Don't believe all you hear leading up to Tennessee-Georgia
Transparency has long been a weakness for coaches. It’s at an all-time high heading into the Tennessee-Georgia game.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt certainly weren’t very believable as they tried to control the narrative this week.
Smart actually had the audacity to say Tennessee is on the brink of something special with Pruitt, who is in his second season as a head coach with a shocking upset loss and an SEC blowout as part of a 1-3 record . It’s incomprehensible that Smart could actually stand in front of assembled reporters and say something like that about his upcoming opponent, who he’ll likely beat soundly Saturday. Check Pruitt’s record. Check UT’s recruiting ranking. The Vols are on the verge of something special alright, but it’s being especially bad.
Pruitt responded with a reminder that Smart had much more talent when he took over at Georgia compared to what Pruitt had when he took over at UT. Did Pruitt really need to remind himself or UT’s fan base of that fact? If Tennessee fans didn’t know that, they must have been watching another football team. Now, Pruitt has made it abundantly clear that he took over a bad football program. That’s still no excuse for what Pruitt has put on the field.
Remember Pruitt’s background. As the former defensive coordinator at Alabama, he studied the Vols before each game. Did he not see how far UT had to field a winning program — or even be relevant?
Pruitt sounds like be bought a home without an inspection, that he just showed up and droves of good players vanished. That’s not what happened. Pruitt’s predecessor, Butch Jones, sold UT fans on recruiting rankings and manipulated the media into being a schill for him. All coaches talk privately. Pruitt had to know how bad UT was. He was just desperate for his break as a head coach. Pruitt evaluated and recruited the same players that Jones did.
There’s simply no reason for Pruitt to remind UT’s fan base of what they already knew. In fact, it’s insulting.
What should he have said? I’m not sure. He can’t say UT is simply a bad football team. His team doesn’t want to hear that. However, he should be more guarded in his “woe-is-me” comments. It just doesn’t hold up.
Smart’s comment was even worse. If the opposing coach of one of your fiercest rivals thinks you’re doing a good job, then you’re probably not. At least former Florida coach Steve Spurrier had the creativity to make fun of former UT coach Phillip Fulmer. Spurrier never showered Fulmer with praise when he was beating him.
Here’s another example of public agendas gone wrong. Remember, when former Kentucky basketball coach Rick Pitino talked about how special former UT coach Wade Houston was? The Vols won 5 games the following season and Houston was replaced. His coaching career was over. However, at least he received Pitino’s blessing before moving onto the trucking industry.
Pruitt’s coaching career isn’t close to over, but it might be nearly done at UT. There’s only one thing worse than getting the dreaded vote of confidence from an athletic director; it’s getting a vote of confidence from a rival.
Speaking of publicly complimenting a coach, has anyone noticed that Tennessee athletic director Phillip Fulmer has done nothing of the sort. Perhaps he knows that would sound agenda driven. Fulmer has said some off-putting things in the past, but even he can’t polish this mess.
Instead, Fulmer has even managed to leak information to ESPN that Pruitt’s job is in jeopardy and that Fulmer wants to coach again. I don’t blame Fulmer for that at all. It’s the best way for UT’s football program to right the ship. However, there aren’t many other good options. As I’ve said before, no coach of note is going to accept UT’s head coaching job with Fulmer in his current position. Moreover, Fulmer wouldn’t allow that to happen on his watch.
There are 2 things that can happen throughout the rest of this season to make 2020 better than 2019. The easiest is Pruitt fixes things fast, wins games and ignites recruits interest in the Vols. That seems unlikely. The only other solution is for Fulmer to do what he wants to do and simply take over. Sure, that seems like a broken record, but it’s a better tune with every loss that Pruitt posts.
There is one other plausible answer for UT. Start planning for the future. The present is lost. Play more younger players, especially when the Vols are no longer bowl eligible. Is that fair to the upperclassmen? Not at all. However, life isn’t fair.
Only Pruitt would know just what players are pressing his starters enough to see more playing time. However, if he makes the decision to play them, it will be incredibly obvious. It could start with quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. It could continue most anywhere. No one should be safe.
Pruitt will likely lose his team if he chooses such a drastic path. However, he could keep his job.
This is yet another *SICKENING* hit job, Hooker. If you can’t put up your sources that Fulmer is angling to get the job again, then you are nothing better that a know-nothing blow hard. Put up, or SHUT Up.
He can’t so he is.
Cue the UGA trolls
Dang, this writer just wants to pile on the Vols every day. I was a little amused with the first article or two but now it is getting ridiculous.
Fuzzy, what’s up with the “cue the UGA trolls”? Not really sure this is an article for trolls, just a bad article. Insecure or what? The Vols will not be down forever, not sure Pruitt is the answer but they will be back eventually. Too good of an overall program to be down too much longer.
They troll every UT article. Just look through the last few. There are some UGA posters who have genuine posts but there are more who just troll for the sake of trolling. So….
Trust me we UF fans know what that’s like
Believe me, we are as sick of it as you are.
Agreed
Yup.
Indeed
I think he getting paid by the click. If only SDS would show who the author is. Then we can filter out the crap.
Naahhh, actually would like to see TN fighting it out with UGA and UF for the East again. It’s a whole lot more fun talking crap when your rivals are as good as you and there always a tough out. I’m not sure Pruitt is the right guy, but definitely think at this time Fulmer is not.
GFY again, Dave
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As far as Kirby’s comments go – I think he hates press conferences and was just trying to say something and then get the hell outa there and back to his players.
…..say something NICE……
Wish we could edit our comments.
I agree seems like an easy function to add
The people who do this site merely have to go to a site with edit code, copy it, and insert it in the codes here.
I guess J-school teaches only how to copy somebody else’s writing.
“If the opposing coach of one of your fiercest rivals thinks you’re doing a good job, then you’re probably not.”
There is a big difference between SAYING your rival is doing a good job and BELIEVING your rival is doing a good job.
For 150 years coaches from Vince Dooley to Lou Holtz to Nick Saban have been talking about how well-coached and well-playing their next opponent is.
Someone once asked Holtz how much the Gamecocks were being paid to play a top-ten opponent. He replied that he wasn’t sure, but it wasn’t going to be enough to cover the hospital bills unless the Cocks got a lot better quickly.
South Carolina won the game, if I recall.
It’s called “sandbagging”, and everyone does it, even if you can only remember the exception, Steve Spurrier.
SOS definitely liked to get his one-liners in, ESPECIALLY against rivals – but he could sandbag too.
“Hey Coach Spurrier, Do you think the Gators will be Georgia this year?” His answer: “Is Ray Goff still the coach?”
I still laugh at that because at the time all Dawg fans felt the same way
*beat Ga
“There is a big difference between SAYING your rival is doing a good job and BELIEVING your rival is doing a good job.”
Hear, hear!
The writer seems obsessed with the negative. Even I would like to see him off the site.
He’s got a New York Times level of “reporting” when it comes to UT.
Yes I agree. It’s like we get it… UT has not played will up to this point. But why continue to give the same opinion over and over again? Provide a different perspective for once.
Who hurt you Dave?
UT suspended his access when he was stalking Inky Johnson after he got hurt during the 2006 season. Pretty much got run out of Knoxville
Good riddance. He seems like a real D-bag
Sounds like Pruitt shagged this guy’s wife, or daughter, or mother ….
Exactly. I read somebody on a previous article say that his media pass was taken long ago, I gotta believe it is something more than that. He has a real grudge against UT, you know it is bad when rival schools wish he would either back off or go away.
+1
This guy is unfreakingbelievable
Who hurt you?
Seriously you think that Phil Fulmer is some kind of Machiavellian Genius who really thinks he’d survive firing Pruitt and installing himself has coach? What are you smoking?
Pruitt maybe in over his head and probably will get fired next season but Fulmer would have to be an idiot to think he’d be able to fix the mess UT is in now.
Yeah Fulmer is not the answer. He could honestly be pushing this in hopes that it causes more problems internally.i think we just stay with Pruitt thru next year and hope he can turn it around. Unless Pruitt botches this banks thing or some other personnel issue that may arise.
Dave, you are trash freaking garbage.
Hooker is the worst, what a hack.
SDS shows again its utter desperation to fill space. How about suggestions for a new website name?
How about “Hogwash Headquarters”?
Y’all we should boycott Hooker’s “journalism.” The only reason this idiot is here is because we constantly click on his bait – to tell him how stupid he is – thus getting him and SDS ad revenue.
I say don’t click on his “articles.” This is the second time I’ve clicked on one of his since he went off with his unwarranted Fulmer nonsense. The guy is a joke.
I am done with SDS…
SDS has sunk to troll garbage. You people seem to look for the worst angle of every story you write. If you want to write sports news, have some class. Pattern you career after Chris Mortensen. Just a suggestion but I come to this site less and less because of the writers.
Good points Dave. I think that Pruitt should throw this season the way of developing his recruits. Play his freshman and sophs. If he does that, in a couple of years he will be in a good spot.
Don’t pay any attention to these losers’ negative comments.
Where is his sources for “leaking to ESPN?”. He shouldn’t be allowed on this site.
Yeah, that one got me too. I’m confused there…
I’m not reading anymore of his crap. I stopped halfway thru and regret reading any of it.
I’d say the jury is in, Dave. And a unanimous verdict has been reached. Safe face by resigning “for personal reasons”.
There are some claims in this article that need further citation or proof before advancing as if they are true. I’m typically not as negative towards SDS as some others (my expectations are accordingly set and I generally enjoy the comment section) but this really feels like a troll job whose sole purpose is to antagonize UT fans.
Is Hooker secretly a lackey for Fulmer and trying to sell this idea of Fulmer taking back over? Testing the waters, as one might say.
Probably not. But Pruitt definitely killed his cat.
If SDS want to keep this click bait writer. It benefits in short term, but will hurt readers’ feelings and will hurt their business in future
okay, so the pages get money by eyeballs and clicks….yeah and yay….write outrageous crap for the eyeballs….basically prostitution….Dave Hooker is a prostitute. It is even in the name….this guy knows nothing about nothing….never had a real job, never had real pressure but writes about people under real pressure…probably can’t even fix a broken toilet….this is garbage Hooker and quite obviously a bid for eyeballs…apparently your job depends on it…last time for me…you add, nothing, to the conversation
Look at all of us coming together to hate on more than each others team. Hooker’s articles have always been trash. Reminds me of the main news channels. Just spewing out crap without any proof or citations. Learn to write a real sports article
Yes, all of the media essentially spout propaganda approved by their corporate masters, who are also the masters of government. They also have strict taboos and never mention a great many things of great importance happening in the world.
Another worthless,non informative,boring ,mailed in piece of crap article by the worst writer at SDS.How does he keep his job?
Poor Dave! He was so depressed reading all of this venom that he went up on Lookout Mountain and jumped.
R.I.P.
Fulmer just came out and said he has no interest in being a head coach again. Wants to be the “AD, and spend time with his grandkids”
This was in another recent SDS article. Now, I am confused…
One article says Fulmer has no interest in being the head coach, and yet this column claims he “leaked to ESPN” that he wants to coach again.
So two articles from the same website contradict one another???
So, which is it???
Hmmm….It appears someone is not being very truthful…
Hooker says that was leaked to ESPN, but I can’t find an article on their site that says that. Odd for sure.
Seriously, this is getting to be laughable.
I like that GA is on the up and UT is on the down, but this is ridiculous. Dave is like a one note song. Try doing some research or coming up with new info, instead of just saying how horrible Pruitt is or how horrible the talent is.
Dave? Really? It seems like everything you write is a scathing article about UT. I know Davis has to be ashamed of this. Never in a million years would I have thought that kid I went to Powell with would grow up to be a hack. You have a lot of talent, but there is no sense in every article you write being like this. I know you used to be Tennessee fan.
Hooker is a hatchet man and nothing more. Just looking for clicks and unfortunately I fell for it.
If SDS continues to publish Dave Hooker ……..Im done with them.