Quotes from Coach Rich Brooks
Opening statement…
“Well the opening statement is one that I’m not very happy making, but Curtis Pulley will no longer be with us. He’s been dismissed for violations of team rules. We will move forward. Obviously, that puts (Mike) Hartline front and center at the quarterback position. We will take a long, hard look at (Will) Fidler and a couple of the freshmen that are working at that position. The depth at that position is now a concern. We’re also hurt by not having (Paul) Warford and Christian Johnson available at this time. We still feel pretty good about our football team. I think we have a lot more depth and talent than we’ve had in past years and we can sustain surprises. This is not the way I had envisioned starting the season. But things are a little clearer for everybody involved. We have to line up on the field now and put the pieces together. I still feel we are going to be a very good football team. I feel good about our defense, offensive line and running game. Questions still remain at receiver. I think we have some talented players there that can address our needs. As coaches we will move forward and identify the people who we can open up the season with against Louisville. Questions?”
On the emotions involved when making the decision on Pulley…
“There’s no question that it is very, very difficult. I like to think that we are in the business of taking young men and building them into responsible young men. Obviously, I feel like I’ve failed in this situation. Sometimes for the better good of the whole, some parts have to be sacrificed because somewhere down the line everybody has to realize there are consequences for their actions. You don’t get an open checkbook, if you will, to keep writing checks on a balance that’s no longer there. There basically was a little bit more as I delved into it than I was aware at the time. That’s all I have to say about it.”
On whether there was a chance that Pulley could be reinstated…
“No. Curtis Pulley I am sure will transfer. He has two years of eligibility to play. His best option at this point is an FCS Division ( formerly Division I-AA ) school.”
On when the decision was made and the team’s reaction to the news…
“Sometimes when you have these kinds of things, I’ve told news sources that when I know, you’ll be the first to know. Well, you’re the first to know. I need to talk to the team right after our team picture. It happened this morning when players were in meetings. I think there’s going to be disappointment obviously, but they understand that there are rules. I’ve been pretty clear on what those rules are on this team. It is critically important that everyone understands that those rules apply to everyone equally. Unfortunately, sometimes those ideals have to be reinforced. ”
On whether the suspension will cause changes at other positions …
“Matt Lentz is in the running for significant playing time at safety and he will remain there. Obviously, we will move Will Fidler into the number two spot and he will have the chance to change that at fall camp. Certainly, the good news is that we don’t fall completely off the face of the earth by not having someone who hasn’t been in the program a while at that position. We will have two fairly experienced players and some young, talented players at that position. We just have to ascertain what the pecking order will be and that’s why we’re going to practice.”
On Randall Cobb and where he fits into the lineup…
“We’re going to look at him the same way. I tried to explain earlier that a player cannot be on the field for practice more than three hours. So we’re splitting Randall Cobb between the first and second practice. He comes out late for the first one and finishes early for the second one. At the first he’ll practice at quarterback, the second at receiver. It’s conceivable that he could fill a role in the rotation at quarterback but still playing some receiver. We’ll just have to ascertain how that’s going to work out after we get into practice a little bit while practicing with some of his teammates.”
On Mike Hartline and what he brings to the team as starting quarterback…
“I am concerned depth-wise now. Curtis (Pulley) had a couple of years at that position and played. Mike took some snaps last year. He’s basically a red-shirt sophomore but has been in the program three years, which is really good news. The injury situation at that position now would be a little more critical. But Mike Hartline has done everything that we have asked of him both on and off the field. I had hoped that this wouldn’t be the way that the starting quarterback would be named. I would have rather done it on the field and without controversy. Based on what we saw in the spring, what we have now is that Mike Hartline is the presumptive starter, if you will. He’s a tough guy. He’s mobile. For the most part he makes really good decisions. That hopefully will continue to improve with more reps. I look forward to him to continue developing his accuracy, particularly on the deep ball.”
On the new rule changes that will be instituted this season…
“Well, I guess I am disappointed that we have to change the clock rule three years in a row. I’m a guy that thinks if you’re going to make a change, wait a few years and let it settle out before you change it. It should shorten the game a little bit because the game clock will start after out-of-bounds plays when the ball is marked ready for play, where in the past it started on the snap. Teams that run predominantly no-huddle offense won’t be affected as much as teams that go to a huddle. I am in favor of anything that shrinks the number of plays down into a more workable number, just for the health of the players.”
On the running backs…
“I love our four tailbacks. I haven’t been on a college team when I’ve had this many choices going into fall camp with four quality players at the position. That is our deepest position. We can go four-deep and I can be very confident with whoever lines up. We like our tailbacks to catch the ball. They need to make good runs, hang onto the ball, catch the ball and stay healthy. Tony ( Dixon ) and Alfonso (Smith) to this point have not caught the ball as consistently as Rafael (Little) did. So this fall, we’re looking how they are catching the ball because I think they both can run very well. Derrick Locke has shown pretty good hands in pretty good situations. Moncell (Allen) has been able to catch it pretty well as well. So we’ll have to see who the best receiver is of that group. I also think John Connor is a really good fullback. He is a great blocker and a good receiver. (A.J.) Nance has moved in there and done some pretty good things in the spring. We’ll run a multiple-set offense to create problems for the defense.”
On the talent available on the roster this season…
“I don’t think last year will be the only year that we will have multiple players drafted in the NFL. I think that will be a regular occurrence moving forward with more than two players drafted in the foreseeable future. We have established a much better talent level on this football team. That’s why I feel good about this upcoming season.”
On the tight ends…
“I think for our tight ends, we’ll have to see who steps up. T.C. Drake and Ross Bogue have both had great springs. They are both bigger and stronger than Jacob (Tamme) was at the point of attack. Add Maurice Grinter at the position and he is bigger and stronger than those other two. I think we’re in pretty good shape at that position. All three can flat catch the ball.”
On this year’s schedule…
“Playing in the SEC, we’re never going to have an easy schedule. Some may be a little harder than others from year to year. When you play eight conference games and a tough non-conference game like Louisville , those are nine very difficult games to start with. We need to do a good job in our off-season schedule and we need to continue to climb the ladder and knock off teams that we haven’t had a lot of success with in the past – like we have the past two years. I don’t see any weak teams in our league this year.”
On the special teams…
“I think it is really important that the kicking game and the return game help us set up field position and points. Good field position usually translates into points. We also have to get back to the turnover margin we had in 2006 versus last year. If we can take care of the turnover ratio and reacquaint ourselves with what we’d been able to do for quite a few years in the return game, then we will put our offense in a much better position to put points on the board.”
On the expectations for the season…
“Absolutely the same (as last year), I feel very strongly that we have a team that can (make a bowl game). I still feel we have enough quality athletes and talent on this football team that it is a completely realistic goal.”
On the offensive line…
“I think I’ve stated that this is a better line than any that I have coached since I’ve been here. At the collegiate level, I think this could be one of the better lines that I’ve had the pleasure to be around. I feel good about our young guys and our returning guys. The competition is there. Nobody can hang their hat on a starting spot because someone is pushing them from behind. To me that’s always important in getting the maximum performance out of someone’s ability when there is a threat that if they don’t do well somebody can move ahead of them.”
Quotes from the Offense
The tables are turned – WR Dicky Lyons, Jr. has a bit of fun on Media Day by taking the microphone and interviewing WLEX’s Justin White
Dicky Lyons , Jr., Wide Receiver
On being a leader in the huddle…
“I’m going to be somewhat a leader but the leader of a football team is the quarterback, and everyone knows that. I’m going to lead by following (Mike) Hartline, or whoever the starting quarterback is. Just make sure that everybody knows that he is the guy even though he is young. He is the guy that we have to follow and make sure that everybody knows that we need to look to him to get us out of trouble.”
On the being known as one of the guys who turned UK program around…
“I think most people would think about the seniors last year with Andre’ (Woodson), Rafael (Little), Wesley (Woodyard), and Jacob (Tamme), but you can throw my name in with them. Obviously, people will think about the Music City Bowl teams the last two years but this year we are working hard too.”
Mike Hartline, Quarterback
On getting ready from the Louisville game…
“I need to worry about myself getting mentally ready for this game and acting like I have been in this position before. I need to make it seem like I’m not a rookie and never played, I need to get my mind right to where it is just natural.”
On replacing Andre’ Woodson…
“It’s a big challenge, because people expect a lot out of you. After watching Andre’ for the last two and a half years making great plays and he was very athletically and mentally gifted. I really have to just sit back and realize that I’m not Andre’ Woodson, I’m going to be making my own plays and playing my own game. He (Andre’) said the exact same thing to me every time I asked for advice. He would reinforce that, ?You are your own player and you not going to be me, you might be better than me, but you won’t play exactly like I played. Don’t try to play like me or like anyone else, play how you know how to play.’ That’s what I am going to try to do.”
On connecting with the other players…
“Personally, trying to get one-on-one time with the guys and make it seem more than football. Creating friendships and making it comfortable for the new guys to come in. For the older guys, making it seem like I want to be here and I want to be the guy who wants to run the show this year. The older guys want to see confidence, and that is the one big thing that I’m trying to show. I think I do have confidence, I think I have a lot of it and I’m only going to continue to build on it. Now I’m trying to build on trust, being on time, reliability, working with people and not being afraid to put in some extra time.”
On building relationships off the field…
“As far as the young quarterbacks right now we met on-on-one occasionally with the ones who needed help. I know me, Dicky Lyons, Garry Williams and Tony Dixon, just by ourselves we got together all the freshman and pretty much told them what was expected of them and started making goals. Those guys really came through and were excited about it, they really wanted to work. We connected with them one-on-one, exchanging phone numbers, letting them know if there was anything they needed they could talk to us and it makes everyone feel really comfortable.”
Garry Williams, Offensive Tackle
On off-season preparation…
“Basically, I joined a gym at home and got stronger then came back here and worked a little bit more, ran outside, hitting the weight room trying to get stronger.”
On the overall physical strength of the team…
” I think depth and in the weight room everybody is dedicated to getting better strength wise. I think this is going to be a good year.”
On the chemistry of the team…
“Everybody has gotten to know each other and everybody is cool with each other. We try to spend time outside of football with each other and become real friendly.”
On similarities between past teams and this year’s team…
“I see a lot of toughness. I also see maturity. I think we have grown as a team. We work a little harder because we lost a lot of good players last year, but a lot of people are stepping up too, so I think we will be really good.”
Tony Dixon, Tailback
On off-season preparation…
“Nothing more specific than the other guys, but I had to rehab a lot from my injury this spring which really helped me get focused mentally. In my off-time doing everything from running to everything that is physical, spending time thinking about what I really needed to do to be prepared for this season and play to my potential. Other than that I have been trying to keep my weight down, working on my speed, my side-to-side movement and just working hard with the other guys.”
On preparing himself for the season…
“It is all mental. Before we step out on the field at Papa John’s Stadium, it’s all mental. If you cannot do it mentally, you cannot do it physically. That’s my whole approach right now is that it is all mental.”
On relationship with Coach Brooks…
“Coach Brooks means a lot to this team. He came to Kentucky when Kentucky was down and turned this program around tremendously. He really means a lot to the program. I do not know where this program would be without Coach Brooks. I do not know where I would be, because I came here because he was such a great coach.”
On chemistry of the team…
“With the big names gone more people feel more important to the team. With big names people felt like we relied on Andre’ Woodson, Rafael Little and Wesley Woodyard to get the job done, but now I feel like everybody feels they are involved and are going to get a piece of this pie. This team has come together and I think we will be able to work together better than in the past.
“I talked to the team last night, I told them last year at the end of the season it was we should have, could have, and would have. We beat the number one team (LSU), which went on the win the national championship, and after the season everyone thought we should have won that championship because we beat the team that won it. I told them last night this is where it starts. Who says we cannot win a national championship or an SEC championship? Nobody is going to stand in our way. We just have to work hard in fall camp and we have to come out and be ready.”
On leadership role…
“It is very important. It is important now and it is going to be important for Kentucky ‘s future. For now, we have to make these guys feel like they are welcome and they are part of a family. When they are part of a family they work better with us and it is easier to work with them. It is kind of introducing them to something new and making it easier for them to get along with everybody else. When they get along with everybody else they work harder and get better.”
Quotes from the Defense
Braxton Kelley
Why you think the linebackers is going to be one of the strengths this year?
“I think this is a good linebacking corps because all the guys here are very experienced. These guys have seen about all the formations, all the plays and by now they should be able to recognize them as soon as the ball is snapped. Another thing I think helps us is we all study film and Coach always pushes us to look at all the details of different teams that we play on offense. Also we have improved athletically and are all stronger. We are a bigger corps than most teams in the SEC right now from what I have seen on paper. We should have enough speed to cover the pass and right now I feel our linebacker corps is as deep as it has ever been and we should be able to win some games.”
What makes a good linebacker?
“A good linebacker has to have instincts, you can’t just be settled in on ?what’s my duty?’. Because things change during the course of a play and you have to be able to cover the line and be able to stop the pass all at one time. You have guys that run play-action and you have to make sure that ball isn’t handed off and if it’s not handed off you have to make sure you get back in your coverage so they won’t complete a pass. A good linebacker is a person that studies film and knows the defense in and out and can tell every defensive linemen where they should be lined up and they know all the checks and coverages in the secondary. A good linebacker has to know all of that on the field. Coach Smith is really pushing everybody to be able to do that and I think we have become better linebackers because of it.”
On playing your assignment…
“You have to be able to play your assignment first and then once you take care of your assignment you can go make a play somewhere else, but you can’t just go make a play somewhere else without taking care of your assignment. On a play-action, if you don’t take care of the run first and you’re dropping back into coverage and they hand the ball off, then you are in trouble. Being a linebacker is all about reacting. You can’t just settle in on one thing, you have to be able to read more than one play at one time.”
Marcus McClinton
On the idea of the defense being the best in the Rich Brooks Era…
“We have a lot of veterans and a lot of big play guys on every level, D-Line, linebackers, and the secondary. We do a good job of working together and communicating, which I think is the number one key, it’s what helps good defenses execute. I’m ready for the season, we’re ready for the season.”
On being the last line of defense…
“I’ve been here for four years and when you see someone running free at you, and you’re either going to make the play or you’re not. But you have to make it more times than not, because you have to keep your job. That’s how the last line of defense works, you have to make more good plays than you make bad plays.”
How important is it to make things easier, especially in the beginning, on this year’s defense?
“I think on any team it’s a great thing for a defense to be three and out and make teams punt to have better field position. If we can do a great job with giving our offense the short field and the chance to be scoring every time then that would be great. But as far as offense, Coach Phillips does a great job working on the particulars. I don’t know how long it will take to be perfect, but they do a great job of moving the ball now.”
On stopping the offense, athletic ability vs. scheming…
“I think it is more scheming because you can have a great football team and not have much discipline and still lose to a team that is not as good as you. So as far as offense I think it is definitely about the scheming and knowing what to do with certain defenses. On defense it is more of a guessing game because you don’t know exactly what the offense is going to run but you know what they have the tendency to run in a certain formation.”
Jeremy Jarmon
Did it disappoint you in any way that you didn’t make first team All-SEC preseason?
“It definitely did because I go out and I perform, and even if I didn’t have those stats I’d be disappointed I wasn’t on first team because in my heart and in my mind I’m one of the best defensive ends in this league. When I don’t get put on one of those teams it is disappointing but it also fuels me in the off-season and during camp to know that obviously something I did last season was not enough to get me there. I can better prepare myself in the weight room, better prepare myself out there conditioning on the field and better prepare myself in the film room to make sure that I can top those stats that I produced last year, or cause more havoc than I caused last year, to almost guarantee that I find my way onto first team.”
Do you look forward to fall camp every year?
“The last couple of years I didn’t, probably because you see it as not the game, it’s a lot of hard work and I don’t think a lot of people understand the things that we do in practice. We practice hard and there are a lot of behind-the-scenes things that people don’t know and what they do see is us on Saturdays already in shape and out there having fun. So this year I have been looking forward to fall camp and I think a lot of guys for the first time have been too. Guys showed up yesterday early. We report at 1 p.m. and guys show up at 12:30 p.m. already unloading their stuff. The team is excited this year because we know we’re going to have a good football team. I don’t know if me being an upperclassmen this year has anything to do with it. We have some younger guys that are excited for camp. They’re going to see what we do over the next few weeks and try to find their place on the football team. I think it’s just knowing that I’m going to be a part of a great team plays a big part in the excitement and I think a lot of guys know they’re going to be part of something great. We had a team meeting last night just among the players and we told everyone how they have a responsibility to this football team as much as anybody. We are trying to teach these guys to look back on some of the mistakes we once made when we were on the scout team and we weren’t working as hard as we could to get the first string ready. That is something we have been emphasizing to the young guys before we even put on the pads.”
How do you feel about the team overall?
“I absolutely feel this is going to be a good team because guys are taking care of their business off the field and in the classroom. We have guys who are on Academic All-SEC during the off-season every year and a guy always on the Good Works team. We have guys that have good, high character that do the little things off the field such as going to class on a consistent basis which all translate back on to the football field. Our strength coaches have told us that this is the strongest overall football team that we’ve had. When you combine that with classroom achievements and off-season work attitudes I think we are primed for success on the football field this season.”
