Courier Journal Genius!

What is the biggest draw when it comes to news papers?  There are two, actually, and neither have much to do with each other.  One is the sports section and the other is coupons.  Without those two things, most newspapers would have folded long ago.  I made the executive decision several years ago to forgo the coupons and read the newspaper sports columns from the net.  This is even with the most horrid load times of any site I visit and this is also with some of the worst pop ups and forced marketing there is.

Well, it seems the Courier Journal has decided that their sports columnists’ opinions are worth paying for even with the forced marketing and horrid opinions and will start charging you if you wish to read them on the day they are printed.  So ladies and gentlemen, I signal to you the beginning of the end of local newspaper media as we know it.  The local papers have done such a horrid job of keeping up with the news in a way that people want it that most have simply stopped buying the product.  Why do these idiots think we want to buy their crap on the net if we don’t want to buy it from the stands?  I would think most people would still be supporting the local printed media if they half way did their job.

Let me ask you an insanely absurd question..  Would you pay an on-line subscription to read Jerry Tipton?  I can’t stand even reading what he says when they try to force it down my throat for free, assuming the adware they force on us is considered free!

I really do feel sorry for the support personnel at the Courier who will most certainly lose their jobs.  They are already required to take a percentage of time off without pay every quarter to off set the companies inadequacies. Now they must rely on us, the consumer, paying good money to read the BS we already attempt to ignore as much as possible.  Those articles have been nothing more than train wrecks for years!  You know it’s gonna be ugly, but its free so you gotta look anyway.  I’ve never known anyone that would actually pay to see a train wreck, and I doubt people would start now.

I would have to think the better option would have been to fire the holier than thou A holes that write for these rags and hire some people who could relate to their audience.  It seems to me that is what the local on-line media does that actually has a following.  All we can hope is that the LHL follows suit with the same plan as the Courier after they go belly up, or sooner.  The local blogs have provided information in a much more entertaining way and at a much faster rate!  What this means now is people will get the free version of the Courier BS a day later, which isn’t really that big of a deal other than I probably won’t visit so I won’t even get to enjoy their pop ups.

My Thoughts on Tebow

Look, simply put, he should not have been in the game. I don’t know if any of you caught the Mike and Mike clip about it, but I agree with Golic. The game was done. It was clear UK was not going to win, even if Florida turned the ball over twice. He was sick, the game was secure. He should have been out, or Florida should have kept running it to chew clock and protect him.

-So, there is some debate as to why he was in the game. My opinion, simply put, because he’s not having a Heisman year. His numbers for the season are good, and his abilities are prolific, but he’s not having the numbers that he needs to be comparable to the other top QBs in any way other than team wins. And, while we all know that team wins are where the meat of your goals are, it’s individual stats that get reviewed when they go Heisman hunting.

Look at this: 4 games into the season Tim Tebow has thrown for 643 yard and ran for 271. He does have 11 total tds. Good numbers, but where are they in the Heisman race?

Look at Colt McCoy who, in four games, has thrown for 1145 yards and run for 63 yards and has 10 tds. That over 1200 yards of offense that he’s responsible for, compared to just over 900 for Tebow.

Let’s look at some stuff that’s comparable. How close would you think these guys would stack up?

Michigan’s Tate Forcier =671 passing yards, 127 rushing yards 4 wins, 9TDs.

Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen = 1122 yds thrown, 10 tds, 1 pick. 3-1 record.

Bama’s Greg McElroy = 938 yds, 33 rushing, 8 total tds, 1 pick, 4 -0 record

Boise St’s Kellen Moore= 932 yds, 10 tds, 1 int, 4-0

Kansas’s Todd Reesing = 1137 yds thrown, 89 rushing, 11 total tds, 2 picks 4-0

Ohio State’s Pryor =695 passing yards, 235 rushing yards, 7 tds, 4 picks, 3-1

Then take a really really good look at who these teams have played compared to Florida’s schedule.

Michigan and Notre Dame
Ohio state and USC
Boise and Oregon

It’s really not even close.

So, there is your answer to why Tebow was in the game. Because it could very fairly stated that his performance isn’t distancing himself. So, he was in the game so that Meyer could pad his passing stats. It was plain to see. Meyer could see that he was running on us like a video game, but Demps and the other back are better runners than Tebow, and were eating the field up. So, in order to make Tebow look better, Meyer starting calling passing plays. And, you’ll notice that I pointed this out during the game talk, and pointed out florida started looking bad when they committed to throwing. Or, at least, didn’t look as good.

That being said, I don’t think Tim will be back for the LSU game. There’s no way he can take that level of a concucssion, and then play the way he plays this soon. If he were a pocket passer, he might be able to get back early. Tim is a bull rusher who takes a lot of hits.

Mind you I’m no medical expert, and any who are feel free to chime in, but I just don’t see it. You just get into a whole new threat to your career and life when you start down the concussion highway. These things end pro QB careers with regularity.

BBR’s Weekly SEC Rankings

This weeks BBR SEC rankings.

1. Alabama: Best defense and a real good offense have them ranked at the top of the SEC. Next up Kentucky at Commonwealth Stadium.

2. Florida: With Tim Tebow hurt Florida is playing a waiting game to see when or if he returns. Off this weekend so Tebo get a chance to practice walking on water again.

3. Georgia: Georgia has a slightly better offense than LSU so they get the #3 ranking this week.

4. LSU: Saturdays game with Georgia should settle who is 3rd best in the SEC.

5. Auburn: Playing at Tennessee will show if Auburn is for real. They win and the climb past the LSU-Georgia loser and possibly the winner.

6. South Carolina: A week off while playing SC S twill help the old balls coach to prepare for Alabama.

7. Ole Miss: Playing at Vanderbilt will give Mississippi a chance to decide if they want to climb back up in the rankings or be ranked like they have looked so far this year.

8. Tennessee: With the 10th best offense in the nation this game will help define their season. If Jonathan Crompton can get his act together and Tennessee is spared any more injuries they can win this game.

9. Arkansas: The Hogs passing game is respectable but their defense isn’t nuff said

10. Kentucky: With Alabama up next Kentucky needs to stop the turnovers and costly mistakes.

11. Mississippi State: Should have beaten LSU but couldn’t get it in on 2 tries from the 4 inch line. Next up Georgia Tech.

12. Vanderbilt: Their offense came alive against winless Rice. Can their defense stop Mississippi this weekend.? Can their offense move two games in a row?

BBR’s Week 4 Top 25

Time for BBR’s 4th Top 25. Unlike last week there is no real big winner but several big losers. Once again the ACC manages to lose with North Carolina dropping out of the rankings and Florida State losing any brownie points they got from beating Utah last week. Miami dropped quite a bit after losing to Ga Tech but I’d love to see them play the game again on a dry field. The biggest loser had to be Mississippi who was exposed by the old balls coach.
1.Alabama
2.Texas
3.Florida
4.LSU
5.Boise St
6.Virginia Tech
7.USC
8.Oklahoma
9.TCU
10.Cincinnati
11.Ohio St
12.Georgia
13.Penn St
14.Oklahoma St
15.Iowa
16.Kansas
17.Miami (Fl)
18.Missouri
19.BYU
20.California
21.Michigan
22.Georgia Tech
23. Oregon
24.Nebraska
25.South Florida

Where to begin?

This will be multiple thoughts. No high horse. As few “I told you so as possible” and will surely echo some of the sentiments and thoughts that my esteemed friends here on this board have already voiced.

Let’s start with talent. At no time, and in no way, did any Kentucky fan I know of suggest that UK had more talent than Florida. I, and others, asserted that we had more talent at our wide receiver positions, and that was, and is, true. However, talent had little to do with what happened on the 26th.

Coaching: As bad as I have ever seen it. To be blunt, because it’s so fresh, I’m wont to call it the worst I’ve seen, but the truth is I’ve seen this program get humiliated so many times in the last 15 years that common sense tells me this can’t be any worse than those many others.

Joker Phillips: You are, without doubt, the worst play caller in the SEC. I’ve said it for years. The simple fact is that the shining moments in your career have come only because you had NFL quality players who could throw, catch, and run their way out of your philosophy. Sure, sure, some will say that’s obvious, but it really isn’t. You call games with three degrees of incompetence that I am going to eloquently describe, so that readers can fully understand why my label is fairly placed.

Your first level of incompetence begins with your own personnel. Regardless of the lack of ability of your own personnel, nor where the better strengths of your team lie, you want and impose a ‘throw first’ philosophy that consistently leaves your team in long yardage situations. You have had one, exactly ONE quarterback in your entire coaching experience who was good enough to make some of the toughest throws, a guy who holds the record for throws without an interception, and yet you somehow think that YOUR genius is what made that happen. That somehow, if you keep calling the plays that that ONE guy could perform, they will be performed by any other player you put in that position. As Ron White famously said, “You can’t fix stupid”. You have a weak and inexperienced Receiver corps. You have a Quarterback who has never been, and will likely never be, a game winner. You admit your tight ends aren’t as productive. Then, you have the fastest running backs that UK has ever had in it’s history. With all that, you still don’t run. You have DECADES of SEC and NCAA football statistics that clearly show that the team with the better running game wins over %70 of games, and yet you still think throw first.

Perhaps you will one day be proved to be genius in your play calling, but I somehow deeply suspect that that day will come when a player appears who is NFL caliber, and not because your philosophy or insights to the game sharpen. And, I suspect that day will fade just as quickly when the next guy, who likely will not be as gifted, takes over.

YOU should know your team better than anyone else. YOU should be able to decipher where your strengths lie. My only question now is, when you are head coach, and a new OC takes over, will you be able to tolerate the fact that he will almost certainly be a a more savvy, and intelligent coach than you are? Will you be able to let him shine to the harassment of your own tenure?

Your second level of incompetence is in knowing the fundamentals of football. You simply have displayed an indifference to the fundamentals of winning football. It does not, will not, can not, be any simpler than this: Teams that run the ball win more games than those that don’t. It’s been true for more years than all the coaching staff on the side line have been alive, combined. It can only be willful spite that could describe the manner with which you seem to think that these rules will suddenly be bent and rewritten because of your dedication to a pro style offense, that hasn’t produced a single .500 or better conference record in your tenure.

Your play calling consistently leaves this team in third and long situations that expose our passers to blitz packages that, when coupled with the fact that we already need 7+ yards to continue a drive, make it a continual uphill battle four our teams to have to perform individual feats of athleticism to succeed. All of this when better play calling could simplify the needed play, and reduce pressure, allow for possible running solutions, and simply generally increase our chances for success.

The Last area of coaching that you display incompetence in, may be the worst. You have no idea of the strategy to defeat an opponent. Last night was as clear cut an example of that, as ever could be. To use a well understood analogy, it’s a lot like a pressing basketball team. When you KNOW you are playing a pressing team, the last thing you should do, when you KNOW their talents in the open floor exceed your own, is play THEIR game with them. To his credit, this is why Tubby Smith consistently played the Pitino teams closer than even his talent should have allowed. He reduced possessions. Used the shot clock. Made you defend. It would be very fair to describe this Florida Football team to that 96 UK team. And you came out and tried to run with that team. You took quick shots. You let your worst players take any shot that looked open. You lost, as predictably as rain in the rain forest. And, to make matters worse, you even had a complete scout film of how to affect the game, from LAME KIFFIN. Think about this Joker, Kiffin showed more intelligence and tactical ability in his third game at UT than you did, with all your experience at UK (most of it bad, that you fail to learn from).

AND, I’d like to take this time to exonerate Rich Brooks, a bit. I don’t know if any of you folks caught this in the game, there was a video capture of Rich on the sidelines, and he and Joker were having an exchange. I hope someone can pull this up, but I am all most certain, I could CLEARLY read Rich’s lips as he appeared to say, “Run the football. Get first downs!” If someone TVoed or DVRed this, it was in the third Quarter. Immediately, the camera cut to the shot of Joker in the booth, and he replied with a word that starts with “F and then the words “Run” or “Running it” No imagination, here folks. I’m serious. If ANYONE can pull this up, it’s clearly an exchange between coaches. I’m a lot more certain about what Rich said. It was clear, but take a good look at what Joker said immediately and tell me what you think.

My Kingdom for a Leader

I do not think I have ever been so sick at a game in my life.  The UK team that showed up for this game is NOT the UK team I cheer for.  I am still the same fan, but someone took my team and replaced them with a bunch of frauds.  I want MY team back.  I want the team that was suppose to fight like there is no tomorrow right out of the gate and right up until the final horn sounds.  I want the team that not only out played and out hit LSU a few years ago when they were on their course for a National Championship, but also out scored them.

Where did that team go?  I’ll tell you where it went.  It went somewhere else when Woodson, Woodyard and company had to move on due to expired eligibility.  The replacements of Hartline and Johnson simply frail in comparison when it comes to qualities like heart and leadership.  Granted, it isn’t entirely their fault.  But it is on the leaders of the team to make sure all the heads are in the right place.  It is their job to make sure the guys know they will take it to who ever is in front of them and leave it all on the field.  And it isn’t like they haven’t been shown the way because Woodson and company were there to  show this group.  All they had to do was step into the shoes. 

I watched Micah Johnson a lot yesterday and plan to review the tape again.  But I am sure I will see the same thing there as I did from the stands.  Micah flies around with the best of them but was generally ALWAYS out of position and never within his assignment.  You can not have your stud leaving the rest of the team to make up for his mistakes.  Its suppose to be the other way around!  Woodyard had his nose on the ball on almost every play and made up for a ton of poor play around him.  He led by example. 

I was one of Mike Hartline’s biggest supporters last year.  It wasn’t that I thought he was that great, it was just that there were so many other issues and there was no one on the team that could do it better.  Mike did make improvements and, as I assumed, he is a little stronger, a little more accurate and a little smarter.  But that doesn’t mean its enough when it comes to leading his team against a top flight team.  You have to be able to command the huddle and have your team ready on each play and Hartline simply does not show those qualities.  Also, while he is a little better, he still does not have what it takes to see the field and deliver to the correct route.  There were many many times guys were wide open on easy passes and he chose to go to a more covered guy with a more difficult pass.  His team mates HAVE to know this even more than an average fan like myself.  I also knew EVERY TIME what sort of play he was checking into. The criteria given to him to check is so elementary that all a team has to do is move one guy two steps out of the box or up on the line to show blitz to get him to check into an off tackle run.  UK needs someone that can take chances against a UF.  Hartline is the safe bet and the calls for him are as predictable as the sun every morning. 

There is no question that this team is more talented than a few years ago on paper.  There is no question that this team is not as talented as UF.  But the reason this team is 31-0 in the first quarter worse than UF has to do with who is leading the team.  And guys like Randell Cobb and Wyndham are the reason UF was only 10-7 better after that.  There have got to be more like them someowhere on that bench that can replace the current frauds.

Don’t see a good future for the Cats

I keep looking for a positive on the loss to Florida. Its possible that tomorrow I might be able to come up with one but tonight its not possible to think of one. I just don’t see a good future for the Cat’s.

Our offense has become so predictable its impossible for a team not to be able to prepare for us. Down 41-7 with 6+ min in the game and Hartline is still in the game rather than getting Fidler in the game.

Everyone watching knew that Florida was going to run on us and they still ran all over us. From what I’ve seen so far this year Vandy is the only SEC team with a worse defense than us and that might be a toss up.

Our recruiting has bottomed out. Don’t believe that look at what Washington a team that was won how many games last year. A Pac10 team for Santa’s sake has recruited so far this year. Five 4 star and 10 3 star players so far compared to 4 3 star and 4 2 star and a couple JC players a sure fire way to win in the SEC.

I guess on thinking about it there are two positive thing I came out of the game today.
1. We simply don’t have the talent to play against the top teams in the SEC this year and from the looks of the backups and recruiting not next year or the year after either.
2. Taylor Wyndham needs to play more. If he can knock a horse like Tebow down while hes walking on water he’s going to be hard hitting player.
3.Joker is really a mediocre offensive coach and if he’s going to inherit the head coaching job he needs to hire a real good offensive coach. While I’m at it Brown is another in a long line of bad defensive coaches at UK so Joker needs to add a good defensive coach to the list.

A reminder of my prescription to beat Florida

–Just a reminder and some minor modifications on my prescription for success. Most of it depends on clock management, running the ball, and Steve Brown growing a pair.

From weeks ago…. most of it, at least.

“–This might take a while, but I’m going to piece together a few things, ideas, and suggestions, that I think will give the Cats a chance to beat the Gators. Feel free to jump in and opine, and I’ll snag em as I get them.

–I know that there’s no way this can happen. I know there has been this much agreement as to a number one team in AP history. I know the Gators have returning a fully stocked defense. I know this. Yet, I also know that some teams will play this team close. Likely, ONE team will beat this team. Teams will score touchdowns. Teams will move the ball. Teams WILL deny the Gators the endzone, sometimes. So how does a team like Kentucky do it?
Well, that’s what I’m here for.

–The biggest worry we have to take into consideration is gonna be the kicking game. From all indications, the kickoffs have been inconsistent in their depth. Combine that with Florida’s speed and you have the makings for a LONG day full of short series on defense. No coaching ideas I can offer here. You either can get the ball deep enough or high enough to get the stop or you can’t. My suggestion to the coaches would be to consider free kicking the ball. The punters seem to be able to get over 40 on most every kick, and you get the hang time. Chances are you can force a fair catch on the 30 to 35 yard line that would be better than letting them catch it on the run at the 15-20. Just a thought.

–So, let’s start where we likely will, no matter what. Defense. Opening thought. Team is full of energy. Snapping at the leash. You’ve got better DBs than they have receivers. Start the day with a blitz. Doesn’t have to be a sell out. And, I certainly wouldn’t advertise it. But send one side and Micah. Objective: Get into the backfield early. Even if they hand the ball to a back, get in there early. If they don’t; if Tim keeps the ball for a play action, then hallelujah. Hit HIM! Throw or no throw. Get the hit, and set the tone. Chop the throwing arm if you can get there early. Remember. You’re not trying to win the game in one play. You’re trying to make this guy thinking about himself, not the play, late in the game.

Addition: UK must attack upfield. We have to play our assignments on the wildcat, but Linebackers cannot be expected to scrape the line with the way UF blocks. Each tackler is going to have to get upfield into the gaps and tackle their man.

–Obviously, UF has a lot of weapons. And, they have their best play maker handling the ball. But, Tim Tebow is human. He can be caught up in a number of things. 1st: You have to attack HIM for the game. Not waste time with assignment here or there, or this or that. Yes, you need to honor the assignments you have, but when all esle fails go hit Tim Tebow. Have somebody, as often as you can, not spying on him, but running toward him. And I don’t mean the DT and DE who are pushing every play. I mean a LB. A safety. A corner. MLB. MLB again. Safety. You’re gonna have to mix coverages and you’re gonna have to play up and back with your spacing, but this will be effective. You run your DBs up to play press or to blitz, then you back them up and leave the safety in. The snap of the ball he lunges then falls back into a zone about 8 yards off the ball to the slot side. Instead, your MLB some hard on a blitz to the opposite side of the DT the safety lunged to and the press is on. Tim is good enough to beat you. Yes. He’s good enough to make tough throws. But, NOW, at least, YOU are deciding how long he has to do it, and what routes he’ll have time to see develop before he gets rid of it.

ADDITION: Florida does not have good wide outs. They are primarily down field blockers, and blockers for the option pitch. We should be able to man up on them.

–Offensively (which I’ll get to ) I’d all but guarantee screens will be a waste of time. Screens just aren’t that effective outside of high school. Florida’s defense is gonna be too experienced. I think UK will call a screen. Probably a couple, and I’ll go on record telling those coaches ahead of time that they will be terrible plays and that the Gators will smell everyone of them out and be all over them. Cut and paste it. The screen is great if you catch a blitz, or if the other team is slow. But Florida’s DT’s will smell it out and be in the middle of it.

–About the only way I’d call a screen is if I was running double screens and had a QB who could fake to the heavy screen and throw to the weak one. And even THEN that’s not a good call.

–Trick plays are for tricks. I don’t mind the occasionally punt fake, or field goal fake, but most everything else is just too chancy. If we’re in third and short (3yds or less) Florida will be bringing heat. And they will have some of the, if not THE, fastest linebackers we’ll see. They will be in the backfield and trickery will likely mean a fumble or sack.

–***Florida will be a game where the judicious use of the tight end will be key.*** Like I’ve described MANY times, there is little defense for having the TE come off the ball, go 5-7 yds, turn and sit. All the QB has to do is burn a shot right to the side opposite the defender and then they guy just has to catch it and fall.

–The Wildcat package will be neat, but I’m not sure how much. Against a deep and experienced fron seven, some times you just need to be able to reduce the variables, put helmet on helmet and just get three yards between the tackles. It’s not flashy, and it won’t make we the fans go oooohhh. But, it gets the ball moving, keeps the defense honest, and gives the defense some rest. Can’t do it every play, but we also can’t consistently scheme up wildcat option draw passes. And, yes, we do have the lineman and full back to get yardage up the middle. The one thing UK CANNOT DO (are you listening Randy) is run hope plays. We need to run consistent plays. If you are in 2nd and 7 and you can either run it up the gut for three yards, try a screen (and we all know how badly those can go), or run a post pattern, TAKE THE THREE YARD RUN. Get it to third and four. Extend the defense’s time on the field and give yourself options. Now you only need four yards, but you can go as deep as you want. You can expect a blitz and run a slant, a draw, or a screen (still, I think, not a good call against florida’s speed) You can hit the TE short. And, depending on field positions, if you’re say… inside their 45, you call a hope play and leave yourself the option of faking the punt because you ONLY need four yards, not 7.

ADDITION: I cannot wait to see the wildcat. I believe it will be very interesting in seeing how Florida reacts to their own medicine. I think they will quickly be able to adjust, with their experience, but I don’t think they realize how fast UK is. UK back field, with Smith, Cobb, and Lock is just as fast as the Gators. Truth. Tebow is what gives them the edge, because he’s a running 250lb tight end that can throw. We don’t have any QBs that can bullrush for four yards. I cannot help but be convinced that it is not coincidence that we have seen this program use it’s most deadly weapons effectively until this game. My gut tells me that Rich Brooks knows we can win this game, at commonwealth.

–A big weapon offensively for us, will be the big weapon we’ve all known about from Florida. You set up in a shotgun formation with either Hartline (who runs fairly well… um no. Change that. Never again.) Cobb, or Newton and spread the field. On the snap the QB just runs a QB draw and tries to get three or four yards without fumbling. This can be a cheap, easy, play, and the formation is such a problem. Run it with Cobb and you’ve got a real passer, who’s a better runner, with a speed back. Call this play out of no huddles and it drives defenses crazy.
ADDITION: Imagine Cobb in shotgun, tucking the ball and stepping up like a run, then springing back (as he is quick and agile enough to do, and looking down the sideline for Matthews. Florida will bite on this, and I can see it being a big play once or twice, if we establish the wildcat.)

–My next bit of advice is for Steve Brown.

–Umm.. blitz. Hit Tim Tebow early in the game. hit him late in the game. Hit him when it’s a draw play. hit him when it’s a trap. Okay,.. okay. Clearly we can’t hit the guy with no reason, but you get my point. I strongly encourage you, Steve, to look at some of the blitzes that Joe Lee Dunn used to come up with as Miss. St. Safeties, corners, every LB, one LB, Middle and weak LB, Zone blitz. LBs and no ends. You are going to have to call a game that PREVENTS Florida from being able to assume anything.

–As a defensive coach, You cannot play a veteran team by doing what they’ve seen time and time again. You have to create mismatches. You have to limit Tebow’s time to make reads. You have to shorten their passing game by making Tebow protect himself from hits.

ADDITION: I would still blitz, but I’d blitz as much now to get my backers in the backfield on the run, as I would to just hit Tebow. Maybe he’ll break out, but Tim Tebow is not a good passer, and they don’t have Spurrier era Wide outs. I think we can chance their passing attack and focus on the run. If we get florida to start passing the ball, our chances for winning improve dramatically.

–Here’s another HUGE tip from the guru. During pass rush situations, You need to train your defensive lineman to rush for two seconds. TWO SECONDS. In TWO SECONDS if your defensive lineman doesn’t have the advantage against the offense, if they aren’t in a seam heading for the QB, or if they are running straight into a double team, they need to back up, get their hands up and jump into passes. It’s a waste of energy for a d-lineman continue to struggle for another second and a half to two seconds just to have the play go by them, anyway.

–I know many coaches teach this. I KNOW it. But, I still see teams that are getting out there and not doing it.

My thoughts for offense aren’t too complicated. This is the one area where Florida DOES have the advantage. The ability to make plays is still a factor. So, here’s what I recommend. Don’t get too caught up in trying to outscore Florida.

The Gator offense is similar to a major league baseball pitcher on a good day. They start the day, get you into a rhythm of going three and out, trying to make desperation plays to keep up with them. The pitcher gets going. He’s usually throwing the ball fairly quickly, because he’s in his groove. When good pitchers do this, they start commanding the strike zone, getting ahead early, and that’s the beginning of the end.

So, how does UK stop this? In a similar fashion that major league hitters do. They step out of the box and call timeout. They stretch back and swing a couple of times. They take some time to readjust the gloves. They MAKE the pitcher go at the pace they want. This frustrates the guy. Might even make him throw a little chin music. That’s fine. The minute he starts doing stuff like that, he’s showing his aggravation. He’s showing he lost the focus. That’s what you wanted. And, that’s what UK needs to do.
UK needs to perform simple, aggressive plays that keep the Florida defense on the field. Even if you don’t score a touchdown, a couple of first downs and time off the clock will disrupt the offense, and slow the game down.
AND….

wanna know a little secret? Urban Meyer is an ego maniac. HE is the one he will get frustrated from this kind of play. He KNOWS everyone is watching and he KNOWs that his team’s fitness for a championship is being evaluated every game not by whether or not they win, but in how GOOD they look doing it. He would ABHOR a 21-17 third quarter score, even if he was winning.

ADDITION: Take note of the gator players during the UT game, and Meyer’s reaction afterward. Even up till Tuesday of this week, he was grumbling over the fact that UT took them out of their play style. I tell you, he’s an ego maniac worse than Spurrier. WE run the ball, we get some first downs, He’ll start eating his nails. UK runs it with Connor 4 or 5 times and focus on hitting them from Tight end to tackle, and we’ll get first downs, stay in third and shorts (which hinder blitzing) and we WILL win this football game.

–This UK team has potential. No, they will not be able to stare down there schedule and pick out the tough games that they SHOULD WIN. But…

Let me see if I can give the Wildcat Faithful the best way to look at this.

–Florida is as good as any Florida has been, when they’ve been good. They’re not better than the best teams that Spurrier had. Look at those teams and be fair. A lot of NFL players. This team is still good, and right up there. That’s what everyone in the media sees. The problem is that ignore that THIS UK PROGRAM IS NOT THAT ONE THEY USED TO PLAY. This Florida could beat those UK teams by 70 points,… just like they did then. This Gator team cannot beat this UK team by 70 points unless we just let them. And this team has WON THREE BOWL GAMES. Had THREE winning seasons. Is putting guys into the NFL. This UK team has players who have beaten… not just played with… not just came close to… but BEATEN the SEC and National Champion.

This UK team is the team getting better and deeper EVERY YEAR. They are not regressing. And they certainly have not peaked. These coaches are still hungry. They have a mission. It’s not out of reach, anymore.

–Let’s be clear fans. Let’s not doubt this team until they give us reason. If I could emphasize ONE point, it would be this. We need to realize that UK playing the Gators is NOT like UK playing EKU. The talent difference is not that vast and broad. Certainly in Florida’s favor, but not by some damn near divisionally sized difference. No. UK playing Florida is more like Miami Redhawks playing UK.

(Minor Change: Miami was really, really bad. Really bad. If I had know their talent had fallen off that much, I would have declared the game much more like UK playing Miss. St.)

Yeah, we should win. But, we aren’t going to their house, with a starving fan base in an SEC sized arena. This is doable, if not likely. Florida sees Alabama. They see Georgia. They LSU. They see UT (to beat on) They see what they think are peers. They do not see the UK team coming. They don’t. The MEDIA will even tell you what to look for. They’re pre-selling it.

–Florida has UT at home. The Vols and the Gators. In the Swamp. Lane Kiffin and all the bad blood. The smack. The egos. Then they go on the road to play #11 LSU. LSU. ANOTHER championship coach. ANOTHER HUGE EGO…..

Those of you who’ve looked ahead may have noticed something. There’s a game in between those two monsters. A little visit to UK. Now you tell me. Where is the practice priority going to lie? What films do you think the coaches are REALLY going to be watching? What highlights do you think the players are going to be looking at? Think they’ll be looking for UK Louisville highlights? Think they’ll be flipping over UK Miami?

I see the world overlooking this game.”

The majority of that was written weeks ago, and I think it’s been damn near Karnak like.
–UK: run more than pass. USE THE CLOCK. Understand that each play is only a battle, not the entire war. Be happy with 2nd and seven. Run it again and get 2 to 4 yards or throw to the tight end or a hook route. Eat clock. Use the tight end three plus times. Run between the tackles. Stay in third and 5 or less. UK has a great kick return team. We should get good field position. Turnovers never need be emphasized. It’s hyperbole. Florida will do what they did against UT. They TOO will commit 9 to the box. Fine. Play action and give Matthews a reason to play here. Start this guys career with a highlight day torching UF when he’s in single coverage.

On defense, Get up the field. Don’t try to play laterally, they’ll be through the line if you do. Use 9 in the box most of the day, and disguise it by floating your safeties a bit. Blitz, and mix up the blitz.
I’d probably put Micah on Tebow as a permanent spy.
In fact, I might drop him an additional yard off the line to encourage him to run at the line of scrimmage.

Expect Florida and Meyer to get impatient to score. Trust Lindley, Burden, and Warford. Let them know you trust them. They can do it.

Tell your DE’s to get upfield and KEEP contain. Don’t get trapped at the line while they string out an option and leave the DB on an island. If you’re blitzing appropriately, as I’ve described, **STEVE BROWN**, then you will still get good pressure and will meet runner at the LOS.

LAST THING for the defense. Strip the ball every chance you get. Florida has shown a propensity to fumble the ball. They are so used to and eager to burst out that they aren’t used to being in traffic. They do not protect the football well. Strips by safeties and corners could yield BIG results.

BBR’s Week 3 Top 25

Time for BBR’s 3rd Top 25. The biggest winner has to be Miami who climbs all the way to #6 with their 2nd straight win over a top 25 team. The biggest looser is USC who lost to Washington and dropped out of the top 10. BCS buster BYU showed that they still don’t have the speed the to play with the big boys. Florida showed they are beatable with the win over Tennessee. Lane Kiffin now has adds on eBay where he is willing to pay an assistant coaches salary for a slightly used passing game. Alabama continues to show they have talent on both sides of the ball and moved up to #1.

1.Alabama
2.Texas
3.Florida
4.California
5.Penn St
6.Miami (Fl)
7.LSU
8.Mississippi
9.Boise St
10.Oklahoma
11.USC
12.Ohio St
13.Virginia Tech
14.Cincinnati
15.TCU
16.Georgia
17.North Carolina
18.Oklahoma St
19.Houston
20.Missouri
21.Michigan
22.BYU
23. Florida St
24.Nebraska
25.Kansas

BBR SEC Rankings

Now that the season has a few weeks under its belt and we have gotten a picture of the strength of the conference teams BBR is posting the first of its SEC weekly rankings.

1. Alabama: They simply have way to much talent on both sides of the ball to not be ranked #1 untill proved otherwise.

2. Florida: Love that subtle dig Meyer got in on Kiffin but the Swine flu remark about a couple of players show they aren’t as deep as people think they are. Besides they didn’t show enough in their first test to be ranked #1 in a tough conference.

3. Ole Miss: They haven’t been challenged yet and a injured SC defense might not present that challenge Thursday. Should be a good game though.

4. LSU: Looking better week to week. The Washington game is now looking much better. A 3-0 Miss St team is up next for them.

5. Georgia: Their defense was shredded by the Arkansas passing game but they managed to find ways to win. Cox isn’t on the hot seat now.

6. Auburn: The Auburn players must have loved to play in water and their passing game magically appeared in a good comeback win over W Virginia.

7. Tennessee: Well planned defensive scheme by Monte Kiffin but son Lane Kiffin now has adds on eBay where he is willing to pay an assistant coaches salary for a slightly used passing game.

8. Arkansas: Still no pass defense but Ryan Mallet is the real deal and might challenge for SEC quarterback of the year by the time all is done. He gets his chance to show how good he is against the Alabama defense.

9. South Carolina: This week is a make or break week for SC as Mississippi comes in to torment the injured SC defense.

10. Kentucky: Probably better than the looked Saturday. They made Louisville look better than they are thanks to 3 turnovers in a row, poor tackling, over pursuit and poor clock management. With Florida up this weekend play like the past weekend will kill them.

11. Mississippi State: 3-0 so far but winning any of their next 3 games will show how improved they truly are.

12. Vanderbilt: Did anyone really expect Vandy to be as bad offensively as they are coming off a bowl season?

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