The Worldwide Leader has set the UK-U of L kickoff on September 19th for noon. You have got to be kidding me.
Break out the bloody mary mix.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
51 Days
This whole thing may blow over after all. I don't necessarily buy it because one guy at WKYT says so. Still, I would have expected any charges based on last Saturday to come by now. It is weird to see an outlet say, "This story we never brought you in the first place is in fact not a story." The station is admitting something newsworthy happened that it chose not to report. Because, like it or not, WKTY deemed it a story. Otherwise it would not report that the incident was going to blow over. This may explain why the rest of the media remains silent, if in fact the police have affimatively decided not to bring charges and have said so.
With this hopefully behind us, let me reset this thing mid-summer. Players report for camp on August 6. Practice starts the next day. Fan Day at Commonwealth is August 8th, time TBA. Hopefully my man crush on Micah Johnson won't show as I'm asking him to sign my kid's jersey.
Of course, the season opens September 5, 12:00pm at Paul Brown Stadium again Miami (OH). That is 50 days 21 hours and fourty-eight minutes, as I type.
UK Football Fan will swing back into action full-time the week of August 17th. Some ideas I am toying with are a regular publication schedule for my own content (say Sunday, Tuesday and Friday) and possibly more frequent links to other UK Football content on the web. I am looking for other ways to make the site better and to reach more people. If you have thoughts on this, let me know either as a comment or at ascutch@insightbb.com .
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
More offseason turmoil
Without reporting any details myself, and with the mainstream media not exactly stepping in to fill the misinformation/rumor vacuum, I will say that this KSR post by Matt Jones sums up the story I am hearing from a number of people. There are different versions, but this is the core.
Here are some observations:
1. However this shakes out, the UK-UT game here in Lexington on November 28 will be the most hostile and nasty that many of us have ever seen. I cannot remember a storyline that would create this much real bad blood between multiple people on both sides of the field. Particularly if this ends with one of our stars missing the season. Add to this "The streak", UT's monumental jackass of a coach, and the possibility we will have exactly 5 wins going into the game and it could be a transcendent, sports as theatre, moment.
2. From a purely football standpoint, any potential loss of Micah Johnson may kill the season. In the span of one off-season, without a single injury mind you, we may have gone from a Defense with three All-American candidates and six returning starters to four returning starters, only one of whom is considered All-SEC caliber. Ronnie Snead, a redshirt sophomore with one career tackle, is listed on the depth chart as Johnson's backup. Senior Mikhail Mabry is another possibility. After that, we are looking at true freshmen. Middle linebackers get hurt. Often. This, combined with the Jarmon suspension, takes us from a probable bowl team fighting for seven or eight wins to a team that will do well to make a bowl.
3. Johnson's loss would be awful for the team from a psychological standpoint. He is without a doubt their face and leader. If he is in this situation as deep as may be indicated, I have to wonder if that is the reason. To whom much is given much is expected, and a leader has to have everyone's back. Something to think about.
4. If anything happens to Trevard Lindley between now and September 5, I'll be convinced god has a sick sense of humor.
5. Thinking about this bothers me deeply for reasons I'm not prepared to explain. It isn't like I actually know any of these guys. But, my son still hasn't quite grown into his #4 jersey I bought him last year. Micah is my favorite UK player since J-Lo. I'm hoping his name is surfacing only because it is a big name, or because he is the one person others involved in whatever happened recognized. But most of all, I wish none of this ever happened and none of our players were involved.
6. There is one more pretty big name I've heard associated with this incident.
7. Remember, none of this is being reported anywhere as fact. We've heard nothing from the police, the courts, any alleged "victim" or any mainstream news outlet. Let's keep an open mind until actual facts come out.
Here are some observations:
1. However this shakes out, the UK-UT game here in Lexington on November 28 will be the most hostile and nasty that many of us have ever seen. I cannot remember a storyline that would create this much real bad blood between multiple people on both sides of the field. Particularly if this ends with one of our stars missing the season. Add to this "The streak", UT's monumental jackass of a coach, and the possibility we will have exactly 5 wins going into the game and it could be a transcendent, sports as theatre, moment.
2. From a purely football standpoint, any potential loss of Micah Johnson may kill the season. In the span of one off-season, without a single injury mind you, we may have gone from a Defense with three All-American candidates and six returning starters to four returning starters, only one of whom is considered All-SEC caliber. Ronnie Snead, a redshirt sophomore with one career tackle, is listed on the depth chart as Johnson's backup. Senior Mikhail Mabry is another possibility. After that, we are looking at true freshmen. Middle linebackers get hurt. Often. This, combined with the Jarmon suspension, takes us from a probable bowl team fighting for seven or eight wins to a team that will do well to make a bowl.
3. Johnson's loss would be awful for the team from a psychological standpoint. He is without a doubt their face and leader. If he is in this situation as deep as may be indicated, I have to wonder if that is the reason. To whom much is given much is expected, and a leader has to have everyone's back. Something to think about.
4. If anything happens to Trevard Lindley between now and September 5, I'll be convinced god has a sick sense of humor.
5. Thinking about this bothers me deeply for reasons I'm not prepared to explain. It isn't like I actually know any of these guys. But, my son still hasn't quite grown into his #4 jersey I bought him last year. Micah is my favorite UK player since J-Lo. I'm hoping his name is surfacing only because it is a big name, or because he is the one person others involved in whatever happened recognized. But most of all, I wish none of this ever happened and none of our players were involved.
6. There is one more pretty big name I've heard associated with this incident.
7. Remember, none of this is being reported anywhere as fact. We've heard nothing from the police, the courts, any alleged "victim" or any mainstream news outlet. Let's keep an open mind until actual facts come out.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
SEC-ESPN TV Deal
Kentucky Sports Radio has published details about the SEC television package with ESPN and how it will play out next year. Good news, nearly every game will be on The Worldwide Leader in some capacity. Bad news, there are going to be some 11:30 am starts. Looks like my son isn't going to play soccer next year after all. Sorry E. Neutral news (for reasons that deserve a more nuanced treatment), not Raycom.
One final note. If you don't get ESPNU or Classic, get out of the dark ages. Insight sports and lifestyle package. Problem solved.
I have no idea where this information came from. But this is the best site out there for Kentucky sports news, so I'll trust 'em.
One final note. If you don't get ESPNU or Classic, get out of the dark ages. Insight sports and lifestyle package. Problem solved.
I have no idea where this information came from. But this is the best site out there for Kentucky sports news, so I'll trust 'em.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Jarmon's Career Ends With PED Suspension
Distressing news from UK this morning that Jeremy Jarmon has tested positive for a banned substance. The NCAA has suspended him for one year, effectively ending his UK career. The presser was handled with a lot of class by Mitch Barnhart and Jarmon, who apparently asked to address the public.
Jarmon had a rather lengthy explanation regarding the use of an over the counter weight loss supplement that apparently is banned by the NCAA. When I hear these explanations from pro athletes, I never believe them. (See Ramirez, Manny). I'll give Jarmon the benefit of the doubt, both because he seems like a good kid, but also because his story was almost too detailed not to be true.
Midway through, Jarmon wept openly when discussing what UK Football meant to him. The realization that he had let his teammates down seemed to hit him at that moment. Make no mistake, he is right. We've lost one of the four best players on the team at a position that was already among the team's weakest. At the close of spring practice, the only question mark on the defensive side was who would start opposite Jarmon at end. Now we have two slots to fill with unproven talent. Jeremy was the team's only consistent pass rushing threat. Outside of Micah Johnson and perhaps Randall Cobb, I think Jarmon was the worst person we could have lost.
With all said and done, I feel far worse for Jarmon than I do for the Cats. He made a mistake, but even if his story is totally false, the mistake would be an understandable one. Jarmon was told merely months ago that he was a marginal NFL prospect, and decided to come back to school. His junior campaign was, statistically at least, not as good as his sophomore year. A lot was hanging in the balance. Can you blame a kid who tries to get an extra edge in this situation? Now not only has he lost his senior football season, but he missed the draft and his chances to play in the NFL would appear slim. I hope in the coming days he gets some good advice about his options. I assume because he did not declare, he cannot play in the NFL next year. There could be a supplemental draft (a la Brian Bosworth, circa 1987), but I have no idea how this works. However it shakes out, this is a devastating blow for a young guy.
Finally, one word about Mitch Barnhart. Many things have been said about him. These days he looks like a genius, but he isn't that far removed from all of Kentucky calling for his head. He isn't flashy, and he doesn't always do what the faithful think need to be done. But the understated and classy way he handled the conference today should make people connected with the program extremely proud. He is a truly decent guy.
Jarmon had a rather lengthy explanation regarding the use of an over the counter weight loss supplement that apparently is banned by the NCAA. When I hear these explanations from pro athletes, I never believe them. (See Ramirez, Manny). I'll give Jarmon the benefit of the doubt, both because he seems like a good kid, but also because his story was almost too detailed not to be true.
Midway through, Jarmon wept openly when discussing what UK Football meant to him. The realization that he had let his teammates down seemed to hit him at that moment. Make no mistake, he is right. We've lost one of the four best players on the team at a position that was already among the team's weakest. At the close of spring practice, the only question mark on the defensive side was who would start opposite Jarmon at end. Now we have two slots to fill with unproven talent. Jeremy was the team's only consistent pass rushing threat. Outside of Micah Johnson and perhaps Randall Cobb, I think Jarmon was the worst person we could have lost.
With all said and done, I feel far worse for Jarmon than I do for the Cats. He made a mistake, but even if his story is totally false, the mistake would be an understandable one. Jarmon was told merely months ago that he was a marginal NFL prospect, and decided to come back to school. His junior campaign was, statistically at least, not as good as his sophomore year. A lot was hanging in the balance. Can you blame a kid who tries to get an extra edge in this situation? Now not only has he lost his senior football season, but he missed the draft and his chances to play in the NFL would appear slim. I hope in the coming days he gets some good advice about his options. I assume because he did not declare, he cannot play in the NFL next year. There could be a supplemental draft (a la Brian Bosworth, circa 1987), but I have no idea how this works. However it shakes out, this is a devastating blow for a young guy.
Finally, one word about Mitch Barnhart. Many things have been said about him. These days he looks like a genius, but he isn't that far removed from all of Kentucky calling for his head. He isn't flashy, and he doesn't always do what the faithful think need to be done. But the understated and classy way he handled the conference today should make people connected with the program extremely proud. He is a truly decent guy.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Early SEC Bowl Projections
Thanks to a quick look at John Clay's Blog this afternoon I learned that CFN-Scout has come out with its early bowl projections for 2009-2010. These are the first I've seen on the Internet from a mainstream outlet. On a national scale, these were interesting. Predictably, CFN has Florida in the National Championship. It went against what I think ultimately will be the grain by picking USC as its opponent. I'd go with Texas, or perhaps Oklahoma, and don't think I'd put USC back in a championship until it proves capable of getting through the PAC-10 without a toe stub again. There are some mild surprises, like West Virginia representing the Big East and the Big-Ten getting two teams in the BCS, otherwise pretty standard stuff.
The Bowl projection thing is batted around fairly often on this blog. The reasons are sort of quirky, but understandable. One, the experience of going to bowls is pretty central to my status as UK Football Fan. Granted, I was a fan before this recent streak, and will be still if we suck too bad to go to them again. Still, a part of my rooting interest stems from hoping for that trip, then ultimately hoping it can be to someplace better, different and further south.
Secondly, predicting who will go where lets me unleash my inner geek. In the SEC, I understand the rules and reasoning behind who goes where as well as anyone in the mainstream or Internet media. I cannot say that about any other aspect of football. Crap, I cannot really say that about anything. What I have to say more relevant than saying "Randall Cobb is well suited to play the slot" or "Sam Maxwell is set for a breakout season". I am not trying to be boastful, just noting that it isn't complicated, and I've spent a ton of time thinking about it.
Enough navel gazing. Let's look at Scout's predictions and how they jibe with my own, prepared about two weeks ago by predicting the records of every SEC team (including looking at the schedules and picking a winner for every league game). Scout picked opponents for each game. I will probably not piece that together until mid-November.
My picks are in parentheses.
National Championship
Florida (Florida)
Sugar Bowl
Ole Miss (Ole Miss)
Capital One Bowl
Georgia (Georgia)
Cotton Bowl
Alabama (Alabama)
Outback Bowl
LSU (Tennessee)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Drumrolll................Kentucky (LSU)
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas (Kentucky)
Music City Bowl
Tennessee (South Carolina)
Independence Bowl
Vanderbilt (No SEC team eligible, though if I had to pick the next team, Arkansas)
Pizza Web Site Bowl
Auburn (Auburn would be my #10 SEC team, but I still have them at 5-7)
If you look at who is where, it is reasonable to assume Scout has us going 8-4. This would mean beating the two teams SEC teams off this chart, Mississippi State and South Carolina, winning our four nonconference games, beating UT at home, and splitting our road games with two bowl bound teams below us (Vandy and Auburn). I think it is a bit optimistic, but doable. Also, I don't buy that South Carolina will be one of the SEC's two worst teams. Spurrier has been nothing if not consistently mediocre there. Not sure why this year would be any different.
The Bowl projection thing is batted around fairly often on this blog. The reasons are sort of quirky, but understandable. One, the experience of going to bowls is pretty central to my status as UK Football Fan. Granted, I was a fan before this recent streak, and will be still if we suck too bad to go to them again. Still, a part of my rooting interest stems from hoping for that trip, then ultimately hoping it can be to someplace better, different and further south.
Secondly, predicting who will go where lets me unleash my inner geek. In the SEC, I understand the rules and reasoning behind who goes where as well as anyone in the mainstream or Internet media. I cannot say that about any other aspect of football. Crap, I cannot really say that about anything. What I have to say more relevant than saying "Randall Cobb is well suited to play the slot" or "Sam Maxwell is set for a breakout season". I am not trying to be boastful, just noting that it isn't complicated, and I've spent a ton of time thinking about it.
Enough navel gazing. Let's look at Scout's predictions and how they jibe with my own, prepared about two weeks ago by predicting the records of every SEC team (including looking at the schedules and picking a winner for every league game). Scout picked opponents for each game. I will probably not piece that together until mid-November.
My picks are in parentheses.
National Championship
Florida (Florida)
Sugar Bowl
Ole Miss (Ole Miss)
Capital One Bowl
Georgia (Georgia)
Cotton Bowl
Alabama (Alabama)
Outback Bowl
LSU (Tennessee)
Chick-Fil-A Bowl
Drumrolll................Kentucky (LSU)
Liberty Bowl
Arkansas (Kentucky)
Music City Bowl
Tennessee (South Carolina)
Independence Bowl
Vanderbilt (No SEC team eligible, though if I had to pick the next team, Arkansas)
Pizza Web Site Bowl
Auburn (Auburn would be my #10 SEC team, but I still have them at 5-7)
If you look at who is where, it is reasonable to assume Scout has us going 8-4. This would mean beating the two teams SEC teams off this chart, Mississippi State and South Carolina, winning our four nonconference games, beating UT at home, and splitting our road games with two bowl bound teams below us (Vandy and Auburn). I think it is a bit optimistic, but doable. Also, I don't buy that South Carolina will be one of the SEC's two worst teams. Spurrier has been nothing if not consistently mediocre there. Not sure why this year would be any different.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Spring Football Game-Hartline post
Yesterday I drug my wife to the spring football game about four hours after she finished her first mini-marathon in Louisville. For the record, she ran it in 2:01.36 and I'm way proud. This is someone who was running her first 5K less than a year ago. Go Jenni.
This was my first spring game. It was nice to see an announced crowd of 20,020 (seems generous) there. People were tailgating, doing the whole bit. In fact, I missed an angle yesterday that will never escape me again. After sitting down for about 10 minutes, I commented to my wife that I smelled beer. The people behind me were drinking. My wife said, "No ticket takers, no ushers, no security". How did I not think of this? To paraphrase myself, I am never going to not bring beer to the spring game again.
The game itself was a mixed bag. Any time you split your squad up, every play has to be dissected twice, and was probably good for someone and bad for someone else. In the end, I think I would have wanted to see clean, mistake free football. This was not quite that.
Don't get me wrong, the game had bright spots. The reports from spring practices from Herald were money. Outside linebacker Danny Trevathan had a breakout game. Eleven tackles. Randall Burdon had his name called at corner several times. The best news of the game, though, was that Randall Cobb looked like a #1 receiver. Everything from getting open deep to catching balls off his left shoulder in a timing route, Cobb showed it. Oddly, Cobb and Hartline were split up, so Will Fidler was the one getting him the ball. More on that in a second.
I hinted at this on Friday, and since I've barely posted recently, I hate to repeat a theme. This one, unfortunately, bears repeating. The Cats cannot have a breakout year with Mike Hartline as a starting quarterback. He looked no better yesterday than he did a year ago. Hartline is trying to shed the reputation as a "game manager", someone who avoids mistakes but isn't called upon to make big plays. The problem is, right now he should aspire to be a game manager. Hartline, as usual, did not throw the ball well and led several empty possessions. But two plays that really were not primarily his fault spoke volumes about where this is all going. Some time in the second quarter Hartline threw a somewhat errant pitch to Alphonso Smith, who then juggled it for a good five yards, only to have it stripped an run back for a touchdown. Later, Hartline checked down through a series of progressions and threw a screen pass behind a receiver with a defender draped all over him. By the time the dust settled, the pass was complete, for -16 yards. Maybe the most damaging "successful" play in the history of football.
From an ardent Cats fan's perspective, the realization that these things do not happen to good quarterbacks certainly hurts. But these things don't happen to game managers, either. That is the real killer. Hartline has plateaued, and is probably about the guy we'll see in 2009, and if he is on the field in 2010. I hate to be so critical, but how bad a criticism is that? The list of human beings who are good enough quarterbacks to lead a talented but sometimes overmatched Kentucky squad to multiple SEC wins is amazingly small. Two hundred and fifty living souls, maybe? I am certain that Mike Hartline is a lot of great things. He just isn't one of those people. There are 250 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who don't have enough juice to be one of the top 250.
This said, I am not at all critical of the decision to make him the team's starter. To chalk this up as a mistake would presuppose that there is some better option. There doesn't appear to be. Will Fidler looked great for a couple of series' yesterday, but to hear Coach Brooks tell it, Fidler has consistently been light years behind Hartline in his progress. Randall Cobb looked good at times last year, but didn't have any more success in the SEC games. Cobb also loses any close battle. That is what he gets for also being the team's best receiver. Ideally one of the freshmen would step up in the fall and end up being "the man". (Realistically, the person to do it would be Morgan Newton). But that would be asking for a lot of progress in a short time, thus its no plan A. Brooks and Co. are stuck, and I am sure well aware that they are picking from 4 imperfect options.
All of which is a bit frustrating. This program has a lot of momentum, and one would think a shot to bite a couple of teams and get to 8 regular season wins.
As is often the case, I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think Mike Hartline gets us there.
Probably be back on blog silence for a while, but that is where we stand here at the end of spring practice.
This was my first spring game. It was nice to see an announced crowd of 20,020 (seems generous) there. People were tailgating, doing the whole bit. In fact, I missed an angle yesterday that will never escape me again. After sitting down for about 10 minutes, I commented to my wife that I smelled beer. The people behind me were drinking. My wife said, "No ticket takers, no ushers, no security". How did I not think of this? To paraphrase myself, I am never going to not bring beer to the spring game again.
The game itself was a mixed bag. Any time you split your squad up, every play has to be dissected twice, and was probably good for someone and bad for someone else. In the end, I think I would have wanted to see clean, mistake free football. This was not quite that.
Don't get me wrong, the game had bright spots. The reports from spring practices from Herald were money. Outside linebacker Danny Trevathan had a breakout game. Eleven tackles. Randall Burdon had his name called at corner several times. The best news of the game, though, was that Randall Cobb looked like a #1 receiver. Everything from getting open deep to catching balls off his left shoulder in a timing route, Cobb showed it. Oddly, Cobb and Hartline were split up, so Will Fidler was the one getting him the ball. More on that in a second.
I hinted at this on Friday, and since I've barely posted recently, I hate to repeat a theme. This one, unfortunately, bears repeating. The Cats cannot have a breakout year with Mike Hartline as a starting quarterback. He looked no better yesterday than he did a year ago. Hartline is trying to shed the reputation as a "game manager", someone who avoids mistakes but isn't called upon to make big plays. The problem is, right now he should aspire to be a game manager. Hartline, as usual, did not throw the ball well and led several empty possessions. But two plays that really were not primarily his fault spoke volumes about where this is all going. Some time in the second quarter Hartline threw a somewhat errant pitch to Alphonso Smith, who then juggled it for a good five yards, only to have it stripped an run back for a touchdown. Later, Hartline checked down through a series of progressions and threw a screen pass behind a receiver with a defender draped all over him. By the time the dust settled, the pass was complete, for -16 yards. Maybe the most damaging "successful" play in the history of football.
From an ardent Cats fan's perspective, the realization that these things do not happen to good quarterbacks certainly hurts. But these things don't happen to game managers, either. That is the real killer. Hartline has plateaued, and is probably about the guy we'll see in 2009, and if he is on the field in 2010. I hate to be so critical, but how bad a criticism is that? The list of human beings who are good enough quarterbacks to lead a talented but sometimes overmatched Kentucky squad to multiple SEC wins is amazingly small. Two hundred and fifty living souls, maybe? I am certain that Mike Hartline is a lot of great things. He just isn't one of those people. There are 250 CEOs of Fortune 500 companies who don't have enough juice to be one of the top 250.
This said, I am not at all critical of the decision to make him the team's starter. To chalk this up as a mistake would presuppose that there is some better option. There doesn't appear to be. Will Fidler looked great for a couple of series' yesterday, but to hear Coach Brooks tell it, Fidler has consistently been light years behind Hartline in his progress. Randall Cobb looked good at times last year, but didn't have any more success in the SEC games. Cobb also loses any close battle. That is what he gets for also being the team's best receiver. Ideally one of the freshmen would step up in the fall and end up being "the man". (Realistically, the person to do it would be Morgan Newton). But that would be asking for a lot of progress in a short time, thus its no plan A. Brooks and Co. are stuck, and I am sure well aware that they are picking from 4 imperfect options.
All of which is a bit frustrating. This program has a lot of momentum, and one would think a shot to bite a couple of teams and get to 8 regular season wins.
As is often the case, I hope I'm wrong. But I don't think Mike Hartline gets us there.
Probably be back on blog silence for a while, but that is where we stand here at the end of spring practice.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Spring Practice Hooky
I finally made it out to watch spring practice for a while this morning, after three weeks of bad weather and work obligations. Being there for the first time is kind of surreal. The practices are open to the public, but, today at least, there was hardly anyone watching. It was basically me and about a dozen other middle aged white guys, most sporting some form of Kentucky Blue. I felt like Buddy Garrity.
Today was a good day to attend weatherwise, not so much from a football standpoint. The spring game is tomorrow. As with the regular season, the day before the game was pretty much special teams, half speed, helmets but no pads. I was hoping to see Chip Cosby out there, to get some ideas about what to look for. But Chip, who has done a great job covering the practices for the Herald Leader these last three weeks, didn't appear to be there. Nonetheless, here is what I was able to glean with my spring football virgin eyes.
* I tried to watch Mike Hartline throw, but this proved difficult. It was a special teams practice. So the quarterbacks were off by themselves on the far field at Nutter, doing footwork and throwing drills. At a pretty deliberate pace. You cannot tell much, but even in a drill with no one harassing him, Hartline had some good throws and some bad ones. Between that and the somewhat tepid reviews of his performance this spring, I'm kind of resigned. Hartline may become a serviceable QB over the next couple of years, but he will never even be a "good but not great" SEC starter along the lines of a John Parker Wilson, Matt Flynn or an Eric Ainge. This is probably what UK needs to be an 8-9 win team with him at the helm. It probably isn't there.
*Randall Cobb was returning kicks and holding on field goal attempts. He was not working out with the QBs. Of course, this may have changed after I left. I like Cobb as a holder. With as many kicks as we've had blocked, it makes sense to have a holder who'll make defenses consider playing it straight.
*Lones Seiber slipped and fell on his ass while kicking once. The only thing missing was Lucy Van Pelt.
*UK recruit and former Boyle County WR Jordan Aumiller was looking on. Brooks walked up to him, warmly greeted him, shook his hand then asked if he'd started working out yet. After a less than 100% positive response to his question, Brooks muttered something and walked away with one of the Buddy Garritys.
*Derrick Locke and Dickie Lyons were working out together on the sidelines. They were taking turns running 40 yard sprints with a trainer harnessed to their backs while trying to slow them up. Grueling. Lyons appears to be further along than Locke, who was laboring a bit at the end of his runs. Both were doing far better than you and I would, trust me.
*Cobb carries himself differently than the other players. In what was an otherwise relaxed atmosphere, he seemed very serious about getting the kicking practice done quickly and correctly. When his turn to hold was over, he went over and hugged Lyons, did a jump/hip bump with Locke and playfully squirted water on a game assistant coach. He is comfortable in his own skin, and seems to have an aura. This has been mentioned more than once by coaches and other observers. Today, I totally saw it.
*That said, Cobb looked a little shakier than I'd like fielding punts. Winston Guy, on the other hand, may strike some fear in the SEC as a kickoff returner come fall. Look for it.
If I make the spring game, or some part thereof, tomorrow I'll have more. Looks like a gametime decision.
Today was a good day to attend weatherwise, not so much from a football standpoint. The spring game is tomorrow. As with the regular season, the day before the game was pretty much special teams, half speed, helmets but no pads. I was hoping to see Chip Cosby out there, to get some ideas about what to look for. But Chip, who has done a great job covering the practices for the Herald Leader these last three weeks, didn't appear to be there. Nonetheless, here is what I was able to glean with my spring football virgin eyes.
* I tried to watch Mike Hartline throw, but this proved difficult. It was a special teams practice. So the quarterbacks were off by themselves on the far field at Nutter, doing footwork and throwing drills. At a pretty deliberate pace. You cannot tell much, but even in a drill with no one harassing him, Hartline had some good throws and some bad ones. Between that and the somewhat tepid reviews of his performance this spring, I'm kind of resigned. Hartline may become a serviceable QB over the next couple of years, but he will never even be a "good but not great" SEC starter along the lines of a John Parker Wilson, Matt Flynn or an Eric Ainge. This is probably what UK needs to be an 8-9 win team with him at the helm. It probably isn't there.
*Randall Cobb was returning kicks and holding on field goal attempts. He was not working out with the QBs. Of course, this may have changed after I left. I like Cobb as a holder. With as many kicks as we've had blocked, it makes sense to have a holder who'll make defenses consider playing it straight.
*Lones Seiber slipped and fell on his ass while kicking once. The only thing missing was Lucy Van Pelt.
*UK recruit and former Boyle County WR Jordan Aumiller was looking on. Brooks walked up to him, warmly greeted him, shook his hand then asked if he'd started working out yet. After a less than 100% positive response to his question, Brooks muttered something and walked away with one of the Buddy Garritys.
*Derrick Locke and Dickie Lyons were working out together on the sidelines. They were taking turns running 40 yard sprints with a trainer harnessed to their backs while trying to slow them up. Grueling. Lyons appears to be further along than Locke, who was laboring a bit at the end of his runs. Both were doing far better than you and I would, trust me.
*Cobb carries himself differently than the other players. In what was an otherwise relaxed atmosphere, he seemed very serious about getting the kicking practice done quickly and correctly. When his turn to hold was over, he went over and hugged Lyons, did a jump/hip bump with Locke and playfully squirted water on a game assistant coach. He is comfortable in his own skin, and seems to have an aura. This has been mentioned more than once by coaches and other observers. Today, I totally saw it.
*That said, Cobb looked a little shakier than I'd like fielding punts. Winston Guy, on the other hand, may strike some fear in the SEC as a kickoff returner come fall. Look for it.
If I make the spring game, or some part thereof, tomorrow I'll have more. Looks like a gametime decision.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Early Spring Reset
With UK basketball season and the Billy Gillispie era drawing to a close, spring football around the corner and the Cats 2009 schedule apparently being finalized this week, its time to reset this thing.
Let's talk about the schedule.
Sept. 5 vs. Miami (Ohio) (in Cincinnati)
Sept. 19 vs. Louisville
Sept. 26 vs. Florida
Oct. 3 vs. Alabama
Oct. 10 at South Carolina
Oct. 17 at Auburn
Oct. 24 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Oct. 31 vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 7 vs. Eastern Kentucky
Nov. 14 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 21 at Georgia
Nov. 28 vs. Tennessee
First off, I like the addition of Miami of Ohio as an "away" game. UK gets a guarantee game without writing a big check, and will benefit from a return game to Commonwealth in either 2010 or 2013. It gives the Cats a chance to play in an NFL stadium, and is a treat for the Northern Kentucky fan base. Moreover, this will be a fun game to attend, and will give UK's less zealous season tickets holders a break from paying to see three guarantee games.
That is the good news. The bad news is that UK now has a totally unnecessary open date on September 12th, then plays eleven straight weeks. The effect of playing this many games in a row may be blunted by the two non-conference games interspersed later in the year. Still, it isn't an ideal circumstance for a team that generally lacks the depth of its late season opponents and is always limping in the home stretch.
I've said this before but I'll say it again. The scheduling problem had an easy fix. UK and Eastern both have open dates on Septmber 12th. It would have made too much sense to switch this game from November 7th. First, the switch would have reduced the consecutive week stretch from 11 to 9. UK would have an open date right before a critical road game at Vandy, and ensuing contests at Georgia and home against UT. As it is, the open date before Louisville will be nice, but not very useful. Secondly, playing the EKU game earlier hopefully would have placed another W in the record before what might be a humbling two game homestand versus Florida and Alabama. The added confidence would have been nice not only going into those games, but assuming they go poorly, the residual good feeling would have helped going into what I think will be the most important part of the season (more on that in a moment).
If I could ask Mitch Barnhart one question today, it would have nothing to do with who will coach the basketball team this year. I'd ask him why this switch wasn't made. I doubt EKU would have objected, given what this game means to it financially. There doesn't seem to be a rational argument against it.
This all appears moot now that season ticket renewals have gone out. I realize that I am getting bogged down in minutia, as I often do, but it is late March, and there isn't much else to say.
Another note about the schedule. Last year I circled back to back home games against USC and Arkansas as the keys to our season. Of course, I did not anticipate that we would lose to Vandy, but that part of the schedule did end up being fateful. Had we found a way to hold on against South Carolina, we likely would have finished the season in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Conversely, without the improbable comeback against The Razorbacks, the season would have ended without a bowl and with many questioning the program's direction.
This year has such a stretch. Unfortunately, it will be contested on the road. Assuming the first four games on the schedule play out as expected, UK will head to Columbia 2-2 on October 10th with two in-conference home losses on its resume. The next week it will travel to Auburn. A win in either game would go a long way in getting us to a respectable season. Lose both and we'll have no momentum going into what should be the most manageable stretch of the season, not to mention a pencil thin margin for error left for getting bowl eligible.
I am going to try to get to spring practice for an hour or two here and there. You'll hear from me then, for sure.
And for the record, I would also love to ask Mitch about whether he has considered John Beilein, whose name no one else ever brings up.
Let's talk about the schedule.
Sept. 5 vs. Miami (Ohio) (in Cincinnati)
Sept. 19 vs. Louisville
Sept. 26 vs. Florida
Oct. 3 vs. Alabama
Oct. 10 at South Carolina
Oct. 17 at Auburn
Oct. 24 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Oct. 31 vs. Mississippi State
Nov. 7 vs. Eastern Kentucky
Nov. 14 at Vanderbilt
Nov. 21 at Georgia
Nov. 28 vs. Tennessee
First off, I like the addition of Miami of Ohio as an "away" game. UK gets a guarantee game without writing a big check, and will benefit from a return game to Commonwealth in either 2010 or 2013. It gives the Cats a chance to play in an NFL stadium, and is a treat for the Northern Kentucky fan base. Moreover, this will be a fun game to attend, and will give UK's less zealous season tickets holders a break from paying to see three guarantee games.
That is the good news. The bad news is that UK now has a totally unnecessary open date on September 12th, then plays eleven straight weeks. The effect of playing this many games in a row may be blunted by the two non-conference games interspersed later in the year. Still, it isn't an ideal circumstance for a team that generally lacks the depth of its late season opponents and is always limping in the home stretch.
I've said this before but I'll say it again. The scheduling problem had an easy fix. UK and Eastern both have open dates on Septmber 12th. It would have made too much sense to switch this game from November 7th. First, the switch would have reduced the consecutive week stretch from 11 to 9. UK would have an open date right before a critical road game at Vandy, and ensuing contests at Georgia and home against UT. As it is, the open date before Louisville will be nice, but not very useful. Secondly, playing the EKU game earlier hopefully would have placed another W in the record before what might be a humbling two game homestand versus Florida and Alabama. The added confidence would have been nice not only going into those games, but assuming they go poorly, the residual good feeling would have helped going into what I think will be the most important part of the season (more on that in a moment).
If I could ask Mitch Barnhart one question today, it would have nothing to do with who will coach the basketball team this year. I'd ask him why this switch wasn't made. I doubt EKU would have objected, given what this game means to it financially. There doesn't seem to be a rational argument against it.
This all appears moot now that season ticket renewals have gone out. I realize that I am getting bogged down in minutia, as I often do, but it is late March, and there isn't much else to say.
Another note about the schedule. Last year I circled back to back home games against USC and Arkansas as the keys to our season. Of course, I did not anticipate that we would lose to Vandy, but that part of the schedule did end up being fateful. Had we found a way to hold on against South Carolina, we likely would have finished the season in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. Conversely, without the improbable comeback against The Razorbacks, the season would have ended without a bowl and with many questioning the program's direction.
This year has such a stretch. Unfortunately, it will be contested on the road. Assuming the first four games on the schedule play out as expected, UK will head to Columbia 2-2 on October 10th with two in-conference home losses on its resume. The next week it will travel to Auburn. A win in either game would go a long way in getting us to a respectable season. Lose both and we'll have no momentum going into what should be the most manageable stretch of the season, not to mention a pencil thin margin for error left for getting bowl eligible.
I am going to try to get to spring practice for an hour or two here and there. You'll hear from me then, for sure.
And for the record, I would also love to ask Mitch about whether he has considered John Beilein, whose name no one else ever brings up.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Signing off
It looks like time to call it a year for UK Football Fan. I've really enjoyed writing and I thank the people who took the time to read, comment, become followers, etc.
If you enjoy the writing, look for posts on Scutch Speaks starting this week. I'll continue on that with a sports, pop culture and vagaries of life bent. If nothing else, check back during the NCAA tournament, when, time permitting, I will reprise my running diary for a day or two. I'll also be using Scutch Speaks to test out other bells and whistles on Blogger, with the idea of making UK Football Fan a little more fun on 2009.
I will be back on UK Football Fan on occasion, if some big news comes out, and perhaps during spring practice. Otherwise, check back in August.
I'll let Stevie take us out.
If you enjoy the writing, look for posts on Scutch Speaks starting this week. I'll continue on that with a sports, pop culture and vagaries of life bent. If nothing else, check back during the NCAA tournament, when, time permitting, I will reprise my running diary for a day or two. I'll also be using Scutch Speaks to test out other bells and whistles on Blogger, with the idea of making UK Football Fan a little more fun on 2009.
I will be back on UK Football Fan on occasion, if some big news comes out, and perhaps during spring practice. Otherwise, check back in August.
I'll let Stevie take us out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
