Celebrate Butch Jones’ cigar smoking. It means he’s not UT’s coach

OK, I get it. The visual of seeing Butch Jones smoke a victory cigar in Neyland Stadium as a member of Alabama’s football team wasn’t exactly a joyous sight for Tennessee fans.

However, what did you expect? Was Jones supposed to sneak out a back alley to the buses and not enjoy the win with his team? Would anyone have actually played it low key after returning to his former employer’s place of business and dominating them so thoroughly? Doubtful. That’s just human nature.

The reaction from Tennessee fans and even some former players has been incredibly strong. It was hard to fire up Facebook or Twitter without seeing a picture of Jones with a victory cigar in his mouth while celebrating with Crimson Tide players. But let’s all remember this, Tennessee fired him.

I understood the angst when Lane Kiffin returned to Neyland Stadium as Alabama’s offensive coordinator. After all, Kiffin left the Vols, not vice versa. He joked (maybe) that he had to have special security and actually wore a bullet-proof vest. There was reason for anger against Kiffin then. There shouldn’t have been much anger with Jones on Saturday. Fans should have been willing to buy Jones a cigar just to keep him away from UT’s program.

Jones’ career is a shell of what it once was. Jones was an up-and-coming coach from Cincinnati with a chance to define his career at one of the top programs in the country when Tennessee hired him. Well, he certainly did that. Jones proved he wasn’t ready for an upper-level college football head coaching position. Had it simply been a bad fit, Jones would have had another offer to be a head coach at a Power 5 school. He didn’t. That tells you all you need to know about Jones’ standing in the college football world. Jones couldn’t even get hired as an assistant.

Instead, Jones is a glorified intern for Alabama. Sure, he’s called an analyst, but do you really think he has much say in this Bama’s offense? Is Alabama coach Nick Saban really going to place much faith in Jones, a coach that Saban spent five seasons beating unmercifully? I don’t think so. However, I’m sure Jones makes a great cup of coffee.

UT fans don’t want to hear it since their school is still paying Jones’ multi-million dollar buyout that his contract demanded for firing him. However, imagine what was going through Jones’ mind Saturday when he walked into Neyland Stadium. That had to be a sobering reminder of how bad he failed at his big shot. And he might never get that kind of shot again. There isn’t a cigar in all of Cuba that can make that pain and regret go up in smoke.

@CoachButchJones I mean @AlabamaFTBL won against a team YOU put together! But you’re smoking a cigar like you accomplished something?!?! You act like you called the plays or had something to do with the game plan for them. Does the player next to you even know your name Lyle? pic.twitter.com/kLeyuGY4sD

— Hydra Headphones (@haynesworthiii) October 21, 2018

Now, I’m not totally excusing Jones for his cigar-toking gloating. It would have been much classier to accept the cigar, stick it in his pocket and realize the unique role he had in Saturday’s game. Jones created the horrible football team that Bama beat 58-21 on Saturday.

Jones also played a huge role in the apathy among UT’s fan base that was evident on Saturday. That was evident by the smattering of crimson throughout Neyland Stadium. If Bama fans wanted tickets to see their beloved Tide, they weren’t hard to come by. Maybe UT fans should take a harder look at themselves and not worry about Jones’ newfound affinity for cigars.

It’s time for UT’s fan base to stop acting like the red-headed stepchildren of the SEC. And, yes, I can use that term because I am a proud ginger and both of my parents are remarried. Please, just stop with the whining. Most every coach in the nation is a mercenary. Jones is not any different in that regard.

As for UT’s program, the Vols aren’t very good and probably won’t be much better next season. Some success in the 2020 season is about the most the Vols can hope for.

However, let’s say the impossible happens next season and the Vols beat Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Is former Tide assistant Jeremy Pruitt allowed to enjoy a fresh stogie even though it might rub some Alabama fans the wrong way? Absolutely.

Watching Jones smoke his Bama victory cigar should have been a welcome sight for any UT fan. So should the Gatorade shower that his players dumped upon him. Both mean Jones isn’t the coach at UT any longer. It’s time to move on from that seemingly never-ending nightmare. It’s time to be optimistic because the Vols are certainly in better hands with Pruitt than they were with Jones.

If you were buying stock in Pruitt and Jones, which do you think will perform better in the long term? I’m willing to bet that Pruitt will prove to be at least an above average coach by 2020. I’m also willing to bet that — cigar or not — Jones will still be an intern.

Dave Hooker

Dave Hooker started covering Tennessee in 1998. He hosts an SEC radio show out of Chattanooga and covers the SEC for Saturday Down South.