Concerns for next year

[40bill]

A lot of us are already getting hyped for next season. That's normal for fans. A quick look and it looks really good....a gunslinger quarterback with experience, a returning fan favorite at offensive coordinator, some really nice pieces defensively, one of the longest tenured head coaches in the league, a legit thousand yard transfer running back that certainly says all the right things, three exciting wide receivers, and a partridge in a pear tree.

On the other hand......

This is a coach that eats sleeps and dreams of ball control offense in a day where 30 points a game is just average.
This quarterback is raising eyebrows from some medical folk with the speed he is coming back after a second major surgery.
This an offensive line that lived up to the word offensive last year, allowing nightmarish sack, pressure, and backfield drops. Throw in the sad fact that even in its glory days of two and three years ago the Big Blue Wall was a bull dozer run blocking crew that was seldom strong at pass protect.


This is painfully reminiscent of a young budding superstar qb a few years back that went down with a terrible injury.....but no Stevie Johnson, no apparent Bennie Snell to take his place.

This is gonna be a team that every play could be Flirtin with disaster.

Ah well.....lace em up already and let's see what we got.

[Spiritof96]

Best TEs and Receiving Corps in a generation... Creative, rising star at OC.

Injuries to key positions and general attrition in the depth chart are always a waiting disaster. UK Football is as good a PROGRAM now as it ever has been. I can face the unknown with enthusiasm about that fact.

[Matt Dillon]

Those of you who read my posts, know I eat, sleep and breath UK fb the year around. My two main concerns are will the oline return to anything closely resembling the Big Blue Wall years and can Leary stay healthy for the entire season? If these two things happen, I feel the upcoming season can be very special. I believe we have sufficient quality depth at WR, TE and RB to survive key injuries there.

[Lighthouse]

I'm as excited as ever about our Football Program and the upcoming season. My concerns are the same, Offensive Line, a healthy QB. QB is one position we are thin at. So glad Coen is back. CS allowed him more play calling leeway than any of the other OC"s.

[SBCatMan]

My biggest concern is the degree of improvement our opposition is showing. Did So Carolina overachiever last year, or have they turned a corner? I know UT did not overachieve. They are for real. How long will Florida stay down? Will Mizzoo finally realize the promise people keep talking about? How long will it take Brohm to make UofL decent again, because you KNOW he will.

We will be fine. The OL will come together enough to at least be better than last year. Coen will find a way to make our QB effective, no matter who he may be. And Brad White will put a solid defense in the field.

We will be better. How about everybody else?

[40bill]

Georgia is in a spot where its reload time. Even with Bennett gone. Florida is struggling. South Carolina is definitely better than they were. Missouri is an enigma. Vanderbilt is gonna play gutty and hard.

Just gonna throw this out that there is a projection that the UK "permanent opponents" will be South Carolina, Mississippi State and Georgia. Alabama gets Tennessee, LSU and Auburn.

[Spiritof96]

My biggest concern is the degree of improvement our opposition is showing. Did So Carolina overachiever last year, or have they turned a corner? I know UT did not overachieve. They are for real. How long will Florida stay down? Will Mizzoo finally realize the promise people keep talking about? How long will it take Brohm to make UofL decent again, because you KNOW he will.

We will be fine. The OL will come together enough to at least be better than last year. Coen will find a way to make our QB effective, no matter who he may be. And Brad White will put a solid defense in the field.

We will be better. How about everybody else?

Brohm will have UL back to being risky to play this year and have them back to being on par within UK in 3 or 4. I'm not sure Shane is better than Muschamp. UF will be back someday, we need to keep kicking them while they are down.

[Los Gatos]

Those of you who read my posts, know I eat, sleep and breath UK fb the year around. My two main concerns are will the oline return to anything closely resembling the Big Blue Wall years and can Leary stay healthy for the entire season? If these two things happen, I feel the upcoming season can be very special. I believe we have sufficient quality depth at WR, TE and RB to survive key injuries there.

Matt pretty much got my concerns. I'd word it a bit different however. My concern re the OL includes what will Liam do re the wide zone running attack. As I ubderstand it, a wide zone needs different Ol and running backs that the "road grader" running attack I associate with the big blue wall. A radical switch to wide zone with the current players is likely to be a replay of last year. I don't see Coen making that mistake but expect some change. Davis seems better suited for wide zone. We shall see.

As for the QB depth (lack of), I would not be surprised to see us pick up a transfer after spring practice. Depends of how Wade/Sheron look.

[matt colvin]

I’m paranoid about Leary staying healthy.

[SBCatMan]

I think the chances of picking up a quality transfer QB after Spring practice are slim at best. Who would want to come here … or anywhere else … to be a backup? We may bolster the roster at other positions, but I think our QB room is set … assuming none of OUR guys enter the Portal.

[Los Gatos]

I think the chances of picking up a quality transfer QB after Spring practice are slim at best. Who would want to come here … or anywhere else … to be a backup? We may bolster the roster at other positions, but I think our QB room is set … assuming none of OUR guys enter the Portal.

I was thinking of someone like Sawyer Smith. Not a top level QB but someone with some experience who would be willing to transfer to UK knowing they would be the backup. As I remember it, Smith hoped to get into coaching and was willing to come to UK for the exposure.

Wonder where he (Smith) is now. Tried Googling him but didn't find anything current.

[Spiritof96]

I was thinking of someone like Sawyer Smith. Not a top level QB but someone with some experience who would be willing to transfer to UK knowing they would be the backup. As I remember it, Smith hoped to get into coaching and was willing to come to UK for the exposure.

Wonder where he (Smith) is now. Tried Googling him but didn't find anything current.

I think we have Sawyer Smith level good already on the team in a back-up role.

[Lighthouse]

I miss the reports we used to get about how spring practice is going.

[Uncle Dave]

We need somebody who can kick the football through the uprights. Our place kicking last year was borderline comical.

[Matt Dillon]

We need somebody who can kick the football through the uprights. Our place kicking last year was borderline comical.

Chance Poore is coming back for his fifth yr. Then there's the five star RS Fr. Jackson Smith from Boyle Co. I also believe they signed a five star kicker out of h.s. that will be a Fr. this Fall and, if I'm not mistaken, they've acquired another kicker, via the Portal, whose credentials are impressive. Surely out of all these, someone can kick the ball.