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Around SBN: Jeremy Lin Continues Rampage, New York Wins On Road

Layla Kiffin photo gallery? Um, no. Not here.

Welcome to the no-leering zone. You've been rolled. Thank you for coming. Have a great day. We're going to talk about our coach.

Yes, the lawyers were busy during the day yesterday. And hey, it's December. Time for school concerts (yes, even homeschoolers have concerts) and Christmas parties and stuff. So I'm behind. Way.

The press conference has pretty much already been unpacked by everyone, so let me just throw a couple more pennies on the pile.

  • I thought Lane Kiffin looked really nervous. Shoot, they were probably already thinking Deliverance, and the thought of his wife on the stage and John Adams in the front row had to be unnerving. He did get into the swing of things eventually, though, and I liked him. No reading a typed statement, just talking points. I think that equates to confidence and hints at a less conservative approach to things generally. Not concerned about making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. I like it.
  • Poking fun at Mike Hamilton. Also good. Not just the "Mike told me to say that about Florida" part, but also the "He's really down on me right now" part after mentioning for the second time, I think, that Tennessee didn't need to build anything else from a recruiting standpoint. Having a sense of humor is good, especially on the fly. Note this, though, too. That first statement shows that Hamilton had a part in the creation of the talking points. It's just good sense to get as many brains together as you can on that type of thing, especially because Hamilton knows better than Kiffin what the fans want to hear. But still, how much was Kiffin and how much was Hamilton? No way to know.
  • Not needing to build anything else. Good, too. It shows legitimate excitement over the product he's about to sell to recruits all over the nation. Go into a kids' living room and tell him that you know both the facilities at Southern Cal and the ones at Tennessee and tell them that Tennessee beats all? Very good.
  • Go interview everybody else first. Yes. Initially, I thought this was just chest-thumping, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized was underneath it all. Hamilton was likely going to do that anyway, but by saying it then, he can say now that he said it then. It not only shows confidence, but more importantly it deflates to some degree an argument now that Hamilton bought an impulse item on his way to the dairy section.
  • Al Davis. Pretty gracious here, I think, thanking him for giving him an opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL.
  • Releasing current staff members. Tough work. Got it out of the way quickly. Said nice things about them at the press conference. It wasn't them, they were just meeting at the crossroads.
  • Honoring Fulmer. It's a requirement for the incoming coach, but he seemed genuine enough.
  • First item of new business: recruiting. I can only talk to y'all for 45 minutes, then I'm on a plane to Memphis. Great. Go!
  • Working guys into the system. I really like the idea of devoting spring to auditioning the current guys and reserving much of the fall for auditioning the incoming players. The recruiting pitch it gives you is great, and I'd never thought about it that way. At some point in the fall, though, you need to assemble the team and get it ready to play, so I hope the audition doesn't drag on too long in the fall. Also, I hope it doesn't disincentivize the current players over the summer.
  • Patience, my new friends. Patience. This is very good. Of course, it won't be honored, or it won't seem like it's being honored, but saying it buys him some time to get the staff assembled. I agree with hooper, who says this likely means that Monte is in fact on board, and they just can't make it official until his season is over.
  • No promises. More expectations management. It doesn't always work, but it almost always helps. It reminded me of Bruce Pearl's continual harping on the "process." Don't worry about setting a goal to win a game next fall. That's foolishness. Focus instead on being better tomorrow than you were today and that win will take care of itself.
  • "Thanking" the former players. Shrewd way of mentioning his endorsements. If Peyton No Last Name is for him, who can be against him?

All in all, I ranked it as a Triple on the post-press conference poll. We haven't scored, but it's setting up nicely.

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"new" regime

i haven’t seen the entirity of the press conference (apparently, it’s not big news in Ga.), but i noticed that it was “beat Florida” (new rival), not “beat ’Bama” (Tradition rival).
  just sayin’.

whoshotwhointhewhatnow?

by thetennesseethumper on Dec 2, 2008 8:38 AM EST reply actions  

UTsports.com has the whole thing up.

You might have to poke around a bit to find the right link; they’ve also put up an abridged version. Find the one that starts with 10 minutes of nobody behind the podium. That’s the one that includes Peterson, Hamilton, Kiffin, the Q&a, and [eye roll] yes, the photo session.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 8:50 AM EST up reply actions  

Beating Florida has been more of a problem lately

Let’s just beat them both… how does that sound?

by rblakeh on Dec 2, 2008 10:33 AM EST up reply actions  

Well-played

Smart thinking, putting the phrase “Layla Kiffin photo gallery” on the page so all the Google searches will turn up here.

Lou Brock loves Lamp.

by birdjam on Dec 2, 2008 10:13 AM EST reply actions  

It not only shows confidence, but more importantly it deflates to some degree an argument now that Hamilton bought an impulse item on his way to the dairy section.

That’s rich :)

by rblakeh on Dec 2, 2008 10:32 AM EST reply actions  

Well, if nothing else, think of Layla this way:

At least everybody’s stopped talking about Petersen’s wife…

But other than that, I’m with you. It can’t be a good impression for them to show up into Knoxville, wave hello, and have every male leaving tongue prints on their computer screens.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 10:49 AM EST reply actions  

Good lord, she’s hawwwt. If Lane doesn’t work out, at least you get four years of looking at her in the stands.

by Tech92 on Dec 2, 2008 2:12 PM EST reply actions  

I think, for safety's sake, she'll be tucked away in a pressbox.

At least until the mandatory East Tennessee 2-year glandular cooling-off period has passed…

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 2:13 PM EST up reply actions  

OK, I broke down and watched the video. :-D

I was curious to see if you put Lane’s and Layla’s faces over the people in the video.

RTT: That’s how we roll.

;-)

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 2:12 PM EST reply actions  

WOW

I haven’t seen every coaches wife in college, obviously, but I gotta believe that Kiffin’s is probably the hottest one out there.

"Wherever you go, there you are"

by brik on Dec 2, 2008 2:37 PM EST reply actions  

let's give this guy a chance, ok so he has a "hot wife", so tuck your egos back into your pants!

 fi he got what it takes to bring back the vols to be ranked in the top 25, or number “1”, then he has got his hands full. and he’s gonna have some shoes to fill since coach fulmer is gone. let’s show some respect!

by rockytopgirl on Dec 2, 2008 4:14 PM EST reply actions  

Well said!

Welcome to RTT. And please accept my apology on behalf of my gender.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 4:30 PM EST up reply actions  

Yes, respect

I agree. No need to be rude and obnoxious about it…

But I don’t see anything wrong with respectfully admiring beauty. And she’s got it :)

by rblakeh on Dec 2, 2008 4:30 PM EST up reply actions  

It's one thing to acknowledge reality.

She is extremely beautiful. But the “hot wife” meme is getting way too much play in Big Orange interwebs right now. It’s not so bad here, but there are some rather crude comments popping up on the ’net.

(I’m agreein’ with ya, not counterpointing.)

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 4:34 PM EST up reply actions  

Yeah

I’ll admit I’m a member of a certain facebook group created by Clay Travis.

It seems pretty legit though. I don’t recall any crudeness.

by rblakeh on Dec 2, 2008 4:36 PM EST up reply actions  

Ok, that one I don't know about.

I’m facebook-free. I’ll trust your word on it.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 4:37 PM EST up reply actions  

Our Coaches Wife Is Hotter Than Your Coaches Wife

With the subtitle that this will clearly translate to SEC championships.

The SEC championships part is why I joined it, uh huh!

by rblakeh on Dec 2, 2008 4:40 PM EST up reply actions  

Hey, nothing wrong with beauty!

I don’t feel my comments were degrading at all, if they were I’m sure the fine managers of this site would not allow it to see the light of day. I also didn’ tknow there was a “my coach’s wife is hotter than your coach’s wife” going on out there (which I find to be extremely funny).
Now, as an impartial observer to Vol nation, I believe Kiffin can get Tennessee back in the top 25 without a sweat. Tennessee has an incredible football legacy and this guy is an incredible recruiter. If Fulmer did a half-way decent job of keeping some of his recruits from the top10 class he was putting together, then top 25 could be as early as next season. Top 10 could be as early as 3 years. National championship? That’s hard to say, because so much has to fall in place for that to happen, but I’d say Tennessee has all the necessary tools now at their disposal, they just have to go out and make it happen.

"Wherever you go, there you are"

by brik on Dec 2, 2008 4:54 PM EST up reply actions  

I think you were fine.

Like I said, acknowledgment is one thing; obsessing is another. My earlier apology was meant on a broad scale. And to affirm (like Joel did in this post itself) that we’re not going to go that route. We’re a UT sports blog, not a UT bikini blog.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 6:29 PM EST up reply actions  

The more I learn of Kiffin, the more I like his chances.

Obviously, he’s going to work hard. As far as recruiting, I haven’t heard of a single recruit turning away because Kiffin was hired, and it sounds like a few will come back. There’s still room for 9 more scholarships, if my count is correct, and about 2 months to get them distributed.

I’d still like to see more linemen on both sides of the ball, but he should get a bit of grace for a few weeks. There’s a lot more for him to deal with than just recruiting, not the least of which is the imminent entry of his new son into the world.

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 6:32 PM EST up reply actions  

oops!

i mean “if”. my bad!

by rockytopgirl on Dec 2, 2008 4:15 PM EST reply actions  

Great idea..

on the UT bikini blog. We are guys (or gals) that think ol Layla is attractive. I am thinking swimsuit calender :)

by Delta Vol88 on Dec 2, 2008 6:47 PM EST reply actions  

Swimsuit calendar

NFL cheerleaders do a swimsuit calendar every year (still not sure where the money for those go, it’s not like the ballclub needs it). I’m pretty sure the NCAA wouldn’t allow the university cheerleaders to do one, but coaches wives? Probably have to sell those at off campus book stores…

"Wherever you go, there you are" - Buckaroo Bonzai

by brik on Dec 2, 2008 7:23 PM EST up reply actions  

I'm sure you know this ...

But I wasn’t being a jerk when I said “I guess you guys are busy.” It’s just you and LawVol always comment on things like this, so I figured you were. No biggie, and I know you weren’t poo-pooing the comment.

I just wanted you to know that I didn’t mean it in a derogatory manner.

by The Ghost on Dec 2, 2008 10:47 PM EST reply actions  

I didn't think it sounded derogatory.

I realize you don’t mean me, but it certainly seemed friendly. Now if you had used a winkie instead of a smiley, them’d be fightin’ words! ;-)

(or not. I think it’s all chill.)

by David Hooper on Dec 2, 2008 11:54 PM EST up reply actions  

Oh, no

I didn’t take it that way, and I didn’t mean mine to come across as defensive, either. Just explanatory. Nothing so frustrating as a day job, huh?

;-)

Or should I use a smiley for hooper?

:-)

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Dec 3, 2008 6:17 AM EST up reply actions  

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