The CheckerBoard

I honestly don't know what to say. Tonight just hurt badly.

I still love Tennessee and support the program, its players and its coaches. I just can't wait until I don't have to feel so damn disappointed anymore.

After last night's game, my optimism for Dooley's continued tenure at Tennessee is at an all time low. While many of the mental errors were made by the players (and not the coaches), there were several major problems that reflect problems at the top:

1. Florida's opening drive in the 2nd half - Florida made adjustments and schemed at the half to put a series of plays together and drive the ball straight down the field. This drive set the tone for the second half and was 100% pre scripted plays developed during halftime that UT had no response to.

2. Pressure on Bray in the second half - Bray was getting killed the entire second half. Everyone knows Florida has a very talented D-line, but UT managed to contain the rush for most of the 1st half. The second half was a different story. When that happens it is scheming, and that falls on the coaches.

3. UT calling pass plays too soon - once the game was tied, we panicked. We abandoned what had been a decent enough run game and relied almost exclusively on Bray flinging the ball around. The play calling is coaching, not players. It is hard for me to imagine cutcliff deciding to throw the towel in on the rush game just because the game is tied.

I know the Dooley supporters will say that it was on the players who are too old to tuck their tail between their legs in situations like this. However, it seems to me that the coaches have a fair amount of egg on their face too. From UT's performance last night there is plenty of blame to throw around. I just hope they learn from it and give us all a pleasant surprise in Athens.

Last year we played for one half a game. Last night we almost made three quarters. That's the only progress I saw.

I don't have any answers to the problems Wes has mentioned. I know that the fan base including myself both want and need for our team and staff to correct these problems and win some SEC games. No one could ask for more of an electric atmosphere than last night and yet it wasn't enough. Something has to chance. Like I said I don't have the answers but the same ol', same ol' has to stop.

When does the Dooley experiment end? Bill battle/Buzz Peterson clone cannot and will not get it done. He really thinks we played a good game. Some coaches know what perfect practice is and how it leads up to good games. I don't think he knows what perfect practice means. I am very sure he doesn't know what football players look like and therefore cannot recruit them. He is piss poor in evaluating talent. And no please donor go get another Alabama guy to take over. Look how pitiful coach sals defense is. They can't even line up correctly.

That's a dumb comment to make. For example..A J Johnson...he's from Athens, GA and Ga didn't even offer him. but coach and the staff saw something in him and now he's a Vol. I would hardly call that "piss poor in evaluating talent." Also, we all knew this was going to be a learning year for the 3-4 defense. there's been enough info put out there about Ala and Ga's struggles their first year in this defense.

AJ Johnson wouldn't start on UGA's team, they didn't need him. I don't think there is 1 player on our defense that would start on UGA, maybe Couch or Sentimore...

And if you followed his recruitment, he would've went to Florida if they were going to let him play LB, but they recruited him at DE.

Wow, a lot of this thread makes me feel like I am back on the other site that starts with an "R" where the majority of the comments are to fire Dooley, fire this guy/that guy and it is just as sickening. We are making progress but one has to realize we still do not have as many play makers or as much depth. Someone says Bray is an NFL talent but asks who has he beaten, the TEAM is a whole not one player and he can only do so much. I thought as we got tired our offense got more and more predictable and therefore easily stopped. Once that happened the defense got worn down. One 3 & out took 8 seconds off the clock - how much rest did the defense get? Back off a bit and accept that we are better but not there yet.

My guess is we watched different games then. Scoreboards dont always tell the story.

We recruited him to be our wildcat QB for goal line situations. Who else was going to give him that chance?