I'm Torn.

As a long-time Volunteer fan, I want to give Phillip Fulmer another chance.


You see, he was the one who . . .

• brought Tennessee back to national prominence after years of Johnny Majors' mediocrity,
• brought a national title to Rocky Top,
• was 45-5 from 1995-98 with 2 SEC championships,
• took his team to the SEC championship 5 times in the last 11 years (more than any other team in the SEC over that stretch),
• ran a clean program for the entire 17 years he was there,
• dedicated 30 years of his life to Tennessee football as player and coach.

BUT . . .

As a long-time Volunteer fan, I want to give Phillip Fulmer the boot.

You see, he was the one who . . .

• has gone 17-26 against ranked opponents since 2000;
• hasn't brought an SEC championship back to Rocky Top since '98;
• has been left behind by the likes of Spurrier, Richt, and Saban in the SEC;
• is presently the head of a team ranked 114th in total offense out of 120 I-A teams;
• must win out just to have a .500 season;
• is the highest paid public employee in the state for nothing more than mediocrity (a la his predecessor).

I'm still torn, but I feel it's a shame that this man who has done so much for the program is ruled by the "What-Have-You-Done-For-Us-Lately?" rule. It makes me appreciate the likes of Joe Paterno and Bobby Bowden even more, for in this day and age of college football, I don't believe we'll ever see the likes of them again.

Good luck, Phil.