Clay Travis is pounding the table for us to raise hell and force Currie's hand this weekend on CBJ. Doesn't want to witness another presser of Butch'isms. And while that makes plenty of sense to me, whether we go to the interim tomorrow or the Sunday after Bama doesn't matter to me. I am also not worried about being fair to an interim (be it Hoke, G, whoever). Bama will destroy us and that is already accepted and widely-known. And today sealed Butch's fate for the 1% of folks out there who were blind to the litany of issues and the fact Currie, Peyton, Fulmer, and Haslam/boosters are all ready to move on from him (even if he had gone 10-2 and wrote his ticket elsewhere).
In my mind, you go interim in the next 8 days (tomorrow, or after Bama). Obviously, schematic changes are too much to wish for or implement right now. It is what it is. I would make Gillespie interim myself, someone who we would hopefully keep under a new staff (deservedly so for both recruiting, a la almost pulling Cam Akers, and player development a la Kelly). Larry Scott did fine as an interim with no experience prior at Miami (no need to discuss his struggles running Butch's scheme).
The full court press for Gruden is on. I don't care what Hubbs or Parker or any of the mods tied to sites reliant on UT's staff/SID say. They don't need to manage my expectations. We're going to put an offer on the table to Gruden (keys to the castle) that few would be able to say no -- he's one of those few, that's why I am giving it 30% odds right now. Does he hang out for a NFL job (Colts) or finally allow himself to think he can operate in the confines of NCAA rules/regulations, and if he does that, we know he loves the Vols and East TN. I think it was telling that he was not in the box today with Currie (why fan flames on Butch before needed) and that he was not on the sidelines either (like he has been at bowl games in the past). He wasn't wearing orange here. Again, until the real negotiation (beyond the backchannel activity) picks up, why even fan the flames -- especially when he's semi-friendly with CBJ.
ESPN is a mess. Tirico axing irked him. They are losing subs and cutting on-air talent. His job is easy; it's also not going to be worth $6.5m/year for one game and some QB camps given ESPN's struggles. And at the same time the itch to coach is growing again. He doesn't want to fail. But UT's talent is top 20 in the country right now and this roster is better than 5 years ago, clearly. And the East outside of UGA is still not impressive. And Currie is not Hart (trust the process, as Ma says) and the majority of boosters realize there is a clear shot to swim in the deep waters right now and make the splash proven hire needed after the Dooley/Lane/Butch years. And the money is there as others have noted. 2 coaches have won both a Super Bowl and a Natty (Johnson, Switzer); if he didn't have such family ties to TN, I would not even think he'd consider the college ranks right now. But you can tell how much he loves football, teaching, coaching, and the area. It probably won't happen, but he's going to have to turn down a really good offer.
If it doesn't happen, we are still going after big fish. And guys like Patterson, or Jimbo, or Chip are going to have to say no. And hell...I think just about any decent up & coming young coach is an upgrade in terms of in-game coaching and roster management.
The next couple months are going to be exciting no matter how it shakes out.
In my mind, you go interim in the next 8 days (tomorrow, or after Bama). Obviously, schematic changes are too much to wish for or implement right now. It is what it is. I would make Gillespie interim myself, someone who we would hopefully keep under a new staff (deservedly so for both recruiting, a la almost pulling Cam Akers, and player development a la Kelly). Larry Scott did fine as an interim with no experience prior at Miami (no need to discuss his struggles running Butch's scheme).
The full court press for Gruden is on. I don't care what Hubbs or Parker or any of the mods tied to sites reliant on UT's staff/SID say. They don't need to manage my expectations. We're going to put an offer on the table to Gruden (keys to the castle) that few would be able to say no -- he's one of those few, that's why I am giving it 30% odds right now. Does he hang out for a NFL job (Colts) or finally allow himself to think he can operate in the confines of NCAA rules/regulations, and if he does that, we know he loves the Vols and East TN. I think it was telling that he was not in the box today with Currie (why fan flames on Butch before needed) and that he was not on the sidelines either (like he has been at bowl games in the past). He wasn't wearing orange here. Again, until the real negotiation (beyond the backchannel activity) picks up, why even fan the flames -- especially when he's semi-friendly with CBJ.
ESPN is a mess. Tirico axing irked him. They are losing subs and cutting on-air talent. His job is easy; it's also not going to be worth $6.5m/year for one game and some QB camps given ESPN's struggles. And at the same time the itch to coach is growing again. He doesn't want to fail. But UT's talent is top 20 in the country right now and this roster is better than 5 years ago, clearly. And the East outside of UGA is still not impressive. And Currie is not Hart (trust the process, as Ma says) and the majority of boosters realize there is a clear shot to swim in the deep waters right now and make the splash proven hire needed after the Dooley/Lane/Butch years. And the money is there as others have noted. 2 coaches have won both a Super Bowl and a Natty (Johnson, Switzer); if he didn't have such family ties to TN, I would not even think he'd consider the college ranks right now. But you can tell how much he loves football, teaching, coaching, and the area. It probably won't happen, but he's going to have to turn down a really good offer.
If it doesn't happen, we are still going after big fish. And guys like Patterson, or Jimbo, or Chip are going to have to say no. And hell...I think just about any decent up & coming young coach is an upgrade in terms of in-game coaching and roster management.
The next couple months are going to be exciting no matter how it shakes out.
