Stability For Our Time

KnoxNews.com now has several stories up covering the reaction to Lame Kiffin's departure.

And that raises an interesting question. Is it better to wait for more detail, or go with what you know?

WBIR had the story well before KnoxNews, but there was no detail and no pictures. KnoxNews was well behind, but when they posted, they had details, pictures and video. My guess, and that's all this is, is that the KnoxNews may be understaffed on the night shift. The crew that stays overnight is fine for handling routine operations, but when a story breaks, there aren't enough bodies to get things done. And it's called breaking news for a reason. It happens fast. There isn't time to roust a couple extra bodies out of bed to cover the story. Whoever is on hand has to rush out into the field to cover the story, then come back and write it, then post it.

That will slow things down.

On the other hand, as newspapers face more and more of a budget crunch, how many of them can afford to keep enough people overnight so that they can maintain bodies in the field and at the paper to write and post in near real time?

One solution might be to allow a reporter to post a story directly from the field. Not to Twitter, or facebook, but to the KnoxNews site itself, where non social media types would go to find it.

Of course, if reporters post directly to the website, then what will editors do?

Apparently even riots are lame when associated with Kiffin. Just got a text from a person I trust who was there and they told me that much of what has been tweeted was exaggerated. UT students did chase a car, but Kiffin wasn't in it, and the video shows that, just like a puppy dog, if they had caught the car, they wouldn't have known what to do with it.. There was no tear gas fired, although WBIR still says there was a mattress set afire and that the fire department extinguished it, and there was a heavy police presence. The smoke and steam could account for the supposed tear gas. Most importantly, while the rock was covered with graffiti, it has been repainted. Also, there was an attempt to rush the stadium, but the raging mob was stopped by one police officer.

Yeah. One officer. And it wasn't Bufurd Pusser.

Heck, it wasn't even Buford T Justus (Gratuitous Amazon Plug for the week.)

Apparently Tennessee kids haven't got the hang of this whole rioting thing.

Or they figured that Kiffin wasn't worth the effort.

I'll close it with one last tweet from Renaldo Woolridge:

The chant that you can hear around campus "ITS GREAT TO BE A TENNESSEE VOL" thats why I love this school!

Yep.

From ESPN's Pardon the Interruption:

Dear Lane Kiffin: Thank you. Sincerely, Mark McGwire

Footage of UT students chasing Lane Kiffin's car
More from Woolridge: (KnoxNews might want to consider hiring him. His coverage is beating everybody else.)

the majority of what the fball players r sayin is they r mad cuz he didnt tell any1 which was messed up...outcome may have been difft..

Knoxnews just announced a major update to the story that still includes no mention of tear gas, fires, mobs chasing cars, or other signs of a student riot. What gives? Is everybody else just making this stuff up?

And that's it for me. Time to go to bed. It looks like things may be slowing down now. After all, it's pretty cold out there, and the kids have classes in the morning.

As for Kiffin, I'm happy to see him go so quickly and hope that he brings USC just as much happiness and success as he brought us.

The KnoxNews website has all the details of Kiffin's defection, but is almost completely silent on the student reaction.

Not too surprising since just yesterday they published an article saying that Kiffin wasn't an option for USC.

Kiffin Not on USC's Wish List.
Would cost coach $800,000 to leave.

By Dave Hooker.

While Lane Kiffin isn't thought to be a strong candidate to take over at Southern California, his contract at Tennessee would appear to make such a move feasible.

According to the terms of his contract, the Vols' head football coach would incur an $800,000 penalty if he were to leave for another job during this off-season.

It appears Mr. Hooker may have some 'splainin to do to his editor come morning.

According to Reynaldo Woolridge, who has ringside seats from his dorm balcony, overlooking the football complex, police have just fired tear gas into a crowd of students irate about Lame Kiffin's departure.
From his twitter page:

THEY JUST TEAR GASSED EVERY1!!!

From Phillip Smith

Orgeron's text to Tennessee recruits - "You are welcome to join us at USC". Nice.

From Sports by Brooks:

Txt to me tnite from former SC asst coach w/Kiffin 1st time around: 'Norm schemed. Sark developed QBs. Lane got sandwiches.'

Picture of the Rock: (Warning: crude, rude, and socially unacceptable image.)

Crowd picture
Posting now but I'll continue to update.

WBIR reporting that the students are in full riot mode, setting fire to a matress and trying to keep Kiffin's car from leaving. According to Reynaldo Woolridge, he's already gone, but the police have used tear gas to try and break up the crowd.

From nkim:

#Vols fans chanted "bring him out bring him out" love it!!

From pjcassidy
In the middle of the riot can't say tennessee doesn't have pride

Youtube video that won't last long: (Language and general crude behavior warning.)

From Reynaldo Woolridge:

my home boys on the football team were MAD..like just in disbelief...seein the looks on their faces makes me feel for em yo...we all fam..

And this

Man ppl talkin bout goin to his crib?? they OD'n right now..

Wes Rucker has good quotes from some of the players.

Just how Lame is Kiffin?

Lame enough to accept a job that nobody else wanted, head coach at USC. Think about it. First, why would Pete Carroll leave USC? Second, why didn't USC's first choices, all USC alums, turn down the position? Could it be that the NCAA investigation are winding to a close, and most other coaches are experienced enough to realize that the next USC coach will be the fall guy?

Hmmmm....could be!

I said it after the Auburn game and took some flak for it, but I'll say it again here. Lane Kiffin does not have the character it takes to win at the top levels in the SEC or anywhere else in the NCAA. His field decisions show a lack of heart, the ability to take a risk in order to win. His off the field decisions show that he is motivated first and foremost by what is good for him, not the team.

I'm not surprised in the least, or disappointed, although I feel sympathetic for my Vols, who face a daunting schedule with an empty coaching staff, and a recruiting class that's liable to turn into mist. My sympathy stops with the players and remaining coaches; it does not extend to Athletic Director Mike Hamilton, the architect of this mess. He made the call to hire Kiffin, and now he has to answer for it. A quick glance at the pool of available coaches tells me that the cupboard is pretty much bare, which means Hamilton faces a very tough job. I wonder if Bill Battle is interested in coaching again?

Maybe he can convince Bruce Pearl and Pat Summitt to coach the football team during their off season.