Kentucky Football: Shaping up in the Springtime
by Glenn Logan on Apr 7, 2010 6:29 PM EDT
in Kentucky Wildcats Football
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PrintWe aren't going to give up on basketball, of course, or baseball either, but now is a good time to catch up with the football team.
Joker Phillips' first year as Kentucky's head man has seen some changes, and it will be interesting to see how the changes show up in the games when we finally get to fall. One of the more interesting things is how Joker is running the practices. Unlike Brooks, Phillips has the players run from drill to drill, trying to maximize the number of reps that each player gets.
Here are some of the observations we have seen/heard around the football team:
- The QB battle: Mike Hartline is 100% and is beginning to separate himself, ever so slightly, from the other two guys. Morgan Newton has consistency problems throwing the ball. Ryan Mossakowski apparently has a nice, tight spiral that he throws with consistency, but he is behind the other two in learning the offense.
Another thing Newton is struggling with is trying to fit the ball into places where it went in high school, but won't go in college. He still has not adjusted to the speed of the college game, and it is hurting his decision making some. - Receivers -- There has been a lot of focus on downfield passing, as you might expect given the problems of the last two years. Receivers have not been hanging on to the ball well, and that is an ongoing theme so far this year. E.J. Adams has made an early impression, and Chris Matthews looks like a worldbeater one minute and a third-stringer the next.
Routes are an issue for the receivers. The defensive backs have been successful so far at knocking the receivers off their routes and shrinking the window the QB's have to hit them. The result -- lots of picks.
More after the jump.
- Chandler Burden's move to offensive tackle from defensive end seems to be working very well. The center position is really up in the air with two inexperienced guys, Marcus Davis and Matt Smith vying for the spot.
- Joker likes the speed that the defense has shown, but is less than totally pleased with the effort. Whenever you hear coached wondering why people aren't "flying around." that's what they are talking about.
- Taiedo Smith is playing well at safety. So is Qua Huzzie at linebacker.
We'll have more on the football situation as we can. In case you haven't already read them, here are a couple of links with more information:
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Biggest issue this year is the OL and DL
Then it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel
is just a freight train coming your way.
What about the pass offense?
It ranked 114 out of 120.
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.
We need a whole lot of llinemen and backs to show up.
The total offense ranked 93rd.
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.
Frankly, unless Mossakowski lives up to his pre-injury hype,
I can’t see us getting as many wins as last year. If we can’t expand the field by throwing deep on occasion, our inexperienced offensive line will not be able to open holes and the backs will get destroyed. As the offense is getting destroyed, the inexperienced defensive line and linebackers will get worn down. To me, the year comes down to the development of a quarterback. A good one can cover up a lot of holes. A bad one, makes all of the problems easy to see.
Early reports
sound like rewrites of the last three springs. Why can’t Kentucky recruit a reciever? It’s not going to do us much good if we get highly touted (struggling) quarterbacks and there’s noone to catch the ball.
Biggest issue of the year – Offensive line, Defensive line, Linebackers, Receivers, Quarterback, First year head coach, Scoring. I give up, maybe we should have a poll.
LOL
I am missing football. We don’t need no stinking blue turf either. But on second thought, if we dress in the all blue uniforms (pj looking ones) we might be a little harder to see by our opponents. ;-)
Blue... there is no other color to Bleed !!!
and use a blue football
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.
Naming a quarterback
I was listening to a SEC football coach on an interview show and he was asked about naming a quarterback by the end of spring practice. He said he always tried to do it because it gives him time to develop the young man mentally and give him a chance to show leadership to his team mates. Going into the fall drills and practice the others would look for him to lead and that went a long way in game situations.
Makes sense.
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.
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