Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
These are odd days for a Kentucky fan. On the one hand, basketball is on the horizon and a season to remember seems quite likely. The John Calipari kickoff luncheon is Wednesday, Media Day is Thursday and Midnight Madness (yes I still call it that) comes on Friday night. As a Kentucky basketball fan, this may be the most optimistic the fanbase has been in over a decade. For the first time since 1996, Kentucky goes into the season believing it can (and will) win the national championship and it seems impossible that the season can be anything but highly successful. The feeling is akin to the one of heightened anticipation that occurs right before an epic night out with your friends in Vegas. You know that no matter what happens, good things are to come. The only question is just how good it is going to be.
Contrast to that football, where it might be the most down the fanbase has ever been in the internet era. It is nearly impossible to find even one Kentucky fan optimistic about the future after what might have been the most embarrassing UK performance since the Curry days. The program has become a national laughingstock, with the second worst offense in the nation and virtually no reason for hope in sight. There exists no magic set of young players that the optimist can cling to in search of rationalization. There is zero confidence in the leadership of the team and supporters seems to fall off by the hour. Players lack confidence, decisions become more baffling by the game and the only consolation is that the whole of the product is so miserable that none individually have to bear to great brunt of the blame. It is a train wreck on nearly every level and it becomes harder and harder to fathom a way that the program can find its way back on track.
Prior to watching the South Carolina beatdown, I went out Friday night and watched the movie made out of my favorite baseball book, “Moneyball.” By now, most of you know the story of Moneyball. A revolution occurred in baseball a few years back in which some egghead statisticians realized that if one approached the game with raw data rather than subjective feel, market discrepancies could be taken advantage of in order to create a superior product. Led by GM Billy Beane, the Oakland A’s rationalized that since they could not compete with the New York Yankees’ payroll (it was 4 times greater than what they could afford), the only way they could compete on the field was by attacking the problem via a different method. In the movie, Brad Pitt (playing Beane) says, “we can’t play their game and win. So we have to play a different game completely and make that difference make up for our weakness.” The A’s realized that their focus on a “different game” (in this case worrying about men on base, rather than simply HRs, RBIs and Batting Average) became their method of survival and prosperity.
I thought about the movie a great deal on Saturday as I watched Kentucky come to the field with its Tecmo Bowl playbook and attempt to run a “pro-style” vanilla offense against another team with superior talent. Yes there was a HB and WR pass (both of which were intercepted), but both seemed like plays done more to respond to short-termed complaints and look “aggressive,” rather than any actual change in team philosophy. Saturday was yet another example that the UK program under Joker Phillips is currently fighting a battle that it simply cannot win. Taking the field against better, more-talented teams, Kentucky is attempting to compete in a game where the odds are so stacked against them that success is virtually impossible. 10 of the 11 other teams in the SEC (and maybe soon Vandy as well) have better talent than Kentucky and all are located in states that produce more college football players than the Bluegrass state. Nearly all have greater financial resources (aka football donors…something UK has in abundance for basketball, but much less prevalent for football) and most are able to recruit talent that Kentucky simply can’t match.
Like the A’s pre-Moneyball, Kentucky is trying to compete against these teams by doing it their way, but with far fewer resources (in this case talent). Joker Phillips is looking at the Alabamas, LSUs and Floridas and saying, “they play a certain style and thus the way to have success is for us to play that style as well.” He seems to believe that Kentucky’s best opportunity to become a powerhouse program is to emulate their method. But he is wrong. Kentucky will never, EVER be able to compete straight-up in the SEC. It simply can’t happen. The structural inequalities of the conference will not let it exist. We don’t have the recruiting base to ever be a national powerhouse and the rigors of the SEC make it impossible for us to even have the occasional glory year that inferior programs like Louisville, UCONN and Cincinnati get to revel in. So long as we ” ‘sposed to be SEC” in a league in which the other powers are SEC, we get nowhere.
Thus Kentucky has to do something else. Kentucky football must find its own “Moneyball” moment or be doomed to another 30 years of failure. The program has to approach everything in a different way. This has to become the fun place to play football, by encouraging an exciting, upbeat, aggressive style that puts UK on the entertainment map. The program has to be seen as innovative and fresh, with an exciting style of play, uniforms, player personality and a coach that gets he is as much a marketer in the early years as he is a coach. Players need to be pushed to the forefront who are part of that personality and those that have the god-given gift to entertain (oh say like Bookie) are made a prominent part of the PR push. Rather than simply be a program that goes out and loses, Kentucky has to be one that goes out and makes excitement happen…by throwing it around, running trick plays, coming up with creative formations and making every game must-see tv. If you are going to lose, do it in style and possibly give incentive to make players come and be a part of turning those losses into wins.
At this point, why would any player come to play for UK over another SEC school? Be honest, besides the great personality of a guy like Tee Martin or the opportunity to maybe get early playing time, what are we selling? We play a BORING style and do it ineffectively. How is that a recipe for success? There has to be a FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN PHILOSOPHY on what UK football means both on and off the field. Fun has to be injected at all ends and the monotony of the games and their atmosphere must be completely transformed. How many more ineffective runs up the middle, QB draws, bubble screens and three-yard dump passes can one program see? KENTUCKY CAN’T WIN PLAYING THE OTHER SEC PROGRAMS’s GAME. At our absolute best (2007), we went 7-5. That was our BEST! History says we can’t compete straight up. So we must change the game we are planning.
I hope that Joker Phillips is the person that can make that change. I really do. He is a great man and a good representative of the school. But he also is boring…not as a human (he is actually really entertaining) but as a spokesperson for the program. The UK football program has no flash, no style and no personality. If Joker is going to fix that, it has to start now. He has six weeks to win back the fan base. If the team plays as poorly for the rest of the year, it won’t matter whether he keeps his job at the end of the season. The fans will have abandoned ship. But if he and the program just show fans that they are going to throw the old blueprint out and start anew, maybe some excitement can be generated. If there is anything worse than being terrible, it is being terrible and boring. And Kentucky is both in abundance.
Many believe that the answer to all of our problems rests in the hiring of a “big-name” coach. For the same reasons that I think Kentucky is structurally unable to compete straight-up in the SEC, I think we are unable to hire that coach. Any big-name coach that exists can find a better job than Kentucky. So what UK has to find is a coach that, like the Billy Beane players brought to Oakland in Moneyball, comes with some baggage, but upside. Maybe that baggage is that they are a coordinator who has an unorthodox style that no top program wants to risk installing at its school, but Kentucky can become the testing ground (the new Gus Malzahn). Maybe that baggage is a former coach that failed miserably at a top ten program, but needs a place with more leeway and less expectations to recreate his past magic (Rich Rodriquez). Or maybe it is a name that no one knows, who is the best combination for a program in need (young and hungry) and is going to go against football convention to try something new in Lexington. Big names probably won’t come here, but the right name might.
And maybe Joker is still the right name. I hope he is. But he won’t be if the next six weeks are even in the vicinity of the six just past. Joker Phillips and Mitch Barnhart have to realize just how bad it really is. UK football right now is a unmitigated disaster. The only way it will get better is to fundamentally change what the program means and how it will do business. It won’t happen overnight, but if it doesn’t start happening now, failure is all but certain.
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October 10th, 2011 at 12:02 am
Everyone, say it with me: MIKE LEACH
October 10th, 2011 at 12:03 am
BRAVO! Couldn’t have said it better, Matt.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:04 am
Great article Matt! I couldn’t agree more, and Moneyball was a good movie as well.
It’s funny, before the UK-SC game my dad and I were talking about if joker really has a year and a half left with UK… After the game we said that he would be lucky to make it to the last game of this season!
Can’t wait for the show tomorrow and looking forward to getting down to Lexington Friday night for BBM!
October 10th, 2011 at 12:04 am
I agree completely. But you know as well as I do, that if this is what needs to take place, it won’t be with Joker. He’s been here too long, too much time spent around the program, to do a complete 180 and change his approach.
Give me someone with no former ties to the program who can come in and reeducate the team and the fanbase about what UK football stands for.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:05 am
Jim tressel? not far from ohio?
October 10th, 2011 at 12:06 am
all to together MIKE LEACH!!!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 12:08 am
Matt, you are a true jerk! If recruits decide not to come to Kentucky, don’t you dare blame it all on the Coaching staff. You are a big source of the problem. Look in the mirror.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:09 am
One of the best posts in a long time.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:11 am
It is rare that a leader who has destroyed an organization – in our case the football program – is able to fundamentally change what they have been doing and reverse the decline. We wouldn’t give Eddie Sutton or Billy Gillispie that opportunity with basketball. Heck, UT wouldn’t give Fulmer that opportunity when it was apparent they were sliding, and he won over 150 games for them. You can’t have a philosophical change with the same leadership at the helm.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:12 am
Good read Mateo. Interesting point about the jerseys…I recently had a discussion with a bro, while we were chilling, about how big of a difference jerseys have made in the Oregon program. I’m pretty positive the state of Oregon is not a football powerhouse as well, but they made it cool to play football there. I always hate to compare the football and basketball programs at UK, because frankly that’s just not fair; but Cal has done to Kentucky Basketball what the 900,000 different nike jersey combos have done for Oregon- created an aura of coolness that screams Chuck Hayes. In this case, the football program could look at what has occurred in the basketball program over the past two years and learn something. The argument that football and basketball cannot coexist at Kentucky is easily cut down by simply shouting “Florida, Texas, Georgia Tech!”. It’s no longer “ok” to just accept that UK Football as “always the bridesmaid, never the bride”
October 10th, 2011 at 12:14 am
7- Newspapers going to write, sports radio going to talk, and fans will listen but take it for what it is…words. ESPN does not report on UK football unless we have top 25 opponents or some spectacular play. Remember back in the day when Boise State wasnt ranked and ESPN still showed their highlights? We are called the bluegrass state yet Boise state is the one with the blue field.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:16 am
5….tressel’s about to get slammed with violations. i’ll throw my hat in the Leach ring.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:18 am
7. Seriously? What advantage do we have in football over anybody in the SEC beside Vandy? Stadium? No. Strength and Conditioning program? No. Talent base? No. What would draw a recruit to UK over any of the other 11 teams? We are at a severe disadvantage and we need to change things up. I agreed with Matt. We need to be the team that does things differently than the other SEC teams. Like everybody above said, why not hire Mike Leach?
October 10th, 2011 at 12:18 am
Rich Rodriquez can recruit… by cheating.
He’s 2 for 2 (WV and Michigan).
What’s going on right now at UK is a transition. Joker will get another year whether you like it or not.
Suggesting that Rodriquez be an option is the real disaster.
Fresno State is successful and they don’t have a recruiting base in their state. They are exciting in their offensive attack however. I think Randy Sanders calling the plays is the main problem and if Joker can’t get that resolved then as head coach he will not be around long. It’s just a touchy subject because Randy would take off if demoted back to QB coach.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:21 am
Sry, I meant Boise State… been a long night
October 10th, 2011 at 12:22 am
Out of the 120 divison 1 schools….the 2 worst offensive teams share the same first four letters in their name…..Kentucky and Kent State
October 10th, 2011 at 12:22 am
You had me until the last couple of paragraphs. It is painfully obvious, and has been since last year, that Joker cannot succeed as a head coach here. One of the reasons that so many have jumped ship quickly is not just losing, it is how we are losing (and winning)…no heart, no aggression, no emotion, no respect for the coaches, loss of control in the locker room, playing favorites and running off players…the list goes on and on…Joker is an old player, not a coach. He showed these things last season, but managed to win a few…I said the entire time that he would lose the program. Anyone who has any “locker room” connections knows that he has been infatuated with Newton and ran Moss off…while the players were all squarely prepared to follow Moss as the team’s leader, and many strongly dislike Newton. Joker just does not have it…leadership, respect, football IQ, emotion, nothing. All the eternal optimists can say ride it out, but there is nothing to ride out. When Brooks was losing in the beginning, I still liked him, because you could see the intangibles, the little things that made a football person say, “this guy knows football, and can succeed with a few breaks”. With Joker, there are no positives. None. There is absolutely nothing that I see on that football field or hear from that lockerroom that make me think there is even an inkling of a chance of success. We will see next year, when Mitch starts losing significant sums of money from season ticket sales. I have had season tix for years…and if Joker is kept, I will not be renewing…and I know several others that will not either.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:23 am
In a way, I would almost say Joker needs time. Since he became head coach he’s managed to rack up some decent recruiting classes so I would like to see his classes as upperclassman before we really say he cant get the job done. However, it makes me wonder if him and his staff will get the best out of those guys abilities. I know many of our offensive players werent highly recruited, but they are still upperclassmen who should at least be able to catch the ball. Randall Cobb was only a 2 star and look at what he accomplished, so I’m baffled by our players on the field. And I know its hard for Newton to throw the ball when the O Line is givin up sacks like they are, but I see ZERO leadership skills coming from Newton when he is on the field. There is no passion, no heart, nothing on the field. Even with losing what we did, there were enough experienced players to step up and become player makers but that hasnt happened. And since we are 6 games in, it’s not going to happen. This season is a big disappointment and will break the bowl streak. And, I feel bad for our defense. It’s goin suck next year when we lose the majority of the startin D. UK can never get both sides clicking at once.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:24 am
7. Lmao @ you. Fire joker, and #7.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:26 am
Bryan Harsin. Spent ten years coaching at Boise State, the last five as offensive coordinator. Right now in his first year as OC at Texas. No baggage and associated with winning/exciting football.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:26 am
And with regards to our players…we are not gifted like the rest of the SEC…but we have better players, top to bottom, than we have ever had in the modern era (since the 80′s at least). The problem is still the same, coaching. Take one look at Boise St. Talent for talent, I will say all day long we are better in THAT category. But, they are a legitimate top 5 team. Why? Coaching. They never have top recruiting classes…but they are coached well. They are a well-oiled machine. They play with heart and aggression, and have unique, but effective game plans. They are a very good football team because of coaching, discipline, and desire. None of which we have.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:26 am
14. Fresno State is in California, so yes, they do have a natural talent base.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:30 am
15. Since you meant Boise St. nevermind. BSU is one of the only teams in the country that does a great job of evaluating under the radar kids without oversigning.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:31 am
17, I agree about running Moss off for Newton. You cant tell me that Moss didnt deserve a chance on the field to prove what he could and couldnt do. Call me whatever you want when I make this statement, I do not care, but I believe Joker made Morgan qb for one reason, he’s black. Joker wants to see a black kid play that position and be successful, but it’s not happening. I also believe Joker and staff have hyped Newton up to be something he’s not. He looks so lost out there on the field. He couldnt sale a fake hand off or anything like that to save his life. You already know when it’s a qb keeper when its hiked, he stands straight up and looks like a deer in highlights. I feel like Moss was done wrong in favor of Newton. Just like Donald Russell bein ran off. He was a powerful back and a good player. And Qua Huzzie came in with expectations to be our next Wesley Woodyard and he leaves?? And then Jerrell Priester who would probably start leaves?? Something doesnt make any sense. I just never agreed with naming him head coach in waiting when he had 0 experience and when he took over the offense, it became boring and predictable. Regardless, he will have at least another year unless there is an even more massive meltdown by the end of the season.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:31 am
I wish I could get my time back from reading this filth. I know you have a right to write whatever you want, but really? I hope OUR recruits can’t read!! Why would any player want to play here, NOW? You are right!!! We have NO talent, and we can’t compete at the FBS level. Did you sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night?
October 10th, 2011 at 12:33 am
20. I love watching his style of play – even though it made my eyes bleed on Saturday.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:34 am
Come on guys, we’re not 2-10 yet. Pro-style offense is where its at! =D
October 10th, 2011 at 12:35 am
If ya can’t take the heat get your sports news from TG Schuck. Dorks.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:35 am
Hire Mike Leach now…thats it. Open up that checkbook now..and hire Mike Leach. Simple. HighBallJack..out.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:37 am
I honestly dont think Joker is the man for the job, this team has no fire under it what so ever. It didnt last year, nor does it this year…..Don’t get me wrong, he is a great guy and I really believe he is a good coach, but not head coach material….Coach Brooks was able to get the team fired up before games, coming out of the tunnel ready to play, I have been to countless games over the years and the past two seasons watching these teams have been totally different. We dont have that spark that we use to. I dont mind losing, we are a basketball school in a football conference, but losing without competing at all is not what the University of Kentucky should be about. Its embarrassing to the school, players, fan base, and state as a whole. This is a great article Matt, I honestly dont know if Joker will get another year, I feel that if this team keeps losing in the manner that they have been and manage to find a way to lose to Jacksonville St. and Vandy then Joker will be gone, hell he might be gone if we win. I dont know, I just know that NO fan base likes to watch a team lose like we have watched this team lose the last three week, or play all season….especially like we did this weekend.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:38 am
f*** moneyball. the marlins actually made it to & won the world series (vs the yankees) the year after the “moneyball season” as a small market team.
beane’s As won basically for 2 reasons:
1. pitching – hudson, mulder, zito; nothing to do with moneyball
2. steroids – giambi, tejada; 5’8 SS hits 30 HRs in pitching-friendly ballpark/division
brent venables
kirby smart
kevin sumlin
mike leach
larry fedora
tim beckman
brent pease
should be able to get 1 of these guys to bite especially when UF & UT are considered down
October 10th, 2011 at 12:40 am
29. I don’t think you would even have overpay the man. Since he cant get a job anywhere else I bet he would take Joker’s salary in a heartbeat. The man may not be able to field a team that plays defense, but his offenses sure are fun to watch.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:41 am
What people calling for jokers head don’t get is this…
With a new President, Mitch Barnhart’s job is as secure as it’s ever been. Eli Capilouto won’t touch this situation with a 10 foot pole as he has no historical knowledge of the program. He’ll trust in Mitch as Ree Todd assured him it’s the thing to do (with the post retirement contract extension).
Since that’s the case, Mitch calls it. Barnfart won’t yank Joker after 1 difficult year. That would prove that Barnfart himself is incapable of making strategic longterm decisions by 1) Naming the coach in waiting, 2) Making Joker his man.
Joker will get another year. Settle that in your stomaches people. Digest it. get over it.
Do something productive and ask that Joker fire Sanders. That’s the immediate problem.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:42 am
I have the same feelings about Joker as I did Tubby. They seem like real good people and I like them and feel bad they have to lose their job but it’s just time for change. Makes it even harder that Joker is a Kentucky guy and always has been, maybe we could hire Leach and keep him around to coach special teams or something? ha
October 10th, 2011 at 12:43 am
#7, you shouldn’t be allowed to post on any sports site if you think Matt Jones can influence the mind of a recruit more than the coaching staff, and the media isn’t responsible for play calling and game preparation. That is Joker and his staff.
Also, I know it’s not going to happen, but Urban Meyer is available. You never know, he may like a good challenge. Mitch needs to open the wallet a bit and go all Calipari on the football team. Bring in a dynamic coach.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:44 am
32. If you dont hire that man now..he will be gone next year..you can bank on it..HighBall Jack…out!
October 10th, 2011 at 12:46 am
Alot of people on here are talking about hiring a new coach. Trust me I’m all for it, but face reality folks its not happening this year or the next. Football just isn’t a priority in this state, never has and never will be. The reason basketball! You know it as well as I do. In five days all the newspapers in this state will talk bball only and football will fade into the sunset. The heat will be off both Joker and Mitch and no one will mention football and Kentucky anymore. This is the truth like it or not and it will never change.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:49 am
If this is the case why not write this post in 2007 when they were having moderate success? The system is mostly irrelevant. It’s about talent and depth. They’ve had some good offenses (unfortunately paired with some bad Ds). So now they’ve either had a few bad years of recruiting or they aren’t getting the most out of guys. And that has limited their play calling; not the system. Hopefully Joker can make those fixes this off season. I doubt it happens this next 6 weeks. Like him and am pulling for him. Fans will come back with wins, not gimmicks.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:50 am
I hate to say it, but i don’t see us winning another game this year. If that happens, then Joker has to go.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:50 am
33. The difference is…Joker has had TWO bad years, and now, we are upgrading ALL football schools to the conference..and we NEED to upgrade our coach. Period. HighBallJack…out!
October 10th, 2011 at 12:51 am
Give me a 5 year/$15 million contract, and I’m on the next plane to Lexington.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:52 am
#41 – HighBallJack – 1 difficult year. Last year was not a bad year.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:57 am
right now there are still a few good UK memories in the minds of UK recruits… if we give joke another year they will be completely erased and UK will be a complete laughing stock and talent will cringe at a UK offer just like they did before Brooks’ success. the longer we give joke the more damage is done to all the good things papaw did.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:00 am
42) 6-7 is not a good year either. first losing season in 4 or 5 years came in Jokers first year…. and his handling of Cobb in crucial situations was pathetic.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:04 am
I do two things:
1) Call Urban Meyer. Even if you know he will say no, call him and tell him this: “Hey Urban, come coach here. If you win 8 games, you will be a God. There is no pressure because basketball is number #1 and so you won’t die of a heart attack. Plus you still get to at least be in the SEC.” If he says no, then fine, what would we lose?
2) Call someone unique like Mike Leach.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:08 am
42- open your eyes. 6-7 is not a bad year traditionally for UK. BUT we had cobb, hartline, locke, matthews, trevathan on the team. we were losing at halftime in EVERY SEC game. went 0-3 vs UT, olemiss, pitt & easily could’ve won 2 of those. got blown out by down UF team. blown out by down UGA team at home. we lost to teams we shoudln’t have & couldn’t even compete with teams that won 7-8 games
October 10th, 2011 at 1:10 am
All these people screaming Mike Leach…didn’t he lock a player in a utility shed? Isn’t that te same kinda shit that made people hate Billy G? I dunno…I imagine there is a reason Mike Leach is still unemployed…
October 10th, 2011 at 1:11 am
AWESOME!…glad to see some of you agree with the Mike Leach idea…FOOTBALL is where it’s at people! NOT BASKETBALL(Except for us obviously) and not to the rest of the country! COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS MONEY and since it’s changing UK has got to throw up some SERIOUS cash to get a new football coach! UK can’t keep staying the same because if we do, then teams like Vandy and Western will be beating us 54-3! Just like how technology has changed, i bet none of you still have those maglight-like Nokia cell phones anymore do ya?
October 10th, 2011 at 1:12 am
Hey 48…the reason is media
October 10th, 2011 at 1:15 am
i agree with most of your post Matt! although i do believe joker IS a boring person. they say a team takes the personality of it’s coach. dude youve have heard joker talk. its painful. the man will put you to sleep talking
October 10th, 2011 at 1:15 am
It’s the recruits that are the issue when you don’t have but 1 or 2 players that would start on any team in the SEC on Offense how good of results you expecting… You got no one that can catch the ball and a QB that can’t hit a wide open RB out in the flat…You become way to one dimensional hence the reason a team gets as many turnovers as you do first down…As far as coaching goes its pretty much the same regime as it was when we had the 07 squad so they’ve proved over the last few years the Offense can have success in the rigors of the SEC…This playin with no heart excuse I’m not buying from everybody cause you keep gettin smacked in the mouth like they have been then you gonna come out and give your best effort…Watch Danny and Guy and tell me they ain’t given it their all and playin with the passion…The team just isn’t good it’s really that simply…
October 10th, 2011 at 1:16 am
At least youre tempered….
October 10th, 2011 at 1:17 am
Get Lou holtz’s slobbering ass off that ESPN set and onto the uk sideline!
October 10th, 2011 at 1:18 am
50 the reason is bigass lawsuit against previous employer!
October 10th, 2011 at 1:20 am
Please come back MIKE LEACH and help us…Mumme is not here anymore so now you can take over. Please because obviously this country does not care about basketball anymore. With all these new conference alignments are because of football!!! There’s no reason why if UK can spend 5 MILLION a year on Calipari that we can’t hire a multi-million dollar Football coach either!!! WE R IN SEC!!!! Learn from the Bear Bryant mistake! I mean who hires a guy with a name “Joker”??!! It’s okay to be great at 2 major sports!
October 10th, 2011 at 1:21 am
#44 – Jacob Adam Brooks – Kentucky beat the #1 team in the SEC East last year, South Carolina. No Kentucky coach had ever beaten Spurrier, and Joker did it in Spurriers best year at SC. USC last year beat Alabama, manhandled Florida in the swamp, Tennessee, and Georgia.
We also almost beat Auburn (the BCS Champion) having the lead on them with 1:30 to go in the 4th quarter, eventually losing 37-34.
Don’t cover up reality. There were great moments from last season. It was not bad, not for Kentucky football. If you think so, then you don’t realize how imporant those accomplishments were.
Also, Cobb scored plenty. Several times he should have gotten the ball and didn’t. Yet there were many critical situations where Cobb was utilized effectively. Just look at his stats and replay game tape if you need to.
I think Randy Sanders isn’t a BCS calibur Offensive Coordinator and Tennessee learned first hand. He’s great with QB’s, but can’t play call a turd into a toilet.
Let’s address things that can actually happen. Joker should let Randy go and bring in an innovative offensive threat to call the plays. If that doesn’t work at least we got to enjoy the next year or so that Joker’s the coach.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:26 am
One more thing.. This reminds me of the Brady Bunch episode where the Brady Six were trying to record “We Can Make the World A Whole Lot Better”, but Peter’s voice was changing. The other five wanted Peter out of the group, because Greg gave Mr. Dimsdale 120 non-returnable dollars. Carol (Barnhart) told them that there are more important things than hit records (winning) like people (Peter —> Joker). Then Greg (Matt Jones) wrote “Time for Change”. “Sha na na na na na, Sha na na na”!!!!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 1:30 am
#46 – Hal – Open Your Eyes To Everything and quit hiding the remarkable accomplishments to make your argument look better. Last year was a good year for Kentucky football.
http://johnclay.bloginky.com/files/2011/10/spurrieruk4.jpg
October 10th, 2011 at 1:35 am
* Correction in my post (56)… Sry, UK was tied with BCS Champion Auburn with 2 seconds to go in the 4th quarter last season.
Yea that’s a bad year. :/
October 10th, 2011 at 1:39 am
I learned a lot about Leach from this interview that was posted earlier tonight.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17789967
I wasn’t aware of all the details of his firing and how highly he spoke of his time at UK, developing the “Air Raid” with Tim Couch.
With Tee Martin and Woodson on the sidelines now, I wonder if Leach would bring back Couch? That would be killer.
Check out the interview. It’s worth the overnight listen.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:41 am
Chris Peterson, Boise State. Fun to watch. Let’s see if he can rock and roll with the big boys in the SEC
October 10th, 2011 at 1:42 am
As history repeats itself, and we find ourselves as UK football fans re-living the Curry era, we must also recall the efforts made to resurrect the program at that juncture. Relatively unknown Hal Mumme was hired, and an “Air Raid” offense was unleashed. Commonwealth Stadium went from being half empty on Saturdays to adding 12,000 seats and sky boxes. It didn’t hurt to have a future #1 NFL draft pick at QB, but the Cats went from a rock bottom 1-10 with Curry to bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons with Mumme.
What’s encouraging about the comments are the names being thrown around as potential new head coaches. If we like the deja vu we’re feeling for the Curry-to-Mumme transition, we should no doubt go after Mike Leach to bring back the excitement of yore. But if we want to compete in the SEC – and I disagree with Matt and believe we can – we should go after the likes of Urban Meyer. (Any other Red Sox fans out there would agree overcoming Babe Ruth’s curse is no more insurmountable than putting Bear Bryant’s whammy on this program to rest.)
Comparing Joker to Tubby is fair and obvious. But I liken Joker to another player turned coach in a different sport – Isaiah Thomas. Both are smooth talkers, quite likable, and do work hard. Nice guys, though, for sure. But both are also inept as leaders, motivators, and simply winners as head coaches. I believe the Knicks are still paying Thomas not to coach their team any more. I suggest UK does the same with Joker. “Nice guys finish last.” Unless they aren’t around to mess up your program any longer.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:42 am
Matt, possibly the best post ever on KSR. This has been a good week for KSR
The coach we need is Norm Chow !!!!!! Great College & NFL experience, he’s QB’s guy having coached the names of: Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, Steve Young, & Jim McMahon, he’s a players coach, he is a big enough name to attract recruits, has a huge Rolodex of good coaches to put on staff, and best yet he has already interviewed for the UK job once before. If he wasn’t interested in the UK job, he wouldn’t have even taken the interview.
Joker is quickly becoming the Billy G of UK football just without all the personal problems.
We need to get this done, and quickly !!
October 10th, 2011 at 1:42 am
Askin the Cats to compete with anybody relevant in the SEC on the field is like askin Auburn and LSU’s of the world to compete against the Cats on the court when were relevant… It just ain’t gonna happen…And it’s actually easier to have a good year in Bball than it is in Football… It’s all about recruits obvisouly UK can go across the country and get a blue chip on the court where the Football team can’t even go to Ohio and get a stud to come suit up…
October 10th, 2011 at 2:04 am
good thing were off next week, i bet joker was ready to drop the hammer on the next team
October 10th, 2011 at 2:12 am
60) Just listened to that interview…Leach said that he will be in Lexington in early November doing a book signing.(HMMM) Said his wife was upset when he took the OC job at Oklahoma because she didn’t want to leave Lexington. He’s basically begging Mitch to give him a call.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:13 am
The truth is, Joker has been here for a long time, and these are his recruits! Last year, he under achieved with the amount of talent on the team, and this year, he and his staff of coaches, are showing that they are incapable of developing talent. The thing is, we need to get a coach that can make UK football exciting, and put some wins up on ESPN, doing so. If they can make the UK brand exciting, then better recruits will come, and UK can compete in the SEC. Look at Boise St., Oregon (instate recruiting sucks), Tennessee (instate recruiting is like KY, but they have a brand), and heck, even UL (they have just as much history as UK, but they went after an up and coming coach in Strong, and are getting great recruits).
For those that think that we can not be good at football, because we are about basketball, look at UL and their commitment to making football relevant. Heck, they have been horrible the last 6 years, and they play in the worst BCS football conference, but did they waver? They have a great coach, recruiting is going through the roof, and they built a new stadium, with all the amenities.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:15 am
#56, really? Counting a close loss as one of the season highlights? That, right there, is what is wrong with the football mentality in this fan base. Calling a 6-7 season a success? No, sir. That’s a losing season, and losing seasons are always failures–last year included.
Joker needs to go. Give us Mike Leach. And to the poster above who likened Leach to BCG, we didn’t hate Gillispie because of his off-the-court incidents. We hated Gillispie because he sent us to the NIT. The incidents just made him easy to fire (without the AD having to admit that he made a mistake in hiring BCG). I don’t give a damn how many players Leach locks up in an equipment room or how many reporters’ heads he snaps off in a post-game press conference. If he wins, that’s all that matters and the fans will love him. Just win, baby (RIP, Al).
October 10th, 2011 at 2:16 am
How can you write an article that talks about replacing me and leave out the name Mike Leach? I may be the coach of UK but I’m also a life long fan. I know Leach is the man for the job! Thats why I’m tanking it this year.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:20 am
Everyone meet who should be our next head coach. He is unknown but has had success everywhere he has been. He coached at my rival high school back in the day and reminds me of Steve Spurrier in personality, opposing coaches and players don’t care for him but his players love him and are loyal. Trick play,s gimmicks, and uptempo spread offense are what he excels at and he has had success recruiting in the SEC.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Freeze
http://www.astateredwolves.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=7200&ATCLID=204944063
October 10th, 2011 at 2:29 am
#62, Isaiah Thomas is, and has always been, a dick (hardly a “nice guy”). I don’t know how “smooth” of a talker Joker is (he seems to be more of a mumbler), but point is well taken. I would also love to see UK cut their losses with Joker, buy out his contract, and send him packing.
October 10th, 2011 at 3:04 am
Really Matt? Deleting my post because we talk about the race thing a little, but not even in a negative light? Pretty weak. Man up like this football program needs to…
October 10th, 2011 at 5:05 am
Mike Leach. That’s it, that’s the list. If Barnhart doesn’t want to hire Leach, the FIRE BARNHART. His fingerprints are all over this debacle as well. Kentucky football is a joke and embarrassment to us all, and this is UNACCEPTABLE. If I ever go to a game this season, I will wear a bag over my head. We have to send a message as a fan base that this will not be tolerated.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:11 am
You folks really think mitch Barnhart would hire mike leach. Come on.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:16 am
Can’t win at KY football? Impossible? Bear Bryant did. One difference, great coaches recognize real talent not based on everyone else’s perception of (including medias) talent.The coach is the difference. Ky basketball had the money, reputation, etc when Tubby and Gillespie were there, why didn’t talent flood in like now. The coach. It happens everywhere in every sport. Alabama’s medocre years, get the right coach. I remember when Georgia beat Florida in football every year. Get a coach, things change.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:33 am
yep 6-7…. awesome year. no Cobb late vs UT…awesome decision. gimme a break dude. Accepting close losses as moral victories is part of the problem but at least last year they were close, this year we. ant even muster first Downs. 54-3 is an embbarassment. I’m sick of hearing about good recruiting when we have absolutely no playmakers on offense and no sec caliber corners. our team is tevathan and guy who are great but every sec team has 10 of them.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:37 am
Matt hit the nail on this one. Joker’s offense is boring and predictable. I bet when Joker has sex, it’s in the missionary position. e-v-e-r-y single time.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:55 am
Why would you say Kentucky cannot compete “straight up” against other SEC schools? Look at the team that just spanked us this weekend. Before Steve “Superior” South Carolina was not at the level they are now. How about Arkansas? Huston Nutt had some success and now Bobby Petrino has a top 10 or 15 team. Both schools compare favorable in terms of resources and in-state recruiting base. Why are these teams having success and Kentucky is not…..it all starts with the coach.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:58 am
Wasn’t Guy Morris fun and exciting? Is this the kind of coach you are looking for?
October 10th, 2011 at 7:13 am
Gimmick football may win one season but not for long. We need to find a way to pay a big name coach. Money talks. This is an SEC job. Big Money + SEC job means some big named coach will take the job. That is the only way we win in the long term.
October 10th, 2011 at 7:20 am
You need a gimmick offense like Hal Mumme had. Mike Leach is there and should be approached. Combine that wide open offense with this year’s defense and you have a much better result. We, UK, will never have the numbers of Alabama or LSU and can’t, shouldn’t, attempt to emulate them by playing smash mouth football. This is as simple as John Calipari mixing well with UK’s basketball team. Rich Barnhart can redeem himself in football by hiring Mike Leach, period.
October 10th, 2011 at 7:26 am
MIKE LEACH
October 10th, 2011 at 7:33 am
I created the universe, and even I can’t fix this mess. You guys are on your own.
October 10th, 2011 at 7:35 am
Systematic and structural change won’t occur until we hit rock bottom. I don’t think we have hit that bottom just yet. I think many of the fans have (or will) give up on this season but they still believe in the back of their minds that it will get better next year. I don’t think this is a rational belief but more of a sense that there is always a chance for optimism. Looking ahead to next year gives me no warm and fuzzy feeling. The fan base will have to give up on the program, in its entirety, and not just the season before you will see a systematic change.
Donald Russell, Ryan Mossakowski, Jerrell Priester, Qua Huzzie and Alex Smith might have been the smartest people on the Kentucky roaster last year. These are all contributors that would have seen the field in significant minutes but chose to leave. Why? I know what reasons they gave publically but often times the public relations answer and the real answer can differ. So… why did they choose to leave this program?
October 10th, 2011 at 7:44 am
Sorry…I meant to say coach Hal Mumme above….
October 10th, 2011 at 7:51 am
Mike Leach
October 10th, 2011 at 7:54 am
MIKE LEACH OR CHRIS HATCHER
October 10th, 2011 at 8:10 am
Wow, Matt Jones writing about football. That’s about like me writing about Calculus. Gimmicks don’t work in the SEC, didn’t Mumme prove that to you idiots? Jones given the same basketball driven argument that’s existed for the past 60 years. The problem is the tight fisted UKAA won’t spend money on anything but basketball. If Boise St can get good players to come to friggin’ Idaho UK can get guys to come to Lexington. It’s called commmittment and UK doesn’t have it for football.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:13 am
Who cares if it is Newton, Moss, or anyone else? The schemes are bad and the WR can’t catch. Last year Hartline was “awful” but now I guess it is pretty obvious he wasn’t. He was a decent QB who knew where to throw the ball most of the time. UK did lose a lot of skill players but that isn’t the problem. UK has plenty of decent skill players, the problem is the players aren’t being developed. Joker and his staff are recruiting players and not developing them to anywhere near their potential. So if the staff can’t scheme or teach who cares about recruiting? Newton was a stud coming out of HS and to me he doesn’t look much different three years after he has been at UK. Joker needs to move on. He is a great guy who will always be a Cat. We will always love him but he is driving this bus toward the cliff and it is time for someone else to grab the wheel.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:15 am
2011-2012 Kentucky Basketball: “The Pursuit For #8″
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UNsFtw1ykqE
October 10th, 2011 at 8:20 am
Hire the best high school coach you can get and make sure this coach has a good junior and senior high school class. Sign most if not all these kids. Start from scratch with UK’s program and make it a desirable place to play and coach.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:26 am
Don’t piss on the coaches and players, piss on the AD and UKAA, that’s where the problem lies.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:30 am
We laughed and laughed at Strong in his press conference after UL lost to Marshall.
But at least he had fire and passion. We need a coach that has that.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:32 am
I can’t say I disagree about most of that but I’m not going to say that, with the right kind of talent, the offense can’t be exciting. We all know how exciting Andre Woodson was and that was pretty much the exact same staff. Which brings me to another point–it’s hard to blame the staff when, for the last 5 years they’ve actually won. This season is just a reminder that this is UK football and, unfortunately, that we should be more than happy with what was accomplished in the recent past.
I say quit with the lame motivational gimmicks and get to playing some god damn football ’cause I’m not sure what we’re doing.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:33 am
Matt: Nice backstabbing. Your previous article said you slept through the game. Every other man UK fan was at Hooters watching the game with their buddies while you slept on the couch during the game. That alone gives you no say in UK football. You are a wanna be sports reporter Matt. Joker made it to the big time. You are a disgrace that you consider yourself a Kentucky fan.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:38 am
I like it Matt. That’s a very good analogy. Like the A’s (or, honestly, most baseball teams) we cannot compete with the Yankees (the best of college football, the SEC) and need to find some way to compete. Oregon is a great example of a school reversing its fortunes, and one we kind of tried to emulate by hiring their coach. It worked to some extent – as you said, it produced the most successful year we can hope for – but we still did not get over that final hump due to lacking in the PR department.
There are a lot of deconstructive comments on here that say that you can’t be successful in football unless you possess a very narrow view for how to attain that success. It is this conservative resilience to creativity that makes it surprising that the sport doesn’t lose more fans than it does. There’s a culture around football that if you don’t try to win by the old methods, then you cannot win by any methods. It is that mentality that has in part held Kentucky back throughout the years.
The truth is, UK can never fit into that culture as a successful piece. As Matt says, we lack any kind of decent recruiting base, and we just don’t have the same booster money coming into the program that the other big schools have. Those two things, among others, are absolutely necessary to being successful the old way. We have neither, so we must resort to creativity. Oregon did it (creativity + very good coach) and they made it to the second highest bowl during that time period (And of course played for the National Championship a couple years back). Boise St. has done it, and they turned an unheard of school in a state whose claim to fame was potatoes into a national powerhouse who has proven it can compete with and win against SEC schools. These are exceptions to the old football ways, and their being exceptions has brought them success.
tl;dr version: Kentucky must embrace the role as the exception. Find a coach who is a marketer and a creative thinker, and funnel money into the creative methods this coach devises to bring success. They need to make it fun to be play for Kentucky, to watch Kentucky, and by doing so maybe finally recruit in some real talent. Until they do so, we will continue to dwell at the bottom of a league that is stacked up against allowing us to be successful.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Once again, a change needs to be made but it’s in the committment from the AD and the UKAA. Get a coach and pay him, not on the cheap like now.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:38 am
What Matt fails to understand (due to his age) is that WE have had NO leadership at the AD position since I (age 49) can remember. Cliff Hagan was a basketball guy, CM Newton was a basketball guy and Mitch Barnhardt is a $$$ guy (fundraising)kowing nothing about sports. We have never had an AD that understands football. Winning 8 games at UK would make u more popular than Calipari! That we cannnot win 8 games every other year is ludicrous…even without a recruiting base in KY. We put out no Div. 1 talent, but Brooks proved that we CAN BE competitive and a SOLID coach could get us 8 wins consistently. But we have never had an AD that could find that guy…pathetic. Hal Mumme was a gimic, ego driven dipshit. We need no more of that and obviously no one wants Leach as his name is crap after stunt at TTech. I don’t have the answer, but just would like an AD that understands football and is not an introvert like Mitch. Hope this new President is not a WEAKLING like Todd and will show some balls towards getting us back in right direction. Football is KING in SEC and we have best fan base anywhere…will someone in the UK Administration PLEASE show some LEADERSHIP and give the fan base what we deserve in a football team…consistancy!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 8:40 am
There is a simple solution to all of this. Next year when Joker returns (it’s going to happen, Barnhart is weak), do not buy season tickets, do not buy single game tickets. If you want to treat your children to a football game, go see a high school game, because I guarantee that it will be more exciting than a UK football game.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Probably the best post you’ve ever written on KSR. Dead on. Here’s to hoping Mitch at least attempts to get Mike Leach before he goes to Mississippi and turns their program around with an exciting brand of football.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:45 am
Did everybody forget that Mike Leach was on the coaching staff that left UK on probation? I agree, Joker is not the answer but Mike Leach his a psychotic egomaniac and no administration wants to work with him. Yes he has been highly successful but there is a reason the guy is still out of work.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:48 am
I didnt read the post. Is this a movie review of Moneyball? Did Matt like it?
October 10th, 2011 at 8:48 am
I have the answer…..MATT JONES!!!!!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 8:52 am
I agree with 44 on this, here when we played UT and that meatball Bowl Game last year, Cobb was never a thought in Jokers scheme of things. On Morally coming close to winning and wind up losing in the wanning minutes of a game, what is this, Tee Ball for 5 year olds? Pop Warner games that no one keeps score? C’mon…..I traveled over 470 miles to watch us be the laughing stock of the SEC. Hell I had S. Carolina fans buy me drinks at a resturant after the game because we couldn’t get a first down (not that I minded getting freebies). I know we’re all about basketball, you won’t find a bigger fan than I. But if this trend is going to continue, the frat boys that play flag football are going to be WAY more intertaining to watch than the teams that Joker has placed on the field.
MJ you said after the debacle of the Western game you said on the radio that you didn’t think Joker was over his head at UK……Not only is he over his head, but the man has 800 pounds of lead weight on his feet in a lake of 500 Ft. deep. The Change is needed before this whole team transfers.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:53 am
I love me some Tecmo Bowl! Raiders were awesome!
October 10th, 2011 at 8:58 am
Good read… UK should take a look at Oregon and follow suit… Fun, exciting and different in the exact way you just described in this post and look where they are… Granted- different level of competition, but concept is the same.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:59 am
I have it on good authority, that Mike Leach was interested in the Kentucky job back when we hired Brooks, was still interested when Brooks was on the hot seat, and is STILL interested in the job today. Leach would be a great fit at UK, would make it exciting again, and recruits would follow. Make it happen Mitch!
October 10th, 2011 at 9:02 am
Its only football, come on we havent been ANY good at it since before I was born (1973). Maybe they should just accept it and move on. Build the bball team a state of the art arena and support the womens bball team more and maybe change football to sunbelt or sumthin like it and just accept that AL, Fl, LSU, S. Carolina, Georgia, TN, Auburn have just tooo much talent that we will never, ever, never, ever have.. afterall we are UK basketball.. period. accept it and move on.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:05 am
MIKE LEACH!!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 9:06 am
Is the style boring when it has playmakers? No style is boring when it moves the ball down the field and scores.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:06 am
Matt, I’d like to hear your opinion on whether UK is worried about Mike Leach and the ESPN lawsuit. I know ESPN has the $$$$ and the SEC doesn’t want to rock the money boat. Would the SEC tell its school’s to not hire Leach? Do you think ESPN would refuse to show UK football games if they hired Leach? Or put the games on ESPN U, which no one gets?
October 10th, 2011 at 9:08 am
#25 – I guess we’d better hope recruits can’t access the internet or watch TV to see the 54-3 score. Because, I guess…if we don’t say we’re bad, they won’t know! They’ll think we’ll be playing in a New Year’s Bowl!
October 10th, 2011 at 9:12 am
88) Mr Schwump- Boise st, regardless of what they pay their coach, has done exactly the kind of things Matt is talking about. Funny that they’ve found success using all sorts of gimmicks, and you’re saying it’s because of the money they’ve spent.
How much money would it take to get you to stop posting?
October 10th, 2011 at 9:17 am
Joker can’t even maintain what we had. We are getting worse each game.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:22 am
Hey 104, apparently you can’t be right about Cobb. According to SagaciousMind (the most inappropriate user name ever?) says that Joker prefers utilizing black players. Never mind that he stuck with Hartline (white) when the fanbase was scrambling for Newton (black) for more than one season. Since SagaciousMind uses such sound logic with tons of evidence, I say we all stop posting and just defer to him and Schwump.
I know this is “just” a fan site, but you have to consider that when people make decisions on these types of things, they are using the same mental tools that they bring to make decisions on more important issues (politics, for example). This is why the human race and the things we affect doesn’t have much of a chance. Good grief.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:26 am
I wish you would have seen Dolphin Tale this weekend. That would have made a great UK football post.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:29 am
I fear that there is no short term solution available. While Matt may be right in how to fix the program long term, I still think we are at least two more years away from seeing a coaching change. What incentive does Mr. Barnhart have to make a change? Fans complaining will not force change. The money from the SEC and from ticket sales is still coming in. Until that changes, nothing will happen. It is cheaper to stick with what we have than to go try to find something better.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:30 am
Joker will get another season, unless something really bad happens. Like losing to Jacksonville State.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:30 am
115, LMAO.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:30 am
I say call Urban Meyer, call Bob Stoops, and ask them both who are the best assitants in the game. A name coach isnt going to take the job anymore, maybe two or three years ago, but not now.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:30 am
113- you are wasting breath. Schwump is an idiot and won’t listen to reason. His entire existence consists of bagging on UK football, of which he isn’t even a fan. He’s a sad little dude, just ignore it and it will go away.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:32 am
Your a good Ky basketball fan and reporter Matt, But your dead wrong about the KY fans not going to the games. They will be there. You young guys have no idea what your talking about when it comes to the fans going to the games. Always have and always will. Some of the cry baby fans that say they will never go to another game have probably never even been to a game.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:34 am
121 lol, I try to most of the time and rarely post anything like this. You just think maybe you can get people to take a look at how they think sometimes. Unfortunately the same screwy mind can’t fix itself. If it could, it wouldn’t be srewy to begin with. Dohhh!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 9:37 am
We will be the first team to be a 2 touchdown underdog during out Bye Week
October 10th, 2011 at 9:39 am
13, 121…show me a committment to UK football and I’m gone. The problem is with the UKAA, don’t you understand? What the Matt Jones of the world is putting out is the basketball party line. Cant win blah blah blah, can’t recruit blah blah blah, etc. Ask yourself…would the UKAA allow 25+ game losing streaks in basketball to not only one SEC opponent but two? Of courrse not. Lack of committment and it won’t change as long as you idiots allow it to happen.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:51 am
Brooks must be pissed at The Joke. All of Brooks’ hard work has been crapped on and our team resembles a probation era school more than one that has been to 5 straight bowl games.
The Joke may be a fine man, a fine coordinator, a fine alumni – BUT is not head coach material.
I hope no-one shows for the next home game.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:51 am
KENTUCKY IS NOT.. I REPEAT NOT A PROGRAM THAT ATTRACTS KIDS ON SCHOOL NAME IN FOOTBALL. THIS IS WHY NEXT HIRE SHOULD BE A NAME OR STYLE THAT ATTRACTS RECRUITS. I BELIEVE STRONGLY A SPECIAL HIRE COULD TURN PROGRAM AROUND … AKA COMPETE FOR SEC CROWN.
MIKE LEACH, JOHN GRUDEN, BYU COACH.. ETC…
October 10th, 2011 at 9:51 am
I believe Matt is thinking in the right direction. If I dare say, remember when Pitino first took over. He had the Cat’s firing 3′s from everywhere. Something that they did not do.It was fun to watch and the next thing you know the Cat’s are National Champions. At first I thought Joker was the right fit. He knew the program and the recruiting. We could go no where but up. Somethings just don’t work out like you plan. I do believe we need a fresh start with a new coaching staff, but look around. Let’s not develop tunnel vision with Leach. That is how Barnhart chose Joker. The new coach must think outside the lines, which Joker can’t do, and also put heart into this program.
October 10th, 2011 at 9:55 am
bring on rich rod! when wvu had white, slaton and divine they were unstopable on offense and pretty good on defense. rich rod has proven he can recruit and win at wvu and i’m sure he’s just waiting for a chance to prove to the college football world he can still coach with the best of them. leach is a crazy person who locked a kid in an out building, maybe the kid was a jag wagon but you don’t lock people up. not to mention he was on the coaching staff that got us on probation.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:00 am
And the old people who have no clue of what is going on continue to whine. #teamjennifer. GO BIG BLUE!!!!
October 10th, 2011 at 10:09 am
this article is right on the money. Leach or Rich Rod should be highly consider. For sure Rich Rod. He has coached in the area and had a winner against some top teams with less talent. He has a flair for new ideas and schemes and he can compete. He also does not come witht he baggage that Leach does.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:10 am
All i have to say is why not? why cant UK be good at football they say its because we’re a basketball school but who cares Florida did it and Texas and Ohio State so no excuse saying we are a basketball school only ya recruiting isn’t as high as them but that can be worked on
October 10th, 2011 at 10:20 am
128- the next thing you know we are national champions. I wouldn’t exactly call winning the title 7 years after taking over the next thing we know. Mike Leach was part of what got UK on probation in late 90′s. number 127- Jon Gruden is an NFL coach who will not leave the MNF gig for a college job. BYU coach will not leave BYU and i wouldn’t want him anyway. If you can’t name the guys name then you really have no clue if he is a good coach or not.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:21 am
Would love to get Mike Leach here.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:21 am
Post 132, why is recruiting not high? Because UK recruits thugs from Georgia that can’t pass the ACT.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:25 am
Why all the buzz to go out and get Mike Leach? He’s had one GREAT season of 11-2 where he got the crap beat out of him Oklahoma and then rocked in the Cotton Bowl by Ole Miss who was 7-5. Plus he locked a kid in a shed when he had a concussion. Go to a D/O Coordinator like Gus Malzahn (or someone similar) and say “Name your price” and run the program and we’ll get out of the way. Plus, getting Mitch out of the picture might help as well.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:26 am
#95 Northern Ky. You are an idiot. It was Ms Thompson that slept through the game.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:27 am
#120 – What about calling those guys, asking them who, if they could hand-pick a staff, they’d hire. Then hire Meyer or Stoops for 2-3 years and turning the program over to the younguns?
October 10th, 2011 at 10:29 am
Why was Joker smiling at the end of the game when he went to shake hands with Spurrier? He just got the score ran up on him by the 3rd string and he goes out smiling to mid field to greet Spurrier? That alone should get him fired. What was there to be happy about?
October 10th, 2011 at 10:29 am
I think Mario Cristobal from FIU does a great job motivating his kids to play. He has great connections in South Florida and played for Miami earning two championship rings. He would be worth a look..
October 10th, 2011 at 10:30 am
What about Mike Leach. He has been here runs exciting offense and needs a place to return. He will also have a chip on his shoulder.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:34 am
#125…You are TOTALLY right..MJ and his bb buddies LOVE FB being in this situation!!…
October 10th, 2011 at 10:34 am
Joker will get a third year for one main reason… Barnhart and the people in charge over at UK really could care less if we are a football powerhouse or not. They are content with a 6-7 win seasons and five straight trips to lower level bowl games. If Stanford, Boise State, Georgia Tech, Fresno State, Virginia Tech etc etc… can be top 25 football programs then we could be as well. And I don’t care what anyone says. It’s all about getting an innovative offensive coach who can recruit skill players to come play for that coach… not come play for the University of Kentucky. It’s kind of like the Calapari effect in Basketball. We would be fooling ourselves if we said the top recruits come to Kentucky solely because of the tradition we’ve established in Basketball over the years. Top recruits in 2011 come to UK because of Coach Cal. Top players would never come to UK because of Coach Joker. He has nothing to entice them to come here. If Petrino can put U of L on the map and completely resurrect a failing Arkansas program… then my point is made that it’s all about the coach and his system. It’s time to cut our losses now and build for 2015 2016 and beyond. Show some guts UK Administrators and care as much about UK Football as you do UK Basketball!!!! Joker needs to be let go now. Why settle for being a total JOKE to the whole college football world?
October 10th, 2011 at 10:48 am
I think Matt is fairly spot on, but didn’t BTI write almost the exaxt same thing a week ago. Now, BTI’s conclusion to go with the triple option was probably off base, but he said almost the exact same thing as Matt and Matt doesn’t even aknowledge it in his post. Matt also doesn’t mention that this is exactly what we did with Mumme. It definitely worked for bringing excitement to the program. If he would of hired a real D coordinator and focused on just the O, he would of probably even been more successful. Also, he turned a blind eye to (or even encouraged) Bassett cheating to get players, so that didn’t help. To that point, in all the finger pointing that came after that (Franklin, Bassett, Morris, etc.), I don’t recall Leach’s name ever being mentioned as a problem with doing things inapporpriately.
Hire Leach, threaten him and monitor him like hell on the compliance side and push him to bring in a stud defense coordinator (or even keep Minter for that matter). I agree that we probably wouldn’t have to break the bank to get him and he can be as quirky as he wants to be as long as he doesn’t cheat and gets a real DC.
If you are going to do it, you have to do after February until we hopefully get a decent class wrapped up.
October 10th, 2011 at 10:51 am
I think Matt is fairly spot on, but didn’t BTI write almost the exact same thing a week ago. Now, BTI’s conclusion to go with the triple option was probably off base, but he said almost the exact same thing as Matt and Matt doesn’t even aknowledge it in his post. Matt also doesn’t mention that this is exactly what we did with Mumme. It definitely worked for bringing excitement to the program. If he would of hired a real D coordinator and focused on just the O, he would of probably even been more successful. Also, he turned a blind eye to (or even encouraged) Bassett cheating to get players, so that didn’t help. To that point, in all the finger pointing that came after that (Franklin, Bassett, Morris, etc.), I don’t recall Leach’s name ever being mentioned as a problem with doing things inapporpriately.
Hire Leach, threaten him and monitor him like hell on the compliance side and push him to bring in a stud defense coordinator (or even keep Minter for that matter). I agree that we probably wouldn’t have to break the bank to get him and he can be as quirky as he wants to be as long as he doesn’t cheat and gets a real DC.
If you are going to do it, you have to do it after February until we hopefully get a decent class wrapped up.
October 10th, 2011 at 11:07 am
I completely disagree with your opinion. I think UK can get a “nationally known” coach but its going to cost money and commitment. UK will need to put up at least $3.5 million to get a coach that can recruit throughout the southeast (mainly Florida, Georgia, Bama, Louisiana and Tenn). Its gonna cost money….but you have to figure that its better than losing money as UK is about to find out next year when the fan base abandons the program. Barnhart does not have the capability to do this correction as we have grown to know. …he has helped create this problem and the only way we can fix this is for the new president to get rid of Barnhart and Joker in the same week.
For all of those who don’t know……..Barnhart wanted to keep Billy Cylde one more year and Lee Todd was the one that finally said NO enough is enough. I know this for a fact!
October 10th, 2011 at 11:29 am
#13 Have you been to Mississippi State and Ole Miss. stadiums? Better? NO!!! South Carolina? Bigger? Yes. Better? NO!!! Improving the stadium will not change how we play on the field or recruiting!!! Go Cats!
October 10th, 2011 at 11:33 am
AMEN! Fire Joker, Hire Leach
October 10th, 2011 at 11:38 am
#47:
“All these people screaming Mike Leach…didn’t he lock a player in a utility shed?” I doubt it, but if you want to take the word of Craig James and his spoiled son, go ahead.
“I dunno…I imagine there is a reason Mike Leach is still unemployed…” I heard enough of that about Rich Brooks to learn to ignore it.
Leach would be a terrific hire for UK right now. What does UK need? An unorthodox coach with difficult-to-counter methods, who can win in a very tough conference without a lot of talent on hand. That’s what Leach did at Texas Tech – always, every year. That’s exactly what UK needs. A conventional hire at UK will not succeed.
October 10th, 2011 at 11:51 am
#FreeMikeLeach
October 10th, 2011 at 11:53 am
“Kentucky goes into the season believing it can (and will) win the national championship and it seems impossible that the season can be anything but highly successful.”
Yes, but then it means you’re not successful if you don’t win a NC. This has always been Kentucky’s problem… except in the last ten years the bar was getting to the FF. Now that we’re recently back in the FF, it’s NC or bust.
October 10th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Matt….great post and opinion. We tried this different style before….called Hal Mummie. It was different and exciting but look where he put us. So if a change is to be made we have to go BIG TIME in the coach area…..a proven winner that maybe has a bit of tarnish but will not cheat. I am not sure who that is???? It is not Mike Leach. The question becomes is can Joker turn it around. I thought Tee Martin and others were to get us better players and here we have what we have. If I were Joker, I would drive to Towles home and tell him “in writing” that he is the starting quarterback next year. It may not really be Newton’s fault, but Orton is probably not the problem with the Broncos either.
The stadium is ok, it could be better with a new press box and turn the old area into club seats. Then that is enough until we WIN. Our facilities otherwise seem to be ok and not what is keeping us from getting athletes. As for those athletes, Kentucky has a population greater than Mississippi and about the same as Alabama, so I am not sure what our problem is other than we do not have emphasis on high school football in the state.
As for the plan, I think Joker needs to proclaim what the plan is to fix this and then if it doesn’t produce. Move on. Then he can be the offensive coordinator and some other school and beat us like a drum for years to come. That seems to be what happens.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:01 pm
#146: the last time UK hired a ‘nationally known coach’, Bill Curry turned it into the worst major-conference program in the country. No thanks. The things that make a coach successful at an Alabama, Michigan, etc. are very different than what’s needed at a Kentucky, Texas Tech, Baylor, Boise State, etc. Hire Leach or someone else who is unconventional and shows a likelihood of winning at a disadvantage, offer a contract with huge incentives for success, wind it up and go.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
There’s nothing that Joker can do to turn things around. He’s already lost his team and now the fans. When that happens there’s nothing he can do about it but leave or be fired. A new coach must be brought in to change the program and win back the fans. Even though UK has deeper issues than just the coach, the right coach needs to be hired. UK has not done that over the years and that’s why we’ve sucked for so long.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Neil Brown
October 10th, 2011 at 12:27 pm
#152: “Matt….great post and opinion. We tried this different style before….called Hal Mummie. It was different and exciting but look where he put us.” – The Outback Bowl. I’d take that again.
“So if a change is to be made we have to go BIG TIME in the coach area…..a proven winner that maybe has a bit of tarnish but will not cheat.” Bill Curry? That’s the last UK hire to meet that profile.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
I said earlier in the year that all Joker has to do is keep from having a disaster of a season and his job would be safe. But he is seriously staring a 3-9 season in the face and a winless season in the SEC. If that were to happen, then Mitch Barnhardt needs to do the right thing and fire him. He did it with the basketball program by firing Billy G after one bad season. Why not with the football team?
You have a name coach in Mike Leach who would seriously consider returning to UK where he built his offense with Hal Mumme. Now for you people who say there’s a reason he’s still unemployed, it’s because he still has a lawsuit pending against both Texas Tech and ESPN and that will scare off most programs. He was a part of the staff that led to violations at Kentucky, but he wasn’t specifically named as one of the offenders.
As for you people who say you can’t win with gimmicks….
84-43 career coaching record
All-time winningest coach in Texas Tech history
5 bowl victories – most by any coach in Texas Tech history
10 consecutive winning seasons
10 consecutive bowl appearances
4 seasons finished in the Top 25
You guys would kill for numbers like that from the Kentucky football program.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:32 pm
153) Leach is a nationally known coach. and YES, I would think he could bring in a different atmosphere and players to the program….but its gonna cost $$$$$$$
October 10th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
Change for change’s sake has really done our country well since 2008…
October 10th, 2011 at 12:50 pm
How about mr. meyer he is just waiting for a school to scoop him up! just think urb against charlie, WOW!!!! and urb will just have to win the games we should and get beat by the teams we should and he will be like cal. u of l got rick, we get cal, u of l gets charlie, we get urb! man what a concept!!!! keep joker as offense or defense cord.,to save face barnhart.
October 10th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
We will never be a football power on a consistant basis UNLESS and UNTIL the high school talent level goes up in this state. I have some ideas on how that might happen, but I’ll save those for a latter post. That’s for the long term. I want to talk about this season. We’re 2-4 and I thought that we’d be 3-3 at this point, so I’m not too upset about the record. Much more disturbing to me is the way we lost. So this is what I’d like to see happen for the rest of the season.
1. We have a week off. I would like to see this team dedicate themselves to improving for these next two weeks. Certainly they can’t be happy with they way they’ve played up to this point. If it hurts us fans to see the way our team has played, imagine how much more it hurts the players, themselves. I challenge our team to get better. I know they’ve worked hard in practice before. They need to work harder. I remember before Adolph Rupp’s last regular season game in ’72. We had to win at Tennessee to tie for the SEC championship and go to the NCAA. One senior student manager said that the practices leading up to that game were the toughest he had seen in 4 years. At one point, two Kentucky players ran into each other and fell to the floor. A student manager ran out with a towel to wipe the sweat off the floor. Rupp yelled, “Go sit down. They haven’t worked up a sweat, yet.”
I don’t want anyone getting hurt these next two weeks, but our players need to have their toughest practices ever for these next two weeks.
2. On October 22nd, BEAT Jacksonville State! This is not an automatic W for us. I don’t expect JSU to roll over and give us the win. (In fact, they’ll come in thinking they have a good shot at beating us.) We have to go out and take the win. It is a critical step if we are to avoid a 10 loss season. In the time I’ve followed Kentucky football, I’ve only witnessed two of those. They aren’t any fun.
3. I don’t want to sound greedy here, and I’ve always said an ugly win is better that a pretty loss, BUT I think it’s important for the rest of the season that we look good beating Jacksonville State. This will at least give us some hope for some more wins for the rest of the season. When I say look good, I mean on BOTH sides of the ball.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
This is a no brainer. Joker had many years under Brooks and got the HC job because of him. Now 2 years as HC he has not recruited the right way and has not implemented a system that has benefited this program. Change must be done now before the situation becomes worse.
I for fact like Joker as a person, but he is not the right fit as the HC of Kentucky.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I like Moneyball comparison. Hal Mumme was UK’s moneyball. He was the only one to gameplan knowing he had inferior talent and attack completely different than opponents were used to seeing and wasn’t afraid of having his own style. Too bad he sucked at defense and NCAA compliance.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
We should have been the team using the gimmick line formation Saturday to score, not the team scrambling with no idea how to defend it. This team has had major problems for a few years, but Cobb and Locke covered them up on offense, and guys like Trevathan covered them up on defense. The defense is still hanging tough, but you can only last so long when the offense is 3 and out and giving good field position (despite a hell of a punter).
157) Yup, and even if he just uses us to get a better job after a year or 2, maybe someone on his staff can step up and keep running his system. Even as a doormat in the SEC, we’re still a job in the SEC, and therefore desirable to a coach who wants to make or rebuild his name.
If it weren’t for the lawsuit stuff, Leach already have a job somewhere else. Even though he has some BCG qualities, that’d be okay with our football program (vs our basketball program), and he really only got pushed out because somebody’s daddy was on TV.
We all hoped Joker could be our lifetime coach, but he’s too blind to the program’s problems. We were all panicking after the 2-1 start because we saw how lucky the 2 wins were. He wanted credit for us not being 0-3. Four straight losses and no hope.
October 10th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
I don’t know if Mike Leach is the answer but he sure wouldn’t hurt. I never liked Joker as a hire. I’ve said on this site many times that I like Joker and I hope he does well but I also said that he would be fired in two years and it looks like it’s going to happen. It’s not so much the record as it the way that we are losing. I thought we would 3-3 right now so 2-4 isn’t too far off but we do not compete at ALL! There is absolutely no fire in the team! It looks like they could care less that they are out there. If one area was bad then I’d say give Joker another year but it’s a total system failure and the kids don’t compete! That falls at the feet of the head coach. I disagree with Matt in that I think we can compete in the SEC. Can we be an elite level program? No. I don’t think so but I do think we can win 7 to 8 games consistently and have those special seasons now and then when we win 9 to 10 games. I don’t think anyone realistically believes we’ll compete with national titles but we want a team that plays hard and competes every game. Not one that has already given up before the first kick off. I also believe Boise State is a perfect example of a great system with good players. Not great players but good players. And good players with a good coach can compete with anyone. I mean seriously!!! If you was a recruit would you rather play in the SEC where you’re on TV every game and get to compete against the best talent in America OR go to Idaho?? Seriously?? Idaho!! You can’t tell me we can’t get those same level players here if they’re willing to go to Idaho!! BUT we must have a good coach and a good system. Now we have neither!
It’s time to cut our loses and move on. I seriously doubt we win another game this year.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Texas Tech was the only team in the Big XII to have winning records through the ten year period that Leach was there. Every other program – Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, whoever – had losing seasons in that stretch.
And Leach did it without having many highly regarded recruits. Most of his players wouldn’t merit scholarship offers from any other school in the Big XII except for maybe Baylor.
Leach was on Mumme’s staff but not only was he never implicated in anything, there was a minor row over him reporting to UK the fact that Mumme had done something in violation of the rules. Leach wasn’t any part of the rulebreaking under Mumme.
October 10th, 2011 at 2:45 pm
this is by far you best post ever, bravo for saying it. ive thought this for years and get blasted for the opinion. its simply is the truth and is what it is.
October 10th, 2011 at 5:30 pm
Let’s let the offense play defense and the defense play offense that way the defense can have a break. We need a coach that can evaluate talent and not let someone like Ryan Mossiski transfer. Look at his #s.
October 10th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Matt – I agree with the vast majority of your posts. I agree with much of what is here. However I do not agree with your assessment that UK has so many negatives with regard to drawing a big name coach. You must be positive about it, look for ways to make it happen rather than taking the negative path. UK should go out and get the best coach that;’s out there. That would be Urban Meyer. I don’t want to hear all the stuff about why he wouldn’t want the job, that he wouldn’t be interested or that his health would keep him from accepting. If you do it in the right way I think you could convince him to accept this incredible challenge. It would have to be done privately out of the public spotlight. As to not having a recruiting base how many of Cal’s top recruits are from KY? Enough said. Kids come from all over because they want to play for him — because they know he can get them to the next level. It would be the same for Meyer. It doesn’t matter what UK’s football past has been or whether KY is a high school football hotbed. Kids would come from all over because of HIS record and because he has legitimacy as far as getting kids to the NFL. I know there’s a way. The question is whether there is a will and a “can do” attitude on the part of the administration to get it done.
October 10th, 2011 at 8:59 pm
I hear Bill Curry is looking.
October 11th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
115, first off I dont care what you think of my sn, you must not understand what it means anyway. Second, I didnt say he prefers black players over white players. I was speaking of one position and one position only, the qb spot this year. Again, you cant tell me Moss sucked so bad in practice he didnt deserve a shot on the field. There has to be another motive. And he never spoke as highly of Moss as he did Newton, never! Moss was ranked ahead of him in many recruiting services. I knew someone out there would be stupid enough to take my comment as racist or whatever, so thanks for proving to me there are dumbasses out there.
October 11th, 2011 at 3:13 pm
Everyone is talking how great Boise State is but no one really saying go after their coach. Chris Peterson would be my first choice to replace “The Joke.” Everyone is amazed with the job he has done at Boise St developing a lower talented team and making them competitive. He may take the job at UK as they are in an automatic qualifying conference, lord knows he has battled to get to the BIG game and with the same record anywhere in the SEC he would have been playing for the Title!
My call order would actually be
Urban Mayer (but money says he says NO)
Chris Peterson (might just take it)
Mike Leach (sure he would take it)
None of them are bad choices and I would be stoked to have either of them!
October 11th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
Matt, well done. I doubt the AD reads msg boards, but you’ve delivered the outline for success. To put your brilliance into action we need focused and decisive action. Draft plan and timeline below:
(1) Nov 27, 2011. UK terminates Joker P. the day after the TN game and announces coaching search that will conclude w/in 2 weeks, no later than Dec 11, 2011. Note: I know, harsh. But he’ll get paid, and it’s also harsh gettin’ our butts whipped week in and week out…
(2) Nov 28-Dec 10. AD focuses on RichRod, Leach, and/or their disciples or even a bowl sub-division coach that knows how to manufacture offense. As Matt said so eloquently, the answer must involve entertaining football that means putting points on the board.
(3) Dec 11, 2011. UK holds press conference to announce new coach
(4) Dec 26, 2011. New Coach holds post-Xmas press conference and introduces his entire staff and sets expectations re: type of offense and defense. Intent to rev-up boosters and fan-base, but more importantly, to make certain those high school seniors know that UIK football plans to make a little noise.
(5) Feb 1, 2012. New Coach announces a recruiting class with a new look. Everything is sacrificed for speed. Heights and wts seem out-of-whack versus current roster because New Coach required speed at every position.