Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
Coach Brooks is the Moses of our modern football program. He gathered our strength while we were weak and then led us away from the slavery of perpetual losing seasons. We led us through the wilderness of this season and somehow still got us to a bowl game. But will he lead us to the Promised Land of being mid-table in the SEC East and 9 win seasons? Let’s speculate. (In FakeGimelish, speculate is a fancy term for bullshitting.)
By all rights, Brooks deserves to stay as long as he wants. He and his staff have developed the foundation for a good football team, which can be built into a great team. He has shepherded his flock before the 2005-06 breakout year, and continues to protect the team.
Instead of leaving last year, after Joker was announced the heir apparent, Brooks stuck around through this year. Coach Brooks ended up protecting Joker from the problems and criticism of the year. Joker starting his first year as head coach 6-6 could have been taken as a bad omen by the sparce but often vocal naysaying ninnies that populate Commonwealth.
(By the way, does anybody sit in a section of Commonwealth where there is not at least 2 different guys criticizing the players or coaches the whole game long? Is there a non-bitching section? Do I have to donate $1000+ to the K-Fund to get in that section?)
If Brooks wants to stay for next year, I would be perfectly happy with him as our head coach. But hypothetically speaking, wouldn’t Brooks announcing his retirement effective after the BailoutZone Bowl be optimal for the team?
Immediately there would be benefits. After some lackluster efforts against Vandy and Tennessee, the players will most definitely be fired up to send Coach Brooks off with a final victory. If Coach were to announce his retirement next week, there is time for 3 weeks of solid, emotional, and hopefully very focused practice. 3 bowl wins in 3 years would be a proper end to Brooks’ tenure.
Next season, with our incoming QB recruits, our offense should be returning to form. It won’t be unstoppable, but it should be reasonable and semi-threatening. Our defense might be somewhat worse given the possible NFL defections by the junior-eligible, but it definitely won’t be the “Black Flag” outfit that couldn’t stop anyone. With some improvement on special teams, we should be good enough to plow a 7 or 8-win season, which is a great start for the Joker Phillips era.
Joker becomes Joshua to Brooks’ Moses, so to speak.
On the other hand, would one more year of Brooks be bad? By most accounts, Joker makes all the offensive playcalls, with Brooks occasionally chiming in. Joker has never indicated that he’s being held back or unjustly shelved. While the players’ performance (especially on defense) seemed lackluster at the end of the season, there was no indication that they were quitting on Coach Brooks. There seems to be no real “downside” to having Coach Brooks around for another year.
In no way I’m suggesting that Brooks should resign. Look, I even bolded that last statement to ensure that you understand it. But I do wonder when he is going to call it a career. Kentucky is several years’ worth of hard work and great recruiting away from being a true SEC-calibre football power, and we know that Brooks won’t make it all the way.
How much closer to the Promised Land will he bring us? Speculate below.
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December 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Exit Stage Left Coach.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I say let him go out on his own terms…..
December 12th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Let’s see next year at this time, since we don’t know who’s staying/leaving.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
I love Coach Brooks for reviving the program, but I think it’s time to let a young coach instill some fire into these college athletes. Brooks has healed our wounds, now it’s time to take the next step.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Does this make Fulmer Ramses II?
Beating LSU last yr = parting the Red Sea
December 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Brooks is a VERY young mid-60′s guy (capsized boat anyone?) I say atleast 3 more seasons are a given.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
#4-
You say that like Brooks doesn’t have any fire left. Did you see him the last few games? He went nuts!!
December 12th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
If he doesn’t step down after this year he’ll stay one more year. He’s still very passionate about what he does.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
7. I just question the season long passion. The past two years we have gotten off to great starts only to fizzle out towards the end. The Clemson bowl win was huge, but honestly last year against FSU was handed to us with all their players suspended.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Last years team had the talent to do MUCH better than the Music City Bowl.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
What do you mean that we need a young coach that can relate to players? Did you see the Dickie video where Coach was rubbing elbows with the boys and showing them how diving was done back in the day.
Maybe he was showing them how he jumped out of the boat as it was sinking. Not sure which.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
9, We play lower tier teams and then the SEC. I think that has more to do with a difference in wins than Brooks’ passion fizzling out.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:49 pm
I sit in section 139 and the only people that we trash are the officials and any opponent close eonught to hear. Oh yeah, and Matt Jones when he walks by, usually near the end of the first quarter/beginning of the second.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
12) I agree but we beat Louisville last year and LSU. Only to lose to Mississippi St. later on. Idk I guess I’m just ready to see what Joker can do as head coach. Papa Brooks doesn’t exactly have the greatest career record. If Joker can recruit like he does as OC then I think he can do wonders as HC.
December 12th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Unfortunately I think the tickets are all inclusive, so the “bleacher coaches” are part of your ticket package at Commonwealth Stadium. Everyone loves to listen to those people who were stars (in their own memory) on the high school gridiron; you know, they could have made it to the big time if they hadn’t blown out their knee, their coach didn’t have it in for them, or if they actually had one iota of talent. You deal w/ the same type of behavior at UK basketball games, too. There is a guy that sits right behind me, and won’t shut his yapper the entire game–I have daydreamed about throwing him off the top section at Rupp & watching him fall like Hans Gruber at the end of Die Hard.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goXIlP854bs
watch this 5’10” white boy fly
December 12th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
If you have hopes of a freshman quarterback leading us to the promised land in the SEC than you are a dreamer. When we are two deep on offensive and defensive lines, with adequate substitues in all other positions especially defense we will be able to play with the big boys. Look at what happened this year to those who had losses on the interior line. Injuries come from fatigue, only the few “iron men” can play a position an entire game for an entire season and we have had just a hand full of those of players in the past five years. Until we have the luxury of redshirting six or seven linemen their freshman year, giving them time to mature in size, strength and endurance we will be a 6/5 or 6/6 team unless we have a lot of luck and face it, luck isn’t the deciding factor in most games. If you look at the number of upper class linemen on both sides of the ball, the teams with the most mobile, agile, hostile big uglys will on average beat the teams with the smaller number, remember, upper classmen! Coach Brooks gets as much out of the material he has as anyone, just doesn’t have the numbers yet. It will take another four or five years to build us to a 7 or 8 win a season team. When we beat half the teams in the east division yearly and Florida and Tennessee more than every 5 years then we will be able to recruit against those teams. Just keep going to the games, cheer those who are working for this and don’t listen to the negative nitwits!
December 12th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
This website is slowly but surely piling on to ways to screw up our programs.
1. Rick Brooks can stay as long as he wants. That includes another 5 years if he wants. Joe Pa has like 10 years on Brooks and he was neck and neck for the championship this year.
2. Also, speculating that our bowl crowd will be light the day it’s announced because your friend isn’t going is a real piece of crap too.
3. BCG is THE MAN and Matt should whine about him in the bathroom while taking craps.
And remember, Duke alumni suck just as bad as Duke does. There is no difference.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
4. Telling UK fans that the stadium in Memphis sucks and isn’t worth going to is a big piece of crap as well. Who the hell goes to a football game because of the stadium Matt?
December 12th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
10.) Last year’s team was full of nobodies coming out of high school, Brooks found those guys, developed them into what they have become and now many of them are successful young men. We lost virtually all of our offense from last year and produced with what little we had this year. Noone, and I mean noone, could turn this program into a top tier program overnight, but what brooks and company has done is get us on the right track. It is ludicrous to call for the man’s job!!!
December 12th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
OK I take the Duke Alumni part back… if you can name a couple worth a crap.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
AND RANDY SANDERS WOULD MOVE UP AND NOT OUT!
December 12th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
I’ll gladly wander around in the desert with coach Brooks leading the way.
December 12th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Why don’t you KSR turds (Gimel, BTI, Matt recently) speculate on which one of you will piss off the most people with your next post. Unless Biesner’s writing you guys have been in the tank in the last quarter of this year.
Well, ok, that’s not fair to Gimel and Matt to put them in the same category as BTI. But you know what I’m saying. There’s nothing worse than a partially confident turd. Turds have nothing to be confident about. So if you’d stop being one (a turd), then you might correct your ways and get a date and a positive fan base that appreciates real confidence that comes with being worth a crap and not fake surface confidence that is easy to spot from turds.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
I want to see him comeback at least 1 more year and do something that is unheard of at Uk. Lead us to a 4th straight bowl appearence. Let’s be honest his coaching career has been a losing one up until these last 3 seasons and to see him make it 4 would be the greatest honor and a great send off. Most likely we will lose lindley to the draft in my eyes. Jarmon and Micah have a shot, but won’t go in the first round. We will have a good, but not great d even if they do all leave. If they stay though our team could possibly reach 9 wins next year. Our offense will be drastically improved. Were bringing in 2 highly regarded qbs(1 has the second strongest arm in this class). Although I love Cobb at qb he has a better shot at going pro at wr and hopefully Boyd will turn into the beast we expected him to be. Now I love what dixon has done in his years here, but this year I was not impressed and we have 3 great guys behind him. If our d does lose some of our juniors look for the incommung brothers walkers to be great players especially the safety who is predicted to play linebacker. If you have not seen this kid play look him up jarvis walker. The words espn uses to describe him on the recruiting page made me want to watch and I must admit he is definatley a run away freight train and hits with athority.
Thank you brooks for all you’ve done for Uk football. Any true fan appreciates every win and bowl game you bring us.
December 12th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Is Thurgood Jenkins giving away free crack over at Catspause? I just read where a blogger stated that there have been flashes when this year’s team defense has been comparable to 96. My sentiments to such a remark resemble those of rapper Lil Jon, “WHAT?”
December 13th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
You all can talk all you want about whether Brooks will leave or not, but he said a couple years ago before he got his extension that his plan and goal was to coach at UK for 10 years, which would make him the longest tenored coach in UK football history. That was his goal. He wants to be a stabalizer for this program, unlike previous coaches. I’m sure Joker is aware of this, as well.