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Buffs focus on accountability
Hawkins hopes to avoid off-field trouble through leadership
Colorado football coaches are determined not to endure another ugly offseason in 2009 and began taking steps to avoid it the day after this season ended with a gut-wrenching loss at Nebraska.
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Coaches are dividing players into "accountability groups" this offseason as a way to get help from older players in leading freshmen and sophomores in the right direction. At least eight current or former members of the program were ticketed or arrested last winter and spring and five players became academically ineligible to play.
The "accountability groups" are designed to prevent that from happening this year because other players will have a stake in how teammates in their group perform. Several members of next year's senior class said players need to do a better job of policing themselves from now on."Really, I think our number one thing is we've got to be accountable for each other," guard Devin Head said. "We've got to make sure we're doing the right things off the field.
"This year, I think we've got to be not always ready for the coaches to be telling us what to do, but we have to tell each other what to do."
The Buffs got together for their usual day-after weight-lifting and running session on Saturday and coaches called them into a huddle afterward to point out how quickly things change.
None of the 2008 seniors were present. They no longer had to be. Players who had been juniors on the field the day before in Memorial Stadium were now the leaders of the team. There are just 15 of them, and only 11 have logged significant playing time in their careers.
Tight end Patrick Devenny is one. He called those moments Saturday when he realized he was now a senior and a leader "an awakening."
"There are a lot of good role models for younger guys, especially new guys coming in," Devenny said of the 2009 seniors. "I think we've learned from experiences what not to do and what to do."
It was a illuminating moment for linebacker Jeff Smart, who led the Buffs in tackles this season and will be a fifth-year man next fall.
"It kind of hits you that we're moving on to another year," Smart said Monday on the first day of winter strength and conditioning with coach Jeff Pitman.
Coaches and players met as a team again Monday night when accountability was addressed once again. It is a message with even more power now considering what transpired this season.
The off-the-field problems in the past year led to problems on the field because there were fewer eligible players to respond to depth issues that arose through injuries.
CU lost 121 games due to injury this season with 110 of them coming from players in the two-deep depth chart or on special teams units. By the end of the season, the numbers were almost unbelievable for Hawkins, who said he rarely had more than one or two season-ending injuries in previous seasons
Eleven players were out with injuries, five more were ineligible and four were forced to sit out because of transfer rules. Add 16 freshman sitting out redshirt seasons and you have a total of 36 players unavailable on game days. In many ways, the Buffs were playing almost like an NFL team, which is limited to a 53-man roster.
"Obviously that does take it's toll on the team," linebacker Bryan Stengel said. "All you can do is pretty much lead by example, try to give them the best advice you can and hope it sinks in."
Players said the areas in which they can have the biggest influence on their teammates is helping with time management and showing younger players how best to get schoolwork done along with all their other responsibilities.
Players said they can help keep each other out of trouble to a certain extent, but it also will require a higher level of personal responsibility from every individual. If a player is hell bent on pushing the boundaries and living life more like an average college student, there is only so much teammates and coaches can do.
"I think a lot of people are realizing that being a part of the football team, things aren't necessarily going to be fair," Smart said. "If a random student gets in trouble, no one is going to know about it, but if one of us does, everyone will. It's going to be in the paper and it may not be taken fair. That's just part of it.
"At the same time, probably 90 percent of the people out there would do anything to trade spots with us. We have to realize that, too. It's a privilege to be able to play college football."
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Posted by shoulder2shoulder on December 2, 2008 at 7:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
for those of you that didn't read the chat from last night please do so. It was great to see Kyle put fishhead over his knee and spank him like the little boy he is!
Posted by jgallup on December 2, 2008 at 7:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Hopefully the players will break out the coaches into accountability groups as well.
Posted by jakeh_77 on December 2, 2008 at 7:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nepabuff there will be 15 seniors next year.
Posted by RalphieRepresentah4 on December 2, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
nepa,what do you mean WE?
Posted by rnorthro14 on December 2, 2008 at 7:34 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Next year's senior class = Barnett's last class. Barnett took a pass on recruiting his final two seasons as CU's HC.
That's why its so small.
Bank on at least a 8-4 record in 2009.
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on December 2, 2008 at 8:06 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Next year will be really interesting. Hawk has to win 8 games or else he has to be fired.
He's used up all of his "alibis" over the last three years. Now it's time to prove that he can win or find a new job (selling used cars).
Posted by roamingbuff on December 2, 2008 at 8:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Buff fans an visitors to this site. I appoligize. We have a handful of daily posters here who are full of venom and negativity. Not one word applauding the efforts the coaching staff is taking to try to make things better and keep kids out of trouble.
One knucklehead asks what the coaches are doing. Well, where do the 'accountability groups" come from? The coaching staff. A handful of coaches cannot monitor more than 100 student athletes 24-7. You need help. And young students often listen more to fellow students than to an adult. So the whole plan makes sense to me.
Despite the daily efforts of some people on this site to tear down the program - CU is taking steps to help students athletes succeed and stay out of trouble. It is a great school offering a great opportunity.
The folks within the program and on the team are a good bunch of people. So - visitors to this site - please look past the continual negativity. Look past the handful of knuckleheads and realize CU has some very, very good things going on.
GO CU. Stay strong off the field this year.
Posted by tdmcn on December 2, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Every so often I find myself agreeing with fishhead, and this time it's about the goals and accountability of the assistant coaches. Hawkins' contract has goals in it. What about the assistants?
Recruiting goals? Strength and speed (by player)? Academics\GPA? Playbook knowledge for players? And I'm sure there're a lot of others.
Speaking of recruiting......why don't we actively pursue the best punters and placekickers in the nation? Who is expected to be one of the highest scorers on the team? The PK. Who has the opportunity to bury an opponent in field position? The punter. Both jobs require unique physical and mental skills. If scholarships are truly up for grabs each year, we should have an open and vigorous competition for a couple of them.
Academic eligibility? The coaches should know how every player stands at all times in each class. There shouldn't be any surprises. The tutors should be married to any player who has marginal performance in a class.
Posted by rodrigo on December 2, 2008 at 8:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Ringo to fishhead: "grow a pair." Ouch.
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on December 2, 2008 at 8:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If you were a recruit would you bet your future on Hawkins winning 8 games next year?
Not a chance! No recruit wants to be part of a coaching change/rebuilding process.
Posted by siess on December 2, 2008 at 8:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Let's name names here about negative posters most of us don't want around here. Nepa and Whoisyourdaddy are the resident , negative posters around these parts. They are not buff fans, or you would hear some positive things about the team.
You guys know that you are negative posters, Nepa being the top troll around here.
For some reason they have a burr up their *ss about Hawk.. don't know why, but sounds like just venom to me.
Posted by roamingbuff on December 2, 2008 at 9:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I think they are Huskers, bent on sabotaging CU football and come here on a daily basis to post negativity and drive potentail recruits and fans away.
I wish there was a way to block them. But even if you could, they'd just change names and start all over again.
Posted by buff4life on December 2, 2008 at 9:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
as husker fans, nepa and whosyurdaddy, the only relief they get even after they needed the longest field goal in husker history to beat a team favored to lose by 18 points is to keep coming in here and bashing the buffs....let's see how much these PATHETIC LOSER HUSKER FANS talk next season as they begin "starting over" with their own team....it is too bad that nebraska has such losers as fans that continue to bash colorado, you two losers keep embarassing the university of nebraska for us.....
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on December 2, 2008 at 9:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Seiss - In a word, my "burr" is nepotism. It's unfair and unacceptable. There are many more deserving athletes who haven't gotten a chance simply because they are not related to Dan Hawkins.
Making Cody Hawkins the QB was a tremendous mistake that our entire university community now has to live with. Instead of being known as the best public university in the mountain west we are now known as the school that tolerates a medieval concept where the coach can just make his son the starting QB by fiat (no matter how bad he is) and we as a community will just allow him do so.
No top-level university would allow this to occur at their school. And the fact that we at CU allow it makes us look like just another North Texas, a low-level football school that will allow just about anything that involves football no matter how nefarious.
Posted by ryeBuff on December 2, 2008 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Those of you who refer to injuries as "part of football" are both correct but very unrealistic. No coach, including Coach Hawkins and his staff are going to use injuries as an excuse. However, name one team in the top 25 who would have the sparkling record they do now, or would have even finished in the top 25 if they had 11 players (mostly starters) who were lost to season ending injuries? I'll answer it, not one. Could any staff be expected to produce a record better than 5-7? No - so get over the 57 yard field goal and the Nebraska loss and focus and what's important now and that's getting ready for 2009. The last thing the CU football program needs is a coaching change - that's why it's so difficult to out recruit the Florida's, USC, Texas etc. Players know those coaches will be there throughout their 5 years. They want stability not a turnstile of head coaches.
Go Buffs
Posted by BuffTime on December 2, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
whosa, you are a nut job. You'll come after me for "name calling" but frankly it is just a statement of the obvious about you.
If your sole grudge is seriously that Cody is playing QB and Hawk is his father and head coach, then you have serious issues. Of course, we all already knew that. You have deep deep personal issues. Get yourself some professional help.
And to those who say that nepa and whosa are Husker fans, I'm sorry, even Husker fans have come on this site to say that they are nuts and Husker fans tend to be more knowledgeable about football than these clowns.
So whosa, in your mind, any time that a son is working for his father or is in a position of authority within a program or business that his father is the head guy, it is nepotism? No way he could be qualified?
You keep bashing a 20 yr old kid (first he was 18 and 19 BTW this is not a new phenomenon for you). That is called stalking my friend. It isn't healthy by any stretch of the imagination. Get help and talk to your father. It is time you cleared the air with him.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 9:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
whosyourhypocrite "fights the good fight" against nepotism.....at CU anyway. Its ok for Felini, Stoops and Saban.
Whopa and his psychological nightmare neepad and god knows which other names he uses here have shown such an intense obsession since Hawk's day one, will soft pedal when cornered but will always tell you "its nothing personal."
Bullcrapp. These scumbuckets would tear down the entire program and everything around them just for their pound of flesh. It must have been one hell of a transgression on their egos by Hawk. Witness they are here everyday and all day sounding like mindless robots.
Posted by bradDaBUFF on December 2, 2008 at 10 a.m. (Suggest removal)
nepa I'm tired of it do you not realize that before Hawk our recruiting classes were ranked in the highs 30's and the average stars of our seniors were 2.5, Neb. and others never took the big hit in recruiting CU did. Bo P. walked into a much better situation with recruits. Do I expected more next year? Yes because now it is more his recruits. But you had injuries. Did you lose 3 starting lineman after the season started. Did you lose 2 starting safeties and replace them with freshman. Any team with success have healthy lines maybe lose 1 but three is tuff. You don't agree you don't know football
Posted by bradDaBUFF on December 2, 2008 at 10:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kyle did you see GT offense 410 rush yards with our backfield we should look at that style a little more next year. Lets hear more on how we need to fix the O
Posted by BuffTime on December 2, 2008 at 10:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
EP, I don't think it is personal against Hawk and Cody. I think these clowns just target them because they are high profile. I don't think either of these 2 have ever met either one or been directly affected by either of them one way or another.
They just have serious personal issues and they choose to use this forum to give life to them. If we were in Europe is would be that Hawk is the coach of the local soccer team and Cody is the goalie. Doesn't matter.
They have no vested interest in CU football whatsoever. We all know that. Let's just all try really hard and just "sigh ignore".
Posted by buff4life on December 2, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
...just got back from lincoln, what a football game, my son and I sat and cried for about 20 minutes after the game, and then we went down and met some of the husker players and fans, the stadium is incredible and the weight room where the players come out is awesome, the fans were great and got to meet tom osbourne and larry the cable guy by where my uncle's suite is...although my son and i didnt sit in the suite--we went and sat with our "family"--the buff fans....it's too bad that a few 'punk' husker fans choose to act like chumps in the buff chat rooms cuz most the husker fans we met there were cool, might not have been the same if we had won. i still cannot believe we lost that game but my "pockets" are bigger thanx to 18 points....anyway, have a good off-season buff fans, we have a lot of work to do...i'm thinking of spending this off-season working on my "posts" so that i can be as "cool" as the husker fans in here and next season i can spend everyday in the nebraska chat rooms with posts like---"patrick witt is not a big 12 quarterback and bo pelini is overmatched in the big 12"---then i can be as "cool" as nepa, whosyurdaddy and NChusker....you guys are true cool fans and even though we lost 40-31 i am gonna bash the huskers everyday with "nebraska sucks" posts.....it's cool fans like you guys that make me thank god everyday that i am a colorado buffalo fan...."OUR TIME WILL COME BUFF FANS--STAY STRONG AND IN 'HAWK' WE TRUST"----2009 SHALL BE KNOWN AS THE "YEAR OF THE BUFFALO"----SHOULDER2SHOULDER-----GLORY, GLORY, COLORADO........
Posted by BlackAndGold on December 2, 2008 at 10:45 a.m. (Suggest removal)
What a painful learning curve this season was. 7 regular season wins and a bowl game seem realistic for next season.
The Nebraska game changed my tune. They were well prepared and they almost beat our division rival, in Nebraska. I think this team is working its way back to playing good ball....coaches and players. And, for what its worth, I think the team and staff earned some respect that I'll carry over until next season.
PS> The CSU game is going to be good...the lambs are playing much better.
Posted by ryeBuff on December 2, 2008 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Focusing on the above article, this is a great idea for the offseason. Studies show that coaches preaching good conduct is far less successful than the upperclassmen modling the correct behavior for the younger players on their team. Creating small groups with upperclassmen as leaders is a great first step.
Great job coach Hawk and staff!
Posted by cubuff85 on December 2, 2008 at 11 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Pellini reminds me of Charlie Weiss: great recruiter who is a loud-mouth coach who will get canned after four years. One year does not make a coach... Ask Callahan who happen to win an Alamo Bowl against Michigan.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 11:21 a.m. (Suggest removal)
kneepad
you are asking someone else to lighten up?
how ludicrous is that?
you have to be one of the biggest jerks on the planet.
Posted by NQ on December 2, 2008 at 11:26 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Completely agree with roamingbuff's original posting... please look past the continual negativity. It certainly does not represent the CU I know and am proud of!
CU is a great program getting back on it's feet... We just happened to play one of the toughest schedules in all of college football this year... a year when our team hadn't gelled just yet... But the stampede is coming!! GO BUFFS!!!!
Posted by zonabuff on December 2, 2008 at 11:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)
nepa, when you say "we" you mean the cobsquatters, so please give us their notes and quotes. Idiot.
Posted by MDBuff on December 2, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Fishy, you asked last night, and Kyle told you how the coaches are accountable, and he showed how he's asking the tough questions. When is "Mr. Anonymous" going to stop attacking and show some accountability himself?
Posted by rswright on December 2, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Those that are full of hate if we don't win aren't worth reading because they are in it for the rush and not for CU. After reading these posts for many years the "hateful" guys leave and the true Buffs stay. True Buffs support the team, win or lose, scandal or no because the team represents CU and everything that goes with CU. Don't worry about the "hateful" posters. They are in it for the rush and if they can't get it here, they will get it some where else.
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on December 2, 2008 at 11:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
True supporters of CU would object to the BS we get from Hawkins and the Camera.
I for one appreciate fishheadsoup for saying what so many others are thinking.
Posted by MDBuff on December 2, 2008 at 12:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
fishhead - I have seen them in print. Check Kyle's article from a couple of days back where he talks about expectations will be much higher for Hawkins and his team in 2009, regardless of any alibis with which the Buffs start the season or those that materialize during it.
I'm happy to discuss, debate, etc. and I don't think I'm all "rah-rah". I'll buy you a beer at Catacombs next time I'm in town.
Dave Barash
240-453-9945
Posted by rswright on December 2, 2008 at 12:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Hey Fish, the post never mentioned you. Feeling guilty?
Posted by buffalo_flyer on December 2, 2008 at 12:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
black and gold - can you imagine how BIG the CSU game would be if it were being played at Invesco. Too bad we're pandering to season ticket holders that blow off the fourth and fifth games on the docket. CU could really use that additional 500,000 bucks
oh yeah, fishy......rah rah sis boom bah GO BUFFS
Posted by shoulder2shoulder on December 2, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Fish- those questions you posted are very good questions, I like how you left out the personal attacks!! I bet you if you email those questions to Hawk he will send you a response once he is back fro recruiting, I would love to hear his response.
Posted by Sundayhop on December 2, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I hope we are able to recruit some mean DT's and DE's this offseason. It would go a long way to strengthening next years team.
I'm glad the team is realizing they have to step up. Have to help one another and rise above. You're a target being a football player, but it's also their privilege to play for CU. They have to be the best students and athletes we have.
http://sundayhop.blogspot.com
Posted by AZBuff on December 2, 2008 at 1:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I too get tired of the negative posts as they never really contribute any constructive criticism. I really hate comparing programs but I guess one has to now and then even though it means very little to the negative posters. I agree that most of them are not real buff fans but are just on this site continually with all their anti CU football comments for something that is lacking in their lives. There are others that claim they really are fans that make absurd statements then spend almost all their postings on this site trying to convince everyone that they really do love this program but they are just asking hard questions that no one else is smart enough to ask. That group of fans need to get rid of their inability to admit they really don't comprehend the situation and that there is no quick fix.
What is it that you guys don't get about the time and effort it takes to build a viable program? We are only into 3 years of a rebuilding program that was devastated and started going downhill about 2004. It was in shambles from the top of the University all the way down through the athletic dept. The recruiting until last years class (freshman now) did not compare with most of the teams in the Big 12. I think I am correct in saying that only 2 Big 12 schools had less athletic dept budgets from 2005 and forward (Iowas St. & KSt.).
Neb if you want to take just one school has approximately $3M dollars more to spend on football every year than CU. It takes longer with less dollars to turn things around. CU has pretty much always been in this situation and it will be a while before they really can contend on a yearly basis with the football factories of the Big 12. Post all the negative crap you want but at this moment in time the true fans are the ones that can see the big picture and are willing to let this present staff have a couple more years. This is the hardest time to be a real fan and to call them rah rah and blind is just idiotic!!!
Posted by NQ on December 2, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Very well said, AZBuff!
Posted by BuffTime on December 2, 2008 at 1:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
fish, those are good questions. I have personally asked a couple of them to Ringo myself. For instance the D Scott redshirt issue.
His response was that from what they knew at the time it was a good decision. Hind-sight being 20/20 and all that. But I disagree. At the time we knew he came in out of shape. At the time we knew he was playing catch-up and had a ton of expectations on him. Personally I think the smartest thing to do at the start of the season would have been to initially redshirt him until he was in shape and had a reasonable grasp on the mental side of playing at this level. If he hadn't shown up until say the Texas game or even later he would have probably been more productive. I don't think it would have changed the outcome of the first 3-4 games with him in or out. Of course, that last part IS hind-sight. The thing is, you can always pull a redshirt during the season, but barring injury before a certain point in the season you can't put one on again.
So that is one significant coaching issue I disagree with from this past season. The second one is on Helfrich regarding the no-huddle.
Before the season started we knew how young we were going to start the season at so many positions. And I'm not counting the O-line here. The strategic advantage of using the no-huddle at altitude makes sense. BUT only under the right set of conditions which is namely a mostly veteran team that know their roles without having to think. Everyone knew that this was not that kind of team.
Play calling within the context of a game or season is subject to too many variables (what are the plays that your personnel have a good grasp of, for instance) to say that Helfrich did a poor job there with certainty. I know there are several of you that will vehemently disagree with that statement, but there is a reason these people get paid as much as they do. And it has nothing to do with nepotism.
Regarding Cody, I have no problem with questioning specifics of Cody's play or abilities if it is done in a way that his last name and parentage have nothing to do with it. Defenders could care less that the guy throwing the football is related to the coach and the guy catching it could care less either. Cody's issues have nothing to do with Hawk being his father. His strengths have nothing to do with that either. Saying he is only the starter because Hawk is his dad has been refuted by every source to come from the school/team. So why is it "fact" on this forum?
I know you are a real Buff fan. You've proven it several times over. You also know I only debate particular lines of thought with you. Some others who post here I'm not so friendly with. You've earned (or I should say "haven't thrown away") my respect on this forum. So no worries.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 1:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
neepad
again with the whining?
you have easily earned any number of derogatory names.
I'll say it again
you are one of the biggest jerks on the planet
Posted by goalline on December 2, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)
good post Bufftime.
Fish - I also like your questions. I've mentioned that in the past. The only one that is not productive is the redshirt question.
suppose he had been redshirted. Then everyone frustrated by the running game would have been calling for him to play. I don't see anything good to come out of beating that issue.
I also agree with the comment on the no-huddle. I brought that up a long time ago. Also, the staff saw it and took it out most of the time from the A&M game on, except for a few productive drives here and there.
RSWright - I wish you were right that the trolls would get bored and go away, but 2ndBuff, Tallisall, Nepa (all the same guy) has been around for three years now.
Overall, I'm looking forward to next year. I don't believe the injury problems will happen two years in a row and lets see if the accountability structure will keep the players out of trouble. At any rate, its unlikely that the starting QB from this season is going to be arrested for holding up a couple of drug dealers.
Posted by swplette on December 2, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
How about holding the coaches accountable? Why are so many players getting injured during practice? This didn't happen under Barnett. I bet the strength and conditioning program is the culprit.
Posted by BuffTime on December 2, 2008 at 2:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
goalline, you forgot "buffwonder". I believe EP is the one that tricked nepa into admitting it was his ID.
Regardless of what they tell us through the media, you can bet Pittman and Hawk and the trainers have all sat down and gone over the injuries to try to figure out if it is a conditioning thing or what. They won't ignore it. Pittman for one has his job on the line. Hawk too for that matter. When teams get this many injuries they always look into it to try to figure it out.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 2:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)
you are kidding Bufftime, right?
listen to neepad.
He is always right
The only thing Hawk is gonna do is make sure Cody is starting for the rest of his time here.
seriously, kneepad lies and stretches the truth all the time....like his statment that Scott committed to Texas.
I hate him because all the naive people on this board, including myself have argued with him in good faith, shooting him down most of the time and all he does is return with his same old blank stare negative statements.
The guy must be some sort of psy-op chinese type torture specialist whose act has gotten to most of us but has obviously twisted his own brain into a an otherwise useless pile of of dung
Posted by GoBuffs07 on December 2, 2008 at 2:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Time for hawk to pack it in and move back to Idaho.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 2:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
neepad
you never answered my question about your college education?
do you even have a job?
or is your whole life devoted to computer screen irritation?
I guess we all have to be proud of something.
If you are going to be a maggot .......be the best maggot you can....right?
Posted by houstonbuff on December 2, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. (Suggest removal)
all of you that have a problem with the assistant coaches, please donate $2mil + (per annum) to the program so that their salaries can be brought up to par with the rest of the big 12.
else, silence.
Posted by shoulder2shoulder on December 2, 2008 at 3:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Lance- polk was not ineligible
Posted by dabuffs50 on December 2, 2008 at 3:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Nepa is the biggest loser I have ever witnessed.
Posted by shoulder2shoulder on December 2, 2008 at 3:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
love the idea fishhead!
Posted by shoulder2shoulder on December 2, 2008 at 3:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
he was going to redshirt- but last I read he is having/had shoulder surgery??
Posted by mtnboykev35 on December 2, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
neepad, you bring the hate on yourself. You post stupid coments like" did you here about the school that recruited the #1 RB......" but never make any real object statements or give your thought on how to improve it, save firing Hawk.
as for the OC I would question some of his calls, QB draw 2 plays in row with Hawk in and not Hansen, I am not the coach looking at the D and seeing something they feel they can exploit.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm in fishy
although I may find it hard to come up with 100 reasons why I support my wife. Lets reduce it to 10 reasons so everyone wont go to sleep reading all of them.
Posted by mtnboykev35 on December 2, 2008 at 3:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
as for the injuries, i don't think you can blame the strength and conditioning. Look at the Broncos and all thier injuries and these are profesional athletes. Maybe less full contact? or it is just an anomoly..........
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 3:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Neepad
with your dredging up other peoples posts from last year and all your stats and web sites you are either on welfare or a trust funder.
Otherwise you are right. It doesnt take much time to post the same ol one liners.
Productivity and creativity are not your forte
Posted by mtnboykev35 on December 2, 2008 at 4 p.m. (Suggest removal)
like your idea also fish......
Posted by goalline on December 2, 2008 at 4:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
EP - you are married to the buffs?
I like reducing the length of the list. Make each 'reason' worth $10 so we get good ones.
mtnboy - I could be wrong, but the QB draws looked like busted plays to me. I think Cody was looking for something that wasn't there and decided to run with it. Either the defense showed something that blew up the play, or someone on the offense was on the wrong page. The second scenario you can put on the OC if you want. If they were intentional draws, then the blocking was off.
Posted by mtnboykev35 on December 2, 2008 at 4:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
lance you are right about tenative play and injury. got to go full speed. Strength and conditioning should be priority and thought Pitman had a good plan. Hope this year was an anomoly.
Posted by Buffpride on December 2, 2008 at 4:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I wonder why doesn’t Hawk fire the coaches who aren’t getting the job done??
Posted by phibuffa on December 2, 2008 at 5:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
thefish, excellent idea!
I would suggest shortening it to ten and making it "Top Ten Buff Moments I Would Pay $10 to See Again!"
Besides 62-36 and the Hail Mary Michigan Pass, I would also include Bienemy scoring 4 in the 4th in the rain in Nebraska in 1990 and that sweet pitch by Hagan against Oklahoma.
On a personal note, I would add one of the times back in the day when the beer was still flowing at Folsom when my buddies and I would buy entire racks and give beers out to folks in our section...ahh, those were the days.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
shhh goaline...dont tell my other wife.
surprised neepad didnt come up with that one liner.
If you arent 100 percent smarmy negative like him you are a blind rah rah worshipper.
You are dead on about the "apparent" qb draws. There is no way that was some kind of intentional play. Considering his lack of speed,at least Cody took it straight up the middle.
Posted by mtnboykev35 on December 2, 2008 at 5:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
ever notice, when the talk really turns to football neepad disapears?
Posted by BuffTime on December 2, 2008 at 5:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Polk decided on his own to redshirt and learn the offense and concentrate on classes (good sign) and then he injured himself in November in the weight room I think.
As per the article above, I hope they bring in some former Buffs to talk to the players as well. Tell them what they are playing for and what they really have to lose. If you're potentially NFL bound then you have literally millions of reasons to keep your head on straight and yourself out of trouble.
Posted by extrapoint on December 2, 2008 at 6:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm excited to see what Polk does. He runs with a "straight up" style that a lot of armchair RBs like to criticize...but then so does Adrian Peterson...and so did Simpson, Sayers and Dickerson.
Several shorter backs also run "straight up" but it is harder to notice being closer to the ground. Straight up facilitates superior balance and quicker cutting ability.
Posted by houstonbuff on December 2, 2008 at 6:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
that is a good idea. more than happy to give 100 to the buff club.
Posted by rswright on December 2, 2008 at 7:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The column was about "accountability" and with 8 arrests, the issue needs attention. The bottom line is that the team represents CU. If you want money to improve the program, the first task it to make the State of Colorado and our fans want to support the team. Give Hawk credit, he saw the problem and he is addressing it.
Posted by WhosYourDaddy on December 2, 2008 at 10:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Be sure to take a look at Bernie Lincicone's piece in the RMN!
"In a league of celebrated quarterback's, CU has the worst one, and the fact that Cody Hawkins is also the coach's son may be incidental, but, he is still the worst one."
"It cannot be encouraging that ... the worst quarterback in the Big 12 would still be throwing interceptions in the last game of the season."
There's quite a bit more, but the Hawk worshipers may not want to read it... Bernie's pretty honest.
Posted by NolaBuff on December 3, 2008 at 1:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There should be some offseason changes with the coaching staff. Helfrich made the crucial mistake of over simplifying the offense and in turn the usually bad big 12 defenses were able to shut down the buffs. Despite the injuries, when you have a playbook that has been practiced for the entire spring and summer you can't shy away from it. As a result, the many young players on offense that could have been gaining valuable experience end up losing about half of it because the plays they ran were straight out of a high school playbook and will almost certainly not be used next year. The only game helfrich made the necessary changes was iowa state, a team that shouldnt have even shut us out for one half. Hawk needs to make his last pitch to save his job for next year and he should start by letting go of Helfrich.
Posted by MDBuff on December 3, 2008 at 8:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nola, You make a valid point, but the chances that Hawk lets him go are slim to none.
Posted by BuffTime on December 3, 2008 at 9:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Nola, several players on the team did not have "spring and summer" to practice the plays. We had several true freshman on offense. That means fall camp was it for most of them and even if they were here for the summer they would not have been able to absorb and master more complex plays.
Say half the team knew the plays but half (of those playing) did not. It would be a complete disaster. Do you remember in the first several games how many times Cody had to tell Speedy where to go on several plays?
These are not small things. Everyone one the field needs to be on the same page. Never mind that the O-line had 3 guys that weren't supposed to get significant playing time (if any) this year. They kind of need to know what they are supposed to do as well. Knowing blocking assignments for each play is pretty critical.
This past season sucked in the win/loss column for sure. But it was not a wasted season. We built experienced depth which will serve us well in the coming years. Div.1 game speed is a lot different than HS game speed. The Buffs will be better off next year because of it.
Posted by NolaBuff on December 3, 2008 at 1:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
No bufftime, look at the roster the o-line was weak and inexperienced, but the players that played the majority of the season were in spring and summer practice. Behrens, Adkins, Bahr, and Head are not true freshman. Besides the o-line, most of our players had some kind of experience at the college level. Rodney Stewart was a true freshman but he was doing just fine with the normal playbook. He might have been lost at times but thats expected with a true freshman. What you don't do is adjust your strategy so the frehsman know whats going on at all times due to the simplicity because then the defense will know as well. Helfrich made the mistake and no one has mentioned it so far. Just wait until opposing coaches get to sum up the buffs to recruits. By the way, this recruiting class is turning into a lost one as well.
Posted by greeleybuff on December 3, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point houstonbuff!!
We lost our running back coach Eric Bieniemy to UCLA because they offered more money. We have lost other great coaches because of $$$!! Bieniemy was a great recruiter!! Maurice Jones Drew was going to play for the buffs and was recruited by Bieniemy but when Bieniemy went to UCLA Jones-Drew followed him there!!
Wish we had Bieniemy on the staff still!
Love the Buffs!!
Posted by NolaBuff on December 3, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Really guys the assistant coaches are making about on par with what most big time college assistants are making in this country. Charlie Strong, experienced D-Coordinator at Florida in 2007, the year after a national championship was making 215,000 a year. Our coordinators in 2008 were making 217,000 a year. Money will speak at times, but we have managed to keep our assistants salaries competative. We do have weaker alumni support than most big time programs and that needs to change so we can improve our facilities, most notably building a permanent indoor practice facility. We also need to allow our coaches to be signed to multiyear contracts, because that is far more of an important issue than the money they are making and the main difference in how we employ our assistants compared to other schools.
Posted by Mitchola on December 3, 2008 at 6:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I saw that Nebraska had 5 walkons play the other day what happened to CU walk on system
Posted by BuffTime on December 3, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We have walk ons as well. Several played against Nebraska too (several have gotten scholarships after walking on). Hawk loves a good walk on program and every year he reserves some of his available scholarships for walk ons and transfers.
Nebraska had and is resurrecting their proud walk on tradition but they are by no means the only ones out there that do it. The only story there is how Callahan ended it and alienated the fan base as a result.