There are some irritated UT fans who want to see Vols coach Butch Jones fired. They want to see him gone right now, just five games into what was supposed to be UT’s romp to the SEC title.
Me, I say absolutely not. Jones needs to keep his job and stay put, if for no other reason than I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Like an interstate crash that makes every motorist slow down to look, watching UT football is like watching someone climb a shaky ladder with both hands full. You’re not exactly sure how high they’re going to make it, but you know at some point it’s going to be a hard fall.
Vol QB Josh Dobbs has been the target of criticism this week for his inability to find his target on the football field. Dobbs was ineffective against Arkansas, a team that limped into Neyland Stadium on a three-game losing streak that included a loss to Toledo. Yet Arkansas found a way to beat the Vols, 24-20.
Much has been said about Dobbs, his high intelligence, and how he’s majoring in aerospace engineering. Dobbs may hope to one day make a trip to the moon, but he better hope it’s not running wide open in the flat. If it is, he’s never going to hit it.
I’m sure it’s handy to have a quarterback who’s smart and an A student, but much of that hype is overblown. I’d prefer to have a quarterback who can complete an 8-yard pass on third-and-7. If that guy majors in fly swatting, I don’t care.
As for coach Jones, his poor game management skills and second-half decision making have come under intense scrutiny. That tends to happen when you continually trip over your own feet.
But here’s probably the worst thing that could happen to a college football coach. In the middle of his third season, coach Jones is drawing comparisons to legendary coaching punchline Derek Dooley. It’s even been pointed out that, at this point in their UT careers, Jones and Dooley have identical coaching records.
Coach Jones should expect such hostilities when his signature victories are against Austin Peay, Western Carolina and Arkansas State. Actually that’s not fair. He has beaten Kentucky twice, South Carolina twice, and split with Vanderbilt. He’s also beaten South Alabama, a win that sounds extremely impressive if you mumble the first part of the school’s name and emphasize the Alabama part.
So where does UT football go from here with a 2-3 record and upcoming games against Georgia and Alabama? There’s no reason to make a coaching change now. Like wincing as a pro wrestler gets hit with a folding chair, there’s entertainment value to watching a team coached by Butch Jones.