The first practice was meant to announce an arrival.
A departure overshadowed it.
Derek Dooley officially debuted as the coach at Tennessee. But the curtain apparently has closed on Bryce Brown as a Vols running back.
The former No. 1 recruit in the country was a no-show as UT took the field under Dooley for the first time on Thursday afternoon, one day after the new coach indicated Brown hadn't approached him about possibly leaving the program.
"As of now he's not a part of the team," Dooley said.
Go Vols Xtra: Dooley on Bryce Brown
It's hard to call this one a surprise, as I myself openly speculated about the possibility a few weeks back. Nevertheless, it now seems official that Brown is gone from Knoxville. Isn't it only fitting given the rest of the Kiffin era at Tennessee? I imagine it's only a matter of time before he joins his sister at Kansas State.
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Allow me to get my Mandark on...
A HA HA! A HA HA HA!
Fumbles. It was always Fumbles
by DocFumbles on Mar 18, 2010 7:01 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Tennessee
is better off without Brown AND Kiffin.
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
So if they
are worse off with them…wouldn’t we gain by them stayin?
Lane Kiffin took the meaning of "Volunteer" WAY too seriously....
Thats what I'm saying.
Guys with huberis(sp?) the likes of those two are poison to a team.
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
you have to be actually be successful...
to suffer from hubris.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
that is unless
you are successful in your own mind
Nick Saban: Discipline is to do what you’re supposed to do, when you’re supposed to do it, the way it’s supposed to get done. But, self-discipline means you can do it in any circumstance. Aight, whether you feel like doing it or not. You make yourself do it.
You would think so, wouldn't you?
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Mar 19, 2010 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions
The best part is how the Vols are actinng
like its not a big deal. As if losing a top rated RB is something expected….
Lane Kiffin took the meaning of "Volunteer" WAY too seriously....
With all fairness,
We have some pretty good backs out there. Given the timing, someone will step up and do great things for the Vols. I mean, look at it this way: if you lost Mark Ingram you’d be sad, sure, but it’s not like he’s the only horse in the race, is he?
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Certainly not,
but even we admit that neither Ingram nor Richardson (nor our offense) would be nearly as productive without one of the cogs in system. Ingram stayed fresh due to Richardson being there, and if Richardson had needed to step up without decent backup help last year (Upchurch spent a lot of time injured) he would have only been able to do so much.
I think it’s wisest to wait for the season to see if the Vols are able to field a consistent RB tandem (and a tandem is what you really need…not just one good back), but the fact of the matter is that this is almost certainly going to hurt. I think Oku could step up and do some great things, and if I were a Vol (barfs at the very idea) I wouldn’t be worried about the number one back. But of the other two, one has been out with an ACL, which does not bode well injury-wise, and the other’s a freshman. I point this out not because either issue 100% means they won’t pan out, but because there is no way a Oku-Williams/Neal combo is the same as a Brown-Oku combo. Best of luck, but the “not the only horse in the race” would not be all that comforting if it were my team this had happened to.
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Mar 19, 2010 7:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Forgot to mention Poole.
But even so, I have trouble seeing how this is a non-issue.
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Mar 19, 2010 8:01 AM CDT up reply actions
I don't think many of us
Are saying “We’ll be more productive” without him, only that we’ll be fine. He’s a great running back and a good kid, so I’m going to miss his presence — but if he was, say, a defensive tackle I’d be freaking out over our chances a bit more.
Tennessee has always had pretty good running backs, and I’ve no reason to think this year will be any different.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately...
…you’re better off without him, regardless of his talent level.
I miss Lame Kitten.
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 19, 2010 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions
Gonna be honest..
I don’t ;-)
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 9:25 AM CDT up reply actions
That's because...
…you’re smarter than the average Vol, bobo.
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 19, 2010 9:28 AM CDT up reply actions
Printscreen
Paint, Paste, Save as.
Hah! ;-)
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 9:32 AM CDT up reply actions
That statement...
… will sooo come back to bite you in the ass.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Mar 19, 2010 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Well...
…it’s not like I gave him a very high standard to achieve….
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 19, 2010 8:36 PM CDT up reply actions
The Dooley transition has not been smooth.
But I still believe they are better off in the long run under Dooley than Kiffin.
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
oops
"link"http://www.govolsxtra.com/news/2010/mar/15/angst-with-access-confusion-at-ut/
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
I can't believe this
comment was posted by a vol fan:
BRYCE BROWN PLAYED HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL AGAINST WEAK OPPONENTS IN KANSAS. Can you say overrated? Varsity football in Kansas is a whole lot like eighth grade football in Florida. Brown was WAY WAY overrated. If you want to see a good young back all you have to do is look at Trent Richardson at Alabama (who played high school ball in Florida). He was a man amongst boys for Alabama last year. Brown couldn’t hold his jock.
He is most definately right, but I can’t believe he admitted it!
by BamaGirlinDallas on Mar 18, 2010 7:22 PM CDT reply actions
Yeah
Co-MVP of the Under-Armor All-American Game .. pfaw! Obviously didn’t deserve it. If you’re looking at GoVolsXtra for samples of Tennessee fans then.. well .. do you really want me going around the internet looking for cases of “Alabama” fans?
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 7:26 AM CDT up reply actions
Perhapes not..
You can find people from any fan base that will embarrass 95% of the rest of the fans.
by chinesedentist on Mar 19, 2010 7:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, those fans are just much easier to find with Florida.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 8:41 AM CDT up reply actions
i think i’d rather hang out with those dudes than 95% of the message board retards
by Alabama ManDance on Mar 19, 2010 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions
You know what...
You’re probably right.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions
They look like message board retards to me.
"Let's go be champions, boys!" - Greg McElroy
(Formerly SugarBowl93)
by RememberTheRoseBowl on Mar 19, 2010 10:58 AM CDT up reply actions
I'm sure...
…they both have ‘message boards’ on the side of the fridge….
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 19, 2010 3:10 PM CDT up reply actions
In hindsight....
Way back during the time that Bryce Brown was supposedly committed to Miami, more than a few found it odd when, towards the end, Randy Shannon basically pulled his scholarship away and stopped actively recruiting him. This was, of course, going on while Brown was still “committed” to Miami, while he was the undisputed #1 recruit in the country, and while Shannon was very much on the hot seat after a 12-13 start in Coral Gables. A lot of people were surprised by the whole ordeal.
In hindsight, given what we now know of the Brown sisters, Shannon’s actions make perfect sense. After having Arthur in the program for over a year, Shannon probably knew at that point that he was a bust who wasn’t half what he was billed to be on the prep level, and that by extension Bryce would probably be the same. And if you think the kid is likely to be a bust, why even waste your time recruiting him, especially when you know damn good and well that when he does eventually turn into a bust, most of the fan base is going to hold it up over your head as a shining example of your inability to develop elite prep talent.
Again, strange at the time, but in hindsight it makes perfect sense.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Mar 18, 2010 7:54 PM CDT reply actions
I don't know about you OTS....
But this guy just screams business to me:
Fumbles. It was always Fumbles
i like it
it says “I wanna be formal, but I’m here to party too”. -Cal Naughton, Jr.
That white stuff on the top of chickencrap is.....chickencrap.
by thrashcan on Mar 18, 2010 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Mar 18, 2010 8:40 PM CDT up reply actions
OMG...for a second I thought he was a Kid America Club fan...
but I guess that’s still just me…
enjoy...
by SpockJenkins on Mar 19, 2010 6:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Miami
pulled the plug on Bryce Brown’s scholarship not because they didn’t want him but because they were trying to “scare” him into signing on time. Remember, he did delay until the Kansas HS Hall of Fame (or some Kansas _ Hall of Fame) dinner to announce, and Miami had re-offered him the scholarship by then.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 7:28 AM CDT up reply actions
miami finally rescinded the offer...
so while their first warning might have been a bluff, the second one most certainly was not. but the bottom line isn’t that brown isn’t a superb raw talent – he most certainly is – but that the risk associated with his recruitment eventually eclipsed that potential upshot on the field. kiffin rolled the dice and tennessee paid the price for it.
i’ll be the first to admit i’ve relished the sense of schadenfreud over all this but the longer term impact of it is uniformly bad for us. as much as we despise the vols, they are one of the preeminent powers in the sec. and kiffin and brown both used the program as an unpleasant stepping stone. that’s a black eye for all of us.
and, as a lot of folks have pointed out, getting a coach that will bring stability and getting rid of the players who don’t buy completely into the systems is almost certainly going to be better for tennessee in the long run. and since the rivalry is one of the few in the conference that crosses the division lines annually – that’s gonna be a problem for bama down the road.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
I would believe something like that
And, indeed, it was my first thought on the matter, but the more I’ve thought about it the less I understood. The only people to say that Bryce Brown had attitude problems was media members who likely never met him; the only real issue with him was his trainer, and the only trouble he’s gotten in while at Tennessee .. well .. yeah, I can’t find it. Derick Dooley said that he thought it was a matter from the past 6 months, not the past 3 weeks, so I don’t think that it’s something like him not buying in or what-have-you, but it is true that he might see this as a time where he can deal with things more important — aka his family.
I guess we’ll see more on this later — if Brown runs off to U$C, then I’ll likely turn a bit more bitter but as it stands now he’s just not on the team early on — he still could return, after all, though there’s no current signs pointing there other than comments of the #2 tailback David Oku — so I have a hard time loathing him.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 8:47 AM CDT up reply actions
i'd say stringing out the signing process...
and playing every school involved for fools is a bad sign. and then spurning the program that put up with it all at the first sign of adversity might be a red flag as well.
putting aside our usual homerism the nut of the issue is player development. brown not only did an epic disservice to the vols but himself. sure he’s a bundle of raw talent but that only takes you so far.
richardson is a good counter-example. he was one hell of a talent and his commitment was rightfully heralded as a coup for saban. but what’s really mattered is what has been done since he arrived on campus. he produced very well during the 2009 campaign and his promise as a sophomore and junior look even brighter now he’s come along.
or look at it the other way… how devoted to this guy would vol fans be if he stood by his decision to play for tennessee and pledged to do everything to make the program succeed under the new coach? but that would require a degree of maturity, selflessness and commitment that brown has simply never shown at any point in the past.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
While he's never shown any ridiculous ability
:and obviously he wasn’t the #1 freshman last year: what he has done is do everything right last year. Again, as much as the recruitment process was strange, all I’ve heard from the beat reporters for the Vols is that Bryce Brown was a guy who worked hard and had a very good team attitude. Richardson also was able to fill a very good spot for Alabama last year, something Bryce Brown was unable to do because the #1 back — Montario Hardesty — did such a good job. Bryce Brown was heralded as a powerful back with some nice moves who could catch the ball .. but Montario was all of that in a more mature body with game experience.
Again, I’m not saying that he isn’t a selfish guy. I guess I don’t know, because I don’t know him, but he’s hardly the first kid to have a drama-filled recruitment process and, really, I more blame the silly recruiting wars and rules for that than anything else. He hasn’t had any discipline issues to date, unlike some Volunteers I can recall offhand, so .. well .. yeah. I’m just giving him the benefit of the doubt and not calling him a horrible guy till we have some solid news story that says otherwise.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
but doesn't leaving at the first sign of adversity...
raise a serious question about his “very good team attitude?” and doesn’t it seem that the tsunami of stupidity at the pilot convenience store pretty much burn up all the “benefit of the doubt” for kiffin’s entire crop of recruits?
getting into the drama of the recruitment process is the nature of the beast for programs at this level but one thing i’m damned glad about coach saban is that it’s on our terms now. you can’t escape it but you can play it on your own terms if you play the cards right.
and sending the prima donna recruit on his way is a damn good step in that direction. sure kiffykins and coach O have gone back to the left coast but guys like lance thompson who are on top of the local lines of talent are still on staff.
i expect dooley to do what saban did and we all expected kiffin to do – nail down as much in-state talent as possible to restock the larder and keep the closest rivals from getting them. those players are much more likely to stick around and pay the price and that’s the worst case scenario for folks like us.
Roll 'Bama Roll: The Champagne of 'Bama Blogs.
Twist in the wind baby...twist.
8 or 13 It's more than your school. You can call Bama's fans what you want while your thinking of the national title.
oye ee bit of gud news
"There's a lot of blood, sweat and guts between dreams and success." PBB
by Pachyderm Pride on Mar 18, 2010 10:10 PM CDT reply actions
Bryce Brown is the best recruit signed by an SEC team in the last 10 years
That’s according to Scout’s recruiting annual published just this month. #2 was Andre Smith, and #3 is Ronald Powell who signed with Florida this year.
At least...
…you can use the paper for wiping your butt origami….
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 18, 2010 10:33 PM CDT up reply actions
They don't use paper?
And who is ‘Tebow’, anyway?
"High standards come from passion within...." --Coach Nick Saban
by NiceLittleSaturday on Mar 19, 2010 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Hence...
… why you should never pay to read anything written by Scout.com, and take with great skepticism the free information you receive from them.
"Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself." -- Milton Friedman
by outsidethesidelines on Mar 18, 2010 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Also
Why you should never pay that much attention to recruiting rankings, period.
Tennessee Fans: We win at teh Internet!
by bobo_the_vol on Mar 19, 2010 7:29 AM CDT up reply actions
I haven't been this shocked
since Elton John came out of the closet.
It’s like the whole Kiffin season is being erased from history. Maybe the child rapist won’t leave though, so there’s that to cement Kiffin’s legacy.
don't worry...
UT has welcomed him in with open arms…
Lane Kiffin took the meaning of "Volunteer" WAY too seriously....
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