"Our traditional model at the University of Tennessee is that we evaluate these kinds of things on...

"Our traditional model at the University of Tennessee is that we evaluate these kinds of things on a year-end basis," said Hamilton in an exclusive interview with the News Sentinel on Tuesday and his first public comments in weeks on the subject. "That doesn’t preclude you from doing something different.

"But our typical model is that you let the seasons play out and then you evaluate them appropriately and give the student athletes and coaches their best chance to be successful in any particular year."

Hamilton not afraid to make coaching change : Football : GoVolsXtra.com

over 3 years ago Joel Hollingsworth 8 comments 0 recs |

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If you are a fan

of Fulmer these words do not bode well at all. Also in the article Hamilton made the comment that “apathy is a program killer” when discussing the possibility of decreasing contributions because of the teams record.

When discussing the record, his rejection of close games, specifically UCLA and Auburn, further the idea that change is on the horizon. Even his call for patience was mitigated by stating that it was his decision in the end and an emphasis on accountability.

All of these point combined paint a nasty picture of Fulmers future. It is, however, only one possible future. The ship can be righted for the remaining games and some of the clouds will clear. Whether it is too late remains to be seen. Whatever is going on, they need to be formulating a plan very, very soon or this will get ugly for more than just one season.

I personally hope they can turn things around, but my expectations are not exactly high at the moment.

by Muhler on Oct 15, 2008 1:15 PM EDT reply actions

He's dead-on about apathy.

Even if people hate how things are going, a red-hot fanbase is still a fanbase that cares. From a purely financial perspective, there’s still money in that (for the short term, of course). If the fan base quits caring, however, there’s no money to be made. You can’t draw funds by enthusiasm for the product or by hope for a change if nobody cares. It’s kinda like the stock market; a knowledgeable trader can make gain whether the market rises or falls; the only true enemy is the market that refuses to move.

If it’s a choice between fan apathy and a coaching change, it won’t matter how good of a job Fulmer does. The AD’s first “Maxim” must be to avoid apathy at all costs. Even if UT had won the last 5 national championships, it would be better to fire a coach than to let apathy set in. It’s that serious.

by David Hooper on Oct 15, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions

It Just Doesn't Jive

It’s almost as if Fulmer was set up to fail this season. Let’s face it, installing a new OC with new and different concepts had a pretty high chance to not work out so hot. I know Fulmer made the hire, but there is no doubt that Hamilton played a significant role in it as well.

If we were having a successful year right now, it would be all about the new Clawfense. Then the consensus would be to kick Philip’s butt out of town and install Clawson as our HC. As it is, it’s all Fulmer’s fault and he’s probably on his way out (unless UT wins every game this season, minus Bama, maybe).

I’m becoming dangerously close to being paranoid and buying into a conspiracy theory (a really annoying thing I find with UT fans), so I think I’ll stop typing.

by rblakeh on Oct 15, 2008 2:10 PM EDT reply actions

I could see that theory gaining steam.

Like you, I think I’ll punt on it and let it go. October’s my favorite month of the year, so there’s no sense in ruining it.

I’ll be honest, though; I thought the Clawson hire was an intentional attempt to prep the successor to Fulmer. I don’t think Chavis was ever in consideration (actually, I don’t think he’d even want the gig), but Clawson had the chance to fit that “young, fresh, hot up-and-coming” mold that programs seek anymore. I have no evidence for it, but I’ve always wondered if Fulmer was getting close to retiring in the next few years and was starting to prep the program for post-Papa life. So to me, it would be less of an anti-Fulmer conspiracy and more of a chance for Fulmer to leave an extended mark on the program.

And to be honest, I still like Clawson. No matter how this season plays out, I’ll be pulling for his future success wherever he’s at. I don’t think Clawson’s offense has been given a fair chance, which is an odd statement for the halfway point in the season. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t made mistakes though; the UGA-reading-our-offense thing is all him.

by David Hooper on Oct 15, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Your argument is probably the best possible case right now.

Clawson seems to be a fast learner. I still think he needs to understand that an offense needs to establish a rhythm (though I do believe he has improved significantly in this regard since the UCLA game) offensively to have any success. Obviously the (lack of) execution of our offense doesn’t help matters, but I still put a lot of this lack of rhythm on his shoulders.

He uses the G-Gun at really weird times, and he never uses it to its full extent. For the G-Gun to be successful, I think we need to open up the package, sit Stephens’ butt on the bench, and try to run the G-Gun for a series, not just a single down. If Stephens is going to stay in the game, then USE HIM (like Miami did with Pennington last Sunday). They talk about leaving Stephens in because it will “surprise” the defense, but instead it’s “Surprise! It’s 11 on 10 in favor of the defense!” Instead, we are moving the ball fairly well, and then all of the sudden Jones lines up at quarterback, runs a play, and then leaves the game. The numbers should be checked, but I’d be willing to wager that the G-Gun has stalled more drives than it has helped.

And, yeah, the whole Georgia being able to read our run direction thing… hopefully that is taken care of immediately. If Terrence Cody knows which hole our backs are going to be hitting, well, we can just kiss them goodbye. I’ve got this (untested) theory that if Terrence Cody hits you at full speed, the incredible energy given off by this collision will force your atoms to be consumed by his (we’re talking nuclear fusion here, people), and you cease to exist.

So anyway, I hope for Fulmer’s, Clawson’s, and UT’s sake, we can finish this season strong.

by rblakeh on Oct 15, 2008 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

Concur on the "Stephens in the G-Gun" thing

Perhaps it’s because Stephens only had a week-and-a-half (effectively) of 1st-team practice prior to the UGA game, but the G-Gun has to be an 11-man offense. Otherwise, you get an undisguised corner blitz where the 11th man is completely ignored. Besides, what’s the harm of throwing to Stephens at the sideline? If he’s uncovered, Jones can float an easy duck in his direction. Stephens can then hug the sideline until the safety is within about 10 yards of him. Or at the very least, Stephens could immediately head out-of-bounds after catching the ball. The worst case is Stephens losing a battle for the ball with a safety or corner, which is still a far softer blow than getting sacked by a DE.

But in general, the development of the G-Gun has been very slow, even during last year. It’s like the ‘Gun is more of a P.R. package than an actual offensive system. If it’s going to be used, it needs to be credible.

You hit on a good point. I bet Saban already has his film crew on alert to study the UT game to see if the tells have been fixed. By the time the UT game is over on Saturday, Saban will know whether he can use Georgia’s tricks against UT or not. That’s one frightening game if the problem isn’t cured.

by David Hooper on Oct 15, 2008 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Or

He could catch it and chuck it down field to Denarius Moore.

Jones is a dynamic player, and that package has endless possibilities that are tricksy, but not really that complicated. Even if it doesn’t go for a big gain, I think sometimes you need to call plays that make your offense feel like you have confidence in them.

Many of the coaching staff’s shortcomings this season are, IMO, debatable. However, based on purely circumstantial evidence, I think an accurate assessment of the UT coaching staff would be that they are coaching scared, on both sides of the ball. Having an erratic and error prone QB can do that to you, but I think we need to finally come out with all guns firing. I think the coaches’ lack of confidence in the players is beginning to take its toll. Competitors are capable of doing great things they never thought possible simply because it is expected of them.

For the last X number of years, everyone has been saying that UT is not as talented as the other SEC times. Sure, at first you can use that as ammo in the weight room and the practice field, but once your hometown fans and sports writers start saying the same thing, it gets a little more difficult to stomach. When your coaches start game planning to prevent mistakes or explosive plays instead of TO WIN, I’d say that that hurts a player more than anything else.

Oh, and just as a quick prediction that I hope I am W-R-O-N-G about. Either the Bulldogs or the Tide will see the tape of Stephens being completely uncovered in the UGA game and know that we are going to try to get a pass to him in the next game or two. I see a fake corner blitz and a pick 6 going the other way. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try to use Stephens in this package, but we sure as shootin’ better change the formation or something, or it will not work, at least not in the near future.

by rblakeh on Oct 15, 2008 4:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Well said.

As far as the Stephens-reception counterpunch you mention at the end, the best solution for UT would be to run the play in Stephens’s direction and let Jones read the pass/run on the fly. If the CB commits to the blitz, lob it over him to Stephens. If the CB stays with Stephens, he’ll probably have his back to the play if he was faking a blitz and Jones should be able to run. Worst case, Jones can see the play as a bust and throw the ball to the band.

Or, you could run a no-huddle and have Stephens line up at the UT sideline. Well, by “line up”, I mean go to the UT sideline and be replaced by a real receiver (Warren?). Then he could bounce back in the game the instant the play is over.

by David Hooper on Oct 15, 2008 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions