The Tomato Man

In a time when UK coaches and ex coaches seem to be making the National news on a daily basis, there is one set of coaches we hardly hear about.  And trust me; making the National news is usually not a good thing.  We hear about the vacated final fours, the wild women, the fruity golf outings at 2 am, but we just don’t hear anything at all about the tomato man.

If you get Coach Brooks’ tweets, and I don’t but I have seen a few, you know that his off season was spent raising some tomatoes.  I have no clue what Joker, and the rest of the staff has been up to, and in this day and age, no news is great news.  Of all the coaches in modern day UK history, no coach has been hated from the start for no good reason any more than Brooks.  And the really sad part is he heard every word of it.  And the saddest part is he deserved none of it.  At this point I must confess that I was either close to the front of the pack or leading the way, which is a mistake I will not make again.

So what does a man do when he has the moral fiber of a Coach Brooks in this situation?  Something much bigger than me; this I know for sure.  He puts his head down and plows.  He plants his tomatoes as seeds and he brings them up as best as he can.  The ground isn’t the best, but he adds as much nutrients as he can and he protects his young plants.  He gets the help he needs from a solid group of assistants and finds a way to make them feel like his tomato field is their own.  Pretty soon, his tomato field is a family of stronger and stronger plants.  He doesn’t cut corners and he doesn’t cheat.  And if things do not go well, he doesn’t twist them or turn them into something they are not.  He takes a few plants that no one wanted and turns them into some of the best there is. And because of this, the new plants he brings in each year are better than the year before. Every year his little tomato field gets a little bigger and better. 

Pretty soon Coach Brooks will be able to work in his little home garden all he wants.  And when he does, he will be able to look back at an incredible job well done, all at a place that didn’t want him and frankly didn’t deserve him.

We will only have coach Brooks around for a very short time.  In that time, we should all make sure to pass along how much we love him and the job he has done.  After all, his garden is our garden.

Mike Hartline Starts The Season, But For How Long?

Mike Hartline has that experience and knows the playbook and there is no substitute for that. I’m all for him starting the season, and integrating the freshmen QB’s as they learn the system. The roster is better from size, speed, and skill standpoints.

Kentucky has two blue chip QB’s joining the program this year. What impact will they have on the ’09 season? Will Ryan Mossakowski redshirt and play baseball?

Will one of the Freshmen QB’s eventually transfer due to lack of playing time?

How long before Joker does what he did last year, and replaces Hartline with one of the Frosh, or does Hartline start all year? It’s impossible to say right now.

Which one of the newcomers, Newton, Moss, will be called upon should Joker make a change?

From watching the film of the newcomers, it is plain to see that either one of them can hit a receiver in full stride deep down the field. At some point in the season, just as happened last year, I think Joker will bring in one of the freshmen to try and stretch the field. He has a more experienced set of receivers this year, and a better offensive line. There is no fall off in the running back position with Smith, Locke and Turtle, and the fullback is one of the best in the business.

Once opposing defenses stack the LOS, and that becomes a problem for the offense, Joker will again call on another QB to loosen things up, and that QB will be Morgan Newton, IMO. He is the best athlete and can do everything, including hurt you with his legs, (4.5 forty), as well as his arm. Even if he calls on Ryan Mossakowski to run the offense, the “PRO STYLE” will not suffer, as his arm has been rated as the 2^nd strongest in the nation as a high schooler, and he can hit any receiver going down field. Let the best man win.  

UK BIG 7 set to make Waves This Year in SEC Football

Here are 7 players that methinks might be difference makers for this year’s UK squad, in no particular order, except for the #1 slot. I’m sure you have your own 7, more or less, so feel free to add or subtract….:)

7. Danny Trevathan: From his coach Chuck Smith, “Trevathan is athletic, fast, and physical. He looks to be a future star. He’s not started a game yet, but once he gets a taste of SEC play and progresses like I think he will, he has a chance to be one of the great linebackers at Kentucky.” Danny runs very fast and hits very hard, two attributes that a LB must have. Danny returned a kick 31 yards in Spring Game…A linebacker!

6. Winston Guy: A physical specimen who said that he really did not understand what it took to be an SEC type player when he arrived on campus last fall. Rich Brooks has called Guy the most talented defensive back he’s signed at Kentucky. Guy looked the part this spring at free safety. He is doing the work now and the possibilities are there for him to be one of the “Greats” at UK before he is done. Has that rare combination of size, 200+ lbs, and speed 4.4 forty… Back at his natural position at Safety he should make big waves this year.

5. Micah Johnson: Micah was Coach Brooks first high-profile recruit at UK. A bigger hitter at the middle spot you will not find. Just a man-child waiting for his draft numbers to go up. Had 11 tackles in the spring game.

4. Chris Matthews: Some of us like the outrageous numbers he has put up, not only catching a football, but his raw athletic ability. Has great hands, and just outruns people catching the football. He is going to make the UK QB job much easier. Caught 80 balls last year and is the second rated Juco WR by Rivals, behind Halo Carpenter…., AND, from a raw athletic standpoint…, How many 6’5 210lb receivers will UK have this year who run 4.4 forties? Nuff Said.

3. Dequin Evans: I had Jeremy Jarmon here, before it has been ruled that he is ineligible to play this year. This makes it even more important that someone from our stable of players at the Defensive End postion step up and make a big splash at that spot. Dequin has all the tools. Evans (6-2, 275) is rated the No. 15 junior college prospect in the nation by Rivals.com as well as one of our 4 Star athletes. He was a teammate of Chris Matthews. Did I mention he ran a 4.6 forty according to Scout…That is truly smoking for a man his size!

2. Randall Cobb: Talk about Mr. Everything, what can you say about him that has not been said? Joker says “If he is on the bus, you got a chance”. Look for him to excite the fans once again this year, as we break out the “Wildcat Package” and snap a few balls toward Randall. Remember he has a gun for a left arm, and out there in the flats he can see exactly where he is throwing.

1. Trevard Lindley: The quiet man. He lets his game speak for itself. Probably would have been selected before Jeremy and Micah in the NFL draft, he choose to come back for his senior season. Coach Rich Brooks says he is one that you can just “leave on an island” out in coverage and not worry about him.