In 2009 UT was a great coaching job

[Volznut]

But since then we have royally sucked. Maybe we're just not that attractive a job any more. Maybe Strong and Gundy like it on easy street. What we need is a guy who wants the challenge of rebuilding us, and wants the challenge of the SEC. Strong was all talk, but when he had the opportunity he wimped out. Who out there can rebuild programs? Who wants the challenge?

[Volengineer]

Who wants to pretend they do and parlay it into a big raise for themselves.  We may be screwed. 

[BanditVol]

Of course we're not that attractive any more.   Three consecutive losing seasons, relatively tough recruiting job, angry, hungry fan base.  There are a lot of disadvantages there.

But you have to look at each situation in it's own light.  We made Jurich put his money where his mouth was.   Look at it from Strong's POV.  He can get just as much (or if reports are to be believed, $100,000 more  ) by staying with a school he took to a 10-2 record this year at which he gets 20 starters coming back, all his players, and can face the challenge (relative to the Big East, lol) of moving to the ACC.  I really don't blame him for staying.

And I also think that if Louisville didn't pony up slightly more than our (reported) offer of $4 mil a year, he comes to Tennessee.  It was the right decision for Strong, IMO (though as others have pointed out, if it goes south at Louisville he will be gone in 3-4 years having missed his shot at a better school).

[EmerilVOL]

But since then we have royally sucked. Maybe we're just not that attractive a job any more. Maybe Strong and Gundy like it on easy street. What we need is a guy who wants the challenge of rebuilding us, and wants the challenge of the SEC. Strong was all talk, but when he had the opportunity he wimped out. Who out there can rebuild programs? Who wants the challenge?

Maybe they dont want to be at a school that would kick out a coach that won a National Championship and then hired Dooley when Kiffin gave UT the finger after 14 months.  Basically all these people that think Kiffin was a great hire hold up your pinkies......Kiffin was not a great hire and while many say they had access while Kiffin had access and know what was going on during that time 99.9999% of them dont know CRAP!!!!

[BanditVol]

Maybe they dont want to be at a school that would kick out a coach that won a National Championship and then hired Dooley when Kiffin gave UT the finger after 14 months.  Basically all these people that think Kiffin was a great hire hold up your pinkies......Kiffin was not a great hire and while many say they had access while Kiffin had access and know what was going on during that time 99.9999% of them dont know CRAP!!!!

I think you have to look at it this way...firing Fulmer for Kiffin was a mistake, and not just because of how Kiffin turned out.   I thought it was a bad move even before Kiffin fizzleed us.  Kiffin did show some promise, mostly in recruiting, but I think at best he would have been a continuation of Fulmer from 2002-2008.  In which case, why change?   I don't think Kiffin would have won the NC, and maybe not an SEC, title.  We will never know for sure, but my point is this....

if you're going to fire a .750 win percentage guy with an MNC, you better have someone really really good lined up to replace him. Hell, you had better have someone pretty dam good to replace the 2002-2008 Fulmer, who was still .670 in win percentage over that stretch.

So to replace him we hire a coach with a losing NFL record that has had his character questioned by Al Davis.