Former Vols Pull No Punches In Their Assessment of Derek Dooley
Former UT standout Eddie Moore held a youth camp this past weekend in South Pittsburg, TN, and a slew of former Vols were there to lend a hand. Included in the festivities was a Friday night meet and greet with the fans which included a question and answer session moderated by Time Free Press assistant sports editor Stephen Hargis. Stuff got real.
Q: You guys talked earlier about how tough it's been to watch the program struggle since you were there. From making former players feel welcome, and embracing Tennessee traditions, to bringing in better recruiting classes, it seems that Butch Jones has things headed in the right direction. What are some things you've noticed that you like about where the program is headed and what are your expectations for the next couple of years?
Troy Fleming: "With Coach Jones, when you walk into the facility now it's like you never left. The guys who have worked around the program for years are at ease now, which tells you things are good again. The biggest thing about Coach Jones is he actually does his job. Unlike that guy we call Derek Doolittle, who really did very little. This recruiting class that just came in, and with what they're already getting for next year, I believe we'll be better this year and we'll be back competing in a big way in 2015, which is good because there's a lot of people who are going to hear my mouth again."
Al Wilson: "I really don't even want to say the names of the two guys who were there between Coach Fulmer and Coach Jones. They don't deserve to have their names mentioned with Tennessee football. As somebody who went 45-5 while I was at UT, that's a place I care a lot about and I'm just glad that there's somebody in charge again who gets it and who wants to be there and take the program back to where it was and where it should be. For Coach Jones to embrace us and bring us back in is a big deal for us."
Corey Larkins: "I just want to see some fight. I've seen our guys for the last few years not only get beat to the ground, but then the other players push up off their chest to go back to the huddle and our guys just got up and walked back to the huddle. I want to see some guys with some fight and defend the program. That mentality came from the guy we had before Coach Jones. Derek Dooley was a loser. He'll always be a loser and he rubbed off on the program and created a losing attitude."
I told y'all it was fixing to get real up in here.
Miscellany
- In case anybody needed a reminder, the Vols are really really young.
- And so don't be surprised when you see some of these young whippersnappers playing significant snaps on the defensive line.
- But you won't hear the eternally optimistic Butch Jones complaining about lack of experience.
"Everything in life is about timing, and this is the right place at the right time."
--Butch Jones (and zero of my ex-girlfriends)
- With practice only a week away, you probably don't need any sort of multimedia assemblage to help get you amped up for the coming season. So just consider this a bonus: