Rocky Slop: How Long Will Phillip Fulmer Last at Tennessee?

It has been ten years since Good Ole’ Rocky Top saw its last National Championship. Yet, as the Vols limp through a horrible season, some might say it feels like a century ago.

Perhaps there are still Fulmer Faithful who would have you believe they have seen this movie before, and know how it ends: With Phil "The Spin Doctor" having a strong second half of the season, and maybe a big upset thrown in.

For these remaining Phil Fans, the question is simple: Have you seen this team play? They are, in a word, atrocious! Fumbles. Interceptions. Crucial penalties. Not just untimely false starts or formation penalties: We're talking late hits and other unsportsmanlike conduct.

In fact, Fulmer has managed to produce the worst year of coaching in recent memory, perhaps rivaled only by Larry Coker's last year at Miami.

Throughout the offseason we were inundated with talk about the potential of Jonathan Crompton. Crompton was projected to be a difference maker for the Vols, a player who, along with highly-touted receiver Gerald Jones and tailback Arian Foster, would have the Volunteers competing for yet another SEC title.

It’s clear that things didn’t quite work out that way.

As a last-ditch effort, "Philly" and his staff have turned the team over to a sophomore from Texas whom no one outside of Knoxville has ever heard of. The obvious question is: If this kid was such a great quarterback, why didn't one of those pass-happy Big 12 teams offer him a deal?

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