What's new
AllBuffs | Unofficial fan site for the University of Colorado at Boulder Athletics programs

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • Prime Time. Prime Time. Its a new era for Colorado football. Consider signing up for a club membership! For $20/year, you can get access to all the special features at Allbuffs, including club member only forums, dark mode, avatars and best of all no ads ! But seriously, please sign up so that we can pay the bills. No one earns money here, and we can use your $20 to keep this hellhole running. You can sign up for a club membership by navigating to your account in the upper right and clicking on "Account Upgrades". Make it happen!

Final 2012 Spring Depth Chart

You need to get over my prediction from last year, or at least go back through and read it carefully.

For me, last season's hope pretty much ended when we got beat at Hawaii. That was the game we absolutely needed. There's a reason that Embo put such an emphasis on it. Giving up ridiculous big plays to blow the Cal and Wazzu games cemented it. That schedule demanded a 4-1 start to make a bowl game.

I'm feeling much the same about this season and the need to start 3-0.
 
For me, last season's hope pretty much ended when we got beat at Hawaii. That was the game we absolutely needed. There's a reason that Embo put such an emphasis on it. Giving up ridiculous big plays to blow the Cal and Wazzu games cemented it. That schedule demanded a 4-1 start to make a bowl game.

I'm feeling much the same about this season and the need to start 3-0.
That was the same with my prediction, re: Hawaii and the 4-1 start. Alfred talked about setting high expectations, and that's what I do. I felt that that my seven win goal was doable if we started out 4-1, which we didn't. I also feel the same way about this year. We start out 3-0, we have a shot. We drop one, I really doubt we can win six.
 
On topic...?

Any news on Malcolm Creer? I am hoping he is recovering well and that he will be in the mix this fall.
 
On topic...?

Any news on Malcolm Creer? I am hoping he is recovering well and that he will be in the mix this fall.

I haven't seen him interviewed this spring, but I think it was EB who said he was able to run around and do non-contact stuff now. I believe that the expectation is that he'll be a go for fall camp.
 
I haven't seen him interviewed this spring, but I think it was EB who said he was able to run around and do non-contact stuff now. I believe that the expectation is that he'll be a go for fall camp.

That is good to hear. I am hoping for him.
 
What is truly sad is that looking at a depth chart full of walk-ons and guys nobody ever heard of and lacking in upperclass leaders, it is still better than what we had last year at this time.

Don't take this to say that we are good, only that we are with all our flaws, less bad. To anyone who thinks an extra year with coach orangeslices didn't do major damage to this team just look at this depthchart. If anything we keep him two years to long, not one.

With all that, looking at the roster I do see a team that is improved. Not improved enough to be competitive with the top of the PAC, those schools can still name the score against us but better than we were last year. I know that a some people will argue that we lost the guys in last years senior class, we lost Miller, and TH, and Speedy, and Cunningham, and TClem, etc. etc. Don't forget that those are the guys that only won 3 games last year. Overall we are younger but becoming a more talented team.

Combined with a much more reasonable schedule we should and better see an improvement in the record this year. This won't mean that we are magically good but it will be a step in the improvement process.
 
What is truly sad is that looking at a depth chart full of walk-ons and guys nobody ever heard of and lacking in upperclass leaders, it is still better than what we had last year at this time.

Don't take this to say that we are good, only that we are with all our flaws, less bad. To anyone who thinks an extra year with coach orangeslices didn't do major damage to this team just look at this depthchart. If anything we keep him two years to long, not one.

With all that, looking at the roster I do see a team that is improved. Not improved enough to be competitive with the top of the PAC, those schools can still name the score against us but better than we were last year. I know that a some people will argue that we lost the guys in last years senior class, we lost Miller, and TH, and Speedy, and Cunningham, and TClem, etc. etc. Don't forget that those are the guys that only won 3 games last year. Overall we are younger but becoming a more talented team.

Combined with a much more reasonable schedule we should and better see an improvement in the record this year. This won't mean that we are magically good but it will be a step in the improvement process.

Come on, man. It remains to be seen what happens once the freshmen get here in the summer, but we are not better right now than we were at this time last year. It is okay to admit that there were a few players that graduated which we will miss.
 
Come on, man. It remains to be seen what happens once the freshmen get here in the summer, but we are not better right now than we were at this time last year. It is okay to admit that there were a few players that graduated which we will miss.


Agreed, Can't possibly see how we're better at this point.
 
Come on, man. It remains to be seen what happens once the freshmen get here in the summer, but we are not better right now than we were at this time last year. It is okay to admit that there were a few players that graduated which we will miss.

I think we will be more talented this fall than we were last fall. But we'll be very young. Painfully young. And right now, we're looking at a depth chart that lost 28 seniors from last year. The spring depth chart is bad.
 
Agreed, Can't possibly see how we're better at this point.

This is easy. The team knows the playbook, and the culture has changed significantly. Just watch the early games, especially the Hawaii games, to see the hot mess that was everybody not yet on the same page. We lost significant depth, and some good playmakers to graduation, this is the price we have to pay for the extra year of Squawkins that we were subject to. Back to the point, once the freshman are on campus, we should have better overall talent and better familiarity with the playbook to start the season.
 
Last edited:
Come on, man. It remains to be seen what happens once the freshmen get here in the summer, but we are not better right now than we were at this time last year. It is okay to admit that there were a few players that graduated which we will miss.

I do admit that we will miss some of the graduating seniors. TClem played himself from almost not starting into potentially getting drafted, Speedy was a warrior, Hartigan was one of the great overachievers who made a serious impact on some games. Miller was talented enough to be a first rounder but will likely be a third to fourth, still a good ballplayer.

At the same time the class going out across the board, top to bottom was not a great class. If they were we would have won more games. Speedy was quicker than fast and went down to easy. I don't see Tony Jones as a step down. Hansen probably could have been much better had Hawk not screwed him up but he did a solid job under trying conditions.

Bottom line is that last years team was a bad team, this years team will be a bad team. In my opinion however the depth chart as a whole looks more promising to me this year than last. With the new class coming in it will get even better. We will have more PAC 12 level athletes at more positions. This is not an insult to those Buffs who player their hearts out the past 4-5 years under Hawkins before finishing under Embree. Only a comment to guys who were recruited players on the depth chart that athletically were Sun Belt or Big Sky level guys. Embree is at a minimum in a process of replacing those guys with PAC level athletes. We still have to see it on the field but to me it looks better.
 
I do admit that we will miss some of the graduating seniors. TClem played himself from almost not starting into potentially getting drafted, Speedy was a warrior, Hartigan was one of the great overachievers who made a serious impact on some games. Miller was talented enough to be a first rounder but will likely be a third to fourth, still a good ballplayer.

At the same time the class going out across the board, top to bottom was not a great class. If they were we would have won more games. Speedy was quicker than fast and went down to easy. I don't see Tony Jones as a step down. Hansen probably could have been much better had Hawk not screwed him up but he did a solid job under trying conditions.

Bottom line is that last years team was a bad team, this years team will be a bad team. In my opinion however the depth chart as a whole looks more promising to me this year than last. With the new class coming in it will get even better. We will have more PAC 12 level athletes at more positions. This is not an insult to those Buffs who player their hearts out the past 4-5 years under Hawkins before finishing under Embree. Only a comment to guys who were recruited players on the depth chart that athletically were Sun Belt or Big Sky level guys. Embree is at a minimum in a process of replacing those guys with PAC level athletes. We still have to see it on the field but to me it looks better.

I do not disagree with this post, but I was commenting on your statement that said this depth chart was better than what we had last spring. This spring depth chart is as bad as I have seen since I started following the Buffs.

I am very excited about the freshmen coming in this summer, probably even more after seeing this depth chart released yesterday.
 


Josh Ford was dubbed “All-time leading Spring rusher” by former teammate (CU and Mullen) Curtis Cunningham, as Ford rushed for 141 yards on only 8 carries and 2 long TDs. Ford has been phenomenal against Buffs backups but has rarely cracked the field and shown what he can do against the big boys. He has had some fumble problems in the past, is not a crisp route runner on passes, and has never been a great blocker, but was once again a huge fan favorite in the stands. He is listed 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] on the depth chart.
:lol:
 
For me, last season's hope pretty much ended when we got beat at Hawaii. That was the game we absolutely needed. There's a reason that Embo put such an emphasis on it. Giving up ridiculous big plays to blow the Cal and Wazzu games cemented it. That schedule demanded a 4-1 start to make a bowl game.

I'm feeling much the same about this season and the need to start 3-0.

Fresno on the road will tell a lot.
 
Yup. I do get the feeling we're going to see another year of inconsistency. I do expect us to win some games on the road. Fresno State should be one of them.

Utah last year broke the ice. Team came home with the idea that they could win a road game.

The Fresno game will show if Embree's work on attitude has had some impact. It is a game that the Buffs should win but they have to avoid either making the mistakes that give it away or just coming in expecting to lose.

Fresno is a better team than some people may give them credit for but the Buffs should beat them if they play their game. It is a road game but not anywhere near as difficult as playing an opening game in Hawaii or or course playing at Ohio State.

Last year we also opened the conference road slate at Stanford and at Washington, not a recipe for building confidence. This year we open at Washington State which certainly isn't a gimee (at this point no PAC game is) but is a game that the team should have a reasonable shot at. The next two road games are then no-hopers (USC and Oregon) but if we beat Fresno and WSU then the team should have some confidence on the road later in the season.
 
I am only posting this off gut feeling. I wasn't able to get up to see the spring game/scrimmage nor do I have any "inside" information.

That said Norgard not taking the FB position from Alex Wood along with Pow coming in next year I wonder if we don't see Norgard move back to the defensive side of the ball sooner than later. The FB is not going to be a full-time position. Powell has the ability to be something special at the position and for the upcoming season you have wood at the position as well. They may decide that Norgard is to good an athlete to leave on the bench.

Some of this may depend on how the LB position shakes out with the incoming freshmen (do any of the DEs move back) and recruiting but my gut says a position change back is a real posibility.
 
I would really like to see Powell switch to DL. I heard some good things about his potential there.

10.) Christian Powell, Upland Sr.

While he's not the most intimidating defensive tackle you'll see, few interior players can match Powell's athleticism. The 5-foot-11, 250-pound senior impressed coaches at the USC Lineman Camp this summer, where he reportedly took part in running back drills. That kind of athleticism helped produce an excellent junior season at Upland, where he recorded 63 tackles, 7.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. Powell has limited upside because of his height, but he'll contribute at some capacity in the college ranks. USC, Colorado and Arizona State are showing interest.

http://colorado.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1255010

"He said they would find a spot for me at USC. He liked my ability to play running back, but they want me as a defensive end. He said he sees me as a speed rushing end."

As a defensive lineman for Upland last season, Powell had 63 tackles, 7.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.

http://colorado.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1231722

 
Last edited:
I would really like to see Powell switch to DL. I heard some good things about his potential there.

We have seen that before as well with the Buffs. I'm spacing out the name of the kid who came in as a FB and played Nose for us.

I like the idea of having Powell desroying people from the FB position but if he can do it on defense and Norgard can give us the FB play I'm good with that as well.
 
I asked Powell about possibly playing on the DL and he said the staff has not mentioned that as a possibility whatsoever
 
After paying the 10 bucks to watch the spring game online, I decided to use my "premium" status to watch some game replays. A couple notes:

1. I cannot wait for the pac 12 network to take over online distribution.
2. I know the tendency is to compare the depth chart to last spring, but just to play the optimist here, try comparing it to week 5 of 2011.

Espinoza & Lockridge were already being leaned on at corner. Ahles was asked to switch sides of the ball & our receiving core was already thinning out. I know we can expect more of the same this year, but here's to hoping we stay healthy, some of the new blood pays off on D & we can start with 2 cornerbacks on the field at the same time!

And is it just me or have we added about 5" to our average height over the lost years?
 
We have seen that before as well with the Buffs. I'm spacing out the name of the kid who came in as a FB and played Nose for us.

I like the idea of having Powell desroying people from the FB position but if he can do it on defense and Norgard can give us the FB play I'm good with that as well.

George Hypolite -- aka, The Rabid Goldfish. Played DT mostly, not NG.
 
Back
Top