Just when you are certain things can't possibly continue to keep getting worse at Tennessee . . . ESPN is now reporting that defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox and linebackers coach Peter Sirmon are leaving for Washington. That's right. Lateral move to Washington. A mere two years into the rebuilding project. On the heels of Derek Dooley telling a kid he can transfer anywhere except where he truly wants to go, sick father or not. And another key assistant retiring only a year or two into the job.
Sorry, but something's wrong. Yes, it could simply be that Wilcox and Sirmon are west coasters at heart and they want to go home, but the "lateral move" thing is eating at me. What is it about folks wanting to get out of Knoxville and head home to start over?
Maybe it's that the hard work is wearing people out. Maybe they've lost hope that the program is making progress. Maybe it's not that there's anything wrong here at all but just that they are chasing after what they believe is greener grass.
But maybe we've got even bigger problems than we thought. And it's not like we didn't think they were big enough.
0 recs | 30 comments
What about Chavis?
Any chance he wants to come back home?
jmart412 - January 2, 2012
I'm really furious about this.
And I don’t even know who to be furious at. Like you got it in the post, maybe it’s just Wilcox wanting to be out west, thinking he’s found greener grass, or maybe it’s something bigger and internal at Tennessee.
Either way, this is just incredibly upsetting.
Wilcox’s group was showing improvement, he was doing a good job, and he was getting some SEC level talent in here. I can’t for the life of me understand why this is a good move.
I’m going to make myself feel better by telling myself that Wilcox was scared of the SEC.
TennesseeTyrants - January 2, 2012
my guess is "bigger and internal"
and [Fulmerized]
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
Well then.
When will the madness end? Ridiculous.
jfarrar90 - January 2, 2012
My head is already about to explode from sinus pressure
This is likely to put me over the edge.
VolnVA - January 2, 2012
gramsey712 - January 2, 2012
title
but yeah
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
No matter which of my favorite teams we're talking about
Gramsey is always ready to remind me it’s a dumpster fire.
FML.
TennesseeTyrants - January 2, 2012
It's a rough time to be a Titan/Vol/Brave fan
gramsey712 - January 2, 2012
it's a rough time to be a Lightning/Vol/Bolton fan too
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
Not a Brave fan but you are sure as hell right about the other two.
bullrider73 - January 2, 2012
I was convinced when that snap went over Delhomme's head
that 2012 was going to be different. One day at a time…
Will Shelton - January 2, 2012
Yes it is.
I think I’m going to go crawl in a whole and hibernate until pitchers and catchers report.
TennesseeTyrants - January 2, 2012
Hole.
Not whole.
I look ridiculous.
TennesseeTyrants - January 2, 2012
Welp.
Chris Pendley - January 2, 2012
Oh My.....
LOL
ASamWitch - January 2, 2012
+1
Rec’d
bullrider73 - January 2, 2012
turn this green
Caban - January 2, 2012
I seriously can't stop looking.
bsmithinc - January 3, 2012
Dooley put a noose around his neck by losing to Kentucky
And Wilcox and Sirmon may have just kicked the chair out from under him.
birdjam - January 2, 2012
sounds about right
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
If they kicked the chair out from under him I wish they would have stayed and took over then
bullrider73 - January 2, 2012
Dooley is hiring for his job right now.
If he goes the way of Fulmer with a Clawson-esqe hire, he’ll probably be gone after the first two losses.
He needs to have Dave Hart start loading up a truck full of cash and find an established DC. Chavis coming home may not be all that far-fetched.
VolBrian - January 2, 2012
That's game...
Get ready to either rehire Fulmer for 2013 after Hart lowballs everyone else or overpromote some coordinator.
I’m about to be sick.
Caban - January 2, 2012
I am worried about overpromoting Kirby Smart because of the personal connection
but what on earth makes you think Hart is a lowball guy?
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
If Dooley gets fired.
I think there’s probably something like an 80% chance that Smart gets hired, if Hart loves him as much as I seem to be hearing that he does.
It would be cool if Hart could lure Smart away from Bama as our DC with the promise that he will get promoted if Dooley doesn’t get his act together this year. Then Dooley gets his act together, we’re a great football team for the next few decades, no harm no foul. Now that I’ve typed that out, I realize how stupid it sounds.
TennesseeTyrants - January 2, 2012
If he's seriously looking at Kirby Smart...
that smacks of either an unwillingness to go after a big name guy, or(much worse) believing that Kirby Smart is the BEST available hire.
Hart has certainly said the right things, but his reign at FSU doesn’t give us any real info on his hiring practices in the big sports.
Caban - January 2, 2012
no
but IIRC, the RBR guys said Hart was the guy behind Anthony Grant. And that one was a homerun
Incipient_Senescence - January 2, 2012
Just when things appear to be going halfway our way...
this crap happens. I think these two guys are the ones that we can least afford to lose. We should have backed up the brinks truck to keep them if that is what it would have took. I really thought Wilcox could have been our next HC if Dooley did not turn this ship around.
Speaking of turning this ship around….I have been as paitent and loyal as any, but this is more than likely the final straw for me as a fan of Dooley. At this point I wish he would take his crap back to some subpar school, and quit ruining my beloved Vols.
I know I am being a bit irate and if he is still our coach this fall I will be rooting for him and all but right now I am Ticked Off.
bullrider73 - January 2, 2012
bigger problems?
Like we need a new coach? Ummm, yeah. Duh.
kidbourbon - January 2, 2012 via iPhone app
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