**The following is part 1 of a 2 part blog examining the
subject that is in the forefront of the Tennessee Volunteer universe: should he stay or should he go?
Part 1- Why Derek
Dooley’s job should not be in question!
In the minds of many Tennessee fans, defending the job that Coach
Dooley has done over the past two seasons is a tall order to say the
least. With the lasting memory of the
first loss to the University of Kentucky in 27 years seared into their memories,
even some of the most level headed and mild-mannered Vol supporters have begun
to call for Dooley’s head. However, a
careful examination should always precede a changing of the guard. Here are my top 5 reasons Dooley should stay:
1.
Another coaching change will mean yet another
setback for the program. With all of the
coaching turnover that has taken place since the end of this season, many have
proposed that it is simply time to send Dooley packing as well and completely
revamp the program. That would bring
about the hiring of Tennessee’s fourth head coach in the last five years. Is that really what you want for your
program? What this team needs more than
anything is some kind of continuity. The
program is still reeling from the departure of the Kiffin administration. If Dooley leaves, the program will yet again
have to start from scratch in rebuilding.
Players and recruits will depart, and those that remain will be forced
to adapt to yet another head coach’s style and personality. It may not sound that bad, but it’s a lot to
take on for a group of kids trying to find themselves as people and as football
players. It also begins to quickly
diminish the reputation of the UT program.
People begin to view the job, which once was a beacon of stability, as
one driven by a trigger happy administration and fan base. Who would want to take a job where a two year
win or be fired precedent is set? It
becomes a job that sets guys up for failure.
2.
You cannot assume that different will equal
better. Boy, has Tennessee learned this one the hard way. There were very few fans rushing to the
defense of Coach Philip Fulmer in 2008; because, whoever they hired was going
to be better than Phil. How’s that
working out for you? I don’t think you
can make the argument that Derek Dooley is in the upper echelon of collegiate
coaches; however, to automatically determine that his replacement will be
better is a fallacy. Name me a guy out
there who is a can’t miss hire that would actually take the job? Perhaps he is out there, but it’s not as
simple as it may seem. Also, it is worth
noting that outside of the Kentucky game (which was in every way an
embarrassment) Derek Dooley’s team has won every game in which they were favored. If you believe in the old saying that you
have to win the ones you’re supposed to, then Dooley passes that part of the
test. No, just winning those games is
not good enough when you are the head coach at Tennessee, but it is easy to
take those kind of victories for granted.
3.
Dooley took over a depleted upper-class. As I alluded to in reason 1, (as well as an
earlier blog entry) the Lane Kiffin regime left Dooley an inheritance of a
decimated group of Juniors and Seniors. How
good would any program be if you were to take away nearly an entire Jr. class
and couple it with a damaged senior class?
I do not necessarily buy the argument that all of UT’s difficulties can
be blamed primarily on youth, but I do think that upper-classman leadership is
an underrated commodity in college football.
Of course, teams like Alabama and LSU have great young players that are
getting the job done, especially on defense; however, take a glance at the
fantastic Jr. and Sr. players that are on the field with them leading the
way. Older guys provide an example and a
foundation for the younger guys to learn from and build upon, but due to
coaching changes, dropped commitments, and transfers, Tennessee’s cupboard was
essentially bare of those types of players the past two seasons.
4.
He has managed to recruit reasonably well. Given the situation in which he took over,
Dooley has managed to salvage some very respectable recruiting classes. Even amidst threats of NCAA sanctions,
numerous coaching changes, and sub-par seasons, Dooley has managed to put
together 3 (assuming the current class remains near its current no. 12 ranking)
consecutive top 15 classes. However, his
problem here is that even being no. 10 or no. 12 often still leaves you no. 6
or no. 7 in the SEC. Yet, it is still a
fairly impressive feat given that Tennessee is not necessarily the natural draw
it was ten or so years ago. Much of this
stems from Dooley’s engaging personal manner.
He is an intelligent man and an entertaining speaker. One would have to imagine that his demeanor,
confidence, and articulateness are impressive in the living rooms of
recruits.
5.
He has managed to keep his players out of
trouble. Everything about Derek Dooley
would suggest that he is a man of honesty and integrity. These are traits that he seems to value in
passing onto his players. If nothing
else, one can say that they have seen less Vol players in the blotter during
the Dooley era when compared to the Kiffin year or the later part of Fulmer’s
tenor. I am not suggesting that there have
not been any instances or that every player associated with the team is now a
model citizen, but it does seem that Derek Dooley has instilled a much needed
level of discipline in most of his players.
Nothing reflects more poorly on a coach or a school than to repeatedly
have incidents in which athletes have legal confrontations. It is simply embarrassing, and it suggests
that the coach does not have control over his team. Luckily for Dooley, most of his problems have
been primarily on the football field.
