Rocky Top Talk: FanPosts

Reasons for Optimism: Offensive Line Coach Edition

2013-02-20T22:39:26Z

At the end of the last disastrous season of Tennessee football, the consensus at Rocky Top Talk seemed to be that three coaches on the Dooley staff deserved consideration to stick around, based on the work they'd done: Offensive Coordinator Jim Chaney, RB Coach (and Vol legend) Jay Graham, and OL Coach Sam Pittman. Of the three, Pittman seemed among the most obvious to be maintained: he had done yeoman's work turning around a talented, but under-achieving group that had largely quit on previous coach Harry Hiestand. In fact, several current Vols seemed to rally around the idea of keeping Pittman, praising him on their twitter accounts.

Alas, Coach Jones chose to clean house, retaining only Coach Graham, and installed former Central Michigan and Cincinnati staff member Don Mahoney as offensive line coach. Pittman quickly landed on his feet coaching the same position at Arkansas on Bret Bielema's new staff, again working under Jim Chaney... and giving many Vol fans a sense of unease as the "best coaching staff in America" seemed to be composed largely of former coaches from Coach Jones' Cincinnati staff.

Well, rejoice, fellow RTTers! ESPN's Big East blogger Andrea Adelson's new blog post What's in store for Cincinnati run game? covering the Cincinnati run game from the past two years throws out some stats we'd all like to see: back-to-back thousand yard rushers, a seamless change from one lead back to another, and most importantly, two First-Team All Big East players on the offensive line.

So, reason for optimism: maybe Coach Jones brought Mahoney along because he's good at his job.

Michael Dyer and Isaiah Crowell

2013-02-12T14:52:17Z

Sitting at Calhoun's on the River last night listening to Butch Jones in his first in person Vol Calls appearance, I heard Bent Hubbs pose the question of if this year's recruiting class was finished, or if the coaching staff would look to add more players. Coach Jones said that they were continuing to recruit players for this class, but I didn't think too much about it. Then I got home and read this article from the guys at BleacherReport.com

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1518767-tennessee-football-4-recruits-vols-could-add-after-national-signing-day

To me, the most interesting prospects listed are Michael Dyer, formerly of Auburn, and Isaiah Crowell, formerly of Georgia. Both were five star guys, both were monsters their freshman year, and both were run out of town due to trouble with the law. However, either one could come to Tennessee and probably start immediately, or at least make a huge impact. They could fill at least some of the void left in the play making department by the departure of Paterson, Hunter, and Bray.

So I thought I would pose the question to the RockyTopTalk community. Are these guys worth the risk? What are the trade-offs between on-field production and potential locker room turmoil?

In my opinion, I see this as a low-risk, high reward opportunity. IF one or both would be interested and IF we have the scholarships available I say go for it. Put them on a short leash and if trouble appears let them go, and we're back to square one with nothing gained and nothing lost. These guys know this would probably be their last chance at playing major college football, so it would be reasonable to believe they would be on their best behavior. Again, not sure if there is even any mutual interest, but it is an interesting idea. So tell me, what do you folks think?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1518767-tennessee-football-4-recruits-vols-could-add-after-national-signing-day

So I thought I would pose the question to the RockyTopTalk community. Are these guys worth the risk? What are the trade-offs between on-field production and potential locker room turmoil?

Poll

Should Butch Jones and his staff recruit Michael Dyer and/or Isaiah Crowell?

Recruit Michael Dyer only

21 votes

Recruit Isaiah Crowell only

10 votes

Recruit either one

70 votes

DO NOT recruit either one

31 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

The other grass... is Greener

2013-01-27T06:56:49Z

UT didn't manage to get a commitment from coveted 5 star running back Derrick Green. He opted instead to go play at Michigan. What does this mean for the Vols? Where do we go from here? I have watched our running backs from last year and am not really impressed by any of them. Hopefully Butch Jones has an ace up his sleeve to fix the run game. On another note many people thought that Derrick Green could cause a domino affect with other high level recruits causing them to sign with TN. However I am worried that this is just a sign of things to come with other big names i.e. Vonn Bell and Carl Lawson. A couple more weeks and we will know if Butch Jones has what it takes to get top level talent to come to big orange country.

Signing Day Celebration

2013-01-19T01:43:48Z

Evan Woodberry just tweeted that Coach Jones is going to have a Signing Day Celebration just like Fulmer used to. Here is the link to the story.

Link.

Only 500 people, buffet dinner, and a chance to meet the coaches. I have my tickets. Are you going to go?? I am not sold on this guy yet, although I am leaning more that way every day. I would like to get a chance to see him personally and get a real feel for what he is all about.

Evan Woodberry just tweeted that Coach Jones is going to have a Signing Day Celebration just like Fulmer used to. Here is the link to the story.

Link.

Working Draft of RPI Projection

2013-01-07T06:12:22Z

All data provided by Live-RPI.com.

This is nowhere close to finished... but I'd like to go ahead and publish things to see if anyone has ideas about what else I could do with this. Or anyone has some good ideas for changes. Note that I do intend on getting rid of the characters for spacing and using some nice looking image-based headers rather than just bolded or underlined text.

along with RPI estimates and estimated final RPI ranks for each opponent

RPI PROJECTION
Current RPI = #72
RPI Value = 0.5593

Ole Miss(#45) –------W = 1-0 = RPI @
@ Bama(#92) –------ L = 1-1 = RPI @
@ UK(#36) –--------- L = 1-2 = RPI @
MissState(#237) –---W = 2-2 = RPI @
@ Ole Miss(#45) –--- L = 2-3 = RPI @
Bama(#92) –-------- W = 3-3 = RPI @
Vanderbilt(#180) ----- W = 4-3 = RPI @
@ Arkansas(#80) –- W = 5-3 = RPI @
Georgia(#179) –----- W = 6-3 = RPI @
@ S.Car(#234)-----– W = 7-3 = RPI @
@ Vanderbilt(#180)–W = 8-3 = RPI @
UK(#36) –----------- W = 9-3 = RPI @
LSU (#85) –---------- L = 9-4 = RPI @
@ TAMU (#99) –----- L = 9-5 = RPI @
UF(#10) –------------ L = 9-6 = RPI @
@ Georgia(#179)-----W = 10-6 = RPI @
@ Auburn(#199) ------ W = 11-6 = RPI @
Mizzou(#26) –------- W = 12-6 = RPI @

I'm using projected RPI ratings and the bonus/penalty received for a win/loss against a similar team in non-conference to project UT's RPI under my predictions. When no game has a close match I will find a non-UT game if required. Note: This is, once again, a VERY ROUGH estimate.

Similar non-conference opponent and outcome for each BasketVol conference game... and the expected impact of that game at the end of the season. RPI impact is divided into a number for a win on the left and a number for a loss on the right. Predicted outcome is highlighted.

RPI IMPACT
OPPONENT____________WIN IMPACT-------LOSS IMPACT

Ole Miss(#45) __________ at MTSU = +1.02_____ at Loyola-Marymount = +1.01
at Alabama(#92) _______
at Kentucky(#36) ______
Mississippi State(#237) =
at Ole Miss(#45) =
Alabama(#92) =
Vanderbilt(#180) =
at Arkansas(#80)
Georgia(#179)
at South Carolina(#234)
at Vanderbilt(#180)
Kentucky(#36)
LSU(#85)
at Texas A&M(#99)
Florida(#10)
at Georgia(#179)
at Auburn(#199)
Missouri(#26)

Coach Butch Jones on Erik Ainge Show 12/20/12

2012-12-20T01:49:12Z

Butch Jones will be on the Erik Ainge Show on Tennessee Sports Radio tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. On 1180 AM if you've never tuned in. Call in or tweet any questions you might have for our new fearless leader. I prefer to listen on the free app on my iPhone. Minus the commercials still present, it's nice.

....and now I feel like I just did a TSR promo for free.

Go vols.

....and now I feel like I just did a TSR promo for free.

Go vols.

Academics Vs. Athletics

2012-12-15T19:43:42Z

I am an ardent Vols fans…always have been, but…….not to be a wet blanket on a site about athletics, I would much rather see Tennessee become a top-ranked university for ACADEMIC reasons any day than have championship athletic teams. Tennessee needs to be thought of nationally the way that Virginia and North Carolina are regarded.

Come on, we all know that college athletics are totally corrupt, that the “student athlete” is a total joke. Look at the miserable lack of emphasis on scholarship among athletes. Look at the repeated problems with athletes, from bar room brawls to rape to theft, etc. etc. ad nauseum. College athletes should be either paid a salary as semi-professionals or held to strict academic standards (and I don't mean being allowed to take trumped-up courses whose only purpose is to keep them at school).

I would much prefer Tennessee be known as a GREAT national University.

Butch Jones & the Smashmouth Spread

2012-12-09T15:52:08Z

With the hiring of UT's 24th head football coach Butch Jones, many Vols fans have asked the question, "How did we end up here?" There is no real answer to that question. The truth is, that question itself, can be interpreted in multiple ways.

Volunteer fans everywhere most likely went to sleep with a smile on their face the very first time they heard the name Gruden mentioned in the same sentence as UT football. Unfortunately, that was a pipe-dream lasting 16 days longer than it should have.

Rumors (or Grumors as they began to be known as on twitter) were everywhere. First fans heard it was a done deal. That wasn't true. Then we heard the money was there for Gruden, but he wanted more money for his assistants. Was that true? Who knows? The consensus on twitter was that Gruden had a memorandum of understanding in his hand, but Athletic Director Dave Hart wouldn't come off the cash for the staff he wanted. Only Hart and Gruden know if there were any truth to that. All of the Gruden talk was finally put to rest with Grudens agent using the word "fantasy."

Mike Gundy wanted a raise, or power, or both from Oklahoma State. This was evident when he "allegedly" picked Dave Hart & Co. up from the airport and entertained the idea of making his athletic director(and possibly himself) one of the most hated men in OSU history. Many Vol fans would have been happy with Gundy, but I believe a very small percent ever thought he was coming to Knoxville.

Next up? Charlie Strong. Now this is when it began to get interesting. Strong knows the SEC, can recruit, and has a defensive background. He was everything Hart said he was looking for in a coach the day he fired Derek Dooley.

Most fans envisioned Charlie Strong retaining Jim Chaney as his offensive coordinator if he came to Knoxville. Strongs defense paired with what Chaneys offense did in 2012 could have been a win-BIG now scenario had Strong taken the job. Strong stayed at Louisville so we will never know.

What we do know is that Butch Jones wanted the job, and Butch Jones got the job.

Jones brings with him a no-huddle, spread style offense that he himself describes as ,"Pro-style." He didn't want to call it a spread because people associate the spread with finesse. If you watch any film on the Bearcats from 2012 you will see an offense that played smashmouth football. Coach Jones offense uses a power-run game from spread formations. With the talent he can bring to Knoxville, along with the talent that's already there, it shouldn't be long now and the Vols offense will begin to look a lot like what the Oregon Ducks bring to the field.

Coach Jones acknowledged that if you want to be the best, you have to compete with the best. Right now, the best in the SEC is Alabama. Since 2010, Alabama has lost five games. In 2010 they lost to South Carolina(Stephen Garcia couldn't throw an incompletion in the first half if he tried), LSU(Jordan Jefferson), and Auburn(Cam Newtons comeback from down 21). In 2011, they lost to LSU and in 2012 to Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M. Those four teams all have one thing in common, they all run some variation of a spread offense.

Maybe Dave Hart did know what he was doing after all.

Perception seems to be that Jones is a lesser coach than Strong because Strong was offered the job first. That may not necessarily be the case. Jones is 2-1 against Strong. Hart may have offered Strong the job with the idea that Strong would retain the current offensive staff and keep Tennessee from having to buy-out all of those contracts. But again, that's something only Dave Hart knows.

Big Orange fans still have a lot of questions even now that we know who the coach will be. Will Tyler Bray go pro? Are Patterson and Hunter gone too? Will Tee Martin be joining the staff? If Martin comes, will he bring the 4 & 5 star recruits with him that he has been trying to convince to go to Southern Cal? Who is John Jancek and can he bring us a National Championship caliber defense?

In 2011, Janceks defense led the FBS in tackles for loss with 8.62 per game. They were 2nd in the nation in sacks with 3.46 per game, 6th in run defense allowing 96.23 yards per game. They were 20th in scoring defense (20.31), 9th in turnover margin (0.92), and 4th nationally with 33 takeaways. Janceks specialty seems to be coaching up linebackers. While at Georgia, Jancek mentored two-time first-team all-SEC selection Rennie Curran. Curran was a Butkus Award finalist in 2008, and a Rotary Lombardy & Chuck Bednarik awards finalist in 2009.

2013 should be an interesting season to say the least. Our Vols will have a new look with or without Bray under center. Coach Jones already has a QB on his roster that he recruited to run his offense in Nathan Peterman. We will know more about that situation when or if Bray declares himself eligible for the NFL Draft.

Someone once told me that it's not where your from, it's where you are going. And while we might not know how we got here, at least now we know where we are. Go Vols!

What we do know is that Butch Jones wanted the job, and Butch Jones got the job.

Maybe Dave Hart did know what he was doing after all.

Someone once told me that it's not where your from, it's where you are going. And while we might not know how we got here, at least now we know where we are. Go Vols!

How Can They Do That?

2012-12-08T00:00:32Z

I am a UT graduate and a life time supporter but I just do not understand. How - after the coaching Merry-go-Round we have been on, after the dismal last few years, after all the empty seats in Neyland, after becoming the laughing stock of the SEC - how can they fire Dooley before the end of the seaason and not have a replacement ready to name?
My God, is Hart a complete fool?
Is Cheeks a brilliant academic with no common sense?
Are the members of the Board of Trustees asleep?
Maybe I missed something but (no offense to Jones-he maybe our savior) this search made all of UT (admin, fans, everyone) look like complete fools.

I am a UT graduate and a life time supporter but I just do not understand. How - after the coaching Merry-go-Round we have been on, after the dismal last few years, after all the empty seats in Neyland, after becoming the laughing stock of the SEC - how can they fire Dooley before the end of the seaason and not have a replacement ready to name? My God, is Hart a complete fool? Is Cheeks a brilliant academic with no common sense? Are the members of the Board of Trustees asleep? Maybe I missed something but (no offense to Jones-he maybe our savior) this search made all of UT (admin, fans, everyone) look like complete fools.

A Modest Proposal: Tennessee Should Join the ACC

2012-12-07T18:22:01Z

Welcome, Coach Jones!

As a life-long Vols fan born and raised in the state of Tennessee, I sincerely hope that our university, state, and fanbase collectively do everything possible to ensure that Coach Jones wins as many games as is humanly possible.Those of us older than ten years of age grew up winning games...lots and lots of games. We like winning games. When we won those games, we were happy, happy, happy. We bought orange clothing and traveled to Knoxville and felt relatively confident that we would drive home with a big fat smile on the face. That smile remained on the face all week.

That was an enjoyable feeling, and a feeling I have not felt in a few years. In fact, in this troubled economy, I have not really wanted to spend my money on the gasoline required to drive home with a frown. Why the frown? Losing football games. Why do we lose those games? There are many possible explanations. Allow me to propose one:

We simply cannot compete in the modern SEC.

Tennessee has a long history of competing in the SEC...in the 20th Century. In the 20th Century, Nick Saban was in the Big 10, Les Miles was in the Big 12, Mark Richt was an assistant at Florida State, and nobody had ever heard of James Franklin. Steve Spurrier was our only problem. Now, he is two problems. He made Florida the national power it is today, and he has completely turned around a South Carolina program we used to dominate.

I do not mean to suggest that the coach in place is the only factor. It is well documented that Tennessee won the national championship primarily with players from OTHER Southeastern states. In the modern SEC, the best players in those states stay home (or go to Alabama). There are only a few SEC players in Tennessee high schools, and Vanderbilt is getting far more than they used to get.

How do we resolve this? Allow me one modest proposal: In this time of conference realignment, Tennessee should move to the ACC.

Some of you will be offended by this proposal. That's okay. The offended will likely be those individuals with:

1. Highly competitive natures

2. A love of the SEC

3. A sense of pride in the SEC

or 4. A genuine belief that we can return to the national title game if we just hire the right coach

I do not possess any of those things. In fact, I hate the 21st Century SEC because my team cannot compete in it. Furthermore, why brag about being in a conference in which you can only win one conference game? I quote Vince Lombardi: "Winning isn't everything...It's the only thing." I like winning. Winning is fun.

Here are my reasons for an ACC move:

1. We could compete for the national championship.

When the new playoff system comes in, the selection committee will likely choose three conference champions and one "at-large" team (according to ESPN). The second best SEC team will likely get the at-large spot. How likely is it that we are one of the top two SEC teams? Not likely at all, for reasons I have already addressed.

If we win the ACC, which is possible considering a .500 Georgia Tech team made it to the Championship Game, we would have to have a better record than any two conference champions from the Big 10, Big 12, or Pac 12. That is completely possible, considering we could compete in the ACC. Would we get killed? Maybe, maybe not. You can talk all month about Notre Dame's strength of schedule, but at least those jokers are IN the national game.

We cannot compete for the national playoffs in the SEC. We will lose too many games to be considered.

2. It would mean less travel for our Olympic sports.

Is Syracuse a long way from Knoxville? Yes, but so is College Station, Texas. Think about how often UT would be competing against the likes of NC State, Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. Those are all in North Carolina, which is EXTREMELY close to Knoxville, relatively speaking. Plus, the ACC would be a great conference for basketball and soccer (two sports in which our women particularly excel).

3. I like winning.

When we beat NC State, I was happy. Why? Winning makes me happy. I think we could win more frequently in the ACC than we could in the SEC. I am tired of finishing 10th nationally in recruiting but 7th in our own conference. I would rather finish with a 17th-24th ranked recruiting class that is Top 3 in our conference. Furthermore, I would rather win actual football games. I would venture a guess that we could win consistently in the ACC and compete in bowl games on a yearly basis. I like going to bowl games, though I am starting to forget what they feel like.

4. Winning football is better for business.

Winning football means more sweatshirts sold, more tickets bought, more willingness to spend on gas, and more smiles on returns home. Joel would not have to worry about diversifying business. Winning means orange, orange everywhere. I never bought one single piece of Tennessee clothing because we are in the SEC. I bought orange clothing because we were winning.

4. We are who we are.

Let's face it. We are not Alabama, LSU, or Florida. We are North Carolina. We are Clemson and Virginia Tech (maybe). Even if other teams leave the ACC (one or more would be happy to take our place) for bigger conferences, I still think the ACC is the best conference for us. Again, to reference #3, I like winning.

I think this 4th one will be the toughest to swallow. The cold reality is this: It's not 1998 anymore.

But, hey, this is just one modest proposal for returning to winning football. If anyone else has a better proposal, I would love to hear it.

And don't say "hire a bigger name." We tried that. Charlie Strong would rather be in the ACC...and so would I.

Welcome, Coach Jones!

We simply cannot compete in the modern SEC.

How do we resolve this? Allow me one modest proposal: In this time of conference realignment, Tennessee should move to the ACC.

Some of you will be offended by this proposal. That's okay. The offended will likely be those individuals with:

1. Highly competitive natures

2. A love of the SEC

3. A sense of pride in the SEC

or 4. A genuine belief that we can return to the national title game if we just hire the right coach

Here are my reasons for an ACC move:

1. We could compete for the national championship.

We cannot compete for the national playoffs in the SEC. We will lose too many games to be considered.

2. It would mean less travel for our Olympic sports.

3. I like winning.

4. Winning football is better for business.

4. We are who we are.

I think this 4th one will be the toughest to swallow. The cold reality is this: It's not 1998 anymore.

But, hey, this is just one modest proposal for returning to winning football. If anyone else has a better proposal, I would love to hear it.

And don't say "hire a bigger name." We tried that. Charlie Strong would rather be in the ACC...and so would I.

memphispete rebuffs Vols offer to coach football at UT

2012-12-07T14:44:50Z

After "serious talks" with his agent, Cheek/Hart reportedly offered memphispete $10M over 3 years with a $2.5M buyout clause. Of course, that rumor is third hand news from fifth hand sources. It may have even been scrawled on a rest stop bathroom wall, but it showed up on a tweet some place so it much be true.

memphispete said,

"I love the Vols and wanted to help the university out of an embarrassing situation. Our repeated failures to woo and win over a quality football coach made us look like the unpopular guy in junior high who went from hitting on cheerleaders to being rebuffed by the fat ugly nerdy girl in the corner. It was pathetic.

This is a great university with phenomenal facilities and incredibly passionate fans. We have a tradition of recruiting great players from around the country and have won SEC championships along with our National Championship in 1998. Our failure to market this with a cohesive search is a black eye to the university.

I offered to step in and coach the Vols for 'half price'. I figured half of what Gruden demanded would make me fabulously wealthy for life, even if I only made it thru one season. My coaching record would have been no bigger joke than the bumbling, stumbling effort that has comprised this coaching search. Since they didn't want to open up the checkbook, I stepped aside.

I wish the university and Coach Butch Jones well. Good luck, coach."

memphispete said,

I wish the university and Coach Butch Jones well. Good luck, coach."

Tennessee at Georgetown - Computer Forecasts

2012-11-29T08:39:18Z

Tennessee at Georgetown
Friday November 30th, 2012
6:30 PM - ESPN and ESPN3
Verizon Center, Washington D.C.

Series Record: Tied 1-1
Last Game: 2008 Old Spice Classic, 90-78 Tennessee

Live-RPI.com
#95 Tennessee - Projected 18-12 with RPI #64
at #41 Georgetown - Projected 18-11 with RPI #37

Odds of UT win - 32%
Projected result - Georgetown by 5.6

Ken Pomeroy
#51 Tennessee - Projected 18-12
at #38 Georgetown - Projected 18-11

Odds of UT win - 30%
Projected result - 65-60 Georgetown

Kenneth Massey
#62 Tennessee
at #29 Georgetown

Odds of UT win - 23%
Projected result - 67-59 Georgetown

Best of Seven
Tennessee 52 - Georgetown 61
Tennessee 57 - Georgetown 71
Tennessee 56 - Georgetown 80
Tennessee 53 - Georgetown 51
Tennessee 68 - Georgetown 83
Tennessee 59 - Georgetown 62
Tennessee 73 - Georgetown 49

Jeff Sagarin
#46 Tennessee
at #35 Georgetown

Odds of UT win - ~30%
Projected result - Georgetown by 5

Team Statistical Matchups
Tennessee Offensive Efficiency #49 - Georgetown Defensive Efficiency #32
Tennessee Defensive Efficiency #57 - Georgetown Offensive Efficiency #56
Tennessee Tempo #256 - Georgetown Tempo #284
Tennessee Effective FG% Offense #67 - Georgetown Effective FG% Defense #109
Tennessee Effective FG% Defense #52 - Georgetown Effective FG% Offense #20
Tennessee Offensive Turnover % #112 - Georgetown Defensive Turnover % #240
Tennessee Defensive Turnover % #289 - Georgetown Offensive Turnover % #191
Tennessee Offensive Rebound % #126 - Georgetown Offensive Rebound Defense #44
Tennessee Offensive Rebound Defense #76 - Georgetown Offensive Rebound % #304
Tennessee FT/FG Attempts #24 - Georgetown FT/FG Attempted Defense #38
Tennessee FT/FG Attempted Defense #272 - Georgetown FT/FG Attempts #184
Tennessee 3PT% #105 - Georgetown 3PT% Defense #219
Tennessee 3PT% Defense #30 - Georgetown 3PT% #74
Tennessee FG% #73 - Georgetown FG% Defense #54
Tennessee FG% Defense #117 - Georgetown FG% #19
Tennessee FT% #238 - Georgetown FT% #236
Tennessee Blocks Allowed #72 - Georgetown Block % #50
Tennessee Block % #176 - Georgetown Blocks Allowed #55
Tennessee Steals Allowed #99 - Georgetown Steal % #147
Tennessee Steal % #333 - Georgetown Steals Allowed #177

Starter Comparison
PG Trae Golden----30.0min--5.2APG--FG%.400--3P%.375--FT%.714--2.8RPG--1.4TPG-12.4ppg
PG Markel Starks---34.6min--2.4APG--FG%.509--3P%.471--FT%.800--1.4RPG--2.4TPG-14.0ppg

SG Skylar McBee---25.4min--1.0APG--FG%.385--3P%.417--FT%1.00--1.2RPG--1.0TPG-7.6ppg
G G. Whittington---38.2min--2.4APG--FG%.519--3P%.333--FT%.538--9.0RPG--2.2TPG-13.6ppg

G Josh Richardson--27.8min--0.8APG--FG%.469--3P%.333--FT%.600--6.2RPG--2.8TPG-8.4ppg
G Mikael Hopkins--25.2min--1.2APG--FG%.477--3P%.000--FT%.560--3.6RPG--2.4TPG-11.2ppg

F Jarnell Stokes-----29.2min--2.0APG--FG%.580--3P%.000--FT%.545--7.4RPG--2.2TPG-15.2ppg
F Nate Lubick-------34.0min--3.2APG--FG%.571--3P%.000--FT%.786--5.8RPG--2.6TPG-8.6ppg

F/C Kenny Hall-----23.8min--0.4APG--FG%.652--3P%.000--FT%.563--7.0RPG--1.6TPG-7.8ppg
F/C Otto Porter-----30.0min--3.0APG--FG%.576--3P%.750--FT%.667--7.5RPG--2.3TPG-12.5ppg

Hear me out, not John Gruden but.....

2012-11-29T00:22:33Z

First and foremost, this is coming from an Buckeye/Browns fan who grew up in Columbus. Most of my family lives in the Nashville/Murfreesboro area and are HUGE Big Orange fans. They've been kidnapping me one weekend a fall for the last 16 years to take me to Knoxville for a game. I've become a big fan of the Tennessee Vols (Buckeye's are #1 in this guys heart, don't hate me) With that being said, I watched 10 years of one of the best men college football has seen coach the Bucks (Yes even despite "tattoo gate")

Now I know that most of you all are riding the John Gruden train,and he would be a fine choice but I am not sure he is the best option. He has never coached in college and the NFL is completely different then College ball. Jim Tressel defined Ohio State for 10 years, he turned them into a powerhouse. He won the Buckeyes a National Championship, and achieved more BCS wins than any other school in BCS history (6). He is the only coach with 5 National Championships and has a 82% win percentage. He had two 16 game winning streaks at OSU and coached a Heisman Trophy winner. He had 66 players drafted into the NFL (14 first round picks). Although the Ohio State program that he took over wasn't in as rough of shape as Tennessee's is now, he's the man that can turn it around. So I know all of you want to rag on him and OSU because he went 2-1 against SEC teams in bowl games but I have faith that if he were to get the job, he would get it done with recruiting, coming up with an excellent coaching staff and most importantly molding our young players into men of honor.

So now after reading this, let the name calling and yelling at me commence!

Attn: DC-Area Vol Fans Going to UT/Georgetown

2012-11-27T21:08:58Z

Let's do this. Okay, so the relevant info:

- Y'all know when the game is

- Who's going? Where's everyone sitting? (see below)

- What's the plan before / after the game? (see in like four paragraphs)

- Who's point person for all this? (yo)

I know we've talked about this in some other threads before, but I don't think we had a landing site for it. For the record: I'll be in Sec. 400, row A. I'm guessing that there will be a few of us there, and I'm guessing that we're not going to want to go to Georgetown afterward, or anywhere soft since Georgetown's pillow-soft in their own right.

Also, I'm fine serving as the point person, but if someone absolutely has to do it, lemme know. Numbers and emails probably need to be swapped, so if you want in, post here and shoot me (or point) an email with the relevant contact info so they're not all confused.

WOOP WOOP WOOP UPDATE

Okay, so I'll be at RFD starting at approximately [when I get done with work]. The game's at 6:30, so we'll probably head over in the 6-6:15 range. (If you don't know where anyone is, ping me.)

After the game? Rocket Bar. Regroup in the stadium - let's go with outside section 400 because I'm lazy and y'all made me the point person.

I'll ping everyone when I'm on my way out.

Let's do this. Okay, so the relevant info:

- Y'all know when the game is

- Who's going? Where's everyone sitting? (see below)

- What's the plan before / after the game? (see in like four paragraphs)

- Who's point person for all this? (yo)

WOOP WOOP WOOP UPDATE

Okay, so I'll be at RFD starting at approximately [when I get done with work]. The game's at 6:30, so we'll probably head over in the 6-6:15 range. (If you don't know where anyone is, ping me.)

After the game? Rocket Bar. Regroup in the stadium - let's go with outside section 400 because I'm lazy and y'all made me the point person.

I'll ping everyone when I'm on my way out.

Rooting for Notre Dame in the BCS Bowl

2012-11-26T15:25:04Z

So I don't often post here, but I'm wondering - am I alone in being tired of rooting for other SEC teams in bowl games? It seems like ever since 2008, we depressed Vols fans have consoled ourselves mainly by congratulating each other on how awesome the SEC is. Which it is, of course, but aren't we supposed to be the mortal enemies of the other teams in it?

After last year's Bama-LSU national championship (or "The Worst Game Ever Part Deaux") I'm completely sick of it. I don't like Alabama. I have a grudging respect for Nick Saban, but I also think he's a complete douche and AJ McCarron just plain sucks. Same basic story for Georgia, Richt and Murray. I was hoping to see Oregon vs. K-State this year, but since they're both out of it I'll be rooting for Notre Dame in the championship against whoever wins the SEC championship. The more misery our opponents endure, the better. Curious to see if anyone agrees.