Will The Vol Nation Put Up This Weekend???

As the Auburn game approaches this weekend, I have been reminiscing about all the Vol fans who called for a coaching change last season and the future of this program. I am hoping that the fan base will come together this weekend and show this team, coaching staff and the Nation what Saturday night football is really like in Knoxville. Many of us remember Neyland rocking on Saturdays in the fall and it has been a few years since that stadium has shook during a football game. If there ever was a time for the fans to step up it is this weekend. We are 2- 2 and we have not beat an opponent that is worthy to be in the top 100 in the country. Auburn is a program that is very similar to ours, they have a new coach and are coming off the heels of firing an icon in the program. Auburn is 4-0 and they have not played any great opponents either but they have found a way to win. The game last season was one of the worst college football games that I have ever watched. Announcer Gary Danielson even said the following during the game: "Crompton made the right read if the right read was NOT to throw to the wide open receiver over the middle for a touchdown." I think that Danielson is sick and tired of calling Tennessee games and he will be as glad as anyone to see Crompton graduate. Regardless of our QB, we need to be loud and make the difference as the 12th man on Saturday night.

Speaking of Crompton, I don't like him as our starter and I wish we would give Stephens a shot but, the fans do not need to boo him this weekend. From what the coaches tell us, he works harder than most at practice and gives 110% when he steps on the field. You can't ask for more than that from a college kid. He just does not have the mental ability to be a big time QB. I have booed the play calling in the past but I try not to boo any players who are busting it out there. There will be several big time recruits in the house on Saturday and we need to show them what Neyland stadium sounds like when the fans are in the game. We need a victory this weekend to set the tone for the rest of the SEC season and the fans need to step up and support this team and show the country how tough of a place to play Neyland stadium is. This should be a close game and let's hope that Crompton does not urn the ball over more thatn once or twice. If we can limit the turnovers and establish the running game, we will win on Saturday. If we turn the ball over and are unable to run the ball, it could be a bad night for Vol fans. I think we come out fired up and get the win 23 - 16. Let's get it and Go Vols!!!

The Ant and the Grasshopper, Modern Version

A friend sent me this and I thought I would pass it along:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' Acorn stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Rev. Jeremiah Wright then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake. Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share. Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer. The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar. The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ants food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it. The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2010.

Thursday's Thoughts

No softball tonight so I have been tuning in to the South Carolina/Ole Miss game. I have decided that my favorite commercial on TV right now is the State Farm ad where the guy is singing in his car. If you haven't seen it, check it out here. That cracks me up every time. I am trying to get some of my friends to record their best impression of this ad and send it to me. I also like the Geico commercial with the cavemen bowling to the song"Let Me Be Myself." What other good ads are out there right now?

It looks like Ole Miss is in for a dog fight tonight. South Carolina has missed two great opportunities to score touchdowns and settled for field goals. As the Tennessee fan knows, this is not a good formula to win ballgames. I think that the Rebels are living off their strong finish to last season. If Ole Miss can survive this game and get the win, they might get back on track for the rest of the season. I encourage all Vol fans to join me on November 14th for what I have dubbed "Paint the Grove Orange" Day in Oxford, MS. We will likely be an underdog but it will be my first trip to Oxford on gameday and I am going to bring the noise to the Grove and show them how we do it in Tennessee. Sneed just fumbled and the Rebs are in big trouble.

The Vols are preparing for THE Ohio University Bobcats this week before they enter a tough stretch of their schedule over the next month. The Wild Boyz better take care of business this weekend because Auburn and Georgia are coming next then we travel to Alabama after a bye week. We will soon find out if the Florida game was indeed a building block or just a flash of decent play by the Vols. I will be in Neyland this Saturday night just because I want to see Jon Crompton get back in the Heisman race. If he has another good game, there is no doubt he's back in it. How much you wanna make a bet Crompton can throw a football over them mountains? If you were Lane Kiffin, would you start Crompton or Uncle Rico? I found some of Uncle Rico's highlight film and he looks tough. Let's get loud this weekend because..It's Time!!! I just want to say, Go Vols and I'll hang up and listen to your comments.

There Is No Such Thing As A Moral Victory, But.....

I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as a moral victory but there is such a thing as taking large strides in rebuilding a program. Lane Kiffin's Tennessee Wild Boyz took that huge step today. The overmatched Vols headed into the Swamp today as 30 point underdogs in what many in the national media called Lane Kiffin's day of reckoning. Something very important happened in the 2nd half today when the great Tim Tebow fumbled the ball near the Tennessee goal line. That defensive stand and forced fumble showed that there truly has been a changing of the guard in the Tennessee football program. In past years, the Tennessee defense would have laid down at that point,Tebow would have scored and the route would be on. Today was different. This group of Volunteers kept playing for 4 quarters and did not listen to the media and everyone else who said they could not play with Florida. The more I think about the game, the more I realize how close we were to shocking the world today. We missed a golden opportunity early on to get a touchdown when Gerald Jones ran out of bounds and caught the ball out the side of the endzone. We gave up a couple of third down and long conversions and we could not tackle Tebow on a scramble play that kept a drive alive which resulted in a TD. That being said, all the experts and Florida homers over at ESPN did not have much to say about the game other than Tennessee did not get blown out. We didn't get blown out and the team gave Florida fans a preview of things to come under the Kiffin regime.

Florida fans my not admit it, but they are very nervous right now. They are thinking. "How did our mighty Gators only score 23 points against the lowly Vols who are coached by the spoiled brat kid." The answer, my jort wearing friends, is Lane Kiffin is not Phillip Fulmer. The days of "workin like heck" and "we'll have to look at the film" are over. Enter the new era of: "We will be singing Rocky Top when we beat Florida in the Swamp" and "Anyone who went to dinner with their family and had a good time after this loss are not one of our guys." Kiffin is instilling a new mentality in our program that mediocrity and losing are unacceptable. I can't wait for him to get a few recruiting classes in here and see what he can do with some of his horses because the future looks bright for the Vol Nation. I will never accept losing to Florida and although we lost on the scoreboard today, Lane Kiffin scored his first big victory today as Coach of the Vols. There may not be moral victories in college football, but the Volunteers showed that it won't be long before we will be singing Rocky Top all night long after beating Florida. Go Vols and lets build on this momentum!

Boise State and Biggest Loser

After a week of being a bachelor, I am excited to have Autumn back home from Vegas. She did not bust Vegas but she doesn't gamble so it's all good. We have had an adventurous Friday night that has included watching the Phillies v. Braves, the season premier of the Biggest Loser and the Boise State v. Fresno State game and I have learned three things. 1. Ryan Howard can hit a baseball clear over them mountains, 2. There is going to be a ton of offense in this football game, and 3. If you can't get inspired by watching the Biggest Loser, I wonder if you even have a pulse. I know that these contestants have all made terrible choices and have lived a very unhealthy lifestyles but it is inspirational to see a group of people say "enough is enough." You have a handful of people who weigh over four hundred pounds coming onto national TV and exposing themselves to America. They will work extremely hard over the next few weeks and months with the goal of losing weight and learning how to live a healthier lifestyle. My hat is off to those contestant and I hope all of us can be inspired to lead healthier and happier lives. There is one contestant, Abby, whose story is really heartbreaking and inspiring. She lost her husband and 2 children in a car wreck in 2006 and she said: "Death doesn't scare me. Death would be an easier choice for me. ... It's getting up and taking that step that's hard. There's not anyone else. It is just for me. So I get up and I give it my best." I don't know how one would have the strength to even wake up in the morning after going through something like that. She said that she wants to loose weight because she still has something to give and wants to be healthy enough to make a difference. I hope she does well on the show and touches many people's lives during her time on national TV. Her story kind of makes the rest of this blog very unimportant but I will plow on to the football.

Boise State and Fresno State, could you please mix in just a little bit of defense? I am watching these two teams and can't help but think Jon Crompton would be an All-American playing against these defenses or lack there of. I would challenge Boise State to come and play one season in the SEC and see if they could finish with a .500 record. I say there is no way that they could win half of their games against SEC teams. Sure, they could win every once in a while in a bowl situation as they did against Oklahoma a few years ago but the grind of playing against the athletes of the SEC would wear them down after just 3 or 4 weeks. I do not want to hear any of these small teams from the non-BCS conferences whine about not getting any respect or an opportunity to play for a National Championship. Boise State has to win 2 tough games against Oregon and Fresno State and they should run the table. I am pretty sure that they will not play for a National Championship unless all the big time programs finish with at least two losses.

Here we are 15 hours away from the Tennessee/Florida game and it is the first time in years that I don't have the anxiety as if it were Christmas Eve. Yes, I still have trouble sleeping on Christmas Eve and get excited like a little kid on Christmas morning. The night before the Florida game is usually the same way but not tonight. I think it is a combination of the low expectations of Tennessee this year and the story of Abby from the Biggest Loser, she kind of helps get your priorities straight. I can tell you one thing though, I will be fired up tomorrow and I am very anxious to see Coach Kiffin on College Gameday on ESPN in the morning and how the Vols handle themselves in the Swamp tomorrow afternoon. Those kids putting on the Orange and White tomorrow have a great opportunity to live life to its fullest and shock the world. I hope they do it and I hope the rest of you have a great weekend and be sure to tell those close to you that you love them because you never know when your time here will be over. Go Vols and God Bless!

Can Tennessee Win In The Swamp???

I can not remember a time when the Tennessee Volunteers were a 29.5 point underdog to any team. Vegas thinks that Temple has the same chance to beat Penn State as we have in beating Florida. The following teams are less of an underdog than Tennessee is: Duke -22 v. Kansas, East. Michigan -24 v. Michigan, Toledo -20.5 v. Ohio State, Wahsington -20 v. USC, LA Lafeyette -27 v. LSU, and the list goes on. All I can think of is the Saturday Night Live skit "Really" with Seth Meyers. If you haven't seen it, check out my favorite here.

All of the above mentioned games are scrubs playing national powerhouses not long time hated rivals who normally play each other to represent the SEC East in the SEC Championship Game. Clearly, the Tennessee program had fallen off the national scene until Lane Kiffin came in earlier this year. Even though we are playing in one of the most lopsided matchups in the country, it is the most highly anticipated game of this weekend. Lane Kiffin has accomplished his goal in his first year, he has made a game that should be a blowout a national event that will be the most watched and talked about game of the weekend. This will probably be another beat down by the Gators but recruits are paying attention to our program and so is the national media.

Now, onto how the Vols can win this game. Here are a few of my ideas on how we can win in the Swamp this weekend:

1. Tennessee's defense turns the ball over 4-5 times and the TN offense converts those into a couple of touchdowns and field goals.

2. Tim Tebow gets injured early on the back up Florida QB plays more scared than Jon Crompton.

3. Jon Crompton does not turn the ball over and Tennessee is able to rush for 200 yards.

4. The Tennessee offensive line remembers how to pass block and opens up holes for the running game.

5. The swine flu breaks out in the Florida locker room tomorrow and half of the Gators are unable to play.

I do not think that Tennessee will win this game but I do expect the Volunteers to compete into the 4th Quarter. Many people think that Urban Meyer will run the score up because Kiffin accused Meyer of cheating at a booster breakfast. Know this, Urban Meyer will run up the score against any opponent any opportunity he gets. I hope the Florida fans enjoy this game and the game next year because the Vols will be back and we now have a coach who will not back down from the Gators. My buddy Luke had a good idea, Lane Kiffin should publicly announce that this Saturday is the official recruiting day for Tennessee and invite all the Florida High School players to the game. Go Vols, It's Time! Tennessee Wild Boyz!

Tuesday, Gator Week

Before I get into the football issues, there is one thing that's been on my mind. Is Tuesday not the worst day of the week? I know most people hate Mondays because it ts the first day back to work after the weekend of partying or driving across the state to watch the Vols lose to an inferior opponent at home. However, Monday has the excuse of being the first day of the week and there is Monday night football, reaction to weekends events, and catching up with co-workers about everything from movies to the sermon at church on Sunday. Tuesday has no excuse. There is nothing good on TV and it is the day stuck between kicking off the week and hump day. Everyone knows if you can get through Wednesday it is downhill for the rest of the week. Thursdays are cool because its almost Friday and there is college football on TV and it's my favorite night to play church league softball. Thursday night softball has been a weekend kickoff ritual for me for several years. You go out to to ball park, crank a few homers and breeze through a Friday wearing your favorite team's colors to work. Sorry Tuesday, you officially are the worst day of the week!

On to the game. I remember when this game and week were the highlight of my year, especially in college. You can bet that Patterson, Sal and I were not going to many, if any, classes this week and we could be found following The Tony Basilio show around Knoxville to remotes at fine establishments like Rick's Place, Wallabys and even a cell phone store. We could not get enough of the Vol v. Gator smack talk. We camped out in line for tickets in '98 and Tee Martin came by to show his appreciation for the support. I can remember my roommate Chris asking me if I was going to class and my normal response was "I won't if you won't." We would then proceed to play a few games of NBA 2k and I would dominate him while we listened to another sports talk show break down the match ups. Around mid-morning we would jump in the car and spend the rest of the day discussing and and listening to nothing but Volunteer football talk. By the time game day arrived, Sal was getting in the last minute bets on the game and we would be grilling no less than 20 pounds of beef, chicken and pork.

We would stuff about 7 or 8 people into my Isuzu Trooper and make our way to the stadium. Neyland would be shaking with excitement and there was an energy that could not be duplicated elsewhere. When the band formed the Power "T" and opened up for the team, the hair on the back of your neck would stand up and your eyes would water with emotion. At that moment, you would give anything to be able to dress out, run onto the field and look up at the sea of orange of 108,000 screaming fans. Running onto Shields Watkins Field after we beat Florida in '98 will be something I tell my son and grandkids about. Man, those were the days!

Fast forward to today. I am not currently working as a await the results of the Bar Exam so I had hoped to rekindle a little of that TN v. FL game week magic. Guess what? Times have changed. The TN football program is in a serious rebuilding phase and most fans are wondering if Florida will hang 60 or 70 points on us this weekend. I tuned in to the Basilio show to try and get the pulse of the fans in Knoxville and Tony was not even on the air today. He had some college kid breaking the game down and most of the callers were talking about how bad Crompton is. There are still a few true Orange blooded fans that actually think we will find a way to win this weekend in the Swamp. The hype is not at a fever pitch like it usually is and most of my friends are not scrambling around to see if they can somehow score tickets to the game and take the road trip to Gainesville. Maybe we are getting older but I think it is a result of the fall in our program.

One thing I do know is that Lane Kiffin has never been in an environment that he will see on Saturday. He will be the most hated man in the Stadium, in Florida and maybe even the Southeast. Everyone in the country will have their eye on this game because they all want to see the young brash coach who accused Urban Meyer of cheating get crushed by the mighty Gators. That very well may happen but as a Vol fan I am happy with the new staff and the way they are recruiting and coaching. We might get smoked this year and next, but in 3-4 years, the rest of the SEC better watch out because the Vols will be back!

Here is to hoping(dreaming) that the Vols find a way to stay in the game into the 4th quarter and somehow pull out a miracle. Check back with me this week in about three years and hopefully the intensity and passion of this week will be back and I will be enjoying a plate of Rick's wings listening to Basilio and the Vol Nation discuss why and how we will dismantle the Gators! It's Time!

It's Not Easy to be Jon Crompton

As the Vol Nation mourns another loss at the hands of an inferior UCLA team and the reality of what this could mean for the rest of the season sets in, I can't help but imagine what it would feel like to be Jonathan Crompton. Here is a kid from North Carolina that was one of the most highly recruited quarterbacks in the country. If you didn't know, yes he was recruited by all the big schools including USC and Lane Kiffin had a hand in his recruitment. He was the All- American kid whom every team wanted. He had written his ticket to play college football anywhere in the country. He had the backing of former college great Heath Shuler and many were led to believe that he would be the next Shuler or maybe even Peyton Manning. Those glory days have long since passed and Crompton must be asking himself, "What in the world has happened in the last four years?"

Crompton came to Tennessee and backed up Eric Ainge for two seasons and had two starts before his junior year. He showed flashes of greatness that led many Vol fans to believe that he would be the next great QB at Tennessee. There was even a faction that wanted him to play over a sometimes erratic Eric Ainge. Man, have things changed!!!! Crompton made his first start as QB 1 last Labor Day in the Rose Bowl against UCLA. Many fans, including myself, traveled across country to watch the strong armed kid from the mountains of North Carolina lead the Vols to another great season including possibly an SEC championship.

After watching Crompton play(term used loosely) for about 10 minutes, most of us realized that this kid was not going to be Peyton Manning, Heath Shuler, or even Eric Ainge. After losing the UCLA game, Crompton was entrenched in a season long battle with fellow QBs Nick Stephens and BJ Coleman. Everyone on Rocky Top soon longed for the days gone by of Eric Ainge, Casey Clausen, Tee Martin, Peyton Manning, Andy Kelly, or Condredge Holloway. How could the University of Tennessee, a school rich with legends playing quarterback, be stuck with this kid who looked like he had no clue where his receivers would be or even what the down and distance is? Reality is, no one saw this coming and this kid, more than likely, was the biggest reason that legendary coach Phillip Fulmer lost his job last year.

As Vol fans question the new coaching staff about letting Crompton continuing to play, we all are recovering from our Crompton hangover this weekend. He turned the ball over 4 times against UCLA and brought all the momentum the new coaching staff had built to a screeching halt. It can be argued that Crompton was the sole reason for the loss on Saturday and all the arm chair quarterbacks were and are out for Crompton's blood. I have seen enough of this kid and am ready for a change. As I sat in my seat about 10 minutes after the game and watched the Vol Nation file out of Neyland Stadium calling for Crompton's head, it dawned on me that Crompton's life must really stink right now.

Crompton has gone from glory to goat in less than 3 years. I know that I have bad weeks when the Vols lose but imagine being the guy who most fans think is responsible for the down turn in our program. Crompton got up this morning and guess what, Tennessee still lost and it was not just a bad dream. He went to Cracker Barrel with all his friends and family who came to see him play this weekend and had to explain to them why he played so poorly, again. They, like the rest of us, were led to believe or were hoping that this year's Crompton would be different. We were praying that the Lane Kiffin offense was much more quarterback friendly than the Clawfense of last season. It is not the offense, it is not the coaches, it is just as simple as this: kid does not have what it takes to play QB in the SEC or any other big time conference.

Crompton will head back to class on Monday with his fellow classmates looking at him thinking, "I can do better that this bum." Truth is, no you can't, but hopefully Tyler Bray can. I will give Crompton this, I would not want to walk in his shoes for the rest of this season and he will have some tough skin as a result of his time on the The Hill. He will work hard on the practice field, watch film and spend the majority of his time trying to become the QB that everyone wanted him to be. As hard as he tries, he will not be the next great QB to come out of Tennessee. He will likely go down in history as one of the worst quarterbacks in Tennessee history. I truly hope that he has something lined up other than football for the rest of his life but I can just hear him quoting his former coach saying, "I'm gonna work like heck to get better and bow my neck in practice and games and try and get this thing headed in the right direction."

Here is wishing that Crompton limits his mistakes in the Swamp and for the remainder of the season and somehow finds a way to get this team to a bowl game. He might be a great guy and I hope that he has a successful life but the dreams of becoming a legendary QB that fathers tell their sons about are over. For his sake, I hope that he is not the QB that we will talk about as the worst ever, but he is well on his way to writing that script.

Game Time!

Well, I decided to skip the softball game to watch the Titans and Steelers game. The terrible towels are out in full force and I think that the Titans are going to stomp them again. The pregame fireworks are great but who thinks that Tim Mcgraw was awful in his live performance?

Al Michaels needs to take it easy on the hair coloring. We shall see how well Collinsworth does in John Madden's place. Watch out Steeler fans, the Titans are great in the regular season! If this was a playoff game I would say the Steelers would win without a doubt but Jeff Fisher is the best regular season coach in the NFL.

Big Ben is going to throw two interceptions and the Titans are going to win 20-17. Steeler fans can use those towels to cry in after the game. Go Titans and don't forget, It's Time!

Halftime Update:

The Titans should be up at least 13-7 but a tie on the road is ok. The Steelers players are dropping like flies and the Titans grabbed the momentum right before the half. Cortland you gotta score! Keep it up Titans!

To Play or Not to Play?

Everyone around middle Tennessee is excited for the NFL season to kick off tomorrow night as the Titans travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. There are several story lines that make this game very interesting. Many remember the incident last season when Keith Bullluck and Lendale White stomped on the "terrible towel." The national media and the Steeler fans blew the whole incident out of proportion and took as an insult against any of the band wagon Steeler fans. It's a towel, get over it! Most Steeler fans have no ties to Pittsburgh and only choose the Steelers as "their" team because they were the best team back in the day.

This game is also a early season match up of two of the AFC heavyweights and the experts think that the winner of this game could be the best team in the AFC not named New England. The Titans can go a long way in silencing their critics with a win tomorrow night and moving on with a new era that does not include big Albert Haynesworth. Do you think if the Titans find a way to win that there will be a few players dancing on those ugly yellow towels?

My dilemma arises because the kickoff is at 7:30 PM and my softball team has games at 8 and 9 tomorrow night. I have elicited the opinions of several friends as to what to do tomorrow night. I could DVR the game and play softball and watch it when I get home. I don't mind watching TV shows on DVR but there is something about watching sporting events live that makes them so much better. I could skip softball and watch the game and hope that our team has enough guys to play. If I play in the softball game, I run the risk of becoming "softball guy" as referred to by sports talk show host Jim Rome. If you've never heard his "softball guy" take, you are missing out one of the funniest things I have ever heard. You can find the take here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMfqbR8Ujlk&feature=related

I am not sure which way to go with this, so any input would be appreciated. Maybe I can go out back and do a rain dance, bring the rain and solve all my problems. Isn't it great that this is my biggest dilemma right now?

Go Titans and for all the Vol fans, we signed QB Tyler Bray and WR Ted Meline this week. If you didn't know, It's Time!

Weekend in Review

I hesitate to say this but I think the Vols are back. That was the first time in several years that Tennessee utterly dominated its opponent. I know, I know it was Western Kentucky but i truly believe that last year's team would have struggled in the game and won 27-13 or something like that. It is amazing how much a new coaching staff can change the atmosphere around this team and the program in general. A tougher test awaits TN on Saturday as UCLA comes across country to Neyland stadium. I traveled to the game in Pasadena last year and I know that Coach Kiffin says this is not a revenge game after last year but I am approaching it that way. I want to beat this team up and down the field and send the few UCLA fans that come to Knoxville back to Cali with the awful feeling I had one year ago. I can remember sitting in the Rose Bowl in the first quarter of the game and my buddy Chris leans over and says "we are going to have trouble scoring this year." He had it right and that is another reason why the 63 points scored on Saturday means so much to this team. Jon Crompton looked like a different QB and made much better throws than he did all of last season.

My other thoughts from the UT game are as follows:

- The team waited a minute or so before running through the "T" and many wondered what was going on. Autumn pointed to the TV screens (we can't see the jumbotron because our seats are under the cover of the start of the upper deck) and what I saw was great. Coach Orgeron was in front of the team and they were swaying back and forth getting hyped up. Needless to say, the Wild Boys were fired up.

- Eric Berry played closer to the line much more than he ever has. He blitzed several times and was in man to man coverage many times on the slot receiver. He didn't play center field much and only made 3 tackles. I think our D-line was so dominate that he never had a chance to make many plays . He is still Eric Berry and he will make many plays this year. Monte knows how to use him!

- Tennessee fans bailed out early on Saturday but I stayed until the very end looking for T. Poole to get into the end zone. I was looking for 70 while most UT fans were looking for their next drink. I savored every minute of that victory.

Around the country:

Miami v. FSU was the game of the weekend. I think the FSU secondary just got burned again for another big pass play. Really FSU? Keep your safeties deep and break up some of those plays. Did Bobby Bowden make any calls in that game? I think he just sat on the sideline and watched the game but I don't know if he knew the score. Ponder should have thrown the game winning TD but the throw was at the receivers ankles. Great game.

Virginia, Duke, and maybe the rest of the ACC should be ashamed. What a pathetic performance this weekend. Cutclliff is showing why he should be an O-Coordinator and stay away from head coaching. Al Groh should be fired this morning and my boy Sal should be named head coach because he could do better than that!

Ohio State has to intercept a 2 point conversion to beat Navy? Are you kidding me? Can someone please let Ohio State and the Big Ten know that they will not be allowed to go to a BCS bowl game this year because they play inferior football up there.

Big win for BYU but you better get it done when Sam Bradford goes out for the game!

Does Marlon Brown regret his decision to go to Georgia? He did not play a snap in UGA's loss to Oklahoma State. He would have at least 5 touches for the Vols and a TD. I hope his grandmother is happy!

Bryce Brown learned that TN running backs do not run out of bounds when they finish runs. I love the coaching staff! UCLA week, It's Time!

College Football Is Back

As I watch the 4th quarter of the Miami/FSU game, the first weekend of the college football season is underway. It amazes me how much money is made by these Universities as a result of the football programs. I too have been sucked into the vortex that is college football. I give an annual donation to to the University of Tennessee and pay additional money for my season tickets. I spend money driving up to Knoxville for the home games and drop a few more dollars into the university's pocket by buying a parking pass and the $8 dollar pizzas at the game. I gladly pay the money because my very well being is determined by whether or not the Big Orange win on Saturdays. I wonder if having my first child in December will dilute my passion for football in general or increase it as I will want to pass on to my son all that I enjoy about the game?

I spend countless hours every week watching games, reading articles, playing football video games, playing fantasy football, listening to talk shows, and traveling to Knoxville to see the Vols play. It is a passion that burns inside of me as it does in many fans. I wonder what else could i be doing with my time and whether or not I would get as much satisfaction from it? Although football dominates my time in the fall it also reunites me with friends and is something my wife and I both enjoy.

For now, I can't wait for the Thursday night Titans game and the trip back to Knoxville on Saturday with our good friends. As the season progresses and my unborn son continues to grow in my wife's womb, we will see if the fire for football keeps burning. Hey, I gotta go watch more football. FSU just scored on an interception and now lead 31-24. Go Vols!