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Yes, Fulmer wants too lose to Vanderbilt

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 17, 2008

crompton

Now that Vandy is bowl eligible for the first time since the early 80′s and coupled with the fact that Tennessee lost to them in 2005, it’s clear that Phil Fulmer is purposely going to lose to them on purpose this coming Saturday.

Fulmer has named Crapton Crompton the starter for this coming Saturday’s match up against Vanderbilt. Crompton is just giddy with excitement.

“I’m enthused,” said Crompton, “I’m going to go out here and do the best I can. We’ve got to go out and win these last two games.”

You know who’s not enthused with this choice? ME! In fact I’m willing to bet that only he is enthused with this decision. Well, actually I take that back. I’m sure the Vandy is equally enthused with his slow reads and our porous offensive line.

Hey I have an idea, why not start B.J. “Huge hands” Coleman? Gerald Jones wouldn’t mind seeing that.

“I think he deserves a chance,” Jones said. “He did pretty good – really good – in the JV game. Why not? Give him a chance and see if he can lead this team from here on out. But I’m not the coach, so it’s not my call.”

“I don’t want to say what’s different, what’s good or what’s better, (but) the difference is Crompton’s a lot slower with his reads than Nick,” Jones said.

Tennessee is actually a 3 ½ point underdog for this Saturday’s game.

Posted in Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Phillip Fulmer, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, Vanderbilt Commodores, cromptonites, fire philip fulmer, fulmer sucks, vandy | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

This to shall pass AKA: Mike Hamilton goes on a vision quest for a new coach

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 13, 2008

http://sundaynonsports.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/fulmerwal.gif?w=463&h=463

Well the rumors are certainly running rampant on an already ravished Rocky Top. All in all yesterday should have been a very good day for Tennessee fans. Marlon Walls said he is sticking with his commitment to Tennessee, Kenny Hall officially signed with the VOLS to play basketball for Bruce Pearl & we learn that Eric Berry is also a Lott Trophy semifinalist.

I believe all those things should be considered great news if you’re a Tennessee fan, however when I scour the message boards all I see is negativity over than fact Butch Davis said he has no interest in Tennessee’s coaching job and will remain in Chapel Hill.

There is this huge debate at who should be the next Tennessee head football coach. For some reason everyone assumes that names like Butch Davis, Mike Leach & Lane Kiffin are all on this list.

The truth of the matter is only Mike Hamilton knows who’s on the list. Neither Tennessee nor Hamilton has said in a official capacity who is on that list. All anyone hears seems to come from “sources.” I’m not saying these sources are incorrect but I am saying that as for as we the average fan (and the real lifeblood of the program) knows these sources could be wrong.

Rumors will always swirl around coaching vacancies. That’s life. Here is UT’s plane log according to this blog and look yesterday it flew to Raleigh-Durham airport, why doesn’t a certain former offensive coordinator coach there? Hey a certain former super bowl winning NFL coach lives there as well.

Did you see how easy that was?

All I’m saying is folks relax and enjoy the men’s basketball team and this to shall pass.

Now in attempt to be humorous I present to you some other coaching candidates that for reason or another aren’t getting as play as those on this mythical list. I call it Mike Hamilton goes on a vision quest. Enjoy.

Severely shaken up over the news the Butch Davis is “adamantly” denying any interest in the Tennessee coaching job, AD Mike Hamilton has an epiphany and realizes that he needs to go on a vision quest to stir up names to add to the ever growing wish list.

Hamilton takes a paper bag and grabs some Big Orange colored spray paint and sprays some in the bag. While taking deep slow breaths Hamilton chants:

“Oh spirit of the Behr please come to me now.”

After 45 minutes and 2 spray cans worth, the ghost of Behr Bryant appears to Hamilton and says:

“What the hell do you want? I was busy getting my drink on” to which Hamilton replied “You’re always getting your drink on Behr but I need your help!”

“You see” Hamilton begins “there are members of the Tennessee wish list saying no this early and I need some candidates to help the rumor fire similar to what Alabama went through before hiring Satan…err Saban.”

“You interrupted my daily dosing of Jim Beam and Jack Daniels for this?” Bryant asks.

Hamilton looks sheepishly down while tears form in his eyes.

“Oh God! Fine you girlie-man I’ll help you come up with candidates but I’m not helping you hire anyone!” Bryant says with disgust, “Come with me to my lair formally known as hell and we shall conjure some names for this list.”

“Hell? I thought I saw you in heaven in a dream I had. I’m not selling my soul to you Behr!” Hamilton replies.

A demon that strikingly looks like Logan Young suddenly appears from behind the Behr.

“We don’t need to buy your soul it’s not like you’re a five star football recruit” it mockingly says to Hamilton and disappears.

“He’s right you know” say the Behr “Besides what you saw in heaven was God wearing a hounds tooth hat, he just thinks he’s me. Now close your eyes we’re going to my lair”

Moments pass and Hamilton hears the Behr say “Ok weasel boy you can open them again.”

Hamilton looks around and says “Where am I? This certainly doesn’t look like hell.”

“It’s a place called Shreveport, La. & get used to it cause it’s possible you’ll be coming here for a few seasons and then you will see why I call this place hell” replied the Behr.

“Ok here are some more names to place on your wish list” say the Behr and hands Hamilton a piece of paper.

On the paper is collection of names that of people are not mentioning such as:

  • Charlie Strong: Current Defensive Coordinator at Florida.
  • Steve Sarkisian: Current Offensive Coordinator, Assistant Head Coach, and Quarterbacks Coach at Southern Cal.
  • Kevin Wilson: Current Offensive Coordinator at Oklahoma.
  • Kyle Whittingham: current coach at Utah who is undefeated.

Hamilton looked up at the Behr and gave his thanks and asked “How do I get back home?”

“Just click your heels together three times and say ‘There’s nothing like firing Fulmer’” the Behr replied.

Hamilton did just as he said and awoke sweating profusely on the floor of his garage and holding the phone in his hand.

He quickly places the phone to his ear and says “Behr is that you?”

“What the hell are you talking about? I’ve been giving ideas for replacement coaches for the past 30 minutes!” a very frustrated Doug Dickey said, “Have you been huffing spray paint again?”

Quickly Hamilton hangs the phone up. He gets up dusts himself off. He feels a great weight off his mind and plans on enjoying the evening watching reruns of Laverne & Shirley.

Posted in Bear is Dead, Butch Davis, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, God, Hell, Logan Young, Mike Hamilton, Phillip Fulmer, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, fire philip fulmer, fulmer sucks, satire | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

The Tennessee/Wyoming Grade book: My God the 2005 team was far better than this one.

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 10, 2008

puzzlephil

Phil looks puzzled...I wonder why...

On November 8th in 1958 the Tennessee Volunteers lost to Chattanooga by the score of 14-6. The loss resulted in fans attempting to tear down the goal posts, fighting and police intervention. A major riot soon followed, involving paddy wagons, tear gas, and fire hoses. Those were the good ole days.

How ironic this past weekend marked the 50th anniversary of that loss. These are dark days to be a Volunteer fan. Tennessee is 3-7 and will not be going bowling this season, worse than that they lost to Wyoming on their own home field.

The players were so angered by the firing of Phil Fulmer that they vowed they would play better and try harder. However words mean nothing when there are no actions to back them up.

Northern Illinois took the Vols to the brink a few weeks ago before falling 13-9. Horrible UCLA beat them. 27-24 in a great overtime battle that was suspect in retrospect.

All of this makes me wish it was 2005 again. Sure it was a losing season but not as bad as this season. This season proves what rocky bottom really means to such a storied program such as Tennessee.

Let’s go to week’s depressing grades. God this team is bad.

QUARTERBACKS F

Stephens looked horrible. He was 3 for 9 with two interceptions. Crompton really wasn’t any better. He was 11 for 27 and looked bad. At least put Coleman in…Jesus. Both Stephens and Crompton threw the ball erratically at best and both were ineffective managing the offense.

RUNNING BACKS F

With Foster out with a leg injury, Creer never ran the ball with power. Poole looked good at times but never went over eight yards.

RECEIVERS F

Briscoe and Rogers had key drops. Jones scored the only TD but also had a holding penalty that wiped out a decent running play.

OFFENSIVE LINE F-

Little pass protection however there were no penalties either. Run blocking was non-existent. Honestly the way they played it looked like they didn’t even want to be on field.

DEFENSIVE LINE F

There was little containment that let Wyoming to pound the ball between the tackles. In fact Wyoming ran for 167 yards.

LINEBACKERS F

While Rico McCoy had 10 tackles however there were so many other missed tackles I literally lost count! Tennessee could not fill in the gaps to stop the Wyoming running backs.

SECONDARY A-

Praise God that Rogan and Berry chose Tennessee. Rogan had eight tackles and a fumble recovery. Berry had five stops. The Wyoming passing offense never completed a pass longer than 26 yards nor did they have 100 yards worth of passing.

SPECIAL TEAMS B-

Colquitt had an excellent day punting and Rogan had 80 yards worth of punt returns.

COACHING F

If there was an offensive game plan it was lost somewhere along the way to the stadium. The offense is stale, old and very vanilla. However like most years the defense was solid but never provided any spark.

OVERALL F

This was sad. The players cry for their coach but yet actually play their worst game of the season. This was one homecoming game that might keep me away for quite awhile.

Posted in Go Big Orange, Go Vols, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, cromptonites, fire philip fulmer, fulmer sucks | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Gee…finding a replacement for Fulmer is going to be harder than what anyone expected

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 7, 2008

praisejesushn8As coaches line up to say no to Tennessee, I’m sure some fans are wondering why considering a job has not been offered to them. That’s really a simple question to answer. Whether you like it or not, in 10 years Fulmer will be revered as a legend. He’s already an institution and no body wants to be the guy to follow a legend. Just ask Ron Zook about that.

Steve God Spurrier, Butch Davis & David Cutcliff have all publicly said that they are not interested in the Tennessee coaching position.

It’s even gone so far that Charlie Sexton, the agent for both Fulmer and Butch Davis, has publicly said that Davis was staying put. Of course anything can happen and money talks.

I’m sure most of you know that Lane Kiffin was in Knoxville recently and was spotted playing golf with a prominent Tennessee booster. I hate to remind people of this but it means nothing.

ESPN’s PTI stated that John Gruden is rumored to be in Knoxville this weekend. Again even it that was true it means nothing.

Mike Hamilton the Tennessee AD stated yesterday that:

“I think it’s more important that you hire the right person than you put a timeframe on it,” Hamilton said on Thursday. “I do think that we’ll efficiently and expeditiously tie it up as quickly as possible but I’m more concerned about the who than how long.”

He is right of course but it’s also funny how on Monday he stated a new coach would be hired within a matter of weeks.

The bottom line is honestly the Tennessee job isn’t as appealing as some fans seem to think. It may not even be as appealing as some of the other jobs that are open this year.

How attractive is it to a candidate knowing Tennessee just fired a coach who has been there for 17 years and only had 2 bad seasons? The candidates can’t help but wonder what if they go 6-6 or 7-5; will they be the next one to go?

Whoever takes the Washington job will be held as great coach for going 6-6.

Though Clemson might have a stadium the size of ours they have a great fan base and a softer schedule that should propel them into a BCS bowl. Tennessee, on the other hand, plays in the SEC East which is the gold standard of college football.

Look at the requirements someone would need to have in order to be the new coach:

  • Leadership skills beyond norm: Must be battle tested to be a leader in the toughest conference in the country.
  • Recruiter: Enough of talking about not having the richest recruiting grounds. Must have energy and the ability to sell UT in any environment. UT used to recruit well even in GA & FL. If you have a winning program the recruits will come to UT
  • Character: This is without question the biggest part of replacing Fulmer that will be tough. We do not need the NCAA breathing down our necks, we do not want to continue to read about our players in the crime section more often than we do in the sports section. None of the win at all cost. We want a coach who leads by example and will not accept the tough discipline necessary to win in this conference.
  • Thinks outside the box: I know this is used too much these days but it is true more so today in college football than ever. The teams that are winning have expanded their play calling to become less predictable and keep there opposition guessing.
  • Passion: Must be passionate not only about winning but winning at UT. Needs to understand the tradition and how passionate one of if not the largest fan base is concerning their football team.
  • Thick Skinned: Face it if you coach here and you don’t come out the gate running you will be judged harshly. Beating GA, UF, UA, LSU, & AU is not an option. It is necessary in order to win the SEC and that is the low bar for this job. The high bar is of course a National Championship. A goal we believe we should at least be considered to have a chance at every year.

changesWith other coaching opportunities out there like Syracuse, Washington & whatever else might come open, you can see why finding a coach is a lot harder than you think.

Soon UT fans will forget the last few disappointing seasons and remember Fulmer in the big picture. The guy spent his life at UT and bled Orange. That is rare in these days of coaching carousels and contract buyouts.

As Tennessee fans we expect a lot from the coach and quite possibly we expect too much. Potential coaching candidates understand all this. So stop the talk about bringing in Butch Davis or Bob Stoops.

What are reasonable expectations for the Tennessee program, anyway?

Who knows maybe we will land Kiffin, Muschamp or even Gruden, but realize this, it’s possible they aren’t the right candidate to begin with.

Also realize that history shows us that whenever a coach like Fulmer is replaced it takes years to find the right replacement. Look how long Alabama had to wait before Stallings got there and look how long they waited after Stallings left before they found Saban.

Nebraska, Texas A&M are still searching for that coach. Oklahoma replaced Switzer with Gary Gibbs and Georgia replaced Dooley with Ray Goff.

Whatever the case may be one thing is certain, I wouldn’t want to be in the shoes a Mike Hamilton right now.

Posted in Alabama Crimson Tide, Butch Davis, Clemson Tigers, ESPN, Gene Stallings, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Mike Hamilton, Nebraska Cornhuskers, Phillip Fulmer, SEC, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Steve Spurrier, Tennessee Volunteers, Texas A&M, UT vols, Washington Huskies, fire philip fulmer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments »

It’s the day after Fulmer announced that he is stepping down & it’s time to deal with the aftermath

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 4, 2008

Yesterday was a very bittersweet day for me. A change in the coaching definitely was needed but like most fans; I’m very scared of what the future could bring.

Yesterday at work when I first saw the story I immediately e-mailed the members of the Big Orange Roundtable. I would have posted something but you know I have to work.

I spent a lot of time yesterday contemplating on what I was going to write.

Yesterday was a sad day in Knoxville. Coach Fulmer has given his heart and soul to the University, and most Tennessee fans know he’s a good man. Change was needed, however, I am proud to have had Phil Fulmer as the head coach of this storied program, and hopefully things will get turned around in the near future.

Phil has brought Tennessee;

  • A National Championship
  • 2 SEC Titles
  • A record of 45-5 from 1995-98, the most victories over a four-year span in school history.
  • 9 – 10 win seasons in 15 years and four 10 win seasons in the 2000′s.
  • Unbelievable consistency with no in state players to recruit
  • 1 down year when bigger programs had several
  • Double the future # NFL Hall of Famers than the program had in its history
  • 76% winning percentage
  • Six seasons finishing in the top 10 nationally and 13 seasons ranked in the top 25.
  • Seventeen Tennessee players have earned first-team All-America honors
  • Sixteen first-round NFL selections since 1993 and a total of 90 players selected overall. The team’s five first-day 2007 NFL Draft picks were the most of any school and UT has led the SEC with the most players on opening-day NFL rosters each of the last two seasons.
  • Fifteen bowl games have welcomed the Vols, including 12 January bowl invitations.
  • In two of the last three seasons, Tennessee football has led the SEC in Academic Honor Roll recipients.
  • Many trips to Atlanta for the SEC championship game
  • Dominance of the main historical rivals GA & ALA
    • 11-5 vs. Alabama
    • 11-5 vs. Georgia
    • 3-3 vs. Auburn
    • 15-1 vs. Vanderbilt
    • 16-0 vs. Kentucky
    • 14-2 vs. South Carolina
    • 1-0 vs. Ohio State
    • 1-0 vs. Michigan
    • 1-1 vs. Miami
    • 4-4 vs. LSU

Tennessee had a run in the 90′s that this program has never had. Most programs have never approached. Is it fair to compare his current run that is still better than most and better than this program’s history, to his unprecedented run in the 90′s? When he retires, and he should break Neyland’s record, and he is a Hall of Famer, this program might never see that type of success again.

So be careful what you wish for because often the “known” is better than the “unknown.” Tennessee may some day have a “better” coach, but we will never find one who loves the Tennessee program as much as Coach Fulmer.

For Tennessee this will be a very important hire and possibly the most important hire in the history of the program. Remember how Texas A&M shoved R.C. Slocum aside because they believed Coach Fran would save the day? It will take years for A&M to recover from that mistake, so let’s hope and pray Tennessee doesn’t make the same mistake.

What was unique about Fulmer is the fact he was the only SEC coach that played & graduated from the respective school that they are employed by.

Now what are the ramifications of Coach Fulmer’s stepping down?

Coach Fulmer’s departure is the right thing to do for the program and his press conference was both emotional and graceful. This departure could have been uglier like with other programs like Alabama, Oakland Raiders and West Virginia.

  • Look for that highly ranked recruiting class to bow out.
  • Look for the media & other fan bases to chastise the Tennessee program and the Big Orange Nation.
  • Fulmer could take a job at a school such as Memphis and coach against Tennessee.
  • The possibility of current players transferring to other programs.

The future is uncertain and scary. What isn’t uncertain is the fact that Coach Fulmer gave 34 years of his life to the University of Tennessee and for that he should be thanked by the school and the fans alike.

Whatever the winds of change might bring in the future one thing is certain: Coach Fulmer is a damn fine man.

Posted in Big Orange, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Phillip Fulmer, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, fire philip fulmer | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

My Memory Of Fulmer

Posted by Joel on November 3, 2008

So Fulmer is gone. Wow. This is the breakup that you knew would happen, but when it does happen you are still shocked. Watching the press conference, I saw a man with a fire and passion still for Tennessee football, but was also sad that his time was gone. Seeing him tear up was touching, although a $6 million buyout along with his legendary status in the state & Vol fans nationwide will dry his tears.

s_fulmer_i

I wanna travel back in time and share a memory that I had of Coach Fulmer. I went to Knoxville in the spring of 1997. I had a childhood friend that was getting scholarship offers from a ton of schools, including Tennessee. Since I was in college in Nashville, I agreed to meet my friend in Knoxville. You know, like I really needed an excuse to go to Knoxville. Anyway, we go there with his mom and stepdad & tour the campus then meet with the football staff. After catching a shuttle to Neyland, we meet some of the players there along with Coach Fulmer.

A lot has been said about his weight. I can’t think of another coach that has been photoshopped with love (and hatred) than Coach Fulmer. With that said, meeting him I could see that he generally doesn’t skip a meal with plenty of carbs and sugar. In other words, he’s a big guy. But when meeting him, he was gentle. I can remember Fulmer telling my buddy & I to meet him in the tunnel, along with some of the other recruits. I can remember him giving us a pep talk then telling us “Will you give your all for Tennessee today?!?!” Of course we said yes and ran out of the tunnel like we were about to line up. He made me feel like I was actually a player, even though I was far from it.

A few years later, I visited my friend & two of his linemen buddies in their apartment. They had to go to study hall on Sunday & as we get on campus, we see Fulmer pull up. After speaking, he tells me that someone on his staff needs to be fired to have a skinny runt on his team. I shoot back that they recruited me so I could be his personal Krispy Kreme guy. He laughs, puts his massive hands on my shoulder, and says “Well if that is the case, your hands are empty & you’re fired”. He was a good sport about things.

Whatever happens, I will always remember Coach Fulmer for a lot of things, but these are my two favorite memories of the man. Work like heck.

Big John Henderson is scary…

Posted in College Football, Fulmer, Go Vols, NCAA, Phillip Fulmer, Rocky Top, SEC, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, Sports, Tennessee, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, football, vols | Leave a Comment »

The Tennessee/South Carolina grade book. The end is near!

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on November 3, 2008

Has anyone ever seen the movie Magnolia? I was conned into seeing it by a former girlfriend. It’s like three hours and eight minutes of tortuous hell. This Tennessee football season certainly reminds me of that. There never seems to be an end in sight.

This past Saturday’s game was yet another double digit loss and yet another three plus hours of watching mistake after mistake.

Unfortunately asshole Steve God Spurrier said it best in his press conference yesterday.

“The Tennessee band was there last night, weren’t they?” Spurrier said Sunday afternoon in his weekly conference call with reporters. “I’m used to hearing ‘Rocky Top.’ . . . Maybe they only play that when they score. Usually when you play Tennessee, you hear that ‘Rocky Top’ so often it’s ringing in your brain.”

Fulmer’s focus is clearly on winning out however it will not save his job. A 24-23 loss by Tennessee to the Gamecocks in 1992 was one of the main reasons Coach Fulmer’s predecessor, coach Johnny Majors was fired.

No one on the team cares anymore; there was no emotion on the sidelines, even when Berry intercepted the ball when the game was still in reach. It looked like everyone was at a funeral and maybe they were.

Any & all discipline is now gone, I saw how Stephens turned away from Fulmer when he got into his face, there is no respect for the coach because no one cares, they feel like the season is already over.

The amazing thing about this season is the fact the incoming recruiting class is phenomenal. On Saturday afternoon Phoebus quarterback Tajh Boyd announced his commitment to Tennessee. Boyd is ranked as the top QB in Virginia. The Vols so far have what is considered to be a top five class shaping up. However if and when Fulmer is fired will we keep any of those recruits?

“Anybody that likes Tennessee and cares about what the product looks like on the field is frustrated,” Fulmer said, echoing comments from this year. “I’m disappointed that we haven’t played well. I don’t think I’ve let it show on the practice field or in meetings. The players, they’re disappointed and frustrated, but they haven’t let it show in the game. We continue to get effort and haven’t seen a whole lot of finger pointing or anything like that.

“They’ve done what we’ve asked them to do and what they should do, and that’s continue to work and stay positive, play hard and look forward to what the next challenge is.”

My main goal is to get Coach Fulmer elected to the white house. As you can see below I spared no expense and sponsored a car in yesterday’s NASCAR race.

OK let’s go to the grade book.

Quarterbacks: F

Maybe we need to start B.J. Coleman. I wonder if the whole offensive system is broken. Rumor has it that 75% of the offensive plays are being changed by Coach Fulmer. If that is the case then he needs to allow Clawson to call the game against Wyoming and keep mum about the play calling. Regardless of the system no team can overcome to stupid mistakes that both quarterbacks seem to have made this past Saturday.

Running Backs: F

Creer’s fumble set up a touchdown that put the game out of reach. Foster ran hard and averaged around 4 yards per carry. He was very fortunate to get the ball over the goal line for a touchdown just moments before losing the handle on it.

Receivers: D

With Jones and Moore on the bench there was zero explosiveness. South Carolina’s secondary was not challenged.

Offensive Line: F

Just when you thought Tennessee was going to start running the ball effectively the O-line would fail. There was no pass protection. The O-line gave up six sacks and of course penalties were again a problem.

Defensive Line: A-

With an injured D-line, the Vols still recorded three tackles for a loss and a sack.

Linebackers: B+

Welcome back Rico McCoy. He had nine tackles and one was for a loss. Ellix Wilson had six. Nevin McKenzie had four, one for a loss.

Secondary: A-

Two words: Eric Berry. I’m willing to bet Chuck Norris wears Eric Berry underroos.

Special Teams: F-

Rogan’s fumble during a punt return was inexcusable. Demetrice Morley was called offside during a field goal attempt that prompted South Carolina to go for it on fourth down. And let’s not fail to mention the 67-yard punt return that almost scored.

Coaching: F

Discipline is dead and of course there were to many conservative calls.

Overall F

Tennessee is consistent…consistently awful and embarrassing. This loss could go down in the books as the worse loss in this decade.

Posted in Discipline, Eric Berry, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Rocky Top, SEC Coaches, SEC Football, South Carolina Gamecocks, Stephen Garcia, Steve Spurrier, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, fire philip fulmer, fulmer sucks | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

This season is lost though it’s not over: The Tennessee/Alabama Grade book

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on October 27, 2008

If a picture is worth a thousand words then the above photo is clearly a copy of War & Peace. Quite honestly that is also what best describes this season. The fans are at war with the coach and Fulmer is constantly trying to bring peace.

The Phreaky Phil-Osophy show goes on and on and on while the status of the Tennessee Football program goes down.

A lot of Tennessee fans had a “gut feeling” about this game. That feeling turned out to be a mirage of hope. This team is bad, no make that dreadful.

No matter how this rest of this season plays out Tennessee will not beat a major rival. This was the first time Tennessee has lost consecutive games to Bama in the Fulmer era. It’s another clear sign that it’s time for a coaching change.

“I’m obviously very disappointed,” said Fulmer. “We’re in a battle from top to bottom, whether it’s recruiting or whatever. But I’m more concerned about our team right now.”

Alabama beat up Tennessee for the same reason Florida did: both teams have better play makers on both sides of the ball. The VOLS didn’t even get a first down until the 13:42 mark in the 2nd quarter.

Tennessee is just 6-14 against ranked teams over the last four years and a stunning 1-9 at home against the Top 10 this decade.

If a storied NFL team like the Cowboys can cut ties with a coach that gave them 2 Super Bowl victories and 5 appearances, then surely Tennessee can cut ties with Fulmer. Bring in some fresh blood and reawaken this program.

Of course Phil continues with saying the right things.

“All I know,” Fulmer said, “is we’ll keep working to get it fixed.”

Where have I heard that before?

Let’s look at these weeks grades and see just what needs fixing.

QUARTERBACK C+

Stephens still has not turned the ball over since he took the job from Crapton Crompton. He was 16 of 28 for 137 yards. However he made some questionable throws and missed some open wide receivers.

RUNNING BACKS D

36 rushing yards. Pathetic. Absolutely no explosive runs. I do credit Hardesty for making a first down due to second effort

RECEIVERS D

Clearly Gerald Jones was missed and fears of seeing Chavis in drag allowed Eric Berry only one opportunity on offense. Taylor and Stocker each had drops. I’m not going to blame Taylor for the offensive pass interference penalty though, that was total BS.

OFFENSIVE LINE F

Though this group got a good push in short yardage situations, they also had two penalties at critical times.

DEFENSIVE LINE C+

Robert Ayers continues to shine. The game score could have turned out different if Dan Williams didn’t suffer an injury.

LINEBACKERS C-

Even though Rico McCoy had 13 tackles he often knocked on his ass and they were so far down field that it didn’t make much of a difference. Ellix Wilson had nine stops as well.

SECONDARY A-

Eric Berry had 11 tackles and laid the wood on several Bama players. DeAngelo Willingham was picked on by Bama forcing man-to-man coverage to stop the run.

SPECIAL TEAMS C

LaMarcus Thompson forced fumble on a Bama punt that was recovered by Rogan at the five yard line. Colquitt had a productive night though he shanked a punt that was costly. Lincoln Logs missed a 51 yard field goal, but I’m not going to blame him for that because that’s clearly out of his range, but he should have made that 43 yard attempt.

COACHING F/A

The A is for the defense. Considering they received zero help from the offense they deserve it. Offensively Clawson called a boring and horrid game. When the VOLS needed big plays the calls were not made.

OVERALL F

Though the defense was solid and the special teams were productive, the offense is awful and laughable. The penalties that the offensive committed during opportunistic situations took points off the board.

A look ahead:

South Carolina is next week and believe it or not I think Tennessee should win this game. South Carolina’s run game is actually worse than ours. Stephens has an advantage due to the fact he protects the ball by not throwing interceptions and not fumbling. This should be a low scoring affair. Both defenses are equally good but I believe our secondary is considerably better.

Posted in Alabama Crimson Tide, Ass Whipping, Bama Bangs, Bama Cheats, Bama Sucks, Bama'zoids, Bammers, Eric Berry, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Nick Saban, Nick Stephens, Phillip Fulmer, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, fire philip fulmer, fulmer sucks | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

The War that is known as the 3rd Saturday in October

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on October 24, 2008

 

Most experts say that fans take sports and cheering for their favorite teams to seriously. In most cases I tend to agree with them. However those experts have never experienced the Third Saturday in October either. They do not know the joy or exhilaration of seeing the Tennessee Volunteers or the Alabama Crimson Tide take the field right before kickoff. Those experts have never felt the excitement in the air that is buzzing around when the teams line up.

This game is much more than a simple competition between two border state rival schools. This game is about passion, heart, pride & respect! And nothing means more than to these two teams than respect.

For Phil Fulmer this year’s game is about his legacy and his coaching career at Tennessee. For Nick Saban this year’s game is about a possible BCS birth and the chance to play for the national championship.

It’s hard to say who has the most to lose in this game. If Tennessee loses then Fulmer is most likely out as the head coach & if Saban loses then people will still question the hire by Alabama and people will point to this lose with an “I told ya so” attitude.

It is also equally hard to say who has the most to gain by a victory. If Tennessee wins then Fulmer will most likely keep his job as the head coach whether he wins out or not. A win would also propel the VOLS into a brighter national light. The number seven recruiting class that Fulmer is currently building could jump to number one. If Alabama wins then Saban brings Alabama to an 8-0 record and a possible number one ranking. The road to the BCS National Championship becomes ever so closer. And of course Saban could reel in yet another top rated recruiting class.

For the fans this game is an oxymoron of painful orgasmic joy. They live and die on every play, every called timeout & every injury. Both fan bases are smart enough to know that one can throw out the win/loss records for these two schools when they play. That fact alone makes rivalry games like this so intense.

Throw out what the experts say about sports and the seriousness of being a fan. They have never witnessed college gridiron gladiators battle each other like these two teams. If you look into the fans eyes on this holy day you will see both love & hate. Love for their favorite team and hate for the opposing team.

The Sunday following the game (or Monday for some fans) as the players and fans alike are recovering from their injuries or walking on air, the realization should set in that this is simply a game. However the fact that their memory will either joyously or painfully remind them of the final score and then reality actually sets in.

This is not a game. This is war that is fought only once a year and victors of that year’s war savor every moment of it for many times over in their heads. I’ve always said a good Alabama team is a beaten Alabama team.

Ladies and Gentlemen this is not a game: THIS IS THE BATTLE KNOWN AS THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER!!!!!!

GO VOLS! Beat Bama!!!

Now let’s review some past Bama farks.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Alabama Crimson Tide, Bama Bangs, Bama Cheats, Bama Sucks, Bama'zoids, Bammers, Big Orange, Go Big Orange, Go Vols, Nick Saban, Phillip Fulmer, Rocky Top, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols, vols | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Jabari Greer shows what being a real VOL fan is all about

Posted by Thomas the Terrible on October 22, 2008

A special thanks goes to Lloyd for pointing this video out to me. ^5 Lloyd

Posted in Go Vols, Jabari Greer, SEC Football, Tennessee Volunteers, UT vols | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

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