Some Vols fans stuck in 1990s on coaching candidates

In troubled times, not all fans get angry. Some get helpful.

I’ve had a number of conversations and exchanged emails with such helpful fans.

One longtime fan doesn't blame the Tennessee players for a disappointing 3-2 start, which includes a 41-0 loss to Georgia on Saturday. She thought UT’s schedule was too tough.

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“There’s not much you can do about that,” I said. “It’s in the SEC.”

“Well, maybe they shouldn’t be,” she said.

Ouch!

All other suggestions from readers have been related to coaching. And none of them included giving fifth-year coach Butch Jones a big raise and contract extension.

One was very concise. “Let (Phillip) Fulmer finish the season,” it read.

Finish it how? Like he finished his last Tennessee season in 2008 – with a 5-7 record, including a loss to Wyoming?

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Don’t get the wrong idea, though. Many fans would welcome Fulmer back, and so would some former players. That would give them a chance to rekindle fond memories of the 1998 season when Fulmer was coach and the Vols were national champions.

And why stop with Fulmer? He could rehire former defensive coordinator John Chavis, who’s now running the defense at Texas A&M, which is on the verge of firing coach Kevin Sumlin.

Fulmer then could hire UT quarterbacking legend Peyton Manning to serve as part-time interim offensive coordinator. “Full-time” wouldn’t fit into Manning’s schedule.

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Nonetheless, that football fantasy doesn’t seem far-fetched to some fans, who are more into nostalgia than reality. They don’t believe Manning when he says he has no interest in coaching, even at UT. And they have forgotten how Fulmer’s long run as Tennessee’s coach ended.

Local talk-show host Tony Basilio, “the voice of the common fan,” probably has a better idea than anyone of what’s going on with the fan base. Aside from his daily show, he hosts a call-in show after UT games. He stayed on the air for at least six hours after both the Florida and Georgia games, which sounds a lot like tending bar at an after-hours place.

The callers didn’t just vent their frustration and anger. They also recommended replacements for Jones: former Oregon and NFL coach Chip Kelly, Penn State’s James Franklin, Louisville’s Bobby Petrino, Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen, Purdue’s Jeff Brohm, Memphis’ Mike Norvell, former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, former LSU coach Les Miles and others. And, of course, NFL analyst Jon Gruden was mentioned.

But some of the callers could see only orange. Their recommendations included Fulmer, Manning, former UT offensive coordinator David Cutcliffe as well as former UT quarterbacks Jim Bob Cooter and Tee Martin.

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Cutcliffe is in the midst of a successful run at Duke. Cooter is the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. Martin, who quarterbacked the Vols in 1998 and 1999, is the offensive coordinator at Southern California.

Martin might be the most realistic candidate. But why would the Vols risk hiring someone with no head-coaching experience?

Wouldn’t it be preferable to hire someone who has succeeded elsewhere as a head coach? Maybe somebody who first won in the MAC and followed that up with a successful stint at an American Athletic Conference school.

How could you go wrong with that?

Reach John Adams at john.adams@knoxnews.com or 865-342-6284 and on Twitter @johnadamskns.