I will go with Fidler! Didn't he pull in the Auburn win? I like Newton and I do not mind the two headed QB at this point either...

Remember...Home of the Big Blue nation it's a bandwagon thang...

 

If the Quarterback Looses his job or gets hurt,He is getting thrown off of the wagon...But if He can come back and win that bowl game,He gets to drive the wagon...:dancingpa :ohbrother:

 

So there's no legitimate argument to start Newton?

Morgan Newton will start.

 

Mike Hartline is trying to be ready. I would guess he also sees the importance to get back on the field quickly before he loses the starting quarterback position permanently.

Morgan Newton will start.

 

Mike Hartline is trying to be ready. I would guess he also sees the importance to get back on the field quickly before he loses the starting quarterback position permanently.

Do you think Newton is the future or is Moss going to be a better option?

The fact that Morgan Newton was physically able to play and Ryan Mossakowski was not, is the reason Newton got the nod in the Auburn game.

 

Ryan Mossakowski is a perfect fit for the offensive philosophy on the UK coaching staff, but his shoulder is not 100%. When/if his shoulder does heal, he could be one hit away from re-injuring the shoulder (i.e......Sam Bradford at the University of Oklahoma).

 

For that reason and the fact that Morgan Newton has now gotten great experience from playing in the last four games, I think Newton is the quarterback UK's staff sees as the future. Spring practice will be very important for Ryan Mossakowski to show that his shoulder can be healthy and he can compete for the position.

 

If the competition for one of these two freshmen to become the starting UK quarterback was a 400 meter dash, Morgan Newton just got a 100 meter head start on Ryan Mossakowski.

 

On another note, Will Fidler is the player I feel sorry for. He is the odd man out in the quarterback race. Rich Brooks very much broke his pattern of playing older and more experienced players in the program when Morgan Newton got the call against Auburn. There was a lot of pressure to play the young, highly-touted out of high school player, and it came at the expense of Will Fidler.

The fact that Morgan Newton was physically able to play and Ryan Mossakowski was not, is the reason Newton got the nod in the Auburn game.

 

Ryan Mossakowski is a perfect fit for the offensive philosophy on the UK coaching staff, but his shoulder is not 100%. When/if his shoulder does heal, he could be one hit away from re-injuring the shoulder (i.e......Sam Bradford at the University of Oklahoma).

 

For that reason and the fact that Morgan Newton has now gotten great experience from playing in the last four games, I think Newton is the quarterback UK's staff sees as the future. Spring practice will be very important for Ryan Mossakowski to show that his shoulder can be healthy and he can compete for the position.

 

If the competition for one of these two freshmen to become the starting UK quarterback was a 400 meter dash, Morgan Newton just got a 100 meter head start on Ryan Mossakowski.

 

On another note, Will Fidler is the player I feel sorry for. He is the odd man out in the quarterback race. Rich Brooks very much broke his pattern of playing older and more experienced players in the program when Morgan Newton got the call against Auburn. There was a lot of pressure to play the young, highly-touted out of high school player, and it came at the expense of Will Fidler.

Pretty much what I figured. Since both committed I thought Mossakowski was the better choice for the system this staff is running. If he doesn't have a good spring and pass Newton on the depth chart is there any scenario where he doesn't transfer? I would have a hard time believing a 4 star recruit will just sit the bench for his career at UK.

 

I too feel bad for Will. I watched every game he played in high school including his freshman games and really thought I would be watching him on Saturdays. Funny how things turn out. If Mossakowski proves healthy in the spring I am not sure there will be a place for Will on next years team.

I think a lot of the reason Newton got the nod over Fidler is that Brooks didn't feel like Will knew the offense enough or was any more ready to take over than Newton. I really don't feel all that bad for him if that was the case.

Tough call...do you think Hartline can play as well as he did vs. South Carolina if he returns to the lineup? Was that a sign that he was starting to put it all together, or was that just a fluke? It's not like we saw a lot prior to that to suggest he was about to start playing really good.

 

As for actual results on the field, Newton hasn't been any better than Hartline. But, he could be the QB of the future.

 

So, it comes down to two things...

 

1. If you think Hartline will play more like the South Carolina game, then he has to be the guy because that gives you the best chance to win. That's the best any UK QB has played this season.

 

2. If you think that was a fluke, and will get more of the same from Hartline, then I think you go with Newton. If the play at QB is going to be basically the same, you may as well go with the young guy that just burned a redshirt and let him get some experience. There's no need to sit a guy who could be the starting QB for the next 3 years if the replacement doesn't offer an upgrade.

 

Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to what we'll get from Hartline. I'd probably start Hartline and see if he can pick up where he left off...if you have a chance to upgrade, then I think you have to give it a shot.

If Hartline is 100%, you go with him. Like others have said, things started to click for Hartline against SC. But if he isn't 100%, you start Newton. You can't risk Hartline hurting himself any further.

I think a lot of the reason Newton got the nod over Fidler is that Brooks didn't feel like Will knew the offense enough or was any more ready to take over than Newton. I really don't feel all that bad for him if that was the case.

I do not believe this to be the case.

If Hartline is 100%, you go with him. Like others have said, things started to click for Hartline against SC. But if he isn't 100%, you start Newton. You can't risk Hartline hurting himself any further.

 

I never knew Hartline was so valuble to the team. Newton has shown great progress and I feel the staff should stick with him. Hartline manages games, and with UK's backs and defense they won't win football games with that type of strategy.

I never knew Hartline was so valuble to the team. Newton has shown great progress and I feel the staff should stick with him. Hartline manages games, and with UK's backs and defense they won't win football games with that type of strategy.

Again I will ask, other then the EKU game, which UK should win with Sieber at QB, what has Newton done that was so impressive?

I do not believe this to be the case.

 

That was the impression I got from RB.

I think the issue with Will Fidler has more to do with his past rather than his present frame of mind for both him and the UK coaches.

 

Will Fidler enrolled at UK in January of 2005 after graduating in December from Henderson County High School. He has been involved in the program for four springs and four fall camps. He is very familiar with the offense. When he is in the game, the UK staff can run many more options to the offense than they can when Morgan Newton is in the game. That's because of the big difference in experience the two quarterbacks have. Not game experience, but Fidler has four more years in the same offense.

 

Will Fidler's personality is very laid back and calm and I think his lackadaisical (that word is a little too strong in this case, but....) approach hurt him in the coach's eyes. By contrast, Mike Hartline is a much more intense player. He is more vocal and more of a suck up (that may be a little too strong as well). Hartline is much more assertive than Fidler and that factors into the perception Coaches Brooks and Phillips want from the quarterback position.

 

The move to start Morgan Newton at Auburn was a youth movement. Additionally, Morgan Newton is a much more aggressive personality than Will Fidler. On top of that, who knows what promises were made to Morgan Newton and family before he came into the program.

 

I am sure Will Fidler did not always look good in practice in his first few seasons, partially due to his injured shoulder, which he had surgically repaired. I do think Will Fidler has shown the UK coaches probably only in the past year that he really wants and is capable of playing the quarterback position at UK. I thought he looked better than Hartline throughout this past spring and in the spring game. And he certainly looked (for obvious reasons) better than Morgan Newton throughout summer and fall camp.

 

He truly is the odd man out due to all of the above.

UK recruited Newton and Mossakowsi (sp?) to be the future of the program. Hartline is stable, but the Newton really hasn't been much worse. At least Newton is young and has some tools.