Vol Colonel leads things off on this beautiful Big Orange Tuesday.
Vol Colonel
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First off this week I want to congratulate Coach Butch Jones for going up to the ESPN 'Car Wash' yesterday and setting the record straight on last year being a 'disappointing' season. Butch went on to say any time you don't win the SEC East it's a disappointment. Look, I don't know if John Currie had a talk with Butch about this or not. I think it's safe to assume he probably did, but either way, it's refreshing to see him own up to it.
I know some people in the media who have said the Tennessee fans unfairly take Butch to task over every little thing he says, but I think this is an issue Butch brought on himself. Sometimes you can't sugarcoat a turd. Nobody wants to hear excuses and when you don't own up to things It's not wise to try and BS your way through them the way Coach Jones has had a long history of doing. Nobody wants to hear things like life champions and 5 star hearts after you've had your rear end handed to you on the field. Just own it and move on. Had Butch just owned up after losses instead of spewing that crap, nobody would be taking him to task over his words.
We want to feel like we're all in this together.
If the vast majority of your fan base thinks we've had a disappointing season, then you better be damn disappointed too. Nobody is saying you can't accentuate the positives, but when you are the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC East and you blow the opportunity to reach that goal, not once, but twice, against South Carolina and Vanderbilt, it just doesn't sit well not saying it was a disappointing season.
Like I said last week, I want to love this coach. I do appreciate his passion and I certainly appreciate his work ethic and the time he puts into this job. This job is a pressure cooker. You've got a rich tradition and history here. You have a hungry fan base that wants to see this thing get back to winning championships. Your success here should never be based on what Lane Kiffin or Derek Dooley did with it. Success here should be based on what coaches like the General, Doug Dickey, Johnny Majors and Phillip Fulmer did with it. Those are the guys you have to measure up to! Those great coaches set the bar!
I really think John Currie can play a huge role with his guidance and leadership where Coach Butch Jones is concerned. John understands where the bar is set here. I don't think Dave Hart ever understood it, or he just didn't care. He certainly never tried to reel in Butch when he needed reeling in or needed some sound advice.
I think Butch would love to be here a good fifteen years. I think his legacy is very important to him and I think he truly loves it here.
Slowly, but surely, I think Butch is learning his way through it here. Most of his 'buddies' are no longer on the staff. He's gone outside the box when bringing in a host of new coaches from Brady Hoke to Kevin Beard. He's finally gone out and hired a real QB coach in Mike Canales. He seen how it backfired when he tried to go along with his players and got rid of our old strength and conditioning coach. He seen that huge mistake and quickly rendered that problem by hiring a guy like Rock Gullikson. He didn't go the retread route when it came to hiring an offensive coordinator. I'm glad he promoted Larry Scott up to the position. I think I would've lost it had he gone out and brought somebody like Al Borges in here. No offense to Auburn, but you can keep Big Al.
Short of the gibberish that comes out Coach Jones mouth, it certainly looks to me like he's making all the right moves. Like I said,
I have faith in John Currie to help Butch along the way when it comes to knowing what's expected and what not to say around here. Now, if things can just come together on the field, I think we can truly unite as a fan base and get behind this thing like never before.
I guarantee you if we were to go out there and win the East this year all that 5 star hearts and life champions crap could be put to rest forever. When I look around the East I think it's as wide open as it's been for the past couple of years. I don't see any clear cut favorite to win this side of the SEC this season.
I think we have as much talent as Florida and Georgia. The recruiting over the last 4 years says so. There's no way our defense will be as sorry as last year and you'd have to think there's no way we could get anywhere near the number of injuries we had last season.
Maybe flying under the radar will be just what the doctor ordered this year. I think we've got two really good quarterbacks and if that situation is handled correctly that could be a huge plus for us. Certainly Josh Dobbs would appear to be a huge hole to fill, but we've got two QB's here that could really change the dynamic of this offense. Both of these guys, Dormady and Guarantano have a better arm than Dobbs. If they can stretch the field with the passing game, it's only going to open things up for John Kelly and Ty Chandler. The offensive line should be an asset this season. They've got a lot of experience and newcomer Trey Smith looks like he's the real deal.
I think there's a lot to be optimistic about this season. I just don't see anything abysmal about it. I really don't see all the doom and gloom that's been written about us in the national press. I understand it and I believe a lot of that is based on what we did the last couple of years by not winning the East, but this is a new season.
I'm going into this year with my cup half full. I don't want to be miserable and go into this season wanting to see this coach get fired. I'm going to hold out hope for the best and if it doesn't
happen, then we can worry about finding someone else to captain the ship. I can probably live with 8 regular season wins this year, though certainly I want more. 8 is probably the fault line for me. If it's a 7-5 regular season then I'll be on board with making a change, but I think we'll do better than that. Maybe this is the year we get surprised.
If you have any questions or comments for me, you can find me
on Twitter @TheVolColonel or you can drop me a line at
TheVolColonel@gmail.com
Have a Great Day and Go Big Orange!
Your Vol Colonel'
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VC With Great Observations On Butch Jones! The real truth on him is that he just wants to be liked so much that he sometimes misses the mark. Sometimes I get the feeling that fumes from the energy bus could be noxious. Look, I'm on stage a lot and many times what I intend to say doesn't come out properly. And once Jones said it last week he was forced to double down. Also, I credit John Currie for getting him in line with the proper message for this fan base. Put it this way, Currie is a savvy guy. He reads this space. His antenna is up. He knows the score.
In 2016 Jones probably would've gone to Bristol and doubled down. As it was this time around he gave us all some hope with his mea culpa to the fans. Few Tennessee fan wants a coach that refuses to keep it somewhat real. It's just not in the DNA here. Though words are hollow, they're all we have in July as we look to football season. Therefore, what he says right now matters. Today I stand with you VC in applauding what Butch said. He may have been a week late in answering the 'disappointed' question properly but better late than never. Maybe this is showing us two things. And again, I'm guessing Currie got to him on this. Maybe Jones is malleable and will change. Perhaps this will portend for the football season to come in a positive way for this Tennessee football program. We can only hope.
Good To Be Hart-Less Vol Colonel's point about Dave Hart is right on the money. He never cared what you thought. He had disdain for the common fan. None of this mattered. He wasn't managing Butch Jones on the PR front because he was his own PR nightmare. Do you think Dave Hart cares one iota for Tennessee or how the team fares this year? Get real. This place seemed like a golden parachute for him. Nothing more and nothing less.
Longevity Has Its Place... I don't know about the 15 years Vol Colonel talked about but I do think that barring a collapse Jones is going to get at least 6. I just don't buy the narrative that he comes into this season in a win or else mode. My reasoning is simple. John Currie is savvy. Why would he want to come in and fire a football coach in his inaugural season as AD? He doesn't. For two reasons. For one thing, it would be hard to attract the right candidate if they thought you had an itchy trigger finger. Besides the longer Currie goes with Butch the more money he can bank with a coach that wasn't hired by him. Simply put, Butch is on Dave Hart's resume while Currie is on UT's dime. Not a bad deal right there.
Not What I Say But... I'm with the Vol Colonel on not judging Butch on what he says. Everything that happens on the field this fall is all the conversation we need. Until then all we have are words but his hires have been seemingly stellar.
Welcome The Unknown: Tennessee's prospects this season are what makes college football such an excellent pursuit. This group could be boom or bust but they're going to be a lot of fun to watch. And I'm with the Vol Colonel. Right now, I'm feeling like 9 wins. Now that could change depending on what happens in camp but I feel an uptick coming in 2017.
VOLS "MOSTLY" ARE WHAT WE THINK THEY'LL BE 2017 VOL FORECAST
MONDAY ON MY MIND
MOSTLY; WE ARE WHAT WE THINK WE ARE: I often hear it said that Tennessee’s best seasons come when the least is expected and worst come after high preseason expectations. Heck, I’ve said it myself and set out to prove it to be the case....
SUMMARY:
WHAT DID WE LEARN?
2017 VOL FOOTBALL FORECAST...[more]
Y'all Are The Best: Thanks for the terrific response to my special announcement yesterday about the future of where we're heading here. I'm touched that anybody would choose to invest in what we do. As I said yesterday, if you allow me to do this in a different fashion, watch out. In case you missed
yesterday's blog, here is what I'm referencing in the following FAQ's. I had several e-mails from interested and engaged listeners/readers regarding yesterday's post and our new direction.
FAQ's Asked Of Tony Per Yesterday's Announcement:
Q: Tony, you didn't say anything about your daily show yesterday. Will you continue to do this?
A: Absolutely. I'm looking forward to year #24 with you.
Q: Tony, you used the word 'subscribe'. What Am I subscribing too?
A: Great question. 'Subscribe' is a misnomer. What you actually are doing if you choose to help us monthly (and we need this for budgeting reasons) is actually acting as a patron. The goal is to keep the content (ALL CONTENT, from postgame offerings to various podcasts) free for all.
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Q: Are you going to beat us up for money all the time here?
A: Absolutely not. I will bring this up a few times heading into the football season as we attempt to meet our financial goals and create new programming. I'll also mention it in the post-game format as well as the regional programming. I will not however wear you out with this. Either you feel the need to help us or you don't. This is why I'm taking today to field some question I received after day one.
Q: What happens if this doesn't generate the revenue you're seeking?
A: We will scale back our online offerings accordingly. The blog itself could even disappear. I really don't want this to happen but will be forced to spend my time in the most profitable way necessary. That's why we're having the conversation. All my cards are on the table here.
Q: When will we be able to hear these new podcasts, like that X-Cast?
A: It's all coming soon. We premiered a new Gate Twenty Won yesterday after the Basilio Show live on the app and will debut one today from the 1980 Georgia game. As for the 'X'-Cast....I'm going to upload these in real time with minimal production. Therefore I'm hoping to get one of these up in the next 10 days. It all depends on 'X's schedule.
Q: When will Southeastern Sunday debut?
A: We're shooting for the Sunday after the first full weekend of the football season.
Tomorrow Frankie has the floor and he'll be no doubt unpacking this.
Link
If you have a story about any of the following games, I want to hear from you. Please don't call me and tell me what happened in the following games. I need stories. And I need you to call our line at (865) 544-Vols (8657).
Gate Twenty Won: 1959 LSU
1969 Georgia
1965 UCLA 'RoseBonnet' Bowl
1971 Penn State
1972 Penn State
1979 Notre Dame
1982 Bama
1985 Auburn
1985 Bama
1986 Sugar Bowl
1989 Auburn
1990 Cotton Bowl
1990 Florida
1991 Notre Dame
1992 Georgia
1995 Bama
1997 SEC Championship Game
1998 Syracuse
1998 Florida
1998 Arkansas
1999 Championship Game
2001 LSU
2001 Florida
2003 Miami
2004 Florida
2005 LSU
Vol Scars: 1958 Chattanooga
1962 Ole Miss
1972 Bama
1973 Georgia
1975 N. Texas State
1980 Georgia
1980 Virginia
1990 Auburn
1990 Bama
1992 South Carolina
1993 Bama
1996 Florida
1996 Memphis
2001 LSU
2005 Vanderbilt
Please take this list and post it on whatever chat board you frequent. We need stories, stories and more stories. Please put me to work. The more the merrier.
Thanks to all who've responded thus far. I just don't want to put these shows to be until we capture as many stories as possible. (865) 544-Vols (8657). Please share this with people. I would love hear as many things as possible.
Tony