Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

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Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

Coach Lea made it through an entire media days Q&A appearance (print room) without a single question about Covid-19, and his unusual plan for holding back jersey numbers until they are earned.

The reporters were content to listen to his answers about how he is "rebuilding the culture at Vanderbilt" and offered up only softball questions. (Or maybe they were out of steam after the address of Nick Saban, who went right before Lea.)

Perhaps Lea's most memorable quote was, "the program that most of these players were recruited to no longer exists."

He did get one question about NIL, and he basically said, whatever helps the student-athlete experience for Vanderbilt players, he's for it; and being in the biggest city in the SEC is a big advantage.


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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

Here's Aria Gerson's quick take on a few quotes...

https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports ... 030162002/
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

In a follow-up interview on the SEC Network, Coach Lea was asked about the jersey numbers. It was not an idea I had when I came into the job, he said. After talking with the players, he became more aware of "what was needed", he said. He wasn't sure the players were that crazy about it at first, he laughed, but they are now buying in. The SEC Network showed the video of the first five players receiving their jersey numbers, and Laura Rutledge termed it a very "emotional" video.

But there weren't any questions about...
- why those five players had received their numbers, and others had not
- what other players would have to do to receive theirs
- what the timetable was for this

Lea also answered a question from Gene Chizik about Ken Seals... Lea said he is very much in a QB competition with Mike Wright and Jeremy Moussa. He has improved his voice in the huddle, but needs to improve his voice in the locker room, he said. Everything in this new program has to be earned, and Seals has no lock on the starter role at this point.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

Daevion Davis's presentation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPX3uYxZ8cs
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by AuricGoldfinger »

Based solely upon my reading of Twitter (I follow a lot of sports media types, but it's an admittedly inexact data point), I can't recall less attention paid to Vanderbilt during a Media Days appearance, other than the usual coverage by the Tennessean and the SEC Network.

Of course, appearing on the same day as Nick Saban, Mike Leach, and Jimbo Fisher didn't help, and the Texas/Oklahoma news later in the afternoon then sucked up any remaining media space and time.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by Versus75 »

I watched in segments and (correct me if I was distracted somewhere) only heard one question by our new Tennessean beat reporter, Aria Gerson. It was to Davis. Surely, she could have come up with SOMETHING to ask Ashmore or Coach Lea.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

AuricGoldfinger wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:15 pm Based solely upon my reading of Twitter (I follow a lot of sports media types, but it's an admittedly inexact data point), I can't recall less attention paid to Vanderbilt during a Media Days appearance, other than the usual coverage by the Tennessean and the SEC Network.

Of course, appearing on the same day as Nick Saban, Mike Leach, and Jimbo Fisher didn't help, and the Texas/Oklahoma news later in the afternoon then sucked up any remaining media space and time.
I was listening at one point to WJOX in Birmingham. The hosts there noted that at one point Wednesday morning (before his formal time) Coach Lea strolled down Radio Row in a Vanderbilt polo shirt. No stations were interested in interviewing him; many obviously didn't know who he was.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by AuricGoldfinger »

BrentVU wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:08 am
AuricGoldfinger wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:15 pm Based solely upon my reading of Twitter (I follow a lot of sports media types, but it's an admittedly inexact data point), I can't recall less attention paid to Vanderbilt during a Media Days appearance, other than the usual coverage by the Tennessean and the SEC Network.

Of course, appearing on the same day as Nick Saban, Mike Leach, and Jimbo Fisher didn't help, and the Texas/Oklahoma news later in the afternoon then sucked up any remaining media space and time.
I was listening at one point to WJOX in Birmingham. The hosts there noted that at one point Wednesday morning (before his formal time) Coach Lea strolled down Radio Row in a Vanderbilt polo shirt. No stations were interested in interviewing him; many obviously didn't know who he was.
It's funny you mention that. I was just noticing that WJOX has interviewed every coach that has appeared at Media Days thus far except Lea, including at least one (Shane Beamer) after he left the event.

I also wonder if not having the now-retired Larry Leathers in Hoover this year hurt Vanderbilt.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by BrentVU »

For those who can't get enough, here is Wednesday's interview with Clark Lea in the "small room" (the non-print media)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFenmbO00sA
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by Doreknox »

AuricGoldfinger wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:35 am
BrentVU wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:08 am
AuricGoldfinger wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:15 pm Based solely upon my reading of Twitter (I follow a lot of sports media types, but it's an admittedly inexact data point), I can't recall less attention paid to Vanderbilt during a Media Days appearance, other than the usual coverage by the Tennessean and the SEC Network.

Of course, appearing on the same day as Nick Saban, Mike Leach, and Jimbo Fisher didn't help, and the Texas/Oklahoma news later in the afternoon then sucked up any remaining media space and time.
I was listening at one point to WJOX in Birmingham. The hosts there noted that at one point Wednesday morning (before his formal time) Coach Lea strolled down Radio Row in a Vanderbilt polo shirt. No stations were interested in interviewing him; many obviously didn't know who he was.
It's funny you mention that. I was just noticing that WJOX has interviewed every coach that has appeared at Media Days thus far except Lea, including at least one (Shane Beamer) after he left the event.

I also wonder if not having the now-retired Larry Leathers in Hoover this year hurt Vanderbilt.
I think that hurt. And, from the media's standpoint, we didn't make a real sexy hire in Lea. He's relatively unknown, came from Notre Dame (who everyone hates) and is a former DC in the age of uber-offenses. The no-number thing is cornball because he has to eventually give everyone a number to be able to play games. From far away, Lea seems like a potential CDM part II. Vandy fans have a much different perspective on Lea than most of the SEC media.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by NWOHDore »

There's a decent chance that the majority of people who care about jersey numbers are on this site.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by jpmando »

Lea is a universe away from his predecessor in every important way, I believe.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by mnvandy »

jpmando wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:49 pm Lea is a universe away from his predecessor in every important way, I believe.
The “different program” comment really stuck with me. I mean, yeah, CCL is right in that it’s literally a different staff but I also feel like it speaks to a simultaneous culture shift which has trickled down from Chancellor Diermeier and CSL that Vandy is no longer a punching bag in the SEC. They expect accountability. They expect winners. They expect the best out of their student athletes both on and off the field.

Again since I’m newer I won’t comment as to how things were before I came on the scene, but to have an AD and more importantly university leadership on the same page as to the role athletics can play for a university, especially for one like Vandy is huge.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by charlestonalum »

mnvandy wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:39 pm
jpmando wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:49 pm Lea is a universe away from his predecessor in every important way, I believe.
The “different program” comment really stuck with me. I mean, yeah, CCL is right in that it’s literally a different staff but I also feel like it speaks to a simultaneous culture shift which has trickled down from Chancellor Diermeier and CSL that Vandy is no longer a punching bag in the SEC. They expect accountability. They expect winners. They expect the best out of their student athletes both on and off the field.

Again since I’m newer I won’t comment as to how things were before I came on the scene, but to have an AD and more importantly university leadership on the same page as to the role athletics can play for a university, especially for one like Vandy is huge.
Spot on and as an old coot who has followed VU closely for about 60 years, we have never in that time had a Chancellor who understood, and importantly, has invested in athletics as a strategy to improve the overall excellence of the entire university.
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Re: Amazing! Lea gets ZERO questions about Covid, and jersey numbers

Post by Vandy84 »

I think Gee is the lone exception.
Gee understood the value of athletics and made tangible financial efforts to improve athletics (including dismantling the athletic department in order to get more university funds into athletics). Gee often said having a top tier ______ team was as important as a top tier imaging technology department and spoke about the university striving for excellence in all endeavors, including athletics.
I think he was alone among prior and subsequent chancellors (excluding the current chancellor) in understanding that success in athletics does not have to be at the expense of academic prestige and that athletic success leads to increased donations.
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