Majors on Derek Dooley: ‘He'll get it done'

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By Ken Sugiura

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

He was a standout halfback in his playing days, coached Pittsburgh to the national championship in 1976 and then led the resurgence at his alma mater Tennessee in the '80s. Before addressing the Touchdown Club of Atlanta's weekly luncheon Monday, 75-year-old coaching legend Johnny Majors spoke with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his successors in Knoxville and the state of the game. Answers were edited for length.

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Former Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors says Derek Dooley is the right man for the Vols coaching job. "[Dooley] is not only knowledgeable, he has good solid football background and he was raised up with a good family, " Majors tells the AJC.

Vino Wong, vwong@ajc.com Former Tennessee head coach Johnny Majors says Derek Dooley is the right man for the Vols coaching job. "[Dooley] is not only knowledgeable, he has good solid football background and he was raised up with a good family, " Majors tells the AJC.

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On Derek Dooley: I thought Derek Dooley was a very good choice for the University of Tennessee head football coaching position when it was open. I thought he was a very good selection. I know Derek very well. I've known him since he was a kid.

I mentioned him when (Lane) Kiffin left, I mentioned him to some very prominent people who were involved in the hiring process. I mentioned him and (former Tampa Bay coach and one-time Tennessee graduate assistant) Jon Gruden.

[Dooley] is not only knowledgeable, he has good solid football background and he was raised up with a good family.

Derek has got a challenge ahead of him and I'm confident he'll get it done.

On former Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin: Lane Kiffin stopped the runaway truck. He stopped it. He would have won there. I don't know what the end results would have been as far as any rules (breaking) or anything like that. I don't know anything about that. It's none of my business. I respected him and his dad and their staff. They knew how to coach and they stopped the downhill bleeding that had been going on for 10 years.

On who is the most innovative coach in the country: I couldn't say that. I know this. I think there's a very outstanding innovative coach right here in Atlanta, Ga. He maximizes his talent and he's very creative and I think he's an outstanding game-day coach who knows how to manage a game. Excellent play-caller. Paul Johnson is one of the best I know.

And Nick Saban is probably the best, if it came down to it. As far as details, discipline, order, recruiting, maximizing talent, none is better than Nick Saban.

On who is a coach on the rise:

I think the Temple University coach, (Al) Golden. He's done a great job. He beat Connecticut (Saturday), almost doubled their score. I don't know how good the Big East teams are right now. It's never been a real strong conference. But Connecticut's got a very good coach, (Randy) Edsall. But I think the Temple coach is a coach I would think people would look at some to try to get. He's done an excellent job. The Boise State coach (Chris Petersen) has done a terrific job.

On the spread offense:

If I were coaching football today, I'd probably be using the spread. We had speed when I was the coach. We recruited speed and then we had the great track program at Tennessee, and we recruited football-track athletes.

We always liked the option game and I liked the movement of the quarterback and everybody spread out. We tried to teach gang tackling on defense, 11 men on the ball on every play, chase that ball at proper angles. But with the spread formation, you don't get many 2-on-1's, much less gang tackling, just at the middle of the line.

On if he could see any conference overtaking the SEC:

Not really. Alabama looks like it's going to be a powerful team. I saw Florida and Tennessee last week. Florida is not the Florida team that they've had in the past but they have a lot of young talent, and Tennessee has a lot of young talent. I don't know if there's an overpowering team. Alabama looks like the best team so far in the conference.

The Southeastern Conference, I don't think anybody, year in and year out, can match them with as many teams and as much speed and as much defense and as much discipline and kicking throughout the year. There are some teams that are just as good as the teams in the Southeastern Conference in the PAC-10, Big Ten, Big 12 (but not as many).

But I can't say never. Nebraska's going into the Big Ten. That will make them stronger.

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