The Season of Knowing

Most years at this time, I’ll sit down and attempt to whip up a few thoughts on the new football season. Sometimes I’ll come up with something I like, and post it here on VTTW. And sometimes the inspiration just isn’t there, and I’ll scrap it and hope for better luck next year.

So it was last week that I began to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard, in this case) and try to sum up my thoughts for this season. I had a theme in mind: Hope. How being a Vols fan means that hope always springs eternal, and that no matter how much we get beaten down, we’ll always have hope. I had even planned to throw in a few Shawshank Redemption quotes for good measure.

However, after a paragraph or so, I just wasn’t feeling it. The same old writer’s block kicked in, and I scrapped it. Just this morning, I think I realized why: For a season like this one, hope is not a strong enough word. Red Redding was right- hope IS a dangerous thing. As Vol fans, we’ve been hoping for the better part of 18 years, and it’s gotten us nothing but sand kicked in our face.

Screw hope. Hope is for Sun Belt teams. And we’ve been behaving like Sun Belt fans for far too long. It’s time to think bigger. We no longer need “the stars to align” to beat people. We no longer have to hope for merely “a puncher’s chance”. SEC fans have more swag than that.

So that being said, I would like to declare 2016 as the season we stop hoping, and start knowing.

This IS the year that we reclaim our rightful spot among the elite. Don’t think it, don’t hope it, know it.

This is the year that Neyland Stadium becomes the most feared venue in America again. Know it. If our student section gets slapped for shouting obscenities, well, that’s all part of the experience. If we have to pay a couple fines for rushing the field, I’m good with that.

This is the year that guys like Dobbs, Sutton, and JRM are repaid by the universe. They’ve stuck around through some very tough times and have been the best representatives that any program could ask for. They have some good vibes coming their way.

Likewise, a few of our opponents who have been winning on the backs of paid professionals, roided-up QBs, or both...they have some karmic retribution coming their way, too. This IS the season that those two obnoxious losing streaks come to an end. You damn well better know it.

This is the year that we finally put the stink of Derek Dooley and Joey Freshwater behind us for good.

With Heaven’s newest coach Pat Summitt standing next to the General and looking down with pride, this is the season we get it done.

Get woke, Vol Nation. This is our year.

Know it.

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