VTTW Board Index

I don't think it's that bad is it?

The national media is piling on, with not one person criticizing the coach who left his program without telling his players. Pretty selective indignation.

It will pass, though.

I assume you're referring to a headline linking to Forde's column. I read the column (Forde is a hack; no surprise there) but haven't seen that headline. Yahoo's actual story about Martin's departure was quite fair and well-written, I thought.

For sure. Sports columnists and pundits are paid to try to rile up people. If they're calm and tame, they aren't doing their job. They have to be inflammatory, so when they sense blood in the water, they all pounce.

Dana O'Neil's piece on Tennessee was inflammatory and obviously any UT fan (myself included) is gonna scoff at it, but it was at least well-written. Everyone else is essentially taking her lead and regurgitating what she said, Pat Forde included. Wiedmer's column this morning was the worst of all. He scores a ZERO for originality. His piece read like he had a print-off of O'Neil's column sitting next to him as he was typing and was simply spinning off the things she had written.

yep, the article is very critical of Vol fans. It includes the football program too. Mentions Gruden. It implies the whole athletic department is dysfunctional. Some of it is legit,some of it is just a hack piece. It does try to embarrass Vols fans.

The headline is on the front page in the thumbnails under the main headline that you click on. It calls it toxic dysfunction.

You know what?  I seriously don't care what that national media says anymore.  At this point all I care about is the program and pray that Dave Hart is sharp enough to focus on filling the position as well as possible.  Sports news has become pure hyperbole on a ridiculous level.  All we need to worry about is sticking to the plan and moving forward.  The opinion of opposing fans means nothing to me.  We've been through a decade of sports misery and at this point, the only thing that matters is the road that lies ahead.  If the media wants to pile on, fine.  I honestly don't care anymore.

I do halfway agree with the last line of the article. UT will have to prove itself to a quality coach. Not the other way around. That's what it has come to in reality.

Same here.  These critcal articles don't bother me one bit.  Do not care.

This is the sort of situation where, if you're not "local", and haven't been taking the temperature of this fanbase for the past few years, then you really have no idea what you're talking about.  

One of the overriding themes I keep seeing in these national articles is that Martin took over a program that was "crippled by NCAA sanctions" when no one else would.  Oh really?  And what WERE those "crippling" sanctions, exactly?  They gave Bruce Pearl a 3 year show cause.  That was it.  No scholarship restrictions, no recruiting restrictions, nothing.  Yet they make it sound like Martin had rebuilt the program from scratch after a 5 year death penalty and overcame the odds to win a championship with Jimmy Chitwood and a bunch of nobodies.  I guess the truth just doesn't fit their narrative. :frown:

Three of the last four coaches have been to the Sweet 16.

It was crippled by two All SEC players leaving, that's for sure.

The Gruden thing deserves to be mocked IMO.  It makes me think of Mayberry....

COOTER:  Hey, Gomer, I done heard Gruden was a'comin' ter Tennessay!
GOMER:  Well Shazam!   I cain't wait!
BARNEY:  Andy, you know you need me to escort him on the sideline.
ANDY:  Now, wait a minute fellers, I'm not sure about this thing....
GOMER:  No, it's true, he's a'comin' here!  His wife used ta be a cheerleader!

Etc..... :naughty:

What? No link?   

A lot of truth in this. When the national press gets hold of an issue involving a school, they often are so ignorant of many issues and facts their article comes off as nothing more than a semi-visual scan of the true story, and appears so elementary to those locals who have kept up with the facts involving the issue for months or years. They really need to do their homework before jumping in the fray.


BG