The Really Sad Truth to it all.....

[HalHR2500]

I was at the game yesterday, shocked how many UK fans were in attendance and frankly they deserve better/ Here's the state of the program, all truth, so I have no problem letting it out there

1)Boom tried to quit the team, they let him come back, that started the total team discord. There's a reason why SEC schools didn't recruit him, I will leave it at that. Some of the gutless runs yesterday were abysmal.

2)Dorian Baker continues to play and should be benched or suspended. Obvious, that he quit on his team for last few games, cant play him CMS, be a man and bench him

3)Coaching staff, is well, buffoons, poor organization, serious discord among coaches

4)Barker and Towles-Doesn't matter who starts, that's the least of this teams problems

5)CMS is in meltdown mode, the Matt Jones interview showed a Captain Queegish tone (Mutiny), the man has lost the players and coaches, and frankly, some off the field issues are hampering him and the program

6)Mitch Barnhart-Doesn't have a clue, good Christian man, great for Olympics sports but frankly doesn't have the oomph to challenge CMS

7)Difference between the words out of Stoops mouth versus Calpari tells you everything you need to know. One is in charge, one is in over his head, Google Mike Stoops career and you will see a similar meltdown by his older brother.

 

[akaukswoosh]

I was at the game yesterday, shocked how many UK fans were in attendance and frankly they deserve better/ Here's the state of the program, all truth, so I have no problem letting it out there

1)Boom tried to quit the team, they let him come back, that started the total team discord. There's a reason why SEC schools didn't recruit him, I will leave it at that. Some of the gutless runs yesterday were abysmal.

2)Dorian Baker continues to play and should be benched or suspended. Obvious, that he quit on his team for last few games, cant play him CMS, be a man and bench him

3)Coaching staff, is well, buffoons, poor organization, serious discord among coaches

4)Barker and Towles-Doesn't matter who starts, that's the least of this teams problems

5)CMS is in meltdown mode, the Matt Jones interview showed a Captain Queegish tone (Mutiny), the man has lost the players and coaches, and frankly, some off the field issues are hampering him and the program

6)Mitch Barnhart-Doesn't have a clue, good Christian man, great for Olympics sports but frankly doesn't have the oomph to challenge CMS

7)Difference between the words out of Stoops mouth versus Calpari tells you everything you need to know. One is in charge, one is in over his head, Google Mike Stoops career and you will see a similar meltdown by his older brother.

I'd say Mitch has a huge clue when it comes to this football team but also wants to save his rear end. You'll hear nothing but, 'patience my friend,' when it comes to Stoops and the current chaotic state if UK football.

 

[HalHR2500]

I'd say Mitch has a huge clue when it comes to this football team but also wants to save his rear end. You'll hear nothing but, 'patience my friend,' when it comes to Stoops and the current chaotic state if UK football.

CMS not benching or dismissing Boom and Baker cost him the trust of team and his assistant coaches are buffoons

 

[JasonS.]

CMS not benching or dismissing Boom and Baker cost him the trust of team

No sources but all signs point to this. Season nosedive coincided with the week of Boom drama.

 

[zcats]

Boom is an elite talent. The only one we have. He is likely a little crazy like a lot of those guys. This isn't Bama where we can toss out a guy like that and replace him. We have to work through it with him. If you didn't appreciate how he played yesterday and the difference he made in the game while playing hurt with a brace on his arm I don't think you know football or watch the games. Stoops has yet to show he can be a HC but the decision to keep Boom Williams was obviously the right one. The season went south when our lack of serious focus started to cost us ball games.

 

[Formerly Imafan4evr_]

Glad you posted this, OP. Wanted to make a similar post myself and hit on several of those same topics. We constantly hear things like "what did you expect?" and "it takes time to build an SEC program". The problem is that team's problems go far deeper than a 4-6 record. The coaching strategies and decisions are legitimately dumbfounding. It's generally pretty easy to see when a team is well-coached and properly prepared to compete to their highest abilities, even if that team doesn't have the most glamorous record. These guys have multiple plays each game where coaches and players alike are throwing their hands up asking what's going on, barely shuffling players on/off the field in a timely fashion, setting up for ridiculous penalties and wasted timeouts, etc.

The insistence on keeping Baker in the mix at all costs is a head-scratcher. I don't have definitive proof of anything (no mystical "sources" here), but watching Baker, it seems fairly evident that his attitude is a problem. Rarely see a guy totally take plays off, no blocking, no finishing routes, the way he does. It's also interesting that he doesn't appear overly willing to actually fight a DB for a toss-up anymore, and let's be honest, many of Towles' passes are 50/50 balls these days (if not fired into someone's ankles or 8 feet overhead).

It would actually help my sanity if a guy like Dawson would say a little more of "that was a bad call, I take blame" and a little less of some variation of "it would have been a good play if it had worked". These cutesy little sayings and challenges like "why don't you come try to do this" do not endear a struggling staff to their fanbase. I was all-in on Stoops from day 1, but I've got one foot off this staff's bandwagon with bags packed and ready to hop off. Our players do shoulder their share of the blame, but I can't imagine what it's like to be standing on the field or sideline and seeing the most clueless HC/coordinators in the history of Power 5 football all scratching their heads looking like someone asked them to discuss quantum physics when faced with scenarios that should be common sense.

Sorry for the rambling. Generally keep these things short, but being a Kentucky football fan has a unique way of driving one crazy.

 

[Ugoff]

Good summary OP. I agree with what you say. A lot of this is on Stoops but I feel bad for him in a way, because there are a few head cases on this team that are just killing us. Stoops can't come out and say what's really going on here. This is where you really take a gamble hiring coaches who have no head coaching experience. Knowing football x and o's is one thing, but managing prima donnas and egos is something else. Frankly if we're going to lose, I'd rather lose with players who are giving maximum effort, not crybabies who want their bar buddies to play.

 

[ukalumni00]

Boom is the best player on the team and he knows it. If what has been said is true then he has held this program hostage and the damage done will cost Stoops his job in a few seasons unless he takes drastic actions and cleans this mess up.

Damian Harris may have been the only player who could have kept Boom in check.

 

[Grumpyolddawg]

I was at the game yesterday, shocked how many UK fans were in attendance and frankly they deserve better/ Here's the state of the program, all truth, so I have no problem letting it out there

1)Boom tried to quit the team, they let him come back, that started the total team discord. There's a reason why SEC schools didn't recruit him, I will leave it at that. Some of the gutless runs yesterday were abysmal.

2)Dorian Baker continues to play and should be benched or suspended. Obvious, that he quit on his team for last few games, cant play him CMS, be a man and bench him

3)Coaching staff, is well, buffoons, poor organization, serious discord among coaches

4)Barker and Towles-Doesn't matter who starts, that's the least of this teams problems

5)CMS is in meltdown mode, the Matt Jones interview showed a Captain Queegish tone (Mutiny), the man has lost the players and coaches, and frankly, some off the field issues are hampering him and the program

6)Mitch Barnhart-Doesn't have a clue, good Christian man, great for Olympics sports but frankly doesn't have the oomph to challenge CMS

7)Difference between the words out of Stoops mouth versus Calpari tells you everything you need to know. One is in charge, one is in over his head, Google Mike Stoops career and you will see a similar meltdown by his older brother.

I probably know a little more history about Boom than most anyone here. But first of all I want to say he is a very good SEC back, but he has a history of transferring schools when things don't go to suit him, or mostly someone else in his group. He wasn't happy when Chubb committed to UGA and when we were still recruiting Sony it pretty much sealed the deal he wasn't staying with us. I thought getting away would be a good thing for him, but apparently he didn't get away from things that influence him. I would be surprised if he looked at transferring, because it isn't free now like it was in HS where a PO box was basically all you needed to transfer with the way the GHSA works.

 

[irishcat1965]

Nothing I argue with in the OP's post. Brutal truth.

 

[CoachR35]

The amount of blue at the Vandy game certainly shows the loyalty and commitment from UK fans. I agree that they deserved a better game then what they got yesterday. Nor do I disagree with many of the issues presented by the OP. To me, the disappointment has less to do with the won/loss record and more to do with how much this team has regressed throughout the season. I watched Arkansas upset LSU in death valley last night and thought to myself, there's a team that has progressed tis year. Maybe I expect too much, but I know this, I refuse to drink the CMS Kool-Aid any longer.

 

[brassnux66]

I was there last night too. I think you are spot on with most of this. Not sure about Boom, but there is an obvious and serious current of dissention on this team. At least Boom tries. Baker has blatantly quit trying to catch most balls thrown to him. Doesn't finish routes, doesn't fight for the ball, hell he wouldn't even bend down to catch a very catchable ball around knee level with no one within 5 yards of him.
I'm not sure if it shows up on TV, but it looks like a Chinese fire drill at times. Some of the stuff the coaches do or call is mind boggling. Four straight chances from the 1 and you have the wrong Back in the game. Throw a fade from the 3 to a WR who you know won't fight for the ball. Illegal formation on a punt. A punt for goodness sake, how does that even happen? Swindle coming off the field on a FG. Doesn't he know if he is on the FG team or not? Going for it at the end of the 1st half. NOT going for it with 5 to go in the 2nd half. Never throwing to the TE over the middle. Getting punked on the trick play... QB isn't the problem on this team.
The few positives I saw were:

*the o-line blocked better. There was nowhere to go but up.
*CJ Johnson continues to play his butt off.
*the defense basically held Vandy to a field goal
*Charles Walker is fearless
*AJ Stamps put the HAMMER on several Vandy ball carriers.

 

[HalHR2500]

Boom Williams and Dorian Baker have killed team morale,you never let a player hold the team hostage, NEVER

 

[Saguaro Cat]

So we need to cut Boom and Baker because they don't try hard, but Barker needs the starting position handed to him regardless of what he does in practice. Got it.

 

[Saguaro Cat]

Funny. We did bench Boom for the Eastern game. And no one else on the team stepped up to do jack squat. We almost lost that game. Except for Dorian Baker. I can not imagine how much this team would suck if it wasn't for those two. None of the receivers block. None of them catch. As bad as Baker blocks he's better than our offensive line at it.

I wish the rest of the offense would care as little as Baker and Boom do.

 

[HalHR2500]

Some don't understand how it works.......those who have played and coach certainly understand it 100 percent

 

[wildcatdon]

Saguaro you are not getting it..Read deeply and think. A lot of what he says is true.

 

[BBBLazing]

I started a thread with this, but no one was interested enough to reply. I think it fits here.

I would rather lose with kids that will give effort than lose with talented players like Baker that won't pick his QB off the ground after getting the **** knocked out of him in a dorm. We have too many players that are on an SEC football scholarship that are not putting forth the effort our school deserves. I would bench Baker. I would even bench Boom. They both seems like punks that want to get theirs. People have said some are not playing hard because they disagree with who is playing QB. If that is the case, kick them off the team and play walk ons. We have always sucked. I would rather suck with dignity than to suck with talented players that embarrass fans with their effort.

 

[HalHR2500]

Addition by subtraction......about 25 other guys production will skyrocket....got to remove the dark clouds