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Fall Camp Notes
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July 25th
Mike MacIntyre: “You still have to put up or shut up and our kids have that mentality”
Press release from CUBuffs.com … It was just a year ago that Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre went to Pac-12 Media Days in Los Angeles to hear that his Buffs were once again picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South.
That’s also where MacIntyre told the media his Buffs planned on playing for the Pac-12 title — a pronouncement that was greeted with more than a few polite smiles.
“They were all laughing at me,” MacIntyre said Monday afternoon.
Tuesday, MacIntyre will attend his fifth Pac-12 Media Days event, and will be joined by seniors Phillip Lindsay and Derek McCartney. MacIntyre will likely once again say his Buffs plan on playing for a conference championship — but the guess here is that nobody will be laughing, not after the Buffs’ 10-4 season a year ago that included an 8-1 conference mark and a berth in the Pac-12 title game.
This year’s media poll will be released Thursday morning, the second day of Media Days. While the Buffs are virtually guaranteed not to be picked last in the South for the first time since entering the conference, they also probably won’t be the pick to win the division. That honor will likely go to USC, a team already among just about everyone’s preseason national top 10.
But wherever the Buffs are picked, MacIntyre said it won’t bother him or his players. Not in the least. The Buffs, after all, are still accustomed to being overlooked.
“I think our kids don’t feel like we’re getting as much respect as we probably should,” MacIntyre said. “But to be honest with you, the media guys are probably correct. We’ve only done it one year and we’ve been down for a while. It’s time to show we can put it back-to-back. You still have to put up or shut up and our kids have that mentality. They’re excited about trying to prove themselves when people still don’t think we have a chance of playing in the Pac-12 championship again. We think we do.”
But while the media may once again underestimate the Buffs, MacIntyre knows his team will have the full attention of at least one group in Los Angeles: his fellow head coaches. The coaches who a year ago said the Buffs might be better now know that’s the case — and the result will be just a little more of an edge from every team Colorado faces.
“It’s not going to be a case of people asking, ‘Are they really that good?’ until they step on the field and say, ‘Oh, they are that good,'” MacIntyre said. “Now they know we’re that good. They’ll be a little more prepared, a little more on edge, a little bit more wanting some revenge — and that’s a whole different level of intensity that you get from the beginning whistle. Our guys have to be ready to match that and surpass that, and that’s what we’ll be talking about all during camp.”
Those conversations, which have been going on informally all summer, will begin taking place on a regular basis Friday, when the Buffs report for camp.
By virtually all accounts, the Buffs have had a solid summer in the weight room and in conditioning drills.
“We had a good culture set,” MacIntyre said. “Coach (Drew) Wilson’s second year with them went really well. Their runs were harder this summer than they were last summer, and they did well with them. I think that’s important for them coming in in great shape with the mentality of us playing ‘Folsom Fast.'”
Also important, MacIntyre said, is the guidance provided by the six team captains. Four of the captains — Phillip Lindsay, George Frazier, Jeromy Irwin and Derek McCartney — have served in the role previously. The others are Rick Gamboa and Afolabi Laguda.
“The culture is set, but the older guys have to continue to teach it,” MacIntyre said. “It’s not just going to happen and they understand that. The work ethic has to be there. We start back at the bottom again and work up. But our foundation is higher, our culture is higher, our commitment level, our confidence level — but the work ethic has got to really take another notch up, and it has.”
One question MacIntyre is almost sure to hear in Los Angeles is how his defense will respond to losing eight starters (four of whom were selected in the NFL Draft) as well as the addition of three new coaches on the defensive side.
“We have good talent,” MacIntyre said. “I think we’ll be good on defense. We’re going to have a few growing pains with guys that are going to be out there a lot more than they have been, but as they get their feet wet, I think you’ll see our defense gel into a very, very good defense.”
As for the offense — the general consensus is that the Buffs could have a special year on that side of the ball. Count MacIntyre among those in that corner.
“I expect us to be excellent on offense,” he said. “Last year I expected us to be excellent on defense — I said that in camp — and I expected us to be good on offense. I think there will be just a slight tilt on that. There will be a little different way to win some games this year. I feel good about both sides of the ball, but I definitely believe our offense will be a little bit ahead of our defense when we start because of the experience factor. But talent-wise, I think we’ll be close.”
BUFFS NOTES: For the first time in modern history, Colorado won’t conduct two-a-day sessions, resulting in camp opening a few days earlier than normal in order to get all 29 allowed practices in before the Sept. 1 season opener against Colorado State. The Buffs will report on Friday, then hit the field for their first day of practice on Saturday. “I like not having the two-a-days,” MacIntyre said. “I like being able to have a day off a week and practice. I think it will help prevent injuries and we’ll be more prepared.” … MacIntyre said he expects to have the full complement of 105 players report on Friday, a group that will include at least 20 walkons and possibly as many as 22, depending upon injuries and other situations.
OPEN SCRIMMAGE: The Buffs will have one practice open to the public in fall camp, set Saturday, Aug. 5. The scrimmage will serve as a “Select-A-Seat” event, with fans having the opportunity to pick seats available for purchase and know the exact location and perspective they will have with action taking place on the field. The event begins at 10 a.m. with the Buffs scheduled to practice and then hold a short scrimmage. After the scrimmage, players and coaches will be available for autographs and selfies. Parking will be free in lot 169 (adjacent to the lower practice fields) and paid in the parking garage next to the Champions Center.
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Stuart
Continue reading...
Fall Camp Notes
—
July 25th
Mike MacIntyre: “You still have to put up or shut up and our kids have that mentality”
Press release from CUBuffs.com … It was just a year ago that Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre went to Pac-12 Media Days in Los Angeles to hear that his Buffs were once again picked to finish last in the Pac-12 South.
That’s also where MacIntyre told the media his Buffs planned on playing for the Pac-12 title — a pronouncement that was greeted with more than a few polite smiles.
“They were all laughing at me,” MacIntyre said Monday afternoon.
Tuesday, MacIntyre will attend his fifth Pac-12 Media Days event, and will be joined by seniors Phillip Lindsay and Derek McCartney. MacIntyre will likely once again say his Buffs plan on playing for a conference championship — but the guess here is that nobody will be laughing, not after the Buffs’ 10-4 season a year ago that included an 8-1 conference mark and a berth in the Pac-12 title game.
This year’s media poll will be released Thursday morning, the second day of Media Days. While the Buffs are virtually guaranteed not to be picked last in the South for the first time since entering the conference, they also probably won’t be the pick to win the division. That honor will likely go to USC, a team already among just about everyone’s preseason national top 10.
But wherever the Buffs are picked, MacIntyre said it won’t bother him or his players. Not in the least. The Buffs, after all, are still accustomed to being overlooked.
“I think our kids don’t feel like we’re getting as much respect as we probably should,” MacIntyre said. “But to be honest with you, the media guys are probably correct. We’ve only done it one year and we’ve been down for a while. It’s time to show we can put it back-to-back. You still have to put up or shut up and our kids have that mentality. They’re excited about trying to prove themselves when people still don’t think we have a chance of playing in the Pac-12 championship again. We think we do.”
But while the media may once again underestimate the Buffs, MacIntyre knows his team will have the full attention of at least one group in Los Angeles: his fellow head coaches. The coaches who a year ago said the Buffs might be better now know that’s the case — and the result will be just a little more of an edge from every team Colorado faces.
“It’s not going to be a case of people asking, ‘Are they really that good?’ until they step on the field and say, ‘Oh, they are that good,'” MacIntyre said. “Now they know we’re that good. They’ll be a little more prepared, a little more on edge, a little bit more wanting some revenge — and that’s a whole different level of intensity that you get from the beginning whistle. Our guys have to be ready to match that and surpass that, and that’s what we’ll be talking about all during camp.”
Those conversations, which have been going on informally all summer, will begin taking place on a regular basis Friday, when the Buffs report for camp.
By virtually all accounts, the Buffs have had a solid summer in the weight room and in conditioning drills.
“We had a good culture set,” MacIntyre said. “Coach (Drew) Wilson’s second year with them went really well. Their runs were harder this summer than they were last summer, and they did well with them. I think that’s important for them coming in in great shape with the mentality of us playing ‘Folsom Fast.'”
Also important, MacIntyre said, is the guidance provided by the six team captains. Four of the captains — Phillip Lindsay, George Frazier, Jeromy Irwin and Derek McCartney — have served in the role previously. The others are Rick Gamboa and Afolabi Laguda.
“The culture is set, but the older guys have to continue to teach it,” MacIntyre said. “It’s not just going to happen and they understand that. The work ethic has to be there. We start back at the bottom again and work up. But our foundation is higher, our culture is higher, our commitment level, our confidence level — but the work ethic has got to really take another notch up, and it has.”
One question MacIntyre is almost sure to hear in Los Angeles is how his defense will respond to losing eight starters (four of whom were selected in the NFL Draft) as well as the addition of three new coaches on the defensive side.
“We have good talent,” MacIntyre said. “I think we’ll be good on defense. We’re going to have a few growing pains with guys that are going to be out there a lot more than they have been, but as they get their feet wet, I think you’ll see our defense gel into a very, very good defense.”
As for the offense — the general consensus is that the Buffs could have a special year on that side of the ball. Count MacIntyre among those in that corner.
“I expect us to be excellent on offense,” he said. “Last year I expected us to be excellent on defense — I said that in camp — and I expected us to be good on offense. I think there will be just a slight tilt on that. There will be a little different way to win some games this year. I feel good about both sides of the ball, but I definitely believe our offense will be a little bit ahead of our defense when we start because of the experience factor. But talent-wise, I think we’ll be close.”
BUFFS NOTES: For the first time in modern history, Colorado won’t conduct two-a-day sessions, resulting in camp opening a few days earlier than normal in order to get all 29 allowed practices in before the Sept. 1 season opener against Colorado State. The Buffs will report on Friday, then hit the field for their first day of practice on Saturday. “I like not having the two-a-days,” MacIntyre said. “I like being able to have a day off a week and practice. I think it will help prevent injuries and we’ll be more prepared.” … MacIntyre said he expects to have the full complement of 105 players report on Friday, a group that will include at least 20 walkons and possibly as many as 22, depending upon injuries and other situations.
OPEN SCRIMMAGE: The Buffs will have one practice open to the public in fall camp, set Saturday, Aug. 5. The scrimmage will serve as a “Select-A-Seat” event, with fans having the opportunity to pick seats available for purchase and know the exact location and perspective they will have with action taking place on the field. The event begins at 10 a.m. with the Buffs scheduled to practice and then hold a short scrimmage. After the scrimmage, players and coaches will be available for autographs and selfies. Parking will be free in lot 169 (adjacent to the lower practice fields) and paid in the parking garage next to the Champions Center.
–
—–
Stuart
Continue reading...
