I'm just pointing out the sample size for Stoops is to small at this point to make the comparison.
Rich Brooks Original Plan same as Stoops new plan
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I'm just pointing out the sample size for Stoops is to small at this point to make the comparison.
It's fair to say stoops inherited less talent and had a tougher schedule then stoops. Probation did delay brooks rebuild so I credit him for getting it turned as fast as he did but if stoops goes bowling this year then he did just as good as brooks his first 3 years.
This should be a huge factor in Stoops development of players. Korem and the facility upgrades are a tremendous step up from what Brooks had to work with. But better late than never as its a huge bonus for the program.
I disagree to a point that realisticly he should win at least 7 games this year. Next year to me might be your put up or shut up year but not this year. Brooks would have never gone any farther up the SEC ladder with the staff he had and poor recruiting. Take it for what it's worth but the poor recruiting doomed Joker from the beginning.
There may be some similarities but I would not characterize them as the "same", especially the manner in which both coaches came to what "common ground" there is.
IIRC, prior to taking the UK job, CRB last football work was with the Falcons and I think (?) they ran a 3-4 (or maybe the Rams ran a 3-4 when he was there). Anyway, he had some NFL 3-4 background when he came to UK and I seem to recall him saying the 3-4 would be a different look that might help UK in the SEC (the 3 man DL schemes were not anywhere near as prevalent in the college game in 2003 as they are now).
Offensively, I alway thought the choice of Ron Hudson was a strange one. The KSU offense was fashioned on a downhill TB running game augmented by some QB carries and the occasional long ball when your defense cheated up. It seemed unlikely UK was going to establish a similar attack in the SEC.
Stoops came to UK as a 4-3 guy but, like many 4-3 proponents, was "forced" into a 3 man front by today's spread formation offenses that almost demand that you put another player on the field who can "defend in space". It remains to be seen exactly "what" Dawson's offense will look like but I doubt it will be built around a power run game.
But I do agree about the staffs regarding the recruiting. Just no comparison.
Peace
Little was a helluva back! Were you there??? Teams couldn't bring him down despite the fact that the line couldn't block well enough for him. Pinner was even better, but Brooks first season was his last. Whatever the case, there were tons of guys on Brooks squads that were considered mediocre going into school, but play on Sunday's now. Do some research if you don't believe it.
Haha OK bud. First Pinner's last year was 2002, not Brooks first year. So maybe you need to do research. Little was a really good back but he wasn't an all american like some on here claim. Boom is so much more talented and will have better career IMO
OK, I stand corrected on Pinner. Brooks did take over in 2002, but it was in Dec so 2003 was his first year of football. That still doesn't take anything away from how good Little, or any other Brooks players were. Boom may very well turn out to be better than Little, but guess what, he hasn't proved it yet! And If Little had been running behind an all american line, he woulda been an all american back. Using rankings like all american is kind of silly for a comparrison at this point IMO.
JMO but I think poor support from the administration doomed both of them from the beginning.
And the OL that blocked for Little averaged not just a two star but barely over a 5.2 per Rivals. Not to say that several of them weren't very good, G Williams was a 5.1 IIRC and had a very long career in the NFL.
You're unbearable but I'm sure you hear that a lot. The defense made a HUGE jump in forcing turnovers from year 1 to year 2. The defense was 6th in the SEC in sacks and 3rd in picks. The team finished in the top 25 for turnover margin. If you think he micromanages his assistants then you really are clueless. Our assistants gush over the freedom they have under Stoops. Getting Dupree drafted in the first round does nothing for you? Does that not prove player development? When was the last time we had a player drafted in the first round I'll wait......... Getting true freshmen like Randolph and McClain to play the way they did as true freshmen in a complex defense in the SEC fresh out of high school is a testament to his ability to coach them up. The talent (or lack thereof) he inherited was so bad that EKU and Western we legitimately better teams than us let that sink in for a moment. You're right though Stoops the magician should already be winning SEC road games against teams that finish in the top 25 of recruiting every single year with players that should've gone to Central Michigan or Ball State. We've had so many HOF coaches here at UK I've forgotten how high the bar was set before Stoops got here. No bowl in year 2 faaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrr Stoops!!!!!!!!!
6 wins is important this year and the schedule sets up nicely for it. Those that are calling Stoops tenure a bust if he doesn't reach 6 this year are wrong though. The players that will make or break Stoops are already here. Maintaining and improving recruiting is important for the future but the first 3 classes are signed and delivered. They will be responsible for the trajectory of the program. So we have a few bad breaks this year but we rise to the middle of the SEC the next two years with these players. Was the 2015 season make or break in that scenario? I think our brand new state-of-the-art facilities and the fact that so many recruits are local products will offset lulls we may have on the field this year. Having Jackson and Young as Army All-Americans that are rock solid and having our QB in the fold will be the difference in how the 2015 class ended down the stretch
WildCard trying to get all technical on me...lol... My man I'm talking about the big picture of things, not really the technical part of things. Yeah Rich Brooks came from the NFL and ran the 3-4 and was originally why he wanted to do it. But he hired Mike Archer, go back and listen and read some of his comments as coming in. I kid you not, he sounds like Mark Stoops, not in tone of voice but what he was saying. Mike Archer was saying that you have to be multiple in the front end as well as the back end, he also sited the advantage of the 3 man front being in recruiting. The recruiting aspect is why Mark Stoops was forced into it in the first place.
As for offense its the same deal, the intention was for Ron Hudson to run a vertical passing oriented offense with a downhill runner and be very physical. These are the same things Shannon Dawson is stressing as well. Its not what they looked like on the field, its about what the plan was. There was a plan in place, now weather it happens or not pretty much depends on #1 how well the coaches coach and develop and #2 the level of talent of the players. That physical portion of the running game is actually the intent for Shannon Dawson, that's why they put Jacob Hyde at fullback, that's why they are excited about Mikel Horton, the most physical runner. Ron Hudson's first mistake was trying to run a 2 QB system with Jared Lorenzen and Shane Boyd. Jared should have been the #1 guy from the beginning without wavering, Ron Hudson handled that horribly and it affected the on the field product too. So this is more about the intent and less about what actually happened on the field. Ultimately the talent you have and are able to attract will dictate what you can and can't do.
That's why I say UK fans should be happy with 6 wins. 6 wins is incremental improvement. It takes 5 years to build a program in the SEC.
Historically the biggest problem with UK football was too many fans being satisfied with 6 wins. not over expectations.
Stoops just told the world that this team will be significantly better this year and the strength of our opponents in the winnable games projects to be a bit less. Unless you think the coach is lying to us, essentially repeating last year's performance with an improved team, does not demonstrate progress no matter how you slice it and dice it.
IMO our players and coaches need ENCOURAGEMENT AND CONFIDENCE from our fan base, not low expectations and excuses. If I were a player I would be thoroughly insulted by some of the posts I have read here lately.
I am not sure saying that 6 wins is being satisfied with the still young roster that we have. And I would disagree that declaring that we are going to win 8 or 9 games is encouragement and confidence especially if we fall way short and then have our fans berate and insult the team and staff for false hope. The team and the staff definitely needs to have confidence in themselves, we as fans just need to support them through each game.
