True Blue Kentucky

Same as always...posting in forums from fans who know more than the coaches!

The offense should be fine. Depending on the QB play it could be great.

I think the D-line will be just fine. Yeah, Peters is gone but UK returns 7 of the top 8 and adds in some talented freshmen.

I think the secondary will be a strength, too.

That leaves the linebackers. I'd say their inexperience makes them the biggest weakness on the team. On the bright side though, this is the fastest group that
UK has ever had.

I hope Brown is more aggressive this year. I haven't been down on him at all because the defense has improved under him. Just look at the stats compared to when we had Archer. (BTW, take a look at the decline in NC States defense since they brought in Archer)

Honestly, I think you have a hard time making the argument that TN and SC for that matter have been much better then KY in terms of talent the past few years. Why haven't we got it done? Hard to say but I think it has a little more to do with the space between the ears then the depth or overall talent.

I think where depth gets you is in games like Miss State last year or Vandy the year before. Games where you just seem flat and don't have the resources or reinforcements to get you over the hump when some of your top line guys are injured or not playing well.

LeftyFlop23 wrote:
Do you think that limited depth over the years is one of the predominant reasons we haven't beaten Tennessee for a quarter of century? I also hate that we always seem to play Florida in the early SEC schedule meaning it is never cold when they come to Commonwealth.

KACAT wrote:
Honestly, I think you have a hard time making the argument that TN and SC for that matter have been much better then KY in terms of talent the past few years. Why haven't we got it done? Hard to say but I think it has a little more to do with the space between the ears then the depth or overall talent.




I couldn't agree more. The games have pretty much gone down to the wire. We've actually had better seasons for the most part then these two teams over the past couple of years as well. Its all about getting over that mental hurdle. The players know we haven't beat these guys in a long time and they hear about it all week up until the game. Sometimes I think it could be a case of trying to hard. I think it even can creep into a coaches head as well.

As to the original question (what our main weakness will be), I know it better not be the passing game again. I just don't think I can take another 12 weeks of what we watched last year and where folks get to put 8 or 9 on the line and come w/ their ears pinned back. You just HAVE to have a credible threat to go vertical in order for everything else to work.

jimlowe7 wrote:
Same as always...posting in forums from fans who know more than the coaches!

???????

jimlowe7 wrote:
Same as always...posting in forums from fans who know more than the coaches!

Thats one weakness that I'm not to worried about this season.

KACAT wrote:
I think the talent is there. But like Tiff said, the depth is always a question at a school like KY. KY has legit SEC talent on the first team and most of its second team players. Once KY gets kids to campus and they get into the program and develop they are likely going to contribute. KY coaches rarely completely miss on a kid where they just can't play at all. But we don't typically have 4-5 star athletic freaks coming out of HS that can truly contribute as FR or even So without a redshirt. Most schools don't but a couple of things to remember. KY has a LOT of speed this year and KY signed a BUNCH of dline talent last year. We just might have more then we think.

I'm really anxious to see how this young group of defensive players develop in a couple years. I know it's not realistic to expect them to blossom as early as this season and I agree we have a lot of talent. I think if we played in any other conference we could make some big splashes on defense on the talent alone but it's just a tough task in the SEC so I'm hesitant to be a glass half-full person in that regard. I do think the potential for success on that side of the ball is huge though.

I really do think if those guys can stay eligible and healthy we can have a monster, monster defense if not next season but the season after.

lawmax wrote:
As to the original question (what our main weakness will be), I know it better not be the passing game again. I just don't think I can take another 12 weeks of what we watched last year and where folks get to put 8 or 9 on the line and come w/ their ears pinned back. You just HAVE to have a credible threat to go vertical in order for everything else to work.

I think Joker is doing his best with what we have (in terms of experience at QB and the talent that is avaliable and at 100%). I was encouraged to hear that Hartline is having some success throwing downfield and from the sound of it I honestly think Joker is looking to open it up this season.

And I don't mean this as a stab at Brooks, but the more I hear and see of Joker the more I get the sense that his offense may have had the reigns pulled a couple times on him last season. I could be totally wrong, it's just a feeling I get from his interactions post-Brooks. That could make all the difference in how the offense flows this season. And of course it helps that our wide receivers have some more experience (and more talent) with some help at TE and a solid bunch of RBs.

jimlowe7 wrote:
Same as always...posting in forums from fans who know more than the coaches!

I really hope this comment is factitious because it's really not called for if it isn't. Everyone is having a pretty good football discussion in this thread, providing some constructive criticism, and if you're not going to contribute anymore then a fly-by post I'm going to ask you to stay away from the thread and refrain from these kind of comments.