Derek Dooley says

[ReVOLver]

John Adams ‏@johnadamskns
Derek Dooley says the rest of the SEC won't have Tennessee to kick around any longer. He says this will be his best team yet.

Attaboy coach... now just show me.

[Volznut]

"For the first time we have a full roster. A full 85 guys. We are deeper than we have ever been."

"It's been a tough 4 years at UT. The SEC has enjoyed taking advantage
of that. You're not going to have UT to kick around anymore."

[ReVOLver]

Basilio calls him "a different Derek Dooley" today than in the past. "Never heard him this serious and confident and poised."

I want to believe. All they have to do is show me. Give me a solid comfortable win over NC State and I'll get the kool-aid pitcher back out of the cabinet. Beat Florida and I'll start mainlining that shizzle.

[Volznut]

I get the feeling Dooley knows he has more bullets in the chamber this year and he can't wait to use them.

Starting to feel sorry for NC state. I can see Dooley's going to try to make a statement in that game.

[ReVOLver]

I get the feeling Dooley knows he has more bullets in the chamber this year and he can't wait to use them.

Starting to feel sorry for NC state. I can see Dooley's going to try to make a statement in that game.

Of course I just want them to get out of there with a win but the best case scenario is that they really pound NC State. I could really see the team's confidence taking off if that happens.

[BigOrange Maniac]

I was logging on to post that quote. I'm still not a believer, but that got me fired up. Big time. I like a little swagger every now and then.

[BigOrange Maniac]

Also liked this: "I'm not here to sell. It's like that old song, 'A Little Less Conversation, A Little Less Action.' That's about where we are. Selling ain't going to do me any good. We've got to go out and win."

[Clockwork Orange]

Anybody have a wall I can run through?  


_{It'll have to be really thin. Like, paper thin. With a mattress to fall into on the other side.}

[Inspector Vol]

Anybody have a wall I can run through?  


_{It'll have to be really thin. Like, paper thin. With a mattress to fall into on the other side.}

Thats a good one Clocky.   

[Inspector Vol]

Also liked this: "I'm not here to sell. It's like that old song, 'A Little Less Conversation, A Little Less Action.' That's about where we are. Selling ain't going to do me any good. We've got to go out and win."

Dooley has never minced words or lied about what he thought the team could accomplish. Therefore I take him at his word about not being pushed around anymore. I don't expect to be pushed around any this year.  Doesn't mean we have to win them all but we dang well better butt heads for a full 4 quarters every game.

[VinnieVOL]

I might as well go ahead and jump on in the orange koolaid.  Why not?  It's not like our hopes and dreams haven't been crushed repeatedly lately.  I get the sense that I have thicker skin as a fan.  It can't get much worse than it has lately.  Well, technically it COULD but let's be real.. we're not going to drop to Vandy's level.. we are Tennessee.  But if we have more disappointment this year?  Well, it sux but it's more of the same and we've been there.  If we win, awesome.

Of course, this is easy for me to say over a month out from opening kickoff and sitting in my office at work.  What tends to happen with me is when I go to games, that's when I really start investing emotionally.  When "friends" I know who are Bama/UF fans start talking trash, that's when I get really invested.  I let my hopes get up to think "this is the year we shut them up!"  Then when we get destroyed I come down off that extreme high.

Ever since the 2001 SECC loss to LSU, there have been several points during various seasons I've said to myself "I'm done getting so into this, look at what it does to me".  But that never lasts.  It's beyond my control.   

[Stogie Vol]

I like the boldness. I'd be sick to hear him trying to temper everyone's expectations again.

[Volznut]

I like the boldness. I'd be sick to hear him trying to temper everyone's expectations again.

He has always been truthful. So, if he is now that confident, it makes me feel confident. That type of confidence also rolls downhill to the other coaches and players.

[101stDad]

As they say, talk is cheap.  I hope this isn't just something to try and pump his team up, because that generally doesn't go very far. 

As Al Davis used to say, Just Win, Baby!  Then things will take care of themselves. 

[Black Diamond Vol]

Spoken like a guy with nothing to lose.  He knows what he has to do to keep his job, so there's no point in poormouthing or tempering expectations.  Maybe the team will follow his lead.

[BanditVol]

"For the first time we have a full roster. A full 85 guys. We are deeper than we have ever been."

"It's been a tough 4 years at UT. The SEC has enjoyed taking advantage
of that. You're not going to have UT to kick around anymore."

I like the attitude.  Also, I didn't know we were up to full roster.  Maybe this is why we only signed 21-22 this spring?   Or did he give some schollies to walk-ons? 

Don't know, and don't care, just glad we got back to a full roster finally.