Sometimes, what is said between the lines or what isn't said tells more of the story.
In part one of a two-part series, the Black and Gold Truth takes a look at all that. The coaches' comments on the players were provided by cubuffs.com.
Before we get started it should be noted that the BGT clearly observes what a historian Hawkins is of this program and how he longs to become just as relevant as a leader as Eddie Crowder and Bill McCartney, two men who were more than coaches. Others had success but there was something special about EC and Mac.
Rick Neuheisel was a supernova, Gary Barnett, as Crowder described him -- an enigma.
How Hawkins will be viewed and remembered one day remains to be seen but there seems to be, even after a 2-10 debacle, clues of special gifts. He is a dynamic personality with a burning desire to make this program his and return the Buffs to winning Saturdays, December's and January's.
First, he has to dig this program out of the mud it's in and he must do it soon or risk losing support of many not considered insiders.
That starts with many things -- including talent.
So here we go:
OL Ethan Adkins
"He's a big ole' horse. He's used to working really hard."
-Dan Hawkins
BGT: Hardly a ringing endorsement. Doesn't sound like Hawkins is sure what Adkins is or who he might become. He does like his size and work ethic.
Now, former offensive line/assistant head coach Chris Strausser did mention Adkins' athleticism, calling it "great," and his strength and passion, so in the right system, it says here Adkins could be a highly serviceable lineman, though probably as a reserve.
LB Tyler Ahles
"When I saw him last year I really saw something in him...I look to see great things from him."
-Linebackers' coach Brian Cabral
BGT: Would say Cabral wasn't necessarily bowled over by Ahles' overall talent but did recognize some workable skills that if magnified could make him a solid player.
OL Matt Bahr
"He's very athletic, moves his feet very well, he's explosive and likes to finish his blocks. His leadership, his work ethic, his passion for the game, his drive to be successful -- those things are all off the charts."
-Strausser
BGT: Yeah, Strausser liked him, just a little. Keep an eye of Bahr. He sounds like an impact player in time.
QB Matt Ballenger
"Just that competitiveness and size are things that we are excited about....He's a guy we think is going to be a great quarterback."
-Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks' coach Mark Helfrich
"Enormous potential."
-Hawkins
BGT: Ballenger was not an all-world recruit but by listening to Helfrich and Hawkins you get the feeling that there are flashing lights and sirens going off alerting them to stardom. We don't yet know if this is pure salesmanship or honest excitement over very real talent. It might take three-to-four years before we know how accurate these assessments are but to make it, he will have to prove he can compete against better players and get stronger. The coaches, though, now must feel confident, having Cody Hawkins and Ballenger under center in coming seasons.
OL Blake Behrens
"A very athletic guy, explosive, has a desire to come in and compete."
-Strausser
BGT: Now that short sentence leads the BGT to believe Behrens is the epitome of what you want in an offensive lineman. Add this to the comments on Bahr and the ones coming on other lineman and one of the program's weakest areas last season may soon be solidified.
WR Kendrick Celestine
"He is a very, very electric guy with the ball in his hands. He has speed to burn."
-Hawkins
BGT: Obviously, speed was a major problem last season for the CU receivers so getting someone who can stretch the field was imperative. When Hawkins says "electric" we can take that to mean that Celestine is the confident, aggressive, talented open-field runner who can make game-winning plays, ala names of the past -- Michael Westbrook, Charles Johnson, Mike Pritchard and Rae Carruth and maybe even D.J. Hackett and Derek McCoy.
Of course, that begs the questions -- can he get off the jam, run strong routes, get open and catch, with all apologies to Keyshawn Johnson "the damn ball."
Neither Hawkins or receivers' coach Eric Kiesau mentioned much about Celestine but speed. Lesson learned long ago -- being a productive receiver is about more than how quickly he covers ground. Example: Blake Mackey.
OL Shawn Daniels
"He expects to win, he loves Colorado. He's a tough, blue-collar, smart guy."
-Hawkins
BGT: No mention of talent. That says something. However, Boss Hawkins loves Daniel's intelligence, toughness and tenacity and believes he will be a starter, his "kind-of-guy."
TB P.T. Gates
"He's a Reggie Bush-type of guy."
-Hawkins
"We haven't had a guy like him like (Eric) Bieniemy."
-Running backs coach Darian Hagan
BGT: No pressure on P.T, now is there? Bush. Bieniemy. Why not compare him to Gale Sayers, Walter Payton, Emmit Smith, too?
Gates is also loved by former CU quarterback Mike Moschetti, now a junior-college assistant coach, who also made the Bush comparison.
However, Adam Munsterteiger of BuffStampede.com told me that there are still some concerns about getting the future college football hall-of-famer into school so Buff fans should not get too amped up quite yet.
But if Gates does make it academically, if he proves the hype is real, if the offensive line becomes better-than-average, then Gates could be that gamebreaker CU has lacked at RB for years.
DL Eugene Goree
"We just couldn't believe nobody else was recruiting him....a guy who I think is a steal for us."
-Defensive line coach Romeo Bandison
BGT: Goree sounds like a project, someone who is going to take some time to contribute. There were reasons he wasn't being recruited much, especially in Tennessee, a state that likes a little football. But Goree does have rare size for a CU defensive lineman recruit and from what Bandison says, might be able to get off blocks. We'll take a wait-and-see on Goree. Right now, we'll peg him as a backup.
Part II on Monday.
Crosby gaining momentum
CU legendary kicker Mason Crosby looked good to Pete Fiutak of the College Football News, to the point where he says the Buff will be a top-100 pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
BGT: It says here that if a team is in big need of a kicker, especially with range, Crosby's leg could get him selected in round 2. I just don't see a team going Sebastien Janikowski on him, like when the Raiders took the Florida State Seminole in round 1 and have since experienced mixed results. Of course, Crosby isn't the lunkhead Janikowski has proved to be but he was lusted after for his booming kicks at FSU.
The pick here? Crosby going somewhere in the second round, not round three.
BGT note: Did you happen to see the Associated Press report saying that Ritchie McKay is out at New Mexico at the conclusion of the season? Just another school now looking for a basketball coach, and one, even if not in the Big 12, with a proud history, and also another opportunity for a coach looking for a new home. We'll see how talented a recruiter that CU athletic director Mike Bohn is when we maybe read 'this five-star coaching prospect has offers from CU and New Mexico...he loves the culture of the great southwest, the jewelry, the food but is keeping the Buffs in mind.'
A taste of beer, cigarettes and shirts, Japanese style
O.K., what's the relevance to a story on Japanese culture and this space? Not sure, but if you are looking for a fast but interesting read, check out Paul White of USA Today.
You'll like it.
In his Feb. 22 installment, he wrote of beer, cigarettes and shirts.
"Buffaloes coach Jon Debus, who accompanied (Terry) Collins from the USA, already is chronicling his experiences. He makes notes about all his impression, including a growing list focusing on the general efficiency in Japan. He calls it "Why Didn’t We Think of That?" Debus said he decided his new home would be just fine when he noticed beer among the items in the proliferation of vending machines virtually everywhere – on street corners, in parks, along sidewalks.
Yes, beer in vending machines. It's quite a concept. I don't believe I've come across anything quite so … shall we say revolutionary … unless it was when I visited Colombia and found out the truck from the beer distributor there makes home deliveries.
Ever-present charcoal heaters – open metal half-barrels lying on their sides – have been getting a workout in many camps this spring. The mornings have been chilly. Once upon a time, veteran players tell us, broken bats helped fuel the dugout warmers. The ashes in the heaters are as close as it gets to untidy in Japanese dugouts. No wads of tobacco, no Gatorade cups, no general trash. The dugout floors are spotless, even at the end of a game.
Buffaloes pitcher Lance Carter, in his first month in the country, marvels at the cleanliness everywhere. "This whole country smokes like a chimney and you never see a cigarette butt on the street," says the former Devil Rays and Dodgers reliever.
The smoking is part of the baseball culture too. Collins keeps forgetting to include in his daily workout schedules the expected breaks for changing shirts.
"That's what you're supposed to put on the schedule," Collins says. "Shirt changing. It's really a smoking break."
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