Embree artice from Dr. Saturday

[Buffnik]

"There was some just anger and whatever about, how did we get here? How did this happen?" Embree told Yahoo! Sports. "As a player or coach, there's only three years, four years out of 15 at Colorado that I didn't go to a bowl game. I was part of winning 10 games or more four different times at this program and now all of a sudden we can't win on the road. That's the alum, that's the former player, that's the guy that was here when program was arguably at its lowest point in the history of Colorado football. And you come in here staring at something that's similar to that."

Read more...

 

[Dark Bohner]

Good article. It really describes what he and the team have been dealing with. I really think he is the right man for the job.

 

[Darth Snow]

just read it again. great stuff. Makes me angry.

 

[rynobuff]

All told, Colorado's transformation won't be a two or even three-year process. This is a broken program that's going to need a lot of help to get back to where it was nearly two decades ago

I hope this just means the transformation won't be complete. But 3 years from now, the transformation should be fully in the process with wins, talent and progress to show for it. 3 years is a long time, a couple more recruiting classes and a team filled with Embo's boys... there are many examples of programs turning things around in that amount of time.

 

[Buffnik]

I agree with the 3 year comment. We won't be back to what we were in the late 80s to late 90s in the 2013 season. I expect us to be a winning program again and possibly cracking the Top 25 if things break right, though.

 

[GoBuffs08]

Looking at what DII left it was clear that we needed talent upgrades at every position. The last recruit class should really help. I look at the this upcoming season as a chance for many of the young guys to get some quality game experience and build some much needed confidence for the rest of the season.

I expect 6 wins this year but that is all dependent on getting off to a fast start in non conference. There is no reason we should not win our first three games.

It is huge that we put together a decent season and be able to build of our last recruiting class. 2013 is the year that I think we start talking about wining 8-9 games.

 

[boydbuff]

It was a great, if not a bit depressing, article reflecting the reality of what Embree inherited. Lack of talent, lack of depth, lack of leadership, lack of a will to win.

I think we honestly all need to prepare ourselves for a journey. I was one who felt that 6 wins and a bowl was very doable after Embree and team proclaimed it as a goal but I am kind of worried now. Loss of PRich is terrible. I am a believer in Wood but he is going to have some bad games, especially early.

We are going to be SOOOOOO young this year, probably one of the youngest teams not just in Pac 12 but in BCS. I have more hope for 2013 because Wood will have a year under him, upgrade at backup with Dillon, PRich will be back and one of the youngest teams in America will have 1 more year of exp including 75% of our 2012 class which will see the field this year.

 

[Mick Ronson]

We won't be back to what we were in the late 80s to late 90s in the 2013 season.

does anyone really think this is possible?

i'd say bowl eligible is a goal for this team the next two years. a goal. for anyone who thinks former Mac guy magic is on the plate/Utah game hooray needs to take a step away from even outlaw 4/20.

 

[Buffnik]

does anyone really think this is possible?

i'd say bowl eligible is a goal for this team the next two years. a goal. for anyone who thinks former Mac guy magic is on the plate/Utah game hooray needs to take a step away from even outlaw 4/20.

The premise of the piece was that it's more than a 3-year rebuilding project. I think different people have different ideas of what the rebuild is. I'm talking about being elite again. That means that we'd need for our recruiting classes to pick up to the point where the top 3 or 4 guys in the 2011 class become the bottom 3 or 4 guys in a recruiting class. That could take until the end of the decade.

 

[Buffalo Brad]

Great article that provides a great view into how bad things got. It makes me hate Halkins even more if that is possible. Just flat out anger.

 

[Dark Bohner]

I still think the goal for 2012 is a bowl game. With our schedule it is doable. It won't be the end of the world if they don't make one though.

 

[Darian3Hagan]

We won't be a championship football team until the president makes it a priority.

 

[OrangeBowl]

Good article,but I disagree with this;

Hawkins came from Boise State, where he had turned the Broncos from a I-AA team to a budding FBS powerhouse. But he wasn't able to work the same magic at Colorado.

FBS powerhouse? Dirk Koetter and Houston Nutt had more to do with what happened up there than juice box.

 

[Buffnik]

Good article,but I disagree with this;


FBS powerhouse? Dirk Koetter and Houston Nutt had more to do with what happened up there than juice box.

Yeah. That's Hawkins' reputation, but if you look at the record he pretty much continued what Koetter had done, didn't have a good record against the better teams on his schedule, and it was going downhill a bit his last year before Petersen took over and made it what it is.

Giving Hawkins that credit is kind of like saying that Rick Neuheisel built CU from the Fairbanks lowpoint to the Big 12 Champion they became.

 

[BuffClass90]

This article just made me sad...I don't know if I have the energy to hate Pigeon anymore, or anymore than I already do. I could really tell from the article JE is heartbroken by what Mr. FCS did to our program.

As far as "rebuilding", I think a bowl game this year would be a HUGE accomplishment, but is not just wishful thinking. We will need a few breaks and a few kids to really step up, but it's doable.

Next year, I will expect a bowl game. I'm guessing in 2016 or so we might be in the top 4 PAC12 teams.

What I liked about JE is he is a realist and says it like it is...he doesn't spout platitudes and think he's some Zen master. He and his staff know what a winning football team looks like and we will get there.

Shoulder to shoulder!!!

 

[buffalo30]

Unfortunately, some people did not, and never will understand what Embree has had to deal with.

 

[Hugegroove]

"There was some just anger and whatever about, how did we get here? How did this happen?" Embree told Yahoo! Sports. "As a player or coach, there's only three years, four years out of 15 at Colorado that I didn't go to a bowl game. I was part of winning 10 games or more four different times at this program and now all of a sudden we can't win on the road. That's the alum, that's the former player, that's the guy that was here when program was arguably at its lowest point in the history of Colorado football. And you come in here staring at something that's similar to that."

Read more...

Great read Nik! Even though it kinda pisses me off.

 

[MtnBuff]

Unfortunately, some people did not, and never will understand what Embree has had to deal with.

So absolutely true.

The program that JE took over was rotten to the core. Outside of a very few individual players CU was smaller, slower, weaker, and less skilled than the teams we were playing at virtually every position. You can have all the schemes in the world but in the end talent wins in the long run.

Even worse was the team being rotten to core in terms of attitude. Players didn't just accept losing, they had moved on to expecting to lose and finding new ways to do it.

In some ways JE's job would have been easier if he could have completely cleaned the slate and started from scratch. As it is he is having to bebuild the foundation while people are still expecting to live in the house.

 

[GoonieBuff]

Giving Hawkins that credit is kind of like saying that Rick Neuheisel built CU from the Fairbanks lowpoint to the Big 12 Champion they became.

This is a near perfect analogy.

 

[chipwich]

I'm usually the optimist when it comes to the Buffs but not sure I can stomach 3-4 more of rebuilding. This blows.

 

[MtnBuff]

I'm usually the optimist when it comes to the Buffs but not sure I can stomach 3-4 more of rebuilding. This blows.

Unfortunately we may not have much choice, thank you Hawkins. The good thing is it looks like Embree is doing it the right way. He is building with athletes who belong at this level, he is bringing in D-linemen, speed, and QBs. We still need a major step up across the board and an infusion of talent on the O-line but we are going to be much more solid in the future.

 

[Quattro]

I'm usually the optimist when it comes to the Buffs but not sure I can stomach 3-4 more of rebuilding. This blows.

It's not gonna take 3-4 years to get back to winning games. Hell, being so young this year probably helps in the long run.

 

[Buffnik]

I'm usually the optimist when it comes to the Buffs but not sure I can stomach 3-4 more of rebuilding. This blows.

Depends on how much I see momentum building. As long as I see progression in wins (and competitiveness against top teams), I think it can be fun. 5 or so wins this year, 7 or so next couple years, etc., etc., until we're consistently winning 8+.

I enjoyed the run with basketball from being complete doormats 4 years ago to being Pac-12 champions this year and what looks to be a program that will win 20+ games on a consistent basis (maybe with a ceiling above that). But they had the year-to-year build with recruiting results getting better each year. So far, football is showing the yearly recruiting improvement. Now it has to show better results on the field and we're in business.

My patience for a setback is about zero at this point, though. (Whether that's a 3-win season or a recruiting class outside the top 40.)

 

[NWD Buff]

Depends on how much I see momentum building. As long as I see progression in wins (and competitiveness against top teams), I think it can be fun.

This.

I was in Boulder from 1985 on, so I was there starting the season after they went 1-10, through and beyond the National Championship. 1990 was a lot of fun, but I have incredibly fond memories of the years leading up to it. For example, we lost our first four games in 86 (including a loss at home to the Lambs), and then proceeded to go 6-1 in conference play, including the huge victory over Nebraska that broke a ridiculously long string of losses to them.

My point is, 6 and 7 win seasons are not the goal, but they are a lot more fun when you are on your way up, instead of on your way down.