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 of terminating the employment of Phil Fulmer to begin with. While I must admit riding the fence when the news first came out that this would be Coach Fulmer’s last season, as time passed, it became more and more evident this firing is a colossal mistake.
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It was announced on Black Friday former USC offensive coordinator and Oakland Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin will take over the reins at the University of Tennessee for the departing Philip Fulmer.
Even though I was not shocked at the announcement, I was rather suprised that Mike Hamilton settled on Kiffin, making him the youngest coach in major college football. In terms of success, all we know about Kiffin is that he was the co-offensive coordinator at USC with Steve Sarkisian, where the offenses posted great numbers in 2005 and 2006, with the likes of NFL talent like Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, Lendale White, Dewayne Jarrett, and Steve Smith.
Al Davis then took a gamble on the young Kiffin, naming him the youngest coach in the history of the National Football League when he led the 2007 Oakland Raiders to a 4-12 season, and was 1-3 at the time of his firing this season.
Now, that we know a little about who Lane Kiffin is, let’s examine his hiring:
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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.
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Tennessee athletic director Mike Hamilton made the decision to fire Phil Fulmer and must now find the right man to replace Fulmer. Hamilton’s task will not be an easy one.
Going against the names Urban Meyer, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier, Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Bobby Petrino poses a challenge to the new coach in the ever-tough Southeastern Conference, but Hamilton needs to go with his gut feeling with the hire, much like he did when he hit a grand slam with head basketball coach Bruce Pearl.
Well, Tennessee football, I have the solution for you!
In last week’s predictions, I missed the big game (Texas/Missouri) incorrectly expecting Mizzou to respond to their upset loss the previous week. However, I was right with most of my remaining picks. I said Georgia and Oklahoma would both win in conference showdowns but not cover huge spreads (which they didn’t). I told you Ole Miss would give #2 Alabama a run. I told you Tulsa would put up huge numbers, and that Virginia was no longer the god-awful team they were a month ago.
I did miss the LSU/South Carolina game when LSU eked out a late win, overestimated Wake Forest, and expected more out of California and the new Clemson coaching staff. So what kind of predictions do I have this week?
(all rankings from are from The Blue Workhorse College Football Top 25)
#7 Texas Tech at #20 Kansas
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Lots of great stuff this week from fantasy baseball awards to college football freshman to a sports blogger trying out for a professional team to a ridiculous hockey play:
* Need a Halloween costume? - Epic Carnival gives you the top ten sports related Halloween costumes of 2008. I still think the idea I came up with last year is the best (just check in the comments of the story).
* GameDay Classic Signage - Busted Coverage has the 20 all-time best ESPN College Gameday signs. The ones mentioned in the comments are classic as well.
* Best GameDay Sign. Ever. - From the Auburn/LSU game last month.
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It’s back. After it appeared that everyone enjoyed the inaugural edition, the Wednesday Workhorse Links (as it will be known until someone helps supply a better name) is back again.
Some great articles that you should check out that I haven’t necessarily had time to write anything about the past two weeks:
* We gave an NFL player his official nickname!! - Falcons’ fullback Ovie Mughelli had a contest on YardBarker because Braylon Edwards said he needed a nickname, and our nickname Ovie “The Drill” Mughelli was selected!
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Over the holiday weekend, the University of Tennessee Athletic Department unveiled the new and improved compensation packages for the head coaches of the two headlining sports in Knoxville.
Both Phillip Fulmer and Bruce Pearl received what I will label as “more than modest raises.”
Obviously, the University of Tennessee is not alone in their bursting budgets and a seemingly endless flow of funds that are spent on, let’s face it, a game. The problem is that neither of these raises, regardless of amount, was justified.
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| By N2H | |||
