With no pretense will I start trying to define what the problem is entirely or how to fix it. All I can say is that I am absolutely exhausted from the yearly emotional roller-coaster which occurs year in and year out from our "participation" in SEC FB.
Like many (really all) of the UK FB fans out there I will continue to be a 'die' hard fan, but just maybe my passion might be weening a bit. Perhaps a UK FB fan rehab camp should be started.
There are many arguments being made on both sides of the FB spectrum for and against all things UK FB. Who is the blame? Who can get us over the hump? How did we get here? Much longer to go? Not much longer to go? Every aspect has been argued, and I am not here to argue either. All I want to do is say what is on my mind and from my heart.
All I want is a winning FB program. I am not at all interested about how we get there to be honest. For a long time I took great pride in the "better than you" approach, and the "not acceptable here" approach but sorry I want to win and not accept accuses or thrash (winning) schools for there way to do so. I am not suggesting a full scale sale out to the dark side but something has to change drastically.
I want a FB school, a school that is not scared to pull the trigger to get rid of NC championship coaches (Texas & LSU), when coach is no longer getting it done to higher standards of winning.
I want a coach with so much pride that losing 2 years in a row to the conference doormat leads to a sudden retirement (Spurrier).
I want an assistant that get a 15 yard penalty when the officials are calling or not calling the right calls against our players. (Muschamp).
I want a coach that goes off on an assistant for a blunder so as to not repeat the same mistake, the same coach that will not allow his team to get beat by the 'same play' ran over and over again (Saban).
I want a coach that is willing to adjust to a trick play or not follow the norm or change the play calling to win the game with adjustments (Petrino).
I want a coach that gets tired of people saying "Same Ole" team and goes off to media and improves player talent and skills to do better on the field (Dabo). So I dare say "Clemsoning" should be changed to "Kentuckying"?
I want a coach that regroups his team and help them reel off 11 wins (Fedora).
I want an AD that will go to the media and tear a hole in the NCAA officials for the blatantly horrible PI call at SC, the non-PI again UF, and the countless other untimely bogus hold calls. Or the blatant face mask non-call in front of 3 refs. If our AD will not speak up and show respect for player rights, why should anyone else?
I want an AD that replaced a coach for underachieving even though he recruited well (Michigan, UF & OSU).
This years team is not the previous coaches team any longer so that is not a valid argument in my opinion.
We lost today to a team with a FR QB, FR OL, FR WR, etc.. We lost 2 weeks ago to a young team as well. So the youth argument is skewed as well.
All the WR dropping balls are Stoops recruits.
All the DBs getting beat deep on a play action by a FR QB are Stoops recruits.
The OL (after letting go of Larubbio, Krok, Jones and not playing Bunchy and others) are now Stoops players if not why not replace them as the DBs where replaced.
All the DL playing significantly today where Stoops players
All the LB (Forrest was a WR for Joker, so as an LB he is a Stoops player) all Stoops except for Henderson, but I counter with the fact that Hendrix was shown the door and Firios & Walker have been non existing. Slow play Chris Frey, and the other LBs that should be on this roster playing at other schools. Not to mention James Hearns at UL that is 2-0 against the team he "wanted" to play for.
I want an AD that will stand up and pull the strings to keep players in school (Tubman). I am not desensitizing the charge but look around, these same accusations have been done elsewhere and no other school I can recalled kicked a player out of the school. Nebraska players played the next game. Again, I am just going strictly according to criminal charges, dropped then the player should stay and play.
What did Jones do that was so bad that he doesn't get a chance but was okay to be a piece of a NC team OL before leaving on his own?
We have been told that we will be more physical in the running game, yet the two most physical backs that we had are gone (Mosley, Clemens). Having either one of them, changes this season as both would have been able to do something (which they proved) which would have been better than the non-existing run game when Stanley is gone.
The worst thing of all is Identity and the lack there of. I was a big supporter for Stoops, the reason why is because I thought that from his history and family background he would at the least establish an identity for this team. There is absolutely no identity and that is what bothers me the most. Be something! Win or lose we should be able to identify the team. Can anyone identify this team? 4-3, 3-4, zone, man, blitzing, pass happy, run strong, Air Raid (which we are not as mesh (crossing routes) is an Air Raid staple), more Run and shoot to me, but I ask what are we? We know what every other team is, even Vandy is a 'great defense' (after 2 seasons) with a horrible offense. Win or lose the Vandy fans know what they got and they can feel proud to say that when they get a decent Offense they will be a better team. Which be all accounts will be next year in year 3 at Vandy!!! Sorry a bit emotional cause Franklin did the same thing at a school that historically is more academically more challenging to get into than UK.
Several weeks ago, an female Alabama/Tennessee (think her husband) fan chided me in FL saying "I guess your at least happy that BB season has started" after the UT debacle. This sickens me to no end. Because, there is absolutely no reason why we can't win and be respectable in FB at UK. And as long as we continue to be who we are as a FB "participating" school in the SEC, as UK FB fans we have to keep enduring.
I am sick of "enduring", I want to be "winning"!
Please UK start acting like a FB school for once in our history and do what it takes. I am thankful for Stoops as he has demolished the myth that UK can't recruit and good recruits will not consider our school. This he deserved all the kudos in the world. Brooks proved that we can win here. For whatever the cause the school has proven it is willing to spend $ here. Now as many of us rightfully feel, it is time for someone or something to put all the pieces together and prove that we can be a championship FB winning program here.
I love my UK school as all of us do, but this is too much to continue to bear. We need to start winning, big time NOW! Do what it takes UK and get it done! PLEASE!!!
Sincerely,
Long suffering FB fan
P.S. I am so tired of being "Sick and Tired" of losing, excuses, excuses, and more excuses.
Like many (really all) of the UK FB fans out there I will continue to be a 'die' hard fan, but just maybe my passion might be weening a bit. Perhaps a UK FB fan rehab camp should be started.
There are many arguments being made on both sides of the FB spectrum for and against all things UK FB. Who is the blame? Who can get us over the hump? How did we get here? Much longer to go? Not much longer to go? Every aspect has been argued, and I am not here to argue either. All I want to do is say what is on my mind and from my heart.
All I want is a winning FB program. I am not at all interested about how we get there to be honest. For a long time I took great pride in the "better than you" approach, and the "not acceptable here" approach but sorry I want to win and not accept accuses or thrash (winning) schools for there way to do so. I am not suggesting a full scale sale out to the dark side but something has to change drastically.
I want a FB school, a school that is not scared to pull the trigger to get rid of NC championship coaches (Texas & LSU), when coach is no longer getting it done to higher standards of winning.
I want a coach with so much pride that losing 2 years in a row to the conference doormat leads to a sudden retirement (Spurrier).
I want an assistant that get a 15 yard penalty when the officials are calling or not calling the right calls against our players. (Muschamp).
I want a coach that goes off on an assistant for a blunder so as to not repeat the same mistake, the same coach that will not allow his team to get beat by the 'same play' ran over and over again (Saban).
I want a coach that is willing to adjust to a trick play or not follow the norm or change the play calling to win the game with adjustments (Petrino).
I want a coach that gets tired of people saying "Same Ole" team and goes off to media and improves player talent and skills to do better on the field (Dabo). So I dare say "Clemsoning" should be changed to "Kentuckying"?
I want a coach that regroups his team and help them reel off 11 wins (Fedora).
I want an AD that will go to the media and tear a hole in the NCAA officials for the blatantly horrible PI call at SC, the non-PI again UF, and the countless other untimely bogus hold calls. Or the blatant face mask non-call in front of 3 refs. If our AD will not speak up and show respect for player rights, why should anyone else?
I want an AD that replaced a coach for underachieving even though he recruited well (Michigan, UF & OSU).
This years team is not the previous coaches team any longer so that is not a valid argument in my opinion.
We lost today to a team with a FR QB, FR OL, FR WR, etc.. We lost 2 weeks ago to a young team as well. So the youth argument is skewed as well.
All the WR dropping balls are Stoops recruits.
All the DBs getting beat deep on a play action by a FR QB are Stoops recruits.
The OL (after letting go of Larubbio, Krok, Jones and not playing Bunchy and others) are now Stoops players if not why not replace them as the DBs where replaced.
All the DL playing significantly today where Stoops players
All the LB (Forrest was a WR for Joker, so as an LB he is a Stoops player) all Stoops except for Henderson, but I counter with the fact that Hendrix was shown the door and Firios & Walker have been non existing. Slow play Chris Frey, and the other LBs that should be on this roster playing at other schools. Not to mention James Hearns at UL that is 2-0 against the team he "wanted" to play for.
I want an AD that will stand up and pull the strings to keep players in school (Tubman). I am not desensitizing the charge but look around, these same accusations have been done elsewhere and no other school I can recalled kicked a player out of the school. Nebraska players played the next game. Again, I am just going strictly according to criminal charges, dropped then the player should stay and play.
What did Jones do that was so bad that he doesn't get a chance but was okay to be a piece of a NC team OL before leaving on his own?
We have been told that we will be more physical in the running game, yet the two most physical backs that we had are gone (Mosley, Clemens). Having either one of them, changes this season as both would have been able to do something (which they proved) which would have been better than the non-existing run game when Stanley is gone.
The worst thing of all is Identity and the lack there of. I was a big supporter for Stoops, the reason why is because I thought that from his history and family background he would at the least establish an identity for this team. There is absolutely no identity and that is what bothers me the most. Be something! Win or lose we should be able to identify the team. Can anyone identify this team? 4-3, 3-4, zone, man, blitzing, pass happy, run strong, Air Raid (which we are not as mesh (crossing routes) is an Air Raid staple), more Run and shoot to me, but I ask what are we? We know what every other team is, even Vandy is a 'great defense' (after 2 seasons) with a horrible offense. Win or lose the Vandy fans know what they got and they can feel proud to say that when they get a decent Offense they will be a better team. Which be all accounts will be next year in year 3 at Vandy!!! Sorry a bit emotional cause Franklin did the same thing at a school that historically is more academically more challenging to get into than UK.
Several weeks ago, an female Alabama/Tennessee (think her husband) fan chided me in FL saying "I guess your at least happy that BB season has started" after the UT debacle. This sickens me to no end. Because, there is absolutely no reason why we can't win and be respectable in FB at UK. And as long as we continue to be who we are as a FB "participating" school in the SEC, as UK FB fans we have to keep enduring.
I am sick of "enduring", I want to be "winning"!
Please UK start acting like a FB school for once in our history and do what it takes. I am thankful for Stoops as he has demolished the myth that UK can't recruit and good recruits will not consider our school. This he deserved all the kudos in the world. Brooks proved that we can win here. For whatever the cause the school has proven it is willing to spend $ here. Now as many of us rightfully feel, it is time for someone or something to put all the pieces together and prove that we can be a championship FB winning program here.
I love my UK school as all of us do, but this is too much to continue to bear. We need to start winning, big time NOW! Do what it takes UK and get it done! PLEASE!!!
Sincerely,
Long suffering FB fan
P.S. I am so tired of being "Sick and Tired" of losing, excuses, excuses, and more excuses.
