Football Discussion: Would you take Charlie?

Yesterday, before the big game against UNC-Asheville, BBNR's Michael Lee and Austin Martin had a long discussion about UK football. It was such a powerful back and forth, we decided to provide the transcript for all of you to enjoy. Let us know what you think in the "Comments" Section. The discussion started with the "what if" scenario of UK hiring Charlie Wies as head coach or offensive coordinator...

Michael Lee says:
I'm not sure if I'd take Charlie Wies over Joker, but I'd think about it. I haven't been too happy with Joker's recent play calling.

Austin Martin says:
I think we are lucky to have Joker... he seems like a fly cool dude; seems like the kind of guy that could connect with recruits at UK. Charlie Weis went 6-6 at Notre Dame with better players than we had. He would have no chance in the SEC. I don't know much about football though. I do know that Brooks and Phillips have had more sustained success since Bear Bryant was coach at UK.

Michael says:
Right, but the sad thing is, we could have been better. We should be 10-2 right now. We lost three games that we should have won.

Austin Martin says:
blah blah... we won games we could have lost too.

Michael says:
We lost Saturday night and Randall Cobb never got the ball when it mattered. How does that happen? Its not like we got beat when our best player got stopped. I could live with that. I can't live with risky play calling that gives the ball to lesser talent or left in the hands of a true freshman QB.

Austin Martin says:
I don't know... maybe he was tired? I agree it was frustrating, but these things tend to balance themselves out though. We were a 7-5 team this year and that's our final record. In football, things just don't go perfectly; its a battle of attrition. Cobb was battling injuries... you can't just let him take a brutal punishment every time in the WildCobb... we need to be able to get him the ball in space so he doesn't take a beating every time out.

Michael says:
When the game is on the line, we have to give him a shot to win it. Period.


Austin Martin says:
We were a 7-5 team this year. We maybe even overachieved. Football is a different animal. You win a lot of games based on your depth and how good your second string is we had to ride him to the point of exhaustion just to get to 7-5. I know we could have gotten him the ball, but there is no guarantee we win if we do.

Michael says:
Yeah, but I'm not buying that excuse over the long term. We want to be better than 7-5 and had a real shot at being better than that this year. We can't just say "oh well." We have to look at what we did wrong and correct it.

Austin Martin says:
We have to get more playmakers. We need to have several guys like Cobb that can spread that wear and tear around over the long haul

Michael says:
You're right, we might have lost, but we might have won too. The point is, you go to your main guy in that situation.

Austin Martin says:
You win with depth in football. You can't ride one guy like you can in basketball.

Michael says:
I agree with that in general. But that's still no excuse for not giving the ball to Cobb with the game on the line. Alot of teams, including NFL teams, ride one or two players. Of course you have others around the main guys that are protecting and blocking and doing the small things, but when the game is on the line, you know 9 times out of 10 who's getting the ball in the end game situations.

Austin Martin says:
I was frustrated Cobb or Locke didnt get it too.

Michael says:
That's all I'm saying. You get beat because the other team stops your best players. Then you say, "We need more playermakers."

Austin Martin says:
All I'm saying is, if we have about 6 options to go to in that situation it would have been different.
Michael says:
Well, we didn't, so you go to Cobb. But you don't do what we did.

Austin Martin says:
I agree that was frustrating... but the outcry would make you think we underachieved when I don't believe that. Overall, we achieved what we should have with our talent, probably more. I wish Cobb or Locke had gotten the ball more in crunch time, then all the crazies wouldn't have something to complain about.

Michael says:
I agree with that statement. To have finished 10-2 would have been overachieving. However, we lost three games by winnable margins. Especially the Mississippi State game. There's no excuse for that one. Every game on our schedule was winnable besides Florida and Bama, in my opinion.

Austin Martin says:
Miss State just beat Ole Miss

Michael says:
That was a rivalry game at home. That was their season and now they're done. The Bulldogs went into the Ole Miss game as if it were their Bowl game. They knew it was their last shot at doing something significant until next season. I'm sure they got up for it. But, we played Miss State at home on TV. You have to take care of business.

Austin Martin says:
You don't just go through the SEC with inferior talent and win every game you possibly can. You have this perception from basketball that we should win every game that is there for the taking but that just isn't how football works... Especially SEC football.

Michael says:
Well, its not how it works for Kentucky, sure, but we all want it too. Look at Alabama and Florida... they won every game they were supposed to and a couple of toss ups as well.

Austin Martin says:
Yeah, because they are the best two teams in football with superior talent and depth. We aren't as good as they are and it isn't even close. I'd love to win the lottery and to fart rainbows but it isn't reality. We just have to keep getting better players.... If we can add more playmakers around Cobb we can be very dangerous but we are fighting right now just to break into the top 8 of the conference. It is remarkable we have made 4 straight bowl games

Michael says:
Well, you can be satisifed with 7-5 finishes and nobody knows you're playing bowl games, but I want more... especially when its there for the taking. The SEC was down this year outside of Florida and Alabama. And our schedule was favorable but we still didn't finish any better.  And we still have the cloud of doubt hanging over at least two of the losses because of questionable play calling.

Austin Martin says:
That is all great, but just ignore the adversity we faced with injuries and Jarmon's situation.  We started a true freshman QB in the SEC!

Michael says:
I know... I can appreciate at what we've done and still be dissatisfied with some of the details

Austin Martin says:
That is fine. I agree with you, but are you really saying you would rather have Weis than Joker

Michael says:
Well, that's probably while the pain is still fresh. I might say something different in a few days. But that game Saturday night hurt... bad.

Austin Martin says:
I think we have a really good coaching staff. I don't know how you take UK to four straight bowls without being a helluva coaching staff. Rome wasn't built in a day, and the SEC is brutally tough even in down years. We just need to continue to improve the talent level. If Calipari were to draw up a play for Ramon Harris with the season on the line I would be irrate. I don't feel the same way about UK football as I do about basketball. I hope we win in football whereas I expect to win in basketball.

Michael says:
And that's the difference. I not only hope to win in football... I want to win. I'd like to get to the point that we expect to win the games we're supposed to win without wondering if we'll do something to mess it up. I want to finish better than 6-6 or 7-5. I want to continue to improve and see the Cats challenge in the SEC and crack the top 25 on a regular basis. That might be lofty goals, but it was there for the taking this season, and at times, we didn't put our best foot forward to grab it.  I love Joker and Brooks, and I'm thankful for what they've done.  However, I guess I'm spoiled, because I want more.

And that was it... now... what says you? Let us hear it.