SINCE WE LAST SPOKE: 1-15-15
TRACKING TYNDALL: While fully admitting that judging a coach –good or bad- prior to year three usually proves inaccurate and is almost always unreasonable I can’t help it when it comes to Donnie Tyndall; I love the guy. So here are my waaaay too early impressions:
HE’S AN ARCHITECT: Anyone that can construct a team from rubble in six weeks during the slim-pickens springtime that starts 10-5 against a challenging schedule is a true builder
HE’S A TACTICIAN: He plays a unique style combining the press and matchup zone that is extremely hard for opponents to prepare for yet has been able to quickly teach it to his inexperienced unit. Unlike most teams that defend 94 feet his offense –while taking advantage of forced turnovers- is not haphazard on the offensive end and more times than not takes a quality shot.
HE EVALUATES AND ADJUSTS: Rare has been the occasion when the Vols have failed to play better in the second half than in the first. When it happens time and again it can only be attributed to a coaching staff that not only makes quality adjustments but effectively conveys what must be corrected to their team. If it is solely that the Vols are in better shape Tyndall and staff should then be lauded for convincing a bunch who barely knew them –or each other- to work harder than ever before.
HE’S A MOTIVATOR: As mentioned above the team is in great shape, has quickly bought into a brand new –and physically demanding- approach and has an esprit dé corpse missing here since early in the Bruce Pearl era. Even the early season purging of valued members of the coaching staff has not deterred the Vols from playing together with more consistent effort than any team in recent memory. Donnie Tyndall is the driving force behind the determination we see on a nightly basis.
HE’S A SALESMAN: Not only did he quickly sell the university to a bunch of solid basketball players in a very short period he also sold himself to both his team and the fan base. He constantly compliments the Big Orange Nation for their passion and loyalty when in truth he has yet to be rewarded with our full-fledged support due to the extended football season and the uncertainty hanging over his future. Nonetheless he has won the hearts of many –myself included- who swore not to become emotionally invested until he was exonerated or pardoned of alleged infractions at Southern Miss
Lastly I don’t know but hope with all my heart:
HE’S A MAGICIAN: That makes the alleged NCAA infractions disappear and remains our basketball coach for years to come.
OH-MY-NO STATE: I DID NOT want to see Nick Saban and his Alabama Crimson Tide win another National Championship but heaven knows I didn’t want this either. Ohio State from the despicable (I know, I have a problem) Big-10 is now once again sitting at the top of the college football world and may be hard to dislodge. Love him or hate him Urban Meyer is a brilliant architect and leader and has proven it QUICKLY at every stop. With Michigan State the only possible current conference road block and Jim Harbaugh and Michigan at least three years behind in rebuilding the young Buckeyes are almost a shoo-in for one of the four playoff spots again next season and probably beyond. With an embarrassment of riches the Buckeyes could start Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett or Cardale Jones –who in a short stint looked like a better NFL prospect than recent Heisman Trophy winners Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston- and have a better QB than most anyone in America. Whoever it is will have the luxury of handing the ball to RB Ezekiel Elliott back for his third and likely last season. Throw in an experienced offensive line and a solid defense that returns eight starters meaning there will be no shortage of big-time playmakers on both sides of the ball. Also with the apparent roster-wide injection of speed that Meyer’s SEC-style recruiting has provided teams from outside the Midwest will no longer be able to turn the game into a track meet that OSU is unprepared for. My greatest fear may be coming to fruition right before my very eyes; Saban and Alabama and Meyer and Ohio State making reservations to meet in early January for the foreseeable future. I should have known if anyone could find a way to spoil something as marvelous as a CFB Playoff those two colossal rectums would be the ones to do it.
NEVER SAW IT COMING: I’ve seen many Colt playoff games both on TV and in person but never have I been more surprised by an outcome than I was Sunday. The Colts victory over the Broncos was a result I never saw coming. I’m not sure how anyone who had watched them closely over the course of the season could have either. They appeared to be the champion of a weak division and nothing more. They played four division winners during the regular season and were 0-4 to the ugly average score of 42-21 (@Den 24-31; @Pitt 34-51; NE 20-42; @Dall 7-42). They appeared incapable of running the football, protecting Andrew Luck or effectively defending quality offenses. Then came Divisional Playoff Weekend and all of their past deficiencies seemed to have magically been corrected. Luck had ample time to throw the football; the Colts had 11 more rushing yards and completely stymied a Bronco offense that had become more balanced as the season progressed. Denver clearly did not perform at the level many expected but the Colts certainly contributed to their misery. I thought this was the worst of the many playoff edition Colt teams in the last 15 years. Turns out they were good enough Sunday to log the biggest playoff win of the Pagano era and arguably one of if not the most surprising since the turn of the century.
GOOD BUSINESS OR DISLOYALTY? As much as I appreciate being blessed to have Peyton Manning play for both my favorite college and pro team I was one who believed the Colts made the right decision to let him move onto another opportunity while building for the future. Many questioned how Jim Irsay and the Colt’s organization could basically jettison the greatest player in Indianapolis –and arguably Colt- franchise history who almost single-handedly restored the honor and greatness of the horseshoe. I could understand that sentiment even if I disagreed with the premise. While not necessarily validating the decision the Colt’s –and Andrew Luck’s- victory over the Broncos and a visibly less-effective Peyton Manning provides insight into the Colt Front Office and ownership’s thought process at the time the decision was made. Do you honor a legend with only a few productive seasons remaining or take advantage of a rare opportunity to assure that the baton is passed to another likely franchise-type QB for years to come? As hard as it was on everyone involved I thought at the time and still do that the Colts made the only decision they could.
COLT’S WIN MAY BE PEYTON’S SWAN SONG: While extremely happy –and as I said above stunned- with the Colts impressive win over the Broncos I think it could sadly end the career of one of my favorite players of all-time. In no way should the Colts stunning upset at Mile-High be placed solely at Manning’s feet but he clearly is no longer the physically gifted, difference-maker, field general we have become accustomed to watching for over 20 years. Peyton has been one of the game’s greatest players and never has the NFL –or the University of Tennessee- had anyone that embodied what you hope for in a player more than he. Besides performing at a sure-fire Hall-of-Fame level he has also been an ambassador, humanitarian and gentleman regardless of the jersey he’s worn or the place he’s called home. My respect and appreciation for the thrills he has provided for football fans everywhere make it all the more difficult to admit that I hope he calls it quits before he tarnishes his legacy -as so many that came before him have- or far worse ends his brilliant career due to serious injury. Like Derek Jeter walking away, the game will be far poorer for it but our memories of his greatness will not. If that was it, thanks Peyton. We all owe you a debt of gratitude.
IN A PERFECT WORLD: The road to the Super Bowl wouldn’t always run through Foxboro.