It’s do-or-die time for Mark Stoops as the head coach at Kentucky, says Kentucky Sports Radio‘s Matt Jones.
Back from his trip to South Africa with plenty to say after weeks off the local airwaves, he made it clear that while he’s rooting for a turnaround in Lexington and will be supporting the program one way or another, Stoops is coaching for his job from this point forward.
It starts with the current product not only being a losing one, but also a boring one — and fan engagement has plummeted because of both.
“I had a lot of time to sit and think about it, and here’s where I am. Mark’s got to finish the season and fans should support the team,” Jones said on Friday’s edition of KSR. “I know I’m gonna be watching the game tomorrow, hope people come out to KSBar and root like heck for him. Everybody did against South Carolina. We were full for the South Carolina game, people were excited. We have eight games left, might as well cheer and be excited.
“That being said, this can’t continue to go on. Kentucky football is a terrible combination of not good and boring. That’s an awful combination. Not only does it not feel like we have a chance to win these games, they’re also awful to watch.”
In the past, it’s been easy to blame the individual talent or coordinators. Remember when it was all Eddie Gran’s fault? Or that they picked wrong at quarterback? Or that player culture was an issue and cleaning house would fix everything? All of the finger-pointing and turnover deemed necessary at the time, only to find something else causing the next problem.
At the end of the day, only one constant remains: Stoops.
“Our offense is a complete disaster. I don’t blame Cutter Boley — I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t really blame Zach Calzada. And I’m going back and not blaming Brock Vandagriff or Devin Leary,” Jones continued. “At some point, when you bring in four high-profile quarterbacks and none of them work, you have to sit there and go, ‘Maybe it’s us, not them.’ At some point, you have to say that. You have an offensive coordinator that was here and is now 3-1 in the NFL and is kind of the toast of the NFL, and here, the offense sputtered, you have to sit here and ask, ‘Well, maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s us.’ When we have guys playing in the NFL who were free agents that played here, they were a part of defenses or offenses that didn’t have success, at some point, you have to sit here and say, ‘Maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s us.’
Matt Jones on Mark Stoops: 'If it doesn't get better, you can't bring this back.' - On3?
Back from his trip to South Africa with plenty to say after weeks off the local airwaves, he made it clear that while he’s rooting for a turnaround in Lexington and will be supporting the program one way or another, Stoops is coaching for his job from this point forward.
It starts with the current product not only being a losing one, but also a boring one — and fan engagement has plummeted because of both.
“I had a lot of time to sit and think about it, and here’s where I am. Mark’s got to finish the season and fans should support the team,” Jones said on Friday’s edition of KSR. “I know I’m gonna be watching the game tomorrow, hope people come out to KSBar and root like heck for him. Everybody did against South Carolina. We were full for the South Carolina game, people were excited. We have eight games left, might as well cheer and be excited.
“That being said, this can’t continue to go on. Kentucky football is a terrible combination of not good and boring. That’s an awful combination. Not only does it not feel like we have a chance to win these games, they’re also awful to watch.”
In the past, it’s been easy to blame the individual talent or coordinators. Remember when it was all Eddie Gran’s fault? Or that they picked wrong at quarterback? Or that player culture was an issue and cleaning house would fix everything? All of the finger-pointing and turnover deemed necessary at the time, only to find something else causing the next problem.
At the end of the day, only one constant remains: Stoops.
“Our offense is a complete disaster. I don’t blame Cutter Boley — I’m gonna be honest with you, I don’t really blame Zach Calzada. And I’m going back and not blaming Brock Vandagriff or Devin Leary,” Jones continued. “At some point, when you bring in four high-profile quarterbacks and none of them work, you have to sit there and go, ‘Maybe it’s us, not them.’ At some point, you have to say that. You have an offensive coordinator that was here and is now 3-1 in the NFL and is kind of the toast of the NFL, and here, the offense sputtered, you have to sit here and ask, ‘Well, maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s us.’ When we have guys playing in the NFL who were free agents that played here, they were a part of defenses or offenses that didn’t have success, at some point, you have to sit here and say, ‘Maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s us.’
Matt Jones on Mark Stoops: 'If it doesn't get better, you can't bring this back.' - On3?
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