Thoughts and updates of open practice
- Thread starter JPFisher
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I'm a homer, my UK football glass is always half full. I came away from last years Spring game/scrimmage thinking our offense would score on any opponent on the schedule. Even with my UK enthusiasm I consider myself a realist. Coach Stoops simply has to correct side line mistakes! I put the losses to Vandy and UofL squarely on his shoulders. I'm encouraged that the hire of Gran/Hinshaw are big steps in correcting his side line blunders.
How many SEC qbs have been the #1 pick in the NFL draft? Tim would have had a long career if not it being in Cleveland
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They're 295 & 280 respectively.
Remember, spring is the time for experimentation and some of that is out of necessity with players sitting out due to injury with fewer than 65 scholarship players available.
I wouldn't be surprised to see more 4-3 looks given our DT depth and the ability of guys to play multiple positions. We may be a 3-4 base, but we will play a ton of 4-3, 4-2-5 and 2-4-5.
Football games are usually won or lost at the line of scrimmage. Winning teams have good lines. Teams with bad lines lose games. For most of the time Stoops has been here, he has had bad lines. That isn't his fault, and things are getting better now. Signing and developing Melvin Lewis was a master stroke. You have to give him credit for improvement of Dupree, Za'Darius, Robinson, Huguenin. But it takes time to build good SEC lines. Lewis, Robinson, Huguenin are gone now, so I see 2016 as another rebuilding year. If Elam and Pringle overachieve, things could happen faster. But I still see 2016 as a transitional year, with 2017 becoming the 1st truly defining year for Stoops at Kentucky.
From your post: " He most certainly isn't "eating people's lunches in the trenches"
I certainly hope not, that is the last thing he needs to do, and I hope/think that isn't his top priority now, millions of dollars for food on the table if he gets his priorities right.
Depends I have looked across the depth chart of other sec teams. I saw a bunch of productive d tackles between 270 and 290. If KG can beat guys with athleticism then we may have something.
A homer and a glass half-full individual are not the same thing. A homer cannot see any faults or ever analyze a situation without his undying fanaticism. A homer cannot see we have ways to go in some areas, yet at the same time doesn't recognize the true improvement in others; he just blindly assumes it's there.
A glass half-full person believes we can do better and luck will break our way.
I'm an optimistic realist. I know we have ways to go, I realize the SEC is brutal, but I believe we can have a winning season and with some luck a winning SEC record this fall. I'm not about to predict victories over Bama and Florida, division titles, and unproven QBs being "really good" or the best thing since sliced bread ever.
I should've stated speed for a 4-3 DE, but, as you stated, since he will be a 3-4 DE/DT, he may have the speed for that... Hard to imagine him NOT batting a good number of passes down on crossing routes.
Again, saying Elam is "eating people's lunches in the trenches" and saying Barker and Johnson are "two really good QBs" demonstrates blind homerism. Elam is an improving player. Barker and Johnson are inexperienced players competing for a starting QB spot.
Barker and Johnson are good quarterbacks. You do not make it to this level of football being a bad player. System and adjusting to this level of play will determine if there succesful. There is little doubt both players are capable quarterbacks. Football is the ultimate team sport a qb is only as good as the oline running backs wr tight ends and full backs doing there job.
BTW - it wasn't like KD played a ton of snaps at DT. His reps there were near the end of practice and totaled just over a handful. Someone said earlier on this thread or another one that KD played Jack LB yesterday. I watch that stuff pretty closely and I didn't see it happen.
We will have Dubose back and 3 Frosh DL on the roster this fall as well. Looney and Cross can likely play DT.
They both looked good yesterday. Thought Barker played really well. Against our secondary as well (which may be the best position group on the team outside of our RBs).
I was there yesterday- both QBs in fact looked good. I saw it with my own eyes.
Not opinion, not homerism, just a fact.
A suspicious offensive line, more than suspicious defensive line and a big question at quarterback. That's a team that's still rebuilding not a real seven win team but still a good shot at six.
Of the three the defensive line will be the biggest problem. If they can run all day on us six may be a stretch no matter how the other two do because common sense tells us that they won't be overpowering.
Of the three the defensive line will be the biggest problem. If they can run all day on us six may be a stretch no matter how the other two do because common sense tells us that they won't be overpowering.
The difference between a bad player and a "really good one" is so vast, even at this level. Getting a scholarship to play QB at UK doesn't immediately translate into wins and championships, no matter how much we idolize those boys in blue. Will anyone here call Shane Boyd, Morgan Newton, and Patrick Towles "really good QBs?" They got ships to play QB but we never had winning records or anything resembling a championship from any of them.
Watching guys complete passes in practice, even the SportsCenter highlight variety, doesn't make one a "really good QB." If it was our fortunes over the last 38 years would be much different.
And I bet the same was said about Towles the last 2 years. Whitlow before him. And Newton, and Hartline, etc. Heck the same was probably said about Barker last year. And when it came time to play.........well, lets not rehash it.
I get it, our desire to succeed leads us to labeling them "really good QBs" in spring practice. Come October that all fades away.
Put Shane Boyd on a vastly talented team and yes he would play well. Boyd stuck in the NFL for a little bit so he had some talent for sure. Newton had offers from whose who he just played for an awful team.
Like I said. I know what I saw. Both QBs played well YESTERDAY. Barker had a better command of the offense, but Johnson looks good as well.
Sorry you can't accept that.
Yea I never saw him at Jack. He did play there some as a frosh last year. I see KG as a pass rush dtackle type. With the numerous packages we play it would not suprise me if KG plays dt in certain situations. Not to mention the dend in this defense is a dtackle and the olb are like dends.
We have been recruiting to the Stoops bros version of a 3-4 for going on 4 years now and for the life of me I can't figure out how some folks think they're going to reverse course and become a four down front for any length of time. Of course we will show 4 down linemen in our nickel package but we are and will continue to recruit as we have which is a big NT that can command a double team, a large, agile 300lb + 3 technique and a lighter 270-280 range 4-5 tech that has the ability to anchor on the edge. Length is also a preferred trait.
None of which are died in the wool, hand in the dirt 7 tech pass rushers but we do get some guys that have that ability and just as other 3-4 teams we stand them up and utilize them as LBs.
None of which are died in the wool, hand in the dirt 7 tech pass rushers but we do get some guys that have that ability and just as other 3-4 teams we stand them up and utilize them as LBs.
That first statement tainted some others If he is then that may mean our offensive line sucks big time, again.
Now I truly hope he is but that would mean he has, at least, lost enough weight to get down into a stance.
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UK isn't going back to 4-3...we have no 4-3 defensive ends to play that formation effectively.
- Josh Allen (only Allen has the body to be a 4-3 DE but needs more weight to be an every down 4-3 DE)
- Denzil Ware...is a hybrid DE/OLB all the way
- Jordan Bonner...way to light to be a 4-3 DE
- Alvonte Bell could be a 4-3 DE is probably the only one that could thrive in 4-3 set
- Guys like Miggins/Daniel, etc.. aren't quite the edge speed to play 4-3 as well
When UK goes nickel package they'll do what they did alot of last year...leave to interior DL up the middle (CJ Johnson and Hugenin last year) and two rushing DE/OLB (Ware/Allen/Hatcher last year).
- Josh Allen (only Allen has the body to be a 4-3 DE but needs more weight to be an every down 4-3 DE)
- Denzil Ware...is a hybrid DE/OLB all the way
- Jordan Bonner...way to light to be a 4-3 DE
- Alvonte Bell could be a 4-3 DE is probably the only one that could thrive in 4-3 set
- Guys like Miggins/Daniel, etc.. aren't quite the edge speed to play 4-3 as well
When UK goes nickel package they'll do what they did alot of last year...leave to interior DL up the middle (CJ Johnson and Hugenin last year) and two rushing DE/OLB (Ware/Allen/Hatcher last year).
I've seen preseason euphoria so often I try to stay away from it and post what may be good balanced by what should be obvious.
Not always wine and roses.
Legitimate concerns though wouldn't you agree? I actually think we get to six wins this year but I thought that last year and said all along the Vandy game was key to success last year. I hate doom and gloom just like you but a fair assessment is not a bad thing for perspective.
After the last spring game somebody asked me what I thought of our offense since I went to the game and he didn't. My answer was, "Well we definitely have a couple of QB's that can throw the out pattern with authority and we have some talent at RB." That was my whole assessment from the game because I know you cannot make accurate predictions at this time of year.
Re Maggard and 4-3...I think his comments were based on the huge struggles of Pringle at back-up NT. The guy apparently had a really rough day Sat. Point is if he doesn't step it up it's only going to leave Elam and the seldom used Hyde at NT, not nearly enough depth at that position. May have to go with DTs Meant and Middleton at the same time, something UK was forced to do in '15 after Lewis was hurt.
As for Pringle, it's still way early so he has ample time to grow into the position. Big jump from JUCO to SEC, let's hope he's up to it.
I understand why he said it, but as you point out, it was only one practice. Also, who changes a defense based on one back-up? What he misses is Elam won't be playing 70 plays per game. He'll be playing the 1st and 2nd downs of those 70 plays, and even then, Pringle will play every third series. Maggard is making a mountain out of a mole hill a bit.
In football, I think it's incredibly unfair to judge a player's individual talent on a win/loss record in a team game. If you (in general) are saying Tim Couch wasn't a great QB due to a 7-5 record, you (in general) may have never heard the name "Mike Majors." If we had a defense at all, we probably would have won 2-3 more games at least. That's not Couch's fault.
PS - tim Couch was a really good QB.
(This is a general opinion and a rebuttal to the "unless you go 8-5," or whatever that statement was.But even if we switch to a 4-3 (which we are not)...presumably Elam plays a 2 technique along with Meant. Then who are their backups? Middleton and ????. Highly unlikely Kenegra is a 2 technique DT in a 4-3...and certainly not Bell, Miggins, etc..
Even presuming we'll go 4-3 not only still leaves us with the same problem as far as Elam's backup...but now you've also added the problem we don't have typical 4-3 DE on our roster (Ware, Bonner, Allen is closer than most), etc...
UK sticks with 3-4 alignment until passing downs arise.
Expect to get gashed at the point of attack on the ground. We just don't have the pieces in place to stop the run consistently with a 3 man front. We are going to have to do some ball control on offense with the spread passing game to protect the D.