Dobyns Bennett

[IndianNation01]

On 10/21/2018 at 3:23 PM, WaCoJaCo said:

Hick's has done his own training during the offseason to get bigger, faster and stronger. As far as I know he's the only one on this current team that does this. Friday night he had 38 carries. I think this is actually abuse of a player.  The players are spent after two quarters of football. It's obvious to everybody except this 'so called" coaching staff. It will never be fixed. What you're going to see in the future (next year and beyond) is Central and Volunteer type records yearly. 

Several on the current team workout on their own and go the the field on the weekends. 

[Stonewall]

Deliberately stayed off of here this entire season. My views clash with many on here and I wanted to allow Christian a year to present a full body of work.  Tonight I am sad. It’s the evening of October 26th and football season at D-B is over....again, in October!!  I think it’s the first time we’ve missed the playoffs in 33 years!  We now have all of the off-season to debate the inner workings of the Kingsport City School system. However, the very words I predicted over and over on here while y’all were slamming Clark have been verified. I said that only when Clark left would people see what he meant to D-B football. One year ago tonight we were Region Champions and about to embark on a week that would bring us our 8th win. That included wins over Oak Ridge and defending state champion Farragut.  All of the spin on the earth won’t change how much we miss the guy that won over 250 games and lost about 70!

Edited October 27, 2018 by Stonewall

[IndiansForLife]

Thanks for letting us know Graham or RC. It was time for Graham to move on. His act had worn on everyone in Kingsport. The issue is that we stuck with the staff that had gotten us no where. None of the guys currently on the staff coached when DB had its most success, it was time for some new energy up at DB last year and it is still time for some new energy.

[Appvol]

If DB were to get a new coach I would across state line to Boone,NC and see if this man would be interested. He has taken a team that used to be awful and has them ranked in 3a. 

 

http://carolinapreps.com/teams/frontend/coach/coachDetails/1089/245

[JDHoss]

On 10/26/2018 at 9:06 AM, blazer1set said:

Guys, lets not forget that DB has played the most brutal schedule imaginable.    Very few teams in this state could come out of this schedule unscathed.    Add to that a brand new head coach.....   Given all those challenges I would say DB has done pretty well considering...   I know it has been a disappointing season but we have to keep it all in context....  Alcoa, Oak Ridge, Greeneville, Farragut.....  This is not like the old days of romping Sullivan Central, Volunteer, etc.

No, they haven't "done pretty well considering". They were never going to beat Greeneville/Alcoa/Oak Ridge/Farragut, but to lose those games by a combined 168-52 is ridiculous. The season really came down to blowing double digit leads against Bearden and Hardin Valley, and in spite of having a porous defense, they had a mammoth OL, the best running back in the region by a mile, the best 1-2 running back tandem in the region by a mile, a competent, experienced QB and a massive, pass catching TE, they couldn't hold or build on those leads and missed the playoffs for the first time in 33 years. When you miss the TSSAA playoffs in ANY classification, you haven't "done pretty well". 

[BatmanDevil]

It all comes down to one thing.If you consider making the playoffs a successful year or winning a couple of playoff games a great year.Then your bar is set way to low.How many (pretty good ) years has DB had in the last decade plus.I'll say 2012.That team was loaded with talent and got two playoff wins before meeting Maryville.The bar is set in east Tennessee by two schools and they are Maryville and Alcoa.Until my Devils are having 10 year runs like those schools,then I will stay humble and say we have room to get better but are certainly on the right track.DB is a band school now and has been for years. I can't imagine how Alcoa  fans would feel about the next 3 or 4 years if they had DB's greatest playoff runs for themselves and lost in the semi's every year.Can you imagine Maryville or Alcoa losing in the second round with a 28 point third quarter lead.How about a first or second round loss to anyone much less a team they we're 5 to 7 touchdowns better then to start with.I understand the  DB  football fans being frustrated and it still makes me sick to hear those radio guys suck up year after year.It would be refreshing after first round  playoff losses like McMinn co in 2008 when DB was undefeated and ranked number one if those guys  would just say the truth .We had by far the better team but  just stunk it up tonight and  need some changes to correct a few things.I still say give coach Christian a year or two and if he can't figure it out with the strength program, defensive changes,and put together a winning program,then I still bet several people have their hands in the pot and he never had a chance from the start.

Edited October 27, 2018 by BatmanDevil

[Dark1]

I know it is hard for the locals and the die-hards but a coach should always be hired/fired on his fourth year results.  

Well, unless it is a total disaster.  

[DBGRAD70]

On 10/27/2018 at 2:44 PM, BatmanDevil said:

DB is a band school now and has been for years.

Well, the dang DB Band parents better take a lesson from ETSU.  They had a very good marching band program over there for years but the football program stunk and was terminated.  That was the end of the good ole marching band program at ETSU. it became a skeleton of its former self.

So, Band Parents ... get your rear ends in gear and complain from the athletic director all the way up to the Board of Education.  Generate enough negative press that the current BOE would be jettisoned if they don't do something meaningful.  Run for BOE positions.  Make things happen at that level.  If you don't, kiss your band program goodbye.

It is absolutely fool hardy to continue to forgive this coaching staff for their ineptitude.  And yes, the former head coach is at fault here.  His finger prints are all over this year's problems.  There needs to be a REAL nationwide, or at least regional search for a proven head coach and he needs to be given the power to build a new coaching staff at DB.  Then and only then can you begin the countdown looking at how the feeder program is working and the effect of that and how well new coaching staff is improving the program at DB.  Right now, it is probably in the hands of the band parents - if this is now a band school.  Blame them when the band program starts to crumble.  These two programs are linked whether they like it or not.

[IndiansForLife]

Well from the quotes in the paper it looks like Christian is planning to continue on as head coach. I look for them to schedule Tennessee High, South, and North for the out of conference games. I could easily see them using the excuse that they want to play those Sullivan County rivalries one more time. I expect no changes with the staff, which is disappointing. I hope Shively will at least make a statement in support, letting everyone know why they at taking the direction they are taking.

Edited October 29, 2018 by IndiansForLife

[blazer1set]

6 hours ago, IndiansForLife said:

Well from the quotes in the paper it looks like Christian is planning to continue on as head coach. I look for them to schedule Tennessee High, South, and North for the out of conference games. I could easily see them using the excuse that they want to play those Sullivan County rivalries one more time. I expect no changes with the staff, which is disappointing. I hope Shively will at least make a statement in support, letting everyone know why they at taking the direction they are taking.

Just something to think about..... if this season DB had played the Sullivan's (North, South, Central) instead of Greeneville, Alcoa, Oak Ridge then Christian would be sitting at 7-3 and we would not be having this conversation.

[Red Rebels]

1 hour ago, blazer1set said:

Just something to think about..... if this season DB had played the Sullivan's (North, South, Central) instead of Greeneville, Alcoa, Oak Ridge then Christian would be sitting at 7-3 and we would not be having this conversation.

You would, because you would still be out of the playoffs. Alcoa, Oak Ridge, and Greeneville weren't the problem. Losing the big lead in two Region 1 games was the problem.

[blazer1set]

26 minutes ago, Red Rebels said:

You would, because you would still be out of the playoffs. Alcoa, Oak Ridge, and Greeneville weren't the problem. Losing the big lead in two Region 1 games was the problem.

Yeah, I thought about that after I posted, however it would still be more difficult to fault a first year head coach for going 7-3.    Half the programs in the state would kill for that record.    It really makes you wonder if the average DB fan would be content to add the cupcakes back to the schedule and finish > .500 every year.

     And BTW to all the hard-core DB fans, I am not trying to be a Christian evangelist or anything, I would agree that he is probably not head coaching material at the 6A level, but he got thrown into an impossible situation, so that has to have at least a little consideration.     Will he improve and move the program along next year?    Possibly not.  Maybe never.    But at least in his first year you have to cut the guy a little slack.     Nick Saban could not have beaten many of those teams either given the state of affairs in Kingsport.    Now give Saban a couple of years and yeah, DB would become very relevant..