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10 Perspective
If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times. The one thing I genuinely appreciated about the down years was Tennessee’s fall from grace helped humanize the program in my eyes. Helped me realize something I’ve known rationally all along, but something that can sometimes get lost in a sea of high expectations:
These are just kids and this is just a game.
During the down years, the human element was about all Vol fans had to celebrate. So I loved the Jacob Gilliams. The Byron Moores. The Rajion Neals. The Justin Worelys. The Jacques Smiths. Not just for their efforts on the field, but for the lesson those boys taught me. Through that lesson, I’ve come to love the game of college football even more.
It’s in the shadow of that lesson that 2016 looms with promise that harkens back to the day. And my one hope as UT football kicks off yet another exciting campaign is that the fans have the wherewithal to embrace those expectations — just as the players and coaches are doing — yet remember that you can’t experience the highs without the lows. You’re usually better off if you can somehow make a part of you root for these guys from the space in between the two.
Because that’s the best seat in the house. And this may well be the type of season for which you’ll want the best seats possible.
