Lane Kiffin pissed plenty of people off with his comments upon taking the Tennessee coaching job. His “we’re going to sing Rocky Top” all night long after beating Florida certainly charged up the fans and it no doubt pissed Florida off. But as pumped as Florida had to be for the game, they really never unleashed the hounds against the Vols who played good defense and kept the game close, winning 23-13. When asked about his comments from months ago, Lane said it was all part of a master plan:
“It worked perfectly,” Kiffin said. “It took all the pressure off the players. We played the No. 1 team in the nation with no pressure on them. … It was all on me. We were 30-point underdogs in this place and it really helped them go out and play ball.”
So do you really buy Lane’s comments or is that the best way he can spin a loss his team that’s now a disappointing 1-2? While I do believe it’s all spin, I really think there is some merit to his comments. Since he’s made himself the face of the program and the target of opponents, the pressure is taken off the players. It’s the same way with Ozzie Guillen and all his crazy remarks — it takes the heat off the players. Here’s the deal though: Tennessee had strong defense and a good running game, but they’re just not getting enough from their quarterback to win. It’s actually pretty similar to Lane’s days with the Raiders — he should be used to it!
