The CheckerBoard

I wanted to followup your excellent summary - we have lots of people saying we don't have an elite recruiting staff. Volfan28 mentioned chemistry - CBJ has that already, Dooley didn't years one and three for sure. That makes a huge difference in the W/L column and in team chemistry - the results will be positive press (TN can use that), and less ammo for other coaches. This will help recruiting - it is a circle. I really think you will see gigantic strides this year - CJB can coach, and next year's class should be top 10. I also don't think this years class is a trainwreck - NSD will be ok.

28 one thing MSU & Vandy did NOT do is schedule Oregon when you need wins just to get bowl eligible.
I strongly feel that administration at the highest levels are making any return to glory much harder.

The sad thing is that had we not gutted our defense with the Sunseri hire, year three would have been the one. I've posted this repeatedly, but if we could have put the 2011 defense on the field with the 2012 offense, we would have had a huge year. Instead, we wasted one of the most prolific offenses in program history by pairing it with the worst defense ever.

This stuff always goes in cycles and we are in a down cycle. We have at least partially brought it on ourselves though. We had a most successful coach who had two down years back to back and we wanted and got his head. So basically as a fan base we have established that we are not willing to put up with a couple of bad years before we start crowing for a new coach. Other than Nick Saban there are no other coaches that are good enough to put together a sustainable dynasty but we seem to keep believing if we go through enough coaches we'll find our Nick Saban. In the mean time we lose players on the roster and we lose recruits. We can't understand why our program is on a downward spin. There is no doubt the former AD made a couple of bad hires and there is no guarantee, regardless of the giddy enthusiasm, that the new staff will bring us back to the top. If they don't, the spiral will continue. We just have to be patient with this new staff. We must reduce our immediate expectations. If we don't it is not unlikely we'll go through another turnover in 3 years and this downward spiral will continue until we are completely inconsequential. We must keep realistic expectations and give the new guy an opportunity to build this program, even through bad times. Trust me, there are going to be some trying times ahead, some embarrassing losses and some dissapoitment. Sermon over, I'll pass the plate later.

vandy and ms. state are mostly the product of scheduling. I agree that both have better leadership now than in the past. Still their records are the product of scheduling mostly. They both beat UT and Auburn. If those schools have just mediocre coaching, that doesn't happen.

This looks like a Bama fan quote circa 2006.

my fellow vols...including me lets all dont get caught up in guessing wins and loss'e this year
coach jones has his work cut out,being the first year,i do think he can win the game we are custom
to winning..vandy,kentucky..ect...we do not need to build our selfs up like last year then be ready
to run coach jones out of town.
i look for a better season this year ..then last season..also dont think we will see those 5-7 records
like dooley 2 years in a role or not making a bowl game.
have no way of knowing this,but i think we land lawson ,bellamy-100%..bell his childhood coming to games and basketball games..wins out in the end..this class will be much better with coach jones behind the desk..then if dooley would have...looking brighter in knox
forget about green..he didnt want to play with men week in and out...lets hope they can close with ford
if not 2014 coach jones will land those good backs....go vols

I wouldn't go as far to say you're irrational. What I would say is this: Dooley had a losing history as a head coach. The staff he put together had little knowledge of what the other was doing. Their system struggled from start to finish. By yr 3 we should have made huge strides but we fell way short like previous 2 yrs. this was all due to coaching, schemes, and a seriously flawed defensive system. Fast forward.....2013......................

CBJ & Staff as a whole brings a winning attitude, and record with them. This we didn't get with Dooley. Already we're in a better starting place. Time will only tell, but I firmly believe this coach will be just as if not more successful here than CMU, and Cincy. They've worked tirelessly recruiting with minimal time. And quite frankly, am happy with the results considering the circumstances. We as Vol fans have the right to be concerned though. We also have the right to be excited about the new staff, attitude, and recruits who have chosen to be a VFL! I thinks it's in their best interest for us to encourage them every change we get in a public setting. Just my thoughts FWIW

I agree that losing is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Maybe I took 28's comment incorrectly, but my point is I don't want to wait 3 years to see us get to 7-8 wins. Unlike the beginning of the Dooley era, there is talent on this roster (even with the early departures). We don't need to win 10 games next year, thats not what I am asking. My thought is we need to win 7 next year, get to a bowl game, and upset a conference team we shouldn't (UGA, UF, Bama,). I'm not asking for a miracle but I do expect that if we pay CBJ 3 M and his staff another 3 that they should be able to take this talent to a bowl game and I think they are up to the challenge.

Bingo. And, as also mentioned, the staff deserves a lot of credit for being in the battles they are.

We have got big recruits to come here! Last year we got CP, pig Howard, drea Bowles, Jason croon, McNeil our class was ranked 21st in the nation we just haven't been Coaching very well. The vols will get back to the elite and CBJ is going to get us there and I don't believe it is going to take as long as people might think so cheer up!