HOOVER, Ala. - There were some interesting - if not that surprising - trends here Tuesday as the cavalcade of cliches and coach-speak continued at SEC Media Days.
Each of the four teams required to attend Tuesday sent a quarterback, including Ole Miss, which brought freshman Matt Corral.
Three of the four teams - Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M - are coached by former Nick Saban assistants.
Two of those - UGA's Kirby Smart and Aggies boss Jimbo Fisher - talked about reaching expectations. Tennessee second-year coach Jeremy Pruitt discussed setting them.
Pruitt's opening statement was a whopper. It lasted 21 minutes. It contained more words than the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. Combined.
It was more filibuster than filling, but truth be told it was borderline perfect.
Jay GreesonForget winning the news conference. Football coaches in general have to win the war, whether that means winning habits in practice or winning pitches on the recruiting trail.
And Pruitt covered all of that and more in his football version of Jimmy Stewart's character in "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington."
Sure, we all want zingers and one-liners. We miss the unabashed cockiness of Steve Spurrier and the misplaced diction of Bret Bielema and the whimsical silliness of Les Miles.
But for all the one-liner hits and giggles, the charm only works when the wins come.
Pruitt clearly has been focused on the latter rather than the former.
"It's not exactly something I enjoy doing," Pruitt offered before clearly borrowing a page from the Saban playbook and adding, "but I appreciate the media and what you do."
Ah, July, when coaches respect the media and media members love them for it.
Pruitt spoke about his players getting bigger, with 15 300-pounders on the offensive line this spring compared to just two in his first offseason.
Pruitt spoke of practicing the right way, of being physical - "There's a lot of large men running around hitting everybody real hard" - and of competition.
Yes, it's easy to be hopeful in July, the naysayers will claim. Words in the summer do not mean wins in the fall.
This one felt different, though. It felt a little more optimistic. It felt like Pruitt likes his bunch a little bit more than most may have expected.
And the feeling is mutual.
"It has been really hard with the coaching changes," Volunteers senior linebacker Daniel Bituli said. "Coach Pruitt and his staff have done a great job at communicating what needs to be done in order to win games.
"We are just following his lead, and he will take us there."
Rebuilding in the SEC - as your rivals reload with a militia of five-stars - is never easy. Rebuilding in Knoxville - a place with the expectations to match a program with such a storied tradition - makes it tougher.
Being impressive in Birmingham means next to nothing in the grand scheme of things come September in the Swamp or November in Neyland.
But to be fair, a UT football coach impressing the masses anywhere is a welcome sight for Vols fans everywhere.
Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com.