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...and/or demanding that he admit he was wrong...really?  I mean, what's the point?

If you haven't noticed, high profile football coaches typically have pretty big egos, and generally aren't in the habit of apologizing...at least publically.  Did Pete Carroll apologize for his disasterous gaffe at the end of the Super Bowl?  Did Saban apologize for failing to put personnel on the field to cover the Kick Six?  Did Urban Meyer take responsibility for promising to recruit the top 1% of 1% and then unleashing Aaron Hernandez on the world?

Here's my point:  Butch hopefully knows he messed up royally.  And if he doesn't, he's not long for Knoxville anyway.  I don't want him to tell me he was wrong, or say he's sorry.  That's not going to improve my outlook in the least.  I just want him to fix it.   This week, if not sooner.  Don't tell me, show me.

BDV - I think the issue is not that Butch apologize for the sake of apologizing.  Rather, its giving the fans (and the world) a sense that he understands that there is a problem and he takes responsibility for the problem.  I can recall - on a number of occasions - when the OBC, Steve Spurrier, came out on the losing end and said something like, "Heck, I got out-coached, we got outplayed, and that's not acceptable.  We have to be better prepared and that starts with me."  A simple, but passionate statement like that goes a long way toward putting people who care about the program at ease.  When he says some of the garbage he's said, it just makes you wonder if he really does get it.

I want Butch to do well.  But I think it is pretty clear that he's a mechanic.  And on game day you need an artist. 

I'm not demanding an apology..I'd just rather hear him say he takes responsibility and will learn from it so it doesn't happen again than to blame it on some chart..I like CBJ but if you blow two games with leads in the 4th quarter with questionable calls and piss poor game clock management in crunch time,after your players play their hearts out you deserve the heat and to say that you wouldn't change a thing and that you coached well enough to win..Well look at the score you obviously didn't and it isn't just Vol fans saying he and his staff blew it..again..Hell even other fans of other teams are saying what every one else knows..Get it fixed and show us you can get it done..period or get the hell out!

Hell, he could appoint a fan advisory team to help with game plans and play calls and the legions of the miserable would STILL not be happy. :rolleyes:

Am I happy?  Hell no.  However, I also observed a far different game plan and calls from the OU game.  Second guess, it's our main contribution to the discussion.  

The two things that killed us Saturday?  Offensive execution with the chips on the line and the defense, specifically some "interesting" IMO play calls.

I left the swamp extremely unhappy Saturday night but pleased with the starkly different game plan from the OU game and its ability to get us a two score lead into the 4th quarter against a very good secondary with or WR group and Dobbs, who is not the best passing QB around.  I was ecstatic when we essentially imposed our will on the UF defense on our last TD drive.  We had not done that in AGES.

I was frankly shocked at the vitriol directed at Butch when I got back to Tampa later that night.

Personally, I do not expect an apology from Butch. I don't want one.

While I would like him to man-up and take responsibility for his errors in coaching decisions (preferably before suggesting in Dooley-esque style that the players not making plays are the reason for the losses), for now I think it would be a step in the right direction if he would simply stop trying to blow smoke up everyone's butt about those coaching blunders. For me, I am tired of the snake-oil excuses.

I truly want him to succeed. This program needs him to be the man and I want to be his biggest fan. If he doesn't succeed, Heaven help our program. It could be another decade before we are at all relevant.

For that to happen I think he must admit the mistakes in coaching in order to address and fix them. I hope he is, as you suggest that he might be, addressing them privately. For the sake of the Tennessee football program, I hope so..

I'm with BDV I don't give a shizzle about empty apologies, I want to see him improve on the field. He can just come and say "we sucked, we will get better" and I am ok with that. The evidence right now shows me that they have issues with in game management and there's some philosophical changes they need to make to adjust to the SEC. I thought that they had a good game plan, but they definitely have to trust Dobbs more to throw the ball. Right now there is no passing game.'

I have to chuckle when I read some of the stuff I've read since the loss to UF, as if there isn't more important things to get worked.up about. They played a great game but some mistakes were made, the sun still came up and things are going to be ok.

Threads like this one take the fun out of watching NCAA football......

Pirate I agree there was considerable improvement against UF compared to OU.  We really went for it in the first half with the trick plays and so forth, and as you point out the grinding drive in the 4th was just awesome.  Let's also not lose sight of the fact that we put 254 yards on one of the best run Ds in college football.  There is plenty to be proud of.

The only thing is, Butch did make some questionable calls down the stretch and that's something that needs to improve.

For the record, I just watched former bammer QB McIlroy say on SEC Now that "the Vols just need to learn to win" as well as "they seemed surprised to be so dominant against OU".

He and Clint (is that Stoerner?) also said that Tennessee is still loaded with young future NFL talent that continues to improve and they both said "buy Vols" on the "stock report".

So I return to my theme that we need to hope these are the growing pains of a program not used to winning.  Winning feels good.  Once they get a taste of it the monkey will be off their backs and it will become a habit again.   :biggrin:

That's what I hope anyway.... :thumbup: