Join The Louisville Sports buzz crew tonight at Oni Zims Barn/ Furlongs (corner of Shelbyville rd. and Hurstbourn ln) for Monday night Football. Oni zim is giving away $20 gift card to everybody with Saints gear on. Guess the score and Win $100 gift card! We will also do a drawing for 2 Colts/Titans tickets at half time!!
Half priced appetizers all night, Cajun wings are only 49 cents, pitchers of domestic beer $5.50, Louisiana bottled beer $2 and ladies get half off drinks and food all night!
I am hearing through some sources/friends who attend the press conference that Mr. Jurich feels a rather sizeable amount of contempt towards the fans. In other words, he is blaming us for this disaster.
The arrogance in this administration is rather interesting. For an AD to blame fans , who are paying his salary, is ridiculous.
Just think of how he feels about us…He didn’t consider any other candidates other than his “chosen one.” He didn’t bother to create a search committee. And most damaging and concerning is, he did this with a team loaded with NFL talent, a hell of a lot of momentum and the team that was ranked in the preseason top 10. In essence, he pulled a buddy into a situation that was set up for glory. You know, kind of like hiring a buddy into a job that would be the opportunity of a lifetime for a rather unknown commodity.
For me, it was rather pleasing seeing Tom Jurich conduct the press conference on Saturday. It was similar to watching Clinton admit his mistakes, Jim Baker admit his “sins against you, ” you get the point. The best thing about this whole process is, Tom Jurich had to drink a big fat cup of shut the hell up and eat a 16 oz. slice of raw crow.
Think about this…Tom Jurich pissed away $7.6 Million to this fool he brought in here. I don’t want to hear the rhetoric about him “not being a fit” or “the fans didn’t give him a chance.” I want Tom Jurich to apologize for wasting the money and our time. I want him to apologize to us for bringing in an idiot who couldn’t manage games, running off players or not being able to connect with the fans. I also, most importantly, want to hear him apologize to all the players for this mess. The AD of the year allowed his beloved football team to become the Bad News Bears.
There lies the problem. This has not only been a disaster as far as wins and losses go. It has been an unmitigated disaster with how the fans feel about Jurich and the program he allowed to be damaged. It will be a long time before the casual (bandwagon) fan returns. Unfortunately at UofL, we need those bandwagoners to come out to fill the seats. Bandwagoners will go somewhere else to have fun until this thing gets righted. Most importantly, the diehards and regular season ticket holders need a reason to come back also.
The immortal words of Hawk Harrelson are perfect to describe what transpired today in Louisville football. He gone….and we can move forward.
“He” is Steve Kragthorpe and he will not return as football coach next season. To be quite honest, he will not be missed. A great person doesn’t always translate into a great…or for that matter good..football coach. You can’t blame it on Bobby, fans’ high expectations, or lack of talent anymore. Tom Jurich admitted to making a mistake today..
“I informed him we were going to be making a change to the football staff (I) told him how much I appreciated all his hard work I just felt we needed to go in another direction to get this program back on the track we all strive to be on” Jurich said.
The greatest AD in the country looked pretty down at the noon press conference, going as far to say that this was 100% his fault. In my opinion, he gave Kragthorpe a shot in big-time college football and the embattled coach didn’t rise to the occasion. Sounds like a good-friend, not someone who was at fault for the downfall of the Louisville football program. Jurich is too classy to throw his old crony under the bus.
When asked if he had someone lined-up to replace Krag, Jurich said he has “people”, however he refuses to contact anyone while they’re still playing. Jurich explained that he won’t contact a coach going into a bowl game after what was done to him by John L. Smith & Michigan St. at halftime of the GMAC Bowl in ’02. I find that rather hard to believe. These coaches have agents and are always keeping their heads on a swivel for the “next best thing” . There are a lot of quality jobs that could open up and Jurich won’t be the guy to get burnt by another AD with less morals.
A list of potential candidates has been adding up since the announcement this afternoon. Pat Forde says the two heaviest in speculation are Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong. Others Forde and others have mentioned are former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, Central Michigan head-man Butch Jones, former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, and even currently embattled Notre Dame coach Charlie Weiss. Obviously, we are going to have to syphon between which are bogus and which are legitimate moving forward.
Stay tuned to LSB for the absolute latest on the coaching situation. And by the way, pants are optional today…..It’s a celebration! (more…)
Leon started in 72 NFL games over his career. Including all 16 of the Cowboys 1994 Super Bowl winning team. He had 22.5 sacks and was a two time Pro Bowler after an eleven year career. All that means jack though cause Leon Lett will only be remembered for one play…well two if you count the whole Super Bowl blunder….
Due to the Thanks Giving Holiday, both The Freak Show with John Renshaw and The Evening Buzz will not be on as regularly scheduled. It is a short week with both shows taking Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday off. Don’t worry though fans. Both shows will be back full force on Monday November 30th. Have a great week and even better Holidays from everyone at Louisville Sports Buzz.
A little humor before the Holiday. What else can you do but laugh at this point? Happy Thanksgiving.
Jump Samardo!!
Everyone expected Rick Pitino’s Card to roll through the 3-day jamboree known as the Hall of Fame Showcase. It was great experience for the team and gave them a chance to develop some much-needed chemistry on a young team. East Tennesse St. , Morgan St. and Appalachian St. came to town and took their beating. here are a few thoughts from the weekend that was Louisville basketball…
– Does it bother you that all 3 teams the Cards faced have the word “State” in their respective handles, yet none can actually claim to be a part of the union? Maybe I’m just picking nits, but it seems like “Morgan University” or “Appalachian U” would do just fine. Why add “State” to the name? Do they get more state funding? These are the type of things I think about sometimes. Did i mention I’m single?
– Out of anyone on the team, I think Jared Swopshire has improved the most over the offseason. As opposed to his tentative play last year, Swop looks like he belongs out there this year. he is making confident movements with and without the ball, getting in great position on the gals, and picking his spots very well on offense. The soph from the STL looks to have gained a significant amount of weight (I’d say 15-20 lbs) which is essential if Pitino is going to count on him to play major minutes at the 4-spot – especially come conference play. Swop has a great advantage of being able to handle the ball like a guard and also bang down low in necessary. Only a total of 22 points in the 3-game stretch, but he complimented that with only one turnover and 20 rebounds.
– Is it so foolish to think that Edgar Sosa has finally turned the corner when it comes to attitude and decision-making? Sos has played great in the first 4 games – averaging 13 pts and committing only 6 total turnovers. I can remember games where he had 6 TOs in one game, yet alone 4 combined (2:1 AST/TO ratio this year). However, when you take the pulse of Cardinal Nation, it seems like people are still waiting for the assumed patented snafu. I’m not saying Edgar is going to have a flawless season, but it is evident so far that he has a new-found attitude and has accepted his role as a team-leader. He is taking uncontested shots, using excellent judgement with the ball, and keeping his team focused. The days of the maniacal-lowering-the-shoulder-and-driving-to-the-hoop seem to be a thing of the past as well. As are the days of cringing and waiting for the worst when he has the ball. Sosa’s maturity is going to surprised a lot of people this year – and when i say “a lot”, I mean everyone.
– The Big Jamaican Samardo Samuels needs to toughen up like I’ve said before – it’s like stating the obvious. be that as it may, he did a great job getting to the line this weekend – hitting 23-35 for a measly 65%. Hey, at least he’s throwing his body around. Right? It could have been a product of going up against guys that were considerably smaller. THis has to continue to be a worry moving forward. There is no doubting Samardo’s talent (18 ppg in HoF Classic), but like last year with Earl Clark, you just know he could be putting it to better use. This team will go as The Big Jamaican goes. It will get pretty rough inside come UK/Big East time and without Samuels becoming that inside presence he is capable of being the Cards could struggle. Samuels is the best player on the team, yet the most frustrating as well.
– I wouldn’t be too worried about the play – or lack there of – by frosh Peyton Siva this weekend. As mature and polished as he seems at times, he is still a freshman and will have growing pains. If Sosa continues to play the way he has, Siva will be more of a spark plug on both offense and defense when he comes in for his 15-18 minutes a game. people who suspected he would take over the starting PG spot buy mid-season need to take a step back. Regardless, you can’t put a price on having 4 active guards that are pretty much interchangeable. They are like picking
Swop Getting Big!
between Hef’s girlfriends, whichever one you chose will not disappoint.
– This year’s squad seems to have bought into the whole “team” concept. Not once can I remember someone making a selfish play. They all seem to compliment each other exceptionally well with everyone filling a specific role. Without a hands-down go-to guy, that looks to be the path to success. A bunch of selfless guys who enjoy the assist, enjoy pressing and playing hard. I found that sometimes last year, the team looked to E5 and T-Will almost too much which meant that if either or both had an off night, the team was almost destined to lose. This year is different. If Sosa has a bad game, Siva could step up. Same with Samardo and Terrence Jennings. Unlike last year, I don’t think one particular guy struggling will doom this team – besides possibly Samuels. It will be interesting to see who rises to the occasion in which game.
– I have been debating the “go-to-guy” scenario with nearly every dedicated Card fan I have encountered : If the clock is running down and/or the game is one the line, who is taking the big shot for Louisville. I say just by what has happened so far this season it has to be Sosa. He has proven he can step-up big in big games (just ask any UK fan) and has been the obvious leader. Sosa has come a long way since those free throws in Rupp his freshman year. And you know well that if he brings the ball up the floor in a must-score situation, he isn’t going to give the ball up. Only now I won’t be screaming at my TV. I know Jerry Smith has made the big one before, but my second choice would be Preston Knowles. the confidence that PK exudes while shooting the ball is enough to show me he would be up to the challenge. the over 40% career 3pt average is also a plus.
With the Cards matchup Monday night against Appalachian State I couldn’t help but remember the greatest upset in college sports history….
Louisville Sports Buzz 