Steve Kragthorpe

[mhall]

Krapthorpe is no head coach. He needs to get out and head to a smaller program. He is in over his head. Very nice guy good family man. But, it just seems like the players don't respect him.

Listen to him boys he knows what he's talking about. Clyde no way on your assumptions. I hated Petrino as a person, but that SOB could win games and has forgot more about division one football game preparation than Steve Kragthorpe has ever dreamed about. Last season under Petrino would have been another bowl trip with three losses all season, I'd bet the bank on it.

[Tim_T]

[QUOTE=MsgMills;338594]Sorry U of L fans, you can't blame the disastrous last season and the start of this season on your coach... He's taken over a team that was surely to do about the same if Petrino had stayed and I mean that truly. Petrino knew he had a lot of kids leaving due to graduation, transfers and kids that would some how be dismissed from the team for other reasons. Petrino left and jumped ship, left Kragthorpe a real mess to clean up, the weekly blotter report of how the players kept getting into trouble, lack of attending classes and others things have been what's the real reason the U of L team has plummeted.

Talent wise, you basically have very little left on the team. You have a very experienced QB, but no experienced WR's for him to throw too. Your RB's are really Div 2 caliber style RB's and have proven how ineffective they are from last season to this season's start. Your passing game last year was about all you had on the team and every now and then Brohm would shake things up and have a running play thrown in to keep the opposing D's honest. But no real smooth running back on your team. You lost a lot of Defensive players after Petrino left and it showed in the teams lack of experience during the games last year.
Now this year with a little more experience on Defense, you held UK to only 62 yards rushing and 210 total yards total for the game.....Either UK's offense is that bad or your Defense is that good...Only time will tell as the season progresses and the true tests for your Defense shows up. QUOTE]

Mills, you scare me only because I think you believe it. Take it from someone who has a little insight into the program i.e. a season ticket holder for 12 years, a person who attends most open practices and scrimmages and someone who used to be a member of the sports media in Louisville.

None of this falls on Petrino. Look at how many players were drafted from last years 6-6 squad....about the same as what Petrino averaged per year. Look at Brohm, started the season ranked as the number one QB in America by every scout and draft expert in the country and suddenly he plummets to the number three qb drafted. Under Petrino....ONE player arrested in four years, rarely anyone in any trouble at all and players making the grade and graduating. Players like Nate Harris, who had criminal problems in high school, was given a second chance at UL by Petrino and now has a college degree and is in his second year in the NFL with the Chiefs. This is a kid who Petrino talked into replacing his gold teeth with regular caps to help lose his thug image before his senior year.

Bottom line is Kragthorpe help rebuild a program at Tulsa and that helped him get this job. He is so sorely lacking in head coaching skills at the big time level it is crazy. He even got yelled at by the new Defensive coordinator because the play was in and he sent an extra player onto the field against UK, resulting in a penalty.

Forgot to add...I just got home from the game.

[MsgMills]

Sorry Tim, but from all of your posts so far, it seems your too wrapped up in the Cards. You can't give an unbiased opinion on them, since your such a big fan. I greatly appreciate that your such a great fan, as I am of Indiana Sports Programs. But I do stand by my posts about the Cards and feel the same today after they wallopped Tenn Tech 51-10.....The only thing this game gave U of L was a win against a Level II School. U of L should have won this game 70-0, but still continue to have turnovers.

By the way from the scores I've been seeing from last night, looks like the Big East is having a down year this year in strength. Having more losses and really close games that are being won or last second field goals. South Florida played a really tough CFU yesterday, played the same team last year and won like 64-12. That last play by CFU's QB, was just so close but SFU held on and won a nail biter in OT.

[zx150]

The Big East is down. But, look at Ohio State, Michigan and Arkansas a lot of big time schools are struggling.

I think a few of the big programs are down but there is starting to be a little more parity just like in basketball. People are finding out that second and third stringers out of Florida and Texas are as good as most states first stringers.

[DJD]

Miami of Florida gave the Gators a good run yesterday. Miami will be tough next year and won't be a push over this year. This is a young team that can beat any team out there in my opinion.

[zx150]

Miami of FLA has all kinds of speed. They will be tough as nails next couple of years. It will be interesting what that coach can do. He may win the ACC this year. It looks to be a little down.

[Tim_T]

Mills, I am a big fan, but I also can look at the facts surrounding the program and the facts simply don't stand up to what your claims are.

Here are the facts aurrounding the coaching stint of Kragthorpe:

1. He was given a very talented team with a lot of returning starters from a 12-1 season who won the orange bowl and was a blown second half against Rutgers from playing for the Mythical National Championship. He successfully went 6-6 and the Cards missed a bowl game for the first time in 10 years.

2. Brian Brohm started his senior year as the Number One quarterback in the country and a potential number one overall pick. After one season under Kragthorpe he dropped to the third quarterback taken in the draft and plummeted to the second round.

3. Numerous players being arrested, failing drug test and other things. Over 20 players have either transfered, gotten dismissed etc. since he started here. In Four years under Petrino TWO players were arrested, that was for shooting a paintball gun at some people standing in line for a haunted house.
Where were these problems under Petrino? They didn't exist because he ruled with an iron fist. He wasn't your friend, he was your coach period.

4. His coaching staff. He hires English as the D coordinator and tries to send in players after the defensive play is in. Let him do his job and leave it alone. He actually caused a penalty against UK by sending in a player after the defensive package was in. He does the same thing with Brohm, hires him as an offensive coordinator and then won't let him run his own offense.

5. Recruiting. His recruiting is terrible. Under Howard, John L. and Petrino, there were as many players from Florida on the roster as there were from the state of Kentucky. Florida is BY FAR the best state for putting out d-1 football players, so what does coach K do? He basically has quit recruiting Florida. What a genius. If you look at most successful U of L teams, they will have the premier players from the city on the team every year. Now this guy can't even recruit in his own backyard. There are at least five big time d-1 recruits in the city this year. He has lost out on all five!!! Two going to OSU, and two to UK the other one to Notre Dame. Pathetic.

I could keep going Mills, but my fingers will get tired. This team is in trouble and lies SOLEY on the shoulders of the head coach. Oh well, we will only have to make it through this season and maybe one more before we go back to hiring football coaches again.Keep in mind, these are facts.

[DJD]

Man when I was reading that about recruiting all I could think of was Tubby Smith!

[zx150]

He will have until the end of next season unless a miracle happens.