Lane Kiffin, Tennessee, and Volunteers Fans: An Epilogue

Lane who?

But I’m still pretty pissed for that Jim Rome interview. I think that’s worthy of drawing ire, and I’ll certainly be rooting against USC and advising my cousin not to go there if Kiffin is still the coach.

That said, we don’t want him to be our focus at Tennessee. Let’s go Coach Dooley!

I feel close to the same way. “He” did instill discipline, both in the classroom as well as the field of play. He could have really built something here.

Spot on about the USC job. He could have allowed USC to hire someone else to navigate them through the inevitable probation, and then become head coach in 3-5 years.

It comes down to ethics, like you said. Society as a whole has trended towards a belief that if something makes you happy, you should do it, regardless of how it affects those around you. Whether the subject is relationships, money management or coaching, this belief permeates the thought processes of many people.

but that has more to do with my dislike of that university’s sports teams then my dislike for the current head football coach

I did not appreciate the way he left, but I think it’s like a breakup…the anger lifts with time. And the anger of leaving is because of the good things that he did do and the way he left…not to mention the comments (Jim Rome). If he was a complete failure here, well, then let’s gift wrap him to USC. But I, too, am done with Kiffin as of our press conference last night at 9pm. Go VOLS!

Welcome Coach Dooley!!!

rec’d

ps. cutcliffe metaphor that would have made us feel better?

Sorry to troll. I had become a Vols fan under Kiff and will continue. Perhaps one thing missing from the discussion of Kiff’s motivation was the pressure from his wife and three young daughters to move back to the place that his kids call home. Hopefully, some of you with kids can relate to that. No one saw this coming or expected it. Not now. The opening at SC was as surprising as the Haitian earthquake.

Anyway, Dooley looks like a great hire, the recruiting class will be saved and then some, and Bryce Brown may win the Heisman in 2012. Still hope the Vols give the Tide and Gators hell.

Cliffs Notes version is that it’s not that he left, it’s how he left. It seems to really be his dream job, but you must forgive us if we feel a little dirty and don’t believe a single word that slips his lips.

Not speaking for other Vol fans, but the calling of kids already on campus, who were preparing to go to class the next day is what sticks in my craw. Then there was the none-too-subtle shots at UT after he left, which were just unnecessary considering UT took a chance on him after he had been cast onto the coaching scrap heap.

It can be defended by the “winning at all costs” argument, as can any ethically reprehensible coaching behavior.

I’m over it and ready to see what our new Double D coach can do. Just hope Bryce Brown decides to continue to rep the Orange and we can piece together a decent O-Line.

Especially with the statement that Coach Sprinkles worked hard for UT. I feel like he worked hard for himself promoting himself. It’s clear from his post-departure statements that he did not care a flip for Tennessee as in institution and that it was merely a stepping stone….albeit a quick 1 hop stepping stone. Listen to his comments. All the BS about having to get the Tennessee brand out there as being the reason for all his toe stomping….No, he just needed something that sounded good so people wouldn’t fixate on the idea that he just screwed up. All the excuses he made for his missteps, we for the most part believed because, heck, we didn’t want to admit to ourselves that maybe Tennessee was doing things the wrong way. And now all we’re left with is a vulnerable inferiority complex, an ongoing investigation, and utter bitterness. This guy can come up with a slick response for just about anything. And anyone will believe it. Heck we believed he actually wanted to be here. All he did was eschew the very things that makes us Tennessee and run up a huge bar tab with every other coach in the SEC. Look at his presser at SC…instead of going to war with every other coach in his new conference, a la December-January of 08/09, he started talking about the healthy respect he had for all the great coaches in the Pac-10. I’m sorry but the coaches in the Pac-10 don’t hold a candle to the achievements of current coaches in the SEC. He never gave a you-know-what about being here and he never wanted to stay. I’m sorry, this guy had no internalization of the position of Head Football Coach of the University of Freaking Tennessee. He worked for himself and no other. He used us. Plain and simple. I’ve said it before, Sprinkles is the must successful self promoter I’ve ever seen.

As for the statement, “he is a good football coach.” More disagreement! A football coach is more than just playcalling, X’s and O’s, and recruiting. A 7-6 record with more quality moral victories than quality victories, plus his past at Oakland—-sorry, I just can’t get see the indicators there telling us that this guy was a quality football coach. “Coach in what way did you leave Tennessee in better way than when you found it? Well, we won 2 more games, we lost prettier to Florida and Bama, and we left them with a great incoming roster (which we are about to raid).” To quote Uncle Verne Lundquist: “Are you KIDDING me?”

NO, I see a brash, immature thirty something that racks up violations like no other, stepped, no stomped, on the toes of coaching greats in this league, and is now taking every opportunity to take a dig at the very institution that gave him a shot when no other school dared. Yellow shirts, “I had to get the word out on Tennessee,” et cetera et cetera et cetera. Sprinkles had no respect for anything. IMHO, respect is something that every “good coach” has.

His inability to move on from his time at USC ended up with him driving this proud program in another direction—-and he did that rather halfway. So now we’re stuck in this curious purgatory of what we were, what Sprinkle’s wanted us to be, and, now where we want or think we should be. That’s why I loved what Dooley had to say about every Program being unique and that there is no cookie cutter solution for all of College Football. Dooley is saying that he is going to do it the Tennessee way. Hallefreakinglujah.

Will, I feel like you are trying to write something cathartic to gain perspective and move on. And in order to move on in a healthy way, you are trying to do it through the most positive way possible. But I just can’t bring myself to agree with you (frankly, I think you are being way too nice) on those points. It’s a nice sentiment and mature way to operate, but I can’t do it without thinking about all the harm that was done with Sprinkles’ hire and subsequent flight. But I will move on. We got to. But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the Schadenfreude when Karma rears its head and Coach Sprinkles gets to experience something akin to what he forced upon the Tennessee Volunteers.

As for DFWTrojan, I’ve been to the SC blog and I noticed the uneasiness and worries about ethics when the topic of Chief Red Bull recruiting our mid term enrollees came up. I would have posted too but you all have a three day wait period before one can post. But believe you me, if you ever feel a bit of uneasiness or cringe when Sprinkle’s says something stupid or disparaging or makes some ridiculous excuse that everyone else but you seems to buy….then you will know how a lot of Volunteer fans felt over the past several months. I’ve got no problems with SC. None. But I think you have a snake in your house. A snake with a very good coach (his father) in his corner. But a snake nonetheless. Monte can’t be there to keep his Sprinkles out of trouble forever.

So, I guess it is better we found out now rather than later. I have to admit, he taught me to trust my gut and not my ears. My gut warned me that he was role-playing, but the loss of Phillip was so expensive, I didn’t listen to it and was determined to throw my shoulder into the change. What was the choice? So, now he is back home and recruiting 13 year olds and we have a legacy SEC son as coach. So, it was a lesson. An expensive one, but a lesson just the same.