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Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 09-26-2011, 09:01 AM:

Our offensive line was talked up a lot -- primarily by sportswriters and pundits, but also by the coaching staff -- as being a real strength this year. Lots of experience, good depth, etc. Some writers went as far as saying it might be the best o-line in the SEC.

So, what on earth happened? That offensive line seems to think its job is taking tickets for the defense to enter the backfield. Stopping them really isn't much of a concern, or so it seems. How many times have they held the pocket for more than a second or two? And run blocking has been bad as well -- not much daylight is being created for our backs to scamper through. If your o-line isn't doing its job, everything else on the offense will look poor. And certainly, that has been the case this year.

Any clues as to why they seem to be so dismal, after they were expected to excel?

Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 09-26-2011, 11:43 AM:

TT, what i get a charge out of is the blame Newton takes for not looking at more than one receiver before he passes. He is lucky to see one receiver with the way the defensive lineman are on top of him. I guess for whatever reason Newton is the fall guy and is going to take a majority of the hits from our faithful fans...

Posted by Tiptree (Member # 844) on 09-26-2011, 01:01 PM:

CMD,

I agree -- Newton doesn't often have time to check off on the second and third options. But, he DOES need to learn not to lock onto his primary option from the get-go. Certainly, the defense has it easy knowing that whoever he looks at will be getting the ball.

But that is a minor, and fixable issue. Newton has come a long way since last year, and will continue to mature. QB isn't our problem on offense; in fact, the QB is about our only consistently productive position on offense this year, despite poor protection, a very spotty running game, and receivers that drop balls that should be caught for big gains.

Posted by SCWC (Member # 2464) on 09-26-2011, 01:46 PM:

If Newton is the best quarterback UK have, they are in for a long season and two more to come. I think he is a sophmore who has no pro potential. He does not deserve all the blame for this less than outstanding team but he is a major part of the problem. He is not SEC quarterback material.

And I for one think their defense is actually worse than their offense.

[ 09-26-2011, 01:48 PM: Message edited by: SCWC ]

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 09-27-2011, 02:08 PM:

He is a Junior which makes it even worse. I have been wanting to say it for a long time but have kept my mouth shut. So I have decided to say it anyway. I am probably way off base but I have felt that racism has played a part of Newton getting where he is today. I think Masakowski left because he wasn't given a fair chance.

Posted by boomdaddy (Member # 2644) on 09-27-2011, 10:27 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Bama Cat:
He is a Junior which makes it even worse. I have been wanting to say it for a long time but have kept my mouth shut. So I have decided to say it anyway. I am probably way off base but I have felt that racism has played a part of Newton getting where he is today. I think Masakowski left because he wasn't given a fair chance.

I don't know if you are right or wrong on this issue. I can state that Joker, a black coach, started a white QB over a black QB, last season. I also heard rumors that Moss was running third string, behind the freshman in spring practice. Maybe that was just a rumor. If it was true, I can understand why Moss left. Did Moss get a fair shake? I can't say, because I am not an insider. I will say that I did not agree with Joker benching his starting QB for the bowl game. I think that Rich Brooks would have played Hartline. I don't know that for a fact, but it is just my gut feeling. Hartline's situation is not the same as the other QB's guilty plea to marijuana possession, where the coaches got blindsided at media days.

Posted by boomdaddy (Member # 2644) on 09-27-2011, 10:35 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by SCWC:
If Newton is the best quarterback UK have, they are in for a long season and two more to come. I think he is a sophmore who has no pro potential. He does not deserve all the blame for this less than outstanding team but he is a major part of the problem. He is not SEC quarterback material.

And I for one think their defense is actually worse than their offense.

I can't agree with your statement about UK's defense. The O has laid an egg all season. The D has shown flashes of brilliance and has continued to fight all season. The O has consistantly put the D in a hole, giving them a short field to defend. This season's offense may be a shade better than the Curry era, but not by much. The O just doesn't have any swagger to them at all. If Tim Couch were on this team, he would probably be getting pounded, like he did on those pitiful Cleveland Brown teams with the porous offensive lines.

Posted by BlueCollarMan (Member # 2114) on 09-28-2011, 02:34 PM:

The team is a mess. Period. You can't blame any one person, except maybe that person that runs the team.

Defense is a mess, too. When you can't stop the run, you can't win.

Fred

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 09-28-2011, 02:44 PM:

Really Boom - look at these stats from KSR and tell me again that our defense is better!
_______________________________________________

Hey, you remember how much everybody hated Steve Brown and his defense last season. It was vanilla and couldn’t stop anybody, right? And then they brought in Rick Minter and everything was gonna change because the defense would be more agressive and attacking. So, through 4 games, how much better is the defense? Remember, this is basically the same defense as last year, except a year more experienced. And this is a really fair comparison, because both DC’s played 3 common opponents and 1 MAC opponent.

Below are the DEFENSIVE stats through 4 games for each of the last 2 seasons. Where it says Brown, that represents last season and where it says Minter, that represents this season. Remember, these are DEFENSIVE stats. Where it says “rushing yards”, that actually means rushing yards given up. Where it says “3rd down conversions”, that means how well the defense did on 3rd down. Please don’t make yourself look like a fool in the comments section.

Steve Brown Opponents (Louisville, WKU, Akron, Florida)
Rick Minter Opponents (WKU, C.Michigan, Louisville, Florida)

TOTAL POINTS
Brown: 102
Minter: 88

RUSHING YARDS
Brown: 620 yards (135 carries)
Minter: 815 yards (160 carries)

YARDS PER CARRY
Brown: 4.6
Minter: 5.1

PASSING YARDS
Brown: 619 yards (53 completions)
Minter: 649 yards (53 completions)

YARDS PER COMPLETION
Brown: 11.7
Minter: 12.2

TOTAL FIRST DOWNS
Brown: 69
Minter: 69

INTERCEPTIONS
Brown: 3
Minter: 7

FUMBLES FORCED
Brown: 2
Minter: 3

FUMBLES RECOVERED
Brown: 2
Minter: 2

SACKS
Brown: 10
Minter: 7

TIME ON FIELD
Brown: 117 minutes, 16 seconds
Minter: 127 minutes, 8 seconds

3RD DOWN CONVERSIONS
Brown: 18-52 (35%)
Minter: 22-60 (37%)

These are the 11 main categories for defenses, along with total time on field. Steve Brown’s defense last season was better than Minter’s defense in 6 of the 11. Minter’s defense is better in 3 of the categories, and they are tied in 2 of them.I have not been happy with either defense for poor tackling and missed assignments, but I think it furthers the point that Steve Brown got a raw deal from the fans. Yes, he was very conservative with his defense. But clearly he felt that was the best strategy with the players he had. Fans always want to be entertained, but often times the entertaining way is not the best way. Rick Minter has take most of those same players, and instituted a more agressive defense, and nothing has really changed in the numbers. If anything, it has gotten a little worse. They are giving up more yards in the rushing game AND the passing game.
_______________________________________________

Basically both years suck!!

Posted by boomdaddy (Member # 2644) on 09-28-2011, 07:38 PM:

The offense wasn't a dog last season, like it is this season. The O laying down, has put the D in a tight spot.

Posted by Trey Ball (Member # 332) on 09-28-2011, 08:21 PM:

I agree with Boom. The defense is much better this year. The offense hasn't helped them one bit and despite that they have given up 14 less points or nearly 5 less a game and that is the only defensive stat that really matters.

Posted by rlt4uk (Member # 3194) on 09-29-2011, 09:03 PM:

ukcatfannfl,you are looking at this through steve brown colored glasses if you think his defense was better than this. Last years offense was way better and took alot of pressure off the defense a little. IMHO this years d is way better,you can throw all the stats you want to up there but I know what I see. I think they should of fired steve brown three or four years ago and the program would of been a lot better off.

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 09-30-2011, 08:56 AM:

Brown will be gone after this year - he was kept because of his contract period.

As far as the stats - they are what they are - doesnt matter if we do have a terrible offense - which we do - our defense is just as bad as last years! Just because Winston Guy makes 10 tackles a game doesn't make it any better.

For example when Clemons coughed up the ball - I KNEW the 1st play was going to be a home run try - it was and they completed it and our defense had no idea it was coming! Amazing to me!

Posted by rlt4uk (Member # 3194) on 09-30-2011, 12:14 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by ukcatfannfl:
Brown will be gone after this year - he was kept because of his contract period.

As far as the stats - they are what they are - doesnt matter if we do have a terrible offense - which we do - our defense is just as bad as last years! Just because Winston Guy makes 10 tackles a game doesn't make it any better.

For example when Clemons coughed up the ball - I KNEW the 1st play was going to be a home run try - it was and they completed it and our defense had no idea it was coming! Amazing to me!

I agree with everything that you've said,I think everybody knew they would throw it deep except our coaches and players. Yes they aren't very good but their better than last years "D" imo.

[ 09-30-2011, 12:17 PM: Message edited by: rlt4uk ]

Posted by boomdaddy (Member # 2644) on 09-30-2011, 12:49 PM:

Neloms got beat on one play by a TE. He ended up leaving with a concussion. Was he in a fog, when he got beat deep by a slower man?

I remember a long time ago, Pooke JOnes got his bell rung and threw a pass right to a defender. He should have come out for a few plays. I wonder if that is what happened to Neloms, because he just stood there in the middle of the field, while the TE ran past him.

[ 09-30-2011, 02:37 PM: Message edited by: boomdaddy ]

Posted by Brandon (Member # 108) on 10-01-2011, 10:27 AM:

The defense is better overall than last year but it's not like they are leaps and bounds better. They are better in the D-line and LB's but no so much in the DB's and that's where UK takes the biggest hits.

That being said, the offense has put the defense in a hole quite a few times this season. If you fumble on your own 15 yard line, it makes it hard to stop the other teams offense from scoring. I mean, at the 15, they are already within fairly easy FG range even if they don't make a yard on offense.

The o-line just isn't producing. They have to give Newton or Smith at least 4 seconds to throw the ball. That is not negotiable if you're an o-lineman. You have to hold you block on a running play for at least 3 seconds on a run between the tackles, but more to the point with this line, you have to get to your block first, then hold it for at least 3 seconds.

Florida's O-line is wonderful. They are the main reason why Florida's offense is successful. I would trade anything for the talent that Florida's o-line has.

But, the thing that kills me is the dropped passes. If you are a receiver and the ball hits you in the numbers, there is no excuse for dropping it at all. Everyone drops one they should have caught every now and then, that just happens and I don't have a problem with the occasional dropped ball that should have been caught. But, multiple drops in the same game, and sometimes in the same series...inexcusable. If you can't catch the ball consistently, go play defensive back.

UK has enough talent to be competitive. The coaching and execution is sub-par. I think UK needs to spend some money and get the top-of-the-line coaches or they are never going to be better than a Music City Bowl type of team.

Posted by ukcatfannfl (Member # 1425) on 10-01-2011, 11:04 AM:

Everyone is giving "reasons" why the defense is better than last year. I understand that and agree with most of it. HOwever, the bottom line are the stats. And the Stats "show" that we are worse than last year overall. Beat it to death - WHY - all you like but bottom line is the bottom line!

Posted by Bama Cat (Member # 153) on 10-01-2011, 09:33 PM:

My suggestion? Fire the whole bunch and start over. Of course after the 3-9 season is over. [Big Grin]