Standard post game Brooks quote...

[flacat22]

"I was disappointed we didn't show up to play," said UK Coach Rich Brooks.

Sick and tired of hearing this same ole song and dance, how can the team NOT be ready to play the first game of the season against a hated in state rival...ARGGGHHHH:X

[ukcatfan]

Just face it they are much better than we are.

When a coach talks this talk that is what he means.

Football or basketball

[johnkyblue]

coachspeak, :P

[Brian McCat]

johnkyblue wrote: The amazing part is that you believe that quote.


What's amazing is that RB believes that quote.

Not coming "ready to play" almost every game of his tenure is inexcusable.

[johnkyblue]

No he doesn't, but it is important that his players do.

[Brian McCat]

johnkyblue wrote: No he doesn't, but it is important that his players do.

I understand that he's trying to spin it in as positive way as possible, but do you really think that he's so deluded to think that we performed poorly because we weren't ready to play? If so, then we are worse off than we had imagined.

[johnkyblue]

I've tried to say three times that I don't believe he believes those words.

UL was a much better team last night. I wouldn't have mattered if UK was SUPER DUPER READY to play.

This team is young and we will watch them get a lot better this year.

[Realist]

How much is this staff getting paid to get them ready to play? If they're not ready to play for the season opener every year then whose fault is it? The only time we've seen them ready to play in the opening game in recent memory was in Morriss's second year. Brooks has NEVER had them ready.

[lighthouse]

We saw a team last night that was prepared in every way to play. They knew their assignments and executed them. Emotionally, they had fire in their gut. The first offensive play set the tone, and it was downhill from there.

It seemed to me that The Cats were just the opposite. They were not crisp in execution on either side of the ball, and seemed unsure. They played with little emotion.

Both teams have the same length of time to prepare, and Brooks has proven that his way of preparation doesn't get it done early in the season. Kentucky is better than last year, and I feel we will enjoy this team a lot when they get some confidence, but they were not prepared to play a team of Louisville's caliber last night.

And, it seemed to me that although he is a great player, Burton was the one talking smack all night, and the unsportsman like foul he got was the right call.

[flacat22]

lighthouse wrote: And, it seemed to me that although he is a great player, Burton was the one talking smack all night, and the unsportsman like foul he got was the right call.



He may have been talking a little trash but he at least looked like he was excited to be there which is more than can be said for the defense who routinely and weakly missed tackles (arm tackles, poor fundamentals), looked out of position and played the receiver rather than the ball on several "up for grabs" Brohm completions...unless the penalty was called for taking his helmet off 3 yards from the sideline I missed the act that drew the foul (was it the brief gesture to the cheer boys??????)

I just wish that I had been keeping count as to how many times after a loss the phrase "we werent ready to play" was uttered by Brooks. During the first half I felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day reliving the Indiana debacle from last year."

[dbe]

After the 100 yard TD run Burton did make some kind of gesture to the people in the end zone but it happened so fast that I could not see what it was.

What I do know is that when he scored his TD a fan threw a bottle at him from the end zone that landed at his feet. Thankfully it did not hit him.

[baldcat]

The quote that stuck with me was Brooks begging the fans to stick with them and thing would get better.

Yeah....right.

[flacat22]

dbe wrote: What I do know is that when he scored his TD a fan threw a bottle at him from the end zone that landed at his feet. Thankfully it did not hit him.
Thats a relief, I thought it was just our QBs who couldnt hit our receivers...(I know, dont take everything so literally)

[gerntz]

johnkyblue wrote: I've tried to say three times that I don't believe he believes those words.

UL was a much better team last night. I wouldn't have mattered if UK was SUPER DUPER READY to play.

This team is young and we will watch them get a lot better this year.
jb, our O that started this game is nearly the same as last year's but in better health. I see no reason for further improvement that Spring & Fall practices couldn't do. This team needs to be able to run the ball to have a chance. Unless UL's D is Top 10, I see no reason to expect success at running anytime soon.

[johnkyblue]

You don't think that playing at full speed against good opposition is a learning experience? REALLY?!?

[ukbob]

johnkyblue wrote: You don't think that playing at full speed against good opposition is a learning experience? REALLY?!?


And what did we learn last night that was valuable? How bad we really are? How inept our staff is?

I think we knew that.

These kids needed to be coached up and put in a position to succeed. Now they have their manhood and confidence slapped on national TV. We showed the country that we cannot even compete on a high Div 1 level and that we have coaches who know nothing about game preparation or adjustments.

Nothing...absolutely nothing good came from that debacle last night. Trying to paint a good face on it won't change it. Getting slapped around like that does not help your program at all. Not only is it a loss, but there was nothing positive to take from it to grow on....nothing. It all needs fixing, like it always does at UK. And now we have 11 more games to fix it while playing the 2nd best schedule in the USA.

And if we were going full speed, then God help us.

But as usual, we need to take it one game at a time. And fortunately, we have a game with a team we can compete with up next. Let's see if Brooks can have them ready for this one. We must win the winnable ones.

[Doug Hardin]

"Not ready to play" can mean a number of things. Most people take this as something like, "We weren't ready to play because we were overlooking our opponent, and thought we could just show up and win."

The reason they were down 31-0 to start the game, IMO, was a combination of Louisville having a really good offense, UK's trying and failing to establish a running game for the first 20-25 mintues (which was really the only way they would have had a shot in this game), and UK's players coming out tight. "Tight" meaning that the players were trying too hard to play a perfect game, as opposed to "flat," which I'd consider the mentality demonstrated by the above paragraph.

Now if I were a coach and this was my evaluation, I'd probably tell the team and the media the same old "We weren't ready to play" routine. Brooks has been ripped by fans and the local press for playing the "We're just not as talented our opponent was" card, and this early in the season I don't think you want to say anything to indicate to your players that you don't have faith in them.

[Athens2005]

Another one from RB:


"There were some times they got up (to the line) and we weren't even lined up on defense," Brooks said.



Not ready to play?


I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.

[Buddah]

did brooks laugh during the interview, like i have read? yea i am going to laugh too, richard, i am going to laugh hard...

[Athens2005]

My favorite RB quote may have come at the half, when the sideline reporter asked him, "Coach, how do you keep/build on the momentum you gained at the end of the 1st half?"

Brooks: "We've gotta stop them."


Well, okay, I guess that's an idea; but, we did have the ball to start the 2nd half.

Sure, these half-time conversations are semi-meaningless; but, it still seems like par for the course for RB to say, "We've gotta stop them," right before his team, trailing by 17, gets the ball with a chance to cut the lead to 10.

[Spanish Moss]

Athens2005 wrote

I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.

Well, that is one postive. I have been looking for a postive all morning. If we do not improve on defense in the next three weeks, I hope Archer is relieved of his duty and demoted to carrying the clip board.

[Doug Hardin]

Athens2005 wrote: I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.


I think you're right. Remember in the Auburn game last year when Archer got 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties b/w the TD (where the Auburn receiver stepped out of bounds, came back in and caught the ball) and the kickoff?

I got home and watched that game on the UKTV replay. When the cameras were on Brooks and Archer during a quite heated argument, Archer's back was to the camera, so I couldn't tell what he was saying, but I remember Brooks screaming in his face "THAT'S MY F---ING CHOICE!" (if I'm proficient lip-reader, that is). I seriously thought he was going to punch Archer in the face, not unlike Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride on the Houston Oilers sidelines in the early 90s.

[Brian McCat]

Doug Hardin wrote: Athens2005 wrote: I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.


I think you're right. Remember in the Auburn game last year when Archer got 2 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties b/w the TD (where the Auburn receiver stepped out of bounds, came back in and caught the ball) and the kickoff?

I got home and watched that game on the UKTV replay. When the cameras were on Brooks and Archer during a quite heated argument, Archer's back was to the camera, so I couldn't tell what he was saying, but I remember Brooks screaming in his face "THAT'S MY F---ING CHOICE!" (if I'm proficient lip-reader, that is). I seriously thought he was going to punch Archer in the face, not unlike Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride on the Houston Oilers sidelines in the early 90s.


I thought that would be the end of Archer's tenure here. People do crazy things in the heat of the moment, but going toe-to-toe with the boss is professional suicide.

Yep, I remember that one. I was watching it when the tornado blew through Evansville.

[baldcat]

If Brooks is so displeased with Archer why hasn't he fired him yet?

[delkfor3]

lighthouse wrote: We saw a team last night that was prepared in every way to play. They knew their assignments and executed them. Emotionally, they had fire in their gut. The first offensive play set the tone, and it was downhill from there.

I

Always remember lighthouse, it's his "responsaility" to have them ready.;)

[Athens2005]

baldcat wrote: If Brooks is so displeased with Archer why hasn't he fired him yet?

Perhaps because Archer represents the Proverbial "boob" in middle management.

[BigblueDrew]

Athens2005 wrote: baldcat wrote: If Brooks is so displeased with Archer why hasn't he fired him yet?

Perhaps because Archer represents the Proverbial "boob" in middle management.

Mike Archer has replaced Hudson as the flavor of the month in UK football fans ire. While he is a symptom, he is not the virusthat currently infects our football program. I do not want Archer gone. I want Rich Brooks gone, he is the primary problem and until he goes nothing will get any better. Last night was THE pivotal game where Rich Brooks could step up and validate what he has been doing at UK the last 4 years. The results speak for themselves. He needs to GO at the end of this season.

[bleedbluelady]

Athens2005 wrote:
I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.

The impression I got with Brook's post game interview last night was that Brooks was furious with Archer.

[flacat22]

as well he should be.

[Blue Heaven]

It's easy to understand that Archer is here because he coached the vaunted Steelers D. Without that on his resume, he would've been long gone. His defenses here have shown NOTHING to suggest that they are even capable of stopping an offense, especially the run game. I am also not sold on Joker. I knew we were going to get blown out when he puts Pulley in in the 1st quarter to get 3 yards for a 1st down. You don't think Petrino and Co. saw that one coming? A pass by Curtis there, IMO would have completely fooled the Cards D. But our offense is incapable of fooling anyone. I am not sure that it's Brooks' fault as much as it is our coordinators and their schemes. Somethings got to give.

[poodoo]

bleedbluelady wrote: Athens2005 wrote:
I am thoroughly convinced that RB doesn't care for Mike Archer.

The impression I got with Brook's post game interview last night was that Brooks was furious with Archer.
I, too, listened to the interview, bleedbluelady, and I at the very least felt that Coach Brooks was MOST DISPLEASED with Archer's defense last night. Too, in regard to the players' not being lined up in time, Coach Brooks mentioned how he had been repeatedly telling players in practice that they must play at a FASTER TEMPO, that they had looked at him as if he were cross-eyed or something, but they should not understand. The defense, specifically the front seven and the lack of defense against the run was my greatest disappointment. The offensive line's not opening any holes for the runners or giving Andre any time finished second in that regard.

[poodoo]

Doug Hardin wrote: "Not ready to play" can mean a number of things. Most people take this as something like, "We weren't ready to play because we were overlooking our opponent, and thought we could just show up and win."

The reason they were down 31-0 to start the game, IMO, was a combination of Louisville having a really good offense, UK's trying and failing to establish a running game for the first 20-25 mintues (which was really the only way they would have had a shot in this game), and UK's players coming out tight. "Tight" meaning that the players were trying too hard to play a perfect game, as opposed to "flat," which I'd consider the mentality demonstrated by the above paragraph.

Now if I were a coach and this was my evaluation, I'd probably tell the team and the media the same old "We weren't ready to play" routine. Brooks has been ripped by fans and the local press for playing the "We're just not as talented our opponent was" card, and this early in the season I don't think you want to say anything to indicate to your players that you don't have faith in them.



Excellent, mature post, Doug, as usual.

It's not Coach Brooks' words that bother me, by the way. Yes, the performance itself was most disturbing. I listened to Coach Brooks' interview. To his credit, he made no excuses whatsover andwas obviously most disappointed in how his team had performed. He could not have pleased us UK fans with any comments, except he naturally could have pleased some fans by announcing his resignation.

Again, I had no problem with whatCoach Brookssaid, although fans will continue to pick apart his words until he gets more wins (besides fielding a team that performs much better than the one did last night, which is a MUST).Brooks twice asked us fans "to hang in there." Seeing fault with that makes no sense to me. This team NEEDS US. As bad as the loss and performance were, the season IS NOT OVER. I strongly feel that we fans need to put it in the rearview mirror and show our players support on Saturday. It's hard, but it's what we must do, in my opinion. I'm hanging in there, FWIW.