Holding on to Autumn

Guess What? Fall is almost over and so is the college football regular season. I attended my 8th University of Tennessee football this past weekend and I can't believe that there are only 2 games left and the basketball season has started. It has been a fun season and I wish it was just beginning instead of winding down. I love the Fall weather and the Saturday afternoon Tennessee Wild Boyz tailgates in Knoxville with good friends. I have to admit that I am very spoiled because Autumn has been a trooper all season and she has made it to 6 games with me, not to mention that she is eight months pregnant! How many guys have a wife who loves football as much as that? She did great at the unseasonably warm game on Saturday in Oxford but our Vols had no such luck.

It was my first Grove experience on a football Saturday in Oxford. I must say that the Ole Miss fans know how to tailgate. For those of you that have never been, imagine a 5-10 acre grove of mature trees towering over a hundreds of tailgate tents smashed together with a couple walkways in between the mass of people and tents. The Ole Miss fans are some of the friendliest in the Southeastern Conference and many of them enjoy the tailgating experience as much as the football games. Thanks to the Story family for the Grove tailgate and to the Pattersons for letting us crash with them in Memphis.

As for the game, the Vols played very well in the first half given all the turmoil surrounding the team the past week. It fell apart for the team in the second half and Dexter McCluster ran wild on the Vol defense. Once again, the Vols lost when we traveled to see them play on the road. Maybe I am just bad luck for the team because the only road games that I have ever see the Vols win in person have been against Vandy in Nashville. The Tennessee fans need to realize that we are rebuilding and our coaching staff has done a great job so far this year with the team they inherited from the previous regime.

Coach Kiffin now faces the tough decisions of handling three freshman players who were arrested last week and charged with armed robbery. This will be a very difficult decision because Kiffin has preached about how his players have not been in trouble with the Law since he took over the program. He will be justified if he takes a tough stand and kicks all three off the team and I think it would also be admirable to suspend the players for a long time( at least a season) and give them another chance to play ball and turn their lives around. I am not sure what I would do if I were in his shoes but I trust that he will make the best decision for our team and program.

In other news, I will officially begin my legal career this week when I am sworn in by the Supreme Court of Tennessee on Wednesday. I have started my own Practice, Paul D. Jeter Law Firm, P.C., and look forward to the challenges and rewards of my legal career. Please let me know if can help anyone with any legal issues you may have. I am planning to concentrate in the area of personal injury law but I will be handling all types of cases including: wills, criminal law, family law and anything else that comes my way.

Baby Update:

We are now within 5 weeks of Cooper's arrival and we are very excited to meet our little guy. Autumn has been feeling good and we have his nursery ready to go. Does anyone know if 5 days old is too early to start throwing football with my son? I guess we will find out earlier on whether or not he has a laser rocket arm like Peyton Manning. It won't be long until he is here and I am pumped about being a Dad. Autumn has done a great job of keeping him safe over the last eight months and I am excited to finally be able to help her take care of him. I will let everyone know when he arrives and post tons of pictures. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers during the pregnancy and I know that Cooper is ready to meet all of you very soon!

Back in Black

It was a rainy Halloween night in Knoxville, Tennessee and the color black was on everyone's mind. Rumors had been swirling for weeks that the Vols would break out the controversial black jerseys for the game against South Carolina. Some fans argued that Tennessee's colors were orange and white and to wear black was a break from tradition. Insert first year head coach Lane Kiffin and you never know what to expect. After warming up in all orange uniforms, the team went to the the locker room and the anticipation in the stadium was off the charts. As the team gathered in the tunnel before running the "T", everyone was trying to get a look at the team to see if the rumors were true. On a normal gameday, the captains come out before the team and when there was no sign of the captains, we knew that the black jerseys would be worn. The "T" opened up and the stadium erupted when Lane Kiffin and Eric Berry led the black and orange clad Volunteers onto Shield Watkins field. Say what you want about black jerseys and tradition but that stadium was electric and the team came out with a fire and passion in the first quarter that caused three South Carolina turnovers and led to 21 points for the Vols. Kudos to Mike Hamilton for listening to the players and getting these jerseys in for the game. If wearing a black jersey gets these kids fired up, you have to make it happen if you are the coach or athletic director. The team found out that they were wearing the black jerseys on Friday night when Lane Kiffin had Eric Berry address the team and he unzipped his jacket and was wearing a black jersey. The word is that the team went into a frenzy and they were jacked up throwing chairs and being the Tennessee Wild Boyz that Kiffin envisioned. That emotion translated to the field and the Vols took care of business on Saturday night and made it a treat for those who were in attendance.

It was a great night in Neyland Stadium and you can feel that we have turned the corner and are actually a good football team again. I told my friends Chris and Carrie that coming to the games is becoming fun again. This team is as exciting to watch as any I can remember and the SEC is officially on notice that the Vols are back... In Black!