Lets look at where we were before Butch.
Fulmer
To me it started in the mid 2000s when Fulmer's recruiting really started to decline (Yes 2001 was a back breaker but the talent was still coming in after that IMO)
2006 started to signal the decline. We signed 5 4 stars or higher. The 5 star was Walter Fisher and the high 4 star never made it that year (Brent Vinson).
2007 was very highly rated and solid. 5 5 stars (Brent Vinson, Chris Donald, Kenny O'Neal) Eric Berry and will include Ben Martin as somewhat productive.
2008 4 4 stars. One being Abrams-Ward who didn't last long.
To me this is when the writing went on the wall that it was time for a change. When the recruiting went from great to very medicore.
Kiffin
When Lane took over it was clear that the talent had fallen way off from the upper SEC level programs. Their were a few difference makers (Montario, EB etc) but also very little depth. Lane recruited well, although very questionable character wise for most of the class, but ultimately the one job came open that he would leave for and he burned us. Was on the job for 1 year.
Derek Dooley
2 coaches in 1 year lead to even more turnover. At this point the roster had no depth and not much talent. There is really no need to go into what Dooley did to the program. He was a really bad coach on just about every level. From damaging recruiting relationships to alienating alumni he was awful.
Butch Jones
Taking over a program that had dropped below Vanderbilt that had no depth and not much talent. The only thing he had was a good OL that was all seniors and Tiny who would be with him 1 year.
He recruited his tail off. Landing recruits that the big boys wanted. Not the Dooley 4 star recruits that weren't being sniffed by the elites. Butch went toe to toe selling a vision of a program that was a doormat.
2013 5 wins with a win over #9 (Coaches Poll) SC keeping them out of a BCS bowl. He reunited a fan base that the previous 2 had no interest in. He brought back and took an interest in our traditions the previous 2 had no interest in. He reunited our alumni base that was no longer welcome because of Dooley.
2014 7 wins and got us back to a good bowl crushing Iowa in the Gator bowl.
2015 9 wins and got us back to an even better bowl crushing a ranked team in the Outback bowl. This was the year that Tennessee for the first time since the mid 2000s was able to claim that they no longer took a back seat to anyone. They went toe to toe with everyone on the schedule and showed they had the talent to once again play with them.
Has 2016 been the way anyone thought? Probably not. From the weird starts, to the turnovers, to the amount of injuries to impact players none of us as every seen. It all came to a head with losing to a team we shouldn't have. I have said before this is not the last game a Tennessee team will ever lose to a bad team. That is sports and how it works. The timing was awful I will give you that. But when the QB plays like Dobbs did it can happen unfortunately. The Alabama game we had no chance. Sorry to the Anti-Butch people who like to hold the blow out against him but we did not have the horses to run with them. The A&M game was not on him, period. Not his fault our guys fumbled 5 times and Dobbs is throwing picks. We limit those we win going away.
He whooped Florida and to me the Georgia game was not a fluke. Georgia had NO BUSINESS being ahead, that was on Foreman. A play that is completely on the player filling in for an AA in Sutton. The anti-Butch people will say it was a fluke hail mary but never in a million years should it have come to that. That 55 yard TD pass by Eason was as much of a fluke as the hail mary in my book. Foreman had 1 job on that blew and he absolutely blew it. Again that isn't coaching. He beat a rival on the road.
I know that our fan base is passionate and that is what makes it great but man it can get unbearable. The point of this thread was to show some perspective on how far this man has taken this program that was left for dead. Does he have things to work on and changes need to be made? Yes. But that is true at any program (Alabama turning to Kiffin and becoming elite on O).
I have seen some changes in how much more aggressive he is this year on 4th down when last year he would have punted or kicked the FG without thinking twice. It has been a strange year on a lot of fronts.
I do not know if anyone will read this whole thing but I wanted to give Butch props for the good job he has done. I personally think he will continue to work his tail off to keep building a program he truly loves. I thought some perspective would be good because he is taking a ton of heat after 1 terrible game.
At the end of the day as a former athlete I more times than not stick to "Players have to go play and make the plays" here is to hoping our guys are more consistent making them and Butch and the staff keep working to improve the rest of the year.
Fulmer
To me it started in the mid 2000s when Fulmer's recruiting really started to decline (Yes 2001 was a back breaker but the talent was still coming in after that IMO)
2006 started to signal the decline. We signed 5 4 stars or higher. The 5 star was Walter Fisher and the high 4 star never made it that year (Brent Vinson).
2007 was very highly rated and solid. 5 5 stars (Brent Vinson, Chris Donald, Kenny O'Neal) Eric Berry and will include Ben Martin as somewhat productive.
2008 4 4 stars. One being Abrams-Ward who didn't last long.
To me this is when the writing went on the wall that it was time for a change. When the recruiting went from great to very medicore.
Kiffin
When Lane took over it was clear that the talent had fallen way off from the upper SEC level programs. Their were a few difference makers (Montario, EB etc) but also very little depth. Lane recruited well, although very questionable character wise for most of the class, but ultimately the one job came open that he would leave for and he burned us. Was on the job for 1 year.
Derek Dooley
2 coaches in 1 year lead to even more turnover. At this point the roster had no depth and not much talent. There is really no need to go into what Dooley did to the program. He was a really bad coach on just about every level. From damaging recruiting relationships to alienating alumni he was awful.
Butch Jones
Taking over a program that had dropped below Vanderbilt that had no depth and not much talent. The only thing he had was a good OL that was all seniors and Tiny who would be with him 1 year.
He recruited his tail off. Landing recruits that the big boys wanted. Not the Dooley 4 star recruits that weren't being sniffed by the elites. Butch went toe to toe selling a vision of a program that was a doormat.
2013 5 wins with a win over #9 (Coaches Poll) SC keeping them out of a BCS bowl. He reunited a fan base that the previous 2 had no interest in. He brought back and took an interest in our traditions the previous 2 had no interest in. He reunited our alumni base that was no longer welcome because of Dooley.
2014 7 wins and got us back to a good bowl crushing Iowa in the Gator bowl.
2015 9 wins and got us back to an even better bowl crushing a ranked team in the Outback bowl. This was the year that Tennessee for the first time since the mid 2000s was able to claim that they no longer took a back seat to anyone. They went toe to toe with everyone on the schedule and showed they had the talent to once again play with them.
Has 2016 been the way anyone thought? Probably not. From the weird starts, to the turnovers, to the amount of injuries to impact players none of us as every seen. It all came to a head with losing to a team we shouldn't have. I have said before this is not the last game a Tennessee team will ever lose to a bad team. That is sports and how it works. The timing was awful I will give you that. But when the QB plays like Dobbs did it can happen unfortunately. The Alabama game we had no chance. Sorry to the Anti-Butch people who like to hold the blow out against him but we did not have the horses to run with them. The A&M game was not on him, period. Not his fault our guys fumbled 5 times and Dobbs is throwing picks. We limit those we win going away.
He whooped Florida and to me the Georgia game was not a fluke. Georgia had NO BUSINESS being ahead, that was on Foreman. A play that is completely on the player filling in for an AA in Sutton. The anti-Butch people will say it was a fluke hail mary but never in a million years should it have come to that. That 55 yard TD pass by Eason was as much of a fluke as the hail mary in my book. Foreman had 1 job on that blew and he absolutely blew it. Again that isn't coaching. He beat a rival on the road.
I know that our fan base is passionate and that is what makes it great but man it can get unbearable. The point of this thread was to show some perspective on how far this man has taken this program that was left for dead. Does he have things to work on and changes need to be made? Yes. But that is true at any program (Alabama turning to Kiffin and becoming elite on O).
I have seen some changes in how much more aggressive he is this year on 4th down when last year he would have punted or kicked the FG without thinking twice. It has been a strange year on a lot of fronts.
I do not know if anyone will read this whole thing but I wanted to give Butch props for the good job he has done. I personally think he will continue to work his tail off to keep building a program he truly loves. I thought some perspective would be good because he is taking a ton of heat after 1 terrible game.
At the end of the day as a former athlete I more times than not stick to "Players have to go play and make the plays" here is to hoping our guys are more consistent making them and Butch and the staff keep working to improve the rest of the year.
