Now Taking Volunteers

Haven't we been here before? How does a program like Tennessee so steeped in tradition, so loyally followed, so well funded, have such a hard time finding a football coach?

In January of 2010, there was a chain of events that led to this mess. Pete Carroll left USC (jumped ship before probation as it turned out) for the Seattle Seahawks. That's how slick guys are, one step ahead of the mess. Speaking of which, Lane Kiffin, who had been the Vols' coach for only one season, abruptly filled the void at USC.

This is the 21st century, and college coaching vacancies are now almost exclusively filled in December and not January. Kiffin left Tennessee in a lurch. They scrambled and three days later came up with Derek Dooley, the Head Coach & Athletic Director at Louisiana Tech. As the son of Vince Dooley and Nick Saban's former recruiting coordinator, Tennessee seemed to do well under the circumstance. He was a college administrator who said all the right things and carried himself the right way. But his team lost a lot of games, and now Tennessee starts over again.

Today, the CBSSports.com blog reported that the search at Tennessee was down to three: Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy, Louisville's Charlie Strong, and North Carolina's Larry Fedora.

Oklahoma State announced that Gundy is staying, a surprise to no one. Anyone who has seen the new Boone Pickens-funded OSU facilities (and jaw dropped immediately to the ground), knows that the place is a recruiting machine. Gundy even had a say in the design of the stadium to accommodate his staff's families. He's an alum and a lifer.

I think Charlie Strong is staying. Louisville will match any offer, and Strong has a young team and a great QB back next year. He may leave Louisville soon, but not this offseason and certainly not before he leads his team into The Sugar Bowl with a big chip on their shoulder. The Vols will want to move faster than that.

I can't speak to Larry Fedora. I know he's only had one year at North Carolina. But after Arkansas hit a home run with Bret Bielema, Tennessee may go off the board. Here are some thoughts:

1) Nick Saban. Why the hell not? What does Nick Saban have left to prove except he's the greatest coach of all-time? He doesn't seem like a guy who thrives on dynasties, but on being all-important. He'll beat your team with his, and beat his team with yours. Tennessee's got to at least pick up the phone.

2) Todd Graham. In 5 years, he's gone from Rice to Tulsa to Pitt to Arizona State. This would be a natural progression. No way, right? Well...

3) Mack Brown. Oh yeah. The Tennessee native is reportedly growing frustrated with the Frankenstein's Monster of The Longhorn Network. If he left for Tennessee, it would actually be less of a demand on his time and energy. Think he's too old to start over? Did you know he's only two months older than Saban?

But seriously Vol Nation, look at Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald, will you? He'll be your coach for ten years. It's not a reach and he might just want the job.

Backtime Retraction: The New Boss Is Nothing Like The Old Boss

The idea of a weblog, or "blog" in the current lexicon is to report, opine, rant, predict, question, or stream consciousness.

It is generally one person on a keyboard entering items into cyberspace and beyond. It is generally accountable to nobody and thus an apology for misrepresentation is rarely required.

Today I feel compelled to apologize to Tennessee Head Football Coach Derek Dooley. In yesterday's entry, I made an off-hand remark, reflecting on the transgressions of a couple of knuckleheads from the football team. I wrote quite sarcastically "And I thought the new boss was nothing like the old boss."

Well my first instincts were correct. Yesterday Coach Dooley dismissed Sophomore Safety Darren Myles Jr. from the program, and suspended two other players indefinitely.

Dooley's words back up his actions, maintaining that being a member of the University of Tennessee football squad is "a privilege, not a right."

And he doesn't mind taking a pointed shot at predecessor Lane Kiffin in the process:

"As I have referenced on many occasions, a change in culture is achieved in time through a combination of education, discipline and support. We will aggressively continue to build on the many positive changes that have occurred over the last five months to ensure our program is represented with class and dignity."

Remember six months ago when Lane Kiffin bolted for USC after one season, and Tennessee couldn't find a coach? Well they stumbled onto Dooley and the program looks like it's in very strong hands. Meanwhile Kiffin has inherited a mess at USC.

Sometimes karma works the way it's supposed to. The new boss is nothing like the old boss. We won't get fooled again.

Backtime Road Trip Day 2: Sea of Tranquility

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to do the math.

Here's the equation:

(1 tired Dad - 2 Kids dropped at in-laws + 1 hotel room + 2 shades drawn + 1 Do Not Disturb sign + 1 Melatonin) = 11 hours of sleep.

So I woke up refreshed in Huntsville, and prepared for my second annual solo summer sojourn to Louisville. So I hit the road by way of US Space and Rocket Center. I figured traveling through space is what my kids will do instead of us old-timers who wait in airports and occasionally get to hit the open road. So how about space camp?

Now that's the ultimate open road. From there, my GPS took me on backroads back to the interstate. Apparently I crossed into Tennessee and didn't even know it. Maybe they were embarrassed that a couple more Volunteer football players just got arrested. And I thought the new boss was nothing like the old boss.

But it was in Kentucky, just 90 minutes from my destination, where the smooth sailing ended. Was it an accident or a crime scene? Maybe US Deputy Marshal Raylan Givens had another Justified shooting.

This was the picture for over 3 hours in the mid-to-late afternoon on I-65 in Kentucky. Apparently while the road was still slippery, a compact car was wedged under a semi about a mile ahead. Timing is everything in life. If I left 10 minutes earlier I never would have been caught up in this. But if I left 5 minutes earlier, I might have been killed.

I was just two miles from the exit and woefully short on gas. The shoulder was unavailable because at least a dozen cops and emergency vehicles were occupying it. The exit 3 miles behind us was where the traffic south of us was being detoured so I couldn't afford to be idling with a near-empty tank.

Thankfully, the kids weren't with me. I used up all the juice on the cell phone, portable DVD player, and the laptop and didn't want to start the battery since I had no idea how long I'd be sitting there.

Mercifully, just as the mosquitos descended, the traffic started moving. I made it to the exit before running out of gas, and pulled into your friendly neighborhood British Petroleum station. When I coasted in, Jackson Browne's "Running On Empty" was playing on the loudspeaker. Maybe things do happen for a reason.

Just like wheeling in to Louisville just after dark, and fireworks lighting up the skyline for my arrival.

Maybe space is overrated. All the action's down here.

Backtime in Knoxville: Circus Interruptus

I got to Knoxville in preparation for the #10 Vols to take on #23 Ole Miss in a key early-season hoops battle. When I got there, it was a circus. But a funny thing happened under the big top, the new ringmaster showed up and cooled everything off.

Tennessee AD Mike Hamilton was serious (just look at his face) when he said he wasn't returning back to campus without a head coach. And when Louisiana Tech Head Coach Derek Dooley was introduced, Vol Nation was skeptical to say the least.

But Coach Dooley was extremely impressive and composed, and a further look at his resume shows that the Tennessee program may be in good hands for a very long time.

1. He was Recruiting Coordinator for Nick Saban at LSU, which included the 2003 National Championship.

2. He was not only the head football coach at Louisiana Tech, but athletic director as well. So not only does he know how to recruit, but knows a little something about compliance. Not to mention strong organizational and time management skills.

3. He's his "own man." After the previous head coach left for his "dream job," how does someone whose name is synonymous with Georgia football, convince the Tennessee fan base that this is his "destination."

Again, look at the resume. When he went to college, he could have flown into Athens on a magic carpet, but he decided to walk on at Virginia instead.

When he returned to Georgia, it was to continue his education. After 4 years of law school and 2 years as a practicing attorney, that's when he decided to get into football coaching.

After working for Saban with the Dolphins, he could have taken a high-profile assistant position at Alabama, but decided to step into the unknown in Ruston, Louisiana and move the La Tech program forward.

At Dooley's press conference, he said he couldn't sum up his goals in a soundbite. He wouldn't make any promises he couldn't follow through on. He said trust couldn't be asked for, it had to be earned.

Lane Kiffin grabs attention as wonderboy, and he still might be - the jury's still out. He hasn't been anywhere long enough to find out.

Dooley is just 41, and his grades are incomplete as well. But he seems to have pockets full of character.

While Kiffin plays pirate, Dooley is more like a president.