Rank the units

[Unleash Hell]

How do you feel about each unit going into fall camp? What are your concerns, what are you excited about? Rank 'em and talk about 'em.

1. D-line: Losing the sack master Abe Wright hurts, but I like our line with Maurice Lucas, Drew Hudgens (hopefully gets through his injuries), and Conrad Obi on the ends while Brandon Nicholas and George Hypolite plug up the middle.

2. Linebackers: Might hurt with Sippili likely gone for a lot of games due to suspension, but if there is a unit that is solid every year at CU, it's the Linebackers. Jordan Dizon, Marcus Burton,and Brad Jones should be a solid group.

3. Wide Recievers/TE's: This is a unit that I feel cost us some games last year. Sprauge is ok, but newcomers Simas, Celestine and Smith should provide immediate impacts for home run threats. This could be the most improved unit if the incomers step up. The TE's should be solid with Riar Geer and Joe Sanders.

4. Special teams: Speacial teams and CU have always gone together, from Cliff Branch to Barry Helton, and Jeff Cambell to Ben Kelly and Mason Crosby.
However, the special teams slipped last year and that might be a reason for the 2-10 season. Kevin Eberhardt will have big shoes to fill trying to replace Mason Crosby, but the buffs still have a solid punter IN Matthew Dillallo. I also look for Stephone Robinson to be back to liek he was in '05, and Josh Smith and Kendrick Celestine should provide spark. Watch out for Bernard Jackson as a weapon here too!

5. Quarterbacks: I feel much better about Cody Hawkins or Nick Nelson at QB this year. I feel bad for B-Jax, but he is just not a good QB. The QB position looks better.

6. O-Line: The 11 incoming freshmen will help out with depth, and the starting line looks to be good, but if any should go down (which is common for linemen), the buffs could be hampered by inexperince. We are getting talent back at the line with the incomers (#3 O-line class in the country last year) , but O-line is the hardest position to make a transition from High School to college. It will be a year or two before we have both an excellent line and experienced backups.

7. Runningbacks: It sucks PT Gates wont be with the team this fall, but Hugh Charles is still a burner that can be dangerous when out in the open. I also look for Demetius Summler to have a breakout season.


8. Secondary: This has been a problem in recent years at CU. Last year was no exception either as the buffs allowed 66% completion rate last year. Terrence Wheatley and Ryan Walters will be the main men of this group, and hopefully this will be a improved unit.

 

[El Gringo]

How do you feel about each unit going into fall camp? What are your concerns, what are you excited about? Rank 'em and talk about 'em.

1. D-line: Losing the sack master Abe Wright hurts, but I like our line with Maurice Lucas, Drew Hudgens (hopefully gets through his injuries), and Conrad Obi on the ends while Brandon Nicholas and George Hypolite plug up the middle.

Big George and Nicholas will be excellent. I am very confident in the interior DL starters. After those two, the interior starts to shrink - the back-ups are pretty small. I think Brace, Larson and Kaynor are all around 265. I wish they were a little bigger.

On the ends, we lost Hudgens for the year with an achilles tear. That hurts, but Mo Lucas is primed for a big year and I love Herrod's heart and speed. Obi is probably physically ready and I hope is gets caught up on the play book quickly, cuz that dude could become a monster in the Big 12.

2. Linebackers: Might hurt with Sippili likely gone for a lot of games due to suspension, but if there is a unit that is solid every year at CU, it's the Linebackers. Jordan Dizon, Marcus Burton,and Brad Jones should be a solid group.

I'll bet Burton moves to the Mike backer position to fill for Sipili - with his size (245), he's more suited for the Mike than the Will position. But like you said, with Cabral coaching, the 'backers are always a strength.

3. Wide Receivers/TE's: This is a unit that I feel cost us some games last year. Sprauge is ok, but newcomers Simas, Celestine and Smith should provide immediate impacts for home run threats. This could be the most improved unit if the incomers step up. The TE's should be solid with Riar Geer and Joe Sanders.

I think the TE group that we have could be one of the best units on the team. Geer is just a sophie, Devree came it with a lot of promise, and Sanders opened a lot of eyes in the spring. Soldier at a beefy 270 should do wonders for run blocking and at 6'8" should be able to catch just about anything thrown in his direction.

WRs need to step-up and then some. Williams, Barnett and Sprague need to show they are capable. I really do expect one or two of the incoming freshman to push for significant playing time, especially as the season progresses and they learn the playbook. ****, most of them have been participating in the 7 on 7 this summer.

4. Special teams: Speacial teams and CU have always gone together, from Cliff Branch to Barry Helton, and Jeff Cambell to Ben Kelly and Mason Crosby.
However, the special teams slipped last year and that might be a reason for the 2-10 season. Kevin Eberhardt will have big shoes to fill trying to replace Mason Crosby, but the buffs still have a solid punter IN Matthew Dillallo. I also look for Stephone Robinson to be back to liek he was in '05, and Josh Smith and Kendrick Celestine should provide spark. Watch out for Bernard Jackson as a weapon here too!

Punt and KO return needs to show lots of improvement. Dillallo should push for all conf. honors, and Eberhardt has a big, accurate leg.

5. Quarterbacks: I feel much better about Cody Hawkins or Nick Nelson at QB this year. I feel bad for B-Jax, but he is just not a good QB. The QB position looks better.

We will see lots of offensive improvement with a QB who has a solid hold on the playbook and can manage the game from the field. Cody is such a competitor and a proven winner, I would be shocked if Nelson beat him out. And I don't buy this crap about him being too short. He will lead the team to a bowl game.

6. O-Line: The 11 incoming freshmen will help out with depth, and the starting line looks to be good, but if any should go down (which is common for linemen), the buffs could be hampered by inexperince. We are getting talent back at the line with the incomers (#3 O-line class in the country last year) , but O-line is the hardest position to make a transition from High School to college. It will be a year or two before we have both an excellent line and experienced backups.

If last year was any indication, we will only see 7 or 8 OL all year, barring injuries. Harrison, Polumbus, Sanders are all legit. If Fataggi stays healthy and Miller shows he can pass block, I see Sanders at C; Harrison and Fataggi at the guards; and Polumbus and Miller at the Tackles. Those guys will see 90% of the snaps. Head and Palazi are solid back-ups and there are a couple of other freshman that are reported to be physically ready - Barr and Itlis. OL will be a strength this year with a season in the system under their belt.

7. Runningbacks: It sucks PT Gates wont be with the team this fall, but Hugh Charles is still a burner that can be dangerous when out in the open. I also look for Demetius Summler to have a breakout season.

Hugh is alway on the verge of breaking it. To borrow a baseball euphemism, he needs to stop hitting warning-track outs and put it over the fence. If he can, he will be an all-conf. back. Sumler offers the power in backfield, and moyd has speed. Ellis - well, I've never been two impressed with his running ability, but the guy was the best pass blocker of the bunch last year, so you have to give him some carries so as not to show your hand to the D. I hope he becomes more serviceable.

8. Secondary: This has been a problem in recent years at CU. Last year was no exception either as the buffs allowed 66% completion rate last year. Terrence Wheatley and Ryan Walters will be the main men of this group, and hopefully this will be a improved unit.

I think the secondary's problems last year was in the execution, not the talent. TWheat has said there were times when half the secondary was in one coverage, and the other half was in another. Coach Brown needs to get these guys on the same page. Dykes is the wild card, and I think he will be starting at the other safety position. Burney will likely start at the other corner - talk about the steal of the class. That kid had almost no offers, but is the second fasted DB on the team. I don't know what to do with Cha'pelel Brown - the kid has lots of talent but is too damn short. those tall receivers will pick him apart. Jimmy Smith and Jalil Brown are tall, fast, strong and athletic - I can't wait to see them on the field.

 

[sackman]

9. Tailgaters - This group is primed for a breakout year. This could be the year we all look back at and say "That was the beginning of a DOMINANT tailgate team". I'd say this is the strength of the team overall.

 

[SBG]

How do you feel about each unit going into fall camp? What are your concerns, what are you excited about? Rank 'em and talk about 'em.

2. Linebackers: Might hurt with Sippili likely gone for a lot of games due to suspension, but if there is a unit that is solid every year at CU, it's the Linebackers. Jordan Dizon, Marcus Burton,and Brad Jones should be a solid group.

I'm never worried about our LBs as long as Cabral is our LB coach. The guy is fantastic. Dizon will have a huge year based on what he did last year (which was awesome). If he ends up hitting people as hard as Washington did I'll be really happy. Love those big hits.

3. Wide Recievers/TE's: This is a unit that I feel cost us some games last year. Sprauge is ok, but newcomers Simas, Celestine and Smith should provide immediate impacts for home run threats. This could be the most improved unit if the incomers step up. The TE's should be solid with Riar Geer and Joe Sanders.

Our TEs are solid and our WR corp will be improved. I'm glad we have more speed at WR since that always helps when you are going against the fastest guys on the other team. Riar will have a great season for a soph and towards the end of the season will step it up. If he stays healthy his Jr year will be huge. I'm really looking forward to it.

4. Special teams: Speacial teams and CU have always gone together, from Cliff Branch to Barry Helton, and Jeff Cambell to Ben Kelly and Mason Crosby.
However, the special teams slipped last year and that might be a reason for the 2-10 season. Kevin Eberhardt will have big shoes to fill trying to replace Mason Crosby, but the buffs still have a solid punter IN Matthew Dillallo. I also look for Stephone Robinson to be back to liek he was in '05, and Josh Smith and Kendrick Celestine should provide spark. Watch out for Bernard Jackson as a weapon here too!

DiLallo was ranked an all-american frosh last year by SI. He had some problems with consistency, but will be improved this year. If he can just keep his hangtime 0.3-0.5s longer than we'll be fine. He has the distance, but now he needs the height. Eberhardt should be solid so I'm not worried about our kicking game. Replacing an icon at CU like Crosby will be hard, but he's waited 4 years to play and I don't think he'll disappoint.

Now our KR and PR needs to drastically improve. IMO, these are the most dangerous jobs in football. You can easily get clocked at full speed without any notice. You also need soft hands to catch and be able to withstand a good blow. I'm thinking BJax will shine in this position. Our special teams play needs to improve. Field position is all too important, especially with a young QB.

5. Quarterbacks: I feel much better about Cody Hawkins or Nick Nelson at QB this year. I feel bad for B-Jax, but he is just not a good QB. The QB position looks better.

Our QBs will be better off this year. Cody knows the system really well and the our playbook will be heavily expanded. What does concern me is...

6. O-Line: The 11 incoming freshmen will help out with depth, and the starting line looks to be good, but if any should go down (which is common for linemen), the buffs could be hampered by inexperince. We are getting talent back at the line with the incomers (#3 O-line class in the country last year) , but O-line is the hardest position to make a transition from High School to college. It will be a year or two before we have both an excellent line and experienced backups.

With the good big-uglies it's hard to win games, period. Pass block, run block, you name it, it's hard but crucial. We'll struggle a lot in this position and since we don't have much depth and a lot of true freshmen it could be disastrous. I don't know how much time our QBs will have and I don't know how mobile they are either. I think our QBs take a beating this year...and that REALLY concerns me for the long term. We may see Nelson start against CSU b/c he's been in the heat of post-HS football. We'll see.

7. Runningbacks: It sucks PT Gates wont be with the team this fall, but Hugh Charles is still a burner that can be dangerous when out in the open. I also look for Demetius Summler to have a breakout season.

I firmly believe we should use Charles in a Reggie Bush/Saints package. Use him as a slot receiver or pass off the bubble screen. He has the speed and the moves, but he has a hard time going up the gut. He loves going around the tackles so I hope Polumbus and Miller are ready. Now if only we had a huge TB that could get those 3 necessary yards, even when the Oline struggles.

8. Secondary: This has been a problem in recent years at CU. Last year was no exception either as the buffs allowed 66% completion rate last year. Terrence Wheatley and Ryan Walters will be the main men of this group, and hopefully this will be a improved unit.

After QB I'd say playing CB is the hardest position in FB to play. You don't know the route and if the play is run you have to support it as well. Wheatley should be all-conference and Walters had signs of brilliance last year. Our secondary will be improved under the year old scheme and there shouldn't be mis-matches w.r.t. plays this year. If that was a problem with our secondary last year then we need to reevaluate how good of a job our coaches are doing. There is no excuse for people to not be aware of the play. Either shrink down the playbook, spend more time going over plays or pick a new secondary leader on the field. Also, our playcalling wasn't that great either last year, especially on 3rd down, so that played a factor into the 66% completion rating.