Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Follow TVOvols on Twitter
Welcome to TheVolunteerOnline. The Volunteer Online is a place where UT fans cross paths to discuss sports and life's other matters. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.

Fill out the registration as instructed. Go to your email, where a message will be sent to you. Click on that link to activate your membership and posting options.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
Will Butch Jones win a championship at Tennessee?
Topic Started: Aug 21 2014, 04:48 PM (41 Views)
*TennesseeTuxedo
Member Avatar
Administrator

I'm not particularly fond of Saturday Down South. It is run by a group of Auburn fans and is heavily weighted towards the SEC West and is very derogatory of the Vols overall. There are parts of this column that prove just what I stated, but they do touch on a few points that make it a worthwhile column to read.

A couple of points….the downward spiral began long before 2008. Many of us saw that downward spiral happening a long time ago.

Will Butch Jones win a championship at Tennessee?

Quote:
 
In December 2012, Tennessee hired former Cincinnati coach Butch Jones. As someone who attended Jones’ introductory press conference, the buzz in the air wasn’t as much excitement as curiosity. His track record seemed impressive, entering with a 50-27 career record and a 2013 Big East Coach of the Year Award. But that was the Big East, this is the SEC. Who was this Butch Jones guy and why was he the choice made by athletic director Dave Hart? Why should a fan base whose team went from feared opponent to laughing stock of elite SEC programs feel optimism for the near future?

For Jones’ to win over Vol fans, he needed to make an excellent first impression. Check. Not only did Jones present his plan for laying the foundation to rebuild Tennessee football during his opening presser, but he also professed his love and admiration for the program’s tradition.

The next step was salvaging a depleted recruiting class. Check. Jones managed to add 12 recruits to the 2013 class and kept the commitment of ten players, including would-be standout freshman wide receiver Marquez North.

If you thought that was impressive, just wait until next year. Yeah, that phrase is getting tiresome in the Volunteer state, but it proved true on the recruiting trail. Despite a 5-7 debut season, Jones managed to put together a top-5 class for 2014. Now, many will point out the fortunate factors that benefited Tennessee. For one, the “Legacy Class” included many players with paternal ties to Knoxville. Also, the sudden talent surge in Tennessee high school football, a state that would occasionally put out a top ranked national prospect, but not several.

Whatever the case, Jones and his staff brought interest to Tennessee. Top prospects such as Jalen Hurd and Josh Malone were overlooking UT during the reign of the prior regime. For these players, their recruitment at Tennessee began with Jones and he deserves the credit for laying the “Brick by Brick” foundation off the field.

The biggest questions facing Jones are: Can he produce? How many years before the fans grow tiresome? How many bricks will he lay before he completes his house? When does his window of opportunity close?
Butch Jones has worked hard on the public relations aspect and in his recruiting. No doubt about that. He said all of the right things to fans. That in itself has endeared himself to the fan base.

Butch got a pass on last season's 5-7 record, as he should have. However, there were some moves he made and did not make that had bothered me. His handling if the QBs is one that will have to get sorted out and not become an annual puzzle and insert 4 QBs to see which one can play. I believe he will figure that one out.

Quote:
 
As the 2014 season rapidly approaches, Tennessee fans wonder whether this year will finally be “next year”. In the Volunteer state, “next year” seems to be a more anxiously awaited date than any holiday, anniversary or birthday combined. That mentality of “we’ll be back” or “wait until next year” has, unfortunately, become the mindset of Volnation for far too long.

What once seemed to be subpar or mediocre now seems like an extremely successful season in year two. Six wins and a bowl game. Ten years ago, a Tennessee team going 6-6 during the regular season would have called for Fulmer’s job. Now, its a sign of Jones’ progress to give his young, talented recruits some experience heading into the future.

At the same time, a notable percentage of Vol fans either A. Haven’t watched their team play a game since the 2007 SEC Championship or B. Are blindly optimistic and have ridiculously high expectations. To these people, who will undoubtably cast the blame on Coach Jones should he lose to highly favored teams, I write the following prediction…

Realistically, Tennessee will have its best chance to catch up to the top-tier SEC talent teams when Jones’ stellar freshman class has more experience at the collegiate level. If Tennessee struggles this season, it’s not the end of the world. Yes, it’s the same thing we’ve seen for last few miserable seasons, but being realistic, Tennessee’s time to shine is on the horizon and fans must give Jones and his players patience to grow.

Given the proper personnel of a competitively talented and experienced roster with depth, Jones has a great chance to win a championship at Tennessee. Will it be this season? Not realistically. Will it be next season? That’s certainly more possible. But, if Jones can stay in the good graces of the Tennessee fans and higher-ups, the “Brick by Brick” process will likely produce a mansion sometime around 2016.
I will have difficulty swallowing another 5-7 season. I can handle a 6-6 season, but with our talent, albeit young and inexperienced, 5-7 means that the coaching staff do not make a difference in any meaningful games.

It is time to start seeing our coaching star earn their keep on game day, not just on the recruiting front. It is time for Butch to start taking chances and not following the "cardinal rules of the coaching game" at every turn, especially when we are out-manned and in a situation where a big play can give us the momentum and sway the game to our favor and give our guys a real chance, instead of another Oregon game "deer in the headlights moment".

We know that Butch Jones can recruit. He is proving that. Can he be the same kind of coach on game day as he is on the recruiting trail? If is can grow into that level of coaching expertise, we could be in for some good times. I just believe that the fans are going to wait another 5 years for them to return.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
BJVOL III
Awesome
[ * ]
Tux, you are the first Tennessee fan to lose patience. There are other good coaching staffs with more talent in meaningful games. You seem to forget that!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
« Previous Topic · Neyland Stadium · Next Topic »
Add Reply