Tennessee Vols: Is PJ Fleck Too Similar To Butch Jones?

Butch Jones is still the head coach of the Tennessee Vols, but that will likely change in the near future.

On the surface, I love the idea of PJ Fleck as the Tennessee Vols head coach.

He completely turned around Western Michigan, and he’s off to a 3-0 start with Minnesota. He’s an energetic coach that seems to have a ton of upside.

But after diving a bit more into who Fleck is, I think he might be a little too similar to Butch Jones.

Fleck, much like Jones, is a big fan of slogans. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, a lot of coaches use slogans all over the place. But after Jones has abused them at Tennessee, fans might want their next coach to dial back the corniness. I have no problem with what Fleck does, I’m just not sure it would be a welcomed sight in Knoxville.

I’ve watched several of Fleck’s press conferences from this year, and I heard something in his presser after this team beat Middle Tennessee State this year that kind of raised a red flag.

"I told our defense before they went out there, I want a defense that when people watch us play, they get inspired. Not just by playing football, but they get inspired to live their life better because of watching you play. That’s when you have somebody’s heartstrings. That’s how you influence people, it’s not by winning. Again, the result didn’t matter tonight, how we played mattered."

When I heard that all I could think about was how Jones would be crucified for uttering those same words. I know it all comes down to winning or losing, but I’m not sure you ever want your coach to say “the result didn’t matter”, regardless of context (to be fair, Fleck’s comments did at least come after a win).

I’m also concerned that Fleck’s offense is too similar to Jones’ offense. Obviously there are only so many offensive schemes and plays that can be ran, and it’s all about executing, but I do question whether or not Fleck’s offense will work in the SEC.

Fleck benefited from having Corey Davis on his team at Western Michigan. I wonder if he would the hot coaching commodity that he is without a rare talent like Davis? Just like I wonder if Butch Jones would still be in Knoxville if he wouldn’t have signed Josh Dobbs.

I’m not saying I’m out on Fleck as a coach. I still think he’s a good coach. But I do have some concerns. I plan on watching Minnesota’s game against Maryland on Saturday to get a better feel for Fleck as a coach.

Next: The End Is Definitely Near For Butch Jones

Maybe I’m wrong, I just think Fleck could be a little to similar to what Vol fans are trying to get out of Knoxville.