The House of Blue

The bottom line is this.

The cupboard was actually pretty bare when Joker took over due to Brooks' refusal to bring in more energetic/excitable recruiting coaches. In an effort to do that joker brought in some guys who may not have been as quite a good of coaches but were deffinetly better recruiters. Our talent is better now, but we are young. Our coaching, IMO has caught back up to where it was when Brooks left. One other thing to note is that Joker was stuck with steve brown, the worst d-coordinator in the country. He has now got him 100% off of the staff. Something that was sorely needed.

The other factor in this is that we don't have much of a sample yet. Two seasons isn't a fair judgement IMO. 3-4 seasons is more fair.

IMO we must take a step forward this season. We almost certainly have to win 6 games this year and that is very doable with our schedule. 5 wins with competitive losses will also likely keep joker around.

If we beat Louisville I could see a 7 win season. If we lose it could be tough.

No matter what, I don't think there is any question that we are better football team right now than we were a year ago.

To add another thing to this. Who was the QB 2 yrs ago at UK. UK had a an avg D and a Ofense that was well Randall Cobb only. Last year had a D that was avg and a Ofense just below avg.
UK does have a much better group of very young talented players. The thing is Joker has had a huge learning curve over the last 2 yrs. However the SCH sets up to really hurt UK this yr.
Next yr will be the best chance for Joker and Co to prove to us all how good they are.
The Sch this yr will make it tuff to win 6 to 7 games.

Joker Phillips has looked like a horrible coach as far as i'm concerned. Everybody can talk about talent but if you can't coach it up it does you no good (Ron Zook). Our Offensive Coordinator couldn't cut it at Tenn. while they were good. Our Defensive Co. couldn't cut it at Notre Dame. He was an average coach at Cinci but he also had a good staff. You can tell when somebody knows what there doing and Joker just looks lost. Nothing in his 2 years make me think he can get the job done. Hope i'm wrong. The Tenn. win everybody brags about comes against a 5-7 team. Who didn't even wanna be there and we won by 3. Thank goodness we ended that atrocious streak. We will win closer to 3 games than we will 6.

rack! Facts are facts! It's a shame so called fans like jefferies123 (which i doubt he even is) are blind to what is fact and what is not. The few like him are a cancer with their hidden agendas and cowardly bias and should be banned IMO!

Wrong. Lots of us on here were questiOning ortmeyer's, petri, brown, and Higgins recruiting as far back as 5 years ago. They were dead weight. One of brooks qualities, (loyalty) turned out to be a downfall for joker. Half our staff didn't recruit. That killed us in a stretch when we could have/should have been making big strides in recruiting.

This sentence is structurally confusing, but if I understand it correctly, you're asking why the AD wanted "a continuation" of the Brooks regime. You're asking a question with a false premise. You start with the presumption that naming Phillips HCIW meant that the AD "wanted a continuation of the Brooks regime." Naming a HCIW could have happened for a number of different reasons, and the fact that there was immediate and extensive staff turnover (with very little interference from the AD) would suggest that the Brooks regime was, in fact, over.

Having continuity doesn't mean a mirror image of the previous staff. It could have (and apparently did) mean that Phillips came recommended by the current HC and that promoting from within would be an easier transition for the players than conducting a coaching search

You also made a comment about the AD being oblivious (to football recruiting inadequacies) but that's just a stupid question. ADs care about productive sports programs, not recruiting class rankings. Brooks had a good track record with under-recruited players, a strategy that is dangerous because a few misses in a class result in serious deficiencies. I gave him a pass because the results on the field appeared to be improving despite the low regard of the classes. However, holes in recruiting became apparent several years later when some of those lesser regarded recruits didn't pan out.

I don't know that anyone in 2008 or 2009 knew that the freshman class wouldn't produce in 2011. But it happened, and resulted in a lot of young players seeing the field last year. I'm eagerly awaiting this upcoming season to see whether Phillips will maintain some momentum, eliminate some of what I perceive to be his coaching weaknesses, and motivate young players to perform.

I can tell that you are super excited as well. Hope I see you at all the home games!

All those accomplishments and still a losing record. Great coach I'm sorry what was I thinking. Beating a 5-7 Tennessee team wow. Just fuckinggreat. Let me see lose to Louisville, get beat 50 to that same top 10 team the next year. Lose by 30 to Juggernaut handy. Great coaching what was I thinking. Wait we're going 3-9 or 4-8 with this great coach this coming year. What a coach.

There were a lot of people here(KentuckyInk) at the time that stated the recruiting classes Brooks last two years was not up to snuff and that Brooks needed to hire new coaches but that he was like Tubby and too loyal to his staff. We hoped that they could coach the kids up and trusted that the staff could but they obviously couldn't as they took too many reaches.

There were some players the first two years who were upset that Joker let 'their guy' go and the transition wasn't nearly as smooth as anyone wanted it to be. Too many people expected there to be no drop off and that's absurd, imo.

Joker could've taken the easy route and not have suspended Hartline for the bowl game and we likely would've won it. Imagine how much less negativity there would have been if not for that one instance? Joker ended the 10 year losing streak to SCAR, 25 year streak to TN, and is the ONLY head coach at Kentucky to ever beat Spurrier!! He has brought together a coaching staff that is capable of both coaching and recruiting but yeah, he has no positives as a HC... SMDH!

I tell ya what's great, reading your posts. Its funny watching a Louisville fan pretend to be a UK fan. Get lost.

3 years IMHO is not enough time. I know all the arguments that Joker being the CIW did not start from 0 but again, IMHO none of that matters.

I have complained as much as anyone but not so much about Joker but more at the powers that be at UK that put a first time HC into the SEC without the tools to win and wins come from having players who you recruit.

Since that is the case I think Joker needs 5 years to show everyone that who he has recruited can play in the SEC. After 5 years their should be no more excuses except to blame who always should have been blamed for the UK football program, UK and its administration who always pass he buck by hiring yet another coach and the entire situation begins again.

I think the problem lies with his 5 year contract.

After three years, the general idea is either extension or release. I know Brooks got a fourth after having three poor seasons, but I'm not sure that we're in the same situation now.

If this team is blown out by 50 and 30 by any team on this schedule for a second year in a row, the coaching search should start immediately thereafter. If he doesn't do something this year to prove he can get it done, UK will be forced to make a decision.

First of all x and o's does not wins games 4 and 5 star players do. Yes right tell that to Boise st. Or K state. BState has had 1 or 2 4star players over the past 7 yrs. Thats it. K state the same.
The coach and his plays make all the diff. Yes super talent help a ton. But coaching is coaching
Look at GA top 5 classes every yr or close to it. But horrid coaching.