Monday, August 07, 2006

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay in getting the next post up. Honestly, I'd like to do it every day, but that can't always happen.

Let's run down everything that's happened in the last week.

Floyd Landis has failed his second drug test. I know that I should really care about this but part of me doesn't. I guess I'm still stuck on the fact that the dude competed in the Tour de France when he needed a hip replacement. That alone sent red flags up for me. In related news though, someone actually confessed to using steroids when they were caught today. Isn't that what we're all looking for anyway? I mean, I know it's bad to use them, but we're really looking for someone to say "You know, I really wanted to win and I did everything possible to compete at the highest level and win." I guess when it comes down to it, it doesn't lessen the severity of doping, but at least they get some points in my book for being honest about it. Bottom line is: you're still a cheater.

In UK foootball news, the Governors Cup press conference came and went, and so did UK Media Day. Here's what I think of the offense so far. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the defense.

The offense is going to be dangerous. Regardless of the question marks at wide reciever, there will be three (yes that's right three) running backs that can step in and compete in the SEC. You have returning all-purpose yards leader Rafael Little and then of course Tony Dixon, the former starter that was sidelined last year due to injury. If I were a betting man, I would say that the majority of the carries will come from these two men.

The offensive line is coming back strong and they are experienced. It is ALWAYS a good thing to have an experienced center (which they do with McCutchen) and a great tight end (Tamme) who can both catch and block. From what I've heard, they're ready to go.

The position that supposively has a controversy: quarterback. I honestly and truly believe that there is no controversy to be had here. Woodson has that confidence about him that screams that he is ready to play. He also worked hard in the weight room and came back as one of the strongest players on the team. During media day, you could tell a real difference in him. He seemed very confident and ready to be the signal caller for the Cats this year.

Which brings us to the last position on offense: Wide Reciever
This is the position with the most question marks on the whole team. But, let's try and clear up these questions. Burton is back and will definitely make his presence known. However, I think that the x factor at wide reciever will be how much we see Curtis Pulley line up there. Since I don't believe he will be quarterback, I definitely believe that he HAS to see playing time on the field. It would just be dumb not to use him. When I talked to him during SEC media day, he said that if he wasn't at quarterback, he'd like to see time at reciever. He's such a talented athlete that I believe Brooks knows that he can't waste him. Look for him and Burton to do some great things at reciever this year.

There were a few things that Coach Brooks stressed during his press conference: mental toughness and execution. Mental toughness is needed for all aspects of college football, especially in the SEC. If you are mentally tough, you will be able to will yourself through the 4th quarter if you're tired and you will be able to execute your plays better.

I think the Cats realize the pressure put on them and the coaches this year. They realize that they HAVE to produce. It's a young team, but it's a team that's experienced due to all the injuries from last year. Look for this to be the year that they upset someone. I'm not sure if they'll make it to a bowl (I'd sure like it to happen because I could probably get a press pass haha), but I believe that they will at least play spoiler to someone. I said before that Brooks needs a bowl to stay around here. But honestly, what everyone is looking for is progress. If he gets a big win, people will start to see that the program is coming around. If the bowl doesn't happen this year, it will DEFINITELY happen next year. That's right I said it. You can quote me on it too. I truly hope that I don't have to put my foot in my mouth.

Look for my take on the defense tomorrow and feel free to comment with your thoughts.

-John
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4 comments:

John Edwards said...

I used to be just like you...

Here's a little bit of why I changed. Picture this, my first year at UK after transferring there (I got hurt playing college football) and I see Jared Lorenzen running the option! That's right, J-Lo tucking the ball and running! To make matters worse, he even lined up at Wide Reciever.

I was befuddled and angry. How could a coach do such a thing? I was a defensive lineman. If I ever picked up a football, my coaches would either say "you better have recovered a fumble" or "you thinking of playing center?" I was with you for a while.

This year, I've started to change my mind for a couple of reasons. Number 1, if UK were to bring in a new coach now, they'd have to start ALL over. That means more bad years, gaining players' trust, etc. etc.
The players have started to rally around Brooks and his supporting coaches. It's probably better to see how this thing plays out.

Number 2, I realized that not all of this is Brooks' fault. He was trying to do things (like having J-Lo run the option) to make Kentucky competitive. I still don't believe that they should have done it, but I guess they were trying. When Lorenzen lined up at wide reciever, I think they needed to throw the ball to him a couple more times to keep defenses honest. When he lined up there, it basically gave teams an extra defender on defense. But this whole probation thing really killed UK football. When you look at the big picture, over 20 scholarships were lost. In other words... a whole recruiting class. It doesn't seem like a big deal when you look at it in the small picture (21 opposed to 24 recruits, etc.) But when you realized that the program lost a whole class, it puts things in better perspective.

Maybe that's the problem with UK football though. Are the fans happy settling with tailgating or do they want a championship. UK football fans hope for a win; UK basketball fans EXPECT a win. It's two totally different things.

Brooks was probably damned from the start. UK hasn't really competed in football for a while but no one noticed/cared because the basketball team was still good. Now the basketball team hasn't gone to a final four in a while, so the focus can return to football.

Can two big time coaches co-exist at UK? Bear Bryant and Rupp couldn't. Is there enough room at UK for two big time sports programs? I'd like to think there is.

I still believe that UK fans would take a final four in a heartbeat over a bowl. Nothing makes me think otherwise. However, I do believe that football will soon give fans something to do in the fall other than tailgating. The mood on the team has changed. I can only hope that things will be different.

Trust me, for someone who has been where you are and has a unique viewpoint towards it (since I'm a former player), hang in there. I could be eating crow when all is said and done, but I sure hope I don't.

Honestly, it's truly going to be a wait and see situation. But from the attitude I've seen from the team, things are looking up and Brooks is the one making it better.

You can only make things happen with what you have. This year, Brooks has all the pieces that he brought in. He wasn't responsible for J-Lo or Boyd. Woodson, Pulley, Woodyard, Kelly, Dixon, Kelley, Johnson, etc. etc. are all his. Let's see what he does with them before we start causing a ruckus.

9:28 PM
John Edwards said...

caquisenberry,

I could not agree with you more that Kentucky has to watch out for teams like Central Michigan. I believe that the Ohio game is a huge reminder of what can happen during those "sure wins."

I don't think that UK has to clean house though to have good programs. The football team is behind their coach, lets see how it goes.

As for basketball,
Maybe a great former player could find some use in recruiting. Once Tony Delk retires he'd be a perfect person for the job. Just a well respected former player that could go out and get the new recruits. A player that has played in the NBA, realizes what college basketball is about, and can translate that to the recruits. I still don't think that Tubby is terrible at recruiting. I just don't get why the team hasn't gone after more big men. I think Tubby has tried, but the year of Woo and Shagari ended up being a big bust. There is obviously a surplus of guards that can compete on the team.

8:11 PM
John Edwards said...

I think I already said it, but that's the biggest difference between basketball and football. UK Basketball fans EXPECT a win... UK football fans desperately hope just to go to a bowl. When you really look at it, the number of teams that get to go to a bowl is just like making it to the NCAA tournament. All UK fans ask for is that UK makes it to what would be considered the March Madness of college football.

I think Boston College is a great example of what UK should strive for as a start. They have come out and said that all they hope for in their school's football team is that they're competitive and make it to bowls. I think they understand that BC can't make it to a BCS bowl right now, but while they're building their program back up, they expect that they make it to a bowl. I think UK could operate under the same premise. They understand that UK isn't BCS bound right now, but they should still be competitive and make it to bowls.

12:09 AM
Skip said...

Guys, a couple of points to make. First off, BC finished 2nd in the ACC Atlantic Division, posting a 5-3 conf mark and 9-3 overall.
When BC joined the ACC 2 years ago, their 'expectations' were to win games, true. However, it was and remains a fact that thier ulitmate goal is to win in the BCS.
As far as getting a recruiter 'like a Tony Delk', not a good move. Delk was and still is a 'Pitino player'. You never see him at UK Games, his nephews were told by him to attend UofL (Pitino) or a different school. NOT Kentucky. I would venture to say that Delk would do anything to help UK at all.
Player wise, Tubby's players are still in the NBA and the only guy worthy of pumping up UK would be someone like Tayshaun Prince. But, as much as I hate to admit something good about a hated school, Duke's recruiters are on the Bench. Wojo, Jeff Capel (who took the job at Oklahoma), Johnny Dawkins and Chris Collins make up the Coaching staff, all former players for Coach Alphabet Soup.

Just my .02!

1:27 PM

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