Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI, SFR
Begin forwarded message:
From: Shane Ford <goufgators@bellsouth.net>
Date: July 13, 2016 at 1:36:29 PM CDT
To: GatorNews <gatornews@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Pat Dooley: Vols again winning the summer
Reply-To: gatornews+owners@googlegroups.com
--Pat Dooley: Vols again winning the summer
University of Tennessee coach Butch Jones speaks during SEC Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama.
Gary Cosby Jr./GateHouse MediaPublished: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:34 p.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:34 p.m.
HOOVER, Ala. — The face of Tennessee football stood in the hallway outside the main meeting room as an ESPN producer dusted his head. Josh Dobbs suffers from alopecia and finally gave in by shaving his head this offseason, revealing a perfect dome.
It was - along with his checkerboard socks - a new look for the Tennessee quarterback.
But there wasn't much else new with the Vols.
Instead, it felt like Groundhog Day.
The Kardashians have won another summer.
Gosh, it felt familiar to listen to Butch Jones talk for 20 minutes and say nothing. Remember a year ago when he said his team needed to learn how to win?
"You want those expectations," he said. "But the expectations will never be greater than what we place on ourselves internally."
That was Tuesday. Or it might have been a year ago Tuesday.
Not much has changed. The mighty Vols are expected to win the East. In fact, a good bet would be this — Tennessee or the field in the East?
Tennessee has a ton of talent coming back.
The Vols have the only full-time starter returning at quarterback in the division.
The rest of the East consists of three teams with new head coaches, two perennial doormats and Florida.
You know, the team that owns them.
On paper, it looks like Tennessee will be in Atlanta. Just as it looked that way last year before a lot of fourth quarters happened.
Which is why Jones took the positive angle and pointed out that his team is 13-5 over the last 18 games with those five losses coming by a total of 25 points.
"So what are we doing to take the next step as a football program?" he asked. "Finish games, learn to close games out."
Of course, he fails to mention that a lot of the Tennessee momentum was created by a six-game win streak to close the season and that the first five games of the win streak were against teams who finished a combined 18-42.
Please, don't look behind the curtain. It ruins the message. And the message is that Tennessee is back.
"The swagger never left," said linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
Well, it kinda did.
The truth is that swagger is part of the problem in Knoxville. Go ahead and stick your chest out for beating Missouri, South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt.
This is not to say the Vols should be dismissed. The addition of defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was the best hire in the SEC during the offseason and decisions by several players to pass on the draft to give it one more shot was a huge boost.
But there is a real perception that this is the year and that if it isn't it may not happen for a long time.
On Tuesday, in the midst of his presentation and question-and-answer session, Jones broke the record for coaching cliches. He also introduced a new one on me.
"The thing about leaderships is leaders eat last," he said.
So that eliminates me.
Look, he knows what is expected of this season. So does Dobbs, who has bulked up to better absorb hits and plans to prove to the world he's a better passer than he has shown.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinions," Dobbs said. "I know I can make every throw."
Typical Kardashian.
You say you can. Do it.
Or not.
Or continue to win the summer and lose the fall.
On Tuesday, the SEC Network's Maria Taylor introduced Jones and called him the coach of the "potential SEC East champions."
Isn't everybody in the East a potential champion.
The praise gets thrown around a lot with Tennessee and that clearly makes the Vols happy. Even if it means the usually wrong media will be picking UT to win the East.
"The biggest thing it shows is how far we came from," Dobbs said. "Tennessee is back to where traditional Tennessee has been."
Not really.
Not yet.
Contact Pat Dooley at 352-374-5053 or at pat.dooley@gvillesun.com. And follow at Twitter.com/Pat_Dooley.
Sent From Shane's iPhoneGo Gators! & Skål Vikes!ALPCA #8756Europlate #1045
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007)
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