I gotta say

by Getoffmyvols on Feb 5, 2009 8:36 AM EST

In the words of Bob Dylan, " I must admit, I felt a little uneasy"...

watching the Kiffin/Orgeron signing day presser. I understand that all is fair in love and recruiting and I'm thrilled that we're swiping blue chips from Florida at the last second. However, the way Kiffin and Orgeron were talking about it yesterday just made me feel a little dirty. It wasn't the recruiting a "commitment" who told them know. It's the way they stood at the podium beating there chests about it.

To me they came off as guys who spend all night trying to meet a girl and take her home from the bar, get her to do so, then brag to all their buddies about how they pulled it off. ( I toned down this analogy to stay within the RTT Guidelines).

It was mainly the language that didn't sit well with me. I don't like how Kiffin keeps referring to them as recruits. I didn't like how Orgeron kept saying the word "take" these guys from Florida.

I understand its a war. I understand if we want to be a top tier SEC program you need to be ruthless. But I was just not a fan of some of the comments made by our coaches at the press conference yesterday.

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It's a chase for them

And that’s why they are so good at it. That ‘beating of the chest’ is exactly what is going to get some of the best talent in the country to come to UT. If the recruits don’t mind it, I don’t mind it. As long as they are fair and stay within the rules, they can do whatever they want.

by rblakeh on Feb 5, 2009 9:16 AM EST reply actions

You're probably right...

Without a doubt they are getting people talking. I guess I’m just used to the family style of recruiting we’ve known for so long that this just seems a little off to me. These guys are some of the best in the business at what they do, they know it, and they are not shy about letting other people know it.

by Getoffmyvols on Feb 5, 2009 9:30 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah, I understand where you're coming from

Wasn’t necessarily attacking your POV. I just think this is the nature of recruiting now. I believe that once they get enrolled and involved with the team, they do become family. Kiffin and Co just have a different way of getting them here.

by rblakeh on Feb 5, 2009 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

Yeah

And remember this, too: the terms used in the recruiting process don’t mean what they usually mean. Generally, it’s bad form to fool with someone “committed” to something else, whether it’s a spouse or an exclusive business contract or whatever. But “commit” here really means “current intention,” and that’s fair game.

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 5, 2009 10:53 AM EST up reply actions

Oh, wow.

Could you imagine if spousal commitments were treated much as recruiting commitments?

Oh, wait. Hollywood.

by David Hooper on Feb 5, 2009 10:59 AM EST up reply actions

Fair observation.

That’s good to consider. The new staff has the potential to do great things, but they also have the potential to screw things up. That’s noteworthy, and it’ll be worth the while to keep an eye on their language. Is it perhaps a difference in rhetoric or is it an actual difference in perception? Either way, is it good, bad, or simply different?

by David Hooper on Feb 5, 2009 9:46 AM EST reply actions

I Really Don't Mind It All that Much

I think it kinda brings that swagger back to Rocky Top. Going down to Florida and “taking commits” is exactly what we need to do. We’ve lost a step in the SEC over the last couple of years, its obvious. Georgia, Flordia, and Alabama have all raided the state of Tennessee over the past couple years. And to be completely honest I don’t mind “taking” from them either.

by bsmithinc on Feb 5, 2009 11:57 AM EST reply actions

UT is now the team everyone is gunning for...

and that is in no way a positive thing. Thanks to the classless rantings by your coach, many teams in the SEC will now aim to embarrass your your program. I hope you enjoyed what happened to your team last year, because I believe it will come back around two-fold.

I know you fans don’t control what he says, but that will make no difference when you play FL and Bama next year. See you in Tuscaloosa.

by brandonh on Feb 5, 2009 3:14 PM EST reply actions

LOL

by rblakeh on Feb 5, 2009 3:28 PM EST up reply actions

Because Florida and Alabama weren’t really motivated to play their best against Tennessee, right? Before this, they were just planning on going through the motions – a win would be nice but a loss is no biggie?

In all seriousness, this year is probably going to be a punt for UT. Prior to this class, the previous 3 were sketchy overall. UT has not brought in the talent that the others have, and the coaching changes have left us without any continuity of system or development. From an entirely detached view, it’s not like immediate dominance is the expectation.

When Lane talks about “when” they’ll win national championships, it’s always out in the future – starting perhaps 3 to 4 years from now. So don’t worry too much about this season. No tears. Also, no regrets. Lastly, the foundation for whoopings is to not strive to be the best.

And on a personal note, do understand that football is not life. Other people are driven nuts by the “arrogance” of Meyer and Saban in much the same way Kiffin grates at you. It’s the way we work as people; we’re very clan-driven. Relax and enjoy the ride. It’s a lot of fun, really.

by David Hooper on Feb 5, 2009 4:12 PM EST up reply actions

That's funny..

you talked down to me as if you know more than I. I laughed.

by brandonh on Feb 5, 2009 5:43 PM EST up reply actions

No.

I don’t assume to know more than you. In fact, I respect you.

by David Hooper on Feb 5, 2009 11:07 PM EST up reply actions

Touche

by bsmithinc on Feb 5, 2009 11:16 PM EST up reply actions

I hope that didn't come out wrong.

I try to treat every opposing fan as if we were seated at the same table at a sports bar. I don’t get the hatred that some people build up for others simply because they happened to grow up in a particular state or follow a particular team.

by David Hooper on Feb 5, 2009 11:47 PM EST up reply actions

I'm assuming you're a bama fan because

You’re apparently forgetting Florida wiped their gator behinds with Nick Saban’s tears in the SEC championship. Dunno why you’d come to a Vols forum board and defend a team that kicks you around, too. Let’s face it.. Florida is the top dog once again this coming year.

by samhitch on Feb 5, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions

Don't do that.

Don’t glob on to another team’s accomplishments in an effort to bash a rival. Its stupid, and you put down your own program when you do it. UT is a big dog in the SEC and certainly had its run atop the conference so there’s no need to live vicariously through Florida in order to needle a ’Bama fan. Rise up, my friend, rise up.

That being said, I love that UT coaches are mixing it up like this. You all have to admit, some of the drama that goes on in this league is part of what makes it so great and so damn entertaining. I haven’t heard my fellow bammers talk about UT this much since we last heard the name Logan Young.

Thirty-Six to Nothing

by Bens4vcobra on Feb 6, 2009 9:55 AM EST up reply actions

This from the guy whose team employed Coach Fran?

Really, it’s cute.

Oh, can you tell Albert Means I said hi next time you see him?

by Chris Pendley on Feb 5, 2009 8:58 PM EST up reply actions

Good pass Bjorklund!

by wvvol on Feb 5, 2009 7:39 PM EST reply actions

Ooops. Wrong thread!

by wvvol on Feb 5, 2009 7:40 PM EST up reply actions

Nice!

Go Vols!

by Joel Hollingsworth on Feb 5, 2009 8:02 PM EST up reply actions

Impressed

Getoffmyvols,

You seem like a stand up guy. I’m a huge Alabama fan, and I applaud you for speaking your mind. Honestly I hate the Tennessee football program, but I think Tennessee fans are some of the greatest in the SEC (aside from our own fans of course). My best friend happens to be a Tennessee fan, and we have a good, respectful rivalry between the two of us. I went to college in Memphis and did some graduate work at Vanderbilt, so I met a lot of great people/fans there. Unfortunately your coaching staff of late has not been reflective of the great people in Tennessee. I don’t want to get into a debate on Fulmer, but I’m sure you all have an idea of what I thought about him. Anyway, I thought Kiffen was a good hire for you guys at first, especially with Monty coming along. The way my friend explained the Tajh Boyd situation to me also seemed like a stand up move by Kiffen, i.e. encouraging him to go elsewhere so that he would fit in better.

Lately though, Kiffen has been acting like a sleezeball, IMO. Bragging about stealing other coaches and bragging about stealing recruits from other schools… please. That’s low class. But what really turned me off to Kiffen was what he did this morning. Kiffen was bragging about encouraging a young kid to lie to newspapers and the Florida staff to make them think he wasn’t visiting. Is that how a coach is supposed to conduct himself? Then he slanders Urban Meyer with the accusation that he cheated while bragging that Tennessee still got the recruit.

Kiffen could have made up for this with a sincere apology, but instead he gave excuses and a non-apology. He didn’t even have the guts to admit that he was wrong about Urban Meyer cheating. Kiffen says he’s sorry for offending. What? The problem wasn’t that he offended anyone. It was that he made false accusations. This was no doubt the least sincere apology I’ve heard in a long time.

I hope some Tennesseans or perhaps Monty Kiffen will step up and tell Lane quit the childish behavior.

by Zoltar on Feb 5, 2009 9:03 PM EST reply actions

I'm not sure we've seen enough of Kiffin to make a call on him either way.

At this point the data we have on him isn’t diverse enough to make me think one thing or another; I’m still undecided on how he’ll be as a HC, and i wonder how much of the bravado is because he thinks it’s something he should be doing, not that it’s something he wants to do. I’ll wait and see for now, since examining each point on its own is going to lead to remarkably different conclusions.

by Chris Pendley on Feb 5, 2009 9:21 PM EST up reply actions

Thanks Zoltar

I think the main thing I’ve learned is that Kiffin says what he feels and doesn’t seem to care what anyone of his competitors think or what anyone is going to write about it. To a large extent its refreshing to Tennessee fans. We are usually the vicitim of little jabs and comments and no one ever seemed to fire back. So I like the fact that Kiffin and Co. don’t mind pissing off the opposition. I just think sometimes a little coach-speak is really the best way to go.

When Spurrier ruled the SEC he could say whatever he wanted. Because his team backed it up, 7 Conference Titles in 12 years. Really the only tangible thing this staff has to hang there hat on is swiping a few recruits, which yea, was a solid accomplishment, but at the same time not only did we not sign our number 1 priority but we lost him to a rival. So I personally don’t see the need to be so blunt and boastful about the recruiting successes we’ve had.

The cheating comment I sincerely believe was just meant to fire up the people at the banquet so I really didn’t think much of it, yea he shouldn’t have said it. But I really think he just used poor judgement and it wasn’t that big of a deal. Thus the vanilla apology.

by Getoffmyvols on Feb 6, 2009 9:40 AM EST up reply actions