Rich Brooks: "I'm 80% not coming back."
by Glenn Logan on Dec 28, 2009 12:24 AM EST
in Kentucky Wildcats Football
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PrintJust heard the word over WHAS 84 in Louisville, in Rich Brooks' own voice.
The Joker Phillips Era likely begins in a few days. These are the facts, and they are undisputed.
More as the story develops.
[UPDATE]: Rich Brooks just confirmed that he was 80% leaning toward retirement to Tom Leach. Heard with my own ears.
Said it has "Been a difficult time over the last few weeks thinking about it." And ...
"The whole year has been extremely frustrating."
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Lex18 in Lexington
reported the same thing. They said he told the players he was 80% sure he would not be back.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
He has to retire sometime
He will be missed.
We will definitely be taking a step back next year, Brooks or no Brooks.
We just haven’t been able to capitalize on our success enough in recruiting, especially on the defensive end.
Surprised he'd go out like this but
frankly if we’re handing Joker the job…..the sooner the better. Coach Brooks definitely deserves credit for getting the program to a certain level but we need to know if Joker will be able to build on that or not.
The programs treading water right now and if Joker’s the man to move us further down the stream….let’s get swimming.
You can't fix "stupid"!
The Sooner the Better is probably right
The sooner Joker steps in the faster he can leave. For his sake he better get a good Offensive Coordinator.
questions about joker
Hate to see coach Brooks leave !! i question jokers play calling sometimes. 3rd and 8 and we pass for 4 yards or to a wide out ?? 4th and 3 and we go into the shot gun ?? we have seen this all year……… is this what we have to look forward to ???
I hope not !!!
Couldn't agree more.
Brooks says he is disappointed about the year. Nobody would be saying that if Joker was better at calling plays. Also for the statisticians, it would be interesting to know how many plays UK had this year that were 15+ yards vs the rest of the SEC. I think those results would go a long way to explaining why this year was a disappointment as well.
It is very hard to win in the SEC when there is no threat of a long play. I know we had some major issues at the QB position after Hartline was hurt, but we had talent at the WR position. There is no reason Mathews or Cobb couldn’t have had a few +40 yard receptions.
The reason there wasn't a +40 yard reception
was because Newton doesn’t scan the field before he throws to a covered reciever. Also he just wasn’t very accurate.
Brooks said he considered the season a disappointment
From John Clay: “he considered the season ‘a disappointment,’ and that he felt more things could be accomplished.”
That says a lot about what Brooks has accomplished… that expectations are higher… that a culture of losing is changing… that he has perhaps laid a solid foundation for the future.
Historically, this was not a disappointing season for UK football.
No matter where you're at, there you are
agree....
if i had asked ANYONE in the fall of 2006 would you be happy with 4 straight 7+ win seasons, 4 straight bowls, a 3-1 record in those bowls and a chance to play for 2nd place in the east the 4th year, EVERYONE would have said "Book it.’
the fact that there is some disappointment makes it clear that Brooks has raised the program. We still have 3 streaks that i would like to see ended….if there is any disappointment, it is that we have not beaten more SEC east teams in the last 4 years…
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 28, 2009 10:31 AM EST up reply actions
He has earned it.......the only question at this point is whether or not Joker is ready.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Rich Brooks is not
.
the first sports figure to announce a retirement in the immediate aftermath of a tough loss.
He is also not the first to place his retirement percentage at less than 100%, rendering the proclamation about as useful as a typical weather forecast.
He has definitely earned the right to take his time, think about it, and make whatever decision he feels is best for him and his family. He has earned that.
Still, if he ends up not retiring I will wonder what the point was of making an “80%” announcement.
by Sonic on Dec 28, 2009 9:27 AM EST reply actions
My guess is the 80% (last night)
could be a combined mix of
A. a loss
B. cold extremities
C. needing a vacation
D. a family Christmas
Just guessing here. :-) But that could be enough for him to make his decision.
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
Bozich may have said it best (I can't believe I just typed that)
The man nobody wanted to see at UK is now the man nobody wants to see leave.
How about a leave of absence?
it occurred at Florida. And we all know how Mitch likes to be on the ‘cutting edge; As in having a ’coach in waiting’.
We let Brooks go fishing. Joker gets to play ‘head coach’ for a year, Brooks comes back for a final curtain.
Joker is graded on what he did, and bingo, its either his or we actually go looking for the best available.
I have be correctly accused of having a 'football fetish'. You know, someone who doesn't think football is the warm up sport to basketball season.
He's been fishing.....got tired of it
remember that he came out of retirement to take this job…..if he goes, he goes…he wont be looking back….would like to see him maybe take a position at the university that he might be able to do part-time…..dont know…..but he has earned the right to go out on his own terms…..the Joker situation isnt going away Paris….he will be here for a while….My best guess is that Mitch gives him at least 4 years
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
If he gets four years
That’s fine, he should. But they have to decide what type of offense we’re going to have and recruit a QB that can run it. I think the Wildcat is good every now and then, but you’re not going to win consistently in the SEC with gadget plays. We need a style that we can depend on in the clutch. Either heaving it 50 times a game or pounding it on the ground, we need an identity. Not having a go to scheme hurt us against UT and Clemson. D pretty much played good enough to win yesterday.
agreed.....and I am beginning to believe that the running game is becoming that very thing
but to do that we have to have some big heavy heiiters up front, so it is going to take some more big time players on the O-line…..and you are also right about the Wildcat…..it is good for what it is….but you cant make it a fixture unless you are going to build your entire offense around it and make so many variations on it that the other team doesnt know what is coming next
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I don't agree.
I don’t think UK’s defense played well enough to win. Clemson ran 21 fewer plays than we did and outgained the ’Cats by 50 yards.
The offense actually played well enough to win, had the defense been able to stop Clemson with more consistency.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Agreed
Our problem was the same as it was against Mississippi State and Tennessee… running backs looked at our decimated lines and started salivating. We took their pedestrian backs and made them look like CJ Spiller… then last night we actually played the real CJ Spiller. Not a good prospect.
Of course its difficult, its a shortcut... if it was easy it'd just be "the way."
C'mon Tru....Clemson had the number 1 rusher in college football
and the Cats did a decent job of bottling him up seems to me…..I am not ready to hand out game balls mind you, but they played decent…..considering one of those touchdowns was really on the offense
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Agree with ABC
The stats don’t tell the story of that game. UK’s D stuffed Spiller in the first half and did a good job on all but really one drive. In the second half, UK’s offense couldn’t stay on the field and turned it over deep in their own territory.
Offense didn’t come close to playing well enough to win. Good first half, very poor second half.
After Clemson adjusted to our screen game
It was over. Just like when UT adjusted to the WildCat and we didn’t have an answer.
There was no adjustment necessary.
Clemson just started stacking the box, because UK can’t throw the ball downfield.
DeAndre McDaniel, their strong safety, had 6 solo tackles and 7 assists. Why? He was never more than 5 yards off the line of scrimmage.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
Well, I think I addressed that earlier when I said that Joker
played the high % game. He knew we could run the ball, so he did. He didnt put Newton in a position to make a lot of mistakes. Yes, I agree that we have to be able to throw the ball downfield much better. We have all criticized Joker in the past for running some ridiculously bizzare plays in crucial situations, and I think he avoided that this time. He went with what he thought had the best % of being successful. What I really think we lack right now is not necessarily a downfield presence. We lack a 2nd lock tight receiver. I think we have some really good candidates for the job, but no one has stepped up yet and taken it. We need a receiver who can go 10-15 yards and catch everything we throw his way…..no matter what. And it cannot always be Randall Cobb.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
I can't disagree with any of that.
We just have to get a better downfield passing game to compliment our running game. If we don’t, we’ll wind up next year at 6-6 or 7-5 again, with 2 or 3 wins in the SEC.
That’s not Joker’s fault, really, it’s just that our QB talent is young, and Hartline, in my opinion, is never going to be option #1 as a QB unless he can somehow start throwing the ball accurately downfield.
Frankly, I suspect Newton will not be the #1 QB next year. I strongly suspect that Mossakowski will beat them both out, if his hype is to be believed. I think we can use both Newton and Mossakowski, but I think Hartline is going to be the odd man out. That’s just what I think.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
You are both wrong.
That’s all there is to that. :-)
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
No.
Look at the stats. Spiller’s all-purpose yards were just 20 off his average.
The stats don’t lie. Not only that, Spiller isn’t the only running back on the team. Jamie Harper gashed us for 79 yards, his second-highest total of the season on only eight carries. That’s a 9.9 YPC average.
Trust me, the defense let us down.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
I will agree to that one .....
I know what Tru is harping on, and I had questions also. But I really expected this Spiller kid to have a Alabama/Florida kind of game on us and run us over completely and he didnt do that. And I honestly expected the offense to put up at least 26 pts. ( At least that’s what I thought it would tke to win it).
I can live with being wrong if necessary, but after watching the game that was how I felt. I also factored in slightly the injuries that affected the defense as well. Playing a team you havent faced before( admittedly it was three years ago), you have to expect, (and allow for) some big plays to get through. I was not the least bit embarrassed by the Cats play though. After what we saw against Florida earlier in the year, I knew that it could have been a whole lot worse than that was. AND we have won games this year where the defense played worse than that.
Remember, we're having fun now!!!
Spiller ...
… has only had 4 games all year over 100 yards rushing, and two of those were losses.
He plays his best when he gets his yards in a variety of ways, and he did that against us.
I will agree that the defense has played much worse. They didn’t play horrible, or anything, just not good enough to win.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
So....
Pregame, if you heard UK would only give up 21, you wouldn’t have taken it? I def would have. I figured like ABC, that Spiller would have 120 yards at halftime or something. While he may have spread his yards out through the year, the rest of the backs that torched us weren’t as good as Spiller and still had huge games.
Maybe.
UK has given up around 21 points on average all year. I suppose I would have taken that against Clemson, but they only managed to score 17 against South Carolina, and I think our D is every bit as good as the Gamecocks.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
All the best Rich
He deserves to go out when he wants to.
First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...
1 more year coach you can do it
I want Coach Brooks to do what is right for him and his family. But for the program I think it needs Coach Brooks one more year. I personaly think next year Kentucky could challenge for the SEC East Title if and only if Coach Brooks comes back. The team is now just getting steady depth to make a run. Also the QB play should be there for next year. As long as the young defense can bring it next year, Kentucky could be a Contender. To me South Carolina and UK will be the teams sporting the most experienced offenses in 2010. If both coaching staffs stay intact I see one winning the East in 2010. Wouldn’t that be a great way to start a new decade. Coach you gotta have one more year left in you. Regardless of your decision it’s been great having you at UK. But please go with the 20%.
i like your optimism...
but with 4 srs on the O line graduating, i look for the offense to struggle a bit
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 28, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions
That's very true
but I look for the SEC to have a downer year than this year, plus there is no one better who can get a bunch of players capable of playing than Rich Brooks. Look for a passing offense with Hartline next year. The WR’s are comming around and Hartline has the experience that Brooks likes. The biggest loss is the FB Conners.
I've never been a Brooks fan
But I still respect what he’s done the past four seasons. But our offense has gotten way too predictable, prefaced by the lack of talent at QB over past two years. I think this is good, maybe it will help with recruiting, as recruits will know who the coach actually is going to be for the next four years. I think Brooks coached a pretty decent game last night, Newton and Cobb just didn’t play that well, especially in the passing game.
At the end of the day, I’ll remember the big wins against LSU, Auburn and Georgia just a little more than all the disappointing victories we left on the field during Brooks’ tenure if he does leave.
Coach Brooks and more...
Congratulations to Coach Brooks, and team for the year they had. Best wishes to Coach Brooks in whatever he decides to do next in his life.
DeMarcus Cousins SEC Freshman of the week. That makes 3 different UK players to get the award. I doubt it will be the last for anyone of them. Go Big Blue!
amazing for cousins to win...
given he played less than 20 mins or so in each game last week…
only one rule in my house - uk has to be your favorite college bball team
by memphis wildcat on Dec 28, 2009 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
Brooks did a really good job
as a middle reliever, SET UP man.
But Brooks was never really the go for the jugular, CLOSER that any program needs to truly take a step UP (and not just on the backs of buy wins).
Because of his appreciated efforts, the program is probably a more attractive destination now, and in a better position to go out and actually get a CLOSER than at other times in its past when a new coach was needed.
The problem is that we are now going to hand the ball over to another middle reliever, and one that is going to have to actually pull a surprise to be even as good as the one that is now leaving the game.
Maybe we will never be in a position to attract a CLOSER, but I think we are right now in about as good a position to attract one as we have ever been.
by Sonic on Dec 28, 2009 1:40 PM EST reply actions
I don't think we'll ever sign a closer
We may get a middle man and work him into a closer, and hope we can sign on, but I can’t think of a top 15 type coach that would want to risk his rep on UK. First of all, we play top teams every year and we are decades behind them when it comes to recruiting top to bottom. Second, football will always be second to basketball at UK. Third, we would have to drop some serious dough and probably build a bigger stadium.
Brooks his own man
Hey guys, got to throw my two cents in. The main reason we’re all talking about the quarterback play is because Rich stuck to his guns and booted the quarterback he was planning on using both last year and this-Curtis Pulley. He could have gone the conventional route and made excuses for Curtis-and he may have won more games, but would have hurt his own credibility with his other players, as well as most fans.
Sure, he’s frustrated. But he had to know when he kicked Pulley off that he would more than likely have to deal with something like this. I’ve got to give him kudos-for better or worse, he has his rules and if you don’t toe the line, you pay the price.
SmokinDave
Thanks for the comment.
I agree with you that was a big setback for Brooks and Kentucky, and it will take time to fill that gap.
A Sea of Blue -- Kentucky Sports for the Discerning Fan
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