Mike Hamilton: The gift that keeps on giving...

[Black Diamond Vol]

http://www.rockytopinsider.com/2017/11/09/gary-patterson-tennessee-thought-couldnt-handle-big-stage/

 

[murfvol]

Completely indefensible. Makes me sick.

[BanditVol]

But...but...but...he wasn't a P5 coach.  We don't want that USA Conference or MAC Conference stuff at UT.  Nosiree!   

To make it even worse, look at this line.

And it was because of that lack of experience that Tennessee ultimately passed on Patterson.

And yet...we hired a coach that had no experience as a HC in college at all, and had flamed out in less than one season as an NFL HC.

  Go figure!   

[BanditVol]

Meant to add...based on his last sentence, I don't see him coming here now either.

And for all the ire rightfully directed at Hamilton for passing on Patterson, I don't know that he would have succeeded.  The SEC is a much tougher place, and .... this is the really important part....expectations much higher, and at UT IMO unrealistically so.  He could have gone 9-3 in Year 1 and there still would have been people unhappy.  He would have had three years, maybe four and nothing short of an SECC win would have truly made fans happy.

TCU has much lower expectations and the current hollowed out B12 is a much easier place to win.  I doubt Patterson would have succeeded.  

Would he have done better than Lane?  Absolutely.  But this particular fan base likely would whine about his offensive scheme as much as they whine about Butch's (though arguably his might work better).  My guess is that he would have taken us to a series of 8 or 9 win seasons and then been fired.  

I don't think there was any way to satisfy this fanbase after the 90s run short of Saban-like success, which happens about once a decade at one or two schools max.  Just MO....

[Coupe De VOL]