Sunday Mashup- 2/1/15

[JPFisher]

>All is well in the world but you wouldn't be able to tell that from looking at the Lair this past week.

>Losing Harris tore a hole in the sail of the USS UK Moe. Regardless of what you think- losing out on Damien after a lot of people had him as a lock to UK sent a huge message to the others on board. I can't fault anyone for jumping ship, but others aren't so forgiving. What you must remember is that we lost Neal Brown, lost out on the biggest recruit in modern UK history, and ended the season that was once full of promise on a 6 game losing skid.

>Scary part? We're potentially in for another sub-top 25 class next year as well. Here is my reasoning behind that...
-Depth. Want to know why we rubbed our junk on the floor like a dog with worms the last games? Depth. Playing through the pain only takes you so far. Eventually that catches up- especially in the SEC. Our depth will be much better next year but also very young. Will be another rough road.
-Leader. This class doesn't have a leader like Barker or Hytche. Harris could've been that glue guy but went south. Pun intended. 2016 needs to find its leader soon. I'd like to think Jackson could be that guy (Go Yellowjackets) but regardless, it is imperative that we have a go-to guy when other players come calling who will step in and stay in our guy's ear.
-No more Neal. While Dawson has already hit the recruiting trail hard, it will be difficult to get back into the full swing of things immediately since a lot of connections were held with Brown.

>Good news? I think we reach bowl eligibility and bolster our recruiting capabilities.

>Gooder news? Several Yahtzees this week. Welcome to the BBN, Josh Allen and Tavin Richardson. Also, a lot of potential for some high quality flips (a la a DB and LB we've wanted for a long time). Pat Loney said he expects more commits before Tuesday... I trust him a lot.

>ST coach? Bruh.... Again, pun intended.

>Some of our players need a coming to Jesus moment. Act like you're part of the Commonwealth's team and carry yourself respectfully. Don't put yourself in these stupid positions. You're interviewing for the NFL right now before some of you have ever played a single down. I will not bat an eye if you strike out and are asked to leave the team. However, that is not to say that you are expendable and to that effect, think about your team, your fans, and your future.

>NSD is right around the corner. Ah, the smell of coffee, fax machines, cameras, sweat, and Imagine Dragons... Wait...

>Interesting to note (and please know that I will not reference rivals often) that UL loses FIVE defensive backs. All of 99 games played just gone next year iirc. Was a twitter source. Anyone is welcome to chime in. Keep it tame, though. These are not supposed to be flame threads (surprising after last week's debacle, I know).

>As a side, I feel really good about next season the more I think about it.

>I'm all for UK having more blackout games. However, I'd probably choose to have the blackout against Florida and not Auburn. I don't care about Auburn. Florida is weak, has a record, and a new coach. Duct tape their gator mouths shut and whip the piss out of them. Metaphorically of course....

Happy Sunday and GBB!

 

[JPFisher]

Yeah, there's no fixing that formatting error up there. It looks perfect on my edit screen but I'm too lazy to put forth any more time into it. You all get the gist of it.

 

[BigBlueCatNation]

Good post, but you lost me with the UL comparison. When you compare yourself to UL, you aren't doing anything special anytime in the near future. Kentucky needs to compare itself with real teams that matter, in order to make the biggest impact.

 

[TheThack]

Originally posted by BigBlueCatNation:
Good post, but you lost me with the UL comparison. When you compare yourself to UL, you aren't doing anything special anytime in the near future. Kentucky needs to compare itself with real teams that matter, in order to make the biggest impact.

I would not say he compared UK to UofL rather he made a note that they were losing some depth this year. In football teams typically make smaller steps in improvement from season to season than basketball because of the shear numbers involved. Whether we want to admit it or not UofL is a bitter rival who has been ahead of us over the last few years as evidenced by the results on the field. Taking dead aim on changing that circumstance is a step I think we must acknowledge. To me that really matters and it is a big impact included on the road to bigger impacts.

 

[JPFisher]

I made no comparison. It's just a note that caught my attention on the interwebs. There is honestly nothing more to that note.



This post was edited on 2/1 12:35 PM by JPFisher

 

[JPFisher]

Not a lot of clicks today. Happy Super Bowl, everyone!

 

[BigBluePhantom]

Screw the Superbowl and the two teams playing in it. Lets talk UK football.

You speak of a leader. Harris would have been the ideal candidate for that role. In hindsight, the fact that he didn't sign early to start the ball rolling and that he didn't assume that leadership role should have been some very big clues that he was not ours to lose.

I am not sure how some people can say that we shouldn't compare ourselves to UofL. They are better than us and have been for the most part since the series was renewed. Comparing ourselves to Bama or LSU would be silly at this point in our progress. Hopefully, once we pass UofL, Ole Miss, Missouri and Arkansas, then we can set our sights on the top programs.

 

[southindycat]

I agree that it is blind to compare ourselves to SEC elites right now. Milepost #1 is undefeated non-conference play. This is closely followed by .500 in SEC play. Put the two together, and tell me how you feel about the direction of this program.

 

[mrschwump]

UK needs something good to happen. And some luck. Funny how the harder you work the luckier you become.

 

[subsonic66]

If we get to 8 wins prior to a bowl in the next 2 seasons ill be elated!

 

[Ky grandpa]

Thanks JP for all you do to contribute to our lair board. Sometimes I don't always agree 100% but, you are one of the very good posters on here, and I don't mean that to slight anyone else there are several more.
I wanted whats his name too until after the fact and some of his mouth over ran his azz, and he let the Cat ( pun intended) out of the bag. I do not think he was anywhere as important as Tim" touch down" Couch, yes he is a good rb but he is not as important as a good qb. That's all I got to say about that.
I agree that our overall depth will be greatly improved this year, and we will be able to have more penetration by our dt's and lb's can plug the gaps. The back end looks to be a little stronger this year with more exp.
I look forward to NSD to see what surprises Stoop's and crew will have in store.
I to feel good about this coming season and too see the difference in the growth of these young men. I think we will see a better team that the national media portray.
I think we pass lewvile this year and never look back. I don't want to ever be compared to that bunch of trash again as long as I live. I want to be compared to the good SEC teams not also ran's.
What super bowl??????? nuff said...
Thanks again JP and everyone that is here, I don't post much but I read a lot. I am on here every day to check out what's happening with my FB Wild Cats, go BB.

 

[JPFisher]

I wasn't going to post anything else in this but I pretty much have to. I appreciate the words, grampa. I just try to have fun and hope that there are plenty more mashups for you to partake.

Thanks for for the support, guys.

Also, make sure you read for comprehension. I can only articulate so much in these threads and we have cases where people assume that I was comparing UK and UL or that I said Harris was ours to lose. A lot of what I write needs to be taken as is and not looked into so deeply. Kinda like if Obama was drinking a Pepsi and someone in the media cried out that he has started a war on Coke.

These threads are merely a way for me to summarize the week the best I can. If intelligent debates or discussion ensues, then that's wonderful and I've done well.

Truth be told, a lot of why I do these threads is my favorite speech of all time by Jimmy Valvano at the ESPYs. In it, he states that a full day includes some time in laughter, which I hope I can bring to a few of you. Then, spend some time in thought, which is the main reason I do these. I want people to take in everything. Put 2 and 2 together and enjoy more of what goes on in the program. Discuss issues. Think about what is different or why something is wrong. Went off on a complete tangent there. Sorry. I could delete it but then I wouldn't be telling you all that I want more commentary on this stuff.

Dad would've liked the way this program is going. Might not have said it, but he would be thinking it. I think you all can put 2 and 2 together. Anyway, I've wasted enough server space typing this out.

Again, thanks, ky gramps. Telling you thanks was supposed to be the only thing I was going to type.

 

[StoopsFan56]

Thank you for "Mashup". One of my favorite threads.

 

[jauk11]

Thanks for the thread, sorely needed with all the attention to the Super Bowl-----where the only great thing that happened was the showing by one of our own, when our school didn't even get mentioned.

But I have to disagree with the sub-top 25 class next year, to start with the coaches have done a very good job of meeting some needs in this class, and most of them wouldn't play this year anyway, we have most of the starters and depth back needed for an improved team plus a very good group of redshirts. And if our record improves then I am sure our coaches will take advantage of it with the way they have recruited with dismal records, this years ending in a downturn also.

We still already have twice the four stars and twice the 5.7s as the 10 class with only 16 commits, which was better than most if not all of Brooks classes (on paper at least), and was before the wheels started falling off. Again, of those one four star and four 5.7s only 5.7 Sanders had even a decent career. Plus, there is a reason other schools are stooping to stealing our recruits, it is because we are getting very good ones now, even the underrated ones. Also we have ZERO two stars committed this year, compared to eight in that class.

As far as the leader goes sounds like we might have the ideal one in Drake, an OL when per one thread on here we have an in with several VERY highly rated OL prospects, five stars included. We already have a great start there with the two we have (and four other great prospects) and the other OL might like having a leader like him at center calling their signals. If that comes about, and a lot depends on our season which I am fairly optimistic about, a great OL class will attract great runners AND a good QB prospect----or two. TU has three four star QBS committed in their 15 class already, don't we have a walkon WR that is the brother of their 6.0 QB commit in the 16 class? IF something did happen with Barker, and I don't think it will (or should, and I am harder on ethics than most, have to see the facts when they come out) then we might even have a shot at him switching, I am optimistic about our new OC improving our offense, I surely think he will have more to work with.