Trooper Taylor Turns Tail on Tradition

by Hooper on Mar 7, 2008 11:17 AM EST in Tennessee Volunteer Football Comment 5 comments

Update [2008-3-11 7:32:52 by Joel]: If you read this post, please be sure to read the follow up as well. I for one misinterpreted Taylor's remarks.

-- Joel

Credit goes to Loser with Socks via EDSBS for finding this story

Trooper Taylor's departure was met with several emotions from the Orange faithful:

Gate 21: Concern
TSIB: Humor (Read some of the comments.)
GVX commenters: Dante's Inferno, which includes a whistlestop tour through the Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh (Middle Ring), Eighth (Bolgias 8, 9, and 10), and Ninth (Zones 2 and 4) Circles as we ride along the train of kneejerk reactions. (Just remember before you go there: what is seen can never be unseen.)

Now, as you've probably already heard, Taylor has a juicy quote for the Tennessee faithful to chew:

"It's fun getting back to the spread offense and hearing the formations being called the same way and hearing some of the plays being called the same way," Taylor said. "It's like I'm speaking the same language again where before I went to Pluto and I had to learn 3 yards and a cloud of dust again."

The implications are quite clear: Trooper is much happier with the more wide-open and high-techish offensive style they're trying to run at The Other OSU. Knoxville = Pluto?!? Who knows.

Here are some thoughts to consider:

Remember the offense we ran last year? Was Taylor correct in his assessment of UT being too conservative?
Remember Taylor's personality. That wild, excitable guy we loved so well? Now remember Fulmer's and Cutcliffe's personality. Don't they make movies about that kind of personality dichotomy in a hierarchy?

Remember the mysterious lack of effort to keep Taylor around? Was this perhaps a rift long in developing between Taylor and UT?

For Taylor to be that bold about his feelings here at UT speaks volumes. He's not preserving any bridges with statements like these. They're not particularly useful in his current location, where he already has the full support of the school and the fanbase. It sounds like there's some honest disgruntlement and that it's been building for a long time. Who's to blame? Is anybody to blame? Was this simply a case of a personality mismatch - getting a great hire that just doesn't fit? Remember: the spread offense is not for every program - there's too many pro-style players and not enough spread-style players to convert the whole NCAA over. Some teams will go with the new-fangled stuff and some will stick with the, um, well, traditional.

Why? I'll tell you why. ... I don't know.

Was it possible for these two to make it all work out? Could we have kept Taylor after Cutcliffe left? I honestly don't know. Now, I do think there's no way we could have kept both Cut and Taylor...

The offense. It is yours. We must maintain tradition!

She loves him. But this isn't tradition!

Think it over and leave your thoughts below.

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Comments

Meh...

Much ado about nothing. It's coachspeak. Flip his statement around. How would he have looked to his employers, players and fans if he would have said:

"I'm having a hard time adjusting to the spread offense here. I've spent so much time learning the philosophy and technique of 3 yards and a cloud of dust, that it's like ya'll are speaking a different language down here. I may as well be living on Pluto now because I'm completely lost."

I do agree with the statement that Trooper is probably happier at OSU, but I do not take that as any indicator that he was unhappy in Knoxville. You don't hold out for multiple weeks when responding to a new job offer if you despise the job that you presently hold. I believe that he wanted to stay in Knoxville, but the cards just didn't work out in his favor. He had to do what was in his best intrest, and that involved a move to Stillwater (I think that's where OSU is).

by Aerobab on Mar 7, 2008 11:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

OC

Trooper was probably upset he wasn't offered the job of Offensive Coordinator at UT. Why else would he make a nearly lateral move to OSU?

Perhaps he was genuinely trying to explain the difference in terminology between the two offenses.

At any rate, he's gone and moved along, and so have the Vols.

My Signature Should be Better Than This

by MoonDogLeft on Mar 7, 2008 12:41 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Pluto?

No, Uranus maybe.

I kill me.

by crimsondaddy on Mar 7, 2008 6:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Too conservative

Whether it was because of personnel or coaching philosophy, I agree with TT that it was too conservative. I hope this new guy opens it up a little bit.

by wvvol on Mar 7, 2008 9:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

From what I've heard...

Coach Clawson doesn't necessarily confine himself to a "system". I've listened to a few of his radio interviews and his philosophy is that he simply does what works. If a power-I is getting him 5 ypc, then he'll do that. If the deep balls work, he'll do that. Even with respect to "trick" or "gadget" plays, he said that he loves to run them...but again, only if they work. He has said that he likes what G. Jones brings to the QB position and has already crafted up some plays for the G-Gun.

Whether the play-calling will be "conservative" or not, I don't know. But I do know that CDC has an open mind and an open playbook to make the RIGHT call.

The O&W game should be some good times!

by Aerobab on Mar 8, 2008 12:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs