I’m sorry, Vols fans. I know you’ve had a rough go of it lately. And, listen – I’m a reasonable guy. I know how it goes. I live in Nashville, surrounded by orange and white. Most of my good friends are Volunteers. You think I find any joy in seeing my friends in pain? I don’t.
Plus, man – you have to respect the rich tradition of the Tennessee Volunteer program. This is one of the finest institutions in college football history. Think of all the legends that have graced Knoxville, the National Championships, all the moments – the bond that families share over this fine storied tradition…
Then again, college football is cyclical, so I know it’s only a matter of time before Alabama sucks and you guys are piling on top of me…
This week, Vols head coach Butch Jones was quoted with some grade A nonsense.
The Tennessee Volunteers have been the recipient of many jabs in recent years, if only because the program seems to perennially underachieve when compared to expectations. However, head coach Butch Jones apparently does not see it that way, as he addressed the media on Tuesday and said a fairly absurd thing.
Butch Jones: “The first element that goes into winning championships is contending to win championships and our program has done that.” Hmm.
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) May 30, 2017
Jones’ assertion that the Vols have been “contending to win championships” is an aggressive one. Over his tenure in Knoxville, the team is 30-21 and that actually includes three bowl victories in as many appearances. In short, the team has entered bowl season with a 27-21 record and Tennessee has failed to reach double-digit victories even once over that time frame.
What the hell? That’s your coach, Vols fans. I would be incredibly embarrassed if Nick Saban (Hail Saban, Roll Tide) was this dissonant from reality. What is Jones counting? Preseason rankings? Because when his Vols have played actual football games, they haven’t been contending for championships. They’ve been contending for the Music City Bowl.
I can understand trying to rally the troops….trying to motivate your players, and saying, “hey – we aren’t that far away.” But, this….this is just outright lunacy. They can’t get over the hump of a Florida team that is essentially starting a mop and bucket at quarterback. They couldn’t even get over the humps of Vanderbilt and South Carolina last season.
You know how sometimes you’re out on a Saturday night, and you have that one friend that seems to always want to talk shit? There’s no doubt you’re going to hear “get your boy” out at the Tin Roof. That’s Jones in this situation – Vols fans, you need to get your boy.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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