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What has happened with the CU football team this season.

BlackNGold

BlackNGold

Club Member
This is based mostly on conjecture and somewhat on snooping around.

Many of you commented last season on how CU looked sometimes like they were small, slow and untalented - well you were correct and to make matters worst they lost a lot of talent off of that team. For the good news, CU brought in a lot of talent in the last recruiting class which eventually will result in a talent upgrade.

The staff totally was caught off guard by the impact of an inexperienced team - (they should of talked to Barnett) - this is shades of 2000 again but with less talent. Call it leadership, call it chemistry, call it maturity, these players are not playing with confidence on game day. They are tentative and trying to avoid mistakes instead of trying to make plays. The staff was not prepared for this - they spent the fall practices working on the hurry up and overlooked working one overcoming their weaknesses. The team looks good in practice but the old adage you play how you practice is not holding up. No one has confidence in anyone else - including the staff in the players and vice versa.

The staff now knows this season is quickly turning into a disaster they may not survive. This is where inexperience of the coaching staff is killing them. This will be a major challenge to pull this team together mentally - the team is reeling and does not know how to deal with it.

I will be totally shocked if Webb starts this week (my conjecture only no inside info) he has not been accurate and the Buffs have to find playmakers somewhere on offense.

How this staff reacts will be critical to their future. They have to show some progress by the end of the season to assure another season.

Remember some of those big money donors were on the selection committee and would be more inclined to lobby for Embree to get another season is there is some glimmer of hope. This coaching staff knows they have put themselves in a hole and they have to fight their way out.
 
Thanks, BnG.

I hope they get this turned around this week. Embree's a great guy and one thing I'm sure of is that these past 2 weeks have bothered him more than anyone. I wasn't always convinced that was the case with HaLkins and it counts for a lot. I'm cheering for Embree to get it done. Plus, a number of the guys on the staff are my football heroes. This is really hard to see right now.

Where I'm at though is the saying, "Once is an accident, twice is a trend, three in a row is a fact." There's a very disturbing trend this season and if the team doesn't perform against Fresno State I think we have to call it a fact that this is what they are and what this coaching staff is.

Hoping to see Wood inject some life into the team.

Hoping to see Henderson back. Would have been a different secondary on Saturday with Henderson on the #1 WR, KC on the #2, and Yuri able to cover the slot. Scary to have our 2 best DBs out (Hendo and Polk) with road games against spread offenses the next two weeks.
 
This team needs a senior/junior to step up to a leadership position. I have no clue who that would be but I think that is what is missing. The guy doesn't even need to be on the field. Just a voice in the locker room or on the sidelines. Regardless of what is being said, the talent is there. They just don't believe. The Hawk taint still permeates. I don't think the coaching staff can cure that. I think that is the problem.
 
Buffnik said:
I hope they get this turned around this week. Embree's a great guy and one thing I'm sure of is that these past 2 weeks have bothered him more than anyone. I wasn't always convinced that was the case with HaLkins and it counts for a lot. I'm cheering for Embree to get it done. Plus, a number of the guys on the staff are my football heroes. This is really hard to see right now.
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This. There is no questioning the love Embry, EB and the other former players on the staff have for CU Football. They really do see themselves a party of an extended family (Buffs4Life charity, for example). They are the heroes of the glory days and the pain of losing is compounded by the fact that these guys want so bad to succeed and return CU to the top of college football. It breaks my heart two times over.
 
I was glad to see them drop Powell in and the results it brought were very good. Sometimes coaching staffs can be more stubborn about pulling the trigger on the QB position. I
would like to see what Wood could do. At this point how much worse could it get? At least give him a try.

Confidence and mistakes are a different story. No easy fix, especially where youth and inexperience is involved. Sure wish Embree and crew could get it turned around though.
 
Now that the shock of losing two games in a row that a program like CU should never lose we are now starting to see a little bit more reason.

The extra year given to Hawkins continues to haunt us. The talent that Embree has brought in has been a significant improvement over what he found when he got here but this is a team that is devoid of leadership. The last two classes from Hawkins who should be the guys setting the tone and holding guys accountable are either long gone or barely holding on to their positions. It is very hard to expect sophmores and freshman to be your leaders.

There is also a big difference between talent and the potential that goes with it and an ability to translate that into performance. Lots of these guys are just trying to figure out where to go next on the field. The idea of being a part of something bigger hasn't even entered into their minds. In almost any other program a lot of our starters would either be sitting on the bench watching an upperclassman, playing spot duty, or in a couple of cases playing but surrounded by upperclassmen who set a tone and hold them accountable.

The fact that our coaches have never been head coaches or even coordinators before and came in isolated from the college game for multiple years means that they are doing a lot of the same learning on the fly.

The results of all this have been seen on the field the last two weeks. I don't know if Embree will get it together in time to save his job. I had high hopes when he came in and still like him as an individual. I am now looking for him to make the changes that will give him a chance to turn things around. He needs to take a lesson from his last boss, Mike Shannahan, and forget the allegiances replacing the inneffective members of his staff.

Embree isn't going to be fired this year. Unless things get even worse he is likely to get next year as well. For his sake and the sake of the program lets hope that he and his young team do some fast maturing.
 
BnG, you have been on a tear with quality posts. I believe the transition from the Big 12 North to the Pac-12 South is one factor that has been overlooked in CU's struggles in the Pac-12 so far.

We need to bring Embree back next season regardless of what happens this season. It's not going to be popular but it needs to be done.
 
I'm still amazed so many posters seem to be very happy with Embree's recruiting.
 
Duff Man said:
I'm still amazed so many posters seem to be very happy with Embree's recruiting.
Click to expand...

All the grayshirts artificially inflate and balance the classes (as long as JT, PW and KJ all make it here in January). Got to hold on to Parsons. And we absolutely need to close on our LB targets. It won't be a great class by any stretch, but it will be serviceable for moving us forward if the coaches close well. I think it's about like the 2011 class. Definitely a step back from 2012. 2014 class will be horrible if the team doesn't turn it around on the field.
 
Not saying recruiting has been horrible, but the OL recruiting by this regime is going to haunt us for a while IMO. I think team speed is improving a bit, but it still does not seem to be the priority it should be.
 
NashBuff said:
BnG, you have been on a tear with quality posts. I believe the transition from the Big 12 North to the Pac-12 South is one factor that has been overlooked in CU's struggles in the Pac-12 so far.

We need to bring Embree back next season regardless of what happens this season. It's not going to be popular but it needs to be done.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, neither CSU nor Sacramento State play in the Big 12, nor the Pac 12. Fresno doesn't either.

Fortunately, the following opponent, Washington State, has a coach who did coach in the Big 12. Maybe that is where the Buffs will find a win this season.

IF Colorado loses every game this year (and there is a lot of football left to be played) I can't see any way that Embree is brought back for another year. I can't see any reason why anyone would want Embree to be brought back for another year in that scenario.
 
I do not think CU wins a game this year:cry:... I was thinking a 4/5 win year and 2 of those wins are (in) the books already. It is starting to snowball at this point - players/coaches losing trust in each other. When the Buffs run out on the field against some truly talented teams (Pac12) these young players are really going to freak out. csu just got schooled by some small school in North Dakota??? and Sac St.???
By the way, amazing how ucla, arizona and others have new coaches with losing past records and looked really good so far this year. Those fans aren't hearing how young the team is and how it is going to take some time.
So tired of posting after losing.... It has been so long since us as fans have had a reason to be happy...
 
Buffnik said:
Thanks, BnG.

I hope they get this turned around this week. Embree's a great guy and one thing I'm sure of is that these past 2 weeks have bothered him more than anyone. I wasn't always convinced that was the case with HaLkins and it counts for a lot. I'm cheering for Embree to get it done. Plus, a number of the guys on the staff are my football heroes. This is really hard to see right now.

Where I'm at though is the saying, "Once is an accident, twice is a trend, three in a row is a fact." There's a very disturbing trend this season and if the team doesn't perform against Fresno State I think we have to call it a fact that this is what they are and what this coaching staff is.

Hoping to see Wood inject some life into the team.

Hoping to see Henderson back. Would have been a different secondary on Saturday with Henderson on the #1 WR, KC on the #2, and Yuri able to cover the slot. Scary to have our 2 best DBs out (Hendo and Polk) with road games against spread offenses the next two weeks.
Click to expand...

I also really want Embree to succeed. Going through a season with an air of uncertainty does not help the program and will further set things back as far as getting talent into the program. After awhile rebuilding can become all you are ever doing if you do not have a breakthrough. CU fans have been pretty lucky over the past 40+ years up until Hawkins. Other than Fairbanks ever coach had a winning record since Crowder. The Hawkins era seem to take the program in a whole different direction that I am still trying to get my head around.
 
Lot of good posts. I don't know what to think. It bothered me that, after the game, Embree just looked shell shocked. He had no answers. Of course, we all want him to succeed. But I'm having a hard time believing he will. That said, we have 34 guys who were in high school 4 months ago. We have 12 RS freshmen. Thats 46 freshmen. We have 27 sophomores, so 73 of our guys are FR/SO. Twenty one juniors, and 8 seniors. I mean, I guess we shouldn't be shocked.
 
DBT said:
That said, we have 34 guys who were in high school 4 months ago. We have 12 RS freshmen. Thats 46 freshmen. We have 27 sophomores, so 73 of our guys are FR/SO. Twenty one juniors, and 8 seniors. I mean, I guess we shouldn't be shocked.
Click to expand...
We're young and playing scared, and yet we should probably be 2-0. We're so far away from being a confident program with swagger. I like Embree and I know that his heart and soul are in it, but I don't think we're getting the most out of our talent right now and we're definitely getting outcoached. Lack of confidence, no swagger, no leadership... not a good trajectory we're on.

Embree had a coaches meeting after the loss. We're going to find out alot about his coaching chops in the coming weeks. He is going to have to fire/demote some friends. Will he be able to?
 
BuffNut99 said:
We're young and playing scared, and yet we should probably be 2-0. We're so far away from being a confident program with swagger. I like Embree and I know that his heart and soul are in it, but I don't think we're getting the most out of our talent right now and we're definitely getting outcoached. Lack of confidence, no swagger, no leadership... not a good trajectory we're on.

Embree had a coaches meeting after the loss. We're going to find out alot about his coaching chops in the coming weeks. He is going to have to fire/demote some friends. Will he be able to?
Click to expand...

I actually will be more impressed if he is able to lead his staff out of this morass without any firings. I agree on the coaching chops thing. EB called some good games last year and it is not rocket science. But when you lose confidence in the execution it impacts what you call - not an excuse just pointing out how a coach can get in a rut. As the old saying goes - "When you up to your ass in alligators you forget you were there to drain the swamp." Having the meeting is one thing but you need to actually accomplish something as a result of the meeting.
 
MtnBuff said:
The fact that our coaches have never been head coaches or even coordinators before and came in isolated from the college game for multiple years means that they are doing a lot of the same learning on the fly.
Click to expand...

Believe it or not there is a lot of experience on the staff in terms of head coaching and o and d coordinating. Was looking at the Bios...IMO the most questionable hire was Khanavis...I think they hired him because of his ties to Houston High Schools...
 
DBT said:
Lot of good posts. I don't know what to think. It bothered me that, after the game, Embree just looked shell shocked. He had no answers. Of course, we all want him to succeed. But I'm having a hard time believing he will. That said, we have 34 guys who were in high school 4 months ago. We have 12 RS freshmen. That's 46 freshmen. We have 27 sophomores, so 73 of our guys are FR/SO. Twenty one juniors, and 8 seniors. I mean, I guess we shouldn't be shocked.
Click to expand...
I agree with your thoughts and as you look over the roster....remember the bad play calling, players not looking prepared (veterans included), no identity are we a running or a passing team? I like many want Embree to succeed, but just don't want to go down the hawkins road again... ucla is playing really young kids and look what they are doing after sucking or look at kansas st. they sucked and brought back Snyder and were competing the same year???? I think we are being punished for firing a winning coach for doing his job, evaluating a player
 
buffup said:
i agree with your thoughts and as you look over the roster....remember the bad play calling, players not looking prepared (veterans included), no identity are we a running or a passing team? I like many want embree to succeed, but just don't want to go down the hawkins road again... Ucla is playing really young kids and look what they are doing after sucking or look at kansas st. they sucked and brought back snyder and were competing the same year???? i think we are being punished for firing a winning coach for doing his job, evaluating a player
Click to expand...

juco
 
Duff Man said:
I'm still amazed so many posters seem to be very happy with Embree's recruiting.
Click to expand...
I'm not very happy, but all things considered I don't think it's too bad. On offense Powell and Thomas are difference makers...hope the latter gets the start over McCullough. I think Wood will be a good player for us..at least I hope so. Don't know about his OL recruits, but I know a few them are monster athletes.

I am completely baffled by the D. Every position seems to have decent-to-good players, but they suck. I can only attribute it to "Brownie".
 
Everyone here wants Embo and the team to succeed. But it is awfully damn hard to see improvement in year two when 1st csu coach beats CU with a team that CU beat last year, and D1aa Sac. St. blows in from the Big Sky conference and beats CU with only 11 starters returning from last year.
 
For people comparing us to how new coaches are doing at UCLA, ASU and Zona are doing, all three (with the possible exception of Zona) were in much better shape in terms of talent than what Hawkins left behind. On the other hand, we did lose to Sac State and CSWho. SMH.
 
Duff Man said:
Not saying recruiting has been horrible, but the OL recruiting by this regime is going to haunt us for a while IMO. I think team speed is improving a bit, but it still does not seem to be the priority it should be.
Click to expand...

This is spot on. Overall I am surprised at the quality of some of the DL recruits we have gotten. Last years class included more legit DT prospects than we have seen total since maybe the 1990's. The DE's haven't been bad either. DB recruiting has been a strength. LB has fallen short but may come out okay this year.

If not for injury/etc. this years WR class would have pretty solid. I also like (not love but like) what we have done with TE. Dillon and Sefu give us hope at QB, again better than we have seen in a decade. Powell looks to be a future star, the rest of the RBs seem to be dissapointing but servicable.

Unfortunately a common thread with success seems to always be the OL. While you can make arguments that our recruits at every other positon are at least PAC level athletes the quality and quantity of our OL prospects is sorely lacking. I think a couple of our recruits will turn out (Irwin, etc.) but overall we have failed miserably in bringing in the numbers and quality that is needed to build and maintain an OL that can compete on the LOS at this level.

For this reason I think that Marshall is a weak link who has to go soon. CU has completely struck out on maybe the best two year pool of OL prospects in the history of Colorado HS football. Multiple players who have gone to, or are going to BCS contenders and we never got close on any of them. I know that there are recruiting areas but the position coaches have to close the deals since these are the guys who are going to be most significant to those players. Marshall is a disaster in that area and we can't afford to keep him around.
 
BuffUp said:
I agree with your thoughts and as you look over the roster....remember the bad play calling, players not looking prepared (veterans included), no identity are we a running or a passing team? I like many want Embree to succeed, but just don't want to go down the hawkins road again... ucla is playing really young kids and look what they are doing after sucking or look at kansas st. they sucked and brought back Snyder and were competing the same year???? I think we are being punished for firing a winning coach for doing his job, evaluating a player
Click to expand...
Well, we're definitely NOT a passing team...
 
HouBuff said:
juco
Click to expand...

Uh huh, you go on believing that Prince left him a full cupboard. Synder is one of the GOATs and is in the college football hall of fame while Mac isn't in there yet. He took the worst D1 team historically (or among the likes of places like NMSU) and made them a MNC contender. What he did for KSU, even if he did do the juco thing, hasn't been something other teams have been able to replicate. Look at all of the MAC, WAC, MWC teams that could do the juco thing. None of them have accomplished what Synder has at KSU.
 
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