So you're predicting Bama will not stay on top for all eternity?  Wow, you're really making a bold prediction, there. 

For Saban's tenure they won't be on top much longer...not eternity, I hope, though if there is a hell for Vol fans that sounds like it. LOL!

They could easily still screw the pooch this year, whether Saturday, in the SECCG (I actually give Tamu a better chance than uga  with their easy schedule  ), or against Oregon in the MNC.  I am pretty confident they will, in fact, so no need to wait for eternity.   

Will return for 2013 with a new defensive coordinator and a few defensive position coaches.

No hard evidence, just piecing together the rumors.

FWIW, a poster on another site claims to have talked to Haslem SR at a charity event and asked him if Gruden was coming.  Haslem reportedly laughed for 30 seconds and then said "the season isn't over yet".

Take it FWIW, probably not much, but if top boosters and/or the admin are taking the position of waiting for the season to play out, then I at least am pleased, because in spite of being accused of being a "doolaid drinker" this has been my position all along.

I haven't really taken a hard position that Dooley needs to be back next year, just that I prefer for the season to play out and then make a reasoned decision at the end.

Having said that, the option you cite, IMO, would not be the end of the world to me, but I am on record as saying that due to the extreme circumstances of Kiffin screwing us, it's not unreasonable to allow four years. 

Bandit, even if Saban is burned ot (he doesn't appear to be to me), he has built that program up to where even if he leaves, unless they hire a total goofball, they will continue to have success.

For awhile.  But will they keep winning 2 of every 3 MNCs?  I doubt it.  Pete Carroll looked like he could do it at USCw, but they had declined even before he finally got caught cheating.  And my views on that part of it are  well known....

Yes, USCw was still in the mix every year, but they didn't really sniff an MNC between 2006 and 2008 when the shizzle hit the fan.  And thus goes bammer....IMO.

This year seems ripe for, if nothing else, a loss in the MNC game.  Like USCw in 2005 or New England-Giants I.   

In the meantime, Aggie up! 

Is TWSS?  

Seriously?  You went there?  I had to check my calendar to see if it was still 1988.  

Effing cowboys.  I needed them to win for fantasy football.

I think that's more like the "3 and in"   

Hate to tell you this, but we're a heck of lot more like Vandy right now than the schools we once called our "peers".  And unless there's a change at the top, it's only going to get worse.

Oh, I'm well aware of that, but I hope that no matter how bad we get, we don't stoop to supporting the team as badly as Vandy.   

Don't forget, he also thinks Saban is on the decline.   

Burned out.  I said he looked burned out last year.  I also said no team can stay on top and have the success bammer is having forever.  LSU just about punctured their balloon last night.  I don't think they are a shoo-in to repeat this year at all.  Guess we'll find out.

But I'm not at all surprised you would have that reaction.  When a team is on top, everyone just assumes that they will keep winning.  There was a point in the 90s when no one thought Osbourne would ever lose, right up to the point that Arizona State, a three TD underdog, beat them.  It will happen to Saban also. Probably this season.....and yes, I will stick my neck out and predict that.   

You weren't impressed with Kiffin, who played No. 1 Alabama to the wire with a chance at a game-winning field goal, and beat South Carolina AND Georgia, yet you've typed approximately 50,000 words in defense of Dooley, who hasn't sniffed a win against either South Carolina or Georgia, let alone Alabama or any other SEC team that was anything more than a conference cellar-dweller.  FTR, I was happy to see Kiffin leave. Not in the fashion he did it, and definitely not with the stunts he pulled on his way out the door, but I thought UT would be better off in the long run. And I'm still not convinced that it wasn't for the best, although the three seasons since he left have been miserable. But Kiffin could coach circles around Dooley.

I never said I was totally unimpressed.  Just not as impressed as some.  To listen to some, he was bringing the program back.  But we were 7-6...barely an improvment over Fulmer's last year.  Understand that I am contrasting him with Fulmer and saying I don't see a huge improvement.

Dooley did not inherit the situation that Kiffin did, it was much worse.  I have never typed a single word in "defense of Dooley".  I think that's a common misunderstanding of my POV.  If you can find one post where I say "cut DOOLEY some slack" or "DOOLEY is actually a pretty good coach" or even "we need to stick with DOOLEY" then point it out by all means.  (The caps are because I actually almost never use his name - my posts are about the TEAM).

I never have, and never will. In fact, I don't think Dooley is that great a coach.  In spite of that, I see improvement from last year that I don't think is properly credited.  Particularly our Oline and run game improved 100%+.  Notice that I haven't been stressing that as much lately...because our suckage on D pretty much overshadows how well our offense is improved.  Unfortunately. 

I'm surprised...he threw two INT's in a row and put the game in jeopardy.  I actually wondered if he would be featured.  I guess they learned their lesson last time.   

Ed Orgeron, Ole Miss 2005-2007 (4-20), Joker Phillips, KY 2010-2012 (4-19), Derek Dooley, TN 2010-2012 (4-17)

So he has a chance to surpass them this weekend.   

Yeah... let's make sure we get those exaggerations corrected!  

For a reason...it matters to me if bama filled half our stadium.  That would be a horrible day for Tennesse, period.  We would, in fact, on that day, be like Vandy.

If it's 30,000, which was reported in 3 media stories I saw, then that's still pretty bad but not "Vandy-bad".

These things actually matter to me.  Might not matter to others, to which I say.... (insert icon for shrugging here  )  

Here's one of the media accounts.  There are plenty of others.

http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2012/oct/21/south-carolina-quarterback-connor-shaw-likely-to/?print=1

Some in the press box thought that 30,000 fans or more might have been Alabama partisans.

Every single account I have seen said 30,000 or about a third, which is basically the same thing.

Those that hate Dooley and want him out want it to be more, because they think it makes his ouster more likely.  Wanting it so, and it actually being so...two different things.

I don't care how bad we are or how horrible our coach is, I never want ANY opposing team to outnumber us or even be 50-50 in our own stadium, let alone BAMA.  But maybe that's just me....

exposed by LSU? LSU is a very good team with outstanding athletes.

I know. I am saying when they face a real team, not so impressive.  Also playing up the contrast between LSU and the rest of their schedule so far.  Tamu should be an interesting game.

I hate Bama as much as anybody, but I have to admit, that winning drive was kick ass!

It was a Chavis special....

Alabama will still overpower Georgia in the SECCG and Oregon in the BCSCG.Georgia and Oregon are soft

As for Oregon, I truly don't believe bammer will come anywhere near overpowering them.  Oregon held it's own against Auburn in their game.  You might suggest Auburn of 2009 was not as good as bammer this year, but I think the jury is out on that one.  I would argue that Auburn faced a much tougher schedule in 2009 than bammer's this year.

If it does come down to Oregon vs. bammer...I will be looking forward to seeing it.  My opinion of Saban's comments on the spread is below somewhere.  Short version...he just don't wanna face it.   

Buck fama anyway.....

Alabama will still overpower Georgia in the SECCG and Oregon in the BCSCG.Georgia and Oregon are soft

They have to get past Tamu first.  I expect the Aggies to give them a game. They are, by far, the second best team on bammer's schedule this year.

Tamu has only lost to UF and LSU, and by less than a TD to both....

You know, one where you under perform but pull it out.  Because that usually happens to MNC teams.

Horse manure!   They got EXPOSED by LSU.  LSU is one of the better teams in the country, true, but the drop off from there on bama's schedule is tremendous.  Michigan is at best above average.  I think their most impressive win was MSU, but we all know that MSU was greatly overated, a point just driven home by Tamu yesterday.  From there take your pick of Ole MIss or Tennessee as the next toughest, and that says it all.

Prior to playing LSU, here is their SEC "schedule"  Arkansas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, MSU and Missouri.  What a freaking JOKE.  They managed to avoid USCe, uga and Florida, easily the three "tough" teams in the East.   I am almost positive that Slive is slanting the schedule to ensure an SEC team in the BCS, but what can you do.

"you have to have a game like that". Horse crap!   I think Tamu is going to give them all they can handle.  Unfortunately they will almost certainly face UGA in the SECCG and UGA will be a big dog (no pun intended).

Which is why I hope Oregon wins out, and I will definitely be rooting for them if it comes down to it.  Just this morning on ESPN radio, a huge bammer fan admitted that Oregon scared him.  Which is truly amazing....

Screw this "pull for the SEC" crap.  Hate bammer!  Hate bammer!  Hate bammer!  

.

There is one characteristic of I'd say >90% of the long runs are when AJ gets blocked.  He tends to be very slow getting off of blocks (see at least two of the draw plays yesterday, including a TD).  Lathers has been better at blitzes from the middle, much more so than AJ. 

I'd say it's worse than you think.  I re-wound some of their draw plays with AJ yesterday.  On all of the ones I checked, at least three, he not only apparently thought it was a pass play but he ran right at the fullback or whoever it was that was supposed to block him. It was really odd. It's as if he saw the blocker and ran right at him.  I dunno, maybe he thought the guy had the ball?     That's  a joke, but I'm really not laughing.  It was bad,  He got sucked into the line on every single draw.  You might think he would learn....

As for Waggner and Teague... my guess is that the the thought process is play the young guys and move on.  But they probably gave up on the experienced guys too soon.  It's one thing to bench Teague from being a starter...another thing if he never sees the field.  As bad as we have played back there, I'd like to see both Teague and Waggner get more snaps.  They can't .... POSSIBLY...do any worse.   

I know, most folks would say...NONE! And they'd be more right than wrong.
  Sal initally installed the 3-4, and that's been the excuse some have used for our lack of ahhh "stellar play". However, it appears to me that we've not been running the 3-4 in the last few games. It may be a hybrid of the 3-4 or something but it looks more like a "4-3 cover 2" most of the time. Heck, sometimes it looked like a single safety. I know you don't use one defenseive alignment all the time, but a team has a general D they run with adjustments off of it. Let me say to that I don't record the games, this is just an impression from watching.
  Correct me if I'm wrong here but could we be running more a cover 2 man and/or zone, where the lbs take away the curl, the dig routes, the flats, etc? The corner sits out 5 to maybe 7 yards and watches the receiver and takes away slants, and is supposed to jam the crap out of the receiver if he's on a streak to disrupt the pattern and make it even easier for the safety to shut him down. Which brings up a major gripe of mine, why aren't our corners jamming, do they even know what a jam is? So anyway, what do you guys think we're running?

I have no idea.  My observation from being at games and watching tape is that we play the pass better when we are tight in coverage.  Playing off and letting the safety come over doesn't seem to work for us.  That's about the limit of my observations.

Well, however our game with Vandy goes, I don't think they will shut us out at least.   

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/apr/19/contracts-for-ut-football-assistants-include/


When I read that article previously, I thought Chaney had the only 3-year contract.  I was wrong.  It's Sunseri 

Whatever you think about Wilcox leaving, there is no justification for Sunseri to have the highest salary with the longest tenure.  None at all.   Talk about an EPIC FAIL....

A related question...why two coaches for the DBs?  This might be common in the NFL, but seems almost unheard of in college.  I am mostly going by how it's been at Tennessee and a few other schools, so I truly don't know, but it seems unusual.  It also seems like a good way to have the db's be uncoordinated, but WDIK.   

Coach ..................... Position ......................................... 2012 salary ....... Contract end date

Sal Sunseri ............. Defensive coordinator .................... $750,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2015 - 1

Jim Chaney ............. Offensive coordinator .................... $550,000 ........... Dec. 31, 2013 - 2

Sam Pittman ........... Offensive line ................................. $275,000 .......... Feb. 28, 2014

John Palermo .......... Defensive line ................................ $275,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2014

Charlie Coiner ........ Tight ends/special teams ............... $275,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2013 - 3

Darin Hinshaw ........ Receviers/recruiting coordinator .... $225,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2014

Jay Graham ............. Running backs ............................... $225,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2014

Derrick Ansley ........ Cornerbacks .................................. $200,000 ............ Feb. 28, 2014

Josh Conklin ........... Safeties ...........................................$200,000 ........... Feb. 28, 2014

1 - Sunseri was the only new assistant to receive a three-year deal.

2 - The most recent signed contract for Chaney is from last summer

Not quite....the scholarship reductions start next year.

And no Barkley.  Who, BTW, came back because Luck and Griffin were in the draft, not out of any true desire to stay in college one more year.

I've thought all along that Kiffin was just going to spiral down at USCw.   I know some were impressed with Kiffin's one year here.  I was not.   The team may have been more disciplined and consistent, but his most impressive win was over a 6-7 uga team and IMO it was nullified by the jokes against Ole Miss and in the bowl.  I also thought that between UCLA and Auburn, we should have beat at least one of them.  And I will never forgive him for pissing away a chance to beat bammer when no one gave us a chance, and mess up their MNC.   

But yeah, he's pretty much screwed next year.

With an average D, we're 8-1 and talking about a possible BCS bowl right now.

7-2 mybe but yeah

That's about the same number of Vol fans that showed up for bammer.  The difference is, Troy didn't bring 30,000 50,000 of their own fans to fill it up.  

No need to exagerate

College Football News thinks Tennessee will play West Virginia in the Music City Bowl

NORTH CAROLINA in the MCB.  We owe those little shizzles.

Then again, with this year's D....shudder.