Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks Chucky is running from the truth a little bit.

Ever since Nick Saban, then the coach of the Miami Dolphins, got caught in a fib when he catagorically declared he was not a candidate to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide — then somehow was found to be holding a press conference in Tuscaloosa about how he accepted the job — NFL coaches have every word out of their mouth about taking a college job overly examined.

On Monday, Chucky claimed he is not a candidate to take Phil Fulmer’s opening at the University of Tennessee. But for Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the denial did not shut the door.

Given that we’ve heard more unequivocal statements from guys like Saban in the past, Gruden needs to go farther than he has before we’ll believe him.

He needs to say, for example, “I will not under any circumstances be the next coach at the University of Tennessee. If they’re interested in me, I’m flattered. But their time is better spent pursuing a candidate who will take the job. I will not.”

Instead, Gruden has left plenty of wiggle room… This tells us that Gruden isn’t interested in talking right now, but if the folks in Knoxville would be willing to wait until the season is finished, he might be inclined to listen.

Joe thinks this Chucky-to-Tennessee business is misguided wishful thinking for the orangeclad Vols fans, though stranger things have happened (Lou Holtz coaching the Jets springs to mind).

As Joe has pointed out earlier, Chucky may not be on as solid ground as the Bucs coach as some may think or want you to believe. Joe has already stated if the Bucs miss the playoffs or lose another opening-round playoff game, it wouldn’t shock him if Chucky was shown the door by the Glazer Boys.

Maybe Florio is right? Maybe Chucky believes this, too, and is keeping all options open?