Live chat took place Tuesday, April 28
HeHateMe : Coach, We know we can score points now, so lets get out there and get it done on the D! Hows Wesley Woodyard recovering and good luck in 05!
Mike Archer : Wesley Woodyard participated on a limited basis in spring football. He will be cleared for full speed work in August. He will play our will linebacker and I think will be one of our outstanding players this year.
Ted from Bowling Green : Will Johnny Williams have a immediate impact, and how is dennis johnson doing with his injury
Mike Archer : Johnny is doing very well. He still is very young but has outstanding ability and will be an outstanding player here. Dennis had back surgery in February and right now is questionable for the fall. We will know more in August after his rehab.
creekbank : How do you think “Sweet Pea” will do in INDY? GoCATS!!!! HIT SOMEBODY!!!!
Mike Archer : I think Vincent will do fine in the NFL. He has trained and prepared himself for this opportunity. I wish that we had more players here who worked as hard or were as dedicated as he was. Hopefully we can continue to recruit players like him to help improve our defense.
Rob : Are there any new names on defense this year that you feel will make a big impact this year?
Mike Archer : Johnny Williams, Mikail Mabry, Shomari Moore, Jarrell Williams and Nii Adjai Oninku all had good spring practices and are being counted on to contribute a lot to our defense. There are others who also could contribute based on their summer preparation.
Brian from Owensboro : Hi coach. I like the idea of switching to the 4-3 this year because we just don’t have the personel to run the 3-4. Is it possible we might play the 3-4 in the future if we have the personal. I like playing a mix of 3-4 and 4-3. It keeps your opponents guessing.
Mike Archer : Right now, the 4-3 is the best and easiest scheme for us to play. At present, we do not have the personnel to play the 3-4 as we did in 2003. We feel like this change will be best for our players. Coming out of spring, I think our players are excited about the change in defenses. In the future, as we recruit future players, yes, we will still use forms of the 3-4 and the 3-3.
Chris Fuller : what is it that you look for in a defensive tackle for recruiting?
Mike Archer : Obviously, we are looking for size, strength, speed and athletic ability. These are all qualities that outstanding defensive tackles possess. We can develop some of these if a young man does not have one or the other. Hopefully in recruiting you can find players with as many of the above as possible. The one thing you cannot measure is heart and that, many times, will overcome a lack of strength, speed or size.
Dee : How is the progress of the D- line with the 4-3 and what is it going to take for Ricky Abren to have a break out season?
Mike Archer : I feel very good about our inside tackles, Trey Mielsch, Lamar Mills, Ricky Abren, Jason Leger and Myron Pryor. I feel like we’ll have excellent depth there. Outside at defensive end, we are not as deep. We have B. Jay Parsons and Durrell White as the starters and Nii Adjay Oninku, and we are trying to develop a fourth end. Ricky has outstanding physical ability and has flashed that ability at times. In order to become a dominant player, which he can, he must do it on a consistent basis. We feel he will as he matures.
Bernanrd – Louisville : Thanks Coach Archer for your hard work at UK? Do you anticipate any of the incoming DE’s (Jarmon, Kelly, Jenkins, Jackson)switching to linebacker for added depth? Will all the incoming freshman be eligible this fall?
Mike Archer : All of the freshmen will have an opportunity in training camp to compete for a position on our team in the fall. Some will HAVE to play because of depth concerns. Jarmon, Jenkins, Jackson, Kelly, Bates and Maxwell all will get a look in camp. At present, a number of incoming freshmen are sill working on becoming eligible.
Mike in Hawesville : With Abdullah moving to SS, who are you looking at to play free safety?
Mike Archer : Marcus McClinton and Dallas Greer, and at the end of spring, we were rotating Karl Booker in some practice sessions to develop depth.
Danny Soloe : Mike, what do you think will be the strong, and weak points of this years defense, and how do you plan to strengthen the area’s that are the weakest.Thank you…Dan
Mike Archer : Right now, I think our defensive line and our cornerbacks will be a strength. I’m concerned about our inexperience at linebacker and depth and consistent play at safety. To strengthen our linebacker play, we will continue to recruit outstanding athletes who can run, make plays and tackle. Same is true at safety. Hopefully the players that are inexperienced will gain experience through game repetitions.
ukathletics.com : Thank you for all your questions. And we thank Coach Archer for his time. Next week we will be joined by Coach Ortmayer.
Mike Archer : Thanks for your questions. I’m excited to be at Kentucky and look forward to continuing to build our team. Have a great summer and we’ll see you at Commonwealth this fall!
