God knows I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’d been ignoring Junior of late, but it’s been relatively quiet in Knoxville. (Besides, everybody in the media is hoping that the Laner’s been saving his best material for SEC Media Days.)
Anyway, here are three items, none of them earth shattering in nature, but all entertaining. Which, when you think about it, is a pretty apt description of Kiffin himself.
First, is it reasonable for us to expect that somebody’s ass is going to be canned over this little mistake (h/t The Wiz of Odds)?
The Phillip Fulmer Era isn’t over, at least according to one page of Tennessee’s 2009 football media guide that was released Tuesday.
In the year-by-year, all-time scores section, Fulmer’s era on page 172 lists him as coach: 1992-Present.
Next, Mike Hamilton continues to show the savvy management skills, the ability to know the mind of his football coach, that’s made him one of the best paid ADs in the business.
Said Lane Kiffin on the December afternoon he was introduced as Tennessee’s new football coach eight months ago: “Everything’s in place. We don’t need another building. We don’t need another weight room. We’ve got enough here to win.”
Said UT athletic director Mike Hamilton on Tuesday: “Over the past four months (Lane) has started telling us what we need, especially in the weight room. It’s nothing we haven’t talked about in the past — we’ve known there was a need there — but he is starting to ask for things.”
Good luck keeping up with that, pal. Hamilton goes on to praise his prize hire for, among other things, being a “throwback”.
“As I’ve gotten to know Lane,” Hamilton said, “he’s really kind of a throwback. He likes to recruit, break down film, scheme the opponent. He’s a lot more like the football coaches of the past than you might think.”
Hmm… makes you wonder what all those newfangled coaches are doing out there to earn a paycheck. Especially the guys like Saban and Meyer that are lined up to whip Junior’s ass this season.
Besides, he’s not as hard bitten as you might think. When it comes to his quarterbacks, he’s quite tender and caring.
… Kiffin said his quarterbacks, particularly senior Jonathan Crompton, have suffered through “bad relationships” with UT fans.
The Volunteers ranked near the bottom nationally in most major offensive statistical rankings last season, and much of the fans’ frustration was directed at the quarterbacks.
“I can see in Jonathan with what has happened before, and around here — I don’t know if this is a good comparison — it’s like a bad relationship,” Kiffin said. “He’s hurt, and so you can tell when things go bad a little bit with him that he kind of freezes up a little bit, because he’s been beat up for so long here. That’s very obvious for me to see, so I’ve worked very hard at getting him out of that by conversations and to understand we’re not worried about what happened before…”
You see, Vol fans, it’s not Crompton, it’s you. Maybe Junior needs to get everybody booked on Oprah to work things out. Catharsis can be helpful, you know.
Get The Picture 
Does that make Lane Crompton’s rebound?
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Lane is talking to him as if he is a battered wife.
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…or one of Spurrier’s quarterbacks except that Spurrier is not quite as tender and caring about bad relationships.
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Global War on Lane –
If Lane were Beck, Knoxville was South Park and Crompton was, well, really lucky to be the last QB standing or being sacked inside the Green Zone…
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HAHA, you ignored that he explains throwback right after that, talking about breaking down film, scheming, and working really hard. Saban and Meyer work their tails off, too. Maybe Phil just didn’t, and that’s why Hamilton is making the comparison.
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Oskie, what are you talking about? Hamilton’s quote is right there in my post.
Interesting that you bring up Fulmer’s work habits. He didn’t work hard enough and his results on the field were on a steady decline… so why exactly did Hamilton give him that last raise and contract extension?
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“You Vol fans, with your clinging to your guns and your good quarterback play.”
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Global War on Lane:
“Waiting for Godot or Hamilton Talks at Lane.”
Said UT athletic director Mike Hamilton on Tuesday: “Over the past four months (Lane) has started telling us what we need, especially in the weight room. It’s nothing we haven’t talked about in the past — we’ve known there was a need there — but he is starting to ask for things.”
How Hamilton’s above quote came about:
Hamilton: “Lane, you’ve been here four months. I want you to start to ask for things.”
Lane: “Like what?”
Hamilton: “Like anything.”
Lane: “Anything?”
Hamilton: “Yes, you are a throwback. Well, at least your daddy is.”
Lane: “Like what?”
Hamilton: “Anything. Did you notice that we did not have any weights in the weight room?”
Lane: “Kinda. But I thought it was just like the aisles in WalMart, used to be crowded with junk inventory from China, nothing but wide open spaces now.”
Hamilton: “Is there anything you would like to ask me about the weight room?”
Lane: “Don’t know.”
Hamilton: “How about asking for some weights in the weight room?”
Lane: “Okay.”
Hamilton: “You have to phrase your answer in the form of a question.”
Lane: “Can I have some weights in the weight room?”
Hamilton: “Yes.”
Lane: “Thanks.”
Hamilton: “You’re welcome. Just remember that if anyone asks, this is all part of the master plan.”
Lane: “The master what?”
Hamilton: “The master plan. In other words, why everything that’s bad is good. Remember, we create our own reality. We are a self-sustaining entity unto ourselves.”
Lane: ” A what?”
Hamilton: “Never mind. I have to go now. I’m late for a meeting that Head Coach Pat Summit ordered me to report to.”
Lane: “I thought I was the head coach.”
Hamilton: “In theory, yes, you are on of them.”
Lane: “Can I have another quarterback? I’m about to hurt Crompton’s feelings.”
Hamilton: “No, Lane. That will be up to you and the staff of ace recruiters that I hired for you.”
Lane: “You said to ask for things.”
Hamilton: “Yes, I did but you have to do some things to make it look like you and your recruiters are earning the money that you are getting.”
Lane: “Where did it say that in the employment contracts?”
Hamilton: “It’s implied.”
Lane: “What?”
Hamilton: “Lane, pay attention to me for a change. I am one of the highest paid athletic directors in The SEC.”
Lane: “Not for long.”
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Global War on Lane:
A spokesman for Lane and Coach O vehemently denies that they had any involvement in, or responsibility for, the “take off the shirt, let’s fight” throwdown that allegedly went on in the Met’s AA clubhouse:
http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9838282/Source:-Mets-to-probe-exec-over-clubhouse-tirade#tb
The spokesman for Lane and O claims that their take off the shirt and bounce around thing is designed strictly and solely for use on high school age boy recruits and that it’s common knowledge that things in Division 1 football are much more peaceable than they are in minor league baseball.
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Completely unrelated, but : Ladies and Gentleman, your 2009 New York Mets. As a lifelong Braves fan, nothing pleases me more than to see the Mets franchise going down in flames.
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Amen to that. Soon it will be the former New York Mets General Manager Oscar “See Ya” Minaya.
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