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I don't know why I tried to say that "no matter what comes, I'm going to be a more positive Vol fan the rest of this year". Because losing stinks.

I look at the VS and see them bemoaning their fate and they are probably right to do so... But they beat us easily. Think about that.

As a fan when you spend a ton of time following your team online and allow this game to ingratiate itself into your daily routine, it's difficult to turn away from the frustration of following a train wreck. And I really need to turn away right now. I've never been one of those people who thought UT would always be at the top of the SEC... You have your 2000s and 2002s every now and then... But I never, ever, ever, ever thought Tennessee would be what they are right now... A team solidly in the bottom half of the league and irrelevant nationally. This isn't some sort of short term swoon... To quote Dennis Green, we are what they think we are. There is no anti-Tennessee conspiracy where national media is disrespecting us and wrongly ignoring us. We are bad and not even lovably so. And that hurts.

I've been asking myself as I've been typing this post, why do you feel so differently than last week? The answer is, because yesterday was just like last week. Things aren't changing. There is absolutely no way I'm calling for Dooley's head anytime soon, but I find myself wondering about his staff.

I don't spend the time driving to and from games that some do and I don't donate a lot of money to the program, but I follow this time with as much passion as anybody in the Big Orange Nation. Yet lately I find myself wanting to do other things rather than subject myself to watching my Vols get hammered.

Cool story Bro.

/rant

FWIW this is a rant, not some sort of platform stance from me that I'm prepared to defend or debate... pick it apart if you must... but I was just venting frustration. My wife gets tired of hearing it.  :dunno:

Coach Matthews just said fans are allowed to say almost anything they want and it doesn't make them bad fans.  I saw improvement yesterday....I am proud of the O line and the way they came off the ball, Devrin Young   :wow:  Patience my friend doesn't mean you won't be frustrated along the way.  Last year was year zero....Dooley will get it right.

All I know is that we scheduled our Halloween party for next Saturday night and I was RELIEVED when they announced Bammer as a night game.

Bammer is going to drag us up and down the field and make us like it. I don't think we will score a TD.

Agree 100% here...................................................The Clay Travis thread on here last week with comments VinnieVol and myself were trying to relay this  thought as well.

P.S.  We will only win 2 more games this year if SIMMS plays...................MTSU, UK......................................................


 :powert:

The problem with that thread was the name "Clay Travis" and his absolutely ridiculous premise of Dooley being on the hotseat. Even though Vinnie didn't share his opinion, people get blinded by the headline.

I'm less inclined now than I was six weeks ago to think Dooley is the sure-fire longterm answer as our head football coach, but we are in such dire straits that we cannot afford to fire another coach. Last time we couldn't even get our main candidates to seriously consider us. We need stability.

I agree......................................I am not sure about the Staff around Dooley though and our lack of execution and improvement..........we got out coached yesterday.........................bigtime.............................no changes made on offense in RE: to Simms...........................shizzle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 :powert:
We sound like Private Pile on FMJ......................................."we are in a world of shizzle"

I agree and understand the frustration, but I look at the lack of depth and talent, and also the fact that we have lost key people, and I know we will be better in the future. No sense in blaming the staff, we don't have the horses to compete with these guys right now, and that SUCKS. Only way to get back is to recruit, as that is the lifeblood of any program. You have to give this staff 4 years to see what they can do with the talent they can build up. Unfortunately, that will require some patience, which is hard, very hard.  If in Year four we still are stuck in the rut we're in now, then we can talk staff changes.

We don't have depth, so losing key players really decimates us, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give the staff a pass for having a team that plays with bad technique all over the field and not answering the second half bell two weeks in a row. We have looked poorly coached in all three losses. Not just out-talented, which I can take, but poorly coached, poorly prepared, and poorly motivated.

Dooley gets five years from me, but I hope he's constantly evaluating the staff EVERY year.

Agree 100%...................................................lack of talent is no excuse for what is happening on the field.........................we have some good talent on Defense, they looked like they just gave up in the 3rd quarter in this 1....................................................I just cannot believe how bad we were on offense........I thought SIMMS would've improved some, but he could not be any worse

 :powert:

I guess what gives me hope is that in the not so distant past Georgia, Auburn, LSU and Alabama were just as bad or worse than we are right now. Think back to the 90s and remember some of those Georgia teams. Hell, Bama was a joke for several years in a row. Auburn has had wide swings with their program since the late 80s. Also remember Oklahoma for a decade was a disgrace. There are so many others I could name.

It doesn't make it any easier for us right now but knowing that good and great programs have been in the tank for multiple seasons in a row lends a little perspective to our situation.

CW

Yeah, it's going to bet better, it can't get much worse. Maybe Dooley's the guy who gets us there, maybe not. But the sun will shine on us again some day. It's just tough for right now.

Our defense came to play for the first half. I thought we did pretty good defending against the #1 team in the Nation. Our problem is that we have no depth. We ran out of gas, and had no replacements to rotate with. I'm encouraged. :dance:

Yesterday's loss didn't bother me that much. The Georgia loss absolutely pissed me off, because I was convinced that we had a team that could beat UGA by two touchdowns (I still think so, for that matter). But we are where we are, and I accept that. I thought we could be an 8-4 team this year but that was dependent on staying injury-free. There are areas of this team (the secondary, for one; the offensive line, for another) that aren't as far along as I'd hoped, but I'm still not convinced that this couldn't be an 8-4 team with both Bray and Hunter in the lineup.

Like Revolver, I'm less convinced now than I was at the start of the season that Dooley will be the guy to lead this program back. I'm still a huge fan, but there are certain things that bug me. The time out yesterday on Georgia's third down because we had 12 men on the field was really mind-boggling to me. Those kinds of mistakes might have been excusable early in the season LAST year, but not midway through this year. I'll grant Dooley & Co. the fact that those mistakes aren't happening as frequently now, but still...

In other areas, I think our fans are just being a little impatient. I'm not convinced that our second half letdowns, frustrating as they may be, are a sign of our coaches not making the proper adjustments. I think it's more a case of us simply being worn down. The lack of depth on this UT roster is almost unbelievable when you stop to consider where we stand. By the second half, just about every other team in the SEC is going to have fresher legs than us, because there is such a huge letdown for our team once you look beyond the No. 1 man at each position.

For now, it's enough for me to know that we would've been behind at the half 14-7 against the No. 1 team in the country if not for a boneheaded play by a guy (Teague) who has become one of the biggest disappointments on this team. I don't really like moral victories, but considering where we stand and the process it's going to take to get back, that's an encouragement for me. There isn't a game that goes by that I don't cuss Wilcox's soft coverage on critical downs, but when I look at it in hindsight, I continue to maintain that our defense is better than it's given credit for. I believe Wilcox is an excellent DC who will build a very solid defense here once the pieces are in place, and I think Chaney is a good OC. Beyond that, though, I wouldn't mind seeing some changes on this staff at the end of the year. It starts with Hiedstand, but there are some other areas of concern, too. I'm not too pleased with our RB development at this point.

Look...we lost our starting QB, we lost our best receiver and yet we STILL hung with LSU for a half, as we did with UF and UGA....bottom line, lack of depth is KILLING US and losing 2 starters makes it worse.   I don't think there is a coaching staff on this earth that could make this team look any better.   I think many folks had high hopes for this year and with injuries, we're certainly not going to do much.   As for UF being down and still beat us easily...they hadn't lost their QB at that time, so they were supposed to beat us!     I say if folks don't give Dooley 4 years to be competing for the East and the SEC....then they are idiots.   Is it frustrating?  Of course it is, but it's also reality.....and it WILL get better.

I've plainly stated I think Dooley should get 5 years. That doesn't mean I'm going to give him or the staff a pass for things wrong that I perceive are due to coaching. I don't think anybody couldve beaten LSU with all our injuries, but that doesn't mean we were well coached yesterday.

The problem with message boards is that any negativity is seen as disloyalty.

I will continue to hope Dooley is the right guy as I like him a great deal.

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Bossman, I never see you as disloyal....you are one of the most loyal fans of all.   I just think that no amount of coaching could have done much for our team the last week or so....youth, no depth, best players hurt.  yada yada yada

Certainly. That was one of the mistakes that fulmer made

So, uh.... What's it going to be... "Colts to the Wall"?  :biggrin:

Maybe it's time to take a step back and get a different perspective about where we are.  As a team, we are as shallow as a mud puddle on talent.  We do have some play-makers.  Just not very many.  Unfortunately for us we have lost  most of them due to injury.  Losing Bray is a killer.  Coupled with the loss of Hunter and Jackson on the defense our little 'puddle' of talent is about dried up.  This is a problem that only time and recruiting can fix.  Next year we will be better in this aspect.

Secondly, we are playing the toughest schedule in the country.  I don't think I've ever seen one as tough as the one we are playing right now.  This is not a good thing to do when you don't have the players to endure.  I don't think any team in the country could play our next 5 game lineup and come through unscathed.  Next year should be a little easier.

Thirdly, the guys are still fighting.  I haven't seen any quit this year.

Fourth, The kicking game is really improving.  Remember that it was just a few years ago that we were kicking the ball out of bounds on kickoff and conceding the first 40 yards of the field.  Coverage is pretty darned good now.  Our kicking game would be excellent if we had some decent kickers.  

Finally, we are so very young as a team.  We won't be next year.  We just have to endure and hope these losses burn in the souls of our young guys during the off season as motivation to get faster, stronger, bigger and better.  I thought we would win 6 last year.  I thought that we would be better this year and still only win 6 games because the schedule is so much tougher.  Next year I think we will win more and be a ranked team.  We just have to last.

Hang in there.  Better days are ahead. :patriot:

I see several weaknesses in coaching.

1. Defensive backs coach.  As near as I can tell, we do not have one.  If we do, he is certainly not teaching them a thing.  Dooley needs to help this man find another job.

2. Lack of a running back coach.  If they really are doing it be committee, stop it.  Just stop it right now.  They ran better yesterday, but still have zero downfield vision.

Gripes but not weakness

1. LB coach.  If he and Wilcox really believe Austin Johnson is our best hope, they must not be watching the same games I have been.  I do not care how smart or how well you know the playbook, slow is slow.  Bite the bullet and put in a stronger and faster MLBer.

2. Chaney is still calling long developing pass plays that Simms has never been able to make.  Ever.  He adapted well with calling run plays Saturday, but he needs to keep throws less than 20 yards unless the DB falls down.

I'm frustrated too, but I'm willing to give Dooley his fair shot.  Like you said, what choice do we have?  Changing coaches again soon would make a bad situation terrible.  But I'm still irritated.

With our shortcomings in personnel, both in talent and in depth, you'd think the one thing we could hang our hat on is being technically sound and not making any mistakes.  Dooley and staff surely know this.  We could be the team that doesn't beat itself, that is so well coached that even though we don't have the bodies.. our guys are where they are supposed to be and they're going to make the tackle everytime.  I'm not saying we should be going out and conquering the world..  but games like UGA we should win our fair share of, and Dooley has yet to win a game like this.  But no, we make monumental mistakes that virtually take away any chance of winning.

Yes, the injuries have been crushing.. but with all those injuries, take away the huge brain farts and look at what might've been.  We wasted a half of football trying to figure out what to do without Hunter against UF.  Our first possession of the 2nd half of the UGA game took us out of a tie ballgame.  And yesterday, we were hanging with those guys too.  Take away the bad throw by Simms and the whif by Teague and it's nearly a tie ballgame at the half.  Then LSU may have to take some more chances on offense in the 2nd half to put us away, and who knows what happens then.

It's crap like this that gets stuck in my craw.  Knowing that despite all our shortcomings, if we outprepared, outcoached, and out-executed our opponents I think we win at least two of the games we've lost.  Like Revolver also pointed out during the game, two games in a row we've come out of the half dead in the water.  Guess what?  That's coaching.

And on a personal level, I get sick and tired of wasting my Saturdays going and seeing no improvement and seeing the same mistakes.  Players can't get lined up, substitutions are a mess.  Never in my life as a UT football fan have I found myself counting how many players we have on the field every play, but I do.  Stuff like that should be a given.  Especially when it's the only chance we've got.  I know it's my choice and I don't have to go, but I ain't gonna quit on them.  It just suxes.

There is a good chance that Bray is back for Vandy.
Simms has two weeks to improve for a Lattimore-less USCe and even more time for Arky.  Not all is lost.

And another thing that leaves me irritated walking out of Neyland... is opposing fans don't even act like it's a big deal when they win there anymore.  I literally remember seeing fights in the streets after losing to Florida.. but sadly it's not something worth celebration to other fans.  I miss the days when we got heckled as we left the stadium.  It just feels so bizarre walking out of this huge monolithic stadium after having watched such a pedestrian UT team.

As I told Emeril last night, if we ever do make it to the top again, our fans (especially the younger ones) are going to be the most profane and obnoxious in America.  Think UF fans circa 1990.  Most UT students were just 6-7 years old the last time we fielded a nationally competitive football team, and if we get to that level again, they're going to be ready to release some frustrations. 

FWIW, the LSU fans in our section weren't nearly as magnanimous as they apparently were around you.  I even told one guy that if he wanted to get out of Knoxville alive, he'd be well-advised to STFU.  And this wasn't some kid, this guy was at least 45 years old. :frown:

Actually, the most vitriol I was exposed to in my section was UT fans bickering back and forth.  This was in the 2nd quarter mind you, and I literally thought they were going to come to blows.  And I still can't tell you what they were arguing about.   :dunno:

They beat us easily with Brantley.  Had he stayed uninjured, they would have a much better record now, which is to say they would not be doing all the moaning.  Or at least not as much.

Somewhere above is a comment that we were "out-motivated, out-prepared, and out-coached" in the second half.

We may have been out-coached, but I saw no lack of motivation in our players, just a lack of talent and depth.  LSU simply wore us out.   As for lack of preparation, I don't think you can attribute that to the 2nd half.  By then you should be adjusting to whatever you did or did not prepare for.  We held LSU pretty well in the first half, just made some dumb mistakes.  Holding that lead at halftime, getting the ball back first, and then being able to put on that 8-minute drive to start the half, well at 24-7 it was pretty much over. 

That's just what it is.   I don't blame the staff.  On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised by the first half, with the excpetion of the two int's.

We may well lack fundamentals as others have said...I don't really pay much attention to that, and probably would not know what to look for anyway.  I do know this....I mostly liked what I saw in the first half.

What we do for a half doesn't bring me any satisfaction.

Part of preparation is adjusting and reacting to what they're doing.

That's cause it's not

No one is happy with one half of good play.  We need the full game.  It will take time to build that depth.

I see preparation and adjustments as almost the opposite of each other and we looked pretty well-prepared to me.  Then did our adjustments suck or did we just get worn down?  I say the latter, but we can agree to disagree.

The exception was Simms.  He was most definitely NOT prepared!  In fact, I am going to go out on a limb and state that he has probably been bird-dogging it a bit.    My optimistic side says he might be able to work hard in practice, hit the film room hard (like 24x7!), and perhaps achieve competance.   QB is IMO the one spot where some hard work practice and intense coaching can pay off in the next few weeks.  I guess we'll find out.

Yeah, I really expected Simms to play better too.

I don't see any reason to expect it. He has never demonstrated that he is a very good QB. If he continues his poor play, and I expect he will, I'd like to see Worley get his chance vs SC.

While ineffective, I thought he played better last year than he did on Sat.  Dumb me thought that he might've even improved after a year.

Well, at least you got to meet a bunch of VTTW posters during the game!  :thumbup:

Why would you burn Worley's red shirt year now?

Is the object of playing the games still to win?
If so, then if the staff feels Worley is our best shot that is not even a question

I guess it is a tough call.  You've got 6 games left (maybe 7), so if he gives you the best chance, I probably would do it too.  It's a tough call, Simms has experience and a nice arm.  Dooley is building for the future, and having the kid 4 more years instead of 3 might be worth taking a few lumps this year.  But injuries change things I guess.  We're down to the guy who was 4th on the roster at RB now, but he actually was playing more and more each week anyway.  SC wanted to red shirt him, but he's now the guy so you have to do what you have to do.  Question, if Simms gets hurt, who is listed as the backup at UT now?  Is it Worley?

Yes Worley is the backup to Simms.

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Yep, otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation