...and if it doesn't, check your pulse.

I was feeling irate all over again about Coach What's-his-face and needed a quick pickmeup when I came across a Andy Staples article on SI and found this link to the 2001 Florida pre game speech.  I watched, felt the passion, and felt the hair on my neck go haywire---which is exactly what I needed after this week.  Thank god for youtube.

(PS first nice post editor guys)

I was looking at the Sentinel where Coach (Fulmer) had declined the administrative position with the President's office because of all the backlash regarding university wide financial cutbacks.  It got me thinking about the next step for Coach.  I kept thinking about what Coach said about maybe wanting to give it a go at a school (like Clemson) where everyone is passionate about football.  Well, that got me to thinking about some of  the vacancies floating around.  Where on earth could Coach go?

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The Athletic Department has been absolutely silent about this process thus far hiding behind the shroud of "Let's just take this time to honor Phillip Fulmer."

Give. Me. A. Flipping. Break.

I'm sure Mike Hamilton is closely monitoring and working diligently with the staff in making the preparations to send off Coach in style.  And if you believe that, I've got a great investment opportunity I need to talk with you about.

I'm sure Mike and Co. are going crazy right now trying to clandestinely contact respective candidates, who by the way are in the middle of a season, trying to gauge interest for this job.  And if they can't, because of it being inappropriate, get a hold of the coach, I'm sure they are having interesting talks with certain agents who may or may not represent said coaches. 

Having said all that, I've casually watched the RTT Coaching Survey and I've got to say it.  I'm not that thrilled about a lot of the prospects we have looked.  I like some but not most, and with all the others it's just too much of a long shot.  So here's my long winded spiel.  And if you stay untill the end I'll throw a curveball that I haven't heard anyone talk about yet.

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Yesterday and today have been pretty tough.  Yesterday's press conference was a huge punch in the gut--not because I didn't think "change" was going to happen this season or soon after--but because we saw a man who was facing the reality that the Institution that he loved and served nearly his entire professional life didn't love him quite as much.  Judging from yesterday, the day each of us have to face that type of reality is a sad, sad day.

I'm not going to argue against the decision.  People who are paid to make the objective, tough choices made this decision and I'm sure there was a thorough "process" that fully examined whether this needed to be done.  Fine.  I can will have to live with that. 

Here is what bothers me.  What now?  For my entire life, Tennessee has been run by a Tennessee man.  Say what you will about the two, but Phillip Fulmer and Johnny Majors were absolutely all about and all for Tennessee.  My worry is that the era of the coach that lives to serve has been replaced by the era of the coach that is going to get paid.  Are we going to find the captain that leads this team for the next decade plus?  Or are we going to find the stop gap that leads this football team with an eye constantly out for his future.  Is there a candidate out there that can embrace Tennessee or is it full of candidates that are chomping at the bit to have "Head Football Coach, Tennessee" as a sexy, yet temporary bullet point on their resume?

I'm worried.  Very worried.  We saw what Florida, Alabama, Nebraska, and Notre Dame went through during their extended search for a coach.  I'm worried that the Volunteer State is about to experience the same thing.  

Things I hear at work, and the things I want to say but can't because the economy stinks and the only things I hate more than crimson elephants are job searching and moving.

 

1. The "Bama Band Jerkface" guy said, "Want to go to Smoothie King for lunch?"

Hello, That guy.  You would want to go to smoothie king, princess.  I know you are not aware of this, but I wear size 38x34 pants.  It says so on my jeans.  In other words, I don't go to Smoothie King unless there is a new Meat-tastic Smoothie I haven't heard about.  I know as much about smoothies as I do about Indian curry cuisine: which is to say nothing and it would probably Muschamp my stomach.  Yes that is a new verb.  Get used to it.  Disclaimer: I don't have anything against Smoothie King or anyone who goes there.  I just needed the mechanism to make fun of Jerkface...... I'm sure Smoothie King is quite wonderful...(that last line was a bald faced lie)

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Well, it's been fun folks, but it looks like my brief stint at RTT may end with this post. The standards of taste and appropriateness enforced at RTT will probably preclude my staying on as a contributor.  But sometimes...you get these weird ideas and decide--it just had to be said...

-MeytonPanning

There is a whole world of political intrigue, backdoor dealings, false fronts, and posturing that seldom gets talked about.  In this secretive world you are constantly watching your back, checking every move, and making sure that nobody sees or hears too much.  Behind the closed doors of this less than magical place, you do things that you hope no one else ever has to witness.  It is perhaps the only thing left in the world that most people do truly by themselves.

Yes. I am talking about going number 2.

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More things I hear at work at the Cubicle Farm here in Alabama, and the scathing things I think when I hear them.

1. The "Bama Band Dweeb Alum" Guy said, "Alabama's history of consistent success has always been due to leadership.  That's what the Tide have over every other program in the country.  Leadership." [Voice in my Head] Consistent..... Leadership..... Alabama....Dubose, Franchione, Price, Shula....The only consistent thing about Bama Leadership in the past twenty years is that you run through coaches like you-know-what (that would be crap) through a goose.  I'm apoplectic "happy" for your success this season.  It drives me bat crap crazy is good for the SEC.  It makes me want to vomit in your desk rubbish bin proud to be a fan of the conference.  Saban's success tells me that you can do anything with four mill a year, a complimentery car, a complimentary country club membership, and all the free red clothes you can stomach integrity and a processes.

2. The "Will-Muschamp-is-still-here-Auburn" Guy said, "Time to play another wuss from Tennessee." [Voice in my Head] Count to Ten.  Breathe.  Relax, only 7 hours and 28 minutes of work left.  And then he'll be gone.  With his personalized Auburn license plate (on his super sweet Honda Element).  Yeah, don't let the guy who has a Honda Element get to you.  He drives a car that looks like a forbidden love child between a geriatric Hummer and a plastic shoebox.  Don't let him get to you.  You can go home in 7 hours and 27 minutes and 30 seconds.  And when Vandy beats Auburn this weekend, you can smile and think "Heh, Auburn lost and you still drive the ugliest car in history.....ok, well second most ugly car....this is the ugliest car in history.

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Here are some games, storylines, and scenarios outside of Knoxville to watch out for this weekend! We'll look at all the SEC action and give the other BCS conferences a quick and dirty.  Beat NIU!

Southeastern Conference

1. No. 12 Florida @ Arkansas.  Tim Tebow is making sure that the Gators will not lose focus because of the Ole Miss game.  My advice to Arkansas: Be afraid, be very afraid.  You are about to be god blessed into submission by the hardest hitting Missionary that ever lived.  Bobby Petrino is looking to bounce back after back to back blowout losses to Alabama and Texas.  It looks like that rebound is going to have to wait until after this weekend.  A Razorback upset, however unlikely, would be an early Christmas gift to rest of the SEC East.

2. Kentucky @ No. 2 Alabama-Tuscaloosa.  Alabama is off to a blistering start after physical wins against Clemson and Georgia.  Don't crown them yet though as Bama had early season success last year but then....well we know how that worked out... Don't expect last season to repeat itself as Nick Saban seems to have this very young team exactly where he wants them.  Kentucky is 4-0 with its best win coming against a .500 Louisville team.  As much as I hate to say it, the Vols may need Bama to win to keep alive in the "I don't want to be last in the SEC East" Race.

 

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Everyday I commute from southern Tennessee and drive to work in Huntsville, Alabama.  I do this because the money is better in Huntsville and I love living in Tennessee.   The best of both worlds....right?  Maybe not.   So far Auburn fans and Bammer fans are really pushing the limits of my willingness to continue to let them breath. 

Seriously. 

I. Am. About. To. Crack. 

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Having experienced adolescence during the 80's and 90's I know what it means to hate Florida.  I watched Spurrier take those snarky jabs at Tennessee.  I watched as some of our most talented athletes continiously fell short against those boys in blue.  And I watched Collins Cooper (not gonna lie, I totally googled that name) pull one left of the uprights and start one of the most emotional releases I've ever seen at a game.  I know all about hating Florida.....

Which is why the following statement is so hard for me to say. 

Tim Tebow is one of the best football players I've ever seen in person. 

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This could be fun, courtesy of MeytonPanning.

-- ed.

(Disclaimer, I'm bored as all get out at work, and I need something to do/read)

What is that guilty pleasure that distinguishes you as an over the top Vol Fan?  That guilty pleasure that you are a little embarrassed to talk about because you know that people that are not of "like mind" will think you are a little sTrange with a capital Power T.  You know, the Orange and White Checkerboard Boxers you wear the night before a game.  The framed and bordered collage of tickets you have from every game you have ever attended.  The Tee Martin tribute wall with every picture ever taken of Tamaurice Nigel Martin that you had to put in your basement because if anybody "normal" ever saw it, they would report you to 1-800-I-KNW-A-STLKR.

Here is my old one:  I used to have a VCR.  And I kept every VHS tape of all the games from 1990 to 1999 that my grandmother taped.  When she passed away I asked for them.  When I get bored I used to watch.  It was pretty relaxing.  Now that the TV's these days make old SD VHS film look like utter crap-o-la I haven't watched in a long time.

Here is my current one:  When my yellow lab passed away, I started looking for a new puppy.  At first I figured I was going to get a new lab.  But then I came across this website for a South Carolina kennell breeding.......wait for it.......Bluetick Coonhounds.  I saw this one puppy, and promptly fell in love with it.  I had to have it.  On Saturday I went to the South Carolina win in OT last year.  Woke up Sunday and drove to Douglas, South Carolina, picked up that little puppy, and took him home with me.  His full name is MarmaDuke Moysek.  I call him Duke for short and I'll give you time to figure out Moysek.  At first Duke went nuts on my family's small walking horse farm in Winchester, Tennessee.  He took off after every scent and sound.  He's tried to tree a philly colt.  But after a while, he chilled out and has become one of my best buds.  When I went across the pond on vacation, I missed him terribly---so we were inseperable when I got back.  I'll tell you he is one hell of dog.  At just 13 months now, the little SOB weighs 87 lbs.  When people ask me what kind of dog I have, I kind of give him this sheepish smile and tell them.  They go....well that figures.  They just don't know.

 Now that I've embarrassed myself, Comment on your Vol-Fan Guilty Pleasure.

I know there have been a lot of folks absolutely killing  the D's perfornamce in the game and calling for Chavis' head .....

However, IMO, I don't think the defense and defensive staff deserves all the hate that they have been getting.  Yes, obviously that final UCLA drive in the fourth quarter was hard to stomach from our standpoint.  But if you were going to grade the defense you would have to give them pretty high marks.  Consider:

1. The D didn't give up that first UCLA touchdown. 
2. Don't blame the D for the offense's complete inability to capitalize on 3 first half turnovers.   Look at this way, the defense scored more points off turnovers (TD INT return) than the offense (0 points on 3 INTS).
3. Less than 1 yard NET RUSHING!!!  UCLA gained .9 yards.  Sorry, folks, but that is a ridiculous stat.  Not one UCLA player gained more than 14 yards on the ground.
4. Blaming Slade?  You can't be too hard on a guy who's unit picked the ball off four times.
5. Did I mention 4 picks?

Several comments in other posts mentioned that because this is Clawsen's first game the offense will get some passes in the first half of the season.  That is not right!  I don't think that you can give the offense a pass on this.  Why should the offense get a pass?  Didn't UCLA have a new coordinator?  Wasn't he able to adjust?  Why couldn't our staff do the same?  Norm Chow got fleeced in the first half.  He didn't panic, he adjusted, he coached up his struggling quarterback, and he turned in a solid second half (Not spectactular, just impressive because of the complete turnaround from the first half.)

The Defense did everything they could to hold UCLA to 17 points in regulation and a field goal in OT.  Since when is that a bad performance?  Sure it was night and day in terms of the secondary's effectiveness against Craft between the two halfs.  But the offense has got to do something to help the D out.  Like converting some of those 9 three and outs.  Like putting Lincoln in a good position to kick high probability field goals (albeit that last one hurt my soul). 

If you like, be forgiving of the new offense and coordinator.  I don't have a problem with that.  But, please keep it in perspective when you decide to take your anger out on the D.  Because its misplaced.

This game was frustrating because we were so close.  Consider that if somebody had picked up that gunner and protected Cunningham, or, if you like, we put Lincoln ten yards closer to make a 50+ long shot a manageable 40 yard attempt, we would not be talking about how terrible the defense was.  We would be talking about a lights out front four and linebacking corps that held UCLA to nothing on the ground.  We would be talking about a secondary that lost some of its intensity and gave up some big plays in the second half, but was still able to put the game out of reach by only allowing a field goal in the first three quarters of the game. 

This Labor Day weekend was almost awesome.  I had Friday off so I gorged on Wings and Beer Thursday night, actually giddy that a Steve Spurrier team was shutting out NC State. 

I went to Boone Lake the next day, watched a crap ton of Football, jet ski'd my heart out, got one last sunburn for the summer and looked forward to my Monday of no work and  Big Orange Football.  The first weekend of Football.  These are the types of weekends you dream about in February and March when the only thing you think is, "How long must I wait for the sweet sweet scent of Fall Saturdays?"  Its not supposed to get any better than this.

And then Rick Nueheisel pee'd in my cheerios. 

I'm not gonna go Paul Finebaum on Phillip and Co.  I'm not gonna scratch out Randy Sander's name and pencil in "Clawson" on all those letters-to-the-editor.  This was a disaster to be sure, but it's something that Vol Nation can recover from....I think (right?). 

This game was not lost because of offensive philosophies or playcalls.  It was lost because of a lack of preparation and, most importantly, a lack of attention to the little things...the details.  Little things like new punt protections.  Little things like protections to address the two-headed monster at D Tackle.  Things like handing out new play wristbands in between series because some people may have had the wrong wrist bands.  Details like Quarterbacks dropping back directly into their backs who may or may not have been in the right position to block.  The small things killed the Vols last night.  Obviously the staff has details to iron out.  Thank god for the early bye.

And I'll leave with a post game haiku called Cold Shower, Labor Day 08.

Richard Neuheisel

Dropped Trou and Urinated

in my Cheerios.

 

 

 

Bumped from the diaries. An instant classic from MeytonPanning, right down to the poll at the end with only one choice. -- ed.

Ladies and Gentlemen of Volunteer Nation.  I come to you today with matters of (Orange) NATIONal Security.  I have discovered something worthy of immediate attention and more importantly immediate ACTION.  I know why our Football team suffers.  I know why we haven't associated the words BCS and Tennessee for the past several years.  I know why we haven't won the SEC since 98.  I KNOW!

Adidas.  (Stop laughing at me---I am being [semi]serious!).  Adidas, Ladies and Gentlemen.  Adidas. Adidas. Adidas.  (See how ridiculous it sounds when you say it, or read it or even write it, for that matter, over and over and over and over.  Over. (STOP)  Adidas.  Absurd.

Adidas has used its Midas Touch (of DOOM) and destroyed any hopes of ten and eleven win seasons.  And there is precedent here folks.  I went to the Adidas website and looked up other teams sponsored by Adidas.  Any of these ring a bell?  (Note that since these were only 10 of 119 D-1A, or whatever we're calling it today, I figured that these 10 teams must have been the teams that are solely sponsored by Adidas [Try saying "Adidas" in a new accent/tone/inflection every time.  Trust me it gets ridiculous quickly.])

1. Arkansas Razorbacks: Perennial underachievers.  Even though NFL teams could probably draft TWO of their backs in the first 10 picks of the 2008 Draft, Nutt has found a way to sink the Titanic so to speak.
2. Indiana Hoosiers: Yes this institution does in fact field a football team.  A few notable claims to fame:  The school where Nick Saban's cousin, Lou Saban (also known as Nick Saban's Cousin), played, and one of the stops on Lee Corso's Coaching train.  Train?  Maybe rail car is more accurate.
3. Kansas Jayhawks:  Okay so they are doing well this year.  HOWEVER.  Forget this year, and look at Kansas' history as a football program.  Doesn't exactly look like Fillet Mignon.  (Mangino doesn't care if it looks like fillet mignon or feed pellets.  He'll eat it and eat it with GUSTO.)
4. Michigan Wolverines:  Usually Perennial Powerhouse.  Almost always considered a front runner for the conference.  Questions abound about team's aging coach.  Rivals having recent success against team.  Disastrous out of conference defeat to start the season.  Oh wait! I'm sorry I'm supposed to be talking about Michigan here.  Wait a minute....so similar...Interesting.....
5.  Nebraska Cornhuskers:  More failure for traditional powerhouses.  You know its bad when they call in for back up and draft a former coaching legend from the AARP.  I know Osborne still has some bite left in him but he looks old! At any rate Callahan is gone soon and Nebraska will get back to its old self some day soon.  Hey Husker fans...it could be worse.  You could be.....
6. NOTRE DAME!!!  Charlie Weis, aka "I MADE Tom Brady," hasn't exactly thrilled Golden Domers this season.  His resume of three Super Bowl wins as a New England OC has translated to zero bowl wins, a horrific season, and the biggest win in Navy's recent memory.  Not exactly Golden Domer-ish type stuff.  But to be fair to Charlie, Notre Dame hasn't won a bowl game in Touchdown-Jesus-knows-how-many years so that standard of excellence has been upheld by Weis.  In fact, Golden Domers, you can sleep at night knowing that this year, there is no way Charlie Weis can lose a bowl game!  Here's wondering if Jimmy Clausen pulls a Mitch Mustain, another Adidas reject, and flees to another school....  
7. Tennessee Volunteers:  See description for  Michigan entry.
8. Texas A&M: TAMU drank the Adidas Kool Aid too.  Except there was no poison in the Kool Aid and the Comet thing was a joke.  [Wow man, we didn't think you'd really drink it....Is everything alright?]  TAMU's future resides in Auburn Coach Tommy Tuberville who immediately plans on recruiting career-saving running backs Mercedes [Insert Last Name Here] and Landrover [Insert Last Name Here].  Also Tuberville will give Adidas the boot [Puns are for everyone!!!].  Soon Under Armour and shrieks of CLICK CLACK overtake College Station.
9. Wisconsin: The Badgers are the red step child of the Big 10.  Always looking up to the Ohio State's, Michigan's, and Penn State's of the world.  Often a sheik darkhorse pick to win the Big 10; usually another 2 or 3 loss Big 10 team.
10.  UCLA: You can't spell Bruin without Ruin. Which is exactly what Adidas does to football teams.  Heck the 2007 Irish beat these guys.

There's my pitch.  We've got to get rid of Adidas.  You can't tell me that Nike or Reebok or Under Armour won't pay the same amount, if not more, to sponsor the Vols.  Isn't Adidas a soccer-fixated company anyways?  Doesn't it make sense for Adidas to ruin some of the greatest Football programs in the country just so soccer will look good?  Come on Phil Knight.....call us.  Let's go Reebok make Mike Hamilton an offer.  I don't care if KSwiss starts making all of our crap.  Just get Adidas OUT OF HERE!!!!

*This post is in jest**.

**You know---a joke***.

***And by Joke I mean halfway serious****.

****GET ADIDAS OUT OF TENNESSEE!!!!

Poll

Should Tennesse Get Rid of Adidas?

100%

YES! NEW SPONSOR

10 votes

10 votes | Poll has closed

Please. Don't. Overlook. ULL.

Any other year I too would be looking forward to a delicious Cajun appetizer before a shot at some great home cooked slow smoked pulled BBQ Hog.

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In a diary I wrote a defense of Coach Fulmer.  Look I'm not saying that you are disloyal or a bad fan if you think Coach is past his prime.  All I am saying is that for a man who has done so much for this program, we, and that we is very loosely defined as anyone who wants Tennessee to be successful, need to be very careful with how we handle the transition to the next coach.

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Bumped from the diaries. Many thanks to Meyton Panning for the timely post. -- Joel

I was a senior for the "Season That Never Was" two years ago so I think that qualifies me as being a credible enough eye witness for what was definitely the worst year of Fulmer's career.  I grew up on Tennessee Football in the early 80's and entire 90's  and have been lucky enough to be in a family that has had season tickets since 1969.  I got to see the glory years of the 90's in person.  I have watched, lived, and read everything Tennessee Football for a long time.  For all these reasons I consider myself a grateful and lucky Volunteer Fan.  Hell I got me a Bluetick Coonhound named MarmaDuke Moysek (MarmaDuke is my favorite cartoon dog and Moysek is a anagram of well...you figure it out).

Out of all these years as a Volunteer Fan, only one thing has really annoyed, and now angered, me about my fellow Big Orange Fans: We have turned on Coach Phillip Fulmer in a very nasty way.

Why?  Because somewhere along the line, we, as in Tennessee fans, lost our humility.  How did we get there?  Two things really.  We were spoiled by the tremendous career of Peyton Manning.  We were spoiled by a magical season in 1998...The kind where two questionable pass interference calls and one inexplicable Clint Stoerner fumble literally saved our dream season.  These two things, in my opinion, have caused fan expectations of the Volunteers to unrealistically go through the roof every year.  Folks, we will never see another Peyton Manning.  Fans, seasons like 1998 are magical BECAUSE they are so rare.  How in the world did we lose sight of that?

In Coach Fulmer's first ten years (not counting his interim stint in place of Johnny Majors where he as 4-0), Coach Fulmer lost 28 games.  99-28! And after that he has notched two more 10 win seasons and one 9 win season. That is simply amazing.  It's not as if National Championships grow on trees.  To my knowledge, among all active coaches only Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden have two consensus national championships.  Steve Spurrier, Mack Brown, Jim Tressel, Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, Dennis Erickson all have one consensus national championship.  Pete Carroll, Nick Saban, Lloyd Carr, and Dennis Erickson have a share of a(nother) National Championship.  What is my point?  We've got a great coach, Vol Nation.  Sure things have been up and down lately but I think Coach Fulmer has earned the opportunity to run his course.  I can't believe how much hatred is directed, by Vol Fans, at Coach Fulmer after all he has done.  

You know, people may be right.  Maybe league parity and new offenses like the spread, spread option, etc. have passed by Coach Fulmer's conservative philosophy.  But have you ever seen a fan base turn so quickly on their national championship winning coach?  It took two or more decades for Paterno and Bowden to get there.  Have any of those fan bases turned on their coach? Isn't it ironic that, quite possibly, Coach Fulmer's inability to recreate his wildly successful 90's run is the very thing that will force him out of the coach's seat?  I think that's ridiculous.  

Give Coach time folks.  He's proven he can do it.  Or do we want to turn the Tennessee Coaching Job into the orange version of the pressure cooker hot seat of schools like Notre Dame or Alabama?  Do you want to see Tennessee go through four or five coaches like ND and Bama did?  We, the fans, are going to make the Tennessee job look way too daunting and miserably tough for a young hot shot coach to take as he looks to get into a big time program.  Why do you think Urban Meyer passed up on his dream job at Notre Dame?  Maybe it was because he took an objective look at how demanding and ruthless the ND job is and decided that he would rather seek greener pastures.  

Fans, stow the hate.  Stop calling into the talking radio heads and telling them what a bum Fulmer is.  How about you support the team and staff we got and bring back the homefield advantage to Neyland Stadium.  Out of all the games in the 2000 era, only California in 2006 and Georgia in 2007, have come even close to the hostile environment we displayed in the 90's.  Being a fan is about team support and pride.  Being a fan is NOT about griping about the team and staff.  What good does that do?  All it does is hurt recruiting, hurt the staff's confidence, and, most importantly, hurt the players' confidence.  We've come a long way since 1993, Vol Fans.  Don't screw up this program now because, if we do, it will only get worse on the future.  Trust me, Urban Meyers don't grow on trees either.  And I don't want to think about how many years or coaches we might have to go through before we find one of our own.

Bumped from the diaries, courtesy of Meyton Panning.

I live in Winchester, TN, and work in Huntsville, AL.  When I first came to Huntsville to work after UT, I was slightly amused at jerks like Finebammer and other irate Phillip-hating Bammer fans who would waste no time in telling me what they thought of him.  I can understand half of why they hate Fulmer.  The other half of their hatred just stinks.....

1.  The Half I Understand: Why do Bammers hate Fulmer?  Why do Big Orange fans who were around for the 90's hate Steve Spurrier?  Simply because he owned UT.  Save for that one glorious season, UT was Stephen Orr Spurrier's doormat.  In much the same vein, Bama has become Phillip Fulmer's personal stress release ball.  What is it now 12-2 or something?  When Coach has a bad day with Florida and Georgia he has been able to look forward to unleashing all that pent up rage at those deer-in-the-headlight folks in Bammer.
2.  The Half that Stinks:  The fallout from the cheating scandal in Memphis tops the list of reasons why Bammer hates Coach Fulmer.  And it's completely wrong.  Was Phillip Fulmer Cheating?  NO.  BAMMER WAS.  And yet to hear a Bammer describe it, it's as if Phillip Fulmer, Coach Cut, Chief, and Big Orange SWAT team set Bammer up and planted the evidence themselves. And where does the majority of the vitriol for this mess usually end up?  Directed at our coach.  I was working on the base here in Huntsville one day and a Gate Security Guard saw my alumni license plate.  He then says, "How bout telling that jerk in Knoxville to shut his mouth."  I looked at him appalled and then responded, "How bout hiring a coach who doesn't cheat.  And if you gotta cheat to win how bout keeping it in your own state and keeping it OUT of ours."  Some choice words followed.  Bammer and Finebaum, at times, comes off like a bad version of the Hollywood Mafia.  Since when is there this "omerta" of college football?  Are coaches supposed to look the other way when someone comes into their recruiting backyard and breaks the law?  Bammer seems to think they can do whatever they want and then give off this "who me?" look when somebody calls them out on their crap.  They call us UThug and yet they have their own sordid past with accusations of cheating reaching even back to the glory years of Bryant.  

Hate Fulmer because he owns you, Bammer.  I can understand that.  But don't hate Fulmer for the Memphis mess.  That was on YOUR coach.  You came into OUR state, thought you could be real slick and throw around some money, and nobody would know any different.  Well your coach was wrong.  And you're doubly wrong if you still think you can keep holding that over Fulmer's head.