The House of Blue

I don't care anything about keeping Randy Sanders to call the plays.

The results from here out will have to be pretty damn good for Joker to keep his job. He needs 3 SEC wins to do it. I doubt he gets that done and even then I'm not sure he should be kept.

Bottom line we need someone that has assembled SEC caliber defenses. Find that guy and give him the necessary money to hire a big time OC and DC. Then promise that guy that we'll spend every dollar we can on making this program competitive in the SEC.

Not just no, but hell no should any new coach be forced to keep any assistant from this staff. That kind of crap handcuffs a coach from doing what they truely want for their program. The new UK coach gets to assemble his staff, 100%, period. if & when Joker is fired everyone else gets fired as well. Everyone, Sanders, Rock Oliver, EVERYONE.

Some will whisper those kinds of handcuffs were on Joker from the beginning here, that he wanted to get rid of far more assistants when he took the big chair but was not allowed to do so by a penny pinching AD. So he has had to replace staff on a peacemeal basis as assistant's contracts expire (rather than firing and miser Mitch have to pay off 6 months/1 year worth of salary). If a new coach is hired and you hear reports of 2-3 assistants sticking around and no changes in the support staff or the S&C staff just know for a fact Mitch Barnhart is once again meddling and penny pinching UK football once again to the detriment of wins and sucess. And we truely would be no better off than if Joker had just stuck around (until a new AD were in charge).

I completely disagree with everything the OP has to say.

What we have seen the last couple of years has nothing to do with talent or youth. UK is consistently unprepared, unmotivated, and outplayed every time they step on the field.

Joker was a mistake. No going back now, but let's all hope he is gone ASAP. The sooner we can get these coaches out of the program and get a real staff the better.

No excuse for what we see every Saturday. I don't expect yearly SEC championships, but it would be nice not the be the butt of every joke on TV, Forums, and talk radio.

Of course, I don't believe there is a chance in hell Joker is retained. Short of beating UF, UGA, USCE, and some other teams. Way to much money is being lost, and if people thought the ticket sales were bad this year....... bring Joker back. There will be more people at the Trinity/St. X game than there will be in CWS for any game next season.

Sadly, I think Mitch keeps Joker if we get to 4 wins even (which I think we may). I think 5 wins and that's it, if he doesn't get there he needs to go. 2010 Recruiting class is his, 2011 is his and 2012 is his. 2010 class busted completely.

I've been a consistent defender of Joker, but not anymore. His game management is a D-. With the built-in disadvantages at UK we need an A+ game manager. I can't defend him anymore and he hasn't improved in that regard. He's a 3rd year head coach.

What do his nuts have to do with anything?

To respond to the original poster...

I think Joker is done, sadly. He's a great person, but he just doesn't have what it takes to lead this program. As far as Butch Davis? Did you see the scandal that happened at UNC? Yeah, we don't need that type of drama/attention. IF/WHEN a new coach arrives in Lexington, they need a fully clean state. No Sanders, No Washington (who's a pretty damn good WR coach), no Oliver, etc. I just hope Mitch can convince someone to come here, that won't be a dumpster fire waiting to happen.

OK, then are you willing to give Joker the same chance? joker was handicapped by Steve Brown, Minter's d last season was the best in recent memory..this year there is massive rollover of personnel..we lost Trevathan, Guy, Burden, Mosely, Sneed. Unless we can get a MAJOR hire..a Kirby Smart..Bud Foster..I say lets see what happens next year..and if Joker cant win in season 4 with a junior and sophmore heavy team..then boot him. Unless the hire says WOW..how did Uk get him,..how much did they pay this guy? 4million? 5? Then why hire a guy thats gonna go 5-7 or something and change the whole look of the team..? I dont know..I just want Uk to be a respectable SEC program..a SEc east crown once a decade..sometimes twice..average 9 wins and a BCS bowl every other year..a decent bowl every other year. Boise St..did this..Baylor was far worse off than Uk not 5 years ago. Stanford. Utah. Kansas St. It cant be that hard. Can it?

I didn't like the way he turned unc around, that would not be good at UK.

The offense has shown a major improvement from last year but the defense is an absolute disaster. This years defense reminds me of last years offense. The defense lost a boat load of talent to graduation just like last years Offense. Losing all four LBs and both CBs was a big blow like the offense losing most of its skill players on last years team was a big blow.

IMO if the UK defense can improve as much as the offense did once its young players get some expirience. I could see UK being very competive next year.,

I too would like to see what this coaching staff could do with next years team instead of a complete new coaching staff coming in with completely new defensive and ofensive schemes. I would have a very different criteria for whether I changed coaches than most on this board. I would monitor the team very closely and measure its improvement from the start of the season to the finish of the season. The improvement of play from week to week and whether the coaching staff could get the team to continue to give good effort would figure more in my decision than the won lost record.

If the offense continued to improve, the defense showed improvement by the latter part of the season, and the recruiting class wasnt a disaster considering that they are recruiting under less than optimal conditions. I would consider keeping the present coaching staff.

Those that say the fans wouldnt come back next year if UK was competive and having a good season are wrong. The stadium would be full and rocking.

It wasnt Butch..but his recruiting coordinator..John Brown? John something or other...similar to the Mumme incident here..when the rc was reportedly paying recruits. Davis had Miami at the pinnacle of college football..his hurricane teams were far and away the best team in the land for a handful of years untill NFL money swayed him to Cleveland. Butch Davis is an elite football coach. He took a UNC team that was in tatters and had them competeing for ACC titles in a hurry.
If Joker dosent make it..and I really hope he does..I want a defensive minded HC..Davis, Smart, Bud Foster. Either that or a HC with a system that works..ala Boise St.

True and we would not get anything like the type of coach we needed if they did not give him total autonomy to select his staff. That's almost a given. However sometimes coaches are encouraged to keep a coach or two off of the old staff. IMO if we hire a defensive guy like Bud Foster for instance I would be in favor of keeping Sanders, but if and only if the new coach is good with that - he would have the final say so.

I agree with you, BB#, but Barnhart didn't find any takers among the good coaches when he turned to an advisor who was helping in the search. That move turned out to be more successful than most expected or hoped for. Brooks brought us to a modestly good level in the SEC.

So Joker gets a buy-out, but that doesn't necessarily mean we'll get an improved situation. IMO, Barnheart is already sending out confidential feelers (at the direction of his superiors) and what happens with Joker will depend on what kind of reception these feelers get. Since our situation is as bad or worse than it was when Brooks came in, I don't see how we could expect to do better in a search now.