Two rough weeks to open the Dan Hawkins' era and there are a lot of questions, even more theories to the solutions, and an increasing hunger for the elusive win.
Here at The Black and Gold Breakdown today to take a stab at some of those riddles is Kyle Ringo, the beat reporter for CU athletics for Boulder's Daily Camera.
BGB: Publicly, CU appears to have avoided panic and has bought into Hawkins' calm approach to righting the ship and building lasting success. How long can Hawkins and his staff keep the player's trust and spirits positive?
Ringo: The more they lose the tougher that job will be, especially for the older guys, the (Gary) Barnett guys. I do think there are a lot of good character guys on this team. You don't see a lot of "me" players, a lot of selfishness.
BGB: Offensively, what's wrong right now? Is it the line, the quarterbacking, a talent deficiency, sloppiness?
Ringo: All of the above. I attribute it to recruiting the past few years. As much as coaches want to downplay the three, four, five-star guys, it matters. If you are recruiting two-star players it's going to catch up to you. CU got stuck in a rut. I'd also be a moron if I didn't consider the scandal and two years of negative press and the recruiting restrictions as factors. Colorado has to meet a different standard. I should also point out that under Barnett, they (CU) were in a west-coast system and they did the same thing week after week. Under Hawkins and (Mark) Helfrich (the offensive coordinator), they are more of a game-plan group and how they attack the defense. They are not afraid to change things.
BGB: Where's Hugh Charles? He seems like the explosive talent this sputtering offense needs and he's nowhere to be found.
Ringo: This offense doesn't need this guy running into the middle of the line for one yard. They need to find him a niche, and find a way to get him into space. Running him into the thick of the defense has proven to be not a good idea. They should try to get him into the passing game and use his speed. Injuries have also slowed him down and that has allowed others to catch up (on the depth chart). He had a high-ankle sprain then an elbow injury slowed him down further.
BGB: Bernard Jackson, is he really that limited as a passer or is it just him being inexperienced and uncomfortable right now?
Ringo: In a side session with the beat writers, after his press conference, Hawkins said Joel Klatt got every rep (repetition) under the former coaching staff. (Hawkins) is saying that they neglected to develop the younger quarterbacks to get the most out of Klatt. He was saying Jackson is like a true freshman in his junior year. So he is limited but that is not attributable to his talent but to his experience level. He will be a better passer in Dec. 2006 than anyone thinks he will be.
BGB: Hawkins has said he's not going to strip the offense down, Kyle, but with the quarterback issues, how can you, as Hawkins says "push the envelope" as far as the passing game?
Ringo: There are plenty of things you can do to get creative in the passing game and make things easier. (CSU quarterback) Caleb Hannie completed his first 14 passes (against CU) and they were simple things and they were doing them well. Jackson and (backup quarterback) James Cox could do the same things.
BGB: What did you think of Eddie Crowder's letter of support for Hawkins and the leadership at CU (printed in the Daily Camera)? Normally such a need for support doesn't come so early in a coaches' tenure, does it?
Ringo: Eddie's a good guy. I'm not sure why Eddie felt a need to do that after the first game. I can't speak for coach Crowder. Obviously, he believes in the coaching staff and I think his point is there is a lot of new stuff here and a lot of good stuff and let's (as fans) not overreact.
BGB: Do you believe the fan's expectations were too high to begin the season? It seems Hawkins' personality works people up into a lather. Was that a good thing or an unfortunate one?
Ringo: I don't know what the expectations were. You can't blame the fans for having great expectations. This is CU. They want to play for the national championship and New Year's Day bowl games. Hawkins has the gift of gab and has a knack for saying things of a quotable nature and that gets him in trouble sometimes.
BGB: Two games does not a season make. What will three games tell us about this team? Anything?
Ringo: After week three, fans will see more signs of progress. The Buffs are slowly coming around. After week three, fans will know Hawkins and his staff are not afraid to take risks.
BGB: Does this offense have the capability to score enough points to stay in games and compete for a bowl game of some sort or is that at least a year away?
Ringo: Without a doubt, this offense has the ability to score points and stay in games. ASU, Georgia, OU and Nebraska will be a challenge but there is not any game that they will be out of before they get into it. I do think they will have to play more mistake-free than other teams. I think, right now, they are lacking in confidence. They need a breakthrough moment.
BGB: Look ahead, Kyle. At the end of the season, who's the team's most productive offensive players and how good was the defense as a unit?
Ringo: The offensive players I think will be Bernard Jackson, Hugh Charles and Patrick Williams. The defense will have been pretty good but they probably don't maintain their top-10 rushing defense ranking because of the caliber of opponent they'll play. I think they will be a top-40 defense in overall defense and that's pretty good because its' in the top-third of defenses nationally.
BGB: Last question. Your early impressions of Hawkins, as a leader and as a personality?
Ringo: As a personality, he is a dynamic guy, a quote machine, an enthusiastic person. It's fun to be around him. He has a booming voice, says funny things to you every day. He's consistent. As a leader, I think he has what it takes. I take the Eddie Crowder line-of-thinking where you are judged by your lifetime batting average and (Hawkins) has been a success wherever he's been and I think he'll be successful at Colorado. It might take a few years but I think it will happen.
BGB
No comments:
Post a Comment