Hugh Charles gets a chance with the Browns

Well Hugh isn't exactly signed but he will get a chance to earn a contract with the Browns at their mini-camp this week. At times over his career, he has looked like a fully capable running back who could possibly be a change of pace back in the NFL. He has speed and he is versatile but there were too many times he disappointed. His size and toughness are often questioned, though. It was very clear during the last two years that Hawkins had issues with his desire to the extra yard or stay in bounds. We wish Hugh the best of luck at the next level and hope that he can make the team.

CSU Wins for the 5th Straight Year

Saturday night Colorado State defeated the Buffs 8-4 in lacrosse action at Invesco Field in Denver. This is the 5th time in a row that the Rams took home the Bronze Helmet, given each year to the winner of the annual Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown. No one likes losing to the younger brothers to the North...

"By virtue of the victory, Colorado State (10-5 overall; 1-2 RMLC) finishes in third place in the regular season conference standings. They will get a rematch against #18 Utah in Salt Lake City, UT next Friday in the RMLC semifinals. The Utes defeated CSU in a classic 11-10 game at the end of March that went 5 overtimes, by far the longest game in either team’s recent history. Colorado (3-6; 0-3) will face #4 Brigham Young in the other semifinal. The winner of those two games will play for the RMLC championship on Saturday evening in Utah. BYU is the reigning RMLC champion, having defeated Colorado State 12-10 in last year’s title game. The Rams last RMLC crown came in 2006"

Five Goal First Quarter Ignites Rams to Showdown Victory

Polumbus Signed by the Denver Broncos

Better late than never, Tyler Polumbus was signed to an undrafted free agent contract by his hometown team the Denver Broncos. He was also courting offers from Kansas City and Indianapolis. Polumbus, a 6'7" 312 lb OT, feels confident that the system that the Broncos deploy will fit his play. The Broncos added two other offensive linemen in the draft including OT Ryan Clady from Boise State who was taken in the first round. Clady was recruited by CU head coach Dan Hawkins at Boise State, who loves Clady's agility and footwork to go along with his 6'6" 320 lb frame. Polumbus should have a legitimate shot to make the team as starting left tackle Matt Lepsis recently retired. Clady should be expected to step in Day 1 and be one of the starting tackles while Polumbus, Ryan Harris (a second year player out of Notre Dame), Mitch Erickson (an undrafted free agent from South Dakota State) and last years starter Erik Pears (third year from Colorado State) will compete for the other tackle spot. Chris Kuper may also be in the mixbut I believe he is better suited as a guard. Harris is the odds on favorite to win the job as he fits the Broncos style the best. We will see how effective the size of Polumbus will be in a Broncos system which usually has smaller, quicker offensive lineman especially inside and the right tackle which is where you would pencil in Polumbus.

Two other draft eligible Buffaloes, Hugh Charles and Tyson Devree, were not drafted and have not yet signed free agent contracts, but both have received interest and could be locked up this week.

Dizon, Lions Looks Like a Great Fit

I know, I know how can I say anyone fits well with the Detroit Lions? You're all probably wishing Dizon didn't get stuck in Detroit which has done nothing but kill themselves by taking wide receivers, possibly employing the worst GM in the history of the NFL and making poor free agent decisions. But look at it this way... he is playing for a no nonsense coach that has a defensive background and doesn't care about the typical draft-defined attributes like "sneaky quick" or "plays well in space". Marinelli likes hard nose football players and that is what Dizon is and will be. Second, the Lions depth at LB leaves something to be desired. Gilbert Gardner, Alfred Fincher, Buster Davis, Alex Lewis and Paris Lenon don't strike fear in anyones eyes. It is logical to think that Dizon will step into a starting role on Day 1 and it is his job to lose. Yes, I forgot one LB and that is Ernie Sims. Sims is a flat out stud that Dizon can learn from since he is also an undersized LB. And finally, the Lions don't play in a division that prevents them to contend. Hopefully for Dizon he is able to stay healthy possibly by bulking up because the opportunity is definitely there in Detroit.

Here is Jordon's conference call with the media yesterday

2008 NFL Draft - Where did the Buffs go?

Jordan Dizon just became the first Colorado Buffalo selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. Dizon was selected 45th overall in the second round by the Detroit Lions. Dizon had generally been projected to go later than he did, but he proved the talking heads wrong by being the fourth ILB taken this year. Great job, here's to a great career. We will be updating throughout the day as more Buffs are taken.



***Update*** Terrence Wheatley just became the second Buff selected in the second round. Wheatley was taken 62nd overall by the New England Patriots. Having two players selected this early is an accomplishment that not many people predicted and The University of Colorado should be very proud today.

Draft Day Did You Know????

In celebration of the NFL draft today, we have compiled a few nuggets from past drafts so you can win that $20 bar bet from that supposed die hard CU fan -

DID YOU KNOW...

...that there are only 5 WR combinations in NFL Draft history to be drafted in the first round, one of those combinations was from Colorado – Charles Johnson (1994) and Michael Westbrook (1995).

...that in 1995, Colorado along with Florida State had 10 players drafted, which led that years draft with the most players selected from one school. Those ten players were: Michael Westbrook led the way as the fourth overall pick to Washington in the first round, with Salaam selected by ChicagoPittsburgh (No. 60). In the third round, Green Bay at No. 65 snagged Darius Holland, and Chris Hudson went to Jacksonville at No. 71. Rounding out the final 3 spots were Derek West (No. 149), Shannon Clavelle (No. 185) and Tony Berti (No. 200). at No. 21. Three players went in the second round: Christian Fauria to Seattle (No. 38), Ted Johnson to New England (No. 57) and Kordell Stewart to

...that Colorado has 20 first round picks since 1967, ranking them 18th all time. Other Big 12 teams on the list include Texas with 30, Oklahoma with 28, Nebraska at 27 and Texas A&M with 21.

...that Colorado is one of 12 schools since 1938 to have two players taken as the infamous Mr. Irrelevant. No school has had more than two players receive the dubious honor. Randy Essington went to the Raiders in 1984 and Jim Kelleher went to the Vikings in 1977.

...that Colorado ranks tied for 19th all-time for most players ever selected in the NFL draft with 254 players. Out of the Big 12, Oklahoma has the most players selected in the draft with 330, ranking 4th all time behind Notre Dame, USC and Ohio State.

...that the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles have both drafted 16 Colorado Buffaloes since 1938. Since 1990, Bill Cowher and the Pittsburgh Steelers fell in love with the Buffs, drafting 7 players including Kordell Stewart, Chad Brown, Charles Johnson, Deon Figures and Joel Steed. A Buff has not been selected by its home state team in the Denver Broncos since 1980. No hometown love I guess.

Wouldn't mind seeing Mr. Dizon's name being called by the Broncos in the 4th round.

State of the Union

As CU athletics enters into the most quiet time of the year, we have time to review where the programs are and the progress they have made. An article by Woelk of the Daily Camera examines the good and not so good. Like we have been saying on the Ralphie Report, Woelk feels the program is now on solid footing and in a position to make the next step. Pretty good read, check it out.

Cleaning House

It looks like Coach Hawkins gave the CU basketball team the "go play intramurals brother" talk and the players obliged. Or Bzdelik may have changed the words to "go play at Northern Illinois brother." Although the most recent player leaving the team is just "speculation", six others have left the team since Jeff Bzdelik has taken over the hapless program that Ricardo Patton attempted to run. These seven players leaving is even more validation that the Patton run program was a joke and as soon as a little discipline was instilled, the players’ true colors were shown. In my honest opinion, the program needed to clean house and in a little more than a year, that has been done. Most of the teams Patton assembled were not worthy of Division 1 Big 12 basketball. Can you see any of these players stepping on the court with the Kansas Jayhawks of the world or even Kansas State? Probably not one would survive. Yes the facilities need to be updated and the culture has to change, but it looks like the free ride culture is no longer an option. Let’s just hope Bzdelik can field a team!

Sunday Anyone?

Several news sources are reporting that the Rocky Mountain Showdown will be moved from a day game Saturday, August 30th to Sunday, August 31st at 5:30pm on National Television. This is great news in that it is good exposure for CU but also saves all of us who would have had to wake up at 7am on Saturday to properly pregame before the usual 10am start as it was last year. It would also be an exclamation point on what looks to be a great 2008 schedule with two BCS bowl game winners on the schedule in West Virginia & Kansas and formidable foes in Texas, Nebraska, Florida State, Texas A&M and Mizzou.

• Aug. 31 - Colorado State at Invesco Field @ Mile High
• Sept. 6 - Eastern Washington - 1:30pm
• Sept. 18 - West Virginia - 6:30pm - Thursday Night ESPN
• Sept. 27 - at Florida State
• Oct. 4 - Texas (Homecoming)
• Oct. 11 - at Kansas
• Oct. 18 - Kansas State
• Oct. 25 - at Missouri
• Nov. 1 - at Texas A&M
• Nov. 8 - Iowa State
• Nov. 15 - Oklahoma State
• Nov. 28 - at Nebraska

Livin' the Dream through the 'Net...Sorta

Are you a sideline coach during a CU game? Think Hawkins was crazy for calling that double reverse on the 2 yd line? Do you need a little more for your football fix that Madden can't offer? Want to compete against others both on and off the field or be an owner of a team that controls ticket sales, free agency, trades and game plans. If so, the pure geniuses behind Goallineblitz.com have your solution. I believe the phrase "if you can dream it, you can do it" applies here. You have the ability to create players the way you want them to be. You can call plays like you would want to call them. Check it out, grab your buds and create a team in the image of the way YOU want the Buffs to be in the 2008 season.

Someone Make It Happen...

You have to be kidding me. How on earth could Salt Lake City possibly be getting a new bowl game and not Denver? Does anyone in SLC even care about football? Is there a D1 school in that state? Yes, I know that BYU has won a National Title but c'mon, if you are going to start adding more bowls (I won't even get into the discussion about the ridiculous amount of bowl games) then you better bring one out to Denver.

Three New Bowl Games Try to Make the Cut (Stewart Mandel)

Buffs in the Draft

What should be expected from CU alums during this weekends NFL Draft? Not too much. Only four Buffs are expected to be drafted and none will go higher than the second round. Nonetheless, here is a quick breakdown of whose names you might see called.


Jordan Dizon - LB

Jordan is one of the players who shows up all over the field, but not as much at the combine. A "small" player, but a consensus All-American, Dizon is the kind of linebacker (think Teddy Bruschi) who may not have the prototypical measurables but could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft. Dizon is projected to be drafted in the 2nd - early 3rd round.


Terrence Wheatley - CB

The senior CB is an exceptional cover man with great instincts and theAnother player that isn't considered to have "NFL size" that will be selected this weekend is ability to be a factor in the return game. There could be some injury concerns as Wheatley missed parts of last season and all of 05. His draft prospects could vary widely from early 3rd round to mid 5th.


Hugh Charles - HB

Many Colorado fans and players alike were shocked when news became public that Hugh hadn't been invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but Hugh made up for it during the CU Pro Day, posting strong times including a 4.4 40. There's still no guarantee that Hugh will get drafted, but if he does he will be a late second day pick.


Other Late Round Possibilities
Tyson DeVree - TE
Tyler Polumbus - OT

All Smiles in the Hawkins Family

In a statement that validates the football program is going in the right direction, Colorado Head Coach Dan Hawkins and AD Mike Bohn have agreed in principle to a contract extension that will boost Hawkins pay to put him more in line with his peers in the Big 12 but more importantly, provide stability in a program that has had its far share of instability in recent years. The contract will put Hawkins in Boulder until 2012.

Springing into Motion

Well, let’s just hope Darrell Scott runs like the real new incoming Buffalo who won’t even play one down this year…unless they can’t catch him. That Buffalo would be Ralphie V who basically stole all the headlines from the spring game in Boulder last Saturday. Yes a handler got destroyed and the video will surely get some good YouTube play but as I observed the game from the south end zone, there was more to the game than just Ralphie V.

Two years ago when Dan Hawkins ran his first spring game in Boulder, few fans graced the stadium on that day with a program fresh off controversy from the Barnett days and seemingly fading into the realm of Big 12 bottom feeder. Hawkins promised a change that day. A few months later, Montana State rolled into Boulder and you know the story.

If on that September day in 2006, you would have told me that CU would play in a bowl game in 2008, garner big program building wins in 2007 versus Oklahoma and Nebraska, sign a top 5 recruit (Ryan Miller OT and Darrell Scott RB) in the past two years and have a top 15 recruiting class in 2008…well, I would have laughed and said they would be lucky to get a top 50 class. But that is exactly what Hawkins has done. There is some optimism back in the CU program. The largest crowd in CU spring game history is evidence of that. When is the last time CU had depth at the quarterback position or had enough talent to even fathom going to a no huddle offense? Or when was the last time you could say, “I can’t wait to see the running back battle this fall?” In the past, there wasn’t a battle, it was more like a prayer that somebody would be adequate. Two years ago, the Bernard Jackson led offense struggled to gain yardage or complete a pass. This year, trick plays and no huddle offense are becoming second nature. Certainly Hawk has got across to his players that they aren’t playing intramurals (brother) and they are starting to resemble a competitive football team. Still they are young and going to have growing pains but things are definitely changing in Boulder.

More about the spring game -

Spring Practices Over After Ups, Downs

CU Spring Game Notebook

Attendance Record Set at CU Game