Almost Football Time

Not to exaggerate, but this really has been the longest most dreadful sport summer I’ve endured in many years. BUT.. I’m super psyched about UK football this fall, and I think others will be too. Joker is impressing the hell out of me, more than I thought he could. Yes, I know that could easily evaporate with a bad season, but I don’t get that feeling. He’s not just talking, he’s doing. He’s making BIG TIME moves and has worked his ass off to get his mission statement out there, and ingrained. I just don’t get the feeling this is false. I think the energy and power we are afraid to believe in is really there. Not in the way we all “believed” that Rich could win six games in his second year, if you get my drift.

I want to float my feelings out there and see if you folks think they make sense, or if I’m imagining, whatever. The reason I think so many lost faith with Rich early, and that so many failed to see his goal was that we really didn’t understand his mission. We might have thought we did, but we really didn’t. Rich was working on a “program” scale. All of it. Top to bottom. And not just the actual program, but the entire entity of UK Football. From fans to facilities.

Joker is doing what we THOUGHT (or at least I wrongly did) Rich should have been doing, he’s working on the “team.” The program is established, if not an SEC contender, it’s the TEAM that needs to take it to the next level, and that’s what he’s doing, IMO. He’s getting guys to believe in themselves and each other. He’s getting them to believe in the coaching staff. He knows, again IMO, that getting this team to love to play the game with each other, and for the coaches, to love the promise of what practice means, and to embrace the confidence that their training is as elite as any and they will be “gameday ready” for any opponent, even florida. I mean, is there anyone here who think those wonderful guys aren’t training harder than ever? Not just on command, but putting in EXTRA time? Pushing themselves? Doing more on their own? You know it has a lot to do with Rock, but if I asked you if you felt that, with no inside knowledge, would you have the same feeling that I do that it’s happening?

That’s my feeling. You know, when Rich was coaching, you could always tell that he never really had confidence that we would beat the Florida’s and Bama’s of the league, you know. He spoke conservatively, and coached the same, and GOD did it fix our program. But you could just predict some losses, because we knew, and he knew, that he didn’t expect or need to win those games, he needed to set trends. He needed to impress a standard, and losses would do that as much as wins, so long as the losses were to top tier teams and coaches and were respectable. It was just getting us out of the basement so that there would be other SEC teams getting used to being the dogs that was important. He got media and fans to respect us.

Joker does not give me that vibe. I believe that Joker is coaching today with a firm belief he can beat Florida, and that the only way he’s going to lose to them is if they get lucky. I’m not suggesting he lacks respect. I’m saying he’s not gonna think they should lose to Florida until after they HAVE lost to Florida. It’s a subtle but significant difference.

It’s just a feeling I’m getting. This TEAM may lose games, but it will not be because they played second best, or were coached second best, or had second best abilities or talent. At least, that what I think THEY will believe for the first time.

That’s it. That’s my thoughts. Did I make any sense? Look forward to hearing from you. GO CATS and GO JOKER!!!