I Was Wrong About Phil Fulmer

by Mo Johnson
(Virginia)

It's time to admit it. I was wrong about firing Phil Fulmer. In retropspect, it's now clear that we should have kept him.

Of course, it's not reasonable that I should have expected Lane Kiffin to be such a -- well -- disaster -- is a kind word for him. His recruits have almost all either left the team or been kicked off and so he set the Vols back a few years.

Derrick Dooley is an improvement for sure -- but he can only do so much with the talent he has. Then there are the incredible injuries. Hey, the Vols are due for some luck in 2012.

Still, the Vols are 17-18 since firing Fulmer at the end of 2008. That's not the kind of improvement we were expecting. And, it's worse because they are in a spiral right now; with a 4-6 record so far this season. And, they are 0-6 in the SEC. They could go 0-8 in 2011 (Kentucky is their big chance to get a win). Not sure Tennessee has ever been this bad.

So, I was wrong. I hoped Tennessee would go from mediocre to good again after dumping Fulmer. Instead, we've gone from mediocre to bad.

There's just no spinning it. I was wrong. Sorry Phil. Miss you!