Gary Danielson: Vols were soft under Butch Jones, Jeremy Pruitt ‘perfect’ hire for Tennessee
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While Aaron Murray and David Pollack may have their doubts, SEC on CBS analyst Gary Danielson has faith that Tennessee has hired the right coach to turn around the program on Rocky Top.
During a recent appearance on Nashville-based 102.5 FM radio program “Jared & the GM,” Danielson expressed his glowing opinion of Phillip Fulmer’s hire of Jeremy Pruitt. In his role as the lead analyst for CBS’ coverage of the SEC, Danielson’s word should carry more weight than the average analyst, as he has the opportunity to view practices around the league on an annual basis and gets to know both the players and coaches on an intimate level leading up to CBS’ weekly broadcasts.
In Danielson’s opinion, Tennessee was a soft team under Butch Jones. Given that fact that Pruitt’s harshest critics point to the fact he may be too tough, his “flaw” would appear to be the perfect solution for what Tennessee needs at the moment. (Danielson’s quotes come via Rocky Top Insider)
“I think he’s the perfect guy for what Tennessee needs,” Danielson said on the radio program. “They were soft. Their practices were hard to watch. There was too much emphasis on tricking people.
“(Tennessee AD) Phil Fulmer knew it. There was no accountability at being tough at the point of attack.”
That could be considered a veiled shot at Butch Jones, but either way, the truth is the Volunteers struggled to defend the run and gain tough yards on the ground when it mattered the most for the vast majority of the previous five seasons. According to the CBS analyst, much of that had to do with the fact Tennessee tried to get too creative in order to come up with big plays.
“It was all, ‘How do we trick them?’ That’s a very dangerous thing for a football team,” Danielson continued. “‘Coach, find me a blitz or a play where we can trick the other team, for success for us.’”
While Danielson appears to have heard the same criticisms that Murray and Pollack have issued, possibly from them as Murray also works for CBS, the SEC on CBS analyst doesn’t seem to think those concerns are valid. In fact, Danielson said Pruitt is the “perfect guy” for the Tennessee job at the moment.
“I didn’t see that accountability at Tennessee,” Danielson concluded. “And I think that Jeremy is the perfect guy for it. And I’ve heard the criticism. Too bad. They’re soft. They need to get tougher.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
