WildcatRick
07-27-2007, 12:02 PM
by Duncan Cavanah
Part one in an eight part position by position preview of the 2007 Kentucky Wildcats.
What a difference a year makes. Last year, at this time, I posted my first annual position by position preview for the football ‘Cats. I began with my analysis of the quarterback position. Showing why Matt pays me the big bucks, I declared to the Kentucky Sports radio masses, which were, by the way, much less “massy” than today, that although Andre’ Woodson clearly possessed the skill set, Curtis Pulley boasted intangibles that Woodson seemed incapable of possessing. Woodson had better size, better arm strength, better touch, and a better grasp of the offense, but Pulley had that indefinable “it.” Pulley had flash, a feel for a pass rush, an unquestionable on-field command of the huddle. He seemed to play the game with joy and abandon. Woodson, by comparison, seemed to be almost robotic on the field. Based on this, my maiden post confidently declared that Pulley, not Woodson, was the quarterback of the future. Of course, in the months that followed my ill-fated preview, Woodson’s preparation and leadership knocked Pulley out of the starting slot, and his dazzling play on the field relegated Pulley to the bench for the remainder of the Fall. Woodson’s play, and Kentucky’s surprising success, also led the two quarterbacks, locked in such a tight battle in last year’s camp, to two very different summertime destinations. Looking for Andre’ this summer? He could be found on football magazine covers, billboards, Heisman watch lists or Mel Kiper’s big board. Pulley, on the other hand, spent the bulk of the summer doing his best Laverne and Shirley impression at a local beer bottling plant. (Word from his foreman is that he is the most athletic bottler in the plant, but is inconsistent in terms of accuracy.)
It is impossible to tell, even for Woodson himself, what led to his meteoric junior season. Obviously, he benefited from an improved supporting cast, from the tutelage of quarterbacks’ coach Randy Sanders, and from the continuity of spending a second year in Joker Phillips’ offensive system. All of these external factors contributed, but none of them account for the transformation that Woodson made between his sophomore year and his junior year. That transformation was internal. It caused a big strong kid with a good arm to turn into a winning SEC quarterback. In short, for whatever reason, the light came on, and that light exposed all that Andre’ Woodson was not before, and all that he is today. Namely, the best quarterback in the best conference in college football. Not just in his right arm, but inside his helmet as well.
The Players:
http://blog.kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=3058
Part one in an eight part position by position preview of the 2007 Kentucky Wildcats.
What a difference a year makes. Last year, at this time, I posted my first annual position by position preview for the football ‘Cats. I began with my analysis of the quarterback position. Showing why Matt pays me the big bucks, I declared to the Kentucky Sports radio masses, which were, by the way, much less “massy” than today, that although Andre’ Woodson clearly possessed the skill set, Curtis Pulley boasted intangibles that Woodson seemed incapable of possessing. Woodson had better size, better arm strength, better touch, and a better grasp of the offense, but Pulley had that indefinable “it.” Pulley had flash, a feel for a pass rush, an unquestionable on-field command of the huddle. He seemed to play the game with joy and abandon. Woodson, by comparison, seemed to be almost robotic on the field. Based on this, my maiden post confidently declared that Pulley, not Woodson, was the quarterback of the future. Of course, in the months that followed my ill-fated preview, Woodson’s preparation and leadership knocked Pulley out of the starting slot, and his dazzling play on the field relegated Pulley to the bench for the remainder of the Fall. Woodson’s play, and Kentucky’s surprising success, also led the two quarterbacks, locked in such a tight battle in last year’s camp, to two very different summertime destinations. Looking for Andre’ this summer? He could be found on football magazine covers, billboards, Heisman watch lists or Mel Kiper’s big board. Pulley, on the other hand, spent the bulk of the summer doing his best Laverne and Shirley impression at a local beer bottling plant. (Word from his foreman is that he is the most athletic bottler in the plant, but is inconsistent in terms of accuracy.)
It is impossible to tell, even for Woodson himself, what led to his meteoric junior season. Obviously, he benefited from an improved supporting cast, from the tutelage of quarterbacks’ coach Randy Sanders, and from the continuity of spending a second year in Joker Phillips’ offensive system. All of these external factors contributed, but none of them account for the transformation that Woodson made between his sophomore year and his junior year. That transformation was internal. It caused a big strong kid with a good arm to turn into a winning SEC quarterback. In short, for whatever reason, the light came on, and that light exposed all that Andre’ Woodson was not before, and all that he is today. Namely, the best quarterback in the best conference in college football. Not just in his right arm, but inside his helmet as well.
The Players:
http://blog.kentuckysportsradio.com/?p=3058