I think alot of folks need to step away from the ledge....

[Hollerboy]

We lose to another high ranked team.....who has alot nore talent....and suddenly we are all pissed off at the coaching staff. I am about to puke on those who keep being surprised that we are getting beat by better teams. WE ARE WHO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE!!! Get a grip naysayers!!! Dooley left us with a mess....and some of you expect this staff to walk on water and turn a sows ear into a silk purse.  I am behind this coaching staff 1000% by God!!! Either get behind them, and have realistic expectations or get off the wagon. Some of us need to quit whining!  I LIKE BUTCH!!! He has my support and i choose not to question our staffs abilities....they have forgotten more about football than i will ever know.  Nuff said.

Hollerboy

[generic name here]

Yeah,  you don't really get to decide how everyone should react.

[Creek Walker]

Since I'm sure I'm the object of some of your disdain, please find anywhere where anyone on this forum said they thought Tennessee would beat Auburn today. It's okay to discuss the games. I mean, sure, the only posts here could be "Yay! Go team!" But what fun would that be? Believe it or not, it's even possible to like Butch and support Butch and still critique the performance on the field. Your posts are as unreasonable as those who thought UT would go 8-4 or 9-3 this year.

[Inspector Vol]

I don't know of a single poster here who said we could be 8-4. I think most everyone was in the same range on wins. Most everyone was just hoping for a bowl game. After the carolina game it suddenly seemed like it might be possible, but not looking good right now. 5-7 should not surprise anyone.

[Hollerboy]

Yeah,  you don't really get to decide how everyone should react.

No i sure as hell dont get to decide how everyone should react....what i get to do is state my opinion about how some people are reacting.  And i am disappointed in some folks shortsightedness.  We didnt get in this mess overnight and it is ludicrous to think that this staff is going to fix it overnight. The first time we have had hope in years and some people are whining cause we arent there yet.  As i said before, i believe in this staff and people should give them a chance to recruit more talent that fits their system.  There's an old saying ..."If yer not part of the solution,  then yer part of the problem".  I am a believer and a supporter of this staff...you be whatever you want to be. Also...dont hide behind yer generic name, man up and put a name on who you are and what you believe in...i do.

[generic name here]

Hollerboy, is that on your birth certificate?

[BanditVol]

We lose to another high ranked team.....who has alot nore talent....and suddenly we are all pissed off at the coaching staff. I am about to puke on those who keep being surprised that we are getting beat by better teams. WE ARE WHO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE!!! Get a grip naysayers!!! Dooley left us with a mess....and some of you expect this staff to walk on water and turn a sows ear into a silk purse.  I am behind this coaching staff 1000% by God!!! Either get behind them, and have realistic expectations or get off the wagon. Some of us need to quit whining!  I LIKE BUTCH!!! He has my support and i choose not to question our staffs abilities....they have forgotten more about football than i will ever know.  Nuff said.

Hollerboy

You pretty much nailed it.  Exactly how I feel.

[BanditVol]

I don't know of a single poster here who said we could be 8-4. I think most everyone was in the same range on wins. Most everyone was just hoping for a bowl game. After the carolina game it suddenly seemed like it might be possible, but not looking good right now. 5-7 should not surprise anyone.

We can beat Vandy ...

[Black Diamond Vol]

We can beat Vandy ...

This is another test of Jones and co.  Will they lose the team now that things are gong south, as Dooley did?  Vandy is making a habit of getting big wins late in the season against teams that have already phoned it in.  We can't allow that to happen again.

[Inspector Vol]

We can beat ky and vandy but not playing like this. The defense was 2012 bad today. Maybe a week off will help. If we don't win the last two, we will have wasted the carolina game.

[RON]

Ran into David Douglas about a month ago. He told me Butch Jones needs 5 years to turn this around.

[Hollerboy]

Hollerboy, is that on your birth certificate?

No...it says hollerbaby on my birth certificate but i grew up.  I bleed orange....this staff and this team are giving their all for Tennessee. They are making huge sacrifices in their lives and their health simply so i can enjoy watching them play football...they have my gratitude and respect. They are Vols for life...as am i. Not sure what you are....could be a bammar for all i know.

[generic name here]

No...it says hollerbaby on my birth certificate but i grew up.  I bleed orange....this staff and this team are giving their all for Tennessee. They are making huge sacrifices in their lives and their health simply so i can enjoy watching them play football...they have my gratitude and respect. They are Vols for life...as am i. Not sure what you are....could be a bammar for all i know.

Insults? Really?

[Hollerboy]

Yep...really. Bammar was the worst thing i could think of. You asked for it.  You wanna make childish sarcastic remarks...you get what you get. I have nothing more to say to you bammar. Just ignore me....i will be ignoring you. Hasta la taco.

[Inspector Vol]

People do need to step away from the ledge, and the ones who think they have some sort of authority to tell others what they should or should not think are the 1st ones that need to step back. People were all over my ass last week because I made a critique of the staff. Some here get to say whatever the hell they want about the staff and no one says anything to them.....I wonder why? I know why. Some of you know each other personally so you would not dare say anything to them.


I made a point not to say anything today just to see what would happen. Same thing.....wrong person complained so they got fussed at. Wasn't me this time but it will be after this post. And telling someone to "man up" and tell their real name when we all hide behind alias's for the anonymity is just beyond bizarre, and then to call them a bammer?

Not that it matters to you or generic......but I can promise you 100% he ain't a bammer.

What made this forum attractive is losing its luster IMHO. Maybe when UT starts winning again things will be better.

I will be awaiting the wrath surely to follow. 

[BanditVol]

This is another test of Jones and co.  Will they lose the team now that things are gong south, as Dooley did?  Vandy is making a habit of getting big wins late in the season against teams that have already phoned it in.  We can't allow that to happen again.

I agree.  The last couple games are very disheartening, but the season is not over and they can turn it around.

I went to the game, and on the drive home I listened to the post game show and Fuad said that he hoped the week off would allow the team to refocus and regroup.  I think they will...but we will see.

[VinnieVOL]

We lose to another high ranked team.....who has alot nore talent....and suddenly we are all pissed off at the coaching staff. I am about to puke on those who keep being surprised that we are getting beat by better teams. WE ARE WHO WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE!!! Get a grip naysayers!!! Dooley left us with a mess....and some of you expect this staff to walk on water and turn a sows ear into a silk purse.  I am behind this coaching staff 1000% by God!!! Either get behind them, and have realistic expectations or get off the wagon. Some of us need to quit whining!  I LIKE BUTCH!!! He has my support and i choose not to question our staffs abilities....they have forgotten more about football than i will ever know.  Nuff said.

Hollerboy

Just as hilarious as someone saying "Fire Butch!" (which I've seen no one say, btw)

If you don't want to read anything negative about anything Vol related, you're in the wrong place reading a message board.  Give the exclamation points a rest and take a deep breath.   

[PirateVOL]

Lets look at the regression of the last two weeks.
Yes the competition has been good, but so was the competition the previous three weeks.

Against UGA, SC, and Bamer the level of intensity was far higher than the last two games.  Other than a quarter of each game we at least matched the opponent.  Improvement was noted across the board.  In general, the team was playing well given their talent level and at times perhaps greater than their talent level.  One caution was that we were starting to see chinks in our kick coverage.

Now lets look at the last two games.
Against Missouri both lines were DOMINATED.  
On offense we couldn't run, in a game we had to run to take the pressure odd a FR QB making his first start.  Pass blocking was ok, at best.  Neal saved more than a few sacks.  The good news was that Dobbs and the receivers had good games.  However, the game highlighted Dobbs' limitation which is his arm strength and accuracy beyond medium range, something Auburn took note of.  Coach Jake did a good job I thought within the limitations forced by the lack of even a mediocre line play.
On defense, we couldn't get pressure on the QB and got gashed by the QB on runs (see UF).  The lack of speed in the secondary was exposed.  There were times when the front end and back end of the defense weren't on the same page, costing us at least two scores.

Against Auburn IMO we took a step backward across the board.
On offense the line played better, they couldn't get worse.  However, on most plays we had at least one significant breakdown along the line (including the TEs).  We ran the ball well, Neal ran as hard as I've seen him run all year.  He hit the line quickly and with a purpose.  I have to believe he was challenged this week.  The threat of Dobbs running helped.  Pass protection was not good.  Some of that may have been on Dobbs not getting the ball out as quickly.
Auburn knew we would throw mostly short and medium routes and played accordingly.  As a result the receivers had a more difficult time getting open.  I think we really only had one completion down the field and that was the play where Dobbs was hit as he threw and North made a great adjustment and catch.  We made two other efforts to the right side using similar routes, one by Pig and the other by North.  Pig never got separation and though North ran a nice route and got open with his speed the pass was just overthrown.  The other long pass attempt was picked on a bad pass.
On defense, like against UF, we could not set an edge and on the few times we did we had no burst to stop the run.  The biggest difference between UF and Auburn is Auburn had speed.  In pass defense Sutton had perhaps his worst game of the year and Coleman played to his normal level.  Sutton has been our best corner all year and was again yesterday - he will be a star in this league.  Safety play was hurt IMO by scheme.  LB play play was the highlite of the game with AJ having a good game.
Special teams completely broke down.  The only good coverage we had was when their kick returner made a mistake on the sideline.  When your kicker is the leading tackler you know your special teams you know you've not had a good day.  What went wrong?  Lane discipline, inability to get off blocks and lack of tackling.  I've heard the lack of obvious penalties being called as a factor but the bottom line is we did not play fundamental football on ST.

I continue to believe that Butch was the right hire.  What I can't understand is the regression the last two weeks and the lack of intensity at times.  Against Bamer we fought hard the entire game.  I'm not sure I've seen the same level of intensity the last two weeks.

I do not believe Butch will make changes to his staff as they have done well with limited resources to work with but I would like to see him consider two changes in his post season evaluations.

[Creek Walker]

I continue to believe that Butch was the right hire.  What I can't understand is the regression the last two weeks and the lack of intensity at times.  Against Bamer we fought hard the entire game.  I'm not sure I've seen the same level of intensity the last two weeks.

I agree with that and it puzzles the heck out of me. Is the state of mind of this team really so fragile that one bad loss to Alabama shattered them? One game after a huge upset over South Carolina?

[PirateVOL]

I agree with that and it puzzles the heck out of me. Is the state of mind of this team really so fragile that one bad loss to Alabama shattered them? One game after a huge upset over South Carolina?

this open date is critical.
It will give the team a chance to decompress from the brutal schedule the last few weeks and give the staff a chance to work in a game plan that better matches Dobbs' strengths.  It also, this week gives Dobbs and the receivers to work on rythim and timing without the pressure of prepping for a game. 

On defense need to give the injuries some time to heal and work the front 7 in run defense.

I bet this week the STs get a LOT of work.

[ChattanoogaVol]

As of this morning we are still being projected to get 6 wins, and a LIBERTY BOWL date with a C-USA team...

We could be like Florida with 4 wins and South Carolina, an Division II game, and FSU to play.  We still have a lot to play for, and a good chance to just BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THAT TEAM OF CRIMINALS FROM NASHVILLE, AND GET TO A BOWL GAME.
I AM STILL PISSED ABOUT THE LACK OF FIRE WE HAVE PLAYED WITH THE LAST 2 GAMES, but we have played some football teams that were much better than I thought they would be, to the tune of 5 weeks in a row.  The defense has been switching players, and defensive formations to try to find something that will work, BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE BUT MAYBE 3 PLAYERS ON DEFENSE THAT ARE SEC CALIBER....AND THAT IS BECOMING REALLY PAINFULLY OBVIOUS NOW, thank the lord we get a week off.

TIME TO CUT THAT DAMN ANCHOR LOOSE, AND BURN THAT LITTLE TOY SHIP............GO VOLS

 
 

[Clockwork Orange]

I'm going to stop trying to get people to give the coaching staff a break. They have the right to their opinion and while I think much of the criticism is unwarranted I just need to stop caring. I just choose not to be miserable-- and getting down on the new staff after what has happened the last four years would only make me miserable.

I'm looking forward-- and probably not doing much in the way of message board discussion re: the current staff and players in the coming months.

[Aubiece]

I come in peace, don't poast here much here...
I respect the Vol and their tradition in southern football....
I have had the pleasure of attending games in Neyland and have always come away impressed
From my view, the Vols  have made an excellent hire in  CBJ....
College ball is about talent ,true, but it is also a coarches game and how they use their talent...
Auburn made a home run  hire in CGM...
Auburn has bought into CGM's philosphy and style...
Auburn has decent  players, but more important, coarches who put them in the position to make plays...
Auburn has some excellent coarches that is why AU is back....
I see the same from UT,the coaches are giving the players their best chance to win...
There has been much more turmoil @ UT and that hurt recruiting...
UT's talent is not quite there but can be with a good recruiting class or 2...
There is no reason that UT can't get back to where it historically has been if they have the right coarch...
And looking through my orange and blue glasses I think they have him...
I expect big things from the Vols, good luck vs Vandy and Kentucky..

[BanditVol]

As of this morning we are still being projected to get 6 wins, and a LIBERTY BOWL date with a C-USA team...

We could be like Florida with 4 wins and South Carolina, an Division II game, and FSU to play.  We still have a lot to play for, and a good chance to just BEAT THE HELL OUT OF THAT TEAM OF CRIMINALS FROM NASHVILLE, AND GET TO A BOWL GAME.
I AM STILL PISSED ABOUT THE LACK OF FIRE WE HAVE PLAYED WITH THE LAST 2 GAMES, but we have played some football teams that were much better than I thought they would be, to the tune of 5 weeks in a row.  The defense has been switching players, and defensive formations to try to find something that will work, BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE BUT MAYBE 3 PLAYERS ON DEFENSE THAT ARE SEC CALIBER....AND THAT IS BECOMING REALLY PAINFULLY OBVIOUS NOW, thank the lord we get a week off.

TIME TO CUT THAT DAMN ANCHOR LOOSE, AND BURN THAT LITTLE TOY SHIP............GO VOLS

 
 

Great post man...I like your attitude.

Acknowledge that we stunk...but feel confident that we can crush Vandy.   I just hope the team feels the same and makes a huge effort, win or lose.   

But we will win!   

[BanditVol]

Against UGA, SC, and Bamer the level of intensity was far higher than the last two games.  Other than a quarter of each game we at least matched the opponent.  Improvement was noted across the board.  In general, the team was playing well given their talent level and at times perhaps greater than their talent level.  One caution was that we were starting to see chinks in our kick coverage.

The team had intensity right up until Marshall ripped off that 62 yard run as part of a 75 yard drive, and then the VERY NEXT TIME AUBURN TOUCHED THE BALL, it was a punt return for a TD.  Other than that, except for a brief surge of excitement after the int return, the team and the crowd were both mostly listless.

Ugh.  The D could have used more mental toughness after that 14 point turnaround, but the two kick returns pretty much beat any remaining fight out of the team.

I am just glad we have a bye week.  The team has two weeks to get the taste of this game out of their mouth, and the best way to do that is beat the shizzle out of Vandy.