It's Water World day for the Buffs this afternoon where they will take a needed break from practice and hit up the wave pool at the biggest waterpark in the world. And with any mention of the Colorado Buffaloes, water and some sort of floatation devices, something goes off in peoples' minds that automatically brings back memories of one man - Rick Neuheisel. I have read a lot today from Slick Rick will be at Waterworld to try and steal one of the Buffs' six QB's or he is just a visiting to take an adventure down memory lane. All very clever and all leave me pondering a couple things - Do you think Buffs nation will ever get over Slicker? Probably not. Do you think Rick has another trick up his sleeve for UCLA that will leave him vulnerable and embarrassed like his past two head coaching stints?-LB Brad Jones had a great scrimmage on Saturday with 14 tackles and a sack. With B.J. Beatty being slowed by an ankle injury, look for the physically imposing Jones to be the guy with Beatty right behind him. Last Saturday, Beatty was the starter on the first team but that has obviously changed with the injury and Jones' performance. But as Cabral said in the article, Jones will have to be consistent and will need more than one scrimmage to solidify his spot. Either way, I really like the way our linebacker corp is shaping up, enough so to feel comfortable with the forced red-shirt on Katoa and a red-shirt of Jon Major and/or Doug Rippy. Right now, I see Jeff Smart solidifying the middle with Brad Jones and Marcus Burton on the edges. The second team squad would have Michael Sipili, Shaun Mohler and B.J. Beatty with special team players/subs consisting of Hartigan, Ahles, Goldberg and Gouin. Something tells me the Buffs would love to red-shirt the three big freshmen linebackers.
-Tough news for Buffs WR Jason Espinoza as he broke his collarbone in practice Tuesday. Espinoza was said to be in a position to compete for the return job. Coach Hawkins, I got your solution - Rodney Stewart. The Ralphie Report takes pride in its ability to problem solve. Something tells me when it is all said and done, Hawkins wouldn't need my advice and Stewart would be the man for the job.
-It's a very unsettling feeling in the state of Colorado these days around the kicking front. Over the past 6 years or so, the Denver sports scene has been able to rely on solid to excellent kickers. For the Broncos, we had Jason Elam for what seemed like an eternity. He's gone. His replacement - Matt Prater. Who? Exactly. FYI to the Denver Broncos - Jay Feely was just released by the Dolphins...can we get him please? The Buffs have relied on Mason Crosby and Kevin Eberhart. I remember Hawkins first spring game and Mason Crosby was the only excitement, nailing 60 yarders here and there. The Buffs now have to rely on Aric Goodman, which a couple months ago sounded like a risky proposition, but now it looks like he will be a solid fit in Boulder. Already tagged with the nickname, "Money," he has gained the respect of his teammates and made every big kick in camp that he has attempted. Something tells me playing at Invesco Field will be a whole different level of pressure but I would probably take him over the Broncos option right now.
- Good news, both Woodrow and I plan on attending the scrimmage this Sunday as it will be the last time we get to see the Buffs before they take on CU. Check back here either Sunday night or Monday of next week to get the same sort of review you got this past week.
2 comments:
Which one of the LBs do you think will get the assignment of covering Sperry right off the bat? How did Jones/Burton look in coverage?
Hey Commish thanks for checking out our blog. This is a great question. A couple scenarios for you as I see tons of different ways to approach Sperry. I first of all think that CSU will try and protect the new QB by pounding Kyle Bell a lot. There is no secret that the running game is the strength of the team. That being said, I think the Buffs will roll up either Walters or Dykes to keep an eye on Sperry and Bell and then let the linebackers roam free. If the Buffs go with the standard 2 deep coverage, I see Brad Jones drawing the man to man assignment on Sperry due to his size and a little more mobility than Burton. The key for the Buffs in game one is to get up early and force Billy Farris to have to start throwing the ball. I think then you will see the linebackers in attack mode (which is what they do best) and then you bring in Jimmy Smith in the nickel and let his size body up Sperry. I do see the Rams splitting out Sperry in a flex formation and trying to take advantage of his ability on our CBs which makes it important for Jimmy Smith to really evolve and become a big time player. I would expect the Buffs to throw the kitchen sink on the Rams early. The good thing for our linebackers is they are going up against a hell of tight end in Geer in practice so they should be prepared.
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