Big Orange Roundtable – Pleasure to join the fellas!

I have been honored by being invited to join the Big Orange Roundtable, which of course I graciously accepted.  Now all I need to do is to get them to add a logo for me! (*jabs LawVol in the ribs)  Here are the questions for this week, which I will attempt to answer in some sort of intelligible and coherent fashion.  I haven’t had the months of practice these other guys have.  This weeks Roundtable is hosted by Gate 21’s new blogger Home Sweet Home.  I won’t even attempt to explain the back story because most of you are new to this anyway.  Here we go!

1. So we’re all still pissed off from losing to a UCLA team we would without a doubt beat at worst eight times out of 10, and now a pretty bad UAB team comes to Knoxville before the epic showdown with Florida and the rest of the SEC gauntlet – the deep breath before the plunge, if you will. What I simply want to know is what do YOU want to see from the Vols this Saturday?

I want to see Jonathan Crompton cool, calm, and confident under center.  Actually, I don’t even want that – I want to see him poised and unafraid in the pocket after he comes up from under center, and I want to see him deliver the damn ball with some accuracy.  I especially want to see him hook up with Brandon Warren several times, and I hope they can establish that rhythm with each other.  I really think that having a solid tight end, combined with our great running game and receiving potential is the key to our offense being exceptional instead of that 3-win disaster that we put on the field two weeks ago.  I also want to see our line protect the man, because they are better than what we saw, despite everyone making excuses for them by talking up UCLA’s defensive line.  I call BS on that because this same offensive line faced as tough, if not tougher lines last year in SEC play.

I want to see our defense play like they did in the first half last week, and that all starts with Chavis.  I want to see both them and especially Chavis finish the game like they have a pair in their jocks.  He has the defensive talent, now let’s see if he has the brains to use it effectively.

Strategy aside, I want us to beat the everliving daylights out of the Blazers.  I spent part of the last three years seeing that ugly dragon everywhere while I lived in Birmingham, and this week I want to see us breathe a little fire of our own.  A good ole country ass-whoopin’ will show me that those boys are ready to face the rest of this season because it sure isn’t going to get any easier from here on out – starting next week with Florida.

2. Flashback to Saturday night in Gainesville: up 23-3, Florida gets a good punt return by Brandon James inside the Miami 20. With 1:56 left, Urban Meyer sends Tim Tebow back in, and, after a screen pass, a throw into the endzone, and a lost-yardage run, Florida kicks a sand-in-the-face field goal with :25 left, prompting a death stare from Cane coach Randy Shannon and eventually a “handshake” at midfield after the game. Thoughts?

I pretty much outlined my thoughts here, but I probably would have cheered had Randy Shannon punched him in the face.  I don’t like Urban Meyer, and I don’t think I ever will (unlike Spurrier, who I amazingly like … a lot … can I say that as a UT fan?).  Florida fans (and quarterbacks) can make up all the excuses they want for Meyer, but the bottom line is, that was unnecessary.  Run some plays with two minutes left, and I emphasize “run.”  RUN the ball until you get a first down.  Then at :23, down the ball, run out the clock, and take your win.  You just kicked their asses all over the field, and just because you only managed to put up 23 points doesn’t give you free reign to act like a jerk.  Randy Shannon is a stand-up guy, he’s not just some punk over there, you know?  Know this Urban Meyer: you will reap yours when it’s time.  It probably won’t be in the next few years, but your medicine is coming eventually.  For all Fulmer’s shortcomings, at least I know he wouldn’t do something like that.

All of this reminds me of a story that Paul Bryant, Jr. told me when I met him a few years ago.  We were talking about Coach Majors and his dad (Bear – for those of you that need a clue), and Paul got a grin on his face and said, “Son, they don’t make ‘em like Johnny anymore.”  And it’s not about Johnny.  It’s about that whole generation of coaches.  Those were the days when coaches wore suits, or at least a jacket to the game, and as bad as each man wanted to win, he still respected the hell out of the guy on the other sideline.  There was almost a certain code of honor to it.  As we would say where I’m from: “Meyer don’t know nuttin’ ’bout that.”

3. And finally, a question that I’m not sure has been so directly asked in the course of the Roundtable, but one that needs answering: the “woo” in Rocky Top…do you “woo” and why do/don’t you “woo”?

You know, everyone always complains about the “woo,” and I am no exception.  It sounds really goofy, but it is what it is.  And yes – as much as it pains me to say it, I woo.  But you know what?  I am still a man!  I’m 27!  I don’t particularly like it, and I wish we said something cooler like “good ole rocky top, BOOM!”  or “good ole rocky top, YEAH!”  Anything but “woo” would be better, but the woo has caught on for a reason.  So, I am not going to be the guy sitting there pouting with his arms crossed refusing to take part in all the fun.  See these people at the right?  They aren’t wooers – trust me on this. I usually don’t like when people add things to songs normally (see David Allen Coe’s “You Never Even Called Me By My Name” or Buffet’s “Margaritaville” which is an awful song even without all the extra), but I make an exception for sports-related additions.  And as goofy sounding as it is, I can’t imagine Saturdays without it, so the woo gets a pass from me.

Check out all the responses by the Big Orange Roundtable bloggers:

• Loser With Socks
• 3rd Saturday in Blogtober
• Fulmer’s Belly
• Gate 21(Host Site)
• Rocky Top Talk
• SouthEastern Sports Blog
• Moondog Sports
• YMSWWC