Post by kacat on Dec 1, 2013 13:52:54 GMT -5
Yea, I get it. We finished our second year in a row without an SEC win and struggled to show much improvement. But it was a year that had to take place and while we have a long road ahead of us, I am excited about what we have moving forward. For those that want to dwell on the past and bitch about what we don't have then please read no further. This is a post about what changes could take place and provides my reasons why I'm excited about moving forward.
Offense-If anyone wants to call out Neal Brown then please stop watching football because you are a moron and should follow soccer instead. American Football is way to complicated for you. The reality is that talent limitations kept coach Brown from running an offense even remotely close to what we will see in the future. I applaud the guy for putting together what he could but come this spring he will have a lot more weapons to design his plays around and next year you will see a vastly improved unit I think.
QB-I'm not going to knock J Whitlow or Max Smith. Those kids were beat to death and played with courage and heart. But while I admire their effort I'm not going to hide behind my belief they have limitations. I have no doubt they will be given a chance to compete for the starting spot but I think we have better options to chose from next year. Phillips is a kid that hasn't gotten a lot of attention but he is a calm kid in the pocket and has a good accurate arm. Towles is a physical specimen and has the arm but needs to improve his accuracy to really make a move this spring. Then there is Barker. A truly remarkable leader who has all the physical skills you could ask for. I wouldn't begin to say who will be the starter in the fall but I am confident we will see a significantly better QB lining up behind center. This will enable KY to run an offense more in line with the Air Raid we were hopping to see this year.
RB-We get legit at the RB position as of today. B. Heard is the real deal and will bring power quickness and speed. This kid is a stud and I think will be a guy fans should be excited about. Kemp is just scratching the surface of what he can do and while he makes mistakes, you can't deny his explosion and competitive nature. Then you have Mobley who FINALLY figured out how to play and while he is a blocking liability, he is a good looking SEC back when he carries the football. As good as those three are, we also add in a couple of 4 star RBs. Boom Williams is a legit speed back that can take it to the house at any time. M. Horton is a monster who can run the ball or catch it. Depth, speed and power=legit SEC backfield for the first time in a very long time.
WR-You could see some of the promise of the group at points this year but you could also see we have a ways to go. I am a huge fan of J Badet and I think Blue can be a consistent threat. Timmons is another kid that brings legit SEC speed to the position and I think can do even more next year. I'm hoping A. Montgomery will be able to return but not being available in the spring will set him back a bit. LeGree is a nice possession WR who brings depth but I doubt Collins is around next year as he was in the dog house all year long. Come spring/fall you see the reinforcements come. T Snodgrass is another jet who is the highest rated WR we have ever signed. B Boone is 6'6 and provides size which is something we haven't had in a while. Baker is another big WR who is legit and I think can do big things for us either inside or outside. TV Williams is a bit of wildcard. Clearly has the speed to play but would benefit from a RS year to gain some strength. Fantastic kid though and I think could see the field early, especially in the return game. Davis is a transfer that is electric in the open field as well. Cunningham is a guy with an NFL body but can't catch a cold and has had academic issues. Still, he showed improvement at times with the scout team so I wouldn't close the book on him just yet. Harrick is another kid that might make some noise as well. So clearly we get significantly better at a need position next year. Hard to say but I wouldn't be shocked if the unit as a whole was in the top half of the SEC.
TE-No question that D Long will be counted on to contribute right away. He has a nice combination of size and speed so I'm looking forward to what he can do. Borlin has some nice physical skills and had to make the adjustment from JUCO but he has some ability. I think Sheilds could see time here and at WR but Ronnie needs to get his head on straight and decide if he wants to play or not. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see Cunningham get some reps at TE but a guy that will likely get some reps here is Horton. Not as a full time TE but more as a true HBack that can run the ball or move down and play some TE. Horton has SEC size now and they really want to be creative in getting him the ball. Horton is a beast on the football field and while some have him as a redshirt I'm thinking he sees the field early. Hence, getting him in this spring and get him involved with the offense.
OL-Really hard to judge the OL individually as so much of its succes/failure is based on how the individuals move as a unit. Overall we had a lot of issues and most of those issues where inside. That has to get better for KY to have any hope of improving our offensive stats next year. Swindell and Miller are experienced kids that the coaches have been pleased with. Another year in the weight room will certainly help those guys. Meadows is a RS OT that I think will factor in and I don't think its impossible to think that Toth could be moved back outside. Center is really crucial to the offense and has a lot of responsibility on him. I don't think Toth did a bad job but it might be about who could replace him that would be better and I'm not sure that anyone can at this point. Z West did not have a good year but to his defense he had shoulder surgery and missed the entire summer workout program and a lot of practice time. He will have a chance to redeem himself but needs to get better. Eatmon-Nared has the size but just hasn't put it together. I think we could get a jolt of talent from a couple of the redshirt FR. Hayes and Myers are in the 330 lbs range which is the type of size we need inside. I love the true FR we are bringing in on the OL but those guys will need time to get bigger and stronger but have tremendous upside to say the least. I think we will be better next year but still might be a year or two away here from being able to get in the upper level of the SEC.
Defense-I will say that I was hoping to see more from a Stoops defense. We still couldn't get off the field on 3rd down and still couldn't stop the run. Then I looked at the roster and remembered that he was still playing with Joker's players. You have to have talent to play defense. You can't scheme yourself to success in the SEC. You need players and we didn't have enough this year. But help is on the way and we are not void of kids that don't have the potential to get better with additional time and commitment to developing.
DL-Inside KY loses a lot of beef and experience. I loved how hard Rumph played and he really had a nice SR year. But KY has lacked explosion and athleticism at the DT spot for a long time. That gets better next year. R. Meant, Johnson, Hyde and Lewis all bring more speed and certainly don't lack in size or strength. Our DTs will get a talent makeover and look completely different next year and will allow us to do different things inside. Douglass will also factor in heavily as he did this year but the other guys have similar speed but much more size. I like our chances with Elam and think he would play as a FR but he isn't a kid that is going to be able to give you many reps, although I think the reps he does play could be pretty impactful. Middleton is a kid I am flat out fired up about and wouldn't sleep on him but it would be nice to get him a RS year. Don't completely sleep on Walk On Zane Williams either. He is a good looking kid. I don't expect Coleman to return. KY has a couple of DEs that will be drafted in the NFL with Smith and Dupree. I think its possible they could make the jump this year but they are both pretty raw. They really need another year so I think they will return. Hatcher has a ton of potential but not sure if his future is at DE or LB. I could see him playing either spot to be honest. Huguenin didn't really seem to get a lot done this year and A Davis is a guy I've never had much faith in but both could factor in next year. I do like Ware a lot to factor in early and DuBoise is a good looking physical presence that should factor in heavily after a RS year given how raw he is. I wouldn't close the book on L Newton just yet either. He was just a RS FR and he has some skills to say the least. I think the makeover at the DT spot will help free up the Defensive Ends and I think we could see a very nice front four in 2014.
LB-Outside of A Williamson our LB play was pretty poor. So you take out our best player and it is hard to be optimist about the position. I think this is my biggest concern for 2014 but there are some options and it could turn into a solid unit quickly if things go our way for a change. We aren't going to know until spring who is going to play MLB. M Simpson isn't a horrible option but I think its possible Hatcher or Paschal could factor in here. Its also possible JUCO R. Flannigan could get the nod or even true FR D Hendrix or N Firios. Both have some great potential but its the SEC so a RS year would benefit them and I think at least one if not both will sit for a year and develop size and strength. Outside K Henderson worked himself back in the good graces of the coaches but also worked behind Paschal who played pretty well here. Paschal will be on the field but not sure where just yet. Depending on what they do with Hatcher will impact The other LBs. Regardless, Henderson is a guy that will likely be on the field on passing downs as speed is his greatest asset. I do, however, think a challenge could come from McWilson who could be moved to LB this spring. On the other side J Forrest has all of the physical ability you could hope for. He just doesn't put it together on the field. I think Blaylock and or A Lowrey could get a look here as both are probably better suited for LB then S. McClain played solid at the nickel position and will factor in heavily in 2014. Mathis is a kid with the physical ability to play this spot or possibly S and same for McWilson although the former 4 star S has/will outgrow the S position.
CB-Finally some depth will be coming to the program at the DB position starting at CB. We saw a little bit of J Hytchye who has a chance to be a really good one. N Willis should be back at one corner. Tiller had moments as did C Quinn. Pullium is another tall corner who should factor in heavily and we also should get Harmon back and he might be the best of the group. So while still mostly unproven its a group that FINALLY has some depth with some legit SEC caliber athletes along with some experience.
S-Lowery returns and likely will stay at S although he was pretty beat up. I think its possible he could move to LB but some other guys will have to step up. Z Blaylock will return after knee surgery and actually might be the best S on the team. His twin brother played S this year but possibly his best position is OLB. Faulkner just doesn't bring the mental part or the commitment to the game so I'm not real optimistic he factors in much but he certainly has the physical talent to do so. Edwards and West are 4 star HS safeties that will make a ton of mistakes but may be to good to keep off the field. However, both have had issues with injuries in HS. West missed the year with a broken leg and Edwards has recurring hamstring injuries. Again, a kid like Mathis or even McWilson could factor in at S but we have to wait and see how they develop during conditioning and practice. The best news for our defensive backfield is that we are finally developing depth and should be in much better position to succeed in 2014. The group was actually pretty decent at times but is set up to get much better.
Special Teams-Kind of a mixed bag. Mansour was really outstanding and hate to see him have a year waisted by Joker. Breaking in a new PK is always problematic so this is a bit of an unknown and a concern. We were pretty solid on defense with the return game but our return game was pretty weak. We have some other options that I think we will take a serious look at this spring. Foster got a lot of practice punting but I didn't think he was very consistent this year. He is just a SO and for whatever reason punters always seem to have one down year before really taking off as a kicker. He has the talent so I'm hoping he puts it together next year.
I'm just not one to really want to sit and sulk about what we don't have or keep rehashing the mistakes of the past. I think the influx of 50 plus players who I happen to think have legit SEC potential makes the program infinitely better although experience is important and will factor in. Still, I see a lot of reasons to be excited moving forward and hope I've captured a few in this post. Stoops is the guy to bring the BBN a respectable football program. Just hang in there and believe.
Read more: www.ukfootballfirst.proboards.com/thread/2717/time-forward-excited#ixzz2mFbQbLAM
Offense-If anyone wants to call out Neal Brown then please stop watching football because you are a moron and should follow soccer instead. American Football is way to complicated for you. The reality is that talent limitations kept coach Brown from running an offense even remotely close to what we will see in the future. I applaud the guy for putting together what he could but come this spring he will have a lot more weapons to design his plays around and next year you will see a vastly improved unit I think.
QB-I'm not going to knock J Whitlow or Max Smith. Those kids were beat to death and played with courage and heart. But while I admire their effort I'm not going to hide behind my belief they have limitations. I have no doubt they will be given a chance to compete for the starting spot but I think we have better options to chose from next year. Phillips is a kid that hasn't gotten a lot of attention but he is a calm kid in the pocket and has a good accurate arm. Towles is a physical specimen and has the arm but needs to improve his accuracy to really make a move this spring. Then there is Barker. A truly remarkable leader who has all the physical skills you could ask for. I wouldn't begin to say who will be the starter in the fall but I am confident we will see a significantly better QB lining up behind center. This will enable KY to run an offense more in line with the Air Raid we were hopping to see this year.
RB-We get legit at the RB position as of today. B. Heard is the real deal and will bring power quickness and speed. This kid is a stud and I think will be a guy fans should be excited about. Kemp is just scratching the surface of what he can do and while he makes mistakes, you can't deny his explosion and competitive nature. Then you have Mobley who FINALLY figured out how to play and while he is a blocking liability, he is a good looking SEC back when he carries the football. As good as those three are, we also add in a couple of 4 star RBs. Boom Williams is a legit speed back that can take it to the house at any time. M. Horton is a monster who can run the ball or catch it. Depth, speed and power=legit SEC backfield for the first time in a very long time.
WR-You could see some of the promise of the group at points this year but you could also see we have a ways to go. I am a huge fan of J Badet and I think Blue can be a consistent threat. Timmons is another kid that brings legit SEC speed to the position and I think can do even more next year. I'm hoping A. Montgomery will be able to return but not being available in the spring will set him back a bit. LeGree is a nice possession WR who brings depth but I doubt Collins is around next year as he was in the dog house all year long. Come spring/fall you see the reinforcements come. T Snodgrass is another jet who is the highest rated WR we have ever signed. B Boone is 6'6 and provides size which is something we haven't had in a while. Baker is another big WR who is legit and I think can do big things for us either inside or outside. TV Williams is a bit of wildcard. Clearly has the speed to play but would benefit from a RS year to gain some strength. Fantastic kid though and I think could see the field early, especially in the return game. Davis is a transfer that is electric in the open field as well. Cunningham is a guy with an NFL body but can't catch a cold and has had academic issues. Still, he showed improvement at times with the scout team so I wouldn't close the book on him just yet. Harrick is another kid that might make some noise as well. So clearly we get significantly better at a need position next year. Hard to say but I wouldn't be shocked if the unit as a whole was in the top half of the SEC.
TE-No question that D Long will be counted on to contribute right away. He has a nice combination of size and speed so I'm looking forward to what he can do. Borlin has some nice physical skills and had to make the adjustment from JUCO but he has some ability. I think Sheilds could see time here and at WR but Ronnie needs to get his head on straight and decide if he wants to play or not. I wouldn't be completely shocked to see Cunningham get some reps at TE but a guy that will likely get some reps here is Horton. Not as a full time TE but more as a true HBack that can run the ball or move down and play some TE. Horton has SEC size now and they really want to be creative in getting him the ball. Horton is a beast on the football field and while some have him as a redshirt I'm thinking he sees the field early. Hence, getting him in this spring and get him involved with the offense.
OL-Really hard to judge the OL individually as so much of its succes/failure is based on how the individuals move as a unit. Overall we had a lot of issues and most of those issues where inside. That has to get better for KY to have any hope of improving our offensive stats next year. Swindell and Miller are experienced kids that the coaches have been pleased with. Another year in the weight room will certainly help those guys. Meadows is a RS OT that I think will factor in and I don't think its impossible to think that Toth could be moved back outside. Center is really crucial to the offense and has a lot of responsibility on him. I don't think Toth did a bad job but it might be about who could replace him that would be better and I'm not sure that anyone can at this point. Z West did not have a good year but to his defense he had shoulder surgery and missed the entire summer workout program and a lot of practice time. He will have a chance to redeem himself but needs to get better. Eatmon-Nared has the size but just hasn't put it together. I think we could get a jolt of talent from a couple of the redshirt FR. Hayes and Myers are in the 330 lbs range which is the type of size we need inside. I love the true FR we are bringing in on the OL but those guys will need time to get bigger and stronger but have tremendous upside to say the least. I think we will be better next year but still might be a year or two away here from being able to get in the upper level of the SEC.
Defense-I will say that I was hoping to see more from a Stoops defense. We still couldn't get off the field on 3rd down and still couldn't stop the run. Then I looked at the roster and remembered that he was still playing with Joker's players. You have to have talent to play defense. You can't scheme yourself to success in the SEC. You need players and we didn't have enough this year. But help is on the way and we are not void of kids that don't have the potential to get better with additional time and commitment to developing.
DL-Inside KY loses a lot of beef and experience. I loved how hard Rumph played and he really had a nice SR year. But KY has lacked explosion and athleticism at the DT spot for a long time. That gets better next year. R. Meant, Johnson, Hyde and Lewis all bring more speed and certainly don't lack in size or strength. Our DTs will get a talent makeover and look completely different next year and will allow us to do different things inside. Douglass will also factor in heavily as he did this year but the other guys have similar speed but much more size. I like our chances with Elam and think he would play as a FR but he isn't a kid that is going to be able to give you many reps, although I think the reps he does play could be pretty impactful. Middleton is a kid I am flat out fired up about and wouldn't sleep on him but it would be nice to get him a RS year. Don't completely sleep on Walk On Zane Williams either. He is a good looking kid. I don't expect Coleman to return. KY has a couple of DEs that will be drafted in the NFL with Smith and Dupree. I think its possible they could make the jump this year but they are both pretty raw. They really need another year so I think they will return. Hatcher has a ton of potential but not sure if his future is at DE or LB. I could see him playing either spot to be honest. Huguenin didn't really seem to get a lot done this year and A Davis is a guy I've never had much faith in but both could factor in next year. I do like Ware a lot to factor in early and DuBoise is a good looking physical presence that should factor in heavily after a RS year given how raw he is. I wouldn't close the book on L Newton just yet either. He was just a RS FR and he has some skills to say the least. I think the makeover at the DT spot will help free up the Defensive Ends and I think we could see a very nice front four in 2014.
LB-Outside of A Williamson our LB play was pretty poor. So you take out our best player and it is hard to be optimist about the position. I think this is my biggest concern for 2014 but there are some options and it could turn into a solid unit quickly if things go our way for a change. We aren't going to know until spring who is going to play MLB. M Simpson isn't a horrible option but I think its possible Hatcher or Paschal could factor in here. Its also possible JUCO R. Flannigan could get the nod or even true FR D Hendrix or N Firios. Both have some great potential but its the SEC so a RS year would benefit them and I think at least one if not both will sit for a year and develop size and strength. Outside K Henderson worked himself back in the good graces of the coaches but also worked behind Paschal who played pretty well here. Paschal will be on the field but not sure where just yet. Depending on what they do with Hatcher will impact The other LBs. Regardless, Henderson is a guy that will likely be on the field on passing downs as speed is his greatest asset. I do, however, think a challenge could come from McWilson who could be moved to LB this spring. On the other side J Forrest has all of the physical ability you could hope for. He just doesn't put it together on the field. I think Blaylock and or A Lowrey could get a look here as both are probably better suited for LB then S. McClain played solid at the nickel position and will factor in heavily in 2014. Mathis is a kid with the physical ability to play this spot or possibly S and same for McWilson although the former 4 star S has/will outgrow the S position.
CB-Finally some depth will be coming to the program at the DB position starting at CB. We saw a little bit of J Hytchye who has a chance to be a really good one. N Willis should be back at one corner. Tiller had moments as did C Quinn. Pullium is another tall corner who should factor in heavily and we also should get Harmon back and he might be the best of the group. So while still mostly unproven its a group that FINALLY has some depth with some legit SEC caliber athletes along with some experience.
S-Lowery returns and likely will stay at S although he was pretty beat up. I think its possible he could move to LB but some other guys will have to step up. Z Blaylock will return after knee surgery and actually might be the best S on the team. His twin brother played S this year but possibly his best position is OLB. Faulkner just doesn't bring the mental part or the commitment to the game so I'm not real optimistic he factors in much but he certainly has the physical talent to do so. Edwards and West are 4 star HS safeties that will make a ton of mistakes but may be to good to keep off the field. However, both have had issues with injuries in HS. West missed the year with a broken leg and Edwards has recurring hamstring injuries. Again, a kid like Mathis or even McWilson could factor in at S but we have to wait and see how they develop during conditioning and practice. The best news for our defensive backfield is that we are finally developing depth and should be in much better position to succeed in 2014. The group was actually pretty decent at times but is set up to get much better.
Special Teams-Kind of a mixed bag. Mansour was really outstanding and hate to see him have a year waisted by Joker. Breaking in a new PK is always problematic so this is a bit of an unknown and a concern. We were pretty solid on defense with the return game but our return game was pretty weak. We have some other options that I think we will take a serious look at this spring. Foster got a lot of practice punting but I didn't think he was very consistent this year. He is just a SO and for whatever reason punters always seem to have one down year before really taking off as a kicker. He has the talent so I'm hoping he puts it together next year.
I'm just not one to really want to sit and sulk about what we don't have or keep rehashing the mistakes of the past. I think the influx of 50 plus players who I happen to think have legit SEC potential makes the program infinitely better although experience is important and will factor in. Still, I see a lot of reasons to be excited moving forward and hope I've captured a few in this post. Stoops is the guy to bring the BBN a respectable football program. Just hang in there and believe.
Read more: www.ukfootballfirst.proboards.com/thread/2717/time-forward-excited#ixzz2mFbQbLAM
