Butch Jones, Not The Team, The Key To Vols’ Season
All the talk around Rock Top is how this is the year that Tennessee gets back to the top of the SEC East and how it could well win the conference, perhaps compete for a National Championship and maybe even beat Alabama.
It has a proven quarterback, two quality running backs and skilled receivers.
But it also has Butch Jones. And Jones is the key to UT’s season.
Jones has to prove he can win at the major college level. Twice last year, he played not to lose and guess what – he lost! He felt the pressure, not his players. And he did not respond in a winning manner.
Of course, he stumbled practically right out of the gate at Tennessee, refusing to call Alabama by its name prior to the game in 2013, instead referring to the Crimson Tide as “that red team.”
When you do that, you are sending a message to your players and the other team that you’re afraid of them and of course the result was predictable: Alabama 45, Tennessee 10.
In many ways, Jones has proven to be as inexperienced as a freshman defensive back. And he keeps telling his players they need to “do the little things” in order to get over the hump late in games. But in reality it’s Jones that needs to the big things, like not sit on leads and have better game management.
So you can hear all about the talent Tennessee has this year, how it’s favored to win the SEC East, how this could be the year it beats Alabama and if all goes well even be in contention for the playoff.
But the real key to UT’s season is how the head coach coaches in the big games.
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