Read this column from Rick Bozich of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
Now think back to the just completed 2005 University of Tennessee football season, often called "Train Wreck at Rock Bottom 2005". Phil Fulmer blamed everything and everyone but himself for the problems. Fulmer and Davis have a lot in common. In fact, if you substitute Phil Fulmer's name for that of Mike Davis, and change a few names in the column, you would have an accurate match of Mike Davis and Phil Fulmer's plight to the media and fans. The only thing missing in Davis's named problems is Phil Fulmer's "Perfect Storm".
OuterMonVOLia's westcoastvol took the liberty of editing the column. Tell us, is this accurate or what???
Coach should blame himself, not UT's fans
Phil Fulmer has reviewed the videotapes and uncovered the reasons the Tennessee University men's football team could not score against Bama, could not defend against Vanderbilt and could not win the games it needed to win to remain a fearsome force in the SEC.
UT fans are the reason. Too negative. Too committed to his failure. If pushed, I suspect Fulmer would say the fans are doing a miserable job of screening and rebounding, too.
This is strange -- but hardly surprising. Fulmer has specialized in strange during his ten-plus seasons as the UT coach. This is the guy who used a BCS title to lobby for raises and extensions, claiming he has “equity.”
I'm not trying to be negative or committed to watching Fulmer fail. But I am interested in telling Fulmer things he needs to hear if he expects to succeed at his next coaching destination:
You're doing bad work.
Worry less about Internet crazies, irrational fans and media critics.
Worry more about getting your players in shape, organized and convinced there's nothing wrong with an occasional floor burn.
It's all about performance
Don't phone in a critical home game, send an assistant to field VolCalls and then suggested what actually was making you sick was UT fans. You're not in the Arena Football League. You're at Tennessee, a program that aches to compete for NCAA titles.
Your performance is the reason you won't return as the UT coach next season. Your performance is the reason you have not earned another season in Knoxville.
It's not angry fans, indifferent administrators, critical sportswriters, tough scheduling, unlucky injuries, bad officiating, aging facilities or the atmosphere at Old College Inn. I'll say it one more time:
You've done bad work. Your teams are disorganized and uninspired. They're consistently short on grit and long on making excuses.
I say that as somebody who consistently has defended Fulmer, as somebody who believed he could succeed after Johnny Majors’ turbulent dismissal, as somebody who argued last December that Fulmer deserved another year as the sentiment against him raged.
Fulmer's one more year has become one more replay of 2005 and 2004 -- the king-sized expectations at a school that has won five NCAA titles followed by massive underachievement.
Poorly prepared
If you want to talk football, I'm ready. You win with defense. You lose with indifference to offense. Fulmer' players defend as if they'll be assessed a technical foul for bending their knees.
There are 117 Division I teams. UT ranks 151st in total offense. I can't blame that on fans who threaten protests. I can blame that on a coach whose team shrinks from pressuring the ball.
As J-P Sports analyst Dave Baker said on the telecast Saturday, several UT players are not in shape. They tire in the second half. If the Vols shrug at the idea of defense, they're simply a mess on offense.
That's why Tennessee has yet to win a Big Ten road game. That's why the Vols have played themselves from being ranked third to no post-season bowl to an abysmal recruiting season.
And that's why Phil Fulmer won't be the coach at Tennessee next season.
That is eerie!
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