Urnge Crush

Remember the other day when Butch Jones was asked what differentiates the Tennessee fan base from others and he said it’s that they’re “very knowledgeable”?

Well, with apologies to Bill Higdon, it’s a good thing Jones didn’t say they’re very classy.

Nicely played, Coach Hand.

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Why is the Tennessee fan base different from any other?

Now if somebody were to ask you what sets Vol fans apart from the rest, you might point to any number of things, ranging from attire to musical taste to an extreme tolerance for student-athlete hi-jinks.  Someone else might suggest it’s about class.

Seriously.

But Butch Jones is here to tell us that’s all wrong.

Tennessee remains a long way from getting to that championship level, but Jones believes he eventually can get the Vols to that point. He believes Tennessee’s fans are patient and passionate enough to understand the program’s short-term challenges and long-term potential.

“I think the thing that separates our fan base from a lot of other fan bases is we’re very knowledgeable,” Jones said.

Why, yes, that’s it.  At least if you mean “knowledgeable” in the sense of being consistently disappointed in the direction of the program for the last decade, it is.  There really aren’t too many other fan bases who can share Urnge Nation’s depth of experience lately.

Although I suspect that when Jones says knowledgeable, he really means tolerant.  Good luck with that, brother.

Friday morning buffet

You need nourishment.

• This is what passes for optimism about Tennessee’s defense after spring practice.
• Mark Richt isn’t just worried about complacency with his starters.  He’s worried about the back-ups feeling like there’s nothing to compete for.
• Well played, UMass.
• Spurdog has a question.  Richt has an answer.  We need to return the favor this year, obviously.
• An app for inbreeds?  This could have major consequences for dating in [insert redneck state of choosing].
• Red panties are back, babee! (h/t John Infante)
• Notre Dame and NBC extend their TV deal another ten years.
• Cam Cameron has never considered football coaching work.  Sure.  That’s why he’s being paid $3.4 million dollars over the next three years to coach.
• I don’t normally indulge in bikini shots, but, hey, she’s a SEC football fan.

Monday morning buffet

You might as well fill up… we’ve got almost five months before we get some live football again.

• John Adams on the current state of Tennessee football:  “An offense seemingly bereft of playmakers struggled. While the defense looked both faster and more physical than last season’s bunch, that’s not necessarily a glowing recommendation in that the 2012 defense was the worst in school history.”  Ouch.
• Phil Steele predicts the SEC will place five teams in the AP’s preseason top ten, six in the top twelve.
• Anybody remember Josh Jarboe?
• Seth Emerson reviews the unresolved questions coming out of Georgia’s spring.  Let’s just say they pale in comparison to UT’s issues.
• And David Paschall looks at what’s up in the air with the Dawg offensive line.
• Grantham sounded satisfied that the Red team’s second G-Day try at a two-minute drill ended less successfully than did the first try.  (Of course, some of that can be chalked up to Murray quarterbacking the first one and LeMay handling the second one.)
• “James DeLoach is a guy that, when you’re talking about newcomers, has done a nice job…”
• Rivals buys into the “de-commitment is a problem” meme, blames it on great recruiters who confuse the recruits.  Just wonderin’ – how much less product would Rivals have to sell if some kids didn’t de-commit?
• If you’re interested, here’s a virtual look at the new College Football Hall of Fame, currently under construction.

Thursday morning buffet

If you’re hungry, grab a plate.

• Georgia Southern is moving to the Sun Belt Conference.  That’s good news for Georgia, as it means there will be one less FCS opponent on future schedules.
• Evidently, we think college players shouldn’t be paid, but college coaches should be paid more.  Weird.
• Speaking of paying college players, this is some well-played snark from the AJ-C, of all places.
• The media’s strange fixation with what it thinks Jadeveon Clowney ought to be doing with his football career goes in a new direction.
• John Infante thinks a little sunshine would work wonders on SEC oversigning.  Methinks Nick Saban could care less about that.
• March Madness usually inspires some really stupid thoughts about what college football can take from the basketball tourney, and CFN delivers, in spades.
• If you’re a Vol fan living in a certain place, Charlie Pierce describes how the Georgia-Tennessee water war could lead to your worst nightmare.

Delicate fee-fees in Knoxville

This is amusing on a number of levels:

… Former Vol players won’t miss Dooley either after they say he turned them away from attending practices and being connected to the program.

“No one expects red carpet but we do expect to be able to go watch spring practice,” said former UT QB Erik Ainge, who hosts a radio show on Tennessee Sports Radio 1180. Ainge said one time Dooley reached out to him to be his “spin doctor” in the media. “I sat in front of his office with his secretary and we talked for 45 minutes. I knew everybody over there better than he did. His dry cleaning wasn’t done properly, so he was making them re-starch his drycleaning. And I just sat there for 45 minutes.

“He made it really hard. Tennessee fans are begging for you to give ‘em something to get excited about. It’s as much a part of the culture here in East Tennessee as anything. You got Dollywood and UT. He made it really hard even for the die-hards to get on board.”

SOD evidently never learned the first rule of head coaching:  It’s okay to be an asshole.  As long as you’re winning.

Acid flashbacks

With Tennessee’s spring practice underway, I was wondering – do you think Willie ever gets the, um, willies about 2007 or 2009 when he steps out on that checkerboard field?

Bobo’d better light their asses up this year.  Just sayin’.

Knoxville distractions

A couple of random Tennessee bits for your mid-week amusement:

• For some unexplained reason, Erik Ainge thinks now is a good time to start a Twitter bitch because SOD is selling his house.  You’d think somebody who’s upset over the current state of the program would find Mike Hamilton be a more appropriate target.
• I know it’s coming from a fan post over at Rocky Top Talk, so it’s just a random opinion, but, still, if this happened, it would be, like, the most Tennessee thing ever.  Which is why I’m rooting for it.  Get cracking, Butch!

You gots to love the Intertubes.

Ask a stupid question…

You know, when life throws you a fastball down the middle, you’ve got to turn on the sucker.  So, I think you guys need to answer a question Butch Jones has this morning:

His sales pitch to the 2014 kids? “I think there are a number of things but my main thing is: Why not Tennessee?”

Please – be brutally honest.

Grim

Man, six paragraphs is almost all it takes to make me feel sorry for Butch Jones.  Almost.