Mark Stoops and UK Football Touch Down in Birmingham

[Terry Blue]

Good input Mayor, talking heads of the SEC Network (Finebaum, Booger, former SEC QB) to a man all thought we'd make a bowl with consensus wins"La, EKU, Charlotte, Vandy, Fla, UL with Booger thinking we'll beat Mizzo. Couple of them thought Auburn better beware of UK in their first every Thur night game on Oct.15

[suncat05]

I have faith that we are going to be much better than most think we will be. And I am still of the opinion that we are going to catch a couple of SEC teams looking past us because of prior history. JMHO.

[suncat05]

And guys, I am not trying to sound "too optimistic", but even though we lost six games in a row and didn't qualify for the post-season, we were better than we had been in several seasons.
Missouri is a winnable game. So is South Carolina. And there may be another one or two winnable SEC games for us as the season goes along. And there are some teams on our schedule in conference that won't have good years, I don't care who they are. Nobody has good years every year. Somebody is going to stumble, and it probably won't be us.
You have to believe. I do!

[Darrell KSR]

Head Coach Mark Stoops brought with him Jordan Swindle, A. J. Stamps, and Melvin Lewis to the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days.

“This is my third SEC media days and the first two didn't kill me,” Stoops said. “I'm here and ready to rock and roll. He addressed the expectation of a possible bowl game. He said - “We embrace that but we can't get ahead of ourselves. Looking at the season (2014) as a whole I think we improved. We have to able to sustain that. I think depth plays into that and I think experience plays into that.”

Is there any reason for Jordan Swindle to be nervous because this is his second consecutive trip to the SEC Football Media Days. Perhaps his senior year will take the jitters off at the line of scrimmage. Swindle said he has been working with Dr. Ben (the last name escaped him). This in an effort to play more stable on the line. He said he and his roommates talk about a bowl everyday and that is the ultimate goal for this year. Anything short of that goal would be a huge disappointment. “Coach Stoops has laid that out for us and that's what I'm striving for,” Swindle said. Stoops said they still don't have any word on the transfers – Greg Hart and Courtney Love.

Stoops on Melvin Lewis: “There are many different facets to the Melvin Lewis story. First he's overcome where he comes from (Compton, California) and the environment he grew up with and the fight of making a difference for himself. And the second part of that is improving himself and turning himself into a great player. The hard work that he put in and the medicine that the strength and conditioning program gave him. To be honest, the first year when he came in here he was struggling but that was to be expected looking at where he came from and going to junior college. And made himself a great player. I'm extremely proud of him.”

Stoops on Patrick Towles: “I think he'll be much more confident. It's competition and that's to be expected at an SEC school. I think he's improve in some areas that he needed to improve in.”

Stoops said he is expecting some help out of the new guys on the outside in the defense. He said he likes those corners. He if you look at those guys they are all big and tall and rangy. “Chris Westry is one guy that stands out right now. I'm told that he can really, really run as we expected. But there are a lot of guys that we like.”

Swindle was ask who some of his guys that will be a surprise this year and he pointed out three players. He said - #1) “Jon Toth my roommate. I call him a freak. He's got the physique of a god. He's huge; #2) Joey Herrick, he fights – he's a real baller; #3) Nick Haynes he's freak and he's a strong dude and he's going to rotate in there.”

Swindle was told that A. J. Stamps said he was the best dressed down from UK and was he shocked he said that. “I'm not shocked he said that. I'm just shocked he believes it (laughs). He said Towles is more confident with the offense and he will be even better than he was last year.

Stoops said they have worked extremely hard extremely hard to make themselves relevant in the East and feel like they've put themselves in position to do just that.

Lonny, the "Dr. Ben" mentioned by Swindle - is he on UK's staff as a regular psychologist working with the football team? That's the impression I got, but I don't think anybody said it.