Just for the heck of it...

[Creek Walker]

Far-fetched? Sure. But what are message boards for if not wild speculation?

Let's say, just for the heck of it, that some top-level boosters put out a feeler to Chip Kelly and he shows interest in coming to Tennessee. Conventional wisdom says Butch Jones gets a fourth year, no matter what. But what if someone like Kelly, who's available, shows interest? What does Butch have to do to save his job at that point?

[Black Diamond Vol]

I'm afraid Kelly might be damaged goods at this point.  There have been more than a couple respected pros that have thrown racial allegations his way.  Fair or not, it would probably impact his recruiting.

Plus, he pulled a Calipari and left Oregon just ahead of a recruiting scandal.  That would also give me pause.

[Creek Walker]

I'm afraid Kelly might be damaged goods at this point.  There have been more than a couple respected pros that have thrown racial allegations his way.  Fair or not, it would probably impact his recruiting.

Plus, he pulled a Calipari and left Oregon just ahead of a recruiting scandal.  That would also give me pause.

Honestly, I'm not sure how much Kelly would excite me as a coach. But he seems to be the name du jour.

[Tnphil]

The only SEC team he could beat was us......When he played the big boys of the SEC or teams like tOSU his system got exposed. He tried to play defense with his offense and when he played against teams that had a good/great front 7 he was $crewed.

Show me a soft finesse offense and most of the time you'll see a soft defense.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Far-fetched? Sure. But what are message boards for if not wild speculation?

Let's say, just for the heck of it, that some top-level boosters put out a feeler to Chip Kelly and he shows interest in coming to Tennessee. Conventional wisdom says Butch Jones gets a fourth year, no matter what. But what if someone like Kelly, who's available, shows interest? What does Butch have to do to save his job at that point?

But to answer your original question, if a theoretical "A list" coach were to show interest right now, Butch would absolutely have to win out this season.  And maybe win the East as well.

[TheRealOrange]

Far-fetched? Sure. But what are message boards for if not wild speculation?

Let's say, just for the heck of it, that some top-level boosters put out a feeler to Chip Kelly and he shows interest in coming to Tennessee. Conventional wisdom says Butch Jones gets a fourth year, no matter what. But what if someone like Kelly, who's available, shows interest? What does Butch have to do to save his job at that point?

Being an Eagles fan, and having been at the game today watching his coaching up close and personal, no thanks!   

[murfvol]

Let me phrase it this way. Who are coaches guaranteed good enough to win the East? There aren't many.

1) Chip Kelly
2) Gary Patterson
3) Kyle Whittingham
4) Bobby Petrino

There are always wildcard guys too. Is there a good coach who doesn't get along with his AD. And as I say every coaching search, get a guy who will be good for 3-5 years. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking.

[murfvol]

Admittedly I've seen zero Eagles games. What does he do - or not do?

Please keep in mind I doubt he'd come.

[Black Diamond Vol]

The only SEC team he could beat was us......When he played the big boys of the SEC or teams like tOSU his system got exposed. He tried to play defense with his offense and when he played against teams that had a good/great front 7 he was $crewed.

Show me a soft finesse offense and most of the time you'll see a soft defense.

That may have been the case 10 years ago, but the game has changed.  "Spread" doesn't necessarily mean "finesse" anymore.  Oregon under Kelly and now Helfrich has always run a lot more than they have passed.  Corch Herban has won 3 NCs with basically the same offense.  At least half of the current AP top 10 run it, as well as several SEC teams.  If you recruit at the highest level (which Oregon never has), you can win big with that system.

[Black Diamond Vol]

Let me phrase it this way. Who are coaches guaranteed good enough to win the East? There aren't many.

1) Chip Kelly
2) Gary Patterson
3) Kyle Whittingham
4) Bobby Petrino

There are always wildcard guys too. Is there a good coach who doesn't get along with his AD. And as I say every coaching search, get a guy who will be good for 3-5 years. Anything beyond that is wishful thinking.

So I guess we're doing this, huh?  Just to remind everyone: if a coaching change at UT is in the offing, it's likely over a year away from happening.  We're going to drive ourselves crazy discussing it until then. 

But since we're already down the rabbit hole, #'s 2 and 3 would be very high on my list.

[BanditVol]

The only SEC team he could beat was us......When he played the big boys of the SEC or teams like tOSU his system got exposed. He tried to play defense with his offense and when he played against teams that had a good/great front 7 he was $crewed.

Show me a soft finesse offense and most of the time you'll see a soft defense.

satan has trouble handling it and tried to change the rules so he wouldn't have to face it.  That alone, for me, is a good reason to run it at UT 

[BanditVol]

come on guys, the solution is obvious

Another option is for Butch to shake up his staff.

So Kelly as OC and Strong as DC.  Simple! 

[murfvol]

Kelly and Strong will work. Problem solved.

Speaking of Strong, his solid track record makes me wonder if a key assistant or two didn't go to Texas. It only takes a couple of bad hires to sink a good head coach.

[BanditVol]

Kelly and Strong will work. Problem solved.

Speaking of Strong, his solid track record makes me wonder if a key assistant or two didn't go to Texas. It only takes a couple of bad hires to sink a good head coach.

Yeah that's crazy.  He had Louisville playing very well.  Though come to think of it, their big bowl win against Florida was with Muschamp as coach.  Speaking of coaches who didn't work out....Florida did give Muschamp a full four years and it appears to have paid off with McIlwain.

[murfvol]

There's a lot to be said for hiring a boring football guy. Most jobs are about prioritizing and attention to detail. That's not exciting, but is effective. Hopefully McIlwain is less competent than he appears.