By JIM STEELE
pressbox1.com

As I watched the introduction of Lane Kiffin as the head football coach at the University of Tennessee, my first thought was, "who is this kid?"

Kiffin is 33 years old. I couldn't imagine undertaking such a thing at that age. To even think such a thing is audacious. His introductory speech, I thought, was full of nervous energy. He was shifting from side to side like a third grader at "show-and-tell." Who wouldn't be nervous? Given the media coverage Tennessee gets and the fans' expectations, it's like former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer once said, UT football is a created monster.

But as he spoke, it occured to me that what I perceived as nervousness was just pent up energy and enthusiasm. This kid is ready to roll.

There were a lot of people scratching their heads over this pick. And there were several who said Kiffin would be a great fit. My sources suggested to me he was heading to Washington. Maybe I need better sources. Then I heard long-time college football writer Beano Cook say yesterday morning that UT's selection of Kiffin "made no sense" to him. Cook, I've always thought, was a moron anyway.

There was a suggestion that a California boy (actually, Kiffin is from Minnesota, originally) wouldn't be a good fit at Tennessee, that he wouldn't meld with the "country folk." Pardon me for noticing, but Nick Saban ain't exactly a good ol' boy, but he's having a lot of success in the so called heart of Dixie, Alabama.

I don;'t have a crystal ball and the Ouija Board I had when I was a kid is packed up in a closet upstairs, so I have no idea how Kiffin will do at Tennessee, but his Monday introductory presser gave me an indication that he's got the right idea and is on the right track.

He's keeping some of the current staff on, to help with continuity. He's thrown all positions open for competition. He is making a big deal out of having the right kind of speed and being very physical on offense. He has coached some of the top college players over the last decade. He was responsible for bringing Lendale White to Southern California. Kiffin said while at USC, he was responsible for recruiting nationally. He was recruiting coordinator at USC before it was fashionable, so he has a template from which to work.

The more I listened to him, the more I liked what I heard. He's going after every player he can get. Kiffin's aim is to lock down Tennessee much like some of the other coaches in the SEC have in their respective states.

He's got a body of successful work. Forget about what happened at Oakland. That place is a mess as the Raders' 3-8 mark attests. Raiders' owner Al Davis has turned that once-feared franchise into an embarrasing advertisement.But it's rather evident Kiffin has worked with some big names in college and pro football. He's worked with Dom Capers and Tom Coughlin and Pete Carroll. He's been around some pretty successful folks.

Kiffin cautioned the Orange Nation to be patient, that fixing what ails Tennessee football is going to take more than a couple of aspirin and a morning phone call. But he did say that the sooner the players buy into the plan, the faster the success will be.

The new Vol coach, eight coaches removed from one R.R. Neyland, took a page from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel's playbook when Tressel was hired at Ohio State. Tressel said that Buckeye fans would be celebrating "a year from now when we beat Michigan."

Kiffin mentioned that it will be great to hear Rocky Top blairing when the Vols beat Florida next year. Then he pointed at AD Mike Hamilton as if to blame him for the line, offering greetings to Florida coach Urban Meyer. Kiffin offered a mix of energy, enthusiasm, seriousness and a wonderful sense of humor.

So the Kiffin era has begun in earnest. So far, the talk is good. Let's see if he can walk the talk. It's time to give Coach Kiffin a chance.

Jim Steele is webmaster for pressbox1.com and can be reached at pressbox1@gmail.com