQUESTIONABLY the two best coaches in the game today, both got their start in the MAC.  Another little tidbit I've never emphasized...Butch also spent 3 years in the All American Conference after being in the MAC.

And yet you stubbornly insist on referring to his MAC heritage from 2007 to 2009 at...CENTRAL Michigan (not Western) as if that somehow matters.

I'm not shaking my head at Bruce, I'm shaking my head at YOU.  

In before you can say it to me....fizzle YOU HTK!  

You really don't understand it, do you?  

Saban and Meyer coached in the MAC, but they aren't still MAC level coaches.  

Butch is still a MAC level coach.  His charts prove it.  

And, yeah - you are right.  It is Central Michigan.  That really makes a difference.  It's still a directional Michigan school.  But feel like you got one over on me if it makes you feel better.  

[volsboy]

If you look at national recruiting rankings, a lot of schools in the SEC are lacking good coaching. Other than Saban, who is outstanding? The SEC has the best recruiting ratings by a wide amount over other conferences. They also put more draft picks in the NFL. But these things have not translated to on-field success for most SEC schools. So Butch is not the only one in the conference underachieving. Having boatloads of talent and nothing to show for it is what gets you fired. Ask Miles and Richt.

using 247 rankings

2017:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Georgia (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (7th nationally)
4. Auburn (9th nationally)
5. Florida (11th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (17th nationally)
8. South Carolina (21st nationally)
9. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
10. Arkansas (27th nationally)
11. Kentucky (30th nationally)
12. Ole Miss (31st nationally)
13. Missouri (42nd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (64th nationally)

2016:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Ole Miss (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (9th nationally)
6. Florida (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (14th nationally)
8. Texas A&M (18th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. South Carolina (25th nationally)
11. Mississippi State (28th nationally)
12. Kentucky (34th nationally)
13. Missouri (43rd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (54th nationally)

2015:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Tennessee (4th nationally)
3. LSU (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (8th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (11th nationally)
7. Ole Miss (17th nationally)
8. Mississippi State (18th nationally)
9. South Carolina (20th nationally)
10. Florida (21st nationally)
11. Arkansas (22nd nationally)
12. Missouri (25th nationally)
13. Kentucky (38th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (49th nationally)

2014:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Texas A&M (5th nationally)
4. Auburn (6th nationally)
5. Tennessee (7th nationally)
6. Georgia (8th nationally)
7. Florida (9th nationally)
8. Ole Miss (15th nationally)
9. South Carolina (19th nationally)
10. Kentucky (22nd nationally)
11. Arkansas (29th nationally)
12. Mississippi State (36th nationally)
13. Missouri (37th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (46th nationally)

2013:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Florida (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (6th nationally)
4. Ole Miss (8th nationally)
5. Texas A&M (9th nationally)
6. Auburn (10th nationally)
7. Georgia (12th nationally)
8. South Carolina (20th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
11. Tennessee (25th nationally)
12. Vanderbilt (26th nationally)
13. Kentucky (34th nationally)
14. Missouri (43rd nationally)

[HerbTarlekVol]

If you look at national recruiting rankings, a lot of schools in the SEC are lacking good coaching. Other than Saban, who is outstanding? The SEC has the best recruiting ratings by a wide amount over other conferences. They also put more draft picks in the NFL. But these things have not translated to on-field success for most SEC schools. So Butch is not the only one in the conference underachieving. Having boatloads of talent and nothing to show for it is what gets you fired. Ask Miles and Richt.

using 247 rankings

2017:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Georgia (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (7th nationally)
4. Auburn (9th nationally)
5. Florida (11th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (17th nationally)
8. South Carolina (21st nationally)
9. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
10. Arkansas (27th nationally)
11. Kentucky (30th nationally)
12. Ole Miss (31st nationally)
13. Missouri (42nd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (64th nationally)

2016:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Ole Miss (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (9th nationally)
6. Florida (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (14th nationally)
8. Texas A&M (18th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. South Carolina (25th nationally)
11. Mississippi State (28th nationally)
12. Kentucky (34th nationally)
13. Missouri (43rd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (54th nationally)

2015:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Tennessee (4th nationally)
3. LSU (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (8th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (11th nationally)
7. Ole Miss (17th nationally)
8. Mississippi State (18th nationally)
9. South Carolina (20th nationally)
10. Florida (21st nationally)
11. Arkansas (22nd nationally)
12. Missouri (25th nationally)
13. Kentucky (38th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (49th nationally)

2014:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Texas A&M (5th nationally)
4. Auburn (6th nationally)
5. Tennessee (7th nationally)
6. Georgia (8th nationally)
7. Florida (9th nationally)
8. Ole Miss (15th nationally)
9. South Carolina (19th nationally)
10. Kentucky (22nd nationally)
11. Arkansas (29th nationally)
12. Mississippi State (36th nationally)
13. Missouri (37th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (46th nationally)

2013:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Florida (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (6th nationally)
4. Ole Miss (8th nationally)
5. Texas A&M (9th nationally)
6. Auburn (10th nationally)
7. Georgia (12th nationally)
8. South Carolina (20th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
11. Tennessee (25th nationally)
12. Vanderbilt (26th nationally)
13. Kentucky (34th nationally)
14. Missouri (43rd nationally)

Heard a discussion on radio on that very subject yesterday.

The SEC is full of great talent, which is proved every year by the NFL draft, but it has a large group of very mediocre coaches. 

 

[HerbTarlekVol]

And one more comment - anybody who can realistically justify putting Butch on the same level as a coach with Saban and Meyer is one clueless and stupid fool. 

[VinnieVOL]

He joins about 95% of head coaches in the country as being on an interim basis.   

[BanditVol]

If you look at national recruiting rankings, a lot of schools in the SEC are lacking good coaching. Other than Saban, who is outstanding? The SEC has the best recruiting ratings by a wide amount over other conferences. They also put more draft picks in the NFL. But these things have not translated to on-field success for most SEC schools. So Butch is not the only one in the conference underachieving. Having boatloads of talent and nothing to show for it is what gets you fired. Ask Miles and Richt.

using 247 rankings

2017:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Georgia (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (7th nationally)
4. Auburn (9th nationally)
5. Florida (11th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (17th nationally)
8. South Carolina (21st nationally)
9. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
10. Arkansas (27th nationally)
11. Kentucky (30th nationally)
12. Ole Miss (31st nationally)
13. Missouri (42nd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (64th nationally)

2016:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Ole Miss (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (9th nationally)
6. Florida (12th nationally)
7. Tennessee (14th nationally)
8. Texas A&M (18th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. South Carolina (25th nationally)
11. Mississippi State (28th nationally)
12. Kentucky (34th nationally)
13. Missouri (43rd nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (54th nationally)

2015:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Tennessee (4th nationally)
3. LSU (5th nationally)
4. Georgia (6th nationally)
5. Auburn (8th nationally)
6. Texas A&M (11th nationally)
7. Ole Miss (17th nationally)
8. Mississippi State (18th nationally)
9. South Carolina (20th nationally)
10. Florida (21st nationally)
11. Arkansas (22nd nationally)
12. Missouri (25th nationally)
13. Kentucky (38th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (49th nationally)

2014:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. LSU (2nd nationally)
3. Texas A&M (5th nationally)
4. Auburn (6th nationally)
5. Tennessee (7th nationally)
6. Georgia (8th nationally)
7. Florida (9th nationally)
8. Ole Miss (15th nationally)
9. South Carolina (19th nationally)
10. Kentucky (22nd nationally)
11. Arkansas (29th nationally)
12. Mississippi State (36th nationally)
13. Missouri (37th nationally)
14. Vanderbilt (46th nationally)

2013:
1. Alabama (1st nationally)
2. Florida (3rd nationally)
3. LSU (6th nationally)
4. Ole Miss (8th nationally)
5. Texas A&M (9th nationally)
6. Auburn (10th nationally)
7. Georgia (12th nationally)
8. South Carolina (20th nationally)
9. Arkansas (23rd nationally)
10. Mississippi State (24th nationally)
11. Tennessee (25th nationally)
12. Vanderbilt (26th nationally)
13. Kentucky (34th nationally)
14. Missouri (43rd nationally)

Where did you get those?  Side note...goes to prove my point about bammer and recruiting.

Are there mediocre coaches in the SEC?  Certainly.  But  you're missing one very obvious thing.  Other than bammer, all the talent among the next 5-6 schools is evenly distributed.  Boom!  Your mind is blown!  (or is it?  )

So thus, other than bammer, it's very hard for any other coach to gain purchase on the slippery slope to the top, so to speak.

As for Richt "not doing anything", he won multiple SEC titles, came within a hairlash of the MNC game in 2014, and possessed a 0.740 win percentage at Georgia.  read that again, 0.740  .  He was a highly successful coach, and so far it looks like Uga made a big mistake in running him "oft".  I hope so anyway.  Would love to seem them have a little "Derrick Dooley time" here in the near future.    I think he's going to do pretty well at Miami.

In the meantime, Richt was not the problem. The problem is the slack jawed, knuckle dragging morons that think, somehow, he was a bad coach.  Don't depend on me for that opinion though.  Guess who else thinks so?  

None other than the favorite of certain posters on this board.  satan himself!  A man, who though I despise him more than any other human being alive (well I'll give you Kim Jong Un, but it's close!), (a) unfortunately knows what the hell he's talking about, and (b) is successful enough to also say whatever the hell he wants.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/index.ssf/2015/11/nick_saban_on_mark_richts_firi.html

I don't know what the world's coming to in our profession

As for Miles, he was/is an above average coach that inherited a sports car and managed to keep it going for a while, but did fall short just enough to finally get fired.  Was he deceptively better than anyone thought or just the luckiest coach in the history of coaching?  Something in between I think. His time was probably due though, IMO.  If I had to point to one thing, his performance in the 2011 SECC would illustrate that nicely.  About the worst coaching job I've ever seen, and his star QB was apparently falling down drunk at about midnight the night before the game (per Paul Finebaum, who saw him in a casino about that time).  Yet Miles never benched the guy.  Still SMH over that one....

[BanditVol]

And one more comment - anybody who can realistically justify putting Butch on the same level as a coach with Saban and Meyer is one clueless and stupid fool. 

No one is putting them on the same level.  That definitely would be foolish.

Just saying that a coach being in the MAC means nothing...absolutely nothing...down the road.  I judge by the last season or two, maybe even three, not what happened nearly 10 years ago.
 
so yeah, satan got his start in the MAC...one year at Toledo, going 9-2.  Then look what happened:

Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1995–1999)
1995   Michigan State   6–5–1   4–3–1   5th   L Independence      
1996   Michigan State   6–6   5–3   5th   L Sun      
1997   Michigan State   7–5   4–4   6th   L Aloha      
1998   Michigan State   6–6   4–4   6th         
1999   Michigan State   9–2*   6–2   T–2nd   Invited to Citrus*   9*   9*

For the first four years, he was barely above 0.500.  Because, you know, "A MAC coach can't win in the Big 10!"

Hellfire...Butch is ahead of schedule!   

[HerbTarlekVol]

No one is putting them on the same level.  That definitely would be foolish.

Just saying that a coach being in the MAC means nothing...absolutely nothing...down the road.  I judge by the last season or two, maybe even three, not what happened nearly 10 years ago.
 
so yeah, satan got his start in the MAC...one year at Toledo, going 9-2.  Then look what happened:

Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1995–1999)
1995   Michigan State   6–5–1   4–3–1   5th   L Independence      
1996   Michigan State   6–6   5–3   5th   L Sun      
1997   Michigan State   7–5   4–4   6th   L Aloha      
1998   Michigan State   6–6   4–4   6th         
1999   Michigan State   9–2*   6–2   T–2nd   Invited to Citrus*   9*   9*

For the first four years, he was barely above 0.500.  Because, you know, "A MAC coach can't win in the Big 10!"

Hellfire...Butch is ahead of schedule!  

I knew you wouldn't understand it.  

What Saban and Meyer did or didn't do in the MAC in comparison to Butch is irrelevant.  It's about the level of coach that they are now. Do you ever watch Butch's game day decisions?  Do you listen to him talk about game situations?  And let's not forget about his charts. 

Really, Bandit - to make those comparisons is just not even rational. 

But, by all means, go ahead and continue to drink the Butch Koolaid.  

[BanditVol]

I knew you wouldn't understand it.  

What Saban and Meyer did or didn't do in the MAC in comparison to Butch is irrelevant.  It's about the level of coach that they are now. Do you ever watch Butch's game day decisions?  Do you listen to him talk about game situations?  And let's not forget about his charts. 

Really, Bandit - to make those comparisons is just not even rational. 

But, by all means, go ahead and continue to drink the Butch Koolaid.  

No I completely get what you are saying.  You, who are not a coach, want to pretend you understand it better than him, so you second guess his decisions and get outraged (outraged I say!) when he calls people like you out at press conferences.

I don't sweat any of that stuff, I just look at the results.  And the results in Butch's case of going from the MAC to a big league conference like the SEC are better than Saban's.  It's true that Butch was in the MAC longer and had a trip to the AAC in between, but nevertheless Butch's record in his first four years is much better than Saban's in his first four at Michigan State.

Wins, at the end of the day, are all that matter.  Not that you are butt hurt over his style.  I myself have been critical of some of his in game decisions, but I think, hey, even with that he has won 8 games two years in a row, and he likely has learned from his mistakes.  But what he says in a presser? D. N. G. A. S.!

It's true that he gets $4.5 million a year to coach.  Vs. Coach HTK, who gets....zero.

I mean, if you actually knew anything you'd be making the big bucks yourself, right.   

And again,  I don't uncritically accept everything he has done.  2015 was a bit better than I expected, 2016 a bit worse, but by no means was the end of the regular season last year acceptable.

What happens from here though is entirely up to Butch, and who knows, there may be some pleasant surprises down the road.

[Creek Walker]

He joins about 95% of head coaches in the country as being on an interim basis.   

True, but how many of the 95% are criticizing their fan bases like Jones?

I hope I'm wrong. I hope Jones turns it around this year. I just don't envision him at UT one year from now.

[VinnieVOL]

True, but how many of the 95% are criticizing their fan bases like Jones?

I hope I'm wrong. I hope Jones turns it around this year. I just don't envision him at UT one year from now.

While we're at it... A new one:
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/tennessee-football/butch-jones-dismisses-society-negativity-says-tennessee-lot-proud/


 

I get it.  He says stuff that makes me scratch my head, too.  I just shrug at it though.  Win the East and everything, including the extension that he keeps pandering for, will follow. 

[BanditVol]

While we're at it... A new one:
https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/tennessee-football/butch-jones-dismisses-society-negativity-says-tennessee-lot-proud/


 

I get it.  He says stuff that makes me scratch my head, too.  I just shrug at it though.  Win the East and everything, including the extension that he keeps pandering for, will follow. 

My take is that we needed to go through a phase of "pretty good" to get back to excellence, and Jones has provided that.  Whether he moves on to excellence is the question, but one that might not finally be answered until next season.  By which I mean, he can probably be "pretty good" one more year, but that's it.   

[VinnieVOL]

Yeah, chances are we weren't going to return to 90's dominance overnight.  The program is in much better shape than when he took over.  The unanswered question is obviously "what about the next step?"

Ugh, if only we'd beaten USC and Bandy last year!    

[VinnieVOL]

-Peter Burns

In no way am I saying "we've made it!"... but you do have to give the guy some credit for what he's done.  Again, Idk if he can take us to the next level or not, but we're closer than we were obviously.  The part that really sucks is the East has been there for the taking. 

[BanditVol]

Yes, the East weakness and our continued inability to take it has been frustrating.  OTOH, I don't think it would have mattered who the sacrificial lamb was last year, unfortunately.  Still would like the Vols to take the East though.

One thing to mention is that it's Florida that has stood in our way.  As far as I'm concerned, the jury is out on horse tooth.   Is he a good coach struggling to rebuild from the ashes Muschamp left, or is he a mediocre coach that has been fortunate to back into the East championship the last two years?  Their continued inability to find a QB makes me wonder.  This year might be critical for that program. 

I guess I will say that his teams often find a way to win (see LSU last year), and I will give him credit for that.  But...he's no Urban Meyer.  And whatever anyone says about Butch, we did finally beat Florida last year (in very satisfying fashion), and even horse tooth himself admitted in a post game interview that they didn't deserve to win in 2015.  The momentum has shifted in that series.  Here's hoping we can sustain that.   

And meantime, I will continue to hope that Smart is Muschamp 2.0 and last year was not just first year jitters.  Can Jones move us past our two main East rivals?  He did last year, just needs to continue.   

[volsboy]

Yes, the East weakness and our continued inability to take it has been frustrating.  OTOH, I don't think it would have mattered who the sacrificial lamb was last year, unfortunately.  Still would like the Vols to take the East though.

One thing to mention is that it's Florida that has stood in our way.  As far as I'm concerned, the jury is out on horse tooth.   Is he a good coach struggling to rebuild from the ashes Muschamp left, or is he a mediocre coach that has been fortunate to back into the East championship the last two years?  Their continued inability to find a QB makes me wonder.  This year might be critical for that program. 

I guess I will say that his teams often find a way to win (see LSU last year), and I will give him credit for that.  But...he's no Urban Meyer.  And whatever anyone says about Butch, we did finally beat Florida last year (in very satisfying fashion), and even horse tooth himself admitted in a post game interview that they didn't deserve to win in 2015.  The momentum has shifted in that series.  Here's hoping we can sustain that.   

And meantime, I will continue to hope that Smart is Muschamp 2.0 and last year was not just first year jitters.  Can Jones move us past our two main East rivals?  He did last year, just needs to continue.   

To move us past our East rivals, he would have to win the East. He hasn't done that yet. Hopefully soon.

[BanditVol]

To move us past our East rivals, he would have to win the East. He hasn't done that yet. Hopefully soon.

Nonsense.  Beating them is literally moving past them.  Let me be clear.  I made that statement,and that's what *I* meant.  I do get to say what I meant.   

Having said that we deserved to win the East last year on the strength of the Florida and Georgia wins.  Losing to USC jr and vandy is why we didn't win the East, and it was frustrating and unacceptable.

But one thing I haven't seen much commentary on is that those losses were in no way identical.  We lost a defensive struggle to junior, on their home field, against a coach that - no matter what his weaknesses - is an outstanding defensive coach.  Realize this.  Their D held us to our fewest points of the season.  Does that surprise you from a Muschamp team?  His Florida teams were consistently in the top 5 in the counry, and Junior is greatly improved on D with him coaching.  It was also a fluky game where the breaks went against us (late turnover for sure).   Finally, the problems with Heard started coming out in that game.

None of which is an excuse.  We still should have won....BUT...and this is very important.  We fought hard to the end in that one.  Against Vandy, we basically laid down.   D didn't even seem to be trying.  The loss to Vandy was far, far worse and much less understandable than the Junior loss.

Just saying...there is a clear distinction there that most don't make, but it is quite a contrast.  Every now and then, an upset occurs.  Losing on the road to a defensive mind like Muschamp is far more acceptable to me than the trash that was on the field at Vandy.

What I hope is that Vandy was a rare let down at the end of a disappointing (moreso because it started so well), long, injury-filled (this in particular) and contentious (Heard head-case) season.  The team was just plumb wore out.  Still not an excuse!  Let me make that clear. Not an excuse, but if I am right on the reason for the shizzlety effort at Vandy, then i think that's correctible.  Winning cures all.  I am looking forward to this season.  We may not sweep the East or go to Atlanta in December, but I hope that, by God, we pay back Vandy and Junior on our home field, and I also hope we go all "SOS deliverance" on them late in the game.