Unrest on Rocky Top

If it's football season, Vol Nation is probably frustrated. Yes, the Vols are 3-1 and many fans would have been OK with that stat before the season started. At this point, I'm thankful the Vols have 3 wins. Did they lay down against Florida, in the second half? In my opinion, yes. Did they almost blow it against Akron? Yes. Is this Tennessee football? Yes and no.

As an alum and fan, the current suckiness of the Tennessee football program has me very upset. When I was in school, the Vols were winning championships and played their hearts out for 60 minutes. I haven't seen the Vols play as a "team" and for the T on their helmet in ages.

Do I blame Coach Dooley? Not 100%. The program was headed down a black hole long before he showed up. 3 coaches in 3 years from 2008-2010 didn't help, but something has to give. I like Coach Dooley. He seems like a nice guy and I dig his respect for the program. But, let's face it, nice guys don't win games and the guy hasn't proven he can handle the pressure and the spotlight in the SEC.

Tennessee should be a top tier program. We should have coaches beating down our door. What's happened? What's changed? I'm sick of losing and seeing a bunch of miva's (male divas) just "go through the motions" on the field. I get it, the athletes are part of the problem. We're not recruiting the same kind of kids we were back in the day. Those guys are going to Alabama, LSU and even gasp, South Carolina.

We lost to Kentucky last year. KENTUCKY, for crying out loud. They had a WR playing QB, who had only practiced under center for a like a week. That is not acceptable!!

I love this town, but I really love this town during football season when the Vols are playing well. You can just feel the excitement in the air. Orange as far as the eye can see. It was a rare sight to see Neyland Stadium not filled to the brim. I remember we had 107K for the 1998 Florida game. Granted, with the renovations, we aren't close to 100K, but I don't think they even announced last night's crowd against Akron. My guess was somewhere around 50K. Actual butt's in seats, not tickets sold.

I'll finish with this...I'm not saying the Vols need a new head coach right now. A coaching change would put the program back another 3-5 years. I need the coach to change. What I mean is, manage those emotions on the sidelines, motivate the players, get them on the same page, TEACH.

But, this is a 2 way street. The players have to listen and want to improve. So guess what boys, time to put your big boy pants on and play like a man. You chose to wear the orange and white, so wear it with pride. Some of you will be lucky enough to play in the NFL. Look at all of the former Vols still in the NFL. How did they get there? They worked their asses off.

Go Vols, beat Georgia!

Sawg Sells

In case you don't live in the South or don't pay attention to college football, my beloved Tennessee Vols take on their arch rival, the Florida Gators.

It's "Gator Hater" week, like it is every year, leading up to the Florida game. Both teams have issues to correct if they want to win on Saturday. I'm concerned about the Vols kicking game and our, at times, Swiss Cheese defense and secondary. I'm sure the Gators have a few kinks to work out too.

So, why do I start hearing rumors about Tennessee changing their uniforms for the game? If you were anywhere near me for the 2009 game against South Carolina, you heard my displeasure about the black jerseys.

I know it's 2012 and swag sells, but I don't give a flip about swag. I want our team focused so we can finally skin the Gators. If this black helmet makes you play harder, so be it. But ESPN's College GameDay will broadcast from Circle Park, we've got a handful of recruits in town and we're kicking at 6PM EST on ESPN. The city and the stadium need to be filled with orange.

Can you tell I'm a fan of tradition?

To swag or not to swag?

It's about time...

For college football...I know I say this every year, but this felt like the longest off season ever!

It's no secret, there's been turmoil on Rocky Top for the past few years. I've tried not to pay attention to a lot of talk, it stresses me out. And no matter what is being said, nothing else matters except what happens between the white lines.

What happened between the white lines in the Georgia Dome last night was something I haven't seen in ages. A.) a Vols football team actually playing like a team and B.) a Vols victory in the bloody in the Dome.

Here are a few of my thoughts on the game:

Our secondary worries me a little, but maybe that was just opening game nerves

With solid snaps, I feel like our kicking game may be a bit more stable

I saw fire and desire to improve. When someone missed a tackle or botched a play, they were showed emotion. They were pissed they didn't make the play. And they showed improvement. Teams of the past would have shrugged their shoulders and just trotted off the field, like "no big deal".

Still need to wrap up and tackle. It's such a basic concept, I have no idea how we still can't do it!

Oh, Cordarrelle Patterson is the real deal...kid's a beast and going to be fun to watch for at least a season.

That being said, if the Vols continue to improve and learn from their mistakes...they can be a very special team.

Go Vols!!