Henderson's article

[buffaholic]

Actually, not too bad - certainly not what I expected when I saw the headline.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13231988?source=rss

Klatt is neutral and makes valid points once again. Pesavento is looking to create a stir and is a COMPLETE DB. I get that these are Barnett guys. Hawkins didn't do in Barnett. I will be pissed if KOA puts him on again this year on game day. Dude, GB is NOT coming back!

Pesavento "He's going into his fourth year. He has all his kids now". I'd agree if there were any players from the Jr and Sr classes who could play. The top-25 teams have 8-11 starters on each side of the ball from those two classes. CU has basically 2-3 guys. Barnett's last class and Hawkin's first class added together wouldn't cut it in the WAC. Valid argument starting next year.

Article points out that the optimism for this year revolves around the O-Line. It will be the youngest in the country. This veteran line will feature:

LT - moved to O-Line, one year experience, JR
LG - Soph - no previous starts, limited plays, SO
C - new position, first college snap will be vs. CSU, SO
RG - new position, SO
RT - first college snap will be vs. CSU, FR

The 2nd team features NO upperclassmen.

Pesavento comes off like he was spurned by CU for a coaching job or something.

The reality is that Hawk's guys are now Sophomores with only a couple Juniors and one Senior in the program. Does anyone remember 70-3. Were the last three B-12 North titles we won impressive? We were slightly better than ISU and squeaked in twice when they couldn't win a game they should have won to win the title. The program was slipping mightily, following the entire Northern Division down.

Another good point I thought is this isn't like Mac's day when USC was on their butts and we could pilfer SoCal. There are a lot of teams fighting now for USC's discards. Same in Texas after OU and UT pick thru the talent.

Sick of Pesavento. Objective journalism from Klatt is fine. Pesavento is a moron.

[Darth Snow]

Actually, not too bad - certainly not what I expected when I saw the headline.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13231988?source=rss

Klatt is neutral and makes valid points once again. Pesavento is looking to create a stir and is a COMPLETE DB. I get that these are Barnett guys. Hawkins didn't do in Barnett. I will be pissed if KOA puts him on again this year on game day. Dude, GB is NOT coming back!

Pesavento "He's going into his fourth year. He has all his kids now". I'd agree if there were any players from the Jr and Sr classes who could play. The top-25 teams have 8-11 starters on each side of the ball from those two classes. CU has basically 2-3 guys. Barnett's last class and Hawkin's first class added together wouldn't cut it in the WAC. Valid argument starting next year.

Article points out that the optimism for this year revolves around the O-Line. It will be the youngest in the country. This veteran line will feature:

LT - moved to O-Line, one year experience, JR
LG - Soph - no previous starts, limited plays, SO
C - new position, first college snap will be vs. CSU, SO
RG - new position, SO
RT - first college snap will be vs. CSU, FR

The 2nd team features NO upperclassmen.

Pesavento comes off like he was spurned by CU for a coaching job or something.

The reality is that Hawk's guys are now Sophomores with only a couple Juniors and one Senior in the program. Does anyone remember 70-3. Were the last three B-12 North titles we won impressive? We were slightly better than ISU and squeaked in twice when they couldn't win a game they should have won to win the title. The program was slipping mightily, following the entire Northern Division down.

Another good point I thought is this isn't like Mac's day when USC was on their butts and we could pilfer SoCal. There are a lot of teams fighting now for USC's discards. Same in Texas after OU and UT pick thru the talent.

Sick of Pesavento. Objective journalism from Klatt is fine. Pesavento is a moron.

I agree with your take entirely, but wow, BP came off baaad.

[BuffsNYC]

I thought the most interesting part of the article was Hypolite's, Dizon's, and
Geer's remarks about the difference between Barnett and Hawk. Barnett often went pretty far with the emotional appeals--remember threatening to take the Buffalo off the helmet--while Hawk and his teams seem almost preternaturally calm. I sort of thought that Hawk was intentionally dialing down the emotion because his teams were so young and inexperienced and he feared they would miss assignments if too fired up, but it seems that this is how he coaches all the time.

[Bill Cody]

I thought the most interesting part of the article was Hypolite's, Dizon's, and
Geer's remarks about the difference between Barnett and Hawk. Barnett often went pretty far with the emotional appeals--remember threatening to take the Buffalo off the helmet--while Hawk and his teams seem almost preternaturally calm. I sort of thought that Hawk was intentionally dialing down the emotion because his teams were so young and inexperienced and he feared they would miss assignments if too fired up, but it seems that this is how he coaches all the time.

I think that it is more of Hawkins style that he pushes guys hard all of the time but doesn't want them to get too high or too low emotionally. Just remain consistent and always pushing in a certain direction.

I believe that there is definitely validity to this tactic....especially with college kids. Both ways work IMO

[buffaholic]

agree that those three players who played under both had interesting things to say. Best Henderson article I've read actually.

I played under both types and the problem with the hyper-emotional tactic is getting it to work over a long season. I would state that Barnett's teams tended to over-achieve a bit but failed against the big boys mightily. 70-3 was ugly, and I think "emotions" ran short by that game and they caved in. I personally like the even-keel approach. Professionals at all times - get your job done. Emotions take care of themselves in big games. On the other hand, Montana State anyone? Can work both ways and it's a good debate.

[stampy]

It seems to me that the media has Hawkins on a shorter leash than the actual fan base does.

[Bill Cody]

It seems to me that the media has Hawkins on a shorter leash than the actual fan base does.

Agree. I would say that it is likely their response to him being "closed off" to the media. They HAVE to report something on the Buffs at this time of the year. Like it or not....this is all they have to talk about at this point in time.

[FlatironsBuff]

It seems to me that the media has Hawkins on a shorter leash than the actual fan base does.

That's because the fan base does not have to figure out something to write about to get a paycheck every day. Does Hawks teams need to start winning more? Yep. Is the depth better now than it has been for about 5-6 years? Yep. Will CU win 10 games? Possible, although 7-8 plus a bowl game is more likely. Anything over that and I am very happy. And I think he will get it done and the media will be loving him again after this year. We were young with not much experience going into last year and I have never followed a team that lost so many starters in one season. Not an excuse-- this was reality. We knew the team was very young and had no depth-- so the reality is that we could have had a very bad year last year. As it is, we were one made FG by NU away from a bowl game. Now, more depth, more talent, more depth. Should be a year that will make every Buff fan (except Syko and Jimmy) fairly happy.

[aik]

Pesavento is looking to create a stir and is a COMPLETE DB.

Doesn't surprise me... Mike Moschetti was also a Defensive Back once.

[Liver]

former players (some of them) are as impatient as the fans. what's the big deal? if you think pez was down on the state of the Buffs, some of the Mac era players are even more critical.

win. that's all. win.

henderson is a d-bag but it wasn't an unfair article.

it is time to produce on the field. luckily, i think the team takes a huge step forward this year.

[buffsyko]

Yes, how dare former buff players expect cu to win, the horror. :rolleyes:

[LilBunky]

Yes, how dare former buff players expect cu to win, the horror. :rolleyes:

No, its: How dare a former Buff player state things like a D-bag, cuz he loves the former HC more than Hawk, particularly when the former HC left the program in a shambles, mostly of his own doing!!!

[AlferdJasper]

As always, Henderson does his homework.

While Hawkins landed five-star linemen such as guard Ryan Miller and defensive end Nick Kasa, both in-state products, he has been close but missed on such prospects as four-star receiver Diante Jackson (USC) of Walnut Creek, Calif.; four-star receiver Bryce McNeal (Clemson) of Minneapolis; and four-star athlete Kyle Van Noy (Brigham Young) of Reno, Nev.

:yeahright:

[Duff Man]

I think several posters have been saying similar things all offseason. Do not really see any issues.

[buffaholic]

Yes, how dare former buff players expect cu to win, the horror. :rolleyes:

I don't have a problem with former players having an opinion. I have a problem when they are trying to make a career out of it. Dude doesn't know his facts if you listened to post-games on KOA last year. He's decided to be aggressive and use an anti-Hawk M.O. to get noticed as a potential broadcaster. Jim Rome, he is not.