Media Roundtable debuts now

Time to bust out a new feature, one of the changes you will soon see on this site.

So here is the debut of the Black and Gold Media Roundtable. I introduce to you the four horseman of B.G. Brooks of the Rocky Mountain News, Kyle Ringo of the Daily Camera, Chris Dempsey of the Denver Post and Patrick Ridgell of the Daily Times-Call who ride in to deliver their knowledge and opinions.

Ready?

Let's get rollin'.

BGB: What did Saturday's win tell us about Colorado? Was it but a moment or a sign of good things to come this season?

Brooks: The biggest and most telling revelation in the win over Tech, in my opinion, was the realization of that "breakthrough moment" Dan Hawkins has been saying would eventually come. That said, its fair to ask why to took so long -- especially when one looks at the close games CU lost in slipping to 0-6.

Nonetheless, though it sounded cliched, Hawkins (and other coaches) are right now more than ever in saying the difference between winning and losing usually comes down to a handful of plays a game.

Also, you must factor in Texas Tech's state of mind: that team, in retrospect, was far more fragmented than the winless Buffs.

Ringo: I don't think it was a moment. I do think it is a sign of good things to come. It was a pretty dominant win and a sign of progress for sure.

Dempsey: It shows a little about the character and resolve in those kids. They worked to improve. I think they will do some good things but I don't know how many wins will come out of it. Now, you listen more intently in meetings and are working a little harder in practice but this team is still leaving plays on the field.

Ridgell: We'll see. Texas Tech clearly showed last Saturday in Boulder it has issues. Perhaps for the Buffs, Texas Tech was just what the doctor ordered.

Still, Bernard Jackson and Hugh Charles are emerging as playmakers. The offense shows more and more to opponents each week. And the rushing yards -- consecutive performances that top 200 yards for the first time since 2002 -- show progress in undeniably coming.

This might be too soon to say, but defending the Buffs in 2007, assuming a receiver or two steps up, appears like it'll be an immense challenge.

BGB: Next up, boys, the offense -- has it turned the corner to some degree or is it still unreliable?

Brooks: Let's load up another cliche -- the offense was/is a "work in progress" until a vertical passing game is developed, it will continue to be a 1.5 dimensional -- featuring a running game, short passing game.

If any corners have been turned, they are in the running game -- which is where Hawkins' offense start. The big question now becomes, can the ground game be sustained and improved on while work continues -- with the personnel involved -- on the vertical throwing part of the offense?

No easy answer there, until more and more reliable firepower is in house.

Ringo: The running game has definitely turned the corner. The offensive line has the feel for what to do. But when you have Bernard Jackson you are far from a finished product at quarterback.

Dempsey: That remains to be seen. The jury is still out on that but things are looking up. I'm curious about that myself.

Ridgell: Oklahoma's defense can be brutal. Texas Tech and Baylor? Not so much.

If the Buffs can put up points and numbers in Norman, it'll be hard to deny that a corner has been turned.

BGB: Finally, men, the wide receivers -- should they resign themselves to blocking downfield and running wind sprints as decoys this season or will the line play (pass blocking) improve, will Bernard Jackson go through his reads better and the hookups start happening more frequently?

Brooks: For part one of this answer, see the final part of question No. 2. This is not an overly talented receiving corps; it's workmanlike (don't you hate that word?) at best. Couple that with a quarterback who is, like Hawkins says, a virtual freshman learning on the fly and you have a passing game that won't make leaps-and-bounds progress.

B-Jax obviously won't become a polished pocket passer in the next month and a half, maybe not the next year and a half. That's not his strength, and the coaching staff is trying to play to his strengths.

I was amused at the outcry over Hawkins' decision in the final 2:06 of the Baylor game not to take 2-3 shots downfield and attempt to position Mason Crosby for a field goal. Do you allow B-Jax to suddenly try to become a pocket passer, or even a rollout guy throwing long, in that situation? I don't think so; you don't give him the chance to make a bad decision and prevent the game from reaching overtime -- where his bad decision eventually ended it.

Ringo: You can't resign yourself to blocking downfield or you become one-dimensional. I don't think this will be the quintessential Dan Hawkins offense this season. Maybe not until next season or even until the third season.

It's a combination of a lot of different factors and in each case (player) the reasons might be different. And the whole Bernard Jackson thing plays a role in it.

The downfield passing game is not there yet but I think it's getting there.

Dempsey: I think the wide receiver position is a work in progress. I think there are guys who can make plays and guys who can get the job done.

I'm still a big fan of Patrick Williams, who has the tools and size to be a big factor.

I think the wide receivers are suffering from being an unfinished product. Its' the one position that has come along the slowest. You have to look at the quarterback, though, which is a week-to-week process. He's learning things from scratch. It's about slowing down the passing game for him. It takes time.

I don't know if they have found a solid guy (at wide receiver), that you can go to week-to-week outside of (tight end) Riar Geer. They lack that star power, that go-to guy.

Ridgell: The reasons for the lack of production are plentiful, bu the lack of talent glares against some teams. Compared to a lot of athletes you see in the Big 12, CU's receivers are not very fast. Drops have been too abundant. This spot on the team has not been addressed well in recruiting, and must be soon.

Other reasons include the quarterback play and experience, the whole team learning a new system and coaches learning how to best implement it. Injuries hounded Dusty Sprague and Jarrell Yates. Alvin Barnett had a solid camp, but it hasn't translated to the field. Cody Crawford and Nick Holz are great kids and good stories, but should they be your starting receivers in the Big 12?

Once teams play CU honestly on defense, things should open up. As it is now, defenses will stack the box against the Buffs until they don't have to.

BGB: The fellas aren't shy, are they? Just what I had hoped for -- direct, raw, honest, insightful, and interesting. Hope you enjoyed it.