My Top Ten Colorado Sports Events for 2019

The Avalanche and local football teams gave me the most thrills in 2019 for sports events of the year, with some baseball and basketball thrown in. My top 10 list:

Number 10:

12/21 University of Colorado Basketball: Colorado 78 Dayton 76.  The most recent entry on my list: De'Shawn Swartz sinks a 3 point basket at the buzzer to give the Buffs the win over 13th rank Dayton.  It was the highest ranked team CU had beaten on the road since 1990 when the Buffs beat 6th ranked Missouri.

Number 9:

9/28 Rockies 3 Brewers 2 In the second to last game of the season, the Rockies win a tight game all the way with some great plays on both sides.  The Rockies were one out away from a loss when rookie Sam Hilliard hits a game tying home run, then Trevor Story wins it with a walkoff in the bottom of the 10th.  It was a disappointing season for the Rockies but they ended in style with a 3 game sweep of the Brewers (the team they lost to in the 2018 playoffs) depriving Milwaukee a chance for first place in the NL Central Division.

Number 8:

11/3 Broncos 24 Browns 19 Free agent quarterback Brandon Allen, in his first start, leads the Broncos to the win.  Rookie tight end Noah Fant has a break out game including a 75 yard td (the longest bronco td of the season)

Number 7:

4/27 Nuggets 90 Spurs 86 - Nuggets win a game 7 playoff series at home, the first game 7 home game for the franchise in 41 years.

Number 6:

9/21 University of Colorado football: buffs beat arizona state on the road 34-31, their first road win over a nationally ranked top 25 team since 2002!  This despite losing their best offensive player (laviska shenault) and their best defensive player (Mustafa Johnson) early in the game due to injuries.

Number 5:

5/7 avs 4 sharks 3 game 6 of the series: avs on the brink of elimination win in OT to force game 7.  While the Avs ended up losing the series in game 7 the game 6 win was one of the best avalanche games in the last 10 years.  This would have been ranked #2 on this list had the Avs won game 7.

Number 4:

12/8 Broncos beat the Houston Texans 38-24 on the road with rookie quarterback Drew lock throwing for 3 tds and 309 yards. The Texans had defeated the New England Patriots the week before so this shaped up as a tough road game for the Broncos. Could the Broncos have their quarterback of the future?  This game showed Lock could be the man!

Number 3:

4/17 Avalanche 3 Flames 2 - trailing 2-0 in the 3rd period the Avs come back to win in overtime to take a 3-1 series lead! This game essentially clinched the series for the Avs as they won the next game easily to win the series.

Number 2:

4/13 Avalanche 3 Flames 2 - #8 seeded Avalanche tie the series 1-1 over #1 seed Calgary in Calgary with a thrilling overtime win after being down 1-0 with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd period.

Number 1:

9/7 University of Colorado football: Buffs beat rival Nebraska 34-31 in overtime after trailing 17-0 at halftime.  An incredible comeback highlighted by a 96 yard flea flicker TD from the shadow of their own end zone, and several clutch completions by QB Steven Montez towards the end of regulation to send the game to overtime.  The Buffs don't play the Huskers too often anymore.  It was great to sweep the 2 game series winning at Nebraska in 2018 and with this home win in 2019!

Top 10 Colorado Sports Moments 2012

I've been a fan of all the Colorado sports teams since growing up in Denver in the 60's.  Here are my top sports moments of 2012:

10. Colorado scores 17 points in 4th quarter to beat Washington State at Pullman 35-34.
Bet you didn't think a Colorado football moment would make it into the top 10!  It was an awful season for the Buffs but at least their ONLY win was an exciting one - coming back from 17 points down to beat Washington State on the road.  After losing 69-14 the week before to Fresno State, and losing their first two games to lowly CSU and Sacramento State this win was totally unexpected.  And much maligned quarterback Jordan Webb had his best quarter of the season in that 4th quarter - winning the game on a gutsy quarterback keeper as time ran out.

9. CSU beats Colorado in opener 22-17 after trailing 14-3 late in 1st half. 
I'm one of those rare CU fans who also roots for CSU except when the Rams play the Buffs.  While this game was disappointing for my CU interests, I must admit I was glad to see new CSU coach Jim McElwain celebrating with his team after this huge win in Denver.  Colorado is better off when both CU and CSU are fielding competitive teams, and this win was huge to get the McElwain era off to a good start in Ft Collins.  Now that I have a son going to CSU I'll be rooting for the Rams a little more, but just a little.  The Buffs are still my favorite college football team.

8. Todd Helton walkoff home run vs Arizona, April 14, 2012.  
Talk about disappointing seasons.  The Rockies joined the Buffs in having a terrible 2012 campaign.  But in the first two weeks there was a magical moment at Coors Field that made me think I was watching The Natural.  At the end of a cold, rainy 5 hour game Todd Helton was up with 2 outs in the bottom of 9th man, man on first, with the Rockies trailing the Diamondbacks 7-6.  Coors field was virtually empty as most fans had departed the cold weather long before the game got to the 9th.  Todd Helton hits a two run homer just inside the right field foul pole to give the Rockies the win!  This fan captured the improbable blast by Helton on video:


7. Avalanche beat Detroit 4-3 Feb 25th ending the Red Wings 23 game home winning streak
Remember the Avs?  With the NHL work stoppage the local hockey team has been pretty much forgotten this Fall, but the team did have some big wins early in 2012.  The best was a 4-3 victory in Joe Louis Arena to stop Detroit's 23 game home winning streak.  The Avs had some other big wins too, like beating the Rangers in NY, but then fell apart in the season's final 3 weeks to miss out on the playoffs.  There were moments, though, like this win against the hated Red Wings, that hinted the Avs could be back on the right track. (addendum: Vancouver actually ended the Wings long home winning streak with a win in a shootout Feb 23rd, but the Avs on Feb 25th were the first to beat the Wings in regulation in Detroit since the streak started)

6. Colorado wins Pac 12 basketball tourney, beating Arizona 53-51.
For most of my life there was not much to get excited about when it came to CU basketball.  I remember Cliff Meely when I was a kid leading the Buffs to a Big 8 title, and Chauncey Billups had his moments in black and gold in the 90's.  But CU basketball has mostly been a wasteland for the last 4 decades.  That's what made this improbable tourney run by the Buffs so sweet!  The victory over Arizona was the Buffs 4th straight in the tournament, and then they followed it up with a first round upset of UNLV in the Big Dance.  After Colorado's horrendous showing in football it was good to let the other Pac 12 schools know that the Buffs could be competitive in at least one sport (other than skiing!)

5.  Nuggets 126 Lakers 114 NBA playoffs game 5.
Denver sportscaster Vic Lombardi had this one pegged.  After the Nuggets lost game 4 at home to fall behind in their first round series with the Lakers 3 games to 1 most fans thought the Lakers closing out the series in 5 was a sure thing.  Not Lombardi, who said at the time he thought the Nuggets would win game 5.  And the Nuggets did just that, led by Kenneth Faried's 21 points and 15 rebounds.  The Nuggets won game 6, too, in a blowout before losing game 7 and the series at the Staples Center.  But at least the Nuggets gave their fans some post season thrills with 3 victories against the Lakers.

4. Broncos 31 Pittsburgh 19
This was the first Broncos home opener I had missed since 1966!  Away on a business trip in Alaska I could only monitor this game through scoring updates on my cell phone, but Peyton Manning's first non-preseason NFL game in over 600 days did not disappoint.  Manning hit Demaryius Thomas with a 71 yard td pass, Tracy Porter had a huge interception TD to clinch the game, and the Broncos beat the hated Steelers in the opener.  With Denver's tough schedule to open the season I saw this game as very important (even with this win the Broncos started off 2-3).

3. Tebow to Thomas beats Steelers in the playoffs
In only the third home playoff game for the Broncos in 11 years, Tim Tebow completes an 80 yard pass to Demaryius Thomas in the first play of overtime to lead the Broncos over the Steelers in the first round of the NFL playoffs.  This win was especially sweet for me, as I was in attendance for this and the last playoff game in Denver, a disappointing Bronco loss in the AFC Championship game in 2006.  Little did we know at the time that this would be Tim Tebow's last game in Denver as the Broncos starting quarterback.

2. Broncos Signing of Peyton Manning
When I first heard the Broncos were interested in signing Peyton Manning I thought, "Why???"  Denver had just come off an improbable playoff season led by crowd favorite Tim Tebow, and I was anxious to see what Tebow could do with a full off season of workouts that he did not have the prior year.  I also thought Manning was a huge injury risk.  But I trusted that Broncos President John Elway knew what he was doing.  The more I thought about it the more I wanted to see Peyton in Broncos Orange!  Peyton Manning turned out to be the best free agent signing of any Denver team since I've been a sports fan.

1. Broncos 35 San Diego 24
With a 2-3 record and trailing 24-0 at half time, the prospects of the Broncos having a good year looked dim.  But Peyton Manning led an amazing 2nd half comeback, outscoring the Chargers 35-0, to lead the Broncos to this huge win (their best Monday Night performance ever in my book).  Going into the season's final week as I type this, Denver would not lose again.  Perhaps the Broncos would have still rebounded had they lost this game and fell to 2-4, but I think this game was the key to the Broncos miracle season.
 

Buffs were right to fire Embree

I'm a sucker for motivational speeches.  When I attended Jon Embree's first meeting with Buff fans to talk about the 2011 recruiting class I was excited (I wrote about that luncheon back then).  "The Buffs are on the verge of something great," former CU coach Bill McCartney told the crowd that day.  McCartney praised CU's move to the pac 12 conference, and the skills of Embree and the coaching staff Jon had assembled ("it matches up to any staff I had at CU" - Mac said).  "Bringing back successful coaches and players from Colorado's past to lead the Buffs into the Pac 12 is a good move," I wrote that day.  "I expect next season will have its struggles, but as Coach Mac said I think the Buffs have the right leadership in place now and fans just have to give them time."

Boy was I wrong! I now think CU made the right move in firing Jon Embree this week and not giving him more time.  What caused my 180 degree change in opinion?

On field performance.  Under Embree the Buffs had 4 wins and 21 losses over his two year reign.  Last season's 3 - 10 record was acceptable for Embree's first year given the downtrodden state of the program after Dan Hawkins 5 year term.  In 2011 the Buffs beat their instate rival CSU and finished the season winning 2 of their last 3 against pac 12 foes (including a big upset at Utah in the finale to end a long 24 game road losing streak).  Things were looking up.

It was this season that did Embree in.  Instead of building on 2011 the team got worse, much worse.  Losing to CSU and to Division II foe Sacramento State to start the season, followed by many blowout losses to Pac 12 opponents.  "I saw Colorado play 3 times this year. Folks, it's the worst Div. 1 football program in a major conference I've ever seen," said ESPN's Colin Cowherd on his show yesterday. Would Cowherd renew Embree for a 3rd year? "After two years, in a sport you HAVE to bring people into the stadium because it's the only sport on a campus that makes any money. Colorado football, at the end of this year is HOPELESS. No one is going to these games," he said.  It was obvious to anyone watching Buff football this year that the team had taken a big step back in 2012.

Embree now discounts the win/loss record.  "I get it, 4-21 is not good, but there is a lot that went into that,” he said in a radio interview, and went on to explain how he was doing other things to help the program.  The wins will come if you give him more time, according to Embree.  That's a different message than what he was preaching at that recruiting lunch in February 2011.  "Instead of hoping to win, expect to win. Even next year," Embree said that day, in how he was going to change the team's attitude.  It seemed to me the 2012 Buffs expected to lose before every opening kickoff.

Poor recruiting.  Embree only had a few weeks to recruit after he was hired in December 2011 and he came up with a credible "transition" class, including starting freshman cornerback Greg Henderson.  His February 2012 class showed promising signs, ranking #36 in the recruiting site Rivals rankings - a respectable showing after a 3-10 season.  This year, though, Embree's recruiting is trending downward (with a current Rivals national rank of #65).  Recruits do not want to play for a doormat, and Colorado's poor 2012 season no doubt has contributed to the Buffs having a hard time attracting talent.

This is disappointing to me because this coaching staff was hyped to be great at recruiting.  Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was said to be one of the best recruiters in the nation when he was an assistant at Colorado and UCLA, and now with recent NFL experience (he was the Minnesota Vikings running backs coach) he was supposed to be an even better recruiter this time around with the Buffs.  The top high school running backs I expected to sign with Colorado because of Bieniemy never materialized.  Embree, too, was said to be a top recruiter at UCLA and at his former stint at Colorado as an assistant.

I followed the program closely during Coach McCartney's rise from a 1-10 season in 1984 to a National Championship only 6 years later.  During the down years I remember then Dallas Cowboys General Manager Tex Schramm saying "the one thing Colorado has going for them is Bill McCartney's recruiting."  Even though the results on the field weren't good yet, the recruiting experts of those days gave the Buffs high marks.  Not so in 2012 - Colorado's recruiting is getting worse, not better.

Bad decisions at quarterback.  The Buffs had a returning senior quarterback for the 2011 season in Tyler Hansen.  Hansen's play helped the team salvage 3 wins that year.  I attended a spring practice before the 2011 season and I thought Hansen looked great.  But what were the Buffs to do once Hansen graduated for the 2012 season?  I hoped that Embree had a plan.  His moves to shore up the quarterback position have not worked out.  One of his first signees, junior college transfer Brent Burnette, never played a down for the Buffs.  Texas transfer Connor Wood worked with the scout team in 2011 and reports were promising that he'd be the starter for 2012, but Wood was a disappointment.  Kansas transfer Jordan Webb won the starting 2012 quarterback job, despite only arriving on campus in July, and had a terrible year.  In the last game holdover Nick Hirschman looked to be the best of the bunch (leading the Buffs to 35 points vs Utah), yet Hirschman was buried on the depth chart for most of the season.

Embree did recruit promising quarterback Shane Dillion who redshirted this year.  If Dillion is the real deal he'll help the next coach, but I still think Embree could have done more to bolster the quarterback position in the short term.  Stevie Joe Dorman was another Embree recruit at quarterback who had no other offers from BCS schools (Dorman also redshirted this year).

Closed practices.  When Embree took the field in the Spring of 2011 he at first was open to having fans and the press view his team's practices (I attended one of the first workouts).  But soon Embree closed all practices to the public and gave the press limited access.  This was a change from Dan Hawkins who always opened a few practices for public viewing in the Fall followed by a public scrimmage in August in Folsom Field.

I remember as a kid watching the 1971 CU team scrimmage featuring many sophomore starters on TV before heading off to Baton Rouge to play LSU the next week.  Then coach Eddie Crowder was not concerned about giving away any secrets by having open scrimmages - his team upset LSU and ended up finishing #3 in the nation that year.  Embree had an almost paranoid attitude about his Buff teams, not wanting any practice reports to get out on the internet that might present a less than positive view.  The secrecy in the program did not help in building good will to the fans or with the media.

Race had nothing to do with it.  Earlier this week Coach McCartney accused Colorado of firing Embree for racial reasons.  "I believe black men have less opportunity, shorter time, if you will. It’s just like, Dan Hawkins got five full years. Why not give Jon Embree five years? You signed him to a five-year contract," Coach Mac said.

The Dan Hawkins comparison is not valid.  Hawkins' CU team went to a bowl game in his 2nd year, playing Nick Saban's Alabama team to a competitive game in the Independence Bowl before losing 30-24.  Hawkins 3rd year almost produced another bowl team (a last minute 57 yard field goal by Nebraska in the season finale prevented that). It was only in Hawkins' 4th year that cracks started to show (with a 3-9 record).  Hawkins should have been fired after that 4th year, but the school's financial state at the time prevented a buyout from happening.  Had Colorado had access to the 20 million/year Pac 12 TV money they now have, Hawkins would have never coached a 5th year in Boulder.

Racial discrimination is no doubt still a serious problem in this country, but the Embree firing is not a good example of it.  Floyd Keith, the director of the Black Coaches association, recognizes that Embree's on field performance was the reason Embree was fired.  "I'm disappointed for Jon because I thought he might get another year," he said. "I would have been pleased if he had gotten another year, but I'm also not blind. I think the thing that did him in was the loss to the FCS team (Sacramento State). What can you say about that?"  On the All Buffs CU fan message board, a minority media person from the South writes, "I find it MUCH more offensive that someone like Bill McCartney, and many others, former black players included, would not give me or anyone else of color the benefit of the doubt that we could decide on our own accord that it was the atrocities on the field that led to Embree's firing, not his color. I applaud Colorado for having hired a man with Embree's qualifications or rather, lack thereof, regardless of his race. LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, etc. would NEVER do that." (read the whole post here)

In February 2013 I'll probably be attending another recruiting luncheon with yet another new Colorado coach spouting optimism about his plans for the team.  And I'll believe every word of it.  This time I hope it works out.  For a team I have followed since I was a kid in the 1960's, I miss the good old days of winning CU football.

Colorado Buffs Spring Football Practice

I attended the first hour of the scrimmage today. No pictures allowed inside - as you can see from the photo I took entering the practice fields it was a beautiful spring day. My impressions:

Senior Tyler Hansen looks really good - easily the best quarterback out there. He threw a beautiful deep touchdown pass to a streaking Paul Richardson up the sidelines. I was watching on the sidelines as the ball came sailing towards me - the ball was perfectly placed and Richardson showed good speed and hands on that play. Besides that pass Hansen was pretty much on target all scrimmage. The offense featured a number of short passes to the tight end and backs with some deep passes mixed in when Hansen was taking snaps.

Hansen better not get hurt as the other quarterbacks were not impressive. Nick Hirschman was throwing floaters, many of which were not accurate. "Keep it down or get off the field!!!" I heard a coach bark from the sidelines (probably qb coach Scherer) after one of Hirschman's errant throws. Hirschman looked better in pre-scrimmage work, but once the hitting started he was off. On another play he was stripped of the ball on a sack with the defense recovering. Junior college transfer Brent Burnette didn't pass much in the series I saw - the Buffs mostly worked on their running game that series.

In addition to the td catch Richardson was very impressive. He made a great one handed catch on another Hansen pass.

At RB Speedy was Speedy (Rodney Stewart looked good). One player I was not familiar with, Josh Ford, had a nice long run up the sidelines, showing good elusiveness and speed.

On defense none of the cornerbacks stood out. I saw Makin Pugh, Deji Olatoye, Jered Bell, and Hunter Harrison playing cornerback. On the roster sheet it said Harrison is ineligible for this year. Replacing two top corners will be a big priority for the Buffs this year. Conrad Obi and Eric Richter provide good size in the interior of the defensive line though I didn't think they were disruptive today.

I've attended a few scrimmages when Dan Hawkins was the coach and I could tell the culture has changed. Hawkins was pretty much a passive observer letting the assistants coach. New head coach Jon Embree gets into it. Embree was yelling at players throughout the scrimmage. "You are better than that, #22!!!" he barked on a goal line drill ( think that was directed at Arthur Jaffee). Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy was vocal, especially in goal line drills. When one of his backs scored he'd yell "go celebrate!!! go celebrate!!!" Playing with emotion is a high priority for Bieniemy. The other coach who was yelling alot was wide receiver coach Bobby Kennedy.

Overall, I thought the offense looked pretty good with Hansen at quarterback. No one stood out to me on defense though I was focusing more on the play of the quarterbacks, running backs,, and wide receivers. I feel good about this staff and I look forward to the days when they have better talent to work with. Before then the Buffs just better hope key players like Hansen and Richardson stay healthy.

CU Football Recruiting lunch

Today I attended the annual University of Colorado recruiting luncheon at the Hyatt in downtown Denver. I've been to this lunch 3 times in the past (all under the Dan Hawkins regime). As you might guess today's lunch was a more upbeat positive event compared to those past lunches.

Pac 10 commissioner Larry Scott opened the lunch saying he was impressed with the enthusiasm of the CU fan base and that in visiting the other schools in the conference those schools are telling him CU is a great fit for the Pac 10. In the spirit of recruiting, he brought new CU head coach Jon Embree on the stage and gave him a Pac 10 hat to welcome Jon to the conference.

Next Eric Bieniemy, former great CU running back and current offensive coordinator, said a few words. EB said it was great to be back. He described his recruiting trip as a high school senior, where he came over the hill on US 36 to see all the snow and the city of Boulder with the Flatirons in the background. He knew then that this was the place for him, and over the years it became a special place. He said buffs "always run in packs" and "I was coming all along" if anyone doubted he would return to Boulder after missing out on the head coaching job. He then introduced Rashaan Salaam, CU's only Heisman trophy winner.

Salaam was soft spoken, saying he was not much a public speaker, but then he went on to give a moving account of his growing up years and recruitment to CU. He told of playing 8 man football in San Diego when coach Mac and Brian Cabral recruited him to CU. He read a letter that he wrote when he was a kid playing Pop Warner football. In that letter he said he wanted to win the heisman trophy and play for the LA Raiders for 16 years. He said in that letter he wanted to buy his mom's elementary school, turn it into a college, and put a statue of his Mom outside. Fast forward to the present day, Rashaan told how he can't wait for the alumni like himself to be more active in the program again. As part of the day's fund raising, people could buy a picture taken with Salaam and the heisman trophy. I thought bringing Salaam back was a nice touch to the luncheon, and keeping with the theme of the day of emphasizing the football tradition at CU.

No CU football luncheon would be complete without a speech by former coach Bill McCartney. Coach Mac was in fine form once again, saying that it was hard to contain the joy he was feeling, that the Buffs are on the verge of something great. Two things make him optimistic: joining the Pac 10 is a perfect fit for the program, and Embree and his staff are a great choice to lead the Buffs.

Coach Mac told a story that he liked to tell recruits in his day. He said a survey was done of all the universities in the country grading them on a 1 to 5 scale in 3 areas: social, academic, and quality of life. No school scored a 15. Four schools scored a 14, and CU was one of those. CU was the only school of those four that played Division I football. The message: this program has alot to offer recruits.

He then went on to say how Embree is the right man to lead the program. He told the story of how Embree was the leading high school player in Colorado, yet Embree turned down USC, UCLA, and Ohio State to sign with a then downtrodden Buff program. In his sophomore year Embree set a record for receptions by a tight end (51) including 8 in a game against UCLA. The next year, though, Coach Mac switched to the wishbone, an offense that does not feature the tight end. "Whatever is best for the team," was Embree's reply when Jon was told of his new role as a blocking tight end. Mac said that set the stage for Jon being a great coach, as a coach often has to emphasize the team over the individual in his players. Mac said the staff Embree has assembled "matches up" to any staff he had at CU (and as you know Coach Mac had some great staffs in the CU glory days)

Coach Mac finished comparing the state of the program to limestone, that with heat, pressure, and time limestone will be transformed to marble. He said the program is not ready to dominate the pac 10, not by a longshot. He encouraged those in the crowd to give the new staff time, to fill Folsom on Saturdays, and to help financially with the program.

Coach Embree was next, and he spent most of his time talking about his new staff:

Greg Brown - in the nfl 15 years, coached both of CU's Thorpe winners. The current DB's are excited to work with Brown as defensive coordinator

Tuiasosopo dline - coached with Meyer at utah, coached at utah state when they had great lines. Can teach, good at establishing relationships with kids

Kanavis McGhee dline - embree had his eye on kanavis as a coach for a long time, and had told Kanavis wherever he was a head coach, Kanavis would be joining him no matter what "even if it was at UTEP"

Brian Cabral linebackers run game coordinator - the only assistant to get a standing ovation, Embree complemented Cabral for "righting the ship" (his interim coaching stint) and told a story of Cabral's recruiting prowess in Hawaii.

JD Brookhart special teams, tight ends - grew up with Jon. JD was a successful businessman when he contacted Embree asking how he could get into coaching. Brookhart worked for Shanahan for 2 years, and at Pitt.

Steve Marshall - great at working with different personalities to get them to gel as a unit, like the 2001 CU offensive line that destroyed Nebraska 62-36. Worked in the NFL for 6 years and then at Cal.

Bobby Kennedy - Boulder native returning home, successful at Texas with Biletnikoff award finalists. Good recruiter.

Rip Scherer, qb coach - Embree said in looking for a qb coach he asked 5 of his contacts in the NFL for recommendations. Scherer was the only name on all 5 of the lists. It took awhile to get him to CU but he'll pay dividends - a great teacher of technique

Eric Bieniemy - Embree told how he got EB into coaching initially. He prepped EB for his interview with Barnett for the job as CU running back coach. Barnett was so impressed he stopped the interview after 10 minutes and told Embree "you set me up - you knew EB would be good". EB and Embree coached together at CU and UCLA. At UCLA they were coming off a 10-2 season when they both left for the NFL within 2 weeks. "Our goal was always to come back to Boulder together," said Embree

Jayshon Sykes - a great help in the transition between staffs

Darian Hagan - an example of a team player, Darian took the role of recruiting coordinator and played a big part in the successful recruiting of the current crop. Embree eventually wants to get Hagan back on the field coaching.

Embree then talked about his philosophy. He wants to change the standard of how "we do things. Instead of hoping to win, expect to win. Even next year." He wants to bring traditions back, such as putting a gold brick in the wall at Dal Ward when the Buffs beat a top 25 team (the brick is gold, the score is in black). He wants the first brick to be the win over Hawaii to open the 2011 season.

On the recruiting process, Embree said he spent the first 2 weeks meeting with every player to find out what the team had, emphasizing the weight training and academics for each player. He then spent alot of time putting the staff together and watching film of every game. He thought the current team was not balanced (with only 2 quarterbacks for example) and the goal of recruiting was to fix that. He told the staff on recruiting "we have 13 days to get this done and we can't miss." While there were 6 or 7 he wanted that the Buffs didn't get, "we flipped 7 commitments from other schools."

The class as a whole brings athleticism, speed, and toughness - three characteristics he wants to build in the Buffs. "Even the offensive guys will hit you" He didn't talk about the individual recruits much but singled out the 2 Colorado signees (Mustow and Daigh) and emphasized how he wants to do well recruiting Colorado in the future.

A highlight film, narrated by Buff announcer Mark Johnson, was then shown of each of the recruits. I was especially impressed with running back Malcolm Greer's balance on one run, and his stiff arm on another run. The sheer size of Stephan Nembot was also impressive.

To conclude the luncheon the new staff took the stage to sing the CU fight song with the crowd.

It was a fun and inspiring day for Buff football fans and an indication that better days are ahead. I attended Dan Hawkins first luncheon and I must admit I was fooled by Hawkins at first (thinking he'd be successful at CU). In comparing that lunch to Embree's today I would say Hawkins talked alot about himself. Hawk said during that lunch "you know who the division 1 coach with the best winning percentage is? You are looking at him!" Embree by contrast today talked about putting the team above the individual (also emphasized by McCartney). Bringing back successful coaches and players from Colorado's past to lead the Buffs into the Pac 10 is a good move. I expect next season will have its struggles, but as Coach Mac said I think the Buffs have the right leadership in place now and fans just have to give them time.

Eric Bieniemy best choice to be the next CU Football Coach

Now that I am over my "John Elway to coach the CU Buffaloes" fantasy (that was never going to happen) I have a more realistic selection as the next Buff coach: Eric Bieniemy.

I'm in favor of the Buffs going with Bieniemy because:

1. The name of the game in college football is recruiting, and Bieniemy was one of the best recruiters on the staff when he served as a CU assistant under Gary Barnett and later with UCLA. The late Eddie Crowder, successful former CU head coach and past athletic director, was once asked what was the most important attribute of a head coach at Colorado. "recruiting, recruiting, recruiting," was the reply.

2. Bieniemy brings back the much needed tradition of the great CU teams of the 90's. When CU had a 1990 team reunion earlier this season, the atmosphere was electric, and motivated an undermanned Buff team to upset Georgia that weekend. Bieniemy gave a pep talk to the team on game day, and he did various radio interviews proclaiming what a great university Colorado was. CU has an advantage over other down trodden programs in that it DID win a national championship in the not too distant past (1990). Eric Bieniemy was the emotional leader of that championship team.

3. Bieniemy is African American. Regardless of race, Bienamy is a fine football coach. Nation wide, however, there are far too few African American head coaches in big time college football. It would be good to see CU take the lead in this area with a progressive hire for its next head football coach.

4. Bieniemy could bring back Coach McCartney in some capacity. Coach Mac is wanting the head coaching job, too, but at age 70 he is not the best long term option for the program. With Bieniemy at the controls coach Mac could still be intimately involved in the program, and help mentor Eric in dealing with the CU Administration.

5. Other great former Buffs could be brought back as assistants. Jon Embree, the current tight end coach for the Washington Redskins, is a close friend of Bieniemy and has wanted to return to Boulder for years (he applied for the head coaching job before Dan Hawkins was hired)

6. Some say Bieniemy does not have enough experience to be a head coach at the college level. He hasn't even been a coordinator. I say see #1 on my list. His recruiting abilities will more than make up for his lack of game day coaching experience, and he can surround himself with experienced coordinators. Bieniemy's coaching resume is better than Dan Hawkin's when Hawk was hired. Hawkins had no experience at the top BCS levels, while Bieniemy has been an assistant at two top programs (Colorado and UCLA) in addition to serving as running backs coach for the NFL Minnesota Vikings in recent years.

Do the right thing, CU - hire E.B. to be your next coach!

Why not Elway for the Buffs?

With the Dan Hawkins firing today there's one name I have not heard as a possibility for Colorado's next coach.

Why not John Elway??

1. Elway is itching to get back into the game. He's been a frequent visitor to Bronco practices this year and has been more involved with the franchise than anytime since his retirement. Ideally Elway wants to get into NFL ownership, but with an NFL player lockout looming the prospects of a pro franchise becoming available are slim.

2. Elway's late father Jack was a lifetime college coach (including his stint at John's alma mater Stanford). When his Dad was alive Elway once said he would like to coach college football with his Dad. Elway certainly knows the life of a college coach and what it takes to succeed.

3. Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh has made a transition from NFL quarterback to successful college football coach and so could Elway. Harbaugh had no BCS experience before his Stanford gig (just 3 years at the University of San Diego). Harbaugh's Dad was also a college coach (at Western Kentucky University).

4. Would Elway consider ncaa football a step down? Elway had success as a co-owner of the Arena Football League champion Colorado Crush and enjoyed that gig - big time college football is a step up from the Arena league.

5. Despite recent investment losses, Elway has plenty of money and wouldn't necessarily demand a top salary. He also loves the state of Colorado - living here, opening a restaurant here, long after his retirement.

6. An Elway hire would finally allow the cash strapped University of Colorado to tap into the rabid and lucrative Denver Broncos fan base (who have sold out all their home games since 1970)

7. Elway would love to return to his old Pac 10 stomping grounds and compete against the schools he battled while he was an all american college quarterback at Stanford.

8. Elway has been waiting 28 years to avenge this play:



With Cal in Boulder next year, he'd get a chance!

Yes I know this is an extreme longshot, but I think Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn should at least have a sit down with Elway, one of the area's greatest football minds, to get his thoughts on the next Buff coach. It was rumored last year Bohn had an informal meeting with Mike Shanahan about the Buff coaching vacancy when it appeared Hawkins would be fired.

Coaching with his father is no longer a possibility for Elway. How about John brings in CU Legend Bill McCartney as defensive coordinator to help him with the Buffs, keeping ties to the Colorado glory days?

This long time CU and Denver Broncos fan can dream, can't he?

CU Scrimmage

Every August I like to go to one Denver Bronco practice and one University of Colorado scrimmage to get an early indication of the prospects for our local teams. Today I headed up to Boulder for the last scrimmage and practice open to the public for the CU Buffs.

The CU scrimmages are sparsely attended - there must have been less than 200 spectators today in the 50,000+ seat Folsom Field. The CU scrimmage is more like a real game than what you see at Bronco practices - the quarterbacks for one are fair game for tackles by the defense.

My impressions of the CU Buffs based on today:


Tyler Hansen (#9) is CLEARLY the best quarterback on the team. Hansen to me was the star of the scrimmage. He looked really good. He has much better pocket presence than when I saw him at the preseason scrimmage last year. He had several deep balls that were right on the money. One was dropped by Tony Clemons, another was dropped by Will Jefferson. He hooked up with Scotty McKnight on a nice 40 yarder despite tight coverage. Hansen ran for a td, too, showing his mobility.


Cody Hawkins was Cody - he just doesn't have the arm strength of Hansen and skipped some balls off the turf. He's an adequate backup with a great attitude but you don't want him as your starter.

When I attended the same scrimmage last year I thought Cody SHOULD be the starter based on that scrimmage. Hansen last year was too raw. This year Hansen was much much improved.

Freshman quarterback Nick Hirschmann reminded me of Hansen last year. He has a good arm (much stronger than Cody's) but he was indecisive in the pocket and needs more work.

Others:

Heralded transfer wide receiver Toney Clemons from Michigan is predicted to be Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year but he didn't do much today. He had a drop on the long pass I mentioned and on another shorter pass he bobbled it before getting it under control. Clemons just didn't seem to be getting as many looks as the other receivers.

UCLA transfer wide receiver Paul Richardson looks very good - the most impressive receiver to me. Other than his drop on the long pass Will Jefferson had his moments too.

There were mixed results on the kicking:

Marcus Kirkwood made his first field goal (about 35 yds) then on another try he kicked it straight into the line. Also Kirkwood was short on kickoffs. If it were just kirkwood I'd be concerned about the fg kicking but ..

Last year's field goal kicker, Eric Goodman looked OK - he made 2 fgs in the 35 yard range. He looked ok in the scrimmage last year and later struggled during the season so let's see if he can be more consistent this year.

Freshman kicker Justin Castor has a good leg. He boomed a kickoff from the 30 that went 5 yards deep into the end zone. I saw Castor make one medium range fg, too. After I left I read that he made a 52 yard field goal.

I was more concerned about the punting. Grossnickle had a series of punts from the 20 yard line: the distances I recorded: 24 yds, 31 yds, 35 yds, 35 yds. His best kick was a high one that was fair caught after 35 yards. This is a division 1 punter? He also had a terrible shank when kicked from the 40 (went out of bounds after 10 yards and into the stands). After I left I read that Grossnickle was booming kicks later in the practice, so there is still hope he can get his act together before the CSU opener.

There were lots of receivers open during the scrimmage which caused someone near me to say "we either have a very good offense or our defense is terrible" I do think they were just playing basic sets on defense so I'm not too worried about the secondary.



My early gut feel on the CU Buffs:

6 wins 6 losses because of much improved quarterback play (Hansen) and more receiving weapons.

Is there hope for the Buffs?

Things look dreary in Boulder these days when thinking about the future of Buff football. But when I lived in Louisville in the early 80's, when the team was struggling (1-10 in Bill McCartney's 3rd season) it was the same. No one back then could have predicted the Buffs would win a National Championship six years later.

To start the Buffs have to get rid of head coach Dan Hawkins. Just because McCartney struggled his first three years and eventually turned the program around doesn't mean that Hawkins will. The one thing McCartney had going for him was his amazing ability to recruit. Even in the 1-10 1984 season I was hearing good things about recruiting (which led to better years in the mid-80's). The people who follow college recruiting closer than I do say this year's Buff class is Hawkin's weakest and the worst Buff class in years. Unlike McCartney, Hawkin's recruiting classes seem to be getting progressively worse, not better.

This season is going to be a lame duck year for Hawkins - bringing him back for another year was a major mistake and delays the rebuilding project by one year.

But I do think there's still potential in Boulder to build a solid program, just like there was potential in McCartney's early years. Increasing the money invested in the program will help (see Neil Woelk's column about that). The next coach, like McCartney, has to be a great recruiter.

Hawkins reminds me of Gerry Faust

I was thinking earlier today coach Hawkins tenure at the University of Colorado reminds me of the Gerry Faust era at Notre Dame. Tonight I checked out wikipedia on Faust and read this:

"It was his amazing record, sound ethics and the quality football players from Moeller who later played at Notre Dame, that led Notre Dame officials to take a calculated gamble and hire him when Dan Devine stepped down after the 1980 season. For Faust, a devout Roman Catholic, it was a dream come true. He had coveted the head coaching job at Notre Dame for years and said all along that he would never leave Moeller for anything else. Faust inherited a solid squad that included nine of his former players from Moeller. He switched the team's home jerseys from green back to blue, although initially it was a lighter Madonna blue shade than the navy blue that had been previously worn (and returned to in 1984), and kept the player's names on the backs. A self-proclaimed eternal optimist brimming with enthusiasm, Faust had visions of winning more games and national championships and coaching at Notre Dame longer than anyone else. Then when he saw Notre Dame's schedule, he was quoted as saying, "I hope my lifelong dream doesn't end in a nightmare." Sadly, it proved to be a prophetic statement and his era at Notre Dame, initially referred to as "The Bold Experiment"[1], fell far short of living up to expectations."

Faust's Notre Dame tenure started on a high note with a 27-9 victory over LSU in the 1981 season opener, one of the most widely anticipated games in school history. After top-ranked Michigan lost to Wisconsin on that same day, Notre Dame was voted #1 in the polls. The success was short-lived, however, as Michigan defeated Notre Dame the following week, 25-7. It was all downhill after that as the Irish finished 5-6 that year, their first losing season since 1963. Faust would end his stint at Notre Dame with a 30-26-1 record, never winning more than seven games in one season and never coming even close to contending for a national title. This included four consecutive losses against Air Force, whom the Irish had never lost to prior to 1982. Despite his mediocre record and growing discontent among Irish fans, Faust was allowed to remain at Notre Dame for the entire duration of his five-year contract."

Comparisons to Hawk:

eternal optimist in over his head as a division 1 football coach

Faust had 1 big win early in his tenure (LSU 81). Hawk had his big win over Oklahoma

Repeated losses to teams far less talented. I remember the Faust losses to air force in the 80's - notre dame was solidly outcoached each game. Hawk's losses to csu toledo, montana state and near loss to Eastern Washington last year are similar.

What happened to Faust? He was canned at Notre Dame, unsuccessful and eventually fired at Akron. Today "Faust lives in Fairlawn, Ohio, a suburb of Akron; he now works as a motivational speaker."

That's the job for Hawk - motivational speaker - not division 1 football coach.

A Visit to CU Buffs Practice

My personal preseason training camp tour continued today as I took in the CU Buffs scrimmage at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado.

I used to live in Louisville, a neighbor of Boulder's, in the 80's. I loved to going to CU games that decade to watch Bill McCartney's teams rise from doormat to national power.

These days I don't get to Boulder nearly as much. I found the drive up to be spectacular as always - the view coming into Boulder on US 36 is breathtaking. Folsom Field's setting, right next to the Flatirons, makes it one of the most scenic stadiums in college football.

As for the scrimmage itself, the Buffs were inconsistent as can be expected after only a week in camp. Cody Hawkins again looked like the best quarterback. The Buffs are deep at running back and their offensive line is huge. On defense the line looked a little undersized, but there is good talent at linebacker and in the secondary. Last year's field goal kicker, Aric Goodman, looked much better in this practice than he did in games last year (he made 10 of 14 field goals and boomed kickoffs far into the end zone this day)

I expect the Buffs to get back to a bowl game this year. Only 3 weeks until opening kickoff against CSU!