The Vols fans restlessness is probably more to do with the last guy than this one. Most football coaches become office fixtures between the end of recruiting and the beginning of spring
Kiffin startedto the same question: "How do I get on ESPN today?"
His recurring answer: "Ridicule a more successful coach."
It worked. And it would have worked for Dooley if he had felt compelled to inform the media empire in Bristol, Conn., that he was the brains behind Nick Saban's national championship at LSU or that Urban Meyer couldn't match Xs and Os with Ron Zook.
Although Dooley has been on the job just over a month, he apparently has concluded that antagonizing Saban or Meyer won't help him win a championship. Instead, he seemingly will take a more conventional approach in attempting to revive UT football. And what's more conventional than hard work?
So maybe you should rejoice in Dooley's few public appearances. Perhaps he's hunkered down to the enormous task of trying to win more games than he loses in 2010. There's enough work to be done in the offensive line alone to turn a coach into a recluse.
I don't have to tell you Dooley is a hard worker. He coached under Saban for seven years, which is equivalent to 21 human years.
Some assistants don't last seven weeks under Saban. Seven years? That not only speaks to Dooley's work ethic and stamina, but to the endurance and patience of his wife. When you work for Saban, you learn to multi-task to the extent that you can welcome a newborn into your family and make an afternoon football practice on the same day.
My guess is that if you work that long for Saban, you also develop an affinity for his coaching model, which features an all-controlling head coach. Exerting that much control takes time, particularly when you are so new on the UT job that you can't distinguish Kingston Pike from Tazewell Pike, much less identify five SEC-caliber offensive linemen.
In the meantime, maybe UT should place a "men at work" sign in front of the football office. Its more restless fans might appreciate that.