As college football season gets closer, the nation is starting to take notice of what’s going on in Lexington. I was surprised to see that SI.com actually made Kentucky the front page of their college football section today. It seems Joker Phillips has made all the right moves so far.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
When Coach Brooks stepped down, I was definitely in favor of hiring someone other than Joker. I was worried the program would (and already had) plateaued. I wanted to find someone that would shake up things and start sending a message that this is not going to be the same ole’, same ole.
Here’s an excerpt from SI.com….
[QUOTE]After Brooks retired and handed the reigns to Phillips, he is working to do just that. His players don’t run after practice; they’re expected to do their conditioning during practice. They now sprint on and off the field, in and out of huddles and from drill to drill. While Brooks was known to sit back and observe, allowing his assistants to coach, Phillips is a hands-on teacher and he’s infused the program with an infectious energy.
“I think guys are starting to care about their jobs a lot more,” said junior wide receiver [B]Randall Cobb[/B]. “The intensity level has gone up.”
[/QUOTE][QUOTE]The plan is called “Operation Win.” Phillips, who says he’s always been enthralled with the military, began repeating the mantra as he and his wife prepared themselves for his introduction as Wildcats coach. But the words have taken on greater meaning, growing into a blueprint for Phillips’ vision: win in the classroom, the community, and most importantly, on the field.
There are no shortage of questions as the Phillips era begins. There’s an unresolved quarterback situation that will stretch into the fall with senior incumbent [B]Mike Hartline[/B], sophomore [B]Morgan Newton[/B] and redshirt freshman [B]Ryan Mossakowski[/B] fighting for the job; an offensive line that has four new starters and the matter of replacing two of their top three tacklers on defense. There’s even the question as to whether Phillips, who has proven himself a top-notch recruiter, can succeed as a head coach.
[/QUOTE]You can [URL=”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/cory_mccartney/07/02/kentucky.phillips/index.html”]read the entire article here…[/URL]
Well, if you’ve paid any attention of the last few months, you know that Joker has definitely shaken things up. It’s also made me a Joker Phillips fan.
I’ve really enjoyed watching what he’s done to this point and I’m definitely in favor of the new attitude he’s bringing to UK Football. One fear of UK Football’s new found swagga, is that Joker could be writing checks that he’s not ready to cash (just yet..). He may want to take a page out of Calipari’s “under promise and over deliver” book.
We’ll just have to wait and see what happens…
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