Chip Cosby Q & A

As promised, Herald Leader UK Football writer Chip Cosby graciously agreed to answer some questions I posted to him about the upcoming season. Chip does a great job covering the team in print and has also been on the spot with his blog posts about the comings and goings of spring and summer practice. A link to his football blog is below. I met Chip last year the night before the Liberty Bowl. Unbeknownst to me, he and my wife were friends from elementary school and we ended up chatting for a while. Since then I will hit him up occasionally for his insights, which he is always kind enough to deliver. I appreciate him taking the time out to do this, as well. Answers are in bold.

1. Randall Cobb's health seems to be a recurring theme in camp as it was last season. Can the Cats have a successful season on offense without him as a permanant fixture in the lineup?

I really don't think so, Alex. Cobb brings so much to the table that they really need him healthy and 100 percent if the offense is going to reach its full potential. He's in line to be the No. 1 receiver, will be needed as a spark and a change of pace as a quarterback in the 'Wildcat' package, and he's also potentially a game-breaking punt returner. Precious points could be left on the board if Cobb's back injury flares up or is more serious than the staff originally thought.

2. We heard a lot about Danny Trevathan and Winston Guy in the spring and freshman Larry Warford has been the talk of preseason practice. All are more or less fresh on the scene. What established player or players look like they have improved the most since last season, and who might surprise us come Sept. 5th and beyond?

A guy to keep an eye on is Sam Maxwell at strongside linebacker. Maxwell has had his moments over the years backing up and rotating with Johnny Williams and could blossom now that he's a full-time starter. Linebackers coach Chuck Smith said Maxwell had an outstanding first scrimmage last Saturday.

3. The Cats have a number of what I'd call "winnable upset" games on the schedule. Road trips to Auburn and South Carolina and a home game against UT all appear to give us a fair chance. Is there one game on the Cats' schedule that sticks out at you as an upset special?

Tennessee sticks out to me for several reasons. No. 1, it's at home. Secondly, you just really don't know what to expect from the Lane Kiffin era in Knoxville. I for one am a little skeptical at the moment. (Ed. note: Me too.) There's also not the fear factor with Tennessee. While the Vols spanked UK last year in Fulmer's last game, the UK players felt like they really should have won the two games before that. And this is one that Rich Brooks wants really, really bad. He would probably put beating Tennessee on the top of his to-do list before he decides to ride off into the sunset.

4. Obviously you have a job that has taken you all over the SEC. Whatis your favorite football venue to visit in terms of the town, stadium, game atmosphere and media accommodations?

They all bring different things to the table. Gainesville is my favorite town in terms of weather, scenery, campus, bars and restaurants. Riding through and taking in pre-game atmosphere at 'The Grove' at Ole Miss is something special. My favorite stadium to watch a game is Georgia; I thought 'Between the Hedges' was a bunch of hype before I actually went there, but it's beautiful. If you want a crazy loud atmosphere with a lot of raucous people who have been drinking from sun up to sun down, there's nothing else like a night game at LSU.

5. Aaron Boyd was probably the most highly touted 2008 UK recruit. On a team desparate for a good receiver last year, he sat behind some people who really struggled on the field. He has just finished a one week suspension for violating some team rule. He is clearly not adjusting well. First off, what is the deal? Secondly, even if he righted the ship tomorrow, is he in a position to help this football team in the near future?

Aaron's first problem was that he missed a good portion of fall camp last year with mono. I thought he probably should have redshirted. Brooks keeps making reference to his problems beating press coverage and getting open, which implies that maybe he's not quite as fast as they thought he was when they signed him. There's still time for Aaron to develop, but I'm sure the coaches are starting to wonder. He wasn't really in the rotation before getting suspended, so you'd have to think missing a week of fall camp is going to hurt his chances to play much early on this year. He mentioned in the spring that he wouldn't mind redshirting. So far Brooks has been non-committal about that.

6. I'm curious about how the Defensive Ends at the top of the depth chart are progressing. From a purely statistical standpoint, it is obviously a glaring weakness compared to the rest of our defense. In a related note, the Cats' defensive philosophy appears to be to play base D, blitz rarely, and rely on the defensive line to put pressure on the QB. Based on our personell, do you expect that philosophy to change?

I think with the loss of Jarmon, and no other real proven pass rusher on the roster the coaching staff will try and do some different things to generate pressure. The coaches have been raving about DeQuin Evans and his motor, but he's been slowed somewhat by a hamstring injury. Chandler Burden has the size and strength but needs to brush up on his technique and pass-rush moves. I'd guess that you'll see Evans and Burden starting against Miami, with Collins Ukwu and Taylor Wyndham the backups. They've also been moving linebackers Micah Johnson and Danny Trevathan up to end occasionally in pass rush situations.

7. Finally, it is safe to say that anyone who cares enough about UK Football to read this blog thinks you have a cool job. Is there anything about your job, positive or negative, that most people don't think about if they haven't been in your position?

There are a lot of great things about my job. The first thing people talk about is the fact that you get to go to games for free, travel, sit in the press box, and you get the kind of access that most people don't. The thing I enjoy the most is the different people you get to meet. So many people are into UK sports here and follow them through the media that people really want to hear your opinions. I always enjoy being out somewhere and meeting someone who reads my stories and wants to talk football, basketball, whatever.

But it is a job. There's deadlines. There's competition, even more so now that Internet reporting is hot and heavy. And when something is your job, you don't get to approach things like the casual fan. There's a lot of down time but there's also a lot of late nights and weekends away from your family. For most people sports is a getaway or escape, something to look forward to. Not that the reporters don't look forward to the games, etc. We do. But when we're not working, a lot of times you want to get away from it a little bit. Too much exposure to anything can burn you out.

Overall, though, I love my job. Even with the uncertainty of the newspaper business, I still have yet to find anything that would make me want to quit what I'm doing.