Gary Barnett play by play

[DBT]

When I'm at the games, I listen to KOA. While Larry Zimmer is iconic and we're all sad to see his era come to an end, Gary Barnett brings a helluva lot more insight to the game. I really enjoyed listening to his explanations of situations, strategy and plays. His insight will be a great addition. Also, I don't want to leave Chad Brown out of the discussion. He's awesome as well.

Also, it must be said that his inclusion and the improved relationship with Bill McCartney really brings a good feeling back to the program. It feels like a lot of healing is going on and maybe that energy will kind of permeate the program.

 

[InTheBuff]

GB was great. No offense to Zim but Friday I realized with Barnett how much we have been missing.

 

[DBT]

GB was great. No offense to Zim but Friday I realized with Barnett how much we have been missing.

He was like a professor teaching a football class, haha. Like his discussion on how to attack the zone blitz and how the QB should recognize it and beat it. Stuff like that.

 

[aik]

Heard Gary for the first time this year during a road game broadcast and was very impressed. Smart football talk. I'm glad Gary chose to return to Boulder and be around the program when he could understandably not want anything to do with it.

 

[skibum]

There's a reason he's one of only two coaches that have won conference championships in two different P5 conferences. GB is a great teacher of the game. It's why he originally excelled as a HS coach, and it makes him a great color guy in the booth.

(Also: having him around and involved with the program will be one more thing that helps with in-state recruiting; Colorado HS coaches love GB, he's still one of them as far as they're concerned.)

 

[MiamiBuffs]

There's a reason he's one of only two coaches that have won conference championships in two different P5 conferences. GB is a great teacher of the game. It's why he originally excelled as a HS coach, and it makes him a great color guy in the booth.

(Also: having him around and involved with the program will be one more thing that helps with in-state recruiting; Colorado HS coaches love GB, he's still one of them as far as they're concerned.)

I am not sure firing was the right thing to do. Obviously it didn't work out in our favor at all. GB's teams at the end were soft in some places and recruiting had fallen off a little. He had just replaced Okruch with Hankwitz too. I think over time he would have corrected some of the stuff realizing changes were needed.

Its water over the damn now.

 

[The Alabaster Yak]

I liked his "3 &13... That's a me play call" (or something similar to that)

 

[skibum]

I am not sure firing was the right thing to do. Obviously it didn't work out in our favor at all. GB's teams at the end were soft in some places and recruiting had fallen off a little. He had just replaced Okruch with Hankwitz too. I think over time he would have corrected some of the stuff realizing changes were needed.

Its water over the damn now.

It's definitely water over the dam. I often don't think people realize how badly it hurt CU among the HS coaches, they were really pissed about how he was treated. A couple weeks after he was fired, I was talking to a Colorado Springs HS coach and he was just livid about it, it went something like this:

"Let me tell you what type of person and coach Gary Barnett is. Last month I had a kid get hurt pretty badly in a game on Friday night, carted off the field in an ambulance, spent several day in the hospital with a nasty [I don't remember what the injury was]. Saturday, CU plays their game. Sunday afternoon, who drives himself down to Colorado Springs to visit a hurt high school football player in the hospital? Gary Barnett does, gives the kid a game ball from CU. This kid isn't a prospect; he's not going to play Division 3 ball, let alone D1, but that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that he was a kid that got hurt playing a game that we all love."

 

[ahoelsken]

It's definitely water over the dam. I often don't think people realize how badly it hurt CU among the HS coaches, they were really pissed about how he was treated. A couple weeks after he was fired, I was talking to a Colorado Springs HS coach and he was just livid about it, it went something like this:

"Let me tell you what type of person and coach Gary Barnett is. Last month I had a kid get hurt pretty badly in a game on Friday night, carted off the field in an ambulance, spent several day in the hospital with a nasty [I don't remember what the injury was]. Saturday, CU plays their game. Sunday afternoon, who drives himself down to Colorado Springs to visit a hurt high school football player in the hospital? Gary Barnett does, gives the kid a game ball from CU. This kid isn't a prospect; he's not going to play Division 3 ball, let alone D1, but that didn't matter to him. What mattered was that he was a kid that got hurt playing a game that we all love."

We all love GB, and I doubt you'll find a Buff who doesn't. I'm ecstatic he's back, and I enjoyed his call at UCLA and on Friday. His firing is water under the bridge now.

 

[BuffaloB]

Hire him back as coach. Other than the Scott class of 2008 he was the last coach to get top 20 recruiting classes and the last coach to recruit at least a 4 star QB.

 

[Big Jim]

When I'm at the games, I listen to KOA. While Larry Zimmer is iconic and we're all sad to see his era come to an end, Gary Barnett brings a helluva lot more insight to the game.

Barnett brings more insight into the game? C'mon! Zimmer and Barnett call the exact same game, with the small exceptions that Barnett tells the listener down-and-distance, the score, which team has the ball, what quarter the game is in, which players are involved in the game and so forth. Basically the same dang thing!

 

[SuperiorBuff]

Hire him back as coach. Other than the Scott class of 2008 he was the last coach to get top 20 recruiting classes and the last coach to recruit at least a 4 star QB.

No

 

[Highlander]

Hire him back as coach. Other than the Scott class of 2008 he was the last coach to get top 20 recruiting classes and the last coach to recruit at least a 4 star QB.

He also went out of his way to stop recruiting at that level after Houston and Ochs helicopter parents were up in his shorts. He was a great coach who could have had CU back to glory, and then went out of his way to stop recruiting at a high level.

No.

 

[BuffaloB]

He also went out of his way to stop recruiting at that level after Houston and Ochs helicopter parents were up in his shorts. He was a great coach who could have had CU back to glory, and then went out of his way to stop recruiting at a high level.

No.

Ok, fair enough. How many awful recruiting classes does this staff get in the eyes of the fans, alumni and administration?

 

[buffaholic]

He also went out of his way to stop recruiting at that level after Houston and Ochs helicopter parents were up in his shorts. He was a great coach who could have had CU back to glory, and then went out of his way to stop recruiting at a high level.

No.

This did happen. We didn't match up close to Oklahoma or Texas in the Big12. We're more competitive right now in fact. Somehow, folks forget Klatt leading us to the 70-3 mauling vs Texas.

Gary's recruiting went south and many were calling for a change.

 

[buffaholic]

Ok, fair enough. How many awful recruiting classes does this staff get in the eyes of the fans, alumni and administration?

Consider context.
Barnett took over a program that was loaded. That 2001 program had a lot of NFL guys that Gary inherited. He recruited downward from there, even before the scandal hit.

 

[BuffaloB]

Consider context.
Barnett took over a program that was loaded. That 2001 program had a lot of NFL guys that Gary inherited. He recruited downward from there, even before the scandal hit.

Looking at 2002 - 2005 classes from Rivals, they nationally rank 10,19, 74, 43. I'm being facetious with comment about hiring Gary, really want to move forward. But even in his last 4 years he had 2 top 20 and 3 of 4 were top 50 classes. He also was the last coach to recruit a 4 or 5 star QB.

The highest recruiting class this staff has had of the four has been 63. They have only recruited 1 4 star guy at any position and can't keep the limited top talent to stay home.

I'm newbie to the board, and it sounds like this has been talked about a lot here so forgive me in raising it again. But a lot of the comments I read is about how we're so "close," and recruiting has "turned the corner," and "I am really liking this class." What are we looking at, by what metric? The one where "we don't lose by as much as we did last year." Really?

Do we want to compete for PAC 12 titles, or I would at this point at least take to consistently make a bowl. The low expectations and excuses need to stop. We need to recruit, play and coach like we want to be great again. Not seeing it on any level from the Presidents office down. Be better, expect more!

 

[Yung Buffalo]

Looking at 2002 - 2005 classes from Rivals, they nationally rank 10,19, 74, 43. I'm being facetious with comment about hiring Gary, really want to move forward. But even in his last 4 years he had 2 top 20 and 3 of 4 were top 50 classes. He also was the last coach to recruit a 4 or 5 star QB.

The highest recruiting class this staff has had of the four has been 63. They have only recruited 1 4 star guy at any position and can't keep the limited top talent to stay home.

I'm newbie to the board, and it sounds like this has been talked about a lot here so forgive me in raising it again. But a lot of the comments I read is about how we're so "close," and recruiting has "turned the corner," and "I am really liking this class." What are we looking at, by what metric? The one where "we don't lose by as much as we did last year." Really?

Do we want to compete for PAC 12 titles, or I would at this point at least take to consistently make a bowl. The low expectations and excuses need to stop. We need to recruit, play and coach like we want to be great again. Not seeing it on any level from the Presidents office down. Be better, expect more!

Sefo was rated a four star by ESPN and 247

 

[BuffaloB]

Sefo was rated a four star by ESPN and 247

Even if you use the ESPN rating for Sefo, then this staff has recruited a total of 2 4 star guys. Embree had 2 in his 2 short years. Hawkins had 2 5 star guys and 13 4 star guys in his 5 classes. Barnett had 1 5 star and 14 4 star guys in his last 4 classes when many have said he didn't even really try to recruit.

So now with years behind from the scandals and new world class facilities, why is it the best that this staff can do is 63 in nation and perennially bottom feeder PAC 12 team on the field and in recruiting. I think we all can agree they need to be better and we need to expect more.

 

[Duff Man]

Most agree. Your take is hardly original.

 

[BuffaloB]

Most agree. Your take is hardly original.

Like I said a couple of posts ago, I'm newbie to the board, and it sounds like this has been talked about a lot here so forgive me in raising it again.

A lot of the comments I read is about how we're so "close," and recruiting has "turned the corner," and "I am really liking this class." Dont get any of this type of thinking.

Thanks for your patience with this passionate newbie.

 

[Yung Buffalo]

Even if you use the ESPN rating for Sefo, then this staff has recruited a total of 2 4 star guys. Embree had 2 in his 2 short years. Hawkins had 2 5 star guys and 13 4 star guys in his 5 classes. Barnett had 1 5 star and 14 4 star guys in his last 4 classes when many have said he didn't even really try to recruit.

So now with years behind from the scandals and new world class facilities, why is it the best that this staff can do is 63 in nation and perennially bottom feeder PAC 12 team on the field and in recruiting. I think we all can agree they need to be better and we need to expect more.

You specifically said that Barnett was the last coach to land a 4 star QB. That's not true so I corrected you. I'm not arguing, just fact checking.

Also, Sefo was recruited by Embree not HCMM.

 

[Duff Man]

Like I said a couple of posts ago, I'm newbie to the board, and it sounds like this has been talked about a lot here so forgive me in raising it again.

A lot of the comments I read is about how we're so "close," and recruiting has "turned the corner," and "I am really liking this class." Dont get any of this type of thinking.

Thanks for your patience with this passionate newbie.

Realistically, saying we are "close" is not a crazy opinion. I do not agree with it, but I cannot dismiss it either. Also, I doubt that many posters actually think recruiting has turned the corner.

 

[buffaholic]

Looking at 2002 - 2005 classes from Rivals, they nationally rank 10,19, 74, 43.

That #10 class and #19 class turned out to be pretty bad. After that it was Lisa Simpson problems.
It had 4 stars such as Lorenzo Sims, Chris Russell, Bernard Jackson, Travis Berry, Chris Hollis, Anthony Wright, Tyler Littlehales, Blake Mackay, Clint Werth.... Those classes lacked the star power of what Gary inherited.

While I loved the Barnett hire at the time (hated Neuheisel), I openly complained that recruiting was going downhill fast. Back then, I put a much higher premium on recruiting and thought it was everything. Looking back, Gary may have been trying to undo some of the Slick-Rick issues that brought about a team that lacked discipline.

My point is you can't really compare recruiting in 2002 coming off a Big12 championship with trying to recruit to a program that hasn't been bowling in 10+ years and is widely and rightly viewed as a hot mess for a long time.

 

[DBT]

We all love GB, and I doubt you'll find a Buff who doesn't. I'm ecstatic he's back, and I enjoyed his call at UCLA and on Friday. His firing is water under the bridge now.

I've always been a big fan of his.

 

[DBT]

Barnett brings more insight into the game? C'mon! Zimmer and Barnett call the exact same game, with the small exceptions that Barnett tells the listener down-and-distance, the score, which team has the ball, what quarter the game is in, which players are involved in the game and so forth. Basically the same dang thing!

Haha. I totally misread your post at first. I wasn't going to go there. But, yeah, Zim leaves out a detail or two.

 

[BuffaloB]

You specifically said that Barnett was the last coach to land a 4 star QB. That's not true so I corrected you. I'm not arguing, just fact checking.

Also, Sefo was recruited by Embree not HCMM.

You are correct using ESPN rankings, Rivals he was 3 star. Appreciate the info, and conversation.

 

[FrankRizzo]

He is great to listen to. Now i nee to figure out how to sync the radio stream without dvr...

 

[DexBuffsteen]

I'll admit Barney isn't too bad on the radio. **** anybody would sound good next to that tool Mark Johnson. Still a weird choice since Barney started CU down the path to irrelevance.

 

[skibum]

Barnett brings more insight into the game? C'mon! Zimmer and Barnett call the exact same game, with the small exceptions that Barnett tells the listener down-and-distance, the score, which team has the ball, what quarter the game is in, which players are involved in the game and so forth. Basically the same dang thing!

Do you understand the difference between the play by play guy and the color guy? Because either you don't, or you're commenting on something without actual first hand observation of what's happening (kind of like when you comment on team performance without actually watching the game).

Down and distance, score, time on clock, position on the field, etc are the play by play guy's responsibility, i.e. Mark Johnson's, and he doesn't do a very good job at that. The color guy is the one who is supposed to comment on strategy, the thinking behind play choices, why (or why not) something was a penalty, etc, etc. This is why the color guy is usually a former player or coach, and the play by play is a broadcast journalist.

Zim, while I love listening to him and will miss his voice in the booth, is by inclination, training and experience a play by play guy. He moved to the color role when Mark Johnson came on board, and he hasn't always been the best in that role.

Barnett does a great job (probably better than Zim) in the color role; he really does bring information, knowledge and experience that Zim doesn't. It's probably an upgrade for that particular role. Ideally Zim could be cloned and/or kept perpetually young, and call the play by play forever; attached to GB in the color role would be a one of the best broadcast teams around.