Correct.

 

However, that's true no matter what coach you hire and when you name them, right?

 

What was the rush to name Joker?

 

He is the head recruiter & I think it keeps him around longer. Recruits want to have some stability in the program, and they have that with Joker being the man-in-waiting.

 

I'm not saying I agree with it, but I think that's the logic behind the decision.

 

Honestly, I think it's more important to keep Joker & Sanders here than it is Papaw Brooks.

Everyone is questioning Joker and I just don't get it. The man is as classy as they get. Would everyone agree with me that Sieber is an average kicker at best? Well he is the all time leading scorer, so what's that tell you. We've scored more points since he's been here than ever before, and we all know that most of his points are x-points or short field goals. We've left ourselves short in a couple of areas in recruiting such as receiver, but that seems to have been addressed. I'm as dissapointed with some of the losses as anyone, and yes I want us to be better, and I do think we can get there with this staff.

Everyone is questioning Joker and I just don't get it. The man is as classy as they get. Would everyone agree with me that Sieber is an average kicker at best? Well he is the all time leading scorer, so what's that tell you. We've scored more points since he's been here than ever before, and we all know that most of his points are x-points or short field goals. We've left ourselves short in a couple of areas in recruiting such as receiver, but that seems to have been addressed. I'm as dissapointed with some of the losses as anyone, and yes I want us to be better, and I do think we can get there with this staff.

Classy doesn't necessarily equal wins.

I'm always amazed...Brooks has obviously improved everything about UK football and with 4 games to go in a season that may or may not end with a bowl appearance, we need to move on. :ohbrother:

 

Supposing they force Brooks out...who on earth would they get? Why would anyone take the challenge of this job, knowing that the job Brooks did in a relatively short time resulted in him getting ousted? :idunno:

 

Still waiting for an answer on South Carolina...they've been toiling around 4th in the East for about a decade. Do they need to get a better coach to push them to the next level? Perhaps someone with a bigger name?

What everyone tends to forget is that Hartline is not supposed to be the QB this year. Had everything worked as planned, we'd be seeing #15 Curtis Pulley taking the snaps.

:thumb: I'm pleased with Coach Brooks and I don't think UK can honestly want a change at this point.

 

Now for the question of has he took it as far as he can: I'm not sure, it is possible. I'm not sold on Joker as the head coach though, I'm interested to see how that turns out.

 

I agree, He has yet to impress me. I think that UK messed up by naming him coach in waiting. Brooks has done a great job of building up the program, it now has some national attention, and would attract some higher quality coaches if Brooks were to retire.

My thoughts are:

1. UK is forever in debt to Rich Brooks. He has done things at UK that few of us saw coming. He was the right man for the job. UK is stable now, I think that this program is apt to stay where it's at contending for bowls rather than go back to 2 or 3 wins. Brooks helped put that in to place.

2. I like Joker. I think that if he has talent he is a great playcaller. The offense Woodson's senior year was sick. I think they scored on the first possession of both or at least one of the halves in most games. That is good game planning, IMO.

3. I think that if UK is ever going to make a run, they are going to have to do it with a more explosive type of offense. UK will probably not ever have the depth to play low scoring, defensive games week in and week out in the SEC. Not in a Mumme, we play no defense, kind of way though obviously.

4. What more could UK ask for. For a long time UK was the laughing stock of the SEC. Now, though the Cats probably won't win an SEC Title in the near future, everyone (except maybe UF) respects them. This is a hard working team that is usually out-talented every time they suit up for an SEC game. If they can win 2-4 SEC games a year, I see nothing to complain about.

5. Unless, UK lucks into the Next Urban Meyer sometime in the future, this is the ceiling for UK football, IMO. UK just cannot gather as much talent as they other schools down south.

6. Brooks has done nothing but good for UK. If he says Joker is the man, I'm going to support him and expect him to do well.

My thoughts are:

1. UK is forever in debt to Rich Brooks. He has done things at UK that few of us saw coming. He was the right man for the job. UK is stable now, I think that this program is apt to stay where it's at contending for bowls rather than go back to 2 or 3 wins. Brooks helped put that in to place.

2. I like Joker. I think that if he has talent he is a great playcaller. The offense Woodson's senior year was sick. I think they scored on the first possession of both or at least one of the halves in most games. That is good game planning, IMO.

3. I think that if UK is ever going to make a run, they are going to have to do it with a more explosive type of offense. UK will probably not ever have the depth to play low scoring, defensive games week in and week out in the SEC. Not in a Mumme, we play no defense, kind of way though obviously.

4. What more could UK ask for. For a long time UK was the laughing stock of the SEC. Now, though the Cats probably won't win an SEC Title in the near future, everyone (except maybe UF) respects them. This is a hard working team that is usually out-talented every time they suit up for an SEC game. If they can win 2-4 SEC games a year, I see nothing to complain about.

5. Unless, UK lucks into the Next Urban Meyer sometime in the future, this is the ceiling for UK football, IMO. UK just cannot gather as much talent as they other schools down south.

6. Brooks has done nothing but good for UK. If he says Joker is the man, I'm going to support him and expect him to do well.

 

:thumb:

 

I don't think UK has reached its ceiling, but I agree with the rest.

 

I just don't get the desire to have a new coach after the job Brooks has done. Considering Hartline was the starting QB, I think most reasonable UK fans expected that this season would be a dogfight to make a bowl game. Besides that, 5-6 used to be a "good" year for UK...Brooks has earned the right to stay the course. UK football is just experiencing some growing pains.

^^Two good posts back to back.

:thumb:

 

I don't think UK has reached its ceiling, but I agree with the rest.

 

I just don't get the desire to have a new coach after the job Brooks has done. Considering Hartline was the starting QB, I think most reasonable UK fans expected that this season would be a dogfight to make a bowl game. Besides that, 5-6 used to be a "good" year for UK...Brooks has earned the right to stay the course. UK football is just experiencing some growing pains.

 

Absolutely. I was just saying that I don't know if they will be able to take the next step in the short amount of time Brooks will continue to coach. Anyone who wants Brooks to leave should stop for a second and think back to where UK was in the 90s and early part of this decade. Even the Air Raid teams that went to a few bowls, weren't as comparable to other teams in the SEC. UK isn't an SEC elite, but they can compete with most teams in the conference. I think UK is more than a flash in the pan now, so Brooks can have the job as long as he wants, and if we're lucky he'll want to give us a few more years after this one, IMO.:thumb:

Your simple question and the obvious answer are just that. A simple question with no bearing on the debate.

 

All I hear from you and others is "we're better than we used to be."

 

Is anyone actually questioning that or are you just being Mr. Obvious?

 

I don't buy the "we used to stink now we've OK so we should be satisfied" thinking. Plain and simple.

 

Your post and others seem to indicate that we can't do any better nor should we try. I don't subscribe to that theory. The ability as a coach to get a program to "OK" does not mean the coach has the ability to get us to "really good." That's my point.

 

So can Coach Brooks and his staff get us to "really good?"

 

I supported the man on this very board when TONS of UK fans said 'get rid of him, ... he's too old and we'll never get to a bowl game under him'. They were wrong. Do I want UK football to get better? I will use the exact words you obviously missed in my other post ABSOLUTELY.

 

Look where Oregon was and is now. Who do they credit in Duck country? Rich Brooks and this is not what I hear from the media, but actual folks I know in Oregon. They even named the field after him!!! Why? Simple, he laid the foundation over several years at a HORRIBLE football school, built them into an above average team in the PAC 10, then left the program in the hands of a capable assistant who he chose and they went forward. He is doing the same thing here in a MUCH tougher conference. He deserves to stay until he feels the job is done and he is ready to move on. He took all the slings and arrows and stood tall by his principles. In the past 3 & 1/2 years we have done things that have NEVER been done at UK in football. He came out of retirement to take on a job that nobody else wanted. If he wants a few more years to make some bigger strides, then he ought to have them.

I supported the man on this very board when TONS of UK fans said 'get rid of him, ... he's too old and we'll never get to a bowl game under him'. They were wrong. Do I want UK football to get better? I will use the exact words you obviously missed in my other post ABSOLUTELY.

 

Look where Oregon was and is now. Who do they credit in Duck country? Rich Brooks and this is not what I hear from the media, but actual folks I know in Oregon. They even named the field after him!!! Why? Simple, he laid the foundation over several years at a HORRIBLE football school, built them into an above average team in the PAC 10, then left the program in the hands of a capable assistant who he chose and they went forward. He is doing the same thing here in a MUCH tougher conference. He deserves to stay until he feels the job is done and he is ready to move on. He took all the slings and arrows and stood tall by his principles. In the past 3 & 1/2 years we have done things that have NEVER been done at UK in football. He came out of retirement to take on a job that nobody else wanted. If he wants a few more years to make some bigger strides, then he ought to have them.

 

Great post. I'm not totally convinced on Joker, but you are right. Coach Brooks deserves to do as he wishes, for he has flat out earned that. :thumb:

I supported the man on this very board when TONS of UK fans said 'get rid of him, ... he's too old and we'll never get to a bowl game under him'. They were wrong. Do I want UK football to get better? I will use the exact words you obviously missed in my other post ABSOLUTELY.

 

Look where Oregon was and is now. Who do they credit in Duck country? Rich Brooks and this is not what I hear from the media, but actual folks I know in Oregon. They even named the field after him!!! Why? Simple, he laid the foundation over several years at a HORRIBLE football school, built them into an above average team in the PAC 10, then left the program in the hands of a capable assistant who he chose and they went forward. He is doing the same thing here in a MUCH tougher conference. He deserves to stay until he feels the job is done and he is ready to move on. He took all the slings and arrows and stood tall by his principles. In the past 3 & 1/2 years we have done things that have NEVER been done at UK in football. He came out of retirement to take on a job that nobody else wanted. If he wants a few more years to make some bigger strides, then he ought to have them.

I like this post!

 

Who, in their right mind, wouldn't want to go to battle with a guy like Rich Brooks? He is an underdog 90% of the time in this conference. He is a scrapper and a clawer.......the kind of attitude needed for Kentucky to complete in the SEC.

 

I see the quotes of Rich Brooks being 4-20something since the upset of then #1 LSU. May be, but does it not go without saying in most of these losses, the better team won. These teams are not as much better than Kentucky as they once were, but they are certainly better.

 

The fact is that progress is being made and Coach Brooks will continue to improve Kentucky and will scratch and claw until the day he walks away, back to the Oregon sunset. That is the way this man is wired!

 

There is no quit in Coach Rich Brooks. If there was, he would have left his current gig four or five years ago.

Still waiting for an answer on South Carolina...they've been toiling around 4th in the East for about a decade. Do they need to get a better coach to push them to the next level? Perhaps someone with a bigger name?

 

:popcorn:

I supported the man on this very board when TONS of UK fans said 'get rid of him, ... he's too old and we'll never get to a bowl game under him'. They were wrong. Do I want UK football to get better? I will use the exact words you obviously missed in my other post ABSOLUTELY.

 

Look where Oregon was and is now. Who do they credit in Duck country? Rich Brooks and this is not what I hear from the media, but actual folks I know in Oregon. They even named the field after him!!! Why? Simple, he laid the foundation over several years at a HORRIBLE football school, built them into an above average team in the PAC 10, then left the program in the hands of a capable assistant who he chose and they went forward. He is doing the same thing here in a MUCH tougher conference. He deserves to stay until he feels the job is done and he is ready to move on. He took all the slings and arrows and stood tall by his principles. In the past 3 & 1/2 years we have done things that have NEVER been done at UK in football. He came out of retirement to take on a job that nobody else wanted. If he wants a few more years to make some bigger strides, then he ought to have them.

 

What you said, is exactly how I feel about it. Brooks is laying a great foundation, he knows how long to stay IMO. What ever he says goes, IMO. UK is lucky to have gotten Brooks.:thumb: