Link: Jeremy Pruitt's reality at Tin-er-C. He criticizes both fans and players.

Was in Gallatin TN (about 20 miles from Nashville) this past Thursday through Saturday for a business conference. From the conference to the hotel to walking around town and even in a sports bar Friday night to watch the Nashville Predators game, I didn't see a single TN hat, shirt nothing. I did get a lot of Roll Tides for my Bama gear. Everyone that I ended up conversing with after a Roll Tide was from out of state though.

coach Pruitt, is not use to the atmosphere at tenn. he has a big job ahead, but, he is not taking the losing attitude currently, and he is tough enough to get the job done.

We had a long competitive doldrum much like Tennessee is now mired in but the coach who brought us out of it had a resume that energized the fanbase and most of the underclassmen he inherited bought into the system. Pruitt has his work cut out for him because his first job is basically something like what Saban inherited in the prime of his coaching career. Pruitt could very well end up being the most successful Saban coordinator and he'll basically have to be to resurrect this UT program.

rgw said:

We had a long competitive doldrum much like Tennessee is now mired in but the coach who brought us out of it had a resume that energized the fanbase and most of the underclassmen he inherited bought into the system. Pruitt has his work cut out for him because his first job is basically something like what Saban inherited in the prime of his coaching career. Pruitt could very well end up being the most successful Saban coordinator and he'll basically have to be to resurrect this UT program.

Click to expand...

not to worry. As soon as UT pounds Austin Peay or somebody(no clue as to their schedule) the fans will be flying their flags and wearing their gear with a "We Want Bama" shirt. Their fans have been through a lot for sure. Fulmer is costly. Time will tell if he will be again.

For all the slurs I heard during the Bama downturns......I think UA deserves a triple kudos for fighting back after near death penalty for poor reasons. Yet....here we are. Mediocre times will probably return one day, but I don't feel terribly sorry for the other schools after all I stomached out local talk show guys here in the Middle Tenn area.

Pruitt = Shula. Good enough for both Tennessee and Pruitt. 10-2 tops is what the Vols can hope for in the next few years.

Pruitt probably feels like Coach Eric Taylor when he walked into East Dillon.

rgw said:

We had a long competitive doldrum much like Tennessee is now mired in but the coach who brought us out of it had a resume that energized the fanbase and most of the underclassmen he inherited bought into the system. Pruitt has his work cut out for him because his first job is basically something like what Saban inherited in the prime of his coaching career. Pruitt could very well end up being the most successful Saban coordinator and he'll basically have to be to resurrect this UT program.

Click to expand...

I have to disagree. I guess we're talking about the 10 years '97-'06 and '08-'17. Even though Bama was devastated psychologically and physically by 2 severe probations, IMO, with less talent they were far more feisty and competitive than UT. They rarely looked like they gave up. Even under Shula they usually kept the score competitive, though you knew they didn't have enough to win games against decent teams. Though they only played 11 reg season games, they won 10 3 times, UT 0, and won an SEC title. UT had 6 losing seasons, Bama 4. UT lost 6+ games 8 seasons, Bama 5. And UT has been playing in a very weak division. IMO, Bama's displayed much more heart.

The fans hung in much better too. The UT fanbase has almost quit. When Saban came the whole Bama world showed up, UT not so - though of course Pruitt is not Saban.

I agree. Tennessee has been beaten down much worse and by their own incompetence. Our fans always could blame the NCAA and didn't give up on Dubose or Shula until the very end. Early in my days on here I had to hold my tongue quite a bit because I'd pretty much written off Shula by early 2004 when he had his whole offense still on the field against Western Carolina in the second half.

People can see why the elite HC's steered clear of that job & the viles had to settle for hiring a unproven assistant for their next HC..

BamaInBham said:

I have to disagree. I guess we're talking about the 10 years '97-'06 and '08-'17. Even though Bama was devastated psychologically and physically by 2 severe probations, IMO, with less talent they were far more feisty and competitive than UT. They rarely looked like they gave up. Even under Shula they usually kept the score competitive, though you knew they didn't have enough to win games against decent teams. Though they only played 11 reg season games, they won 10 3 times, UT 0, and won an SEC title. UT had 6 losing seasons, Bama 4. UT lost 6+ games 8 seasons, Bama 5. And UT has been playing in a very weak division. IMO, Bama's displayed much more heart.

The fans hung in much better too. The UT fanbase has almost quit. When Saban came the whole Bama world showed up, UT not so - though of course Pruitt is not Saban.

Click to expand...

I completely agree with this...

To be fair, the hiring of Jeremy Pruitt is far from any kind of slam dunk that would have excited their fan base. How many people would have been there if Gruden had taken that job? When Coach Saban does walk away and we hire our next coach we will probably come close to filling B-D for his first A day, but Coach Saban will have left a legacy of great success. Most Tennessee players weren't alive the last time they were a really good team, and many of their fans are having a hard time remembering.

Hey, we have been there. I dislike UTK more than any other team we play, but I understand where they are coming from, because we have lived through hard times ourselves.

rtr

VirginiaTide57 said:

Pruitt = Shula. Good enough for both Tennessee and Pruitt. 10-2 tops is what the Vols can hope for in the next few years.

Click to expand...

I don't agree with this at all. Shula was never going to be a good HC. I think Pruitt may be one day, but I doubt UT will give him time to fix what needs to be fixed.

The silver lining here is if Pruitt can pull them up to a respectable level, maybe win a division crown or an SECC one day, he may be the strongest candidate to take over after CNS heads to the lake.

Jeremy needs to be looking over his shoulder at Phat Phil because I think a back stabbing is coming.

BamaMoon said:

I don't agree with this at all. Shula was never going to be a good HC. I think Pruitt may be one day, but I doubt UT will give him time to fix what needs to be fixed.

The silver lining here is if Pruitt can pull them up to a respectable level, maybe win a division crown or an SECC one day, he may be the strongest candidate to take over after CNS heads to the lake.

Click to expand...

I don't Dis-agree, and I think it is clear that Mike Shula will never be a successful college coach. But the IMO, the difference is that Jeremy Pruitt has spent his whole career working to be a college HC, and Mike Shula NEVER Wanted to be a college coach. He had never even sought a college position, and likely never would have coached at the college level if Coach Mal Moore had not called him in May 2003 and BEGGED him to come bail us out.

Mike Shula's reward for taking that thankless job has been a decade+ of criticism for failing to win NC's with a program that was far, far more damaged than ANY of our fans have ever wanted to admit. If you knew any of the people inside our program at the end of the Dumbose error, or during the tragic "Coach Fraud" tenure, you'd be shocked that Shula won over 5 games in ANY season in that dark time for UA Football.

None of that means Mike would or could have ever been a great college coach. And there's no Guarantee Pruitt will ever by a great college HC. But these are two men who have made RADICALLY DIFFERENT CHOICES in their careers.

No flames intended.

FWIW, I always liked Shula and I think about him more as a former player than coach. Still remember with fondness that last minute drive against Georgia and then of course the drive that set up "the kick."

BamaMoon said:

FWIW, I always liked Shula and I think about him more as a former player than coach. Still remember with fondness that last minute drive against Georgia and then of course the drive that set up "the kick."

Click to expand...

Mike Shula always will be one of my all-time favorite Alabama QBs. He was a gutsy competitor and I rarely thought that we were out of a game when he was on the field. As a coach, on the other hand...

may be a chicken or egg thing but if Pruitt wins, the Tenn fans will show up and do whatever he says. They have passionate fan base but been burned a lot lately. If he fields a tough, competitive team the Vol fans will respond. I don't like Tn at all, but they will stream out of the woodwork if things turn around. Their fans are astute enough not to be excited about their team for next year. It will be a surprise if they win 8 games.