VANDY HIERACHY FINALLY SHOWS SOME GRIT

by Bryce Martin

So, Bobby Johnson is gone at Vanderbilt as head football coach.

That means you have leaving the university a coach of whom many felt was a "good fit for Vanderbilt." Being a Vanderbilt fan, I hated hearing that. It just meant it was okay to lose, expected even, if you had someone like Johnson, a nice guy who could put a happy face on it.

Johnson has been given way too much credit for "improving" the number of quality athletes entering the program under his helm. The real credit should go to him in doing so because acceptance standards at VU were lessened during his tenure.

Going to a bowl? Okay, but you can't compare that happening to years past. One and then two regular season games have been added compared to years past. Plus, there are now about 40 bowl games compared to a handful in years past. Plus, Vanderbilt was a mere 6-6 entering the bowl game, one they did win.

What you had in Johnson was a coach who was going to give you a losing season, but make you feel good just the same. A coach who took you to what was once a coveted bowl game appearance, with a .500 record, and with players previous coaches would not have been able to put on the field, and a bowl game amid a sea of bowl games.

Speculation as to why he "resigned" at this exact time, if one had to pick to save his life, would be, in a word: loyalty. Johnson was asked by his superiors to make some coaching changes and he refused. It was an ultimatum. He resigned, giving his staff a hope of hanging on in the interim.

Bye, Bobby, go be mister nice fit somewhere else.

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