Spillman going, going, gone.

[Empire Lindy]

So you mean to tell me that Spillman just decided to be a criminal AFTER Kragthorpe showed up? The character was already there for acting the way these players are. Unless you mean to tell me that Jurich, Petrino, and company are complicit in covering up run-ins with the LMPD, the only conclusion to come to is that Petrino is a far superior disciplinarian and rule-maker than K ever dreamed of.

Somehow I don't think you Krag supporters are going to tell me that Jurich was hushing up the LMPD. So the question is who are you going to blame for this sudden change in behavior and how?

[wkuCardinal]

Kragthorpe didn't recruit these guys so, automatically, they are less likely to listen to him. Insinuating that Kragthorpe would be able to get along with some of these guys as well as Petrino is kind've like saying you should get along with your step-father better than your biological dad.

Why have so many players left the program or been kicked off the team? That's coach K, setting standards and a high level of conduct, and then disciplining players when they can't live up to it. That sounds like pretty good discipline to me. But, Kragthorpe is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. If Spillman had've been kicked off the team last year because he was a thug and had a discipline problem, people would have used that as evidence against him two weeks ago that the attrition of Bobby Petrino thugs from the program is somehow evidence that Kragthorpe can't coach football.

If Louisville had've' gone 10-3 last year no one would be critcizing coach, but they didn't, and at least part of the reason they didn't was the turmoil inside and surrounding the program he inherited. He did not inherit good guys.

How did Petrino keep them under control? Who knows. It's pretty obvious that he swept things under the rug. Perhaps more players are getting in trouble right now because they are NOT smart guys, and their reaction to INCREASED discipline from Kragthorpe is to act out, do the opposite of what they're supposed to do, and ruin their lives. I've seen tons of otherwise good college kids doing it, except instead of reacting to coaches, they were reacting to their parents.

You see, it is fairly easy to argue that Kragthorpe is actually a better disciplinarian than Petrino. You know, if these attitude/behavioral/illegal issues are occurring now, they were occurring in the past. Maybe Petrino just got lucky that these kids weren't caught in the act by LMPD, but it's pretty obvious that either a) Petrino bent the rules with his own discipline (such as drug testing) so that these players could stay eligible, or b) the discipline was never there in the first place. His mentality may have just been 1) don't get caught by the police and 2) play your ass off in practice. So, Petrino actually was an awful disciplinarian.

That's not hard to imagine is it? A man with no morals, willing to throw his family under the bus any chance he got, and to betray any employer if it was better for him, no matter what he said to their face. That doesn't sound like someone who would build something with integrity.

Of course, that's all speculation, and so is any speculation that Kragthorpe is or isn't a better disciplinarian than Petrino. If Kragthorpe had inherited a losing program then none of his moves right now would be questioned. He would just be cleaning house. But he didn't, he inherited a winning program, but it was a program that was built on a house of cards none-the-less.

I firmly believe this program will be on top again in a few years, and that's not blind faith, it's just a gut feeling. The staff is working very hard right now, on the recruiting trail and elsewhere, and guys are either getting with the program or getting the f@#% out. All of this will eventually pay off.

[farmdude]

Good stuff WKU, there is no doubt that Kragthorpe is set on weeding out the riffraff. Again, I am not a Kragthorpe fan, maybe one day but not now, I sincerely hope he can get the job done the way he wants to. Only time will tell.

[CardinalJunky]

Originally Posted by wkuCardinal

Judging from this I think it's pretty safe to conclude that Kragthorpe had more than one JaJuan Spillman on the team when he took over. Great recruit.

I was pulling for the dude, especially since he's a local kid. But how big of a dumbass can you be? Wasn't it just two weeks or so ago when they threw last year's charges out? These charges won't be thrown out, and instead of touchdowns he's gonna be catching orders at McDonald's.

I'm with you. Hey, kids mess up. But to work hard to get back on the team and get out of legal trouble, then go right back and do it again, makes no sense.

What the hell are some of these kids thinking? Where are their parents in all this? He's pissed away his football career. At some point he needs to start thinking about what he's going to do with his life. Is there a such thing as a professional thug? Freddy

[HarveyGlass]

Originally Posted by wkuCardinal

You know, if these attitude/behavioral/illegal issues are occurring now, they were occurring in the past.

I don't necessarily agree with that. I think it's more likely what farmdude said, in that Kragthorpe is giving them rope to hang themselves. I guess he's less inclined to "check up" on players and is certainly not instilling in them the fear that Petrino used to. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, lots of different coaching styles work. It's just not working right now. Hopefully it will begin paying dividends soon.

Originally Posted by wkuCardinal

If Louisville had've' gone 10-3 last year no one would be critcizing coach...

That's the bottom line. He went 6-6 so I think a little heat is justified, just like a little praise would be justified at 10-3.
I agree that it's goofy to be calling for his head after one year, but it's also just as goofy to predict BCS bowls coming after a 6-6 season with a coach who's best ever record is 9-4.

[CardinalJunky]

http://www.cardchronicle.com/

Mike at the Cardinal Chronicle was able to assemble an entire football team from the dismissals/defections of the past year. When you see it like that, it's sort of shocking.

I sit here amazed at how much my morale towards UL football has slipped in 1 1/2 years. This is probably going to be a pretty rough patch for us, but I'm not telling you guys anything, am I? Freddy

[bling49]

TIGHT END - ANTHONY ALLEN (Transferred)

Great combination of size and athleticism, and could be a tremendous tight end if he worked on improving his hands. Would also see time at tailback and fullback in certain sets.

Was there 2 Anthony Allen's on the U of L football team?

This is from the link to Card Cronicle, the article by Mike Rutherford in the last post

Also I found this strange

PUNTER/KICKER - MARTIN

This is our first real issue. I have no idea if any of these guys have any kicking or punting background, so for the moment we're going with Martin for the sole reason that he has an insanely strong lower body.

Why couldn't Art Carmody have gotten kicked off the team for banging a coach's daughter or something?

Is he talking about Dale Martin the RB who transferred?

Is this supposed to be a joke?

I don't get it.

[wkuCardinal]

Worth pointing out: Petrino has had TWO players get arrested this summer, in separate incidents.

[nmcardsfan]

Originally Posted by bling49

Was there 2 Anthony Allen's on the U of L football team?

This is from the link to Card Cronicle, the article by Mike Rutherford in the last post

Also I found this strange



Is he talking about Dale Martin the RB who transferred?

Is this supposed to be a joke?

I don't get it.

Wasnt that from his "redbird" team? I think it was meant to be a joke

http://www.cardchronicle.com/2008/7/...t-the-redbirds

[bling49]

Originally Posted by HarveyGlass

I think it's more likely what farmdude said, in that Kragthorpe is giving them rope to hang themselves. I guess he's less inclined to "check up" on players and is certainly not instilling in them the fear that Petrino used to.

This is a "hunch" or "speculation" or a "guess"

Does anyone know a player inside the program?

Does anyone know first hand if Kragthorpe is a diciplinarian or is actually "giving the team rope to hang themselves" ?

How do you give someone rope to hang themselves anyway?

So Kragthorpe is letting every player buy and smoke dope and skip class but as soon as they get arrested or fail a class he's saying well look what you did, your off my team.

What should Krag do, hire cops to sit in the parking lot and private detectives to follow players to class?

Maybe he could hire extra coaches to sit in the dorm and babysit?

They are 18 and up, adults, responsible for their own actions, Kragthorpe isn't giving anyone rope to hang themselves, he's not their father, he's their coach.

They got a free ride to be student-athletes that doesn't mean smoke dope and skip class, rob a 7-11 so you can buy the new Jordans and some Phat farm gear to look fly for the ladies.

Go to class and quit smoking dope and Kragthorpe won't have to deal with you off the field.