Much discussion has been generated which says that UK is not getting improving in expanding the talent base for the football team.
Here is a list of current players and a "mini" critique of their legacy as a player for the CATS.
OFFENSE:
Randall Cobb: one of the Top 3-4 "All Around" playmakers over the last 30 yrs.
Derrick Locke: One of the Top 6-7 "All Around" playmakers over the last 30 yrs.
Mike Hartline: One of the Top 5-6 QBs over the last 30 yrs (He does have a winning record at UK, over his career while many who might be mentioned do not).
Morgan Newton: See M Hartline
Brad Durham: one of the Top 7-8 O-Linemen over the last 20 yrs.
Stuart Hines: One of the Top 3-4 O-Linemen over the last 30 yrs.
Up and Coming: (Must have substantial Playing Time)
Larry Warford: Looks to be possibly the best O-Linemen out of KY since Warren Bryant (but the jury is still definitely out)
B J Murphy: Looks to be a starter for the next 2 yrs. This would put him among the Top 4-5 Linemen over the last 30 yrs.
Please feel free to add comments or correct me where I am wrong.
I think your ratings are WAY too high. I love Cobb & Locke, and I'd have to sit down and think about it, but I just don't think they rate as high as you have them. I mean, just in the last 10 years there was Craig Yeast, Derek Abney, James Whalen, Keenan Burton, Raphael Little, Derick Homer and Artose Pinner, who was SEC offensive player of the year just a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteI am NOT one of those Mike Hartline bashers. I actually like the kid. But Couch, Bonner, Lorenzen and Woodson were all better QBs, making Hartline -- at best -- #5 in the last dozen years.
Again, this is NOT a knock on our current guys. I love them. But I think these ratings are exagerated.
The last 30 years would be 1980 to 2010...
ReplyDeleteRandall Cobb & Derrick Locke awesome, but is he more of a play-maker than George Adams, Mark Higgs, Alfred Rawls, Moe Williams, Kurt Johnson, Craig Yeast, Artose Pinner, Derek Abney, Keenan Burton, Steve Johnson, Quentin McCord, James Whalen, Jacob Tamme, etc.? I don't know...he's up there, but not top 3-4 IMO.
Mike Hartline top 5-6 QB? Over who? Bill Ransdell? Tim Couch? Dusty Bonner? Jared Lorenzen? Andre' Woodson? Personally, I'd take Freddie Maggard, Pookie Jones, Antonio O'Ferral & Billy Jack Haskins over Hartline. Morgan Newton still needs to prove himself over time.
Brad Durham hasn't even started a full season yet. I can't rank him over NFL Linemen in the last 30 years like Dermontti Dawson (future NFL Hall of Famer), Mike Pfiefer, Mike Nord, Greg Kunkel, Greg Lahr, Antonio Hall, Garry Williams, Omar Smith, Kris Comstock, Todd Perry, Chuck Bradley, Jason Watts, etc. I'd take John Schlarman, Brandon Jackson, Lawrence Chamberlain, Josh Parrish, Zipp Duncan, Justin Jeffries, Christian Johnson & Jorge Gonzalez over Durham & Warford (they haven't proven themselves as even a full-year starter yet). Hines is good, but he's not even in this elite group yet! BJ Murphy...you gotta be kidding me! He is not Mike Pfiefer, Antonio Hall, Greg Lahr, Mike Nord, Zipp Duncan, Garry Williams! Come on, Man!