Tennessee Football Heading Down Wrong Rebuilding Lane
There is nothing for Tennessee fans to be thankful for if the rumor regarding former Raiders’ head coach Lane Kiffin being offered the head coaching job at the university is true.
Of course, Mike Hamilton will not announce this decision officially while the administration tries to send current coach, Phillip Fulmer, out the door as gracefully as possible this Saturday against Kentucky. However, I believe the decision that appears to have been made is the wrong one for Tennessee football.
Kiffin apologists will point to the fact he is young and will breathe life into the Big Orange nation. However, his youth to me is an enormous liability.
What has Coach Kiffin accomplished? The answer is not much. Norm Chow and Steve Sarkisian should garner most of the credit for USC’s offensive output, and the head coaching stint with the Raiders was an absolute disaster.
The argument has been made Kiffin’s stint with the Raiders was a failure due to Al Davis. But if one really dissects that argument, how different is Al Davis from those who bleed orange? One season ago, UT football was too boring and run-oriented. This year, the run game has not been utilized and complaints have been fired off about what happened to good ole “Tennessee football.” Many fans complained Tennessee did not have enough hometown boys on the roster who were really passionate about the team. Now, with more of those players being recruited, the sports talk lines fill up with rants about the lack of talent at Tennessee.
In short, the Big Orange Nation can be just as fickle as the Raiders owner and Kiffin will not fare any better at the foothills of the Smokey Mountains than he did in the bay.
Much ado has been made about this supposed all-star staff Kiffiin has assembled headlined by his father Monte Kiffin and Ed Orgeron. Let’s start with Monte Kiffin. While his NFL resume is thick and glittering with accomplishments, he has not been involved in the college game since the mid 80s. And as we’ve seen…(Charlie Weis)…success at the pro level doesn’t always mean success at the college level.
Ed Orgeron, are you serious? This guy blew it at Ole Miss, and he has a long history of recruiting and personal issues following him, particularly from his stints at Miami and the University of Mississippi.
It is only fair after railing against the Kiffin hiring that I offer some suggestions of my own. Number one on my list would be Butch Davis, second would be Brian Kelly, and third would be Chris Peterson. Although Davis has already turned the job down and age might be an issue if the search is for a twenty year tenure coach, he would be an accomplished steady figure to bring discipline to the program who might be able to groom an heir to the throne after 6-8 years. Brian Kelly has won everywhere he has been, and not just won games but won conference championships, something Tennessee fans have craved since 1998. Finally, Peterson also has a consistently winning track record at Boise State. Although the competition in the WAC is weak in comparison to the SEC, Peterson has been able to recruit enough talent to Boise, Idaho to produce a winner year in and year out.
Bottom line is Tennessee fans better hope Santa Claus has a better present in mind to put under the tree than an unproven Lane Kiffin to turn the program around.
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November 29th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
[...] announcement was made Lane Kiffin will be the next head coach at Tennessee. This hire will bring lots of criticism, but the facts need to be [...]
November 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
The author makes some valid points in an argument against Tennessee’s rumored new head coach. However, I will take the other side. Lets give Kiffin a chance. If his father does come, Monte Kiffin is one of the best defensive coordinators in football. Tennessee is a base cover 2 team, and Kiffin is known for the “Tampa 2″ and a attacking philosophy. The defensive transition should be minimal, so this should be good for UT. If Orgeron comes, he will simply be brought in to recruit, something he is very good at. Even though he cannot run a program, Huston Nutt is doing just fine winning with all of Orgerons players. His southeastern ties will be good for UT, and he seems to be a pretty good position coach. Also, let me make a point about Kiffin. Before he took over the Oakland Raiders, they were dead last (32nd) in the NFL in both points scored and yards per game. In Kiffins first year, the Raiders finished 23rd in points and 25th in yards, a definitie sign of offensive improvement. Kiffin seems to be a young, personable guy, and if he can bring in a solid staff (which seems to be the case), the talent level and play at Tennessee should increase. The Vols already have a solid recruiting class lined up, and lets give Kiffin a chance to prove himself before we talk about what a bad hire this is.
November 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Personally, I think Hamilton felt the heat of hiring the big name rather than necessarily the best coach, which I think is Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly.
But then who is to say that Kelly didn’t flat out refuse the job as Butch Davis did?
November 29th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
I agree Shotgun, Brian Kelly would’ve been the better choice. He has won a DII championship, MAC championship, and now a Big East championship. But all I am saying is the Kiffin hire might not be as bad a Big Orange Nation might think…
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 am
[...] Need More Phil Dec.03, 2008 in NCAA Football Earlier this week, I laid out my reasons of why Lane Kiffin is a bad hire for the University of Tennessee football program. However, I never addressed the underlying issue [...]
December 11th, 2008 at 4:43 am
Phil will always be a UT Football coach. He had some things to learn though.
Tennessee played too soft sometimes and looked confussed at others. Some teams he should have taken to the woodshead.
Many of his teams let him down, they cost him his job, but he would never say that. Other teams and their coaches ridiculed him openly while Fulmer always showed class with them.
He lifted UT Football to a level it had not seen in nearly 50 years and he was one of Coaches that elevated the SEC too. That will never be forgotten.
I think he will be back someday, but tougher and wiser. What a treasure he is in Knoxville! Don’t ever think about leaving Phil.
I just hope I live long enought to see him win his 200th game as a VOL and BAMA fears his name again. But you got to do something about that sorry kicking program.