We answer your questions about Tennessee athletics and anything else in our weekly mailbag, Insider Mailing.
“What is it going to take to get through to this administration??” – Jake Tidwell
Daniel: Not sure what to tell you. It was pretty clear that the administration didn’t listen to the voice of the common fan in this search. And that’s okay to an extent, but that means it better have made the right choice or I think fans are going to quickly withdraw their support more and more if the results aren’t positive in the next few years. With somebody like David Blackburn, Phillip Fulmer or Charles Davis, there would be much more patience and leeway for the administration, but since it went away from what seemed to be the choice(s) of the fans, they better be right.
Nathanael: I would’ve answered this differently if not for the reports of how Phillip Fulmer got treated came out. Yes, there’s been a lot of misinformation surrounding this whole AD search. But a lot of the stuff that came out in the initial report have been corroborated by other people, so I don’t doubt them. I honestly don’t know what it will take, Jake. If people are truly upset and want their voices heard, the last place left to hit them is in the wallet. I’m not advocating anything here, but I’m just saying that seems to be the last place fans have left to try and enact change.
“Should I burn my season tickets or bury them?” – @Mobius22_
Daniel: Your call. I always point out that the players had nothing to do with the decisions at the top, but if that’s what you feel you need to do, I can’t say you’re wrong.
Nathanael: I’m with Daniel here. It’s a hard choice to make because, as he said, the players did nothing wrong to deserve the loss of support. I think there are better ways to affect the revenue than by not attending games, but I understand taking that route too. It’s the most direct and simplest way.
“We read Currie rubbed some KSU coaches the wrong way. Butch has uber-thin skin. Can Butch turn an even darker shade of red?” – Mike Jehle
Daniel: That’s probably the biggest question about Currie coming in – how he relates with coaches. If Currie truly didn’t get along with Bill Snyder, as it’s been reported by multiple people who cover KSU, it seems hard to believe that he and Butch Jones have a great chance at having a successful long-term relationship, but only time will tell.
Nathanael: I think the main thing I want to see (besides the first hire or two he’ll have to make) is how Currie and Jones interact and get along. Jones had a very cordial and close relationship with Dave Hart, and I don’t necessarily see that happening with Currie. It’s going to be something to monitor for sure.
“How much input did Peyton really have on the AD hire and does his input help? He endorsed Jeb! Bush for crying out loud.” – @RockyTop10EC
Daniel: It’s tough for me to imagine Peyton having the substantial say that we assumed he would have and signing off on Currie – the man that had a big hand in firing his coach.
Nathanael: I’ve heard so many conflicting accounts about Peyton’s actual involvement in everything that I truly do not know. I do know that Peyton wouldn’t speak ill of the university, so don’t expect him to come out and voice any negative opinion even if he doesn’t agree with the hire.
“Which is the better hire? Beard or Currie?” – Clay Ramsey
Daniel: I’ll go with Beard. I think he checks all the boxes of what Tennessee needed as a receivers coach even though he doesn’t have a lengthy track record.
Nathanael: This isn’t even a hard answer for me. It’s Beard by a long shot. Currie could potentially be a good, solid hire, but I think Beard is an exceptional hire. Beard is energetic, played the position at a high level in college, and is one of the “rising stars” among assistants in college football. I think he and Charlton Warren were the two best hires this offseason for Tennessee.
“Who do you think will start as QB? Dormady or Guarantano?” – Kyle Munson
Daniel: Ah yes, the almost weekly question returns. My stance has been, based on Butch’s history, that I’ll need to see Jarrett Guarantano take it away from Quinten Dormady in spring and/or fall practice. If I had to bet today – before spring practice – I’d go Dormady, but Guarantano certainly has the talent to get it done.
Nathanael: I thought we’d escape one week without getting this question, especially this week. But Kyle, you wouldn’t let that happen, would you? All joking aside, I personally like Guarantano more and think he has the biggest ceiling. But we’ll see more of what both look like in the offense once spring practices begin later this month. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Jones go with Dormady either, though.
“Why do you think Butch hires explosive highly regarded names on defense but almost strictly buddies on offense?” – Nick Weathers
Daniel: I think it’s tough to attract top offensive minds when they know the offense is pretty set in stone. Butch is very confident in his offensive system (and, in fairness, he has some reasons to be), so he’s always just looking for tweaks and enhancements, not somebody who is going to come in and challenge it and overhaul it. I think he’s fine to hand over the reigns on defense more because that’s not his side of the ball.
Nathanael: Partially what Daniel said about the difficulty of attracting top names and the fact that Jones likes comfort on offense more than anything else. Jones wants consistency, familiarity, and comfort on offense because that’s his side of the ball and he feels his system works well. And to his credit, it certainly was explosive when it was firing on all cylinders the last two seasons. But that was the problem: the offense would explode some games then bog down in others. Consistency has been the problem, and if the latest round of hires can fix that, then things will be fine.
“Will Brody Leftridge turn into the offensive catalyst Serrano thinks he will be? Will he be consistent?” – @TSPN_VOL
Will: Brodie Leftridge is an inconsistent hitter, but has more potential than anyone else in the UT lineup. At the beginning of last season, he was only used as a situational pinch runner late in games, but got hot late in the season and became a real contributor. He does a good job taking easy swings and letting good pitchers supply his power. Once he faces some better power pitching, his conservative approach will translate better compared to the rest of the lineup. Until he gets back on track, he’s an excellent asset to have in the No. 9 spot to pair with leadoff hitter Jeff Moberg. As much as Serrano likes to play small ball, he can be an offensive catalyst simply through bunting and base running. I think he’ll be back around the .250 range by SEC time, but there will be some really great and some really rough games over the course of that time.
“Why do so many fans think they know what is best for UT? Some sort of inside scoop?” – @TennCup
Daniel: It’s just natural and part of being a fan – you want what’s best for your team and you’re always going to have an opinion on what that is. I do think Tennessee fans are especially critical and nosy because of all the failures of the past decade or so. When you don’t have confidence in the decision-makers, it’s easy to start looking over their shoulders and saying you know better.
Let me give you an example. I’m a Titans fan. When Ruston Webster (who was terrible) was the GM, I second-guessed every decision he made and always thought I knew better. But I was so impressed with what the new GM Jon Robinson did last offseason, that I’m not nearly as concerned with what he’s doing this offseason. He’s earned the benefit of the doubt so far. That just isn’t the case with Tennessee’s administration right now.
Nathanael: It’s easy to second guess when it’s not your job or someone you have no personal ties to. That’s why there are so many “Internet GMs/coaches” among fan bases. And, as Daniel said, if you truly care about something, you’re going to critique things if you don’t agree with the decisions being made. It does seem there are more of those people in the Vol fandom, however. But that could just be because we’re closer to this fan base than any other.
“Since you asked for Cowboys question…Who is the player you think the cowboys should target the most in the draft? In FA?” – @MaxTE34
Nathanael: Thank you, MaxTE34, for finally giving me a Cowboys question. And honestly, I’m not sure. I am intrigued by the prospect of Adrian Peterson coming to Dallas to split reps with Zeke, but I think that’s unlikely to happen. I’m pretty happy with the pieces on offense right now (except for some holes on the offensive line), so I’d like to see them target some defensive players. Especially some secondary players. That was the major weakness of the team last year. I don’t necessarily want Darrelle Revis, but there will be some intriguing options available this offseason.
“Will the Vols curling team finally get through into the Top-10 and break the Michigan St curse?” – @neylandmafia
Daniel: I have no idea what this means, but I’d love to see Tennessee with a curling team.
Nathanael: If Tennessee wins a curling championship, we will talk about it for a full segment on The Swain Event. I promise you that.
