CUwhit21
Club Member
Any remaining Hawk supporters should read this. This guy says it better then many of us who have tried.
FROM THE MILE HIGH SPORTS DAILY:
During the past three offseasons, anyone remotely associated with the University of Colorado football program – coaches, players, administrators, media members and fans – have raved about the improved athleticism of the Buffs. To a person, they talked about the noticeable improvement in team speed, size and strength. It was impossible not to notice, or so the story went.
Fast forward to last Friday night, a September evening in Ohio. CU was on the road, taking on the University of Toledo, and they were getting manhandled. A Big 12 team was being dominated by a Mid-American Conference program, one that finished 3-9 a season ago. Throughout the game, ESPN, the network broadcasting the beat-down across the nation, kept cutting away to Bob Davie, who was working the sidelines. The former Notre Dame head coach had the same report every time: He couldn’t believe how the Rockets were bigger, faster and stronger than the Buffs. It was fitting that the game was played on a Friday night, as CU looked an awful lot like a high school team.
En route to being embarrassed by a 54-38 count, a defeat that conjured up memories of getting beaten by Drake in 1980 for Colorado fans, one thought kept running through my head: Where’s all this improved athleticism we kept hearing about?
It’s been fashionable to bash former head coach Gary Barnett on his way out the door in Boulder, lamenting the fact that he left the cupboard bare for newcomer Dan Hawkins. But as Hawk enters his fourth season as the head man at CU, when the roster should be stocked with guys he brought into the program, that’s seeming more and more like spin. Right about now, most Buffs fans are longing for the days of teams good enough to get pasted in the Big 12 title game.
While Colorado is shockingly weak at multiple positions, two in particular jump out any time the team takes the field.
First and foremost, and the one that gets most of the attention, is the quarterback. Cody Hawkins is a tough kid, a player who gives it his all every moment he’s on the field – something we all saw late in the game at Toledo when he dove head first into the end zone, getting knocked silly on the play, for a meaningless touchdown. But the fact that a 5-foot-11, 190-pound quarterback is the best option available, which Hawkins clearly is at the moment, speaks volumes about the program’s recent recruiting. How can they not attract a big-time quarterback to play for a Big 12 program? It’s inexcusable.
The other glaring weakness for the Buffs is at the wide receiver position. They start two walk-ons, Scotty McKnight and Jason Espinoza, a tandem that is arguably the least dangerous receiving duo in Division I football. But the madness doesn’t end there. Their first wide out off the bench was Dustin Ebner, another walk-on. He was followed by Anthony Wright, a converted defensive back.
Where were Sherman Lang, Markques Simas, Kendrick Celestine, Josh Smith, Chance Blackmon, Jarrod Darden, Andre Simmons and Terdema Ussery? Those are the eight three-star-plus wide receivers Hawkins has recruited during his time in Boulder. Yet for a variety of reasons – academic issues, suspensions, transfers and youth – they weren’t on the field on Friday night. For whatever reason, the Buffs seem much more comfortable with the walk-on du jour catching passes instead of a potential big-time player they recruited.
It’s a strange situation, one that isn’t new to this season. A year ago, Josh Smith was clearly CU’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Yet he rarely played. Stories would circulate that he was dinged up, trying to justify his lack of contribution on offense. But he’d consistently return punts, one of the most hazardous duties in all of sports. Something didn’t add up, a notion that was reinforced this past offseason when Smith left the program.
It’s not that the Buffs don’t bring top-flight talent to Boulder; it’s that they don’t play them. Against Toledo, CU started as many walk-ons (three) as they did four- (two) and five-star (one) recruits. In the game, seven walk-ons saw action, as did 11 two-star players. While Colorado trotted out a bunch of mediocre overachievers against Toledo, 23 three- and 10 four-star recruits brought in by Hawkins since he arrived in Boulder were nowhere to be found. That’s a whopping 33 players who should be contributing for the Buffs who aren’t even stepping out onto the field. As a result, the coaching staff is left to fill the gaps with seemingly any warm body available.
Instead of having blue-chip athletes on the field, Colorado is left trying to compete with walk-ons from Alamosa and Arvada. That’s not going to cut it. Back in 1994, when the Buffs fielded what many believe was their greatest team ever, they had 25 players on the roster from Colorado. This year, there are 51.
To me, this is the biggest indictment of Hawkins’ tenure at CU. Right now, the Buffs aren’t able to get their best players on the field. Sometimes, it’s their choice. Sometimes, it’s the player’s decision. And on occasion, it’s been a third-party or injury sitting them down. Regardless, it’s happening at an alarming rate.
Why is Colorado getting physically dominated by CSU and Toledo? Because they have inferior athletes on the field. That’s acceptable when the Buffs take on Oklahoma or Texas. It’s not when they line up against teams from non-BCS conferences.
When Hawkins was hired, he inherited a program that had suffered only three losing seasons in the past 21 years. Two games in to his fourth season, CU is well on its way to a fourth straight, counting the regular season and bowl games. If the coach hopes to turn things around and improve upon his abysmal 13-26 career mark with the Buffs, he needs to get some talent on the field. He could find some by simply playing his own recruits.
http://milehighsports.com/Article.asp?id=1499544&spid=
FROM THE MILE HIGH SPORTS DAILY:
During the past three offseasons, anyone remotely associated with the University of Colorado football program – coaches, players, administrators, media members and fans – have raved about the improved athleticism of the Buffs. To a person, they talked about the noticeable improvement in team speed, size and strength. It was impossible not to notice, or so the story went.
Fast forward to last Friday night, a September evening in Ohio. CU was on the road, taking on the University of Toledo, and they were getting manhandled. A Big 12 team was being dominated by a Mid-American Conference program, one that finished 3-9 a season ago. Throughout the game, ESPN, the network broadcasting the beat-down across the nation, kept cutting away to Bob Davie, who was working the sidelines. The former Notre Dame head coach had the same report every time: He couldn’t believe how the Rockets were bigger, faster and stronger than the Buffs. It was fitting that the game was played on a Friday night, as CU looked an awful lot like a high school team.
En route to being embarrassed by a 54-38 count, a defeat that conjured up memories of getting beaten by Drake in 1980 for Colorado fans, one thought kept running through my head: Where’s all this improved athleticism we kept hearing about?
It’s been fashionable to bash former head coach Gary Barnett on his way out the door in Boulder, lamenting the fact that he left the cupboard bare for newcomer Dan Hawkins. But as Hawk enters his fourth season as the head man at CU, when the roster should be stocked with guys he brought into the program, that’s seeming more and more like spin. Right about now, most Buffs fans are longing for the days of teams good enough to get pasted in the Big 12 title game.
While Colorado is shockingly weak at multiple positions, two in particular jump out any time the team takes the field.
First and foremost, and the one that gets most of the attention, is the quarterback. Cody Hawkins is a tough kid, a player who gives it his all every moment he’s on the field – something we all saw late in the game at Toledo when he dove head first into the end zone, getting knocked silly on the play, for a meaningless touchdown. But the fact that a 5-foot-11, 190-pound quarterback is the best option available, which Hawkins clearly is at the moment, speaks volumes about the program’s recent recruiting. How can they not attract a big-time quarterback to play for a Big 12 program? It’s inexcusable.
The other glaring weakness for the Buffs is at the wide receiver position. They start two walk-ons, Scotty McKnight and Jason Espinoza, a tandem that is arguably the least dangerous receiving duo in Division I football. But the madness doesn’t end there. Their first wide out off the bench was Dustin Ebner, another walk-on. He was followed by Anthony Wright, a converted defensive back.
Where were Sherman Lang, Markques Simas, Kendrick Celestine, Josh Smith, Chance Blackmon, Jarrod Darden, Andre Simmons and Terdema Ussery? Those are the eight three-star-plus wide receivers Hawkins has recruited during his time in Boulder. Yet for a variety of reasons – academic issues, suspensions, transfers and youth – they weren’t on the field on Friday night. For whatever reason, the Buffs seem much more comfortable with the walk-on du jour catching passes instead of a potential big-time player they recruited.
It’s a strange situation, one that isn’t new to this season. A year ago, Josh Smith was clearly CU’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Yet he rarely played. Stories would circulate that he was dinged up, trying to justify his lack of contribution on offense. But he’d consistently return punts, one of the most hazardous duties in all of sports. Something didn’t add up, a notion that was reinforced this past offseason when Smith left the program.
It’s not that the Buffs don’t bring top-flight talent to Boulder; it’s that they don’t play them. Against Toledo, CU started as many walk-ons (three) as they did four- (two) and five-star (one) recruits. In the game, seven walk-ons saw action, as did 11 two-star players. While Colorado trotted out a bunch of mediocre overachievers against Toledo, 23 three- and 10 four-star recruits brought in by Hawkins since he arrived in Boulder were nowhere to be found. That’s a whopping 33 players who should be contributing for the Buffs who aren’t even stepping out onto the field. As a result, the coaching staff is left to fill the gaps with seemingly any warm body available.
Instead of having blue-chip athletes on the field, Colorado is left trying to compete with walk-ons from Alamosa and Arvada. That’s not going to cut it. Back in 1994, when the Buffs fielded what many believe was their greatest team ever, they had 25 players on the roster from Colorado. This year, there are 51.
To me, this is the biggest indictment of Hawkins’ tenure at CU. Right now, the Buffs aren’t able to get their best players on the field. Sometimes, it’s their choice. Sometimes, it’s the player’s decision. And on occasion, it’s been a third-party or injury sitting them down. Regardless, it’s happening at an alarming rate.
Why is Colorado getting physically dominated by CSU and Toledo? Because they have inferior athletes on the field. That’s acceptable when the Buffs take on Oklahoma or Texas. It’s not when they line up against teams from non-BCS conferences.
When Hawkins was hired, he inherited a program that had suffered only three losing seasons in the past 21 years. Two games in to his fourth season, CU is well on its way to a fourth straight, counting the regular season and bowl games. If the coach hopes to turn things around and improve upon his abysmal 13-26 career mark with the Buffs, he needs to get some talent on the field. He could find some by simply playing his own recruits.
http://milehighsports.com/Article.asp?id=1499544&spid=
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