Leading up to Kentucky’s season-opener against Western Kentucky in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 1, Cat Scratches presents an exclusive series of positional previews to prepare you for the football season. Every day before kickoff, Metz Camfield and Guy Ramsey will bring you Joker Phillips’ philosophy for each positional group, a spotlight feature on a selected member of the group and rundown of other projected contributors. Last but not least, we profile the quarterbacks.Joker Phillips’ philosophy“First of all, a quarterback has to be intelligent. He has to be a guy whose brain fires fast because things happen so fast and there are all kinds of adjustments you have to make in a short period of time. The guy has to be big, strong and he has to make great decisions.”Spotlight: Newton ready to lose red jersey, open season

Preparing for the 2011 season, Morgan Newton has essentially been playing with one hand tied behind his back.For his protection, Newton has worn a red jersey throughout spring practices and fall camp, meaning the defense has not been allowed to hit the junior quarterback. What it has also meant is that Newton has had to stay in the pocket, unable to use his abilities as a scramblerAs the only experienced quarterback on the roster, it simply did not make sense for the coaching staff to risk Newton’s health, but taking away his weapons as a runner has hampered his game. However, when the Wildcats open the season against Western Kentucky on Thursday in Nashville, Tenn., offensive coordinator Randy Sanders knows that getting that red jersey off Newton will add a new dimension to the UK attack.”When the quarterback can pull it down and run when everything is covered and still make yards, it’s a great bonus for you,” Sanders said. “That’s something that’s been missing in our scrimmages.”Although he certainly recognizes how valuable his scrambling can be, Newton is not ashamed to say that there are times when he has been very thankful that some of the hard-hitters on the defense haven’t able to do anything more than touch him.”I don’t mind the red jersey right now,” Newton said with a smile on his face. “With Danny (Trevathan) and Winston (Guy), let them hit the young guys. I’ll be excited to come and play though, so that will be nice.”Simulating quarterback runs in practice has been nearly impossible. When the defense rushes the passer, it needs only two-hand touch to register a sack. In a real game, though, the 6-foot-4, 235 pound Newton will be much more difficult to bring down. His ability to extend plays with his feet and strength can’t be measured until he plays a real game.”You can’t really simulate quarterback runs in practice because I have the red jersey on,” Newton said. “I kind of look at it as one of the things that’s only going to add to my game once we play. I’ve been focusing on being a passer and working hard on the run game.”Even though Newton had a limited understanding of the playbook as a freshman (head coach Joker Phillips says he knew “nothing”), his tools as a runner helped him to win five of his eight starts filling in for the injured Mike Hartline. His ability to make plays with his feet had to be accounted for by opposing defenses, which made passing from the pocket that much easier.”It brings a lot to the game,” Sanders said. “When you have a quarterback that can pull it down and pick up yards rushing, it changes the way teams rush you. They have to be a little more accountable for staying in their lanes and trying to get pressure that way. When guys have to stay in their lanes, it makes it easier on the offensive line. You have to give teams credit; sometimes they’re going to cover you.”With two full years in the system under his belt, Newton has grown leaps and bounds in terms of his understanding of the offense. Instead of making one read and pulling it down to run, Newton is able go through his progressions and evaluate the best option. His experience in practices of not being able to run has been a key component of developing that.”The more reps you get as a quarterback seeing routes develop, seeing them happen fast and having to do it with a rush while you’re having to move in the pocket is invaluable,” Sanders said. “You can’t simulate those in individual drills. The more 11-on-11 snaps he gets and the more time he spends in the pocket, the more comfortable he’ll be.”Newton’s development as a pocket passer means Sanders will be more comfortable calling plays where he is called on to sit in the pocket. As a freshman, the Wildcats employed a number of “play-action runs” where Newton would feign dropping back to pass knowing he would run. In 2011, Sanders said that Newton’s runs will be almost exclusively improvisational.”I think there will be fewer designed runs because he can do more,” Sanders said. “Sometimes we had him drop back to pass, but it was a designed run. I think his runs now will be more reaction to what the defense has done or lane opening up when he drops back to pass or things being covered.”Gone are the days when UK would only ask Newton to manage games. He will be called upon to make plays with both his arm and his feet.”If you’re going to judge Morgan, he’s won games around here as a starter,” Phillips said. “People talk about managing the game. I want a quarterback that can manage the game. I want a quarterback that can help us win games also. I think Morgan is ready for that.”Phillips called the difference between the Newton that played in the BBVA Compass Bowl and the Newton that will play against Western Kentucky “night and day.””You won’t recognize the guy that we had in the bowl game,” Phillips said. “I mean, he’s a lot different than what we saw in the bowl game. He’s much improved. A lot of it has to do with his confidence. A lot of it has to do with getting reps and understanding of schemes better, understanding our protection.”Other contributorsFreshman Maxwell Smith – In a perfect world, Smith won’t play a meaningful snap in 2010. However, Phillips and Sanders have both said they are more comfortable playing Smith than they were playing Newton during his freshman year in 2009. He arrived on campus in Dec. 2010, and has had nearly nine months to gain experience. The staff has no intentions of redshirting the California native.Freshman Theltus ‘Bookie’ Cobbins – Cobbins is an athletic dual-threat quarterback. He was not called on to throw a great deal in high school, so he has some developing to do before he is ready to play. However, Cobbins had the confidence and leadership skills necessary to succeed at the position.LinksNewton a starter and a teacher (Jen Smith, Lexington Herald-Leader) Woodson gushes over Newton (Kyle Tucker, Louisville Courier-Journal)