UK Football
So the question has been asked why after five games into the Joker era has a portion of the fan base turned with such discontent???
The answer is the team appears to be stuck in the same place it has been for the lost four years… Competitive against most SEC Teams but a team that cannot get over the hump for an entire season and that carry’s over to Joker and was the baton passed by Brooksy…
Take 2007… A team that should have gone into the LSU game undefeated but had a Brooksian implosion at South Carolina (something we do every year against USC) and lost a game they should have won (Brooksy went zero wins against USC in his tenure)… A team that then upsets #1 LSU and a week later nearly upsets Florida and is poised with the schedule to win 8 or 9 games… A team that ends up losing to a bad Mississippi State team at home, almost loses to Vandy and than loses a heart breaker to UT at home (a game they should have won) to finish 7 and 5 and return the Music City Bowl… Two bowls in a row yes but this was a year that my expectations were to take a step forward…
Take 2008… A team that struggles against Norfolk State and MTSU than goes to Bama and plays a great game that they COULD have won but DID not (respectable but a loss is a loss and there are no moral victories)… They almost beat Georgia and than drop a home game to Vandy (Ugh!) and finish 6 and 6 and head to the Liberty Bowl (stuck in the same gear and maybe even a step back although I will admit 6 and 6 was pretty good for this team)… I give them a pass for 2008…
Last year (2009). After some injuries, etc… derail the season early UK is once again in position to win eight or nine games but they lose to Mississippi State and UT at home once again to finish the magical 7 and 5…
This year… After staring out 3 and 1 the team blows a game they SHOULD have won at Ole Miss… Yes they SHOULD have won and we have to as fans change our mindset and expect to win games we SHOULD win if we are going to step up!!! With a win and Georgia and UT both down the schedule sets up for this team to win eight games by winning three of five home games and winning one of two games on the road… The most favorable schedule that UK will see over the next four or five years sets up perfect…
So now the question is can this team turn this season around and win eight games… Auburn and USC are losses (write that down)… UK should be able to beat Vandy and Charleston at home and they HAVE to beat UT on the road… Now you are at six wins… This means you have to beat Georgia at home and Mississippi State on the road and I say that will not happen (not both) so you are looking at the standard of 7 and 5 or 6 and 6, which puts UK back in the Music City Bowl or the Liberty Bowl…
So when you going get over the hump is the question that allot of the fan base has??? Probation is over and every other excuse Brooksy used has worn out… Beating Louisville every year (reality is you are not going to do that every year) and going 7 and 5 or 6 and 6 is not getting us over the hump folks…
I have written before that it will be tough for UK to compete year in and year out in Football in the SEC (because of the recruiting base inside the commonwealth is not that strong due to shear numbers) but asking for an 8 and 4 or 9 and 3 season every three years or so should be an expectation that has to be met in my opinion… If you want to keep 65,000 to 70,000 people week in and week out in the stands for home games throw us a bone and win 8 or 9 once every three years and maybe just maybe throw in a back to back 8 or 9 win season…
Basically my chain for Joker is three years… I give him three years to put his stamp on the program and get this team over the hump… Year three is the key year from a win and loss standpoint but what he does this year and next year will greatly impact what he does in year three so he has to display some success this year and next…
At year three if we are still not better than 7 and 5 should we just accept that UK Football is mediocre at best??? I am not buying that but it appears that allot of UK fans do buy that philosophy and maybe we are just going to forever be a basketball school…
Low expectations will always produce low results!!!
UK vs. Auburn
Here we go… “I am proud of our boys”… “They fought hard to the end”… “We did not win but it is a moral victory”… Horseshit I say… Last week UK should have won and this week after tying the game late they could have won a game I did not think they had a chance to win going into the contest (man was I wrong)…
Basically the way I see it is after you converted on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter you now put the ball in Randall Cobb’s hands three times and let him try to make a play… Instead he touches it on the first play, loses two yards and than you run the ball dead up the middle for no gain and Hartline than overthrows his receiver (Cobb) on 3rd down and you kick a field goal to tie the game…
You then kick off to Auburn and they drive the ball from the own seven to kick a field goal and win the game… A 19 play drive, 2nd longest in Auburn history, which was basically their quarterback running left, right or up the middle… He did convert a big 3rd and 7 pass play early in the drive…
With two minutes to go, Auburn is in field goal range and you are still holding two timeouts let them score!!! You than get the ball back and you have an opportunity to drive down the field and tie the game or possibly win the game with a TD and a two point conversion… I know that is not easy but that is better than just watching a team drive it down the field and leave you with nothing…
It is a matter of playing the percentages and I think the percentage is higher if you let them score vs. the ultimate end result…
If you do not like that idea than try a surprise on side kick and maybe you recover but if you do not maybe you stop Auburn or if you do not and they score (touchdown or a field goal) than you still have plenty of time to drive down the field and score a touchdown and either go …
I for one am tired of losing; I am tired of 7 and 5 or 6 and 6… This is a team that with a win last week, a loss last night and win over USC next week could be in contention for the East Title… COULD BE!!!
Mike Hartline played a great game last night… I have no problem with him at all… As for Steve Brown and the defense… There is to much youth, to much inexperience and an overall lack of talent at this point on that side of the ball… Sure Brown could call some better schemes but he does not have the personal he has had the last two years… Terrible defensive schemes in the first half but the second half UK adjusted well until the final drive by Auburn…
I am tired of could be!!!
Ryder Cup
The last day was phenomenal!!! The entire event comes down to the last match…
Grame McDowell was clutch and Hunter Mahan somewhat succumbed to the pressure but I do not pin this on Hunter at all… This was just the Euros playing better this time throughout all the matches (especially on day 2)…
If you want to pin this on anyone look no further than Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson… Two guys who failed to win a point the first two days… These are two of the top players in the world and failure to even get a half point on either day is not acceptable… That is where the US lost the Cup!!!
Stewart Cink also missed a putt he should have made on the final day on the 17th hole that would have gotten the US a half point but I do not put any blame on him either because of the way he putted during the matches (he made some clutch putts)…
Ian Poulter played great… Rory Mcillory may be a little too cocky… Tiger showed them all why he was picked (although him and Stricker getting beaten badly was somewhat of a surprise but Westwood and Donald are two top ten players in the world also and they were just on for that match)…
If there would have been one more Molinari brother than maybe the US could have won (loved watching young Ricky Fowler storm back on brother #1 the last day)…
All in all this was a great event once again… Corey Pavin and Monty did a good job but Corey Pavin needed to be a little more Rah, Rah to me and his wife’s selection of the US Teams outfits is about the only criticism I have in the end…
As for the identity of the now famous "cigar man" in the photo of Tiger shanking a chip shot he has been revealed at the link below… Turns out he was trying to do his best dress up of the man Johnny Miller said could be “the most interesting man in the world” (best line of the entire Ryder Cup) Miguel Angel Jimenez, aka The Mechanic…
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Mystery-solved-At-last-Cigar-Guy-s-secret-iden?urn=golf-275853
Comments from the Masses (unedited)
- calipari is a sleazeball. he's worse than any greedy tort lawyer on the planet. of course the father is gonna lie for his son about taking money. most fathers would if it meant his kid getting more money in the states or if he has to go back to europe for a few years and make less money. but the whole let's blame it on some xenophobic reverse-psychology scare tactic just sounds like something johnnie cochran would come up with...
- Why go to a place where your wins are likely to be wiped out by the NCAA in a few years? (Comment made about why UK stopped recruiting Tony Wroten)
- If you insult Kentucky.......the whole trailer park will be after you.
- God, I hate kentucky. Aside from their no ethics coach, they have the most delusional, hillbilly fanbase ever
- UK, here's a thought, have you ever tried not cheating?
- Capone, Gotti, Sutton, Tark, eventually you pay the piper. Cal's day is coming! Then we will ALL AGREE on how much he sucks!
- I'm not surprised that Calipari has that comment "Im sure he'll play this season". Becuse you know he'll do something somewhat shady as usually. Two time cheater...!!!!!!!
- Kentucky is dirty. We all know it. The only people that can't see it are the Kentucky fans. They are the lemmings that will soon fall off the cliff.
People just love to hate on the Blue and White of Kentucky!!! I have still not seen much written in the national media about what is going on with Josh Shelby at Kansas or multiple other schools who have players that have eligibility issues but hey that is not Kentucky or Calipari… Also what about UCONN???
Random
- Rolled Tide… Wow… Did not see that one coming… I thought Bama was the real deal… Early enough loss though they are not out of the National Championship picture yet… Ohio State and Oregon loses one a piece and Bama runs the table and wins the SEC Title than you will still see Bama play for the National Championship… Could it be against Boise or TCU???
So the question has been asked why after five games into the Joker era has a portion of the fan base turned with such discontent???
The answer is the team appears to be stuck in the same place it has been for the lost four years… Competitive against most SEC Teams but a team that cannot get over the hump for an entire season and that carry’s over to Joker and was the baton passed by Brooksy…
Take 2007… A team that should have gone into the LSU game undefeated but had a Brooksian implosion at South Carolina (something we do every year against USC) and lost a game they should have won (Brooksy went zero wins against USC in his tenure)… A team that then upsets #1 LSU and a week later nearly upsets Florida and is poised with the schedule to win 8 or 9 games… A team that ends up losing to a bad Mississippi State team at home, almost loses to Vandy and than loses a heart breaker to UT at home (a game they should have won) to finish 7 and 5 and return the Music City Bowl… Two bowls in a row yes but this was a year that my expectations were to take a step forward…
Take 2008… A team that struggles against Norfolk State and MTSU than goes to Bama and plays a great game that they COULD have won but DID not (respectable but a loss is a loss and there are no moral victories)… They almost beat Georgia and than drop a home game to Vandy (Ugh!) and finish 6 and 6 and head to the Liberty Bowl (stuck in the same gear and maybe even a step back although I will admit 6 and 6 was pretty good for this team)… I give them a pass for 2008…
Last year (2009). After some injuries, etc… derail the season early UK is once again in position to win eight or nine games but they lose to Mississippi State and UT at home once again to finish the magical 7 and 5…
This year… After staring out 3 and 1 the team blows a game they SHOULD have won at Ole Miss… Yes they SHOULD have won and we have to as fans change our mindset and expect to win games we SHOULD win if we are going to step up!!! With a win and Georgia and UT both down the schedule sets up for this team to win eight games by winning three of five home games and winning one of two games on the road… The most favorable schedule that UK will see over the next four or five years sets up perfect…
So now the question is can this team turn this season around and win eight games… Auburn and USC are losses (write that down)… UK should be able to beat Vandy and Charleston at home and they HAVE to beat UT on the road… Now you are at six wins… This means you have to beat Georgia at home and Mississippi State on the road and I say that will not happen (not both) so you are looking at the standard of 7 and 5 or 6 and 6, which puts UK back in the Music City Bowl or the Liberty Bowl…
So when you going get over the hump is the question that allot of the fan base has??? Probation is over and every other excuse Brooksy used has worn out… Beating Louisville every year (reality is you are not going to do that every year) and going 7 and 5 or 6 and 6 is not getting us over the hump folks…
I have written before that it will be tough for UK to compete year in and year out in Football in the SEC (because of the recruiting base inside the commonwealth is not that strong due to shear numbers) but asking for an 8 and 4 or 9 and 3 season every three years or so should be an expectation that has to be met in my opinion… If you want to keep 65,000 to 70,000 people week in and week out in the stands for home games throw us a bone and win 8 or 9 once every three years and maybe just maybe throw in a back to back 8 or 9 win season…
Basically my chain for Joker is three years… I give him three years to put his stamp on the program and get this team over the hump… Year three is the key year from a win and loss standpoint but what he does this year and next year will greatly impact what he does in year three so he has to display some success this year and next…
At year three if we are still not better than 7 and 5 should we just accept that UK Football is mediocre at best??? I am not buying that but it appears that allot of UK fans do buy that philosophy and maybe we are just going to forever be a basketball school…
Low expectations will always produce low results!!!
UK vs. Auburn
Here we go… “I am proud of our boys”… “They fought hard to the end”… “We did not win but it is a moral victory”… Horseshit I say… Last week UK should have won and this week after tying the game late they could have won a game I did not think they had a chance to win going into the contest (man was I wrong)…
Basically the way I see it is after you converted on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter you now put the ball in Randall Cobb’s hands three times and let him try to make a play… Instead he touches it on the first play, loses two yards and than you run the ball dead up the middle for no gain and Hartline than overthrows his receiver (Cobb) on 3rd down and you kick a field goal to tie the game…
You then kick off to Auburn and they drive the ball from the own seven to kick a field goal and win the game… A 19 play drive, 2nd longest in Auburn history, which was basically their quarterback running left, right or up the middle… He did convert a big 3rd and 7 pass play early in the drive…
With two minutes to go, Auburn is in field goal range and you are still holding two timeouts let them score!!! You than get the ball back and you have an opportunity to drive down the field and tie the game or possibly win the game with a TD and a two point conversion… I know that is not easy but that is better than just watching a team drive it down the field and leave you with nothing…
It is a matter of playing the percentages and I think the percentage is higher if you let them score vs. the ultimate end result…
If you do not like that idea than try a surprise on side kick and maybe you recover but if you do not maybe you stop Auburn or if you do not and they score (touchdown or a field goal) than you still have plenty of time to drive down the field and score a touchdown and either go …
I for one am tired of losing; I am tired of 7 and 5 or 6 and 6… This is a team that with a win last week, a loss last night and win over USC next week could be in contention for the East Title… COULD BE!!!
Mike Hartline played a great game last night… I have no problem with him at all… As for Steve Brown and the defense… There is to much youth, to much inexperience and an overall lack of talent at this point on that side of the ball… Sure Brown could call some better schemes but he does not have the personal he has had the last two years… Terrible defensive schemes in the first half but the second half UK adjusted well until the final drive by Auburn…
I am tired of could be!!!
Ryder Cup
The last day was phenomenal!!! The entire event comes down to the last match…
Grame McDowell was clutch and Hunter Mahan somewhat succumbed to the pressure but I do not pin this on Hunter at all… This was just the Euros playing better this time throughout all the matches (especially on day 2)…
If you want to pin this on anyone look no further than Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson… Two guys who failed to win a point the first two days… These are two of the top players in the world and failure to even get a half point on either day is not acceptable… That is where the US lost the Cup!!!
Stewart Cink also missed a putt he should have made on the final day on the 17th hole that would have gotten the US a half point but I do not put any blame on him either because of the way he putted during the matches (he made some clutch putts)…
Ian Poulter played great… Rory Mcillory may be a little too cocky… Tiger showed them all why he was picked (although him and Stricker getting beaten badly was somewhat of a surprise but Westwood and Donald are two top ten players in the world also and they were just on for that match)…
If there would have been one more Molinari brother than maybe the US could have won (loved watching young Ricky Fowler storm back on brother #1 the last day)…
All in all this was a great event once again… Corey Pavin and Monty did a good job but Corey Pavin needed to be a little more Rah, Rah to me and his wife’s selection of the US Teams outfits is about the only criticism I have in the end…
As for the identity of the now famous "cigar man" in the photo of Tiger shanking a chip shot he has been revealed at the link below… Turns out he was trying to do his best dress up of the man Johnny Miller said could be “the most interesting man in the world” (best line of the entire Ryder Cup) Miguel Angel Jimenez, aka The Mechanic…
http://sports.yahoo.com/golf/blog/golf_experts/post/Mystery-solved-At-last-Cigar-Guy-s-secret-iden?urn=golf-275853
Comments from the Masses (unedited)
- calipari is a sleazeball. he's worse than any greedy tort lawyer on the planet. of course the father is gonna lie for his son about taking money. most fathers would if it meant his kid getting more money in the states or if he has to go back to europe for a few years and make less money. but the whole let's blame it on some xenophobic reverse-psychology scare tactic just sounds like something johnnie cochran would come up with...
- Why go to a place where your wins are likely to be wiped out by the NCAA in a few years? (Comment made about why UK stopped recruiting Tony Wroten)
- If you insult Kentucky.......the whole trailer park will be after you.
- God, I hate kentucky. Aside from their no ethics coach, they have the most delusional, hillbilly fanbase ever
- UK, here's a thought, have you ever tried not cheating?
- Capone, Gotti, Sutton, Tark, eventually you pay the piper. Cal's day is coming! Then we will ALL AGREE on how much he sucks!
- I'm not surprised that Calipari has that comment "Im sure he'll play this season". Becuse you know he'll do something somewhat shady as usually. Two time cheater...!!!!!!!
- Kentucky is dirty. We all know it. The only people that can't see it are the Kentucky fans. They are the lemmings that will soon fall off the cliff.
People just love to hate on the Blue and White of Kentucky!!! I have still not seen much written in the national media about what is going on with Josh Shelby at Kansas or multiple other schools who have players that have eligibility issues but hey that is not Kentucky or Calipari… Also what about UCONN???
Random
- Rolled Tide… Wow… Did not see that one coming… I thought Bama was the real deal… Early enough loss though they are not out of the National Championship picture yet… Ohio State and Oregon loses one a piece and Bama runs the table and wins the SEC Title than you will still see Bama play for the National Championship… Could it be against Boise or TCU???
-I feel sorry for the Reds… That was some bad luck drawing the Phillies in a short series… No hit by Roy!!! WOW…
- Yankees own the Twins… Yankees own the American League period… Easy run for them in my opinion…
- If you are UK back up QB Morgan Newton are you thinking about transferring??? If I were him I would be gone in a minute…
- If you are UK back up QB Morgan Newton are you thinking about transferring??? If I were him I would be gone in a minute…
- Whatever happened to Aaron Boyd and Dequin Evans???
- Watched the Sportscentury once again about Secretariat… I agree this horse was not just a horse but also a great athlete and actually one of the greatest… If you have not watched the Preakness or the Belmont from 1973 or never seen it head to You Tube and give it a watch… I am looking forward to seeing the new movie…
- Redbirds invited Larussa back… I am a bit shocked by that one… Is 2011 Puljos last hurrah in a Redbird uniform???
- UK’s home basketball schedule is pathetic this year…
- So I see where Lebron is throwing out the race card with how he is being viewed now by people and the media… Nice… If the owners did what Bosh, Wade and Lebron did they would be fined or sued for collusion!!! Thumbs down on that one King James…
- Watched the Sportscentury once again about Secretariat… I agree this horse was not just a horse but also a great athlete and actually one of the greatest… If you have not watched the Preakness or the Belmont from 1973 or never seen it head to You Tube and give it a watch… I am looking forward to seeing the new movie…
- Redbirds invited Larussa back… I am a bit shocked by that one… Is 2011 Puljos last hurrah in a Redbird uniform???
- UK’s home basketball schedule is pathetic this year…
- So I see where Lebron is throwing out the race card with how he is being viewed now by people and the media… Nice… If the owners did what Bosh, Wade and Lebron did they would be fined or sued for collusion!!! Thumbs down on that one King James…
- I have been hit with the Twitter craze… I am following Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter and Will Leitch (the Deadspin guy)… Have them linked on My Yahoo page… Poulter posted some great pictures and video from the Ryder Cup celebration in the Team Room…
Posts
1 comments:
You mentioned the recruiting setback, what about UK going to the Big Ten? Instead of playing against Florida Georgia and Bama, they could get instate rivalries with Illinois,Indiana Michigan and Ohio State which could help them recruit better in those states and they could definately win more games there than in the SEC. Just a thought. I still say UK should have hired a proven headcoach like Jon Gruden or the Tuna, because Joker is not really a proven coach. And UK will still recruit well in Basketball becaus they are the express lan to the NBA. Kanter will play and everything will be kosher. Good blog Barry take care man.
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