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orangetex said...

We have no choice but to find leadership. I really hope Hart is that guy but I am not sure. Albeit for completely different reasons, our program has bottomed out akin to Penn State. One significant difference. Bill O'Brien is a leader of men. He did not complain about what he did not have. He took what he had, believed in them and coached them up. Our guy laughs with the media, tells cute one liners, disparages his players and staff, etc.

Which one is effective????????

Gruden is a pipe dream.

Tennessee badly needs a leader of men. Someone with passion, fire and a love for all things orange.

Would an adult please stand up and make this happen?

I love the Vols with all of my being. We need to get this next decision right.

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doberVol said...

EXCELLENT post! I'll stand right with you and be flamed, because I agree with 99% of it, and was in fact thinking of making a long post, which would have had about 75% of the same content and been just as long (as one of the more long-winded on this forum, I like to read others' well-thought-out posts; my post count would be as high as shoeless if I got credit by the word ).

I was about to disagree with you on the above sentence until I read it again and saw the word "should" jump out at me like a beacon. You're exactly right; they don't act like they're competent and qualified; but they bleepin' sure should.

Here's what's going on, IMO, and I have nothing but sympathy for Dave Hart right now. As I said in a post yesterday, he might as well be trying to herd cats. On the one hand, he has Jimmy the Cheek, with a dream of turning UT into UNC or UVA south, one of the premier public academic institutions in the country. I have two degrees from UTK, and I sure as heck don't object to increasing the prestige attached to those two shingles, as long as we don't leave athletics (to be perfectly honest, the one that brung us) behind for the sake of academics. In hearty economic times, we were one of the only athletic depts in the whole nation that contributed to the academic side. I'll be blunt: $%^&, yes, there should be a double standard for elite athletes to get into the university, as long as they maintain a required GPA once admitted and otherwise meet NCAA requirements. You see, I'm convinced that it's not that Cheek doesn't think football is important at all, it's just that he doesn't really get just HOW important it is to his donor base, including donors on the academic side. And pardon my grammar, he ain't no fan, neither.

The BoT used to be filled with football first people, but now is full of Bredesen political cronies, many of whom are high-brow types, and some of whom aren't even from TN. Some of them just don't get what the big deal is with football, either, and tend to think a Haslam or Thornton are aberrations, i.e., that most people of their standing don't waste their time with such low brow pursuits as sports. Think "old money" vs. nuveau riche, and how the moldy money set looks down their noses at billionaire tech guy and sports owner Mark Cuban as classless scum in a "there goes the neighborhood" sort of way, even though he actually has more money than they do.

The VIP Room had some hope in it, however, because even though everyone's sources, from Hyams', to this board's pay competition, to Wes' and Ryan's, to anyone else who isn't guessing, says no decision has been made yet (and therefore, I believe it), all those same sources are also stating that a lot of the big money donors want Dooley out.

IF so, then finally, Hart DOES have some leverage. If he just decides he wants to make a change, it's a lot harder to go and demand money of Haslam to fund a buyout, plus a big name hire. OTOH, if someone like that comes to YOU and says, "Ya know, Dave, Dooley just ain't gettin' it done. I really think we need to make a change," then and only then do you have the moral authority to say what people have been posting for weeks around here, "Well, [Jim, Jimmy, Governor, Thunder, and/or other big $$$$ donor], pony up the bucks, big boy, because we're kinda broke around here right now." What's more, all of these donors aren't dummies, and they know full well as soon as they open their mouths to complain, the first response is gonna be, "Fine, so how much $everance pay and new coach $alary can we pencil you in for?"

For better or for worse (sometimes it's one; sometimes it's the other; and sometimes, it's a little bit of both), the bottom line is that money talks, and bovine scatology walks, and if the money guys are pi$$ed off enough, and/or only 25-30k bother to show up for Mizzou, it's likely that not only would Dooley be shown the door, but that his replacement would not be just "more of the same."

Despite my steadily declining opinion of Dooley, I am still of the same opinion I was a month ago: No splash hire, we still shouldn't change coaches. Why fire him to satisfy your anger if you're only gonna replace him with another young guy who'll also have to learn on the job?

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doberVol said...

EXCELLENT post! I'll stand right with you and be flamed, because I agree with 99% of it, and was in fact thinking of making a long post, which would have had about 75% of the same content and been just as long (as one of the more long-winded on this forum, I like to read others' well-thought-out posts; my post count would be as high as shoeless if I got credit by the word ).

I was about to disagree with you on the above sentence until I read it again and saw the word "should" jump out at me like a beacon. You're exactly right; they don't act like they're competent and qualified; but they bleepin' sure should.

Here's what's going on, IMO, and I have nothing but sympathy for Dave Hart right now. As I said in a post yesterday, he might as well be trying to herd cats. On the one hand, he has Jimmy the Cheek, with a dream of turning UT into UNC or UVA south, one of the premier public academic institutions in the country. I have two degrees from UTK, and I sure as heck don't object to increasing the prestige attached to those two shingles, as long as we don't leave athletics (to be perfectly honest, the one that brung us) behind for the sake of academics. In hearty economic times, we were one of the only athletic depts in the whole nation that contributed to the academic side. I'll be blunt: $%^&, yes, there should be a double standard for elite athletes to get into the university, as long as they maintain a required GPA once admitted and otherwise meet NCAA requirements. You see, I'm convinced that it's not that Cheek doesn't think football is important at all, it's just that he doesn't really get just HOW important it is to his donor base, including donors on the academic side. And pardon my grammar, he ain't no fan, neither.

The BoT used to be filled with football first people, but now is full of Bredesen political cronies, many of whom are high-brow types, and some of whom aren't even from TN. Some of them just don't get what the big deal is with football, either, and tend to think a Haslam or Thornton are aberrations, i.e., that most people of their standing don't waste their time with such low brow pursuits as sports. Think "old money" vs. nuveau riche, and how the moldy money set looks down their noses at billionaire tech guy and sports owner Mark Cuban as classless scum in a "there goes the neighborhood" sort of way, even though he actually has more money than they do.

The VIP Room had some hope in it, however, because even though everyone's sources, from Hyams', to this board's pay competition, to Wes' and Ryan's, to anyone else who isn't guessing, says no decision has been made yet (and therefore, I believe it), all those same sources are also stating that a lot of the big money donors want Dooley out.

IF so, then finally, Hart DOES have some leverage. If he just decides he wants to make a change, it's a lot harder to go and demand money of Haslam to fund a buyout, plus a big name hire. OTOH, if someone like that comes to YOU and says, "Ya know, Dave, Dooley just ain't gettin' it done. I really think we need to make a change," then and only then do you have the moral authority to say what people have been posting for weeks around here, "Well, [Jim, Jimmy, Governor, Thunder, and/or other big $$$$ donor], pony up the bucks, big boy, because we're kinda broke around here right now." What's more, all of these donors aren't dummies, and they know full well as soon as they open their mouths to complain, the first response is gonna be, "Fine, so how much $everance pay and new coach $alary can we pencil you in for?"

For better or for worse (sometimes it's one; sometimes it's the other; and sometimes, it's a little bit of both), the bottom line is that money talks, and bovine scatology walks, and if the money guys are pi$$ed off enough, and/or only 25-30k bother to show up for Mizzou, it's likely that not only would Dooley be shown the door, but that his replacement would not be just "more of the same."

Despite my steadily declining opinion of Dooley, I am still of the same opinion I was a month ago: No splash hire, we still shouldn't change coaches. Why fire him to satisfy your anger if you're only gonna replace him with another young guy who'll also have to learn on the job?

1 Corinthians 16:13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.