Blogs › Buffzone Blog

The Mailbag

Posted August 14, 2007

Greetings all.

Thanks in advance for the questions. Please keep them coming in the future. I'll do my best to tell you what I think, and if I don't know the answer, I'll find out from someone who does.

So let's get started.

Hey Kyle,

Who will be doing returns for us? Also, who are the top 4 receivers so far. What has happened to Barnett, Robinson, and Sprague, haven't heard much about them this summer. Thanks!

Jeff Williamson

Hugh Charles and Terrence Wheatley are the two most likely guys to return kickoffs because of their speed and experience. Byron Ellis has done it in the past, too. I'd count on those guys being back there.

I think Stephone Robinson, D.J. Dykes or Chase McBride will handle punt returns. Once again, I name these guys because of their experience. I could see a guy like Cha'pelle Brown, Lamont Smith or even Josh Smith doing it in the future, But why put one of them back there this season, when you have three experienced guys.

I'd say the top four receivers at this point are Patrick Williams, Dusty Sprague, Jarrell Yates and Josh Smith.

I think you have to keep an eye on true freshmen Kendrick Celestine and Markques Simas and redshirt freshman Scotty McKnight. Also Alvin Barnett and Bernard Jackson will get their opportunities.

Robinson also has ability to make plays, but he has had trouble consistently catching the ball. A guy like Cody Crawford gets playing time because he catches everything thrown his way and he does everything right.

There is suddenly a lot of depth here.

Hi Kyle,

I have a question about Marques Simas. I was at the scrimmage on Sunday, but don’t remember him catching a ball. Is he falling behind on learning the play book? What is his deal, because it seems like he is being left behind by Smith and Celestine.

Regards,

Dan Flygare

Dan, Simas caught one pass in the scrimmage for about 10 yards as I recall. He's doing fine, though he sat out Monday's afternoon practice with a sore shoulder. Simas didn't spend as much time in Boulder as others this summer because of a family trip to Portugal. I'm sure he will catch up soon enough if he stays healthy.

Hi Ringo,

Good job with the blog and I look forward to your Video BuffZone with the other guy Woelk.

Q) Seems like Ryan Miller is a man-child, and you reported that he dominated in the Pillow Fight pre-practice last week. When do you see him cracking the starting line-up?

Q2) What type of Detergent do the Equipment Managers use on the dirty practice uniforms? I'm having a devil of a time with grass-stains this season. This is Boulder so I'm assuming its earth-friendly.

Thanks,

Rick Koeller

Rick, I could see Ryan Miller starting against Colorado State, but I think he has some learning to do before he gets there. I'd be surprised if he's not starting by the time conference play.

I couldn't get the exact detergent type, but J.T. Galloway, the CU equipment guru, says all the stuff is separated each day and the most dirty stuff is treated with a cleanser prior to being soaked and washed. J.T. said there is no magic potion. Sometimes it comes down to scrubbing. You might try some elbow grease. Good luck.

Kyle,

I really appreciate your blog regarding the Buffs. I'm a long time season

ticket holder... .Since the mid 1940's someone in my family has been the

holder of a number of season tickets. Believe me when I say, I've seen the

Buffs on the upside and downside. Clearly there was going to be some

fallout with recruiting over the last couple of years, based on the

negative publicity. My question is:

Has the university given Hawk some flexibility in terms of academic

performance when it comes to recruiting partial qualifying kids? It seems

that when this happens we are able to bring in enough competitive talent to

make an impact on the field.. There were a number of players that Bill

McCartney recruited successfully that would not have been admitted the last

couple of years.

Thanks,

Bill

Bill, Hawk is expected to find players who can compete on the field and handle the academic load as well. The school is reluctant to lower its standards for athletes or anybody else. I'm not so sure it should to tell you the truth. I think it's possible to win in Boulder without shortcuts, but it will take some patience.

Hi Kyle,

I enjoy reading your blog.

Back in the early 60's when I was at CU and Sonny

Grandelius was the coach, I used to watch the

team practice. It all seemed pretty simple, with a lot

of guys standing around and watching.

I would find a column about what they actually do at

practice now to be informative. How much do they run?

Do they lift weights on practice days? How do the

coaches break the practice down? etc.

Chuck Paul

Ridgefield, WA

Chuck,

They run a lot less now that practices have started than in the offseason, but they still do some running at the end of most practices.

Practices are broken up into five-minute periods. Each period has a specific drill or purpose. For instance, the team might do kickoff return in one period, but while this is happening, quarterbacks will be elsewhere working with the offensive coordinator and linemen are typically off doing their thing.

There isn't much standing around or wasted time, except maybe when the entire team comes together for 11-on-11 work. Then the guys who aren't on the field, will be standing and watching.

OK. We'll leave it there for the first edition of the mailbag. Keep the questions coming. And thanks for reading.