Two years ago when our beloved Colorado Buffaloes left the horrible Big XII Conference for the new beautiful Pac-12 conference I was excited. We were headed to a land of like-minded schools. No longer would we be dealing with purely agricultural schools who offered majors in field turf management as we were going to the conference of champions. We were headed to Cali, to Phoenix, to Seattle and to gorgeous places that people actually WANTED to go on road trips to (see: not Lincoln, NE). We were leaving Dan Beebe behind and getting a visionary in Larry Scott.

It was perfect.

And on a personal level, I was excited because I thought I was headed to a land of decent officiating. No longer would the Clete Blakeman’s of the world screw us over as we played Nebraska. No longer would we have to deal with the constant moving screens from white seven footers wearing Kansas jerseys that would never be whistled. I had heard complaints about how Pac-12 officials were bad, but figured that it was just complaints from people who always complain about the refs their team has to deal with. I mean the refs couldn’t be worse than Blakeman, could they?

They could. And they are. And that’s terrifying.

And that is the worst part of the news that came out yesterday that Ed Rush put a bounty on Sean Miller during the Pac-12 tournament. Joking or not, it’s the worst possible thing that could have come out about Pac-12 officials. If you asked people nationwide to comment on Pac-12 basketball, I’m willing to bet that one of the top three most common responses would be something about bad officiating. It’s an absolute joke, and it has to be fixed. The Rush news is bad. No one can argue that. But I honestly believe that if this came out about the Big East or the Big Ten – conferences that don’t seem to have national problems with officiating – then it might be something that you could ignore. But to combine it with the image issues that the Pac-12 has already is death. Quite simply, the Pac-12 doesn’t have a choice in this matter.

At lunch today I caught Jeff Goodman being interviewed on Sportscenter and he made the comment – repeatedly – that Pac-12 officials are scared of Rush. He said they felt “bullied” by him and they were all terrified for their jobs. Now this could be revisionist history or an incident where people are piling on, but with Rush’s background it makes it a lot easier to believe. He was the head of NBA officiating for one of the worst eras in NBA history. He was in charge during both the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal and the infamous 2003 Kings-Lakers playoff game. Mark Cuban famously called him out. He was notoriously hard to deal with, and the NBA and Rush finally decided to go separate ways.

When the Pac-12 brought Rush in, he decided to implement more of an NBA style of officiating in the conference. I will give him credit for one thing, and that’s the lack of ticky tack fouls that plagued Pac-12 games in the past. That toughness showed in the tournament as the Pac-12 went 3-2 in the opening round and had two Sweet 16 teams – a much better showing than last year’s tournament in which the Buffs were the leaders of the conference by making the round of 32. But he also brought the bad aspects of NBA officiating to the college level. Another point that Goodman made in his interview was that Rush didn’t like the coaches talking to the refs – something that is paramount on the college level. College refs don’t want to be listening to a 19 year old whining to them, so they deal with the coaches more. This makes sense to pretty much everyone that bothers to think about things – which sadly rules out Rush from understanding it. The fact that Miller is so vocal apparently did not endear him to Rush, so Rush decided to make an example. And now the Pac-12 is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

All this said, I still believe in Larry Scott. I ultimately believe that he’s going to realize that this is a huge problem and he’s going to have to address it sooner rather than later. The drumbeats are getting louder. As Andy Glockner said, what’s going to happen the first time Arizona gets a questionable call that goes against them? What about a questionable call that goes in their favor? Everyone is going to let that doubt creep in the back of their mind, chants of “Can-cun” are going to fill the arena, and that’s the last thing that anyone wants. Scott has to get rid of Rush.

At this point, it’s becoming obvious that Scott is a visionary. He’s phenomenal at the big picture, but as Adam has put it, he gets distracted by the shiny things. Unfortunately, this is causing some of the day to day details to fall through the cracks, and the little problems are starting to add up. No matter how you view it, the Pac-12 blew it with DirecTV. I’m fairly confident that they’ll get a deal done this summer, but this first year is unforgivable. Both sides need to realize that they have a lot to do to make it up to their fans. This situation with Rush is the second thing that Scott has blown. It honestly appears that he thought there would be a slight brouhaha and then it would blow over. That’s a gross miscalculation, and one that Scott is going to have to pay for. Honestly, if I were Larry, I’d be looking for a strong second-in-command to hire. Someone who has the gravitas to stand up to Larry and tell him he’s being naďve about the situation. Having Scott as commissioner is like having a truly amazing big man. You’re going to win a lot of games with him, and you’re going to pull off some unbelievable moments, but you’re also going to blow a few of them unless you have a solid PG who can keep the train running smoothly. The Pac-12 doesn’t have that point guard right now, and that’s something they need to look in to.

Hopefully, that second in command makes it so that the only Rush that will be appearing at Pac-12 events next year will be the badass hard rocking trio from Canada.

Again There is No Sound of Panic
By Michael Krumholtz

Familiar words buzz through the microphone-loaded room

“Obviously I’m disappointed with our performance on Saturday,” said CU Head Coach
Jon Embree. “But I was pleased with how our younger kids played.”

A few days removed from his team’s tumble against Colorado State, Embree speaks to a
group of reporters and fans with a doubtless tone at his weekly luncheon. And though he
seems more ragged and tired than the day he took this job, like a doomed ship’s captain
who has grown wise after years of sailing menacing tides, his attitude beats constant.

Embree remains optimistic, almost to a stubborn point, about building his Alma Mater
up to a competitive stature. He said he still believes this will be a bowl-eligible team by
season’s end.

“Trust me it’s personal with me about this job, about getting it right,” Embree said when
asked what he could say to his fans upon the 0-1 start. “I’m not going to change my
standard, I’m not going to change my expectations. We should expect to go to a bowl
game every year.”

If that prediction is to culminate into reality, then a win against FCS opponent
Sacramento State would seem a necessary step. The Hornets lost by 30 last week to
New Mexico State and might find it a little tougher to breathe in the fourth quarter while
playing 5,400 feet above sea.

Embree’s Buffs have worked all week to fine-tune the conspicuous weaknesses that
marred a beat-up from little brother.

To begin, the offensive line needs to find motivation from a performance in which it’s
running backs averaged two yards per carry. Especially since the athleticism on the
offense’s edge continues to be a loud weakness, the offensive line must find ways to push
opposing lines backwards.

“If you can’t run the ball, it’s going to be hard to win,” admitted Embree. “I think we’ve
run the ball effectively two times now in 14 games. That’s not good enough.

On the opposite end, the stoic but thin front-seven will be key to working in a youthful
secondary, helping to pressure Hornets quarterback Garrett Safron, who is apt to
scrambling. The defense’s faculty to pressure Safron will prove vital to getting the Buffs
a mark in the win column.

Embree notes that his long history with CU, both as player and coach, has challenged his
football faith with riddling results. An 18-28 record while excelling at tight end under
Bill McCartney has carried over to a 3-11 record as the program’s main man. Persistent
in his philosophy and calm in his restless want for a winning team, the head coach continues
to believe in a hardworking group.


“If you start changing your goals and your standards you’re not going to be successful
in anything you do,” said Embree. “I learned that early as a player going through some
of the things I went through here. It was difficult times. To me it’s a no-brainer, you just
keep grinding.”

A young crop of 13 freshmen, who are a major part of the project for success, got their
first game action in Denver. How much improvement comes from players like Kenneth
Crawley, Gerald Thomas, and Marques Mosley will be telling for the substance of the
Buffs 2012 story.

Embree still has a lot of fight left in him. His army of black-shirted buffaloes (which,
keep in mind, is one of the youngest teams in all of the FBS) may be impressionable
enough to mirror his will.

“It’s OK to be disappointed,” Embree told his players after the Rocky Mountain
Showdown. “But don’t be discouraged. Discouragement leads to failure.”

Great article about Tyler. Sounds like he has a legitimate shot. My favourite part of the article is when Jay Gruden said:

“We watched (Hansen) in the East-West Shrine game and I thought he was – by far – the best quarterback in that game,” said Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. “He makes quick decisions, he’s accurate, and you can see that he’s tough because he took a beating out there. He has the ability in the pocket to make people miss and he has a good, strong arm – a lot stronger than you think. He can really throw it. He’s done some really good things.”

http://blogs.bengals.com/2012/06/04/...l-from-marvin/

Go Tyler and go Buffs.