Vols Rally Past Xavier

The questions marks are not gone, but the Vols put an exclamation point on its NCAA resume with today's 82-75 win over the Xavier Musketeers.

In a physical, foul-heavy game, the Vols relied on its depth, defense and hustle to get past a tough Xavier team. The game seemed to be Xavier's for the taking in the second half as the Vols struggled to score or gel offensively, but Pearl's masterful substitutions allowed Tennessee to keep its defensive intensity as the Musketeers seemed to run out of gas.

Pearl went to his bench early and often during the game, getting major minutes from J.P. Prince, Ryan Childress and Ramar Smith. Even if the Vols do not have a bunch of 5 star recruits on their squad, they can go 9 or 10 deep without losing too much momentum.

That depth and Pearl's willingness to play his bench allowed the Vols to get into the passing lanes and on the floor after loose balls in the final minutes while Xavier labored to match the intensity. The play of the game involved Ramar Smith coming off the Volunteer bench and laying out onto the floor to get to recover a loose ball. There were three Musketeers with a chance at the ball, but Smith beat them all to the floor and created the turnover for the Vols.

The defense bailed out the Vols throughout the afternoon as the offense struggled. A continuing concern for Pearl and the Vols is the lack of rhythm, chemistry and effectiveness out of the Vols half-court offense. With Xavier hugging Chris Lofton at all times, the other Vols needed to shoulder the scoring load. Only J.P. Prince answered the call, putting 23 points up off the bench. The Vols still have no back-to-the-basket game without Duke Crews and got next to nothing out of JuJuan Smith, Wayne Chism and Tyler Smith in the half-court. If Tennessee is going to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and beyond this season, the half-court offense must improve.

The question marks, however, do not overshadow the positives coming out of Cincinnati. The Vols overcame some tough officiating (including one of the all-time worst technical fouls ever whistled), a raucous crowd and a tough Xavier opponent. Without a doubt, this was the biggest win of the year for the Vols and will look impressive to the NCAA tournament committee in March.

Next Saturday - the Vols travel to Gonzaga for it next biggest road test of the season.

Taylor, Bolden & McCoy Out For Wisconsin

Phillip Fulmer kept making cryptic comments about academic reports coming this Friday and, sure enough, the news was not good. Lucas Taylor, Demonte Boldin and Rico McCoy are all out of the bowl game against Wisconsin for academic reasons.

To me, Boldin is the biggest problem since Wisconsin likes to run the ball and our line has been iffy all year. We do seem to have some depth there, so hopefully someone like Mapu can step into the void.

I've never been overly impressed with McCoy, but he is only a sophomore. Our linebackers will have to play well against the Badger run game, so whoever gets the call to fill McCoy's shoes will need to play big.

From what I've read on message boards, people seem to be most concerned with Lucas Taylor. I'm not. I like him, but he doesn't strike me as much better than Rogers, Briscoe or Jones even if he did get over 1,000 yards for the season. We can throw it to those guys, Brown, the Cothams and Foster out of the backfield. One receiver doesn't bother me.

Is it just me or does everyone care as little about this game as I do? For whatever reason, I cannot get excited about being back in the Outback Bowl or about playing Wisconsin. Maybe it is the LSU hangover or maybe I've just moved on to basketball, but for some reason I have thought very little about this game.

Vols Thoughts From Virginia

The Carpenters are on the road for the holidays (all of us - wife, baby, baby-in-womb and two dogs) and blogging with be spotty at best. In fact, if I'm writing on this, you can assume I'm either neglecting my fatherly duties or just hiding from my in-laws.

Or possibly both.

There is lots happening in Knoxville right now, so let's get to it:

Offensive Coordinator News

If you didn't catch the wonderful Duke/Pittsburgh basketball game last night from The Garden, you missed a quick interview with new Duke football coach David Cutcliffe. Man, I like that guy. Duke got itself a great coach and seemingly a great guy. I hope he can get the Blue Devils to respectability and even a bowl game at some point. Or I hope he fails miserably and has to come back to Knoxville to be the OC for a third time.

Besides Cutcliffe, the Vols lost Trooper Taylor this week. Taylor, who was a rumored candidate for the Vols offensive coordinator position, took a job with Mike Gundy ("I'm a man! I'm 40!") and Oklahoma State as a co-offensive coordinator.

Here is my question - how does that work? Co-offensive coordinator? Either I don't understand the position or that makes no sense to me. Will they alternate calling the plays? Why can't every offensive position coach be called a 'co-coordinator? Is that just an excuse to bump up salary? I bet it is.

As I mentioned on Monday, the lose of Taylor was expected. He was too unproven to be given the OC job in Knoxville, but too desired elsewhere to stay as a position coach. He was supposed to be a key to the Volunteer recruiting efforts, so here is hoping Fulmer finds an impressive replacement in that department.

The Knoxville News Sentinel reports that Clemson offensive coordinator Rob Spence is interviewing for Cutcliffe's job. I never watched a Clemson game this season, but was impressed to see how many people want this guy. He apparently turned down Minnesota last year and spoke with Alabama and the Oakland Raiders as well.

The same reports mentions that the Vols have contacted Detroit Lions wide receivers coach and former Vol assistant Kippy Brown about the job as well.

Basketball Vols vs. Xavier

The Vols play an odd Xavier team Saturday afternoon on ESPN. The Musketeers have an impressive win over Indiana on its resume, but also were blown out by Arizona State on Saturday.

Regardless of which Xavier team shows up this Saturday, Tennessee needs to worry more about itself than their opponent. The Vols have been mildly disappointing this year even with just one loss (to an excellent Texas team). Chris Lofton still hasn't found his stroke, Duke Crews is out indefinitely with heart issues, Wayne Chism and Ramar Smith are not playing up to their potential and the Vols are missing Dane Bradshaw more than anybody outside of the team expected.

The good news is that Bruce Pearl's cupboard is still loaded. Tyler Smith is starting to look more and more comfortable on the floor and J.P. Prince is now eligible as well. The frustration among Vols fans is that all this talent isn't clicking on the floor as expected.

The Vols have already built a decent NCAA resume (wins over Temple, West Virginia and Western Kentucky), but can really help themselves with a win Saturday in Cincinnati and another one next Saturday at Gonzaga. They could also enter their SEC schedule with a couple of deflating road losses and an all-of-the-sudden mediocre NCAA credentials. The problem probably will not be getting into the Dance, but seeding could be an issue.

I'm getting nudged to get off the computer - I've been aloof for long enough I suppose.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cutcliffe Leaves - What is the Future in Knoxville?

We all knew it was too good to last, but the David Cutcliffe era is, once again, over in Knoxville. The Tennessee Offensive Coordinator took the head coaching job at Duke over the weekend.

Personally, I was a little surprised he took the job. Duke is a wonderful school, but it is about as miserable a football college as there is in the BCS. In fact, I cannot imagine the Blue Devils competing for the Southern Conference championship with any consistency. Duke is a basketball school, a lacrosse school, a women's basketball school - not a football school. I know Cutcliffe wanted another shot at being a head coach, but I'm surprised this was the opportunity he seized.

Before looking ahead, the 2nd Cutcliffe Era in Knoxville deserves a quick retrospective. I have never felt stronger affection for an assistant coach than what I felt during the first quarter of the 2006 game against California. After years of watching the Randy Sanders learning experiment play out with mediocre results, the way Tennessee's offense purred that evening was exhilarating. The players looked sharp, the plays were run crisply and the results were yards and touchdowns.

Not everyone may love the Cutcliffe style of offense, but it is hard to argue with the results. The man knows how to exploit defensive weaknesses, he knows how to get the most out of talent (look at the job our receivers and offensive line did this year) and he knows how to put points on the board. He will never be a spread offense guy or a Fun & Gun guy, but he does keep the defense off the field and puts drives together.

From a personel standpoint, Cutcliffe is directly responsible for the dramatic improvements of people like Erik Ainge, Robert Meachum, Lucas Taylor, Austin Rogers and Chris Brown. The biggest complaint most Vols fans had with Randy Sanders was his inability to make players better while they were in Knoxville. With Cutcliffe, the improvement was obvious.

Finally, it is not out-of-line to say that Cutcliffe saved Phillip Fulmer's job. The vultures were swirling after the 2005 5-6 season that saw Sanders depart from Rocky Top. Another mediocre season and those vultures might have swallowed Fulmer as well. Cutcliffe brought new life into the program that is directly responsible for back-to-back successful seasons and Fulmer's job security.

Looking ahead, there are a few schools of thought on what should happen next. Trooper Taylor's name has been mentioned as a potential replacement. Nobody in Knoxville wants to lose Taylor's enthusiasm and recruiting ability, but he has never been a coordinator at any level. He is/has interviewed for the OC job at Baylor (his alma mater) and, frankly, that is probably a better fit than Knoxville. Fulmer tried the learning-on-the-job approach with Randy Sanders, and I doubt he will go that route again. In my mind, there is no chance Taylor remains on the Vols staff next year.

*As I type, Taylor has been offered the Baylor OC job. Kiss him goodbye...

The name swirling around among the Volunteer fanbase is Kippy Brown. In many ways, Brown sounds too good to be true. He is a former Volunteer assistant, a former NFL offensive coordinator and even did a year in the XFL as the Memphis head coach. He is a proven recruiter and knows how to elevate individual players to greatness. Brown is currently working with the Detroit Lions as their wide receivers coach.

The biggest question is: why would Brown take the Knoxville job? It seems to be a lateral move in many ways and might even be a backwards move if his ultimate goal is to be in professional football. He does seem to be aboard a sinking ship in Detroit that could get overhauled this off-season, so that plays in Tennessee's favor. He might also be intrigued by the $$$ UT can offer. Cutcliffe was supposed to make about $375,000 next season, so Brown's deal might approach half a million by the end of it. He might also notice that Fulmer is entering the twilight of his coaching career and think that he could be the heir to the Rocky Top throne.

Greg Adkins' name has been mentioned for the position as well. The current offensive line coach has never been a coordinator, but does lead the Volunteer recruiting efforts. There will be a collective groan if Adkins is picked, even though we don't have any idea what kind of offensive system he would implement. The groan would be frustration with the perceived 'same old, same old' mindset that fans have pegged on Fulmer over the last few years. We all know Fulmer is an old dog at this point and he seems uncomfortable learning new tricks. He is fiercely loyal to his players and assistants. Promoting Adkins to the post would seem to be an indication that the winning 8 games is good enough. It would not be a shocking move, but it would be an initially disappointing one.

What about outside of Knoxville? Fulmer is not likely to go down this route (old dog again), but there have been some names floated about. Tulsa's Gus Malzahn has been mentioned, but I hope Fulmer quickly scratches that name from consideration. You might remember Malzahn was part of the whole Mitch Mustain-Houston Nutt-Arkansas Razorback soap opera from two years ago. I cannot see Fulmer bringing that potential soap opera to Knoxville.

The other avenue I hope Fulmer avoids traveling is grabbing a coordinator to impress a particular recruit. Terrelle Pryor is the kid everyone wants and he publicly stated his disappointment that Cutcliffe would no longer be a Volunteer. There is surely an assistant out there who would entice Pryor, but that is a short-sighted solution to the problem. What if Pryor is not the real deal? What if another Malzahn/Mustain situation happens (after all, Malzahn was hired in part to whoo Mustain)? Fulmer is too smart to make this mistake.

What about Randy Sanders? The man has done wonders for Kentucky and Andre Woodson. He is a Fulmer guy, an SEC guy and kind of hot commodity all of the sudden. He also left Knoxville for a reason - he was not doing a very good job as coordinator. There is no way Sanders would be brought back into the fold. I don't think...

Looking from the outside, I'm pulling for Kippy Brown to be the new man running the offensive show. For everyone hoping Fulmer will become Urban Meyer overnight, expect to be disappointed. We are going to keep running the ball with pro-style quarterbacks who don't make big mistakes. That is who Phillip Fulmer has been, who he is and who he will always be. It has won him a bunch of games and a National Championship. Heck, it works for plenty of people involved in the BCS right now (Ohio State, LSU, USC, etc.) The best hope for all of Rocky Top is someone who can lure the best athletes to Knoxville and coach them up.

Or we can hope the Duke deal falls through somehow and Cutcliffe returns to Knoxville.

Referee Behavior - Policing the Police

"You moron!"

"Do you need glasses?"

"How could you possibly make that call?"

Let's face it - a referee's job is a thankless one. How many of us go to work each day in front of thousands of people who hate and jeer us? How many of us work beside huge athletes who try to intimidate us into seeing things their way? How many of us get blasted in the papers and on TV for a single mistake and never recognized for being correct?

Public school teachers, you can put your hands down.

Being a referee isn't easy, but that does not excuse the behavior of officials in football, basketball and baseball over the last eight months. For whatever reason, there has been a rash of deplorable actions by umpires and referees toward athletes during the course of games.

*NBA referee Joey Crawford ejected Tim Duncan during a game against the Dallas Mavericks after Duncan laughed on the bench about one of Crawford's calls. As Duncan left the floor, Crawford allegedly shouted, "Do you want to fight?"

*MLB umpire Mike Winters provoked a reaction from San Diego outfielder Milton Bradley about a moment earlier in the game when Bradley disagreed with a strike call made by another umpire. After Winters called Bradley a name, the outfielder injured his knee during the ensuing argument and missed the Padres' playoff game against the Colorado Rockies.

*NFL linesmen Phil McKinnely allegedly called Baltimore Ravens cornerback Samari Rolle "boy" during an argument over penalties issued during Monday night's game against the New England Patriots.

In each of these situations, it seems that game officials took the low road with the athletes they are paid to control and protect. In the first two cases, the officials were suspended for their actions. The NFL is currently reviewing Rolle's allegations against McKinnely.

Umpires and referees today seem to be caught in a Catch-22. On one hand, fans do not want them to be the focus of the game. We do not want them to eject players unnecessarily or make calls that affect the outcome. We expect them to take the verbal abuse they get from managers, players and us the fans and turn the other cheek.

On the other hand, we expect them to have authority and control over the proceedings. How can a referee be considered in control when he takes a verbal undressing and cannot respond in kind? How many times can a person be berated before responding?

In many ways, referees are like cops. There are the obvious connections - they enforce the rules, they protect people from rule-breakers, they must make quick decisions about right and wrong, and they are rarely thanked for doing their job.

The are also similar in the type of person it takes to do that job. The best referees tend to be arrogant, combative and cocky. There is not an NBA referee more respected than Steve Javie, but the man walks around like his stuff doesn't smell. There is a reason he is good at his job and it has as much to do with his personality as it does his knowledge of the rules.

The problem with this personality trait, however, is that it can easily explode into something that should not be. While it is clearly an exaggeration to compare a police beating to a referee calling a player "boy," the two events originate from the same place. It is an abuse of power.

We give our police men and women the tools they need to protect us, but we expect them to only use those tools in the most extreme of circumstances. We know they face verbal and the threat of physical assault in their daily work, but we do not condone the use of excessive force because of it.

The same is true of professional sports officials. They have the ability to enforce the rules of the game in a variety of manners, but we expect them to avoid using these abilities if at all possible. We know that players say ridiculous and insulting things to referees during the course of a game, but we expect officials to be above responding back in the same manner.

It seems that more and more game officials are failing to live up to this lofty standard.

Bruce Pearl Steps Up - The Vols Visit Chattanooga Tonight

Bruce Pearl is a little different from his coaching contemporaries. After all, the man painted his chest to support the Lady Vols last year in their game against #1 Duke.

Can you picture Bobby Knight doing the same?

He is also a little different with his scheduling philosophy. Tonight the Tennessee Vols travel to Chattanooga to play on the home floor of the UTC Mocs in a game that has my hometown buzzing. It is the first time the Vols have come to McKenzie Arena since the building opened in 1982. It is the single biggest game at the Round House since UNC brought Michael Jordan to the arena.

It is also, at least on the surface, a lose/lose situation for Pearl and the Vols. If Pearl takes his Final Four contenders into Chattanooga and whips the Mocs, nobody notices. If Pearl gets ambushed by a hot crowd and a team whose season would be made with this one victory, the Vols are a laughing-stock.

This is the reason so few big schools are willing to play road games within their home state. Jim Tressel and Ohio State might schedule every MAC team in Ohio, but they sure aren't going to play the game on their field. It happens all the time in basketball as well. There is just too much to lose and not enough to gain for the big boys.

That, however, is not Bruce Pearl's philosophy on scheduling. Since taking over the Tennessee program three years ago, the Vols have played neutral site games in Nashville and tonight will play UTC on its own floor.

Why?

According to Pearl, if his team cannot win a game in Chattanooga, it is not a legitimate Final Four contender. For a master motivator like Pearl, it is a great challenge to see if his team will play with as much energy and passion against UTC as it will Florida or Kentucky. After all, a team like UTC will likely be Tennessee's 1st round match-up in the NCAA tournament. What better way to prepare?

Beyond that, Tennessee's ability to recruit across the state is only enhanced with exposure across the state. Though most basketball fans fail to notice it, the state of Tennessee has some of the best basketball in the country. Last year there were three teams in the Sweet Sixteen from the Volunteer State (Memphis and Vanderbilt being the others). No other state can made the same claim (basketball hot beds Indiana and North Carolina had one each, Kentucky had none). There is great talent in the state, but it isn't easy to keep in Knoxville. By playing across the state, Pearl increases his chances of grabbing players from Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.

It also helps build the basketball fanbase. Tennessee is a football state and UT is a football school. While Neyland Stadium has 107,000+ for home games, the basketball Vols have often failed to fill their building consistently. In fact, it is easier for Kentucky fans to get tickets at Thompson-Boling Arena than at Rupp Arena. As Pearl takes his pressing, dunking, dominant squad across the state, he generates excitement for his program. Suddenly the half-empty arena is sold out and the Vols have a serious basketball following.

Finally, Pearl knows what it means to coach at a mid-major school and to be ducked by the big boys. He paid his dues at Wisconsin-Milwaukee, building a program that scared Big 10 schools out of visiting his campus. He understands what it means to host a game like this and has actually put his money where his (considerable) mouth is.

Kudos to Pearl and the Vols for coming to Chattanooga tonight. Whatever happens on the floor, there are nothing but winners in this situation. It is a shame that more teams and coaches don't follow Coach Pearl's lead.

Legacy Defined - Erik Ainge Leads LSU To SEC Championship

If Saturday was Erik Ainge's chance to cement his legacy as a Tennessee Vol, he took full advantage of the opportunity, only not in the way either he or the Vols hoped he would. The senior quarterback never found his rhythm on Saturday afternoon and made two inexcusable throws that helped LSU win its first SEC championship under Les Miles.

The game was the tale of two halves as LSU dominated the first part of the game, but still trailed 7-6 at intermission. The Vols dominated the second part of the game, but found themselves on the losing end of a 21-14 final score.

It was an odd afternoon of football in many ways as Tennessee's senior quarterback looked more flustered and confused than the back-up he was facing on the other side. The much-maligned Tennessee defense was physically taking it to an LSU team that had physically dominated teams all year with its giant offensive line and tough-as-nails tailback Jacob Hester. Both surefire kickers looked shaky & missed easy field goals. Down was up. Black was white.

Maybe it was the orange pants.

Last week I called yesterday's game a "defining moment" for Erik Ainge whose career as a Tennessee Vol has been full of highs and lows. Would he be remembered as a one of the greats or remembered as one of the also-rans.

After yesterday, there is no doubt about his Tennessee legacy. After the opening drive of the ballgame, Ainge could not get anything going offensively in the first half. While not taking sacks has been a bright spot of the season, Ainge's inability to stand in the pocket long enough for a receiver to get 10 yards downfield was being exposed by the blitzing, man-to-man coverage attack from the Tigers.

The second half started promising for Ainge and the offense. The Vols opened the half with two solid drives and seemed to have the Bayou Bengals on their heels. Tennessee entered the 4th quarter up a point and poised for its first SEC championship since 1998.

Then, with one throw, everything changed. Just as the television commentators mentioned that the Vols had committed no penalties and no turnovers, Ainge took the cue and threw a Pick-Six to Jonathan Zenon. The senior cornerback sat on the receiver's route and Ainge never should have thrown the ball. It was a deflating blow the Vol cause, but not a dagger in the heart.

Now - the dagger. A huge play to Arian Foster had the Vols inside the red zone, but Ainge failed to notice a giant linebacker standing in front of his intended receiver and threw his second pick of the 4th quarter, ending the Vols chances for the afternoon.

With two throws, Ainge became Casey Clausen instead of Peyton Manning. He had the ballgame and his legacy in the palm of his hand, but could not lead the Vols to a championship. Fair or not, Ainge will forever be known on Rocky Top for his short-comings and failures more than his accomplishments.

Why No Love For Wade Phillips?

If coaches are going to be ripped and fired for failure, they sure ought to get some credit for success. The best team in the NFC gets tons of publicity (Romo, T.O.), but none of it is directed at its coach.

Let me be the first to say it - Wade Phillips is doing as good of a job as any coach in the NFL this year.

I recently heard a few national commentators debating who should be NFL Coach of the Year and Wade Phillips name was never mentioned. Mike McCarthy, Bill Belichick, Romeo Crennel...but not Wade Phillips?

After watching the immensely talented Cowboys play slow, confused and unmotivated football under the legendary Bill Parcells, Wade Phillips has found the right balance between freedom and order to allow these Pokes to excel. Dallas has been absolutely terrific this season - scoring points at will and actually stopping people on defense from time to time.

Forget for a second that Wade Phillips is the coach. If I told you that the Dallas Cowboys were 11-1, that Terrell Owens was having an all-world season without being a distraction or cancer, that Tony Romo had emerged in his second season as a starter into a Top 5 quarterback, that DeMarcus Ware and Greg Ellis each have 10 sacks, that the Pokes have 1,000 yards more offense than their opponents, twice as many quarterback sacks, 20 more touchdowns, and a +7 turnover margin for the season, wouldn't you expect the coach of the NFL's signature franchise to be getting a sniff of recognition?

So why isn't Wade Phillips? When the Cowboys are discussed this season, the order of priority is Owens, Romo, Jerry Jones, Barber, Ware, Crayton, Newman, Tank Johnson, Roy Williams, then maybe Phillips? Wait, I forgot right guard Leonard Davis. Seriously, Bill Parcells still gets more attention in Big D than Wade Phillips.

It is time for that to stop. He may not be flashy. His hiring did not exactly thrill the fanbase. But the proof, my friends, is in the pudding. 11-1. The only loss is to the undefeated Patriots. This season, the Cowboys shut down Adrian Peterson, knocked out Brett Favre and totally confused Eli Manning. Okay, that last one isn't especially impressive, but the overall product has been. The Cowboys are having a historic season - one not matched by Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson or Bill Parcells - and Wade Phillips ought to get much of the credit.

I know, I know - the Cowboys are loaded with talent and Phillips is basically just standing there watching it. Really? There isn't a difference between the way this team plays vs. last year's team? The offense is explosive - last year it was plodding. The defense gets after people - last year it waited, reacted and gave up points. The team this year seems to be enjoying football - last year it seemed like Sunday was an unenjoyable occupation.

What is the difference between this year and last year? Wade Phillips. Jason Garrett deserves some recognition as well, but it starts with the head coach. If the Cowboys were 6-6 right now with Romo struggling, T.O. whining, and the defense stinking, Phillips would be burned in effigy in Dallas.

Instead, the Cowboys are 11-1, already in the playoffs and the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. Wade Phillips ought to be given the credit he deserves for the job he has done this year.

Defining Moment for Erik Ainge

Saturday afternoon in The Georgia Dome, the LSU Tigers and Tennessee Vols will battle to represent the SEC in the Bowl Championship Series. Much of the misguided focus of the game has been upon Les Miles and his potential Baton Rogue exit for his alma mater in Ann Arbor.

The real story, however, is about the opposing quarterback Erik Ainge. It will be his final SEC game as a Tennessee Vol - his final chance to cement his legacy as one of the great Tennessee quarterbacks. Win? Ainge enters the conversation beside Peyton, Tee Martin, Andy Kelly, Heath Shuler and Condredge Holloway. Lose? Ainge is one of the great unfilled potential stories in UT history.

From the moment Ainge committed to the Vols, the promise of this 6'6 kid with a cannon arm had Tennessee fans thinking about the next Peyton Manning. Of course, there was also the chance of becoming the next Casey Clausen. Like Ainge, Clausen came to Knoxville as a highly-touted prospect and sure-fire NFL 1st-rounder. Clausen never progressed from the time he came to UT, though he did lead the Vols to some great victories (two wins in the Swamp, no less) and was within a game of playing for the National Championship in 2003.

Ainge's legacy in Knoxville is difficult to determine. On one hand, he seemed to be handed the reigns to the team in 2005 despite being out-played by Rick Clausen (Casey's brother), made some of the worst decisions ever seen by a Vol quarterback (the interception from his own endzone against LSU will forever haunt his legacy), never beat Florida as a starter and never won an SEC championship. He is, somewhat rightfully, held accountable for the 5-6 2005.

On the other hand, Ainge's career has blossomed over the last two seasons under David Cutcliffe. It is fairly reasonable to suggest that he floundered under former offensive coordinator Randy Sanders (who has blown my mind by being so imaginative and effective at Kentucky) the same way Tee Martin (post-Cutcliffe) and Clausen both floundered. Injuries have dogged him as well - he missed part of his freshman season after an injury versus Notre Dame and hurt his neck at LSU the next year.

It looked like his senior season would be more of the same after a meniscus injury in the off-season. Instead, he has had a sensational senior season without any fanfare whatsoever - 27 TDs, 8 INTs, just under 3,000 yards passing - with no experienced receivers, an inconsistent running game and a pinky finger on his throwing hand that is apparently bent in three different ways after a botched hand-off leading up the California game.

One of the biggest knocks on Ainge is his lack of big wins, specifically against Florida. His signature performances are beating California last season, crushing Georgia earlier this year and the Kentucky game last Saturday.

A win on Saturday could forever change the way Vols fans view Erik Ainge. In one afternoon, he could become an SEC champion and a BCS bowl quarterback. He could elevate his standing in Rocky Top lore or forever be saddled with the ugly "unrealized potential" label.

Forget the Les Miles storyline - the one to watch on Saturday is the defining moment of a senior's college football career.

The Best Football Strategy I Have Never Seen

I must admit that I heard this idea on local sports radio today, so this is not an original idea. It is, however, one I have never seen attempted at the end of a football game.

Here is the scenario (which actually played out at the end of the Tennessee-Kentucky game last Saturday night) - an offensive team is down 3 points with the ball and enough time to run one offensive play before trying a field goal.

Here is the strategy - the defense puts 13 players on the field and tackles every receiver as soon as the ball is snapped.

Why? The penalties will move the ball closer to the goal (though only one can be enforced) and the game cannot end with a defensive penalty. What good does this do?

Here you go - you have now forced the opposing coach to kick the field goal and go to overtime. Even with the yardage, the coach is rarely going to risk losing the game when a field goal forces overtime. If he tries to run another offensive play, the clock might expire (since time ran off the clock during the penalized play). You have forced his hand - he will have to kick the field goal for the tie.

Let's go back to the UT/UK game. Kentucky had 8 seconds (which, by the way, is an excellent Luke Perry movie) to run one quick play from the two-yard line before having to attempt a field goal. What if the Vols had put 13 guys out there to defend it and tackled everyone? The penalty would be half the distance to the goal, so now it is on the one-yard line. Is Rich Brooks going to try another play from the one or settle for the field goal?

With the exception of a few coaches, most are going to take overtime in that situation. Fulmer could have forced Brooks' hand by purposefully committing a penalty to prevent a score on that last offensive play. It is similar to fouling in basketball before a three-point attempt and forcing the team to make a free throw, miss the next, rebound it and score it to tie.

There is not much honor in bending/cheating the rules this way, but wins are wins.

Is there a problem with this strategy I'm missing?

Vols Are Going to Atlanta

It has been about 45 minutes since the Vols sacked Andre Woodson on Kentucky's two-point conversion attempt and my heart has finally slowed to the point that I can think and write coherently.

Cruising along at 31-14, it looked like Tennessee was going to celebrate its way through the 2nd half as it clinched the SEC East title. At that point, the Vols took their foot off the gas and the Wildcats put theirs on it as the Kentucky nearly won the game in regulation. Let's recap the wildness that was this afternoon in Lexington:

* The Vols came out with beautiful play to open the game, hitting running back Arian Foster for a 65-yard touchdown. It was all Vols from there as they dominated the first half and went into the locker room up 24-7.

* Tennessee has multiple chances to finish off Kentucky, but simply cannot catch the football. Lucas Taylor on 4th down. Arian Foster on 3rd down. Austin Rogers on 3rd down. Eric Berry and Brent Vinson for interceptions. The Vols catch it, they win easily.

* Kentucky continued to try to run the ball despite the Vols inability to stop the pass. Tennessee's defense has suffered from two problems all year long - no pass rush and a young secondary that gives up big plays. Kentucky's strategy with one of the best quarterbacks in the country? Run. Once the Wildcats let Woodson loose in the 2nd half, the ball game swung to the boys in blue.

* Gotta love playing at home - after watching two seconds run off the clock to end the Ole Miss/Mississippi State game in Starkville, the Kentucky clock operator was quick on the trigger after Woodson nearly allowed the clock to run out on his last chance to win the game in regulation. With one second left, Kentucky tied the game with a field goal.

* It was clear that Tennessee's defense was exhausted as it let Kentucky score on two plays to start the overtime. I thought Fulmer might thumb his nose at strategy and put his offense on the field first just to give his defense a rest. He didn't and the defense had nothing in the tank. It looked like UK's kicker might have missed the extra point - was I the only one who thought so?

* Freshman Gerald Jones, with a perfectly clean jersey from so little game action, made a terrific catch (then another great play in a later OT period) for the saving touchdown, sending this baby into OT #2.

* Erik Ainge made an awful decision, forcing a pass into good coverage and getting picked off to set up Kentucky with a golden chance to win the game. Fortunately for the Vols, the Wildcats returned to their ground game to set up a 35-yarder that was BLOCKED!

* Weird moment here - The Vols Eric Berry was returning the blocked kick for a score that would have won the game when he was tackled by his face mask. The call? Nothing. Apparently there are no penalties when this happens. The flags were thrown, but the call was disregarded because of the change of possession in overtime. Weird.

* Overtime # 3 - Kentucky scores, but fails to convert its mandatory two-point conversion. Tennessee answers, but also fails to convert (with the least imaginative call possible - a lame run to the near-side that never had a chance).

* Overtime #4 - Are you kidding me? The Vols start from the 40 after a lame unsportsmanlike conduct call after Foster tossed the ball in frustration after failing to convert the previous two-point conversion (the referees were shaky throughout this one...), but hit a big play to Quinton Hancock (who has, up until today, earned a scholarship this year by dropping passes) for a touchdown. The Vols converted their two-point try to take an eight point lead.

* Kentucky, of course, answers - this time with a freshman sprinter at tailback who looked like Bo Jackson's Tecmo Bowl runner compared to the exhausted Vols D. Where was this guy all game? The two-point conversion, however, FAILED after Woodson was indecisive with the ball and got sacked from behind to end the game.

What does it all mean now? The Vols are heading to Atlanta to meet the suddenly deflated LSU Tigers. Tennessee will have revenge on its mind from last year's tough loss at home to the Bayou Bengals and from the 2001 SEC Championship Game when LSU spoiled Tennessee's chance to play for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl.

It also means the vultures can leave Knoxville as Phil Fulmer's job is safe and sound. Next week could also solidify the career of Erik Ainge who has frustrated Vols fans for four years with unrealized promise. For a team that started 1-2, it could even mean a BCS bowl. Crazy.

With the way things have gone this year, it wouldn't shock me if the Vols somehow ended up playing for the National Championship before it is all said and done. For now, however, it is enough just to enjoy another victory over Kentucky and another SEC East championship.

Karma & Coaching - Nebraska and Mississippi Get What They Deserve

The grass isn't always greener, is it?

"Fire the coach" is EveryFan's instant solution for whatever ails his favorite team. There is always a team out there getting more out of its talent, running a more exciting, innovative offense or being more aggressive defensively. Why can't our coach be more like that?

In the rush for greener pastures and instant gratification, fans and A.D.s have developed a trigger finger with coaches. It doesn't matter if you are a living legend like Joe Paterno or Bobby Bowden, a national champion like Lloyd Carr or Philip Fulmer or even if you are still building a program like Charlie Weis or Greg Robinson.

But sometimes, those greener pastures are not quite as lush and bountiful as once thought. Just ask Nebraska and Ole Miss.

Nebraska dumped Frank Solich after the 2003 season (one in which he won nine games) because Solich had been unable to recapture the Tom Osbourne magic of the early 1990s. All Solich had done was go 58-19, play in six consecutive bowl games, finished in the Top 10 three times, won Big XII Coach of the Year twice and even played for a national championship in 2001 (remember that one, Oregon)? It might sound like an impressive resume, but it was not impressive enough for Cornhusker fans and A.D. Steve Pederson, who canned Solich and replaced him with former Super Bowl coach Bill Callahan.

Callahan's time in Nebraska has been, to say the least, shaky. He dumped the patented Nebraska ground game for the West Coast offense and got rid of the stingy Cornhusker defense for one that gives up 50+ points every Saturday. There have been no national championships, no Top 10 finishes and no Big XII titles. The vultures are gathering in Lincoln for Callahan's head after an embarrassing 2007 season.

Whatever vultures are not in Nebraska are south, flying over Ed Orgeron's head in Oxford, MS. Orgeron's fate might have been sealed with yesterday's Egg Bowl loss to Mississippi State (a game they led and dominated until the final two minutes), though the lack of SEC wins this season, the 10-25 record over three years, the accusations of trying to recruit Tulane football players after Hurricane Katrina, the juggling of quarterbacks and the lack of bowl appearances all added to his increasingly hot seat.

Orgeron was brought in from Southern Cal to take Ole Miss to the next level after the absurd firing of David Cutcliffe. All Ole Miss had done under Cutcliffe was produce a #1 overall draft pick in Eli Manning, a SEC West title, a Cotton Bowl berth and five straight winning seasons. One bad year and a refusal to fire his assistant coaches led to Cutcliffe's canning and Orgeron's hiring in Oxford.

Oh, those greener pastures...

The Hindus and Buddhists believe in the concept of karma, a pretty simple idea that what goes around, comes around. For Nebraska and Ole Miss, karma is a bitch.

Firing a successful coach in the hopes of finding something better is a risky proposition. It can work (ask Gator & Buckeye fans), but more often than not the head coach turns out not to be the real problem. In the cases of Nebraska and Ole Miss, the reality was that each school had really good football coaches, exaggerated expectations and wandering eyes. Each school fired coaches for no good reason and each school is getting what it deserves. What goes around, comes around.

With the likely firing of both coaches, each school will now have to start from scratch to try to get back to where they were under their previous coaches. Hopefully the lessons of looking for greener pastures have been learned in Lincoln and Oxford, but fans in Knoxville, Little Rock, Ann Arbor, Happy Valley and Clemson do not seem to be taking note.

These lessons do not just apply to college football either - just ask the San Diego Chargers.

Things I'm Thankful For (#1 is Sarcastic Sports Lists)

Somebody is going to write one this week, so it might as well be me.

1 - Sarcastic sports lists (told ya)

2 - Getting to watch the Detroit Lions every Thanksgiving

3 - The sweet sounds of Billy Packer

4 - Strong female role models for my daughter like Marion Jones, Pokie Chatman and Amanda Beard

5 - The fundamental basketball being played in AAU tournaments across the country

6 - The B.C.S. - tournaments decide nothing

7 - ESPN's restraint in covering the Joe Torre saga

8 - The continued crackdown on touchdown dances - Footloose, people

9 - Skip Bayless

10 - The Atlanta Hawks' new colors

11 - The insights of Emmitt Smith

12 - The rising popularity of professional boxing

13 - Colin Cowherd

14 - Nick Saban's loyalty

15 - Nick Saban's integrity

16 - Nick Saban's ability to dominate teams like Louisiana-Monroe

17 - Nick Saban's ability to beat Tennessee...damn, went too far with this one

18 - Reminders that instant replay evidence must be conclusive - I always forget that

19 - Running a patient, efficient offense (pick your sport - it works for all of them)

20 - WNBA Action

21 - Click Clack

22 - Male halftime dancers

23 - Leadership examples like Bill Belichick and Kelvin Sampson

24 - The new Nike basketball uniforms - big shorts + tight jerseys = awesome look

25 - David Beckham's tremendously successful American soccer experience - lived up to the hype!

26 - Bowling on ESPN Classics

27 - The career path of Michelle Wie

28 - Buying my father-in-law tickets for World Series Game 5...

29 - The steady state of my golf game

30 - Phil Fulmer's refusal to hire a special teams coach - it hasn't hurt the Vols yet

31 - Reminders that the clock stops on a first down in college football - forget that one, too

32 - Fewer highlights and more analysis on Sportscenter - FINALLY!

33 - Tim McCarver

34 - That "Waiting All Week For Sunday Night" song - so true

35 - Buying a Jason Kendall Oakland A's t-shirt ONE DAY before he was traded to the Cubs - can you say collector's item?

36 - Who's Now tournament

37 - Reminders that you need two feet in-bounds in the NFL, but only one in college - so confusing!

38 - One word - NASCAR

39 - Using the Mastercard commerical as the basis for a sports sign

40 - Beating other writers to an over-used article concept - priceless!

Dores/Vols

I didn't see it or hear it as I was visiting friends in Houston, but I am not remotely surprised. First, Vanderbilt always gives UT fits. It is their Super Bowl and means next to nothing to the Vols. Second, this Tennessee team can beat LSU and can lose to Louisiana-Monroe (hehe - Saban...). There is no telling whether the Vols will be great or awful. I still haven't decided if we are over-achieving or under-achieving. Seriously - which one?

Here is what I know - we are one win away from Atlanta. Kentucky suddenly looks very vulnerable and really has little to play for next week other than pride. I will be surprised if Tennessee doesn't play well in Lexington and pound UK. Everybody is worried about Woodson and so am I, but I imagine Cutcliffe will get back to running the ball (weird play-calling on Saturday) and the Vols will eat up the clock and own the line of scrimmage against the Kats.

Random thought - how little do the Vols miss LaMarcus Coker? I liked Coker, but between Foster, Hardesty and Greer and now Rogan returning kicks, it is pretty much addition by subtraction. I thought we would take a big hit without him - what do I know?

Upon Further Review - What I Don't Understand About Instant Replay

Instant replay was supposed to eliminate human error from deciding NFL games. The problem, from Mike Renfro's non-catch for the Oilers in the 1979 AFC Championship game to Vinny Testaverde's TD sneak against the Seahawks in 1998, was that referee error was costing coaches, players, and franchises games & championships.

The answer - instant replay.

It does slow down the game and it has taken a while to tweak the system to one that seems to work, but overall coaches, players and fans seem to favor using superior technology to get the calls correct.

There is, however, one glaring problem left with the instant replay system: what can and cannot be reviewed. You can review whether a receiver's feet were in-bounds, but not whether he was interfered with while making the catch. You can review if the ball crossed the goalline, but not if the offense used illegal motion to get it there. You can review whether a ball was fumbled, but not if the player's face mask was pulled to cause it.

I do not understand why. As football fans, we can all tell from replays whether or not there was actually pass interference or holding. Why can't those calls be challenged just like possession, fumbles and yardage spots? Why can't judgment calls be reviewed just like everything else?

I think the problem is that word - judgment. You can't review a 'judgment' call. Well, there are not really any 'judgment' calls, are there? The judgment is whether to throw the flag, but the play itself either broke or did not break a rule. There is a definition of pass interference - it is the judgment of the official about whether to call it, but there is not judgment about whether the rule was broken.

Here is hoping that yesterday's Browns/Ravens game will be the tipping point for instant replay change. Phil Dawson's kick to send the Browns into overtime yesterday was nearly not allowed because the play was not eligible for review. Why? Why can't everything be reviewed?

The main concern, I believe, is the timing of the game. We don't want every single play reviewed, right? Right. Here is the solution: keep the current system of challenges and timeouts. Keep the red flags. All the NFL, and even college football, needs to do is extend what can be challenged to EVERYTHING. Coaches - you can challenge anything you want. You only get two (three if you get both of those correct), so use them wisely.

Why wouldn't that work? The call that kills me in NFL football is pass interference. It can be a 50-yard penalty, but it cannot be challenged? Why can't a coach ask to have that play looked at one more time? We can all tell from our television replay whether or not there was actually interference. Review it! It cannot be easy for an official who is sprinting to keep up with a receiver and cornerback as they race toward the endzone and determine whether or not there has been any pass interference. Solution: use replay.

Holding is another call that ought to be replayed. How many touchdowns are called back by phantom holding calls? Solution: use replay.

Seven men on the line of scrimmage? Solution: use replay.

Coaches are not stupid - they are not going to risk timeouts on stupid things like a 1st & 10 holding call. But they will risk them to put a touchdown back on the board or prevent a 50-yard phony pass interference call or go to overtime with a field goal that was incorrectly ruled to be no good.

Upon further review, it is time to expand instant replay's ability to look at every single thing that happens on the football field.

Coach Talk - The Memphis Tigers

The Memphis Tigers bring their explosive offense to Madison Square Garden tonight against Jeff Capel's Oklahoma Sooners. I know, I know - you want to watch Derrick Rose and Joey Dorsey. If you want to get a little deeper into the game, here is what to watch for from Coach Calipari's offense.

According to Cal, he has basically combined the Drive & Kick schemes popularized by Vance Wahlberg (now at Pepperdine) with basic Princeton offense principles. Don't be fooled - this isn't a bunch of eggheads cutting backdoor. Memphis has one of the most athletic teams in the country & uses floor spacing and backdoor cuts to put maximum pressure on the defense.

Wahlberg, who met with Calipari a few years ago and sold him on this offense, once described his offensive philosophy as "attack, attack, skip, attack." The key word - attack.

Memphis will try to constantly attack Oklahoma's defense, especially off the dribble. The basic offensive alignment is one post, two wings in the corners (to space the floor - they will work up from the corner to the wing to get the ball), a point guard and a trailing post who will take the opposite side of the ball. The floor spacing is designed to put each defender on an island, creating a bunch of 1 on 1 situations.

The first option is for the point guard to get a lay-up. Simple, huh? If Rose can get into the paint, he will look to finish, dish to Dorsey on the block, kick it outside for the three (thus the Drive & Kick aspect) or you might even see him throw the ball off the glass to the other side of the basket to Dorsey. It might look like a bad lay-up, but it is really a "glass pass".

If Rose cannot get a lay-up, there are several options for what will happen next. He might run a dribble hand-off with a wing. He might drive at someone closely guarded to set up the Princeton backdoor. He might pass it to the wing and then run right in front of that man - called a blur screen (which isn't actually a screen - it is simply running in front of the defender). Whatever happens, the next option is basically the same as the first one - attack off the dribble to put pressure on the defense.

Here is what you won't see tonight from Memphis - screens. Crazy, huh? There are no screens in Coach Cal's system. But how do you get open? This is where Calipari utilizes the Princeton backdoor principles. If the defense overplays to deny the ball - backdoor. If the defense sags - pass and attack him off the dribble.

Another thing you won't see much - post-ups. Dorsey will not spend much, if any, time battling on the block to get a post-feed. Instead, he will usually play just off the block, forcing his defender to be out of the paint and offering more spacing to get to the basket.

What Memphis really wants to do when it is running its basic offense is drive, kick, drive, kick, drive, lay-up or 3-pointer. Coach Cal does not want mid-range shots - he is looking for lay-ups, threes or, better yet, fouls. Memphis will get into the bonus early in the halves, shooting lots of easy free throws and racking up points.

Why? Because it is hard to guard the ball. Referees call action on the ball much tighter than away from it. At some point, Oklahoma will have to put a hand on Rose or Douglas-Roberts and it will be a foul. Remember this - possessions that end with free throws are the highest scoring possessions in basketball. Coach Cal knows this.

The problem with this offense - if you can guard the ball, you can give this offensive style fits. UCLA shut down Memphis' potent offense in the Elite Eight two years ago. Memphis struggled to get to the paint and then struggled to get open looks.

The offense thrives on freedom, but freedom has its problems. You will see some bad shots, some careless possessions and a fair share of turnovers from the Tigers. Calipari has resigned himself to some of these, but it would drive the Bobby Knights and Gary Williams of the world crazy.

What about a zone? Good luck - Memphis will drive into the paint, then kick it out to its numerous shooters. The best idea might be to play a sagging man in the hopes of keeping the Memphis guards out of the paint and take your chances with the Tigers' shooters. You can also try to get gimmicky with a 1-3-1 or trapping zone to throw off the Tigers' rhythm.

This is a high-scoring, fast-paced offensive system. It isn't fun to guard and isn't easy to stop. Frankly, it is one of the most innovative concepts in basketball today.

From time to time this year, I'll put on my coaching cap and go a little deeper into the game's X's and O's. I hope this helps you enjoy the game tonight.

Coach C

Ball of Love - The Results

Last week, I chronicled my need for a new NBA team to follow now that I'm living in the NBA abyss of Chattanooga, TN. Inspired by Bret Michaels, I looked for love. I put my heart out there, made myself vulnerable and learned a little bit about life and love.

Okay, not really.

I did, however, go through the motions of breaking down the teams, fans, uniforms, coaches and my own internal tugs in order to pick my new favorite NBA team. The results are, to say the least, underwhelming.

But don't stop reading! Indulge me.

Last time, I narrowed things down to the following eight teams:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Detroit Pistons
Golden State Warriors
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies
Phoenix Suns

If I'm going to jump onto a bandwagon, it isn't going to be one that is falling off a cliff. Golden State & Chicago - slow starts and the lack of geographic loyalty have doomed thee. You are eliminated.

Down to six - the anticipation is killing you, isn't it? You could scroll down and find the results...tempting, huh? I'm busting out the big guns to keep you from doing that - bad jokes.

What do Tracy McGrady and Michael Spinks have in common?

Can't make it out of the first round.

Another elimination - Boston Celtics. If I'm going to jump onto a bandwagon, it has to have some room for me. This one doesn't. Too much, too soon. Plus, I have never forgiven the Celtics for leaving the Boston Garden. I know the economics and such of it, but the Fleet Center or whatever corporation controls the name today is a lame building. Finally, my imaginary feud with Bill Simmons prevents me from sharing the same team with him. Boston - out.

Bad joke #2: What is black and white and bores the hell out of me?

The San Antonio Spurs.

Detriot - gone. I usually pull for Detriot because I like a bunch of their players, but they are not going to be my favorite team. They are like a chicken sandwich - I'll usually happily eat it, but I never crave it. The Pistons ain't firing for me.

Down to four. The Final Four. The Fantastic Four. The Four Horsemen. 4.

Houston, we have a problem and it is that you are not my favorite team. Like the Pistons, I'll pull for them in most cases, but with no passion. T-Mac is fun to watch at times, but his back isn't going to hold up much longer and Yao is the most frustrating player to watch in the league. GET A REBOUND! I already miss Jeff Van Gundy (though he is a damn fine color man on TV) and am morally against rooting for Bonzi Wells. Houston, goodbye.

Atlanta, Memphis & Phoenix - one of these teams is not like the other...

Here is my Phoenix dilemma - do I actually like them or do I just like Steve Nash? What happens if he leaves? I cannot get excited about Amare and really can't get excited about Shawn "Me" Marion. Marrying the Suns is like marrying a woman because of her breasts - they look great now, but someday they will sag and wrinkle. Will I still love her when the boobs aren't so luscious? I don't think so - Phoenix will be my team for the moment, but not the long haul.

Atlanta and Memphis - what have I done? Can we start over? How did I end up with these two skanks? Atlanta is perpetually awful and Memphis might be moving soon. You know, this really is like one of those finding-love-elimination-shows because you know the whole time that nobody is actually finding love. I don't think that I have found love either. I'm stuck with one team that has no personality and one team that has no stability.

To hell with it - I'm throwing the biggest curveball since Flavor Flav brought New York back in Season Two. Nash! Get your white Canadian butt back here - you and the Phoenix Suns are my team! The fast-paced, innovative style! The complete lack of defense! The angry coach! The Brazilian Blur! The French...Diaw! Tom Chambers! I'm in love! I am over-using exclamation points! And I don't care!

The sun has set on this self-indulgent series and I am a Sun. My new colors are purple and orange...wait, those are bad colors. And didn't they trade Kurt Thomas for nothing this off-season? Shawn Marion! I'm now pulling for Shawn Marion!

What have I done?

Frying Bacon on Rocky Top

I don't mean to state the obvious, but I'm going to write what every Vol fan is thinking right now:

What is the deal with this team?

Are they the group that was dominated by Florida, Alabama and in the 2nd half against South Carolina or are they the group that dominated Georgia, Arkansas and the 1st half against South Carolina?

I really don't know.

Yesterday I couldn't have felt more confident from the opening moments that the Vols were going to spank the Razorbacks. The game had that feel...I can't explain it other than saying there is no doubt we are going to play well. The offense moved the ball, the defense was zoned in and the opposing coach was lost about what to do about it (going on 4th down in your own territory, Houston? That was Nutty...).

With this team, it takes about five minutes to decide if they are going to win or lose. It is like the opening minutes of a sitcom that either hook you in or convince you to click to something else. The Vols either look spectacular or totally uninspired.

How does that happen?

I know it isn't easy to get up for every single game, but coming out flat against Florida and Alabama is darn near unforgivable. What was it about Georgia and Arkansas that had the boys so ready to play?

Here is what I'm hoping - Neyland Stadium is becoming a real home-field advantage again. There were a few years there when the Vols seemed to play worse at home, but the Big Orange have been fantastic at home this year. Have you watched Georgia the past few weeks absolutely steamroll both Florida and Auburn? The Vols dominated the Dawgs at home this year. How do you explain it?

The bad news is that the Vols are going to have to go to Kentucky to seal the SEC deal this year. The Cats, thanks to Navy's win over Notre Dame, now own the distinction of having lost to the Vols more times in a row than any other team has currently lost to another. They are going to want to end that this year with what it easily the best UK squad in recent memory.

The question is which Vol team will show up in Lexington for that contest? Heck, which team will show up next week to face the Commodores?

This season, who knows?

Response to Bill Simmons

You make your bed - now you have to lie in it.

Apparently Bill Simmons did not enjoy the Patriots dramatic win in Indianapolis last Sunday. The referees seemed to have an agenda to stop the New England juggernaut - making up calls, missing others and sometimes just plain screwing the poor Patriots with ridiculous ones. Patriot Nation was in a collective uproar over this travesty of justice.

On behalf of the rest of the world: Boo-flipping-hoo.

I enjoy the Sports Guy as much as anyone outside of Boston possibly can. He is endlessly entertaining and always funny. For most of us non-athlete/non-journalist sports writers, he is an inspiration.

But does he really think anyone is going to feel sympathy for Bill Belichick's Patriots?

New England's fan base has now collectively cleansed itself from Spygate by deciding that everyone is out to get them. Their Super Bowl victories have been questioned, their honesty has been doubted and their sportsmanship has been debated. Now, even the NFL referees are out to get them.

Come on. This is the NFL, not the NBA. Bad referees are not biased ones. Simmons' article read like a vitriolic message board posting from BigBlue4Life_99 after a Michigan loss.

The implication of the article is that the Patriots are getting cheated. Do you know whose fault that is? Yes, the Patriots.

You make your bed...

As a school teacher, I do occasionally catch a cheater who either has shifty test-taking eyes or plagiarizes a paper. I do accuse them of cheating. I do seek some type of punishment from the school. I do watch them more closely with future tests and projects.

You make your bed...

Do I actively seek to fail that student over the rest of the year? Do I ignore correct answers and find fault with the smallest error? Or do I do my job? The one that puts food on my table? The one that I trained for and hope to continue to do for many more years?

If that student feels like I am now out to get them, it is only because he/she created the circumstances that would cause such paranoia. For Patriot fans who are entering into JFK conspiracy waters after a few bad calls, you only have your own head coach to blame for this misguided paranoia.

It might be a bitter pill for Pats fans to swallow, but there is no getting around the Spygate thing. It tarnishes the past under Belichick and it tarnishes this team. This was not an accusation - it was cheating caught in the act. There is no basis to the "everyone is out to get us" motivational tool. Nobody is buying the "Mangini is a snitch" deflection. Running up the score on people like Joe Gibbs certainly does not make anyone re-evaluate criticism of the franchise. Nobody likes a cheater - ask Barry Bonds or Mark McGwire or Floyd Landis or Tim Donaghy. Bill Belichick is a cheater. Nobody likes it.

Now Patriot fans like Bill Simmons want to cry foul about a few questionable flags? You want us to believe that the NFL or some rogue referees have it out for Belichick's boys? You want us to believe that a billion dollar industry would risk its reputation to teach the Pats a lesson?

I know it isn't easy to be a Boston sports fan right now - how much joy can one person take? The Red Sox, the Celtics, even Boston College is good this year. For a city so used to being frustrated with its sports teams, these are uncharted waters. Heck, these are uncharted waters for any city. That doesn't mean, however, that people are out to get you.

If you think they are, you really just have yourselves to blame.

Ball of Love - Looking for an NBA Team

I am a man without an NBA team.

Growing up, I had nobody. Chattanooga is not an NBA town whatsoever, so there was never a reason to get one. I used to like the Showtime Lakers because I thought Magic was a neat first name. I liked the Hawks for a time because Atlanta is only 90 minutes away, Spud Webb was a midget with a funny name who could dunk and I was young enough to think those Nique Era uniforms looked good. For the most part, however, the NBA & me never jived.

I moved to Memphis six years ago during the inaugural season for the former-Vancouver Grizzlies. I even splurged a chunk of my teacher's salary to buy a pack of single-game tickets for The Pyramid so I could be a part of the action. I mean, they had Big Country Reeves for goodness sake! It was not easy to tell from where the upper, upper deck where I was sitting, but it looked like they were pretty bad.

Before I left Memphis, the Grizzlies made it into the post-season behind Hubie Brown, Pau Gasol and Jason Williams. I went to Games 3 & 4 of the opening round series against the Spurs, only to see back-to-back losses to Duncan, Parker and the Spurs. The Grizzlies were the NBA team that got me excited about the league & professional basketball, but my loyalty to them was short-lived.

Houston, TX became home in 2004 and I became a Houston Rocket. Yao Ming & Tracy McGrady were fun to watch and I even got to be friends with the team's assistant trainer. I ended up at another playoff game (a Game 5 victory over the Utah Jazz), but this time it was from the team's suite. After the game, I toured the Rocket's training facilities and came face-to-face with Yao Ming, Shane Battier and Juwan Howard. The Rockets were now my team, but...

My wife and I returned to Chattanooga, TN this past summer to make a permanent home in the Scenic City. I'm back in an NBA-less city - one where NASCAR, professional wrestling and Krystal hamburger eating contests are all more popular than pro basketball.

Thus, I am a free agent.

I need an NBA team. After watching Bret Michaels find love this summer, it seems that the best way to find my true love is through a series of challenges and eliminations. Okay, maybe no challenges, but there will be eliminations.

First round of goners - the following teams have no chance of being my new NBA team:

Milwaukee Bucks
Los Angeles Clippers
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Hornets
Charlotte Bobcats
Toronto Raptors
Indiana Pacers
Sacramento Kings
Portland Trail Blazers
Orlando Magic
Philadelphia 76ers

Pretty easy cuts there. Bad uniforms, bad teams, lack of superstars, uninspiring coaches - nothing to get excited about.

That leaves me with 19 teams. This isn't going to be easy. There are some good candidates left here.

What would Bret Michaels do?

You are right - he would have nothing but a good time cutting a few more teams. Let's go ahead and dump the ones that might have something going for them, but are not going to win this thing. They make the first cut because there is no reason to lump them with the Bucks and the Bobcats, but they are losing at some point.

Washington Wizards - sorry, Agent Zero
Miami Heat - I like Shaq off the court, but not so much on it
New Jersey Nets - Jason Kidd once took a swing at my wife
Denver Nuggets - awful uniforms. Fashion matters.
Utah Jazz - I like Mormons as much as the next Protestant, but this ain't happening.

Now we are getting somewhere. Here is my Sweeps Week special - the shocking event of the season. It is time to dump two big names:

New York Knicks
Los Angeles Lakers

There is no way to get behind either of these teams right now. The Isiah Era has been an embarrassment on and off the court in New York. The Kobe Drama in L.A. typifies everything that is wrong in the league, so it is eliminated on principle. Two big markets are out - my readership just dropped in half.

The next elimination will be the Superstar cut. These teams have one or two people that are intriguing, but the entire package fails to merit My New Team consideration:

Cleveland Cavaliers - LeBron & nothing else. No thanks.
Seattle Supersonics

There is a part of me that wants to jump on the Kevin Durant bandwagon with the Sonics, but can I get attached to a team that is probably moving in a couple of years? I need some stability.

Before we continue, let us look at the candidates still in contention for my new NBA team:

Atlanta Hawks
Boston Celtics
Detroit Pistons
Chicago Bulls
Memphis Grizzlies
Golden State Warriors
Phoenix Suns
Dallas Mavericks
San Antonio Spurs
Houston Rockets

Whoa, what is San Antonio still doing on my list? Bruce Bowen, Robert Horry, Floppin' Ginobli? Get them out of here.

Let's break down the nine remaining teams:

Atlanta Hawks: pros - up & coming team, local to me (90 minutes down I-75) and will be on TV here all the time; cons - they are the awful Atlanta Hawks, no fan base, no championship anytime soon or really anytime ever.

Boston Celtics: pros - tradition, new nucleus is exciting, real chance to win; cons - too trendy, Doc Rivers.

Detroit Pistons: pros - I really like the Billips, Hamilton, Wallace & I LOVE Tayshaun Prince; cons - Flip Saunders, boring style

Chicago Bulls: pros - fun to watch, great fans, young core; cons - potential home for Kobe? no geographic loyalty

Memphis Grizzlies: pros - fairly local, some history to me personally, I like the unis, new coach with up-tempo style; cons - stuck in Western conference without a shot to win, Darko.

Golden State: pros - fell in love with them during playoffs last year, have some family in San Fran (weak, I know); cons - never on TV, small chance of repeating that magic

Phoenix: pros - Steve Nash. Steve Nash. Steve Nash. Fun to watch, exciting, chance to win it all, great coach; cons - form on Marion's jumper, break my heart in post-season

Dallas: pros - um, none. I don't like this team at all. Cut them.

Houston: pros - Yao & T-Mac, personal history, love Shane Battier; cons - boring fans, Rick Adelman?, fired my friend for no good reason.

There we are...8 teams in the running for my new NBA team. I'm going to take my time with this pick - watch a few games, visit some websites, pray to various gods and goddesses, even read your comments for help.

Next week - I make my decision. The world will never be the same.

Counting Our Chickens Before They Hatch

My high school basketball used to tell us, "Early leads are false leads." We did not always believe him - when someone is whipping you 20-4 at the end of the 1st quarter, it feels more like a butt-kicking than a false lead. The idea, however, does usually hold true - just because a team plays well in the opening minutes does not mean it will sustain that pace for the entire game.

As sports fans, we have a difficult time with this concept. To most of us, an early lead is an indication that that team is going to win the contest. We have all watched enough sports to know that the team winning at the half is usually going to win the game.

If not, the team surely blew it.

The Tennessee Vols nearly "blew it" on Saturday against South Carolina. Up 21-0 in the first half, the Vols looked like they would coast to an easy SEC win. UT fans across the South were exchanging high fives and congratulations about a rare win over Steve Spurrier. Fulmer is the man - I never wanted to see him fired.

Then a funny thing happened in the 2nd half...though not very funny by Big Orange standards. The Gamecocks defense stepped up, the Vols offense struggled and South Carolina took a 24-21 lead. UT fans across the South exchanged off-color exclamations and frustrations about another loss to Steve Spurrier. Fulmer is awful - I told you we ought to fire him.

Then, an even funnier thing happened. The Vols came back and won the game. A last second field goal (over-coming two fumbles and a missed field goal attempt prior to a procedure penalty) took the game into overtime where Tennessee prevailed 27-24.

A game like this is the perfect opportunity to reconsider what we often quickly deride as "choking." There is an incorrect assumption among the sports-watching world that blowing an early lead amounts to some type of character flaw. Allow a comeback? It must be a choke job.

It does not make sense to look at the games this way. There is a reason the games are timed - the game is not over until the time expires, no matter how big the initial lead.

There are a million factors that determine who takes an early lead and who eventually wins the game. One team might pull out a million tricks in the first minutes to establish a lead it cannot maintain past the initial trickery. One team might slowly wear down the other team and use better conditioning to win at the end. One team might be red hot for a few moments and then come back down to earth.

There are obvious examples of choking or blowing a lead. Football fans universally loath the prevent defense that allows an opponent to suddenly find rhythm and easy yards at the end of the game. Offensive aggression is often squashed in the name of using the clock when it would be better to simply keep playing.

But not every blown lead equals some type of choke job.

For example, let's revisit the Tennessee-Ohio State basketball from last season's NCAA tournament. The Vols played a fantastic first half - they shot the lights out, defended well and even managed to get Greg Oden in foul trouble. It all meant a big Vols lead, as much as 20 points at one point.

The second half belonged to the Buckeyes. The Vols cooled off, Ohio State's guards began to penetrate into the lane and Oden played a superior half of basketball. In the end, Tennessee failed in its last opportunity with the ball and lost the game.

Did the Vols choke? Did they blow it? Or did they simply outplay the Buckeyes for a time and then were outplayed by the Buckeyes for a time?

Just like there are a million reasons why early leads occur, there are a million reasons those leads are lost. Clock-killing strategies work most, but not all of the time. It is easier to play loose and aggressively from behind than with the lead. Remember the Houston Oilers and their run-and-shoot attack? It worked great to get a lead, but struggled to hold one. What about the Braves teams of the 1990s with great starting staffs, but miserable bullpens?

Perhaps the reason we deride the team that blows the lead so much is because of the way we celebrate the winners. Those guys never game up, showed heart and character and fought until the end. That means that the losers must have given up, had no heart and questionable character and stopped fighting too early. It is no wonder we blame them for the loss.

Perhaps it is easier to say, "We had them and let them off the hook" than it is to concede, "That lead was a joke - they were way better than us."

Perhaps we over-estimate the margin of a lead. A 21-point lead feels like a comfortable lead, but it is merely three scores. Three possessions is all a team needs to make that up. It only took three possessions to build that lead - why is to perplexing when three possessions later it is lost?

Or perhaps we are just wrong in the way we view such contests. There is no reason to think a game has been blown when a lead is lost. Leads are not victories. The game continues until the final buzzer.

History has also shown us that leads are lost all the time. Why are we always surprised when it happens? I have seen 21-point halftime leads lost before, so why did Tennessee's inability to hold it on Saturday come as such a surprise?

The real surprise ought to be how often we are fooled by an early lead. Fool me once...we get fooled all the time! We allow initial jubilation interfere with time-tested reason. We ought to blame ourselves for the disappointment that comes along with a blown-lead loss rather than the team that blew it.

World Series Thoughts

The Fall Classic came and went before we ever learned how to spell Tulowitski (I guessed - it might be wrong, thus illustrating my point). The Rockies could not capitalize on offensive opportunities, got nothing from two of their top three starters and seemed to have lost the magic of their 21 out of 22 run.

Clearly, the Red Sox were the better team up and down. Better line-up. Better bench. Better starters. Better bullpen. You name it. The Rockies needed to play great to compete and they never played very well at all.

I'm disappointed in the series because the baseball season was so good. A seven-game classic with David challenging Goliath would have been the icing on top, but it was not to be. I'm also especially disappointed because my family bought my father-in-law tickets to Game 5 at Coors Field for his birthday.

As for the Red Sox, good grief. They were locked in. That was one of the most impressive performances over seven games (three vs. Cleveland, four vs. Colorado) I can ever remember. They pound the ball, they pitch the ball, they field it - they make the game seem easy and even a bit unfair. Welcome to the new Evil Empire. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

As I watched the game on a Frontier flight home last night (thank you, DirecTV!), I thought about how many times the Red Sox dangled Manny Rameriz in trade talks. Manny makes everyone crazy, but he can flat out hit the baseball. What a mistake it would have been to unload him, regardless of whether it brought A-Rod to Boston (and let me join the crowd of people who are disgusted with the timing of his announcement - that was pathetic).

And how about the Beckett & Lowell for Hanley Rameriz trade? Has a deal ever worked out better for both teams? Rameriz is fantastic, but Beckett and Lowell put the Sox over-the-top for a championship. John Schuerholz wrote that he hopes his trades work out best for both teams; he isn't hoping to "screw" someone. This trade is the perfect example of that.

Looking ahead to next year, who will challenge this team? Cleveland? New York? Anaheim? Detroit? Boston does look so much better on paper, especially as Ellsbery and Pedroia mature. With two championships out of the last four, we could have a baseball dynasty on our hands.

World Series Game 1

That was impressive, wasn't it?

Let's recap the opening moments of the 2007 World Series: Josh Beckett strikes out the side, including Colorado's MVP Matt Holliday, Dustin Pedrioa opens the game with a homerun, Youklis follows with a double, Hurdle brings the infield in (IN THE 1st INNING?) which helps Manny get an RBI knock, Lowell walks but doesn't get credit for it thanks to a terrible strike call, and J.D. Drew finishes things off with an RBI double.

Welcome to the World Series, Colorado.

Todd Helton played well, but the Rockies looked overwhelmed and out-classed last night. Beckett can certainly do that to you, but what about the Rockies bullpen? Three straight walks?

It will be interesting to see what happens back in Denver when Francona has to remove either Ortiz, Youklis or Lowell from his line-up. That is a big subtraction regardless of who he picks, but now that Drew is swinging the bat, it does not seem quite as devastating.

I hope it isn't true, but I'm thinking sweep after last night. After a 13-1 thrashing, I'm probably not the only one with that idea this morning.

90% of the Game is Physical - the other half is mental

My latest article at ArmChairGM about Joel Skinner's decision to hold Lofton at third base and its place in baseball's mental mistake history.

The Easiest Part of a Coach's Job

The cuts.

I wish I had Coach Homer Simpson's philosophy of cutting - you, you, you and you are cut. The rest of you made the team. Except you, you and you - you are cut.

Cutting isn't any fun at all. Yesterday, we made cuts for our 7th grade basketball team. Most of the cuts were easy in that there was little doubt the player was not one of the twelve best trying out. None of them were easy in that a kid's heart is getting broken.

7th grade cuts are the worst ones of all because they are the first cuts for most kids. What did Cat Stevens sing about the first cut being the deepest? I think he was writing about his 7th grade basketball experience.

This is the first time some of them realize they are not very good. Of course, some don't realize it even when they are let go. There is shock, tears, anger and bitterness. I still have ill feelings for Marvin Smith, the man who cut me from my 7th grade team and kept Josh Keiser instead. It is troubling to think I will be the focus of several people's anger in the coming years when they think about being cut.

You might imagine that the kids look around and see that they are not very good. Well, they don't. If one lay-up managed to go in, that is the one they remember. If one jumper banked in for three, that is enough to make the squad. It takes a special kid to look around and realize he is not one of the better ones out there.

The ones who do realize they aren't any good often don't stick around for the actual cuts. Many will cut themselves, usually with an excuse about concentrating on homework or not having parental permission. After we did sprints at the end of Thursday's tryout, a kid came up to us and said, "My mom doesn't want me to play this year." His mom had not had time to see him between the 90 minutes he tried out and the time of his explanation, but we didn't bother to call him out on it. We told him that was a tough break and he could hopefully try again next year.

There will likely be parent complaints about some part of the process as well. Last season, a high school player's father emailed our coaching staff about his son who had been cut. Of course, we got the usuals about his up-side, how he was better than some who had made the team and about how it was not fair for some contrived reason. He also mentioned that family reunions would now be sad affairs whenever basketball was brought up. That was a new one.

Competitive scholastic sports might be the first real dose of reality for many people. Up until now, these kids have been told they were special. I remember how my granddad used to brag about my golf skills when we made our way around Eastgate's par 3 course. I was the next Nicklaus. Then I tried out for the golf team and realized he had been full of crap.

Frankly, that is a good word to describe making cuts. It is crap. It keeps you up at night and makes you hurt. It makes you angry at a kid who is stupid enough to think that if he hustles from drill to drill, you won't notice that his shots never hit the rim. It is crap. Thankfully, it is now over.

Until next year.

GAME 7

Ugh - It is a Monday at school with a broken copier, I have meetings at lunch and I would rather be talking about Game 7. Francona rolling the dice with, well, Dice. Lugo's error. The stop sign with Lofton. Pedroia!

Maximum Jack - take the lead here. Discuss.

The Best or Worst Year in College Football History?

Howdy, friends. I have written a couple of articles for another website called ArmChairGM.com. In the future, I'm going to cross-publish from time to time, but mostly I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing here and write about more national stuff there.

Anyway, check out my point/counter-point debate about the state of college football in these two articles:

The Worst Year in College Football History

The Best Year in College Football History

Hope you like them.

CC

Bama Thoughts

If I were to make a list of the worst defensive efforts in Tennessee history, this game would top the list. As of right now (4:00 left in the game), Tennessee has not forced a punt the entire game. This is the same defense that dominated Georgia? I don't know how to comprehend the performance, other than to conclude that the defense just isn't any good and Georgia's offense is worse.

The numbers in this game are horrible. John Parker Wilson has over 300 yards passing.

Let me type that again in bold letters for greater impact:

John Parker Wilson has over 300 yards passing.

D.J. Hall has just under 200 yards receiving. He is setting Alabama receiving records today. Alabama has kept the ball for nearly 2/3 of the game. They have over 500 yards of offense. Their running back just went over 100 yards. Alabama has 41 points without a defensive or special teams score.

Wait...we have an Alabama punt. 2:14 left in the game.

I have no problem with the offense because it is predicated on running the football. UT couldn't run it in the 2nd half because the defense kept letting Alabama score. Yes, there were no points in the 2nd half. Yes, Ainge's interception hurt. However, Foster was running the ball beautifully, but the Vols had to abandon it. Ainge was playing well other than the one pick (which was inches from being a touchdown). I can live with the offense, but the D...

Here is what I really don't understand - what did they do that surprised us? Throwing it to D.J. Hall? Play-action? I don't know what Chavis was trying to do at the outset, but it wasn't working. I don't know what adjustments he tried to make at the half, but those didn't work either. Maybe he just doesn't have anything to work with, but it sure felt like Applewhite's play-calling was 2 or 3 steps ahead of Chavis all game long.

Let's give Chavis the benefit of the doubt - let's say the plan was to force John Parker Wilson to beat us and take away the run. Let's say the plan was to use the defensive line to get pressure rather than blitzing because our corners are both freshmen and not good enough to cover Hall and Co.. Let's say Tennessee was willing to give up the dinks and dumps because it figured Wilson would make a mistake sooner or later and we wouldn't get beat deep.

Okay, fine. It isn't the worst plan in the world, is it? So why didn't it work?

Let's turn our attention from the oft-blamed coaches and look at the guys on the field. Alabama was starting two back-up o-linemen and, yet, our defensive line could not get to Wilson. Ever. I cannot remember the last time a defensive end got a sack for the Vols. It might have been Reggie White. No, Shaun Ellis. It wasn't anybody on the field today. I thought Xavier Mitchell and Demonte Boldin had turned the corner inside, but today was a giant step backwards for those guys.

What about the linebackers? We can't blitz if the linebackers don't get there. And they never do! Chavis calls a blitz, the linebackers are either too slow to get there or get blocked, our green secondary cannot cover man-to-man and we have another Alabama completion. This must be one of the worst front seven the Vols have ever had.

The secondary is not good right now, but we knew that coming into the season. With Morley getting booted off the team and Gaines getting hurt, it makes sense that the secondary is this bad. Berry and Vinson are both true freshmen - we are going to struggle with true freshmen starting at any position, but especially in the secondary when there is no pass rush up front.

Finally, where was the passion on defense today? This was the Vol team we have all come to hate that looks like it is sleep-walking through rivalry games. This was NOT the same team that came out to whip Georgia. There was no fire in anyone's belly today. There was frustration after a while, but where was the excitement and energy from the start?

So what do you do when there is no pass rush, no ability to blitz, no chance of covering superior wide receivers and no passion or energy from anybody playing defense?

You lose 41-17 to Alabama.

Ten Worst Losses of the Fulmer Era

Last week we looked at the greatest wins of Phil Fulmer's coaching career. This week, we give equal coverage to the sadder side of Fulmer's tenure - the worst losses. Really, there is no ulterior motive for this list - this is not part of "Fire Fulmer" campaign or anything. If anything, I think it demonstrates how great Fulmer's run in Knoxville has been. These losses hurt because expectations were so high and losses so unexpected.

10) 2002 Maryland 30 Tennessee 3 (Peach Bowl)

National power Tennessee vs. no-name Maryland. It was bad enough the Vols were stuck in Atlanta instead of a major bowl game, but against a pitiful program like Maryland? The only thing that could make the game worse was if Tennessee got beat. Well, they didn't just get beat, they got dominated. E.J. Henderson was better than any player on the Vols and the Terps defense exposed Randy Sanders' offense for the predictable, unimaginative scheme that it was. This was the first real indication that Tennessee was no longer a national power after years of reveling in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl win.

9) 1996 Memphis 21 Tennessee 17

The worst loss of the Fulmer era in the sense that he was beaten by a terrible team with a terrible coach. Memphis had no business being on the same field with Peyton and Co., but the Tigers came to play in the Liberty Bowl and shocked the Vols. I still maintain that Kevin Cobb was down on the kickoff return, but it doesn't matter now. Fulmer called this, "the most disappointing game I have ever coached." I have it ranked 9th.

8) 1999 Florida 23 Tennessee 21

Tennessee was looking to repeat as National Champions in 1999, but the dream died quickly in the Swamp. This is often referred to as the Alex Brown game because he dominated the UT line and terrorized Tee Martin. The bigger problem was that the Vols seemed to have lost their swagger and hunger in 1999. Jamal Lewis was not the same runner in 1999 that he had been as a freshman, which made the decision to pitch him the ball on 4th down especially strange (plus the fact that Tennessee could not get wide on the fast Florida defense the entire game, plus the fact that you don't run the ball on 4th and long with the game on the line, plus some other facts that I have repressed in order to get on with my life). The big play I remember that really seemed to show the lack of heart in this team was Deon Grant's late game interception. For some reason, Grant ran out-of-bounds with the pick instead of turning it up-field for better field position. Look at the score - the Vols just needed a field goal. I am still baffled by his decision to step out instead of trying to advance the ball. I wish I could repress that too.

7) 2001 Georgia 26 Tennessee 24

I was tempted to push this loss even higher on the list because I blame it on Fulmer. This was a classic as the Vols were carried into the lead by Travis Stephens. His run down the sideline to put the Vols up in the final minute should have gone down as one of the great plays in Tennessee history because it should have beaten the Dawgs. Instead, Tennessee squib kicked the ball and gave Georgia great field position. The Vols then settled back into a prevent defense while QB David Greene and coach Mark Richt picked the Vols apart for chunks at a time. Finally, Georgia got to the goal line and ran a beautiful play where the fullback slipped past the line for an easy touchdown grab. This loss was on Fulmer - 100%. The kickoff should have gone deep. There was too much time, especially in college football with the stopped clock on 1st downs, to be in the prevent. Richt looked like a genius and Fulmer a fool.

6) 1997 Nebraska 42 Tennessee 17 (Orange Bowl)

Peyton's senior season was supposed to be the final chapter of a storybook college career in Knoxville. Instead, it was like Godfather III - okay, but not really the way you wanted the thing to end or be remembered. Manning had turned his back on being the #1 pick in the draft to return for one last year. There were dreams of championships and Heismans, but the only trophy this year would be the SEC one. Manning lost the Heisman to Charles Woodson in a decision that Vol fans still cannot stomach, so this was his chance to stick it to the voters and end things with an exclamation.

It ended, however, with a thud. Nebraska dominated the Vols, pushed them around and pounded them into submission. Tennessee looked over-matched and out-coached. The sad image of Manning on the sideline as Tee Martin took the final snaps of the game was a perfect picture of a disappointing season. The loss was terrible, but it did spur the Vols forward to their 1998 championship.

5) 2005 Vanderbilt 28 Tennessee 24

It had to happen at some point and 2005 was the year. Vanderbilt was about as good as it had ever been behind Jay Cutler (still no bowl game though after a loss to MTSU) and the Vols were down. Way down. 5-6 down. But losing to Vanderbilt? At home? Tennessee actually led late, but could not stop a late Commodore drive. The fact that Fulmer survived this embarrassment is a testament to how the school and players feel about him. This was the low point of the lowest season in recent memory.

4) 1996 Florida 35 Tennessee 29

#1 vs. #2. Spurrier vs. Fulmer. Wuerrful vs. Manning. It was set up to be a classic and the score might mislead you to think it was, but this was a rout. 35-0 at one point. I was there and it was the biggest punch in the gut I have ever felt (I've had a pretty pampered life...). Florida jumped all over the Vols early, but it was Fulmer's panicked coaching that made this especially embarrassing. Spurrier was in Phil's head at this point, evidenced by an inexplicable 4th down and long attempt early in the game that gave the Gators great field position and a 2-point conversion late for no reason. The Vols did have an on-side kick chance late, but it failed. The Gators had come to Knoxville and whipped the Vols. They went on to a National title win over Florida State, so there was no shame in losing to them. The shame was the way the Vols got blown out and Fulmer losing his mind as it happened.

3) 1995 Florida 62 Tennessee 37

More high hopes were crushed in the Swamp as Spurrier, Wuerrful and Co. ran up the score on the shocked Tennessee Vols. Tennessee jumped out in the 1st half and led by 16 points, but it was all Florida from there. Peyton's second try at the Gators came to the same fate as his first (a 31-0 loss at home - just missing this list). This is the Sports Illustrated Game - Manning was supposed to be on the cover the week after the game, but was taken off & replaced by, you guessed it, Danny Wuerrful. Ouch. Bad, shocking loss.

2) 1997 Florida 33 Tennessee 20

My number two pick returns to the theme of Peyton's disappointing senior season. It is not entirely fair to think about it that way because there were many great moments - UGA, Bama, winning the SEC - but like the Nebraska loss, this one left a stain on his legacy. 1997 was Manning's last chance to beat Florida, but he would have to do it in the Swamp. The Gators were great under Spurrier, but the Vols were loaded too. The game got off to a terrible start for Tennessee when Tony George picked Manning off and returned it 89 yards for an early score. The Gators continued to blitz and confuse Manning all game long, though he did throw for three touchdowns and over 300 yards in the game. Those stats, however, were not the reason he came back for his senior season. He came back to beat Florida, win a National Championship and win the Heisman trophy. He did none of them. This loss had as much as anything to do with that.

1) 2001 LSU 31 Tennessee 20 (SEC Championship game)

Fulmer has called this game the worst loss of his career and he is correct. Tennessee was all set to play in the Rose Bowl against Miami for the National Championship. The Vols were rolling late in the season after thumping Florida in the Swamp (the game delayed until December by 9/11) and only had to get through LSU. Nick Saban's squad was a heavy underdog going into the game and had less to play for than the BCS-bound Vols. The game itself looked to be swinging the Vols way as LSU's starting quarterback Rohan Davey and starting running back LaBrandon Toefield both went down with early injuries.

Back-up QB Matt Mauck killed the Vols with his arm and legs (especially his legs) and the Bayou Bengals whipped the Vols in the 2nd half to kill Tennessee's chance at a second National Championship. The Vols instead went to Orlando where they destroyed Michigan 45-17.

Oh, what might have been. If Fulmer wins this game, there is no hot seat. He would potentially have two national titles as well as another SEC championship on his resume. Instead, the program went into a decline that includes several of these devastating losses.

I feel like I need to take a shower and cleanse myself after writing about these moments. Here's hoping there are no more games to add to this list in the coming year.