For all of those fans of Tennessee football who just weeks ago following the monumental victory over South Carolina were drinking till they were merry and are now calling for Butch Jones job following two blow out losses to top-ten teams and for the rehiring of Phil Fulmer, this is for you. The Tennessee football program is no longer a national powerhouse as it was between 1989 and 2004. Its decline began in 2005 after beginning the season ranked #3 nationally and then finishing 5-6, the programs first losing season since 1988. Fulmer was a great coach for the Vols and will go to his grave bleeding orange, but he also was an underachiever who rarely won the biggest game on the calendar (Florida) except for when the Gators played poorly and essentially we could do little to lose the game unless we were even more incompetent. Those are the facts. Butch Jones has a proven track record as a head coach. He may not have had to rebuild a football program from scratch, particularly during his time at Central Michigan, but he always managed to compete and most of the time win or share his conferences championship, including the two he won while coaching the Cincinnati Bearcats. His enthusiasm for Tennessee football, its glorious history and the traditions which are among the most celebrated in the history of college football, and his commitment to the programs posterity by rebuilding it brick by brick and thereby implementing its rise to the top are most refreshing. For those fans who choose to decry Butch Jones as unworthy to be our coach due to the fact we now have a losing record, our team is already light years better this season than it ever was during the Derek Dooley years. Furthermore, the biggest reason and the greatest compliment to be paid to Team 117 for this being the case is because they play as a team; there are no individual agendas that are being aired in public like we saw under Fulmer, Kiffin, and Dooley. This team plays with the idealism Jones has instilled into its core beliefs and values: one heartbeat, one mind, one soul, one team. They do everything together as a collective, give selflessly to each other, and for those reasons, Team 117 may well be the best team the Vols have fielded in a very long time, even if its level of play is not what it once was for nearly a generation. The bottom line is this: if you are willing to call yourself a fan of Tennessee football, get aboard with the program and support Butch Jones and his team of fine young scholar-athletes. If you are not willing to do this, go watch next weeks Alabama game on CBS against LSU when Nick Sabans #1 ranked Crimson Tide roll over yet another underachieving Les Miles coached LSU squad; we all are abundantly aware that the vast majority of people donning the crimson and white here in Knoxville are riding the Alabama bandwagon until they get hit with another series of NCAA violations and are once again placed on probation. Until then, tune into the game next Saturday when Tennessee plays old rival and nationally-ranked Auburn at Homecoming. They may not win, but they will never relent in their efforts in competing against the Tigers. I also understand that Ben Altom has put together a record-setting number of Pride of the Southland Marching Band alumni to perform at halftime. It should be a real treat! #GBO #VFL #BrickbyBrick #RisetotheTop #Team117
Posted on: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 18:04:36 +0000
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