I wanted to share a few thoughts.
i was "all in" on stoops for 3.5 years. in the 3rd quarter of last night, i officially changed my stance to "wait and see" until the end of this year. we are married to this coaching staff for another 11 games (and probably 23 games atleast). I am not in panic mode, but i want to see how this team responds.
the primary reason i have shifted my position is because i am come to believe that Stoops probably does not have the coaching prowess to make necessary in game and halftime adjustments to win critical moments in games.
Since stoops became HC. 21 times we went into halftime losing. 21 times we lost that game. 4 times we were tied at the half. Lost 2 and won 2. That is really a putrid effort on the coaching staffs part. I know in 2013 it was not likely we would win a lot of games and we were down at the half a lot, but to be 0-21 in 3 seasons when trailing at the half is just terrible.
Stoops does everything else you would want in a coach. Recruit well, promotes the program well, does it the right way, willing to make changes to staff as necessary, goes out and gets boosters, convinces the admin to invest im the facilities, etc. I even feel like he gameplans well before the game in some cases because we come out on fire some games. Except when the ball is kicked and we need to make adjustments to what the other team is doing, we just don't do it.
Rich Brooks didn't recruit as well as Stoops, but he did develop players well, and he was a wizard at making halftime adjustments, especially in the 2006-retirement seasons. We always came out and stopped what the other team was doing well and gave ourselves a chance to win it late.
I bring up Arizona in the title because i live in Tucson now. Mike Stoops was hired by Arizona in 2004 to do what Mark is now trying to do at Kentucky. Take a traditional doormat and make them relevant. He brought in Mark Stoops as the DB/DC the stoops bros came in and recruited very well for several years. In year 4 they won 8 games and that was the pinnacle of their success. They won 8 two years in a row. Won 7. Then started 1-5 and got fired. It was like they couldn't get over the hump and/or sustain success. I know the scenarios are different. Arizona did not upgrade their stadium (its ******* awful. Ive been), or upgrade any facilities. But the trajectory on the field feels similar. I doubt we even get 8 wins before Stoops is fired or resigns but the Pac 10 is a little easier than the SEC so it seems somewhat relative.
Stoops did stock the cupboard well and when Rich Rod was hired, he won 8 games his first two seasons, then won 10 games and won the Pac 12 south. Also beat oregon 2 straight years. They took a step back with 7 wins last year mainly due to injuries, and lost to BYU last night, so this story may have an unhappy ending. But my point is, he can do the necessary things within the 60 minutes of a football game that it seems neither mark/mike stoops can do.
I hope i am proved wrong and stoops figures it out and quick
The silver lining in all this? Mark Stoops has proven Kentucky can land big recruits, and he has managed to get the university to invest a lot of money into facilities. So if it doesn't work out, he will have certainly left UK in a better situation than when he got here. The next coach will have better talent on board, the knowledge that recruiting can be accomplished here, and facilities that should make any FBS coach happy.
Even with the loss to southern miss, the program (with or without coach Stoops) is headed the right direction.
If stoops does not work out, the seeds will have already been planted and the next football hire will be the most important in the history of UK football....
Cheers
i was "all in" on stoops for 3.5 years. in the 3rd quarter of last night, i officially changed my stance to "wait and see" until the end of this year. we are married to this coaching staff for another 11 games (and probably 23 games atleast). I am not in panic mode, but i want to see how this team responds.
the primary reason i have shifted my position is because i am come to believe that Stoops probably does not have the coaching prowess to make necessary in game and halftime adjustments to win critical moments in games.
Since stoops became HC. 21 times we went into halftime losing. 21 times we lost that game. 4 times we were tied at the half. Lost 2 and won 2. That is really a putrid effort on the coaching staffs part. I know in 2013 it was not likely we would win a lot of games and we were down at the half a lot, but to be 0-21 in 3 seasons when trailing at the half is just terrible.
Stoops does everything else you would want in a coach. Recruit well, promotes the program well, does it the right way, willing to make changes to staff as necessary, goes out and gets boosters, convinces the admin to invest im the facilities, etc. I even feel like he gameplans well before the game in some cases because we come out on fire some games. Except when the ball is kicked and we need to make adjustments to what the other team is doing, we just don't do it.
Rich Brooks didn't recruit as well as Stoops, but he did develop players well, and he was a wizard at making halftime adjustments, especially in the 2006-retirement seasons. We always came out and stopped what the other team was doing well and gave ourselves a chance to win it late.
I bring up Arizona in the title because i live in Tucson now. Mike Stoops was hired by Arizona in 2004 to do what Mark is now trying to do at Kentucky. Take a traditional doormat and make them relevant. He brought in Mark Stoops as the DB/DC the stoops bros came in and recruited very well for several years. In year 4 they won 8 games and that was the pinnacle of their success. They won 8 two years in a row. Won 7. Then started 1-5 and got fired. It was like they couldn't get over the hump and/or sustain success. I know the scenarios are different. Arizona did not upgrade their stadium (its ******* awful. Ive been), or upgrade any facilities. But the trajectory on the field feels similar. I doubt we even get 8 wins before Stoops is fired or resigns but the Pac 10 is a little easier than the SEC so it seems somewhat relative.
Stoops did stock the cupboard well and when Rich Rod was hired, he won 8 games his first two seasons, then won 10 games and won the Pac 12 south. Also beat oregon 2 straight years. They took a step back with 7 wins last year mainly due to injuries, and lost to BYU last night, so this story may have an unhappy ending. But my point is, he can do the necessary things within the 60 minutes of a football game that it seems neither mark/mike stoops can do.
I hope i am proved wrong and stoops figures it out and quick
The silver lining in all this? Mark Stoops has proven Kentucky can land big recruits, and he has managed to get the university to invest a lot of money into facilities. So if it doesn't work out, he will have certainly left UK in a better situation than when he got here. The next coach will have better talent on board, the knowledge that recruiting can be accomplished here, and facilities that should make any FBS coach happy.
Even with the loss to southern miss, the program (with or without coach Stoops) is headed the right direction.
If stoops does not work out, the seeds will have already been planted and the next football hire will be the most important in the history of UK football....
Cheers