Disclaimer: This is not a prediction, but this season has been frustrating for all of us. Many see the writing on the wall for Butch, and I get that, but he is still here, so I keep hoping he turns it around. IF he turns it around, this is how and why he does it. I'm mostly writing this for myself, to give my brain something different to think about besides the crap that is the outlook of our football future at this point.
To this point Butch has been rather stubborn as a coach, with the corn slogans and the infallible system, and why shouldn't he be? His system has worked at the previous two stops, both of which he was only at for three years and he won conference championships there! Logic says that do the same thing with better players at UT and it will work again.
Well it hasn't worked. The SEC is a different beast. But the 2015 and 2016 seasons both showed promise before some 4th quarter and late season collapses. The stakes are higher here, the opposing coaches are better and MAC level coaching won't win here even with better recruiting.
So how does Butch turn it around? He learns and adapts. I don't think he has "self-scouted" himself in the first four years he has been here. He has contributed losses to outside forces that are out of his control.(which is a trait of resilient people, by the way)
The only encouraging thing from that abortion of a UMASS game was Butch coming out afterwards and calling a spade a spade. That game was "unacceptable" and we hadn't heard that from him before.
His game day management has left much to be desired, but he has consistently made different mistake. I use the phrase "don't miss the same way twice" in my life in many areas. If I make a mistake, my goal is to not make that mistake again the next time and if I still don't get it right for the cause to be a different mistake. Butch is the king of this philosophy. Sooner or later he has to run out of different ways to miss and hit the bulls-eye instead.
So Butch wins an SEC championship because he finally realizes, after making injury excuses and all other kinds, that his approach to this point hasn't worked. He is too stubborn to give up. He keeps missing different ways until he gets it right. And the Vols sit atop the best league in the land again.
Post-Disclaimer: Again, I'm not saying it happens, but if it does this is why. Butch is still here, I'll keep finding ways to hope that he figures it out unless he is fired, and then I'll do the same for the next guy.
"I'm an ideas guy, I thrive off enthusiasm! So get out of here with your GD negativity!" - loosely paraphrased from Wedding Crashers.
But alas, fire away.
To this point Butch has been rather stubborn as a coach, with the corn slogans and the infallible system, and why shouldn't he be? His system has worked at the previous two stops, both of which he was only at for three years and he won conference championships there! Logic says that do the same thing with better players at UT and it will work again.
Well it hasn't worked. The SEC is a different beast. But the 2015 and 2016 seasons both showed promise before some 4th quarter and late season collapses. The stakes are higher here, the opposing coaches are better and MAC level coaching won't win here even with better recruiting.
So how does Butch turn it around? He learns and adapts. I don't think he has "self-scouted" himself in the first four years he has been here. He has contributed losses to outside forces that are out of his control.(which is a trait of resilient people, by the way)
The only encouraging thing from that abortion of a UMASS game was Butch coming out afterwards and calling a spade a spade. That game was "unacceptable" and we hadn't heard that from him before.
His game day management has left much to be desired, but he has consistently made different mistake. I use the phrase "don't miss the same way twice" in my life in many areas. If I make a mistake, my goal is to not make that mistake again the next time and if I still don't get it right for the cause to be a different mistake. Butch is the king of this philosophy. Sooner or later he has to run out of different ways to miss and hit the bulls-eye instead.
So Butch wins an SEC championship because he finally realizes, after making injury excuses and all other kinds, that his approach to this point hasn't worked. He is too stubborn to give up. He keeps missing different ways until he gets it right. And the Vols sit atop the best league in the land again.
Post-Disclaimer: Again, I'm not saying it happens, but if it does this is why. Butch is still here, I'll keep finding ways to hope that he figures it out unless he is fired, and then I'll do the same for the next guy.
"I'm an ideas guy, I thrive off enthusiasm! So get out of here with your GD negativity!" - loosely paraphrased from Wedding Crashers.
But alas, fire away.
