^ they have a few times. People kept asking Fulmer why he hasnt done it more and he finally admitted that Eric has had a fucked up shoulder the whole year. Its a shame that maybe the best player in Tennessee history is having to play with all these losers

11/22/2008 10:29:01 PM

Eric Berry is scary good

11/23/2008 1:35:34 AM

Quote :

" NASHVILLE -- Referring to Eric Berry as the best defensive back in college football wasn't enough for Tennessee defensive coordinator John Chavis. Mentally scrambling to come up with the appropriate words to compliment his star safety, Chavis wanted to be candid but without taking it too far. Bold praise from a coach directed at his own players, he explained, often is mocked publicly. But he finally decided to ignore that logic, bestowing upon Berry the lofty title that immediately came to mind with one game remaining in an increasingly impressive sophomore season. "I think he's the best defensive player in the country," Chavis said, "bar none." It would have been hard to argue Saturday. Berry lifted Tennessee to a 20-10 victory at in-state rival Vanderbilt and set another Southeastern Conference record with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the first half, the highlight of a game that also included his highly anticipated debut at quarterback. Eric Berry finally worked at quarterback, but he's the nation's best defensive player according to John Chavis. The second-quarter interception of Commodores quarterback Chris Nickson, which was Berry's second returned for a score this year, allowed Berry to break the SEC record for interception-return yards in a season. Berry now has returned his seven picks this season for 265 yards. Florida's Joe Brodsky set the previous conference record, which stood for 52 years, with 244 interception-return yards in 1956. "Eric has achieved enough here already to be one of the greatest who has ever played here at Tennessee, and certainly is going to be one of the greatest in the conference if he stays healthy," UT coach Phillip Fulmer said. "He's got unbelievable personality, that dynamic personality that you build a football team around. We've built a defense around him in a lot of ways. He's fit into that leadership mode and he's a guy that, if he's around the ball, he's going to impact the team some way or another." Berry made even more of an impact than usual against Vanderbilt. After stopping the Commodores' opening drive with a sack of Nickson on third-and-13 from Tennessee's 33-yard line, Berry quickly turned an errant second-quarter pass into a momentum-shifting touchdown. Nickson stood in the pocket on a third-and-20 pass play from his own 38, Berry said, and started "peeking" at running back Jeff Jennings in the middle of the field. Blitzing linebacker Rico McCoy, however, forced Nickson to hold the ball a bit longer. Vandy's senior quarterback eluded the pressure long enough to lob a short pass toward Jennings that sailed over his head directly to Berry, who was almost in full stride when he made the catch and darted untouched down the right side of the field for a 17-0 lead. "I guess (Nickson) thought (Jennings) was still open when he beat the rush, and he tried to throw it," Berry said. "I was already breaking on it, so I just took it all the way." Berry wasn't quite as productive with his first snaps behind the center. The former high-school quarterback rushed four times for 11 yards out of a set virtually identical to the so-called "G-Gun" package that features sophomore wide receiver Gerald Jones at quarterback. Berry's offensive highlight was a 7-yard run on his first carry that helped UT move the chains for the first time. "That was exciting, man," Berry said. "Just being on that side of the ball again, not being over there since high school, it brought back a lot of memories. I had a lot of fun doing it." He also might have been in a lot of pain. Berry revealed in the postgame press conference that he first felt pain in his left shoulder after Tennessee lost to LSU in last year's SEC Championship Game in Atlanta. Fulmer said Tuesday that a shoulder injury had prevented Berry from playing quarterback earlier in the season. The soreness didn't stop Berry from taking snaps against the Commodores, but it hasn't gone away. "It's pretty bad," Berry said. "I probably should have said something last year, because it was bothering me after the LSU game. I just never said anything about it because that's how I was raised, you know? If it's not killing you, wrap up and go on out and play." Chavis was hardly surprised to hear Berry's explanation for playing through an injury that could require surgery after the season. It's exactly what Chavis has come to expect from his choice for the nation's best defensive player. "He comes to work every day," Chavis said of Berry. "You'll never get an excuse out of him. He doesn't do that. He's not that kind.""

11/23/2008 2:11:15 AM

Quote :

"An SEC source told me Tuesday afternoon that "Lane Kiffin was moving up the leader board." I appreciated his golfing analogy almost as much as his opinion. You could extend the analogy by comparing a daily round in a four-day tournament to a week in Tennessee's search for a football coach to replace Phillip Fulmer. Each week, like each round, could give you a different leader. There's no doubt North Carolina coach Butch Davis was the first-round leader. The same source who informed me of Kiffin's recent ascent told me in mid-October that UT was going after Davis. Never mind how happy Davis says he is at North Carolina. I don't believe UT would have made him a priority without some encouragement on his end. A News Sentinel interview with a recruit Monday night is more revealing than anything Davis has said. Running back David Oku, who has committed to UT, told a News Sentinel reporter via text message that Davis was trying to recruit him to North Carolina. Taking a recruit at his word is only slightly less risky than taking a football coach at his word. And a source said he expects UT will make "another run at Davis." But there's less and less evidence to justify putting him atop the leader board. At anytime during the last two weeks, you might have seen Texas Tech coach Mike Leach's name or Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly's at the top. This week's leader is Kiffin. Does that mean he will be the next head coach? No. But he's looking like the favorite. Another source, who knows Leach, said Monday that he thought it was between Leach and Kiffin going into last weekend. And he thought Leach was hurt by Texas Tech's embarrassing loss to Oklahoma. The same source told me that Kelly was nothing but a "smokescreen," which begs the question: Why do you need a smokescreen? This is a coaching search, not a sting operation. Someone else brought up the name of Oregon State coach Mike Riley in conjunction with Leach. His theory: Leach was UT's No. 1 choice; if it couldn't get Leach, it would take Riley. Riley has a strong, diverse resume. He has been a head coach in the NFL, the CFL, and the dearly departed World League of Professional Football. He has been an offensive coordinator and a defensive coordinator. And twice in the last three years, he has sabotaged Southern California's national championship ventures with upset victories. However, Riley is known as a "West Coast guy," and his wife has an even stronger preference for living on Pacific Standard Time. Their affinity for the Far West was the biggest factor in Riley's decision to turn down the head-coaching job at Alabama, his alma mater. If Alabama couldn't get him, how could UT? I'm not sure about Kiffin's geographical preference. I am sure he would prefer coaching somewhere, rather than nowhere. Having been fired as head coach of the Oakland Raiders, he could be the fastest guy on the job. He has more going for him than that. Kiffin has head-coaching experience in the NFL, an NFL defensive guru (Monte Kiffin) for a father, and a reputation as a national recruiter - based on his work at USC under Pete Carroll. If Kiffin is your candidate, you probably have a package deal in mind. If the kid couldn't convince his dad to leave the Tampa Bay Bucs to assist his son, maybe he could at least talk former USC recruiting sidekick, Ed Orgeron, into making a college comeback. Orgeron, whose fanatical recruiting was detailed in the book, "Meat Market," took an assistant coaching job with the New Orleans Saints after being fired as Ole Miss' coach. Like Leach, who has an off-the-wall personality and an off-the-charts offense, Kiffin isn't a conventional candidate. He's only 33. He has never been a college head coach. But how do you expect to overtake Urban Meyer at Florida and Nick Saban at Alabama with a conventional coach? Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com."

I still think that Kiffin is a good choice especially if he brings Ed Orgeron. That dude can recruit like a mofo.

11/26/2008 10:29:50 AM

BREAKING NEWS!

According to local sources (Jimmy Himes of the Knoxville News Sentinel) ,the head football coaching position has been offered to Lane Kiffin.

Interesting.

[Edited on November 26, 2008 at 1:30 PM. Reason : ]

11/26/2008 1:23:55 PM

and Ed Orgeron will be in charge of recruiting which would be so fucking sweet


rawr rawr rawr rawr rawr rawr, rawr rawr, rawr rawr.... football!

11/26/2008 2:03:07 PM

I think Kiffin would be a terrible hire. Programs like UT do not need to take a MAJOR gamble on its head coach. This will not end pretty if true.

11/26/2008 2:31:39 PM

potentially, yes, but could be great as well if he turns it around and runs it for 20 years, biggest thing at UT is you HAVE to be able to recruit nationally and he can do that

11/26/2008 2:35:55 PM

I just don't think he has the chops to butt heads with Urban or Saban. Much less Richt or Miles. The Vols need a real bastard like Saban. When I think Lane Kiffin at UT, I think Mike Shula at Bama.

11/26/2008 2:41:16 PM

serious question: what has Lane Kiffin done to suggest that he would be a good head coach?

Fulmer was a great recruiter, so I dont think they are getting much of an upgrade (if any at all) by hiring Kiffin/Oregeron

11/26/2008 3:21:34 PM

I think its definitely future possible return when it comes to Kiffin. Even before he coached a game at Oakland people were saying he was an odd fit for the NFL and that he would make the perfect college coach

11/26/2008 6:01:49 PM

Quote :

"Tennessee athletics director Mike Hamilton was emphatic on Wednesday afternoon that he has not offered the head coaching job to anyone including Lane Kiffin, but there appears to be little drama left in who will be Phillip Fulmer’s replacement. Multiple sources indicate to VolQuest.com that Kiffin has not been “formally” offered the job, but have indicated that the “formal” offer to Kiffin is expected to come on Sunday with a pending announcement on Monday or Tuesday at the latest. It’s our belief that Hamilton and his staff are done interviewing candidates. Tennessee obviously doesn’t want to do anything prior to Fulmer coaching his last game on Saturday evening and has tried to be very sensitive to that. As we have stated for well over a week, Kiffin has felt really good about his chances with the job after interviewing last week. This week, Tennessee has been on the road interviewing candidates and they have over the course of the last few weeks interviewed Mike Leach (by phone), Tim Brewster, Brian Kelly, Troy Calhoun, and Gary Patterson. Also, Tennessee was scheduled to interview Will Muschamp but that interview got scratched when Texas offered him the deal to stay. For the last couple of weeks, Kiffin and former Ole Miss coach Ed Orgeron have spoken about the possibility of reuniting in college and Orgeron has been researching the Vols. Kiffin’s father, Monte, is also a potential candidate. Kiffin’s brother in law, David Reaves, who is the recruiting coordinator and quarterbacks coach at South Carolina is a possibility as well. Reaves is a former high school coach at Tampa Catholic High School in Tampa. Reaves has also been involved in recruiting former Vol commitment Jarvis Giles."

11/27/2008 12:13:39 PM

enjoy Lane Kiffin:

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3731656

11/28/2008 2:27:40 PM

http://brentroad.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=520816&page=11#12242380


What do I win?

11/28/2008 2:49:28 PM

okay jaybee, i want your full analysis on the hire.

11/28/2008 2:51:32 PM

ha, well, cant type too much right now, busy watching about 4 games with dad... but a lot of Tennessee people are down on Kiffin, think hes too unproven, that he hasnt done anything etc. But I like that they are getting someone young. You HAVE to be able to recruit at Tennessee and he can do that no problem. Then, if he gets the staff he is supposedly shooting for (Orgeron and Monte Kiffin) then they are in really good shape.

Now, I do admit that theres that little minor part about actual in-game coaching, but I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on that... Carroll wouldnt have hired him if he was a dumbass. And what happened in Oakland doesnt bother me at all. There have been numerous coaches that have been successful elsewhere who had bad years in Oakland (Shanahan).

11/28/2008 3:07:44 PM

haha, from the Rivals board:

Quote :

"To the smack talking kitty kat fans that were here a month ago and probably won't be back for a looong time. This was your big chance and if it didn't happen it probably won't in your lifetime. As I have said take advantage while you can, this Christmas when the family gets together, seek out your grandfather and sit down with him. Ask him to tell you the memories of the time he remembers that UK actually beat Tennessee in football. This is something that you need to be able to pass down to your children as you may and they may not actually get to witness personally."

11/30/2008 1:06:53 AM

Tennessee better fire up the tales of "remember when we beat Alabama..."

11/30/2008 1:18:45 AM

monte kiffin ? no shit eh ?

not to shabby

11/30/2008 2:15:08 AM

Why not the elder Kiffin has pretty much done all he can do in the NFL....won a ring, proven he is a top, if not the best defensive coordinator, etc.

11/30/2008 2:18:07 AM

I still think that is a wishful rumor... but I would love to be wrong

11/30/2008 2:18:52 AM

well shit, I'll be damned... this is so fucking awesome if it holds true, Mortensen is usually a good source

Quote :

"Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will be joining his son Lane at Tennessee, sources told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen. One of the stumbling blocks that led to the demise of Lane Kiffin in Oakland with Al Davis was that Kiffin wanted to fire defensive coordinator Rob Ryan and hire his father Monte of the Bucs -- the highest paid defensive coordinator in the NFL. Tennessee has reached an agreement with Lane Kiffin to take over as the Volunteers' next coach, with an announcement planned for Monday, barring any snags, according to multiple sources. Sources confirm to ESPN that his 68-year-old father plans to join his son after the Bucs' season. "

[Edited on November 30, 2008 at 2:21 PM. Reason : d]

11/30/2008 2:21:11 PM

Atta boy Kiff, go get 'em!

Quote :

"Tampa tailback Jarvis Giles spent his holiday weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska checking out the Cornhuskers. The former Tennessee commitment returned to the sunshine state and woke up this morning with a voicemail from the new Volunteer head coach, Lane Kiffin. "Coach Kiffin and Reaves called me this morning," Giles said. "Someone told me that he might call, but I wasn't expecting it. It showed some interest on his part. I was asleep and they left me a message. I was the first guy he called. He told me he was here (Knoxville) and ready to go to work. He told me that he liked the film and wanted to watch it again and call me in the next day or two. He said he's got a lot going on today with meetings and stuff." David Reaves is making the move over from SEC East rival South Carolina where he served as the quarterbacks coach. He is coach Kiffin's brother in-law and was Giles main recruiter at South Carolina. Now he becomes very involved with getting Giles committed to Tennessee again. "I like coach Reaves," Giles said. "That definitely helps Tennessee. Coach Kiffin is a good coach. He coached Reggie Bush and I'm watching him play right now. Coach Reaves told me that he would probably be in Tennessee later today. It will be interesting to see the other guys they bring in." The program that Giles committed to back in the summer is different now. He recognizes that but also says that change can be exciting to see take place. "The whole program will be changed," Giles said. "It's pretty exciting. If they can get the older (Monte) Kiffin then that's getting a hometown guy for me. He's pretty good and he's done it at the top level." Giles says that his top three are South Carolina, Tennessee, and Nebraska following what he called a "great" visit to Lincoln over the weekend to watch the Huskers play Colorado. "I would say that all three are tied," Giles said. "Competition isn't a big deal. But I'm looking to get on the field as soon as possible. I'm looking at the best situation for me. I'm looking at what's best for me and my family. The faster I hit the field then the faster the scouts notice me." Giles plans to enroll at one of the three schools in January. The timetable for a decision is small for the talented and speedy running back. "Truthfully I don't even know," Giles said about when he might make his final decision. "It's going to have to be soon. I know that." The new Vol staff will have to work fast to regain Giles verbal pledge. He knows what he's looking for and it's somewhere he feels at home. "It's going to come down to where I feel most comfortable," Giles said. "I was committed to Tennessee so long, but once they fired coach Fulmer I didn't feel the need to be there. Things have changed, but they coach Kiffin now and we'll see what happens. I got time.""

11/30/2008 3:22:02 PM

i dont care what anybody says, i'm incredibly sad that he's gone

11/30/2008 7:16:37 PM

that's got to be incredibly exciting, to be just starting as head coach.

11/30/2008 7:21:40 PM

Oku (#1 ranked all purpose back who had decommitted to Tennessee) is back on board.


Kiffin is looking great so far

12/1/2008 9:39:09 AM

giving a great press conference right now... I can totally see why he can recruit like a mofo...

he said when he got to USC Carroll told him "we have 8 coaches, 7 of them will divide up California, you have the other 49 states"

Mike Williams, Jarrett, Rivers, Lendale White, Patrick Turner were all his

[Edited on December 1, 2008 at 2:29 PM. Reason : d]

12/1/2008 2:28:13 PM

HAHA, Spurrier is already claiming recruiting violations on Kiffin

12/1/2008 3:40:01 PM

lol, link?

12/1/2008 4:11:23 PM

heard it on the radio... apparently you have to take some test before you can recruit in college and Spurrier was claiming that Kiffin contacted Jarvis Giles (between South Carolina and Tennessee) before taking that test. Kiffin said in his press conference that he actually took the test 2 days before he was named UT coach

12/1/2008 4:19:13 PM

Quote :

"Phillip Fulmer isn't quite done as a representative of the University of Tennessee. Though out as UT's head coach, Fulmer will remain as an assistant to the school's president. The former Volunteers head coach, whose 16-plus year reign ended Nov. 29 with the Vols' 28-10 win over Kentucky, will serve a three-month appointment to UT as a special assistant to President Dr. John Petersen. Fulmer's temporary deal runs from Dec. 1 through Feb. 28, 2009. His $12,500 monthly salary will be funded by "private dollars," the school said in a release. Fulmer will receive the same benefits granted to full-time employees of the University of Tennessee system. "Phillip Fulmer is a UT icon and a wonderful ambassador," Petersen said in a UT release. "Over his long career with the university he has developed a vast network of contacts, made invaluable relationships with alumni and UT supporters, and done extensive work with development. "I look forward to having him assist with further developing and enhancing strategic relationships for the University." In New York for National College Football Foundation events the next 48 hours, Fulmer issued the following statement: "I am not yet certain what the future holds for my career, but I'll always support my alma mater, and I appreciate the opportunity to help the University out now." Fulmer was Tennessee's head coach from 1992-2008, compiling a 152-52 record with one national championship and two SEC titles. He is receiving a $6 million buyout of his contract from the university that is payable across the next 48 months. "

and Eric Berry got Defensive Player of the Year

"YA! Bitch!"


[Edited on December 8, 2008 at 6:54 PM. Reason : d]

12/8/2008 6:52:30 PM

Monte is official now

Quote :

"As VolQuest.com reported Thursday, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin informed the Bucs management, coaches and players last Wednesday that he was going north to Knoxville to go to work for his son. On Sunday after the Bucs' 13-10 overtime loss to the Falcons, Kiffin confirmed to the media that he indeed was returning to the college game. Kiffin said hiring his father was simply about hiring the best. "It boiled down to one thing: it's your son," the elder Kiffin told the media. "This was not easy. It was hard." Kiffin is a 26-year veteran of the NFL, and while it seemed like a no-brainer to join his son and work side by side for the first time, the elder Kiffin said it was not that easy. "I made the decision last weekend and I went back and forth," Kiffin said. "It was a very, very hard decision because of our players, our fans. When you've been in a place since 1996, you don't just jump ship. I've had other opportunities. There was one that came up last year that was a great opportunity and people don't even know for sure about the whole thing. But I stayed here, decided to sign back up for two years. But the club was very good about giving me the option to go with my son." Sunday night on The Nation radio show, Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin said hiring his father was the first step in putting his staff together. "I think it's really big," Lane Kiffin said. "Number one because as an offensive head coach, it's important to have the other side of the ball taken care of and you don't have to worry about. You don't have to spend a lot of time over there (on the defensive side of the ball). We set our goals pretty high and felt that we are going to go to the top. We felt like we got the best guy in the country in college or the NFL so we feel very fortunate to get him as far as Xs and Os and coaching. We also feel very fortunate to have someone that we know that players around the country and their parents will understand who he is and why their kids are going to play for him." Obviously, for the elder Kiffin getting to work side by side with his son on a daily basis was important enough to take a pay cut and move after 12 years in Tampa Bay. For Lane Kiffin, it's certainly significant on a personal level, but he said that was by no means his focus. "I haven't thought about it that way," Lane offered. "I have really approached this as a business decision. Like I said, I set our goals really high and I figured why not go try and get the best. And if you have to use that his last name happens to be the same as yours then why not." Monte Kiffin will join his son in Knoxville when the Buccaneers season ends and after two weeks of speculation, the Kiffin family reunion is indeed occurring on Rocky Top. "

12/15/2008 11:07:06 AM

this thread needs pictures of lane kiffin's wife

12/15/2008 11:22:41 AM

Chris low reported tonight that Ed Orgeron is official as the new Defensive line coach...

On a side note, Kiffin is reported to name 6 nfl coaches as part of his future coaching staff...

1. Monte Kiffin (Defensive Coordinator - Tampa Bay Bucs)
2. Ed Orgeron (Defensive Line Coach - New Orleans Saints)
3. James Cregg (Offensive Line Coach - Oakland Raiders)
4. ?
5. ?
6. ?

any speculation Jaybee?

12/16/2008 12:07:08 AM

marc trestman.

12/16/2008 12:08:55 AM

pretty sure UT doesnt need anyone from the Montreal Alouettes... but thanks

12/16/2008 12:12:25 AM

i hate you so much.

12/16/2008 12:15:13 AM

this page needs tits

12/16/2008 12:20:00 AM

12/16/2008 12:24:49 AM

heard Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales and Houston Texans offensive line coach John Benton.

12/16/2008 1:15:09 AM

it might be tough to fit 2 offensive line coaches in there...

also heard about Brian Schneider with the Raiders special teams projected to come aboard...

12/16/2008 1:21:29 AM

one of them might be moved to D-line... not sure where Orgeron fits in either

12/16/2008 1:24:26 AM

Quote :

"7-5"

Quote :

"that could be about right... I hope not, but breaking in a new QB, new OC, hell, entirely new offensive staff, totally new offensive scheme... lots of unknowns."

Who would have guessed that your response to that post should have been "I hope so"

12/16/2008 1:29:30 AM

haha, was dead on with the reason though

12/16/2008 1:35:43 AM

Quote :

"Jaybee1200 Slavs and Polacks 38573 Posts user info edit post holy shit Crompton's looked good 4/20/2008 7:49:12 PM"

12/16/2008 9:35:01 AM

^ APRIL... and thats why Fulmer KEPT going with him, he looks amazing in practice, but in an actual game hes the biggest piece of shit ever

12/16/2008 12:00:02 PM

I know brutha... I had high hopes for Kevin Craft back then too... His 1 TD, 4 Int game vs UT was his best game this year, haha. His last 6 games he had 0 td's and 13 int's, gotta be a record of some sort.

So is Bryce Petty starting next year since Nunes bolted or are they redshirting him?

12/16/2008 12:14:09 PM

Quote :

"So is Bryce Petty starting next year since Nunes bolted or are they redshirting him? "

petty decommited last week after tennessee staff told him he wouldn't be a good fit in kiffin's offense

so kiffin has said "thanks, but no thanks" to both of tennessee's qb recruits

12/16/2008 1:13:47 PM

^Exactly

Petty and Boyd both decommitted after Kiffen told them they didn't fit the new system. (A pro-style offense with mainly pro-set and I-formation looks.) The system needs a tall, strong armed, dropback pocket passer. Neither Petty or Boyd fit the bill.

[Edited on December 16, 2008 at 1:22 PM. Reason : ]

12/16/2008 1:20:42 PM

Damn, I haven't been following UT at all in the last few weeks.... So with Nunes decommitting when Phil was still there, they're pretty much fucked, no?

12/16/2008 1:26:18 PM