Derek Dooley's SEC Conference Call Comments

See this tag to find links to all coach comments from the April SEC coach conference call.

• He was pleased with his players' approach to spring practice "given what's happened to them the last couple of years." The spirit and work ethic was high, and the coaches got everything installed. The coaches have a good feel for the players and the team's "personnel issues." It was a good spring, but they have a long way to go.
• In his first team meeting, said he won’t ask for the players' trust; it must be earned over time. The players have made a big jump in how they feel about coaching staff, but it’s the coaches’ job to earn trust and not demand it.
• Being exposed to high profile programs in his career helped the transition to Tennessee. Organizing things, running practice, and making schemes are no different across levels. The demands of the media, public appearances, and endorsements are much greater, and dealing with bureaucracy is more of a challenge. It helps that he was an assistant at LSU and that he got to see his father run his program.
• Schematically, his philosophy and Jim Chaney’s are a near perfect match. Chaney being there previously helped for stability. He has watched every game Justin Wilcox has coached last three years, and he was impressed by the "effort, toughness, and discipline" that Boise State defenders played with as well as his multiple defensive schemes.
• He has talked to his team about social networking, but bigger than that is his program for "character education." The Internet creates unprecedented exposure, so players must be careful.
• He thinks he his father probably won’t attend this fall's Tennessee-Georgia game. He doesn’t expect Vince to be wearing orange, but hopes he’ll root for his son.
• When asked about rising salaries for coordinators, he responded that "it’s free market economics." It's not unfair, just the way it is like in any other profession.