Yeah, it’s coachspeak, but it’s Nick Saban coachspeak. About Derek Dooley. Who may not have a job at the end of this season.
Tennessee has done squat on the field since Dooley arrived in Knoxville in 2010. The Vols haven’t defeated Alabama, Florida, Georgia or South Carolina and have zero wins against ranked teams. Still, Saban said after last night’s 44-13 beating of the Vols that Dooley was doing a “fantastic job” at Tennessee.
“I think Tennessee’s team really played hard,” Saban said in his opening remarks. “I think that Derek is doing a fantastic job. They have been better and better every year that we’ve played them. We were fortunate today that our defense played well enough to keep their high-powered offense to just 13 points.”
Saban’s comments can’t come as too much of a surprise even though frustration is mounting in Knoxville. Dooley was an assistant under Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins, so there’s some history between the two -- that, and coaching fraternity tends to stick together -- -but it’s tough to say Dooley’s done a fantastic job when the on-the-field results are what they are. Now, I would say Dooley was handed a challenging job and that coaches usually deserve the five-year treatment, but that’s not a luxury when you combine the amount of money that goes into supporting the Tennessee program and the high expectations that go along with it.
(Hat tip: al.com)