[nmcardsfan]

I read this article in the C-J yesterday. Crawford brings up some good points, some stated by WKU already.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/...57/1002/SPORTS

Forget chestnuts roasting on an open fire. It may well be the University of Louisville football coach feeling the flames this holiday season.

Cardinals fans are that hot. There are no fewer than three "Fire Steve Kragthorpe" Web sites.

With so much smoke flying, it's hard to take a cold, hard look at the situation. But that's exactly what is required as Kragthorpe heads into the last game of his first season as coach.

And here's some cold, hard truth: No matter how much you think U of L football has crashed and burned this season, to remove Kragthorpe now would be to drop napalm on the whole thing.

Let me make clear -- that's not to endorse the job that the new U of L coaching staff has done. But there's a big difference between criticizing and calling for someone's head. It's a distinction that is being lost more and more in sports, but it won't be lost here.



It's one thing for fans to blow off steam and shout for coaches' jobs. It's another to legitimately believe that a program like U of L can turn on a coach after a single difficult season.

That's a disconnect with reality.
Take a deep breath

If Kragthorpe were cut loose, who would replace him? U of L could be competing against some of the biggest jobs in college football for a replacement. And it would be sending this message to the next guy: If you don't win this year, you're gone.

If Kragthorpe were cut loose, another recruiting class would likely be sacrificed. Last year's was put together on the fly. Bobby Petrino's last class isn't burning up the world. Three in a row is a big setback.

But there are deeper issues. One is the right of athletic director Tom Jurich to run the department as he sees fit. He hired Kragthorpe the same way he has hired every other coach, because he believes in Kragthorpe the way he believed in those others, and he's given no indication that he has stopped.

I keep hearing things like, "All of Jurich's accomplishments are being wiped out by this hire."

That's ridiculous. The $160 million-plus in facilities aren't crumbling to the ground. The Orange Bowl trophy hasn't turned to a pumpkin.

Part of this is about whether Jurich has earned the support of U of L fans -- not just in prosperity, but in adversity.

Beyond that, there's an issue of fairness. Look at the list of players lost to injury this season, and not just players, but starters. The X-rays are what they are. Those and other bad breaks are not sufficient excuse in themselves, but they have been real.
Fans deserve answers

No matter how frustrated the fans, U of L cannot act rashly with this coach, and it should not.

But fans do deserve hope. Many are paying NFL prices. They deserve not to feel blamed for what is happening. They deserve not to be treated like outsiders. They deserve explanations instead of justifications. And they deserve to know how, specifically, Kragthorpe plans to fix things.

This frustration is not media-driven. From the outside -- and none of us has seen the inside -- this team has looked poorly organized and ill-motivated. From flipping birds at Kentucky to saliva-gate at West Virginia to Willie Williams and his alleged pot grazing, this season has left U of L fans confused and embarrassed.

The on-field problems have been there on national television for all to see. And they are significant enough that change is a necessity. Offense, defense, special teams. Player, media and public relations.

Home Depot may sponsor college football, but I'm not sure even it would take on this project. And I can't say, based on this season, that I'm sure Kragthorpe can put back the pieces.

But I can say, based on what U of L's program aspires to be, that Kragthorpe should be the guy who gets to try.