Hosak8

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bump Also, Dustin, can you unsticky the year old draft picks thread?

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Lane Kiffin kicked Ramone Johnson and EJ Abrams Ward off the team today for disciplinary reasons. Sucks to see EJAW gone, but glad to see that discipline is a higher priority for Kiffin and Co than it was for Fulmer. Last year's recruiting class is a GIANT TURD at this point. Things are apparently changing alot around UT. Careful about putting too much stock into MrSEC. If I'm not mistaken, their primary source is Jimmy Hyams, and he has been extremely critical of Kiffin and the new staff. I think it has to do with losing most of his inside-the-program connections, but both he and Doug Matthews have a rising bitterness toward the new staff. With that said, I do not think they're wrong. Chris Martin's mom says that the workouts right now are brutal. Also heard that Orgeron had to find a couple of players who were late to a conditioning session at 6:00, and that they paid dearly for it. It's my understanding that trash cans are spread across the field, and that they are being used with much more frequency than ever before. Not a session goes by without multiple guys puking, according to Martin and a few other players.

Lane Kiffin kicked Ramone Johnson and EJ Abrams Ward off the team today for disciplinary reasons. Sucks to see EJAW gone, but glad to see that discipline is a higher priority for Kiffin and Co than it was for Fulmer. Last year's recruiting class is a GIANT TURD at this point.

If you ask the locals, they would probably say when Bear Bryant's last all lilly white team made the mistake of scheduling an integrated team from USC. maybe, but i don't think bear bryant was racist. Nor do I, but it is worth noting that his family now lives in a community with less than a .1% African American population. 4 African Americans in the school SYSTEM. 4 Elementary schools, 1 Junior High, 1 High School. 4 black kids. Probably just coincidental, though. And, no, that was not sarcasm.

Yes, I admit Willis isn't as good of a recruiter of Thompson, but Willis is still a very good recruiter in his own right. When you are trying to sell Auburn to recruits, your job is difficult. Now imagine the kind of success he should have selling Alabama to recruits? Willis IS leaps and bounds better coach then CLT. McClain and Hightower made CLT look good with their play, but the reality of the situation is, CLT coaching ability is what is being questioned. I'm not trying to spin this in any way, this is from my perspective from following college football in Alabama. James Willis is better then Thompson, take it whatever you want, but that doesn't change the fact that LT is a great recruiter, average coach, and Willis is a good recruiter, good coach. Lane Kiffin hired CLT to get him back into Alabama for recruiting, in one swift move, Nick Saban has effectively block Tennessee from coming into Alabama. I'm still not seeing an upgrade from Thompson to Willis. Your grades of A+C for Thompson are equal to your grades of B+B for Willis. By your statements, Thompson is a better recruiter and Willis is a better coach, but neither are significantly better. You forgot that changing colors from orange to crimson is worth an additional few points and changing from crimson to orange is worth a deduction of several. B+B+crimson is an A. A+C+orange is a C. Come on, dew, simple Bammer math here.

According to whom? You?!? Pardon me if I don't quite accept your "grades" as gospel. I know nothing about the fanbase? Dude, I live in Hoover (perhaps you've heard of it?) I am surrounded by it all day, every day. Apart from some great folks I know in Mountain Brook, the vast, VAST majority of Bammers I meet and come in contact with are delusional, inbred retards. You know, the Paul Finebaum crowd. Are there idiot Vol fans out there? Sure there are. Are there good Bammers out there? Sure there are. I just don't consider you one of them.

I bet you were saying the same thing during the Iron Bowl, too, huh? :lol: James Willis is HIGHLY thought of as both a recruiter and a coach. James Willis would have won some recruiting battles had he not been going against EXLT and CNS. http://auburntigers.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/willis_james00.html Simple truth, not only did Alabama find a more then satisfactory replacement for CLT as a recruiter, then also landed a much better LBer coach in James Willis. All in all Alabama upgrade from Lance Thompson to James Willis. Here is what separates you (and nearly all Bammers I have ever met) from everyone else in the real world: the ability to be reasonable and admit that not everything is going Bama's way. For all the anti-SEC rhetoric and vitriol, nearly every Big 10 fan here admits when their team sucks, as do fans of Big 12 teams, Pac 10 teams, and yes, even dew and I with Tennessee. But, not so the delusional Bammer. Every move made is an upgrade for Bama. You want to give Willis credit for being a good recruiter, in spite of the fact that Auburn (according to Bammers like yourself) hasn't really recruited well in years. Not only that, but you give him credit for being a satisfactory replacement for Thompson, who was the Recruiter of the Year per Rivals last year. So, no, you did NOT upgrade. Then you want to give Willis credit for being a good LB coach, and an upgrade over Thompson. Let's see, Willis benefitted from coaching on a staff with a great defensive minded head coach. Thompson benefitted from coaching on a staff with a great defensive minded head coach. Hmmm... something seems oddly similar about those two scenarios. AT BEST, it looks like a lateral move on Bama's part. So, a step down in recruiting, and a lateral move on the coaching staff. How again is this an upgrade?

I bet you were saying the same thing during the Iron Bowl, too, huh? :lol:

Ready for this one, dew? Former Minnesota and Syracuse OC, Mitch Browning has reportedly enrolled at Tennessee as a grad student and is expected to be a Graduate Assistant on Lane Kiffin's staff. Holy crap! The man has nearly 30 years of coaching experience and he's going to be a grad assistant on our team? That is awesome. I gotta give Kiffin a ton of credit here - he's basically adding an extra coach to the staff - over and above our limit - and basically at no extra cost (minus a scholarship of some type, I assume). Is there any rule against this? Nope, no extra cost at all. He's a Grad Student, therefore he can legally be hired as a Graduate Assistant. His only limitation is that he cannot coach in games. He can do everything else. According to Brent Hubbs, Browning was on the short list to be named Offensive Coordinator at Tennessee, but when Chaney was named, Kiffin stayed after him to join the staff in this capacity. Tennessee also hired Paul Gonnella as the Director of Football Personnel today. He ahd the same role at UNC, and Tennessee is creating this job for him, and it's thought that this move is brilliant. Gets a very good, young, up-and-comer who relates to kids very well around teh program, but not on the program's dime. He is a university hire, and will cost ZERO toward the athletic budget. And don't look now, but January 30th is turning out to be the biggest recruiting weekend in Tennessee's history. Rumblings have Frank Wilson in Rueben Randle's ear, and I hear that Tana Patrick AND Bryce Brown are possible visitors on that weekend, along with Trent Richardson. This is going to get interesting. I'm also hearing that Pearlie Graves has silently decommitted from Michigan and is now a near lock for UT. His visit was stellar.

Ready for this one, dew? Former Minnesota and Syracuse OC, Mitch Browning has reportedly enrolled at Tennessee as a grad student and is expected to be a Graduate Assistant on Lane Kiffin's staff.

Tennessee with a nice win in Nashville tonight. No, Vandy is not as good as in previous years, but any win in Memorial Gymnasium, with their stupid end-of-the-court benches, is good. Next up, Memphis State.

This Super Bowl is a giant turd. Go Cardinals, I guess.

Notre Dame's had a rough go of it, lately. Is it just the competition, or are there some confidence/chemistry issues? Tennessee is in the same boat. Good competition AND chemistry issues are hurting right now. Well, that, and the fact that every team we face has someone go for a career high.

you're wrong twice in like one sentence. well done cubswin gave a constructive answer that explains to me something I've missed. You, on the other hand, are just being a dick. Nothing unusual, I guess.

How does an NLDS game thread only garner 80 pages, while a meaningless midseason hockey game garners 96+ pages?

According to Thompson (on Tennesee's Rivals site), Saban offered him more money to stay then he'll make at UT. In other news, UT completed their staff today by adding Eddie Gran (RB's), Frank Wilson (WR's- recently hired by MSU to be their recruiting coordinator), and allegedly Willie Mack Garza (DB's). I'm very happy with the most recent moves - though admittedly I've never heard of Wilson and Garza. Gran and Thompson should certainly be terrific additions to the staff, though. Wilson was Orgeron's "go-to" recruiter at Ole Miss, and was the lead guy on Joe McKnight, who almost chose Ole Miss over USC. If you read Meat Market, Orgeron is insanely high on Wilson. Wilson was also the director of high school football in New Orleans at one point, so he's highly thought of in LA. He was just hired by Mullen and MSU and named Recruiting Coordinator (giving UT 5 former RC's on their staff) but will leave before coaching a single day at MSU. His hiring has not even been offically announced in Starkville. Garza is a little more unknown, but he's got a pretty good rep in Texas. Most recently the DC at North Dakota State. Sounds pretty awesome, just so long as these guys can coach. Monte's the only one I'm certain can, but I have to think some of the rest of these guys can. Any clue who the "special teams guru" will be? Gran.

According to Thompson (on Tennesee's Rivals site), Saban offered him more money to stay then he'll make at UT. In other news, UT completed their staff today by adding Eddie Gran (RB's), Frank Wilson (WR's- recently hired by MSU to be their recruiting coordinator), and allegedly Willie Mack Garza (DB's). I'm very happy with the most recent moves - though admittedly I've never heard of Wilson and Garza. Gran and Thompson should certainly be terrific additions to the staff, though. Wilson was Orgeron's "go-to" recruiter at Ole Miss, and was the lead guy on Joe McKnight, who almost chose Ole Miss over USC. If you read Meat Market, Orgeron is insanely high on Wilson. Wilson was also the director of high school football in New Orleans at one point, so he's highly thought of in LA. He was just hired by Mullen and MSU and named Recruiting Coordinator (giving UT 5 former RC's on their staff) but will leave before coaching a single day at MSU. His hiring has not even been offically announced in Starkville. Garza is a little more unknown, but he's got a pretty good rep in Texas. Most recently the DC at North Dakota State.

That's why Saban was so shocked. Couldn't believe somebody wouldn't take the highest offer. Yeah, personal experience and Julio Jones will make you only believe in the highest bidder.

According to Thompson (on Tennesee's Rivals site), Saban offered him more money to stay then he'll make at UT. In other news, UT completed their staff today by adding Eddie Gran (RB's), Frank Wilson (WR's- recently hired by MSU to be their recruiting coordinator), and allegedly Willie Mack Garza (DB's).

Don't be too sure about this. Not saying either ends up at UT, but you're just delusional if you think losing Thompson won't hurt you with his recruits. Personally, I couldn't care less about McCarron, because his film is not good, and he looks like a "project" at best. Richardson, OTOH, would be HUGE get, and a nice coup. And folks, let's not let RedFlash fool you- Saban is NOT happy about this one. This coming directly from a member of Bear Bryant's family who is very much in the know.

Some real good news out of Tennessee today... First, Lane Kiffin pulled DJ Hunter's offer. Seems he thought it would be funny to shoot a random 15 year old in the face twice with a BB gun. Kiffin didn't find the humor in it, and now Hunter's offer has been rescinded. Second, and better news, Tennessee hired former Alabama LB coach and 2008 Rivals Recruiter of the Year, Lance Thompson. Living in Alabama sucks almost like nothing else in the world could suck, but listening to these inbreds whine and cry on the radio today while driving home was pretty awesome. Tennessee's staff is not complete, but is rumored to be adding another Top 25 recruiter in Eddie Gran, formerly of Auburn. THis is probably the best staff of recruiters in the nation. Now let's hope that they can coach 'em up.