Rebuilding the Buffs...

[BlackNGold]

Yup, the CU football program has to be rebuilt. Talent level, attitude and football fundamentals all have to be addressed. And here is a news flash - it is not going to happen overnight.

Talent level - the Buffs talent level is serious down from where it needs to be in order to be competing for conference championships and top 25 rankings. CU lacks depth and difference makers (not to say they don't have some but not enough). It is going to take several recruiting cycles to get this area back up. In the interim this coaching staff needs to maximize the production out of the existing talent(see attitude). I believe that Coach Embree understands this and has loaded his staff with recruiters and is focusing in Texas as well as California.

Attitude - Coach Barnett use to say "They will take themselves much farther than you can ever take them." meaning the leadership on the team is crucial for success and that leadership has to come from the players and not just from the coaches. I believe this was Dan Hawkins biggest failing. He did not develop leadership on the team because he did not let them lead themselves - this was really shown in Hawkins final game. This is a tough area because Barnett also said that every team is different and you never new how it would turn out. I think this is going to be one of the biggest challenges for Embree this upcoming season - it is going to be hard to change the culture. I think that is one of the reasons he asked some guys to leave.

Football Fundamentals - We saw the lack of this on special teams the last 5 years and I think it occurred in many other areas. The oline should of been much better than it was and none of the units (offense, defense and special teams) every played cohesively throughout a game.

This will be interesting and hopefully fun to watch this play out over the next few years. I am hoping by year three we start seeing the signs of real progress.

 

[Buffnik]

I expect to see a major change this season. I'll be shocked if it all comes together this quickly, but I do believe that we'll be well-coached, play hard-nosed football, have a potent offense, and pull off some surprises. It's going to be a few years before the talent is where it needs to be, though.

 

[azbuff]

Agree with much of what Black said, but also think that we can be competitive this season. To me, that means we should be in eleven or twelve of the thirteen games in the late third quarter. I don't expect to win more than six games, but I'll be satisfied so long as on-field performance is improved by more than a marginal amount.

 

[Dark Bohner]

Agreed with all. I'm more than willing to be patient as long as I see a physical team that has an attitude along with displaying a Colorado Football fundamental: Running the Ball. I think this staff will get it done on the recruiting trail.

 

[BuffNut99]

Really agree on the point about Hawk and his failure to cultivate leaders on the team... I can't remember ever seeing any players getting on each other when things were getting tough, save for the Hansen-Atkins (I believe) exchange during the Hawai'i game last year after a false start, which basically turned around that game.

 

[Buffnik]

Really agree on the point about Hawk and his failure to cultivate leaders on the team... I can't remember ever seeing any players getting on each other when things were getting tough, save for the Hansen-Atkins (I believe) exchange during the Hawai'i game last year after a false start, which basically turned around that game.

Which brings up another point. Assuming that Hansen has the "it" factor you need from a QB and that he's able to be a vocal leader for the offense, the fact is that it was impossible for him to be fully in that role with the situation we had and the factions that developed.

 

[sackman]

Interesting topic. There's no doubt the program needs to be rebuilt. The psyche of the team has to be pretty down after five years of blathering ineptitude and "working on a couple little things so this deal will pop".

Attitude should be the easiest thing to adjust, and I believe the staff has begun this process already. There are expectations placed on the team. It remains to be seen what will happen to those who do not meet those expectations. That will be the first real test for this staff.

There are so many specific areas that need attention that it's hard to pick one or two. But I'll try: Start with special teams. Special teams at CU has been atrocious the last four years. Absolutely atrocious. Missed FGs, kickoffs out of bounds or worse - fielded at the 15 yard line. Piss poor blocking on kickoff returns. Bad punt coverage, awful punting and punt returns. The whole gamut of bad special teams play has been on display for all to see for the last four years. You can have an average team on offense and defense, but if you have a really, really strong special teams, you'll win a lot of games.

After special teams, work on the defensive line. A dominant defensive line will allow your offense more chances. It will cause turnovers, sacks, and negative rushing yards. It will lead to poor throws that result in interceptions. A really good defensive line will cover up for a lot of deficiencies in other areas.

I would be more than satisfied if I saw excellent special teams play and excellent defensive line play this year.

 

[Unleash Hell]

I expect to see a major change this season. I'll be shocked if it all comes together this quickly, but I do believe that we'll be well-coached, play hard-nosed football, have a potent offense, and pull off some surprises. It's going to be a few years before the talent is where it needs to be, though.

This^^^

 

[NW Buff]

I agree with BlackNGold but I'd be willing to bet that somebody could go back to the summer of 2006 and find posts which said exactly the same thing. So, while I agree, I'm not going to get too caught up in it. The coaching staff has a lot to prove and I hope they do it.

 

[snakeyman]

I believe all you guys above go along with the same opinions as most of us on allbuffs have in regard to immediate expectations for the Buffs this year and quenching the thirst of the necessary improvements that can make the program become what we all expect and have witnessed in the past. There are literally tens of thousands of Buff fans who are substantially more ignorant and uninformed than those of us who peruse any little tidbit of info we can access about the Buffs. I hope those folks possess the patience and understanding about what its going to take to stomach what could be the simple fact that there may be more losses than wins in the near future and like BnG said, its not going to happen overnight. I hope those casual, fair weather Buff fans can somehow empathize with what the school and, in particular, the athletic department and football program have been through and what its going to take for our beloved Golden Buffaloes to reach respectability and beyond; and not just locally, but nationally.

 

[BlackNGold]

Interesting topic. There's no doubt the program needs to be rebuilt. The psyche of the team has to be pretty down after five years of blathering ineptitude and "working on a couple little things so this deal will pop".

Attitude should be the easiest thing to adjust, and I believe the staff has begun this process already. There are expectations placed on the team. It remains to be seen what will happen to those who do not meet those expectations. That will be the first real test for this staff.

There are so many specific areas that need attention that it's hard to pick one or two. But I'll try: Start with special teams. Special teams at CU has been atrocious the last four years. Absolutely atrocious. Missed FGs, kickoffs out of bounds or worse - fielded at the 15 yard line. Piss poor blocking on kickoff returns. Bad punt coverage, awful punting and punt returns. The whole gamut of bad special teams play has been on display for all to see for the last four years. You can have an average team on offense and defense, but if you have a really, really strong special teams, you'll win a lot of games.

After special teams, work on the defensive line. A dominant defensive line will allow your offense more chances. It will cause turnovers, sacks, and negative rushing yards. It will lead to poor throws that result in interceptions. A really good defensive line will cover up for a lot of deficiencies in other areas.

I would be more than satisfied if I saw excellent special teams play and excellent defensive line play this year.

I agree the attitude of playing hard will be instilled from the start but I think it is more difficult to develop leadership in a short time frame, so that part of the attitude component will be slower to come about.

 

[Duff Man]

The biggest change in the program needs to be in accountability. No more watered down expectations and just sticking with guys because that is how it has always been. There needs to be a standard of excellence that players understand and strive to meet. No more silly mistakes and playing flat for quarters at a time.

We cannot have FG kickers missing more than half their kicks, punt returners congratulated for just catching the ball, and so many other disastrous legacies from the Hawkins era. If a guy cannot perform at this level, find someone else who can. This is big boy football and not everyone is cut out to play at this level.

I think we will see immediate improvement on the field this season.

 

[lawdogg]

This is big boy football and not everyone is cut out to play at this level.

Would you say that, "This aint intramurals...?"

 

[DeNiro]

I would be more than satisfied if I saw excellent special teams play and excellent defensive line play this year.

This is what I'm looking for as well as some big plays on offense.

 

[White_Rabbit]

I just don't see any way that we are as lackadaisical as we were under Hawk. The only problem I can see is if there are people on the team that don't quite buy into the toughness Embree is trying to teach.

We also face a monumental uphill battle in regards to talent level. We have some nice pieces, but overall depth sucks and will be much worse after this year.

 

[buffsyko]

I believe all you guys above go along with the same opinions as most of us on allbuffs have in regard to immediate expectations for the Buffs this year and quenching the thirst of the necessary improvements that can make the program become what we all expect and have witnessed in the past. There are literally tens of thousands of Buff fans who are substantially more ignorant and uninformed than those of us who peruse any little tidbit of info we can access about the Buffs. I hope those folks possess the patience and understanding about what its going to take to stomach what could be the simple fact that there may be more losses than wins in the near future and like BnG said, its not going to happen overnight. I hope those casual, fair weather Buff fans can somehow empathize with what the school and, in particular, the athletic department and football program have been through and what its going to take for our beloved Golden Buffaloes to reach respectability and beyond; and not just locally, but nationally.

More losses? That's what we had the last 5 years. Not this crap again. The time to win is now. I understand what you're saying but this change wasn't made so CU has a winning season in another 5 years I hope.

 

[Quattro]

More losses? That's what we had the last 5 years. Not this crap again. The time to win is now. I understand what you're saying but this change wasn't made so CU has a winning season in another 5 years I hope.

Problem is that even though we'll see improvements, it may not be in the win column with this schedule. We really should schedule easy home games to get the teams confidence up heading into our conference schedule.

 

[buffaholic]

I don't know that the talent level this year isn't better than it's been in the last 8 years or so, predating Hawkins. We have an experienced QB who is pretty athletic, a good RB, and a few playmakers at WR. It's middle-of-the-road talent at best, but might be better than we've seen in awhile.

I think this team could be pretty good if it finds 2 CB's, and avoids injury. There is little to no depth developed and there is going to be a step back after graduation. I am concerned we could be mediocre this year and bad next year, breaking in a new QB which is huge in college and graduating a lot of key players, especially on offense (at least 6 by my count).

Often, when a new coaching regime has a bad 1st year, it can be overcome in recruiting. Throw it on the last guy. But players want to see real progress in year 2-3. KU pulled off a decent class with a disastrous season. This year, if they show steady improvement (after setting the bar so low last year) they will likely look pretty good come January to some kids. 2012 looks to be a tough year to me in Boulder.

 

[Mick Ronson]

i'm looking for a team that gets better as the season progresses. plays hard (i can't fault Dan's teams for this. Clueless, but not quitters).

seems to have something coherent about it.

brutal schedule. if we win 5 i'm happy. less, there's more to prove. 6. let's go.

 

[Quattro]

Does anyone else feel like the AD scheduled us out of a bowl game to an extent? I realize the pay for OSU and Cal is nice but it would have benefited us much more to schedule two cupcakes (New Mexico State and San Jose State for example) and get two early wins as opposed to a likely loss and a game that could swing both ways IMO.

 

[sackman]

Does anyone else feel like the AD scheduled us out of a bowl game to an extent? I realize the pay for OSU and Cal is nice but it would have benefited us much more to schedule two cupcakes (New Mexico State and San Jose State for example) and get two early wins as opposed to a likely loss and a game that could swing both ways IMO.

The Cal game was on the schedule regardless. The OSU game was (is) a money game, pure and simple. Bohn knew that we were going to be struggling with the revenues for the first year and he's doing everything he can think of to make up the difference. Bowl games often are money losers. I think Bohn would probably rather CU not go to a bowl, given the financial implications of doing so. At least for this season. Next season, I think we're in a more normal environment.

 

[Quattro]

I thought the home Cal game for this year wasn't a sure thing since we joined the Pac 12? I realize the OSU game is a money game but I find it hard to believe that our AD is in such a bind that they had to schedule OSU, that's the **** that low level non-AQ teams do. We should have gotten rid of one of those and replaced them with New Mexico State or a similar team. Bowl games help recruiting, not scheduling tough teams and going 4-9, 5-8 or whatever. We can schedule those teams when we're winning games and have top flight recruits. Scheduling those seemed to help others get back to being elite.

 

[Mick Ronson]

The Cal game was on the schedule regardless. The OSU game was (is) a money game, pure and simple. Bohn knew that we were going to be struggling with the revenues for the first year and he's doing everything he can think of to make up the difference. Bowl games often are money losers. I think Bohn would probably rather CU not go to a bowl, given the financial implications of doing so. At least for this season. Next season, I think we're in a more normal environment.

i don't see how you can't like the tOSU game for the spot we had on the schedule. i thought Bohn, who i am mixed on, did a nice job getting his soon to be breakout football team on national TV against CSU and Toledo unopposed. not his fault Dan dropped a deuce in his own pants both times.

i can see the practical "beat UNC at home" thing, but really. we're Colorado. we play people. young kids on their way to being Buffs will remember this game. win or lose. CU in the Horseshoe.

I suspect the Buckeyes push us around and such, but it's not impossible.

 

[Quattro]

I think people would remember 9-10 win seasons more than one game in 2011 at tOSU. Sure us Buff fans will, but recruits aren't going to say "Oh look, CU played tOSU on the road." They're going to look and see a 9 or 10 win season and be like "That's pretty impressive." Just my $0.02.

 

[Mick Ronson]

I think people would remember 9-10 win seasons more than one game in 2011 at tOSU.

well, one of those is scheduled. the other is a mythical beast. and in your framework, i'll take 9 with a game at the Shoe instead of "10" with a win over Northern Colorado.

 

[Quattro]

Edited in something else to my original. I know we aren't going to win 9 or 10 games this season, but in the future when we do get back to winning 9-10 games every season, people are going to think that's more impressive than going to tOSU in 2011. I just think that where we are at right now we shouldn't be scheduling these tough OOC teams. Yeah we did that back under Mac but none of the top teams do this now a days.

 

[buffs04]

The Cal game was on the schedule regardless. The OSU game was (is) a money game, pure and simple. Bohn knew that we were going to be struggling with the revenues for the first year and he's doing everything he can think of to make up the difference. Bowl games often are money losers. I think Bohn would probably rather CU not go to a bowl, given the financial implications of doing so. At least for this season. Next season, I think we're in a more normal environment.

This reminds me of the poster here a few years ago who swore it was better that CU didn't go to a bowl for some comically-suspect reason. How could winning more and attracting some positive national attention possibly hurt the program? Laughable argument.

If we don't make a bowl next year -- which requires seven wins -- I don't think most informed fans will be upset, but I certainly don't think most fans will view it is a positive, either.

 

[Quattro]

I don't think many, if any informed fans are expecting a bowl game this year but want to see improvement, even if it doesn't improve in the W/L column.

 

[Deleted member 807]

I think people would remember 9-10 win seasons more than one game in 2011 at tOSU. Sure us Buff fans will, but recruits aren't going to say "Oh look, CU played tOSU on the road." They're going to look and see a 9 or 10 win season and be like "That's pretty impressive." Just my $0.02.

That's Kansas State and Texas Tech thinking. An OOC serving of cupcakes doesn't necessarily fill seats. When CU played New Mexico State or Miami of Ohio in Boulder, the fan involvement was blah. It was nothing like the West Virginia setting. Sometimes the cream puff strategy backfires (Montana State, Toledo, almost Eastern Washington).

I would much rather go watch the Buffs play at Ohio State. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the Buffs at the 'shoe. Basically every away game this season IS like a bowl game...great settings week in and week out.

Instead of worrying about the schedule, I'm more worried about the defensive backfield, the kicking game, the consistency of Tyler Hansen with his receivers, and the game day coaching of the new regime.

 

[sackman]

This reminds me of the poster here a few years ago who swore it was better that CU didn't go to a bowl for some comically-suspect reason. How could winning more and attracting some positive national attention possibly hurt the program? Laughable argument.

If we don't make a bowl next year -- which requires seven wins -- I don't think most informed fans will be upset, but I certainly don't think most fans will view it is a positive, either.

Please re-read my post and then, possibly, re-read it again. Think about it for a little while. Then re-read it again to make sure you completely understand it, then respond. It's obvious from your response that you have absolutely no idea what my "argument" is.