A couple of hindsight is always 20/20 stories for your amusement:
First, we learn that the high school coaches nearest to SOD Country never had much use for the guy, because he didn’t have much use for them. There’s a lot of hurt feefees on display, as well as sour grapes.
“I didn’t like that staff, to be honest,” Price said. “I grew up in this state and I would go to the games about every week and wanted to support them. I’m a Tennessee fan, but we never heard anything from them. Not even a visit just to introduce who was recruiting our area or a call or anything. It was like they didn’t care whether they had any relationship with us at all, so how would we ever feel good about sending a kid there once we had one they wanted?
“I’ve been coaching a long time and dealt with a lot of coaches at every level, and those guys were the worst as far as feeling like they wanted to work with you or have any relationship at all with the high school coaches.”
Sumbitches! And here’s the best part: “The lack-of-communication complaint was echoed by all 37 coaches who responded to the poll, and each said the staffs under former coaches Phillip Fulmer and Lane Kiffin seemed to care more about building a working relationship.” Hey, great! And how did that work out for Tennessee?
But that’s mild stuff compared with Kevin Scarbinsky’s don’t-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-ass farewell to Gene Chizik. It’s a classic of the genre. Even if just half of what’s in there is true, it’s hard to see how Jay Jacobs still has a job this morning.
My favorite part:
Newton, Fairley and the seniors received plenty of credit for the national title. So did offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, whose attack set school and SEC records. People close to Chizik believe he felt slighted in the afterglow even though he deserved and earned praise for his steady hand as allegations of recruiting violations threatened Newton’s eligibility.
Chizik seemed to change after the national title. It’s not uncommon for coaches to write books after that kind of season, but his – “All In: What It Takes to Be the Best” – was far more about him than about the team.
I guess they should have read his book more carefully. They can probably get a cheap copy of it now, though.
Get The Picture 
I bet neither ever lifted the toilet seat up when they took a piss either, bastards.
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+1. And in my house you’re supposed to put it down when you’re done. Ladies first.
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I put ’em both down – Then both gotta lift…
(In the interests of equanimity and all…)
🙂
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Lid Protocol:
In our friendships and family ties the girls outnumber the guys 2-1. Having two sons the subject was raised by my bride on more than one occasion and I was getting it from both sides. “Dad, they need it up- I do them a favor. If they need it down they can put it down.” Kids! When they reached middle school we changed schools, built a house and moved. Since the powder room gets the most traffic I put a urinal in there. Put one in the boys bathroom too. No hardwood or carpet on the main floor. All tile, pinwheel pattern. So kids and dogs and company can come and go with no worries about scratching the hardwood/staining the carpet and no more lid discussion and reprimands. I do get the occasional “What’s up with the urinal in the powder room?” Meh, seemed like a good idea at the time. Tile gets cold on your feet though.
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You only have to keep the seats down when it is dark. That way us Suthin Women don’t fall in. Cause we do not turn on the lights at night.
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Some might view that as an opportunity to rescue a damsel in distress. Not me of course.
Anyway, our coed bathroom follows “ladies first” protocol and there are no dangerous conditions involving water closets. 😉
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You go near a urinal in bare feet? That’s assumption of the risk pal.
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Insurance.
There was a little “bulls eye pad” at the drain that and—-> there are no “short shooters” in this Dawgs pedigree. 😉
My sister once suggested that I teach the boys to ” sit” when they handle their business. When my Dad heard that he was none to pleased with her solution. The boys are all gentlemen now and much more appreciative of the young ladies in their lives.
just sayin’
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Urinal? Bare feet?
Years ago, when my two boys were with me, I put a sign on my toilet to avoid any usage confusion: “If your bat’s too short, please step up to the plate.”. It’s old and trite, but effective.
Their urinal sign at Auburn: “All in.”
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My Mom had a ceramic sign over the toilet that read “We aim to please …. you aim too please.” That’s where I got the idea for the “bulls eye” at the drain.
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I’ve also seen, “my aim is to keep this bathroom clean, your aim will help.”, lol.
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I live in Columbus so lots of AU fans around here. I might go on a shopping spree and buy all of them his book for Christmas.
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Let me know if it’s cheaper than an ACCCG ticket.
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Upper deck tickets are currently $4.50 each on StubHub. Buy, Hold, or Sell?
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$7.76 but given it was just announced give it time.
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Either one….a waste of money.
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At least one isn’t a waste of a tree… well wait, the other is a waste of gas. Nevermind.
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Never mind indeed.
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I’d like to think Dooley’s lack of PR to the high school coaches was a function of inexperience (he only coached at a small college) or because he had too many other big fires to put out, and too much on his plate. Lane Kiffin leaves a lot of doo doo piles wherever he goes.
But you’d also think that Vince, or one of the other guys he trained under, would have told him the importance of cultivating the relationships.
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If Barbara didn’t tell him it may have not sunk in.
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Vince did not have time for Kiffin at the time.
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He became a CFC because he wanted adoration. He bought it for a little while..boy… oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
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Very incisive insight…
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Like you choice of words there dude.
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I don’t know how damning it really is that Coach Dooley didn’t spend enough time massaging the high school coaches in Tennessee (or northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama for that matter…). There aren’t a lot of football players in that area. To succeed in the SEC, Tennessee can’t rely on what the home state produces, so they have to recruit aggressively in Georgia and Florida. That’s where your time and energy is better spent if you’re the coach there. Now, should you also make an effort with the home teams? Sure. But if they produce a player that you do want, it’s not like they’re going to steer that kid somewhere else. Other coaches aren’t glad-handing the high school teams without top level talent. Trooper Taylor isn’t spending his energy having lunch with those coaches either, until they have a player. Northwest Georgia’s coaches may not be happy with the level of attention they received from SOD, but he still managed to get Da’Rick out of Calhoun (thank God).
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Agree. The HS coach’s comment says it all: “ … so how would we ever feel good about sending a kid there ‘once we had one they wanted’?”
Hey coach, do you have any D-1 prospects? You think SOD had a lousy record, try fielding a ut lineup dominated by in-state recruits.
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I think there is some PR benefit to having a HS coaches luncheon in June and sending them tickets to a game or two, if that is legal. And disagree that TN kids are a lock for UT after the Kifster incident and other turmoil, perhaps even more important. Think you have to build those relationships before they get a star recruit, otherwise you’re just an opportunist w/o any foundation for loyalty….shoot, if TN HS football is not great. I’d consider holding annual coaches clinics where you taught them the latest methods…
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There is a lot of talent in Memphis and UT ain’t getting it.
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I view these two articles differently. I think the Chizik piece is more or less obvious to outsiders. Quite frankly, is there one thing that is surprising about the article? Chizik was NOT a good coach, and the article does a great job of pointing out how their 2010 team was really a combination of Newton, Fairley, Malzahn, Dyer, a veteran OL (recall their 2007 OL had as many frosh as our 2007 OL), and a lot of close wins. Absent that, Chizik was a terrible football coach.
The Dooley article is more interesting. I am not sure if its a “hit job” or an accurate portrayal of a coaching staff that lacks the skills to build relationships to recruit. His father as we KNOW was NOT a great recruiter at all (witness how Dye and Ford really outworked our staff toward his latter years). UT’s classes have been terrible the past two years, and while the program could promise more immediate PT, it was also not on the verge of competing for titles either. In the end, I tend to think DD probably rubbed a lot of folks the wrong way. As an outsider, it is hard to say why because I think he is incredibly articulate and media savvy. My best guess is he is probably a bit socially awkward and that probably comes across as aloof. Beyond that, I have no idea how much “relationships” matter with high school coaches as much as they do with prospects.
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“As an outsider, it is hard to say why because I think he is incredibly articulate and media savvy.”
I’m just not feeling it.
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No one (especially Mike Hamilton) could have predicted that SOD’s media savvy about Erwin (Meyers) Rommel, Little Richard III, and Bruce Hornsby and the Range Rovers would end so soon.
In related league news, Gene will never eat lunch (or supper) in Robertsdale again
“Chizik spent the rest of the evening signing autographs and posing for pictures. He left in a black Escalade escorted by state troopers. Like a boss.”
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aside from the geometry bit, which i think was not delivered with enough tongue in cheek and came across as telling the writers they did not know math instead of ….”you guys are writers not mathmaticians”….I thought it was all pretty funny and honest. I am NOT saying I think he is a good head coach. Keep in mind, these writers are used to a lot of coach speak. I would be curious as to what they thought of him.
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So Price did not like Dooley’s staff. Personalities. Seems there are some wimpy ass little boy coaches in the state of Tennessee. Did any of those coaches ever contact Vandy or UT and say “we like to see more of your coaches thru our campus”. A program can have recruiters like Auburn who eventually torch it. Or maybe like UT…stoic or arrogant.
Now the high school coaches in Tennessee. If you have players the recruiters will get there. Fulmer, Kiffin, Dooley…just from the jest of the high school coaches comments I gather they want to be pampered, wined and dined, and lauded over. Never heard that about the high school coaches in the states of Florida and Georgia. But then look at the recruits who come out of those states and where they are scattered throughout the D1 programs.
Hell, let’s just be plain about it. The coaches and programs in Georgia are vastly superior to anything in Tennessee. Otherwise why do those colleges and universities recruit so hard in those two states.
Trouble with Auburn they were all in. All in trouble. When you hire a HC from Iowa State that has a record of…what do you expect. Auburn can not keep coaches. That is their history…and will be their future.
But I will give Auburn credit for getting a national title. But where did that staff go after it happened. Were they lucky for one year? Perhaps, but they could not keep it together.
Managing people. Take Grantham. Who at UGA got their panies in a wad after those sideline gestures [former AD]. Grantham does good work, but has a lot of passion for the players, their success, their maturity, their work ethic…that is what shows with him. And CMR did not get caught up in all that. CMR is loyal to his staff and to his players. And to the high schools, and that includes the principals, alums, players, and coaches. CMR knows more about this state than alot of people give him credit for. He is “Georgia”. He has been in a lot of campuses, churches, and etc for other than recruiting.
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Senator, if the Dawgs….well I’m not going to say it….can we put together a thank you petition for Lane Kiffen? How funny would that be if we collected several thousand “thank you’s” and gift wrapped it to Kiffen…Call it the Jarvis Project
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