An Outside View: Why Blame Majors?

A full ten years after Johnny Majors was run out of town, he is still being blamed every time the Vols lose a big game. Two weeks ago, when the Vols suffered their annual whipping at the hands of the Gators, it was somehow Major’s fault. That is, if you listen to the rhetoric of many Vol faithful who vented their frustrations on local sports talk shows or took the time to write letters to the newspapers. Now on the particular Saturday in question, Majors was hundreds of miles from Knoxville. He didn’t fumble a single snap from center and I don’t recall him being one of the guys in orange missing tackles. And contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t sending in plays to quarterback Casey Clausen. Still, the embarrassing defeat was Majors’ fault. According to the illogical reasoning of some UT fans, Phil Fulmer was Majors’ offensive coordinator and learned “the system” from him, a system many argue is broken. Likewise, current offensive coordinator Randy Sanders played for Majors and inherited his conservative play calling from his old coach. There you have it. The roots of everything that is wrong with UT football can be traced back to the man who once was Tennessee’s favorite son and a legend in this state before falling out of grace. Many fans allow their emotions to interfere with logic and let me add that Vol fans don’t have a corner on that market. It’s the same at any school where fans are passionate about their football. However, some Big Orange fans are blind to the facts and have been spoiled by the successes of the past two decades. First, if Johnny Majors is going to be blamed for what’s wrong with Tennessee football, then it is only fair that he get credit for what’s right. Fans forget that it was Johnny Majors who came marching home to his alma mater to resurrect a program that had languished under Bill Battle. The talent level had hit rock bottom and the Vols were no longer competitive in the rough-and-tumble SEC. It was Majors who led the Vols back to national prominence and when he left, he handed over to Phil Fulmer a very talented team that was a national championship contender. Fans forget that Majors won or tied for three SEC titles in his last five years and averaged almost 10 wins his last three seasons. He was clearly the engineer who built the foundation for the successes of the last decade. Instead of blaming Majors, you would think fans would be thanking him. As for the system, Majors wasn’t the architect of what is now known as the Tennessee system. If fans want to blame that on anyone, they need to lay it at the feet of legendary coach Robert Neyland. He passed it on to Bowden Wyatt who handed it down to Majors. The system has evolved over the years, but the heart and soul remain intact and are the cornerstones of Tennessee’s successes today. Exactly what is the Tennessee system? Put quite simply, it is a belief that you win with solid defense, a strong running attack, and a good kicking game. It is a winning formula that was as true when the General was pacing the sidelines as it is today. The system works when the players are properly prepared and execute. To hear the fans whining, you would think that Majors’ teams ran it up the middle on every play. The fact is Majors’ teams weren’t afraid to put the ball in the air. Remember Andy Kelly? He averaged more than 30 pass attempts per game his final season. Doesn’t exactly sound like three yards and a cloud of dust. UT got its reputation as Wide Receiver U. under Majors and it wasn’t from running the ball up the middle every play. Some Vol critics argue that Tennessee needs to open up the offense. This argument baffles me because what they are essentially saying is that the Vols need to become one dimensional. They won’t be happy until the Vols put it in the air 60 times. It apparently doesn’t matter to them that teams without balance are the easiest ones to beat. Just ask Steve Spurrier who lost two games last year, both of them when he didn’t have running back Ernest Graham available. Even Spurrier’s Fun and Gun had its best success when complimented by a good running game. And sure, the Miami Hurricanes have Ken Dorsey tossing touchdown passes but they also have one of the best running attacks in the country. It is that balance that makes them virtually unbeatable. Criticism of Fulmer and Sanders is deserved. When you lose to a team with less talent, the coach must be held accountable and there is no doubt that the Vols were ill-prepared for the Gators and even Rutgers for that matter. But it’s not the systems’ fault. It is only as good as the guys running it. If players aren’t prepared and don’t execute, it doesn’t matter what system they run. They’re going to get beat.