Second Annual Mad Men Quotes Season Preview

Summer television sucks. I don't get into Who Wants to Look Like a Jackass and Who Wants to Marry a Jackass shows, so that pretty well relegates me to reruns or covering something on DVD I haven't seen before. This summer, my wife and I dove into Veronica Mars, a show that survived three seasons on the WB and was cancelled. Cancelled shows fall into two categories. 95% are cancelled because they suck in execution or were terrible ideas to begin with. No one was ever going to watch Cop Rock or Cavemen. The other 5% are cancelled because people who watch TV are idiots. Put Veronica Mars in the "Arrested Development 5%" camp. Smart writing, great characters, appealing cast, interesting feel and (take my man card now) one of the better romance stories ever played out on television. Just a heck of a show on every level. Watching the show end on DVD was tough because the creators were clearly not sure whether the show would end when it wrapped. The finale was full of hedging. While we are on this tangent, Logan Echolls (played by Jason Dohring, who'd be a big star if I ran Hollywood) is in Hawkeye Pierce, Tim Riggins territory as all-time favorite TV character.



But I'm not here today to talk about Veronica. Tonight, as many of you are keenly aware, is the premiere of season 4 of Mad Men. Folks are pumped for Mad Men not only because its amazing, but because we've been watching bullshit for the last two months. (Well, you've been watching bullshit, I've been watching a show about a 17 year old girl who solves high school mysteries that didn't get picked up for a fourth season on the CW). The folks at AMC know we are starving for something good on the tube, which makes the mid-summer release a brilliant move.



As ready as I am to watch Don Draper and Co. tonight, I'm also in the mood to kick start UK Football Fan and get ready for football season. So, for the second year in a row, lets get a little season preview going, Mad Men style. This isn't my whole season preview, but its a good way to kick things off, so to speak.



"I want a Hilton on the moon, that's where we're headed."



Operation Win has gotten off with a bang. Joker has put his stamp on the program in a couple of ways. First, he has served notice that this is his team. He immediately let go of assistants Rick Petri and Jimmy Heggins and replaced them with guys who he thought would be better recruiters. These guys weren't considered bad coaches, and hadn't been on hot seat. No matter, Joker wanted what he wanted, and didn't worry about stepping on toes to get it. For reasons unknown, Phillips waited until June to let special teams assistant Steve Ortmeyer go, then replaced him with Greg Nord, a former UofL recruiting coordinator (when they were damned good). Secondly, Joker's emphasis on recruiting has already borne fruit. UK sits with a top 25 class for 2011, including Four-Star DB Glen Faulkner and several Three-Star players. As always, the challenge will be to keep those guys solid and have them sign the dotted line next year, but so far, so good.



The only big setback this offseason appears to be in the classroom. Starting corner Paul Warford will not play for the Wildcats again, and DT Mister Cobble's eligibility is also in jeopardy. Still, operation win seems to be in full effect.



"I hate to break it to you, but there is no big lie, there is no system, the universe is indifferent"


Who will quarterback the Cats this year? Joker has taken the bold and correct stand by saying that whoever wins the competition will be the guy who can make plays, not simply manage the game. In Randall Cobb, Chris Matthews and Larod King, UK has its best receivers since the Burton, Johnson, Tamme, Lyons days. This offense needs to carry the team, and it has to throw to do that. I am indifferent to who quarterbacks this team. Except in spurts, Hartline has never impressed me. Newton, who is a great kid, did a good job of not losing games last year. But the offense was so limited with him out there, I have to wonder whether he can ever be that guy. Mossakowski is the great unknown, but if the Cats go with him they'll be passing over guys with a lot of experience for someone who has none.



What I am not indifferent to is this: Kentucky can win 8 or 9 games this year if their quarterback can consistently complete passes downfield and avoid costly mistakes. If we are dinking and dunking and deliberatly going three and out to avoid turning the ball over, like we did late last year, this is a six win team. Hopefully.



"If you don't like whats being said, just change the conversation"

Don't believe what you read in any national source, the Cats' Offensive Line is going to be just fine this year. Technically, Stuart Hines is the only returning starter, but that is misleading. A number of guys have played a lot of football for us over the years. I wanted to talk about this in more detail, but Duncan Cavanah at Kentucky Sports Radio has already done the legwork and since he writes better than I do, there isn't much point in repeating it. His main points are these: Cats linemen have collectively played in 156 games and started 31, converted DE Chandler Burdon could be a stud at Left Tackle and the right side of our line will be huge and skilled. I really believe that the o-line will be a strength of the team. There is depth at every position, so if a guy isn't producing, he'll get yanked. I want to change the conversation and say this: I'll be disappointed if the offensive line skips a beat this year.

"I didn't get where I am by dwelling on the past."

While I realize we will have Tennessee on the road, they are ripe for the plucking. Their leading returning rusher gained 94 yards last year. No one on the roster has thrown a college pass. Eric Berry isn't walking through that door. We might be playing for something that night while they might not. Hell, we were picked to finish ahead of them in the SEC East this year. None of that matters, though, if the Cats cannot put the past behind them and win this game.

"I'm Peggy Olson and I want to smoke some marijuana"

I'll never understand why, with games on the line at USC (2 point conversion attempt) and against UT (3rd and goal at the 3, TD wins game, entire stadium knows we cannot win in overtime), we didn't run plays out of the Wildcat last year. While I expect the Cats' offense to be improved overall, I'll be looking for the Wildcat again in these situations, and answers if we fail using the conventional offense.

"I keep going a lot of places and ending up somewhere I've already been."

Subject to what I've already said about the quarterback situation, and with the understanding that the schedule set-up is nearly ideal, I cannot shake the belief that this is a 6 or 7 win team, much as it has been the last three years. I see wins against WKU, Akron and Charleston Southern. We will get 2 of 3 from Louisville, Mississippi State and Vandy. A three week homestand against Auburn, USC and Georgia will yield one win. That is six wins with away games against Ole Miss and UT unaccounted for. More on that to come.

Ortmayer out, Nord in.

News comes today that Steve Ortmayer is out as UK's special teams and tight ends coach. He'll be replaced by former UK and U of L assistant Greg Nord, who had just joined Ron Zook's staff at Illinois in December. Nord was a casualty when Kragthorpe was blown out, but he had been on the staff there for 15 years. As recruiting coordinator, he obviously enjoyed a fair amount of success. Nord was an assistant at Kentucky under Jerry Claiborne.

On this site, I've been openly critical of the job Ortmayer did with the special teams. My thinking was this: Since it has little choice if it wants to compete in the SEC, UK regularly uses its front line players on special teams. We've consistently failed to execute simple blocking schemes on punts and kicks over the past few years. Since the same kids who do everything else are involved, that has to come back to coaching. It is too painful to recount all the times this has killed us.

True, we have had some success during Ortmeyer's tenure both returning and blocking kicks. I believe, though, that this is also a function of having the team's best players performing these tasks. Maybe that isn't fair, but you cannot draw up Derrick Locke's speed on a chalkboard, that's for sure.

I don't have an opinion on Nord. Most people seem to see him as an upgrade. He has a good pedigree. Hopefully he'll help recruiting in Louisville, which will be prime battleground for the program in the near future. At the end, I just feel like this was a move Joker had to make if he was going to put his stamp on the program.

The most curious thing about the move is the timing. Presumably, Joker could have fired Ortmayer when he let Jimmy Heggins and Rick Petri go at the beginning of the year. Maybe Nord's situation changed and he became available. My best guess is that Joker did not want to risk alienating Rich Brooks right after he took the job, and simply bided his time. After all, Brooks and Ortmayer had been together a while and many expected him to step down voluntarily when Brooks left.

Finally, say this for Joker. In his first six months at the helm, he landed three desired position coaches who made arguably lateral moves (from Arkansas, Mississippi State and Illinois) to be here. He has landed a fourth guy from a lower D-1 school (Tee Martin) who may the the best hire of all. He means business, and I like that.

68 Days

With the biggest night in UK basketball history now out of the way, there is a whiff of football in the air.
UK Football Fan will make its return on or about August 1. In the meantime, you can follow me on Twitter here.

New SEC Bowl Lineup

As the offseason progresses, we are about halfway between national signing day and spring practice, basically the deadest college football period of the year. With that in mind, lets take a look at the new and improved SEC Bowl lineup that will go into effect this year and should hold firm through 2013. The shakeup was the result of the SEC signing a four year deal with the Gator Bowl for a game that will feature yet another SEC v. Big 10 New Year's Day matchup. Not coincidentally, the Independence Bowl has dropped its association with the SEC. The decision was reportedly based in part on being bumped down a spot in the pecking order, and the increased chance that, as in year's past, no SEC team would be available to take the slot in future years.

Obviously, the SEC has once again made out like a bandit with the switchout. This is a boon for fans of middling to lower tier football schools (read: Us) as the league's worst bowl destination has been replaced by a potentially warm and closer, if not exactly picturesque, Jacksonville.

The Gator has apparently been promised to have at least the sixth pick (seven if the SEC places 2 teams in the BCS) among SEC schools, placing it just behind the Chick-Fil-A Bowl in the pecking order. Given the CFA's history with the SEC and its strength (the game sells out annually) I don't anticipate that lie will improve. Assuming so, below is a look at the new lineup. Recall that the SEC will almost always received an at-large BCS berth, which effectively gives it 10 slots instead of 9.

1) BCS (??)

2) Capital One Bowl v. Big 10 #2 (Jan. 1)

3,4) Cotton Bowl v. Big 12 #2 (Jan. 2)

3, 4) Outback Bowl v. Big 10 #3 (Jan. 1)

5) Chick-Fil-A Bowl v. ACC #2 (Jan. 1)

6) Gator Bowl v. Big 10 #4 or #5 (Jan 1)

7, 8) Music City Bowl v. ACC #5, 6 or 7 (Jan. 27)

7,8) Liberty Bowl v. Conference USA Champion (Jan. 2)

9) Papajohns.com Bowl v. Big East #5 (Jan. 2)

Apologies

I had a number of hits on here yesterday, which makes sense since it was national signing day. UK Football Fan came up with absolutely nothing for the occasion, other than a couple of Tweets designed to appear on the site. That is on me. The big reason is that I am not a recruiting guy. I know some names, etc. but that is it. So, this makes everything I would say on the topic a regurgitation of what I read on The Cats Pause, KSR or the Herald-Leader. As you know, if I cannot add my own spin or expand on something I've seen, I don't like to write about it.

Which brings me to a couple of points. UK Football Fan will be going into hiatus until August, unless some large news about the program breaks. I've already left Joker's coaching shakeups and national signing day alone, so you can imagine that the news will probably have to be pretty major. Of course, with starting a new job and trying to get my own law practice off the ground, January was kind of rough. Still, not much will be said until the new football season beckons.

Secondly, I decided at the end of the season that I either need to grow this site, go write on another one, or stop doing this entirely. I think where I've settled is with adding one or two writers. The idea would be to produce at least one column each day of the season. I'd be looking for some combination of writing skill, knowledge of the football program, and connections with either UK or the Kentucky sports journalism community. Someone who knew more than jack shit about recruiting would also be helpful. If you are interested, shoot me a line.

Brooks hangs it up

As I'm sure you know by now, Rich Brooks called it quits after 7 seasons as the head football coach of the Kentucky Wildcats. I have mixed feelings about it. Usually you see a coach go out on top or on the bottom. Brooks certainly wasn't run out of town, but he isn't exactly riding off into the sunset either. At 68, he had some coaching left in him. He even admitted in his presser that his family wanted him to continue.
In the end, I think a couple of things were in play. First, Brooks is tired, and really did not want to coach any more. If UK had won its bowl game or ended the Tennessee streak, he would have had a very easy decision. Instead, he had to decide if he could make it one more year to try to end on a more positive note. This bleeds into what I believe is the second factor, i.e. that Brooks decided that he has taken UK Football about as far as he can take it. At his age and given what he has accomplished the last four years, he sees himself as a steward for the program as much as a coach. He didn't want to wait around another year because inside he knew it was unlikely the results would be much different.
The reasons for this are open to debate. While otherwise very upbeat and respectful, Brooks basically started his remarks with a laundry list of facility upgrades he felt could move the program forward. His message was clear, the administration can say it supports football, but it hasn't shown the will to make it all happen. A fair point perhaps, but it is only part of the story. The truth is, the same could be said about Brooks.
Before you get up in arms, I actually mean this in a good way. First, Brooks valued loyalty ahead of doing everything he had to in order to win. Just ask Steve Ortmeyer, who should have been replaced as special teams coach two years ago. More importantly, he had too much integrity to lead Kentucky to the promise land of New Years Day games and top 25 rankings (something that almost certainly cannot be done here without cutting a few corners). Answer this, with Mike Hartline waiting in the wings, does Urban Meyer throw Curtis Pulley off his team for a couple of misdemeanor arrests? No way in hell. I don't know that this makes Meyer a better or worse football coach, but it certainly makes Brooks more principled.
In the end, here is what you can say about Brooks. He came here and eventually won games and went to Bowls like Hal Mumme, while being the kind of man Bill Curry was. If you ask me, that is a damned good legacy.
The question now is where do we go from here. Joker and Barnhart will ostensibly hammer out a deal shortly, though I think it very odd Phillips wasn't there today. I've heard at least one rumor of a substantial staff shakeup which turns the focus from X's and O's to recruiting. Phillips will not be a Brooks clone. Like any longtime assistant who has been around, he'll have his own ideas about running things. When he wakes up a week from now, the big decisions will be his.
Before long, Brooks will be waking up in a beautiful home on Oregon's McKenzie River. I hope when he looks out the window he thinks of all the good things he did here and not what might have been.

2010 Preview

As we start 2010 and UK Football Fan winds down, it is time to talk about next season. Right now, the coaching situation still hangs in the air. I believe the longer this drags on the more likely Rich Brooks is returning. My guess is things are going on behind the scenes. Barnhart was recently quoted in the Herald Leader regarding his desire for Brooks to return AND defending the athletic department's support of the football program. This smacks of some back room dealing and Brooks using whatever leverage he can to improve the support of the program.

I personally hate to see PawPaw go out on a sour note, and I'd like to see him take the victory lap he deserves. Announcing that 2010 will be his last year would be the way to go. I also think right now, with players and fans alike questioning the play calling, is not the best timing for Joker taking over the program. We'll see.

Looking to 2010, the first thing that strikes me is how well the schedule sets up. Alabama falls off, and is replaced by Ole Miss. The Cats get a couple of their middling opponents, Auburn and South Carolina, at home. Two games we seem destined to lose anyway (Florida and Tennessee) will be on the road. Finally, Akron, Western Kentucky and Charleston Southern don't exactly strike fear in the hearts of men. Louisville will be improved under Charlie Strong (now I can say it, yes Kraigthorpe had to go), but the boys in red will have a talent gap to overcome still when playing the Cats for the next year or two.

It appears that Morgan Newton will have the inside track on the quarterback position, what with Mike Hartline not even getting off the bench in the Music City Bowl. If the Cats cannot open the playbook any more than they did under Newton this year, I implore them to go in a different direction. Despite the five wins we eecked out under Morgan, the offense looked positively Uzelacian. If we cannot do more than run quarterback draws and throw screens on passing downs, we are in trouble. I like Morgan Newton and Mike Hartline both very much. I just hope someone steps up to the plate, be it one of them or Ryan Mossakowski.

The offense line is losing a lot, but we'll be in better shape than most people think. Stuart Hines will be an All-SEC candidate next year. Brad Durham, though not technically a returning starter, played a lot of football for us this year. Matt Smith, Marcus Davis, Jake Lanefski and Sam Simpson will all challenge for time on the interior line, and Larry Warford and/or Billy Joe Murphy will probably step up big at tackle. It may take some time, but I think a new unit will gel nicely by the meat of the schedule.

As I've mentioned previously, the WRs will be the strength of the offense next year, assuming someone can get them the ball. I'd love to see Cobb have a legitimate #1 receiver season, catching 50-60 balls. He has it in him. I like Chris Matthews and Larod King as #2 and 3 receivers with another year under their belts. Tight end is a question mark, but then again, it has been since Jacob Tamme departed. I'd like to see Brooks and Co. move sure handed walk-on Nick Melillo to that spot and see what he can do.

Derrick Locke and the Turtle can hold it down in the backfield. Of course, the Cats will have to replace Fullback John Conner, who is graduating along with AJ Nance, his #1 backup.

On defense, it is the ultimate case of good news/bad news. On the front, the Cats lose defensive MVP-DT Corey Peters. The good news: this was probably the deepest position on the team. Starter Ricky Lumpkin and contributors Mark Crawford and Shane McCord all return. At end, Dequin Evans and Taylor Windham, two unexpected revelations in 2009 will form a pretty good tandem. Chandler Burden gives us experienced depth.

The big question mark is Linebacker, where the Cats must replace All-Sec performers Sam Maxwell and Micah Johnson. Danny Trevathan will return as a starter on the weak side. He is poised for a breakout year. Presumably Ronnie Snead will start in the middle. He performed well when called upon this year. The strongside spot would appear to be wide open. Jacob Dufrene filled in for Maxwell in the Music City Bowl and I honestly don't remember seeing him in on a play. Ridge Wilson will also get a look here. The staff is also high on Qua Huzzie, though it is hard to see both he and Trevathan starting unless Danny puts on some weight and is moved to the strong side. Obviously, whoever plays will be filling some big shoes.

The secondary should be another strength for the Cats. Randall Burdon and Paul Warford have played a ton football for us and should wear the role of full-time CB starters well. There is depth at the position with guys like Martavious Neloms and Cartier Rice having been forced to fill in this year with all the injuries. Winston Guy is a potential star at free safety. Big Blue Nation was poised for Guy to blow up last year with all the hype the coaches heaped on him. He has a solid, if unspectacular year. Maybe this is the year. Matt Lentz is ready to be a full time starter at SS, but I can see some other guys like Greg Wilson getting a look here as well.

So there we go. Says here the difference between 5 and 8 regular season wins is finding a quarterback competent enough in the downfield passing game that we can go back to running a regular offense. Filling the other holes is important, but I have enough confidence in our newfound depth and recruiting success that I think those things will take care of themselves.

Have a Happy New Year.

Quick Postgame Summary

This was no doubt a frustrating night for UK Football Fan. First off, it was crazy cold outside, which made standing up and going nuts in the stands almost impossible. We brought the kids, and I resorted to sitting my son on my lap to try to stay warm. So basically, I was planted to my chair.
I could not have been more wrong about how the game developed. In the beginning, Clemson looked like the team that didn't come to play. We had chances to really take control, and outside of the opening drive, didn't capitalize. Then Clemson started to assert its running game, and the UK offense became one dimensional and just kind of imploded. I don't understand why Mike Hartline did not play. I cannot imagine a situation that would have called for it more.
The saddest moment was Trevard Lindley falling down and looking up to watch a Clemson receiver haul in a touchdown pass. I've never seen a player's career fall apart like this, and I felt horrible for him.
I also understand Micah went down with a minute or so left. I must have missed it. A shame for him, and I hope it isn't serious.
In any event, I had a great weekend and am already looking forward to next season. We'll talk more in the coming days, as Brooks is reportedly "80% sure" he isn't coming back and will apparently decide in the next week.

Chinless MCB Preview

I'm in Nashville

The UK Football Fan household is now basking in the afterglow of Christmas. I am waiting for my son to get off the Wii so I can get back to playing DJ Hero. Since he isn't going to do so voluntarily for some time, now is a good time for a blog post. Or not. I actually started this post on Christmas afternoon, aborted mission, and am now finishing up from the Opryland Hotel. I cannot tell if this is where the team is staying. I've seen Mitch Barnhart and Sam Maxwell, but neither are suiting up tomorrow, so who knows.

In any event, we are here. Hopefully we'll meet up with some Cats fans and have a nice day checking the place out with the kids. Tomorrow we'll get up leisurely, check out, and head for downtown. There we'll meet up with several friends and try to find a spot to warm up before the game. They are all big Bengals fans, so we'll be getting in front of a TV for that. The 7:30 start will make for an interesting dynamic. We will freeze out butts off, the game is going to end late, and I have to guard against the often fatal "too early start" on the day's festivities.

Bringing the kids means, among other things, that we'll be heading back to the hotel right after the game. Win, lose or draw, they'll be no repeat of 2008's Memphis shenanigans. Getting old stinks.

Anyway, we are off to a good start on our big weekend. If you are down here hit me up.