A big thank you to BuffDog for inviting me today.
It was a great time and there are so many fantastic people involved with the Buffs.
Cabral was the coach speaker today and it was very interesting to hear his thoughts. He talked about how he'd never seen a season like this with injuries and throwing so many guys into the fire way before they were ready. But he also said that it will pay off. Guys who were born a week or two or four ago are starting to figure it out. It's a baptism by fire and they're learning.
He talked about how people see the big picture and the score, so they may not see the improvements. But he seemed very passionate when he said that what is harder to see and what we may not is that there's an undercurrent in the program that is rising fast to the top. He seemed very excited about the future of the program.
Despite so much looking and building for the future, he kept talking about this week and winning. Yes, unlike the previous regime, he talked about winning this Saturday. It wasn't a message of the last home game for seniors. It wasn't a message about watching some of the younger guys make subtle improvements. It was about winning.
Rippy, Webb and Williams came with Cabral and also talked to the group. Basic stuff about why they came to CU, how they like it, etc. Little bit of goofing on Cabral. LBs look like they're a tight group of guys that have a genuine love for Brian Cabral.
Next, Cordary Allen got up. He's definitely a TE now. Honestly, he looks more like a TE than a RB. I think it's going to be a good switch for him. He thanked his scholarship donors and then mentioned that he's got two younger brothers ages 15 and 13 who are good football players and want to be Buffs.
Also of note among player/coach speakers was Heath Irwin. I didn't fully appreciate how great he was as a senior when he was a 1st Team All-American. I knew he didn't give up a sack that year, but he didn't allow a QB hurry either and didn't have a single penalty called on him all season. He talked about how things changed under Slick Rick his senior year (he and the other 4 seniors pretty much ran the team and standards/expectations had been lowered). He talked about how the program lost touch with former players and didn't keep in contact or involve them like they should have. He would get one letter a year asking for money and that was it. He talked about coming back while he was in the NFL, going to the weight room, running into Rick and not even being sure if Rick knew who he was (before Rick blew him off to go talk to someone else).
He then went to talk about how all that is changing. The pride and tradition matter again. Being a Buff for life matters again. The standards are back where they were under Mac. How this is not the easy way and that it probably costs the team some wins in the short term. But, and this is I think the most important message of the day, restoring the culture of the program is the long-term vision that can bring us back to competing for national championships.
We don't have coaches who are here to pad their resumes in hopes of landing NFL jobs. They had NFL jobs. They could have built careers there but instead decided that their passion and mission was to build CU back to what it can be. They love CU and this program. We can count on them being willing to make the tough decisions that other coaches would shy away from out of fear for short-term job security or because they just want to get that next job. They want to build something that will be positioned to win at a high level 20 years after they're gone.
Support these coaches.
I look forward to seeing everyone Saturday. Please try to get into the stadium a half hour early to be there for the seniors being announced. Also, remember to stay after the game for the presentation of the Buffalo Heart Award.
:gobuffs:
It was a great time and there are so many fantastic people involved with the Buffs.
Cabral was the coach speaker today and it was very interesting to hear his thoughts. He talked about how he'd never seen a season like this with injuries and throwing so many guys into the fire way before they were ready. But he also said that it will pay off. Guys who were born a week or two or four ago are starting to figure it out. It's a baptism by fire and they're learning.
He talked about how people see the big picture and the score, so they may not see the improvements. But he seemed very passionate when he said that what is harder to see and what we may not is that there's an undercurrent in the program that is rising fast to the top. He seemed very excited about the future of the program.
Despite so much looking and building for the future, he kept talking about this week and winning. Yes, unlike the previous regime, he talked about winning this Saturday. It wasn't a message of the last home game for seniors. It wasn't a message about watching some of the younger guys make subtle improvements. It was about winning.
Rippy, Webb and Williams came with Cabral and also talked to the group. Basic stuff about why they came to CU, how they like it, etc. Little bit of goofing on Cabral. LBs look like they're a tight group of guys that have a genuine love for Brian Cabral.
Next, Cordary Allen got up. He's definitely a TE now. Honestly, he looks more like a TE than a RB. I think it's going to be a good switch for him. He thanked his scholarship donors and then mentioned that he's got two younger brothers ages 15 and 13 who are good football players and want to be Buffs.
Also of note among player/coach speakers was Heath Irwin. I didn't fully appreciate how great he was as a senior when he was a 1st Team All-American. I knew he didn't give up a sack that year, but he didn't allow a QB hurry either and didn't have a single penalty called on him all season. He talked about how things changed under Slick Rick his senior year (he and the other 4 seniors pretty much ran the team and standards/expectations had been lowered). He talked about how the program lost touch with former players and didn't keep in contact or involve them like they should have. He would get one letter a year asking for money and that was it. He talked about coming back while he was in the NFL, going to the weight room, running into Rick and not even being sure if Rick knew who he was (before Rick blew him off to go talk to someone else).
He then went to talk about how all that is changing. The pride and tradition matter again. Being a Buff for life matters again. The standards are back where they were under Mac. How this is not the easy way and that it probably costs the team some wins in the short term. But, and this is I think the most important message of the day, restoring the culture of the program is the long-term vision that can bring us back to competing for national championships.
We don't have coaches who are here to pad their resumes in hopes of landing NFL jobs. They had NFL jobs. They could have built careers there but instead decided that their passion and mission was to build CU back to what it can be. They love CU and this program. We can count on them being willing to make the tough decisions that other coaches would shy away from out of fear for short-term job security or because they just want to get that next job. They want to build something that will be positioned to win at a high level 20 years after they're gone.
Support these coaches.
I look forward to seeing everyone Saturday. Please try to get into the stadium a half hour early to be there for the seniors being announced. Also, remember to stay after the game for the presentation of the Buffalo Heart Award.
:gobuffs:
